~”I am who I am because of who God has made me to be.”~Dr. Charles F. Stanley, Living in the Shadows of Loneliness Sermon~

I listened intently to Dr. Stanley’s sermon today at First Baptist Church of Atlanta and have a couple of things I will share with you, dear reader, that I have learned since coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ….

1. No friend can bring the ultimate satisfaction in a relationship that Jesus Christ can. This was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way. After my best friends from college made the personal decision to reject me, I had to reevaluate my circle of friends. I even had to let certain friends go because of reasons that were threatening to my sense of peace, love, and satisfaction with my relationship with God. My relationship with God comes first. Friends second.
2. No family member can bring the ultimate satisfaction in a mother-daughter or father-daughter that Jesus Christ can. I love my family. I love them. Very much. And I honor both of my parents as the 10 commandments teaches. Since my relationship with God has grown over the years, I have learned to forgive both of my parents even through the pains that their divorce caused on me for many years. When you forgive a person, you have two choices:
   1. Let them go from your life.
   2. Set boundaries with them.
   3. Both

I chose to forgive them (not reject them) and set healthy boundaries with them that are good for my health and well being since that is the God-honoring thing to do.

3. No counselor, psychiatrist, or medication can permanently heal wounds. In other words, they just reopen back up. I have taken medication and seen counselors in the past in order to “cure,” my depression, but have come to terms after hearing Dr. Stanley’s sermon today that they do not heal you. They just lead you around and around in circles. I have learned that from experience. Only a true and pure relationship with Jesus Christ can heal you. I realized that Jesus is the Ultimate Healer and now, I am ready to receive all of His healing. May the healing begin. Starting now. Fully. In Jesus’ name.

I thank God for getting me through almost all of 2017. 2017 was a hard year. The hardest year in five years. I thank God for it though because it only made me a stronger woman of the King who delights in me. Who is using me to be salt and light at First Baptist Church of Atlanta. To my real friends. Friends from the past. And with my family. I thank God for it all. Thank you Jesus for the healing that is taking place right now. I receive it now, in Your precious name.

~”Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name.”~Psalm 100:4~

~”One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire upon his temple.”~Psalm 27:4~

~”For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”~Psalm 30:5~

May Christmas 2017 lead into a year full of rich and abundant blessings in 2018. May God bless you and keep you beloved. 🙂

This morning, God told me this:

“Sarah, it is time for you to go, grow, and let go.”

I finally came to this realization as I was journaling this morning. The Holy Spirit of God told me to do the following:

1. Let of the past. Letting go of the past is freeing. For me, I had been holding onto baggage. Baggage that had been hindering my spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional growth. It caused me a great deal of unnecessary worry, stress, and emotional pain for the year of 2017. God told me, “Let it ALL go. Give it ALL to me. Come to me as you are. I can carry this burden that you have been carrying for the past year It is not necessary for you to carry it yourself.” ~”Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for  your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”~Matthew 11:28-30~
2. Grow in the Woman I Have Called and Chosen You To Be. God has called me. Yet, He has chosen me for many things. I am now a news editor of Atlanta Christian Voice, a light to my twin sister (Yes, my twin sister as I have been seeing her a lot lately and talking to her about Jesus. God is good!! Pray for our relationship. 🙂 ), and a witness at First Baptist Church of Atlanta, my home church. I did not understand then why God allowed my friends from college to leave my life nor did I want to accept it then. He had a different and better plan for me. I can’t take everybody into this new phase of life and calling that He has chosen me specifically to fulfill. He set me apart from my college friends. He set me apart from the world. I am His daughter. Called and chosen for ministry, to serve others around me, and Jesus! Glory be to God and hallelujah!~”Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”~Proverbs 31:30~
3. Just Go, O Daughter of Mine. Go. This was God’s final word to me this morning. He told me to enter into His rest, and go into the future without fear. My Sunday School teacher at FBA has been going through a Bible study on Hebrews. She emphasized for us, as a class, to enter into the rest of Jesus so that we can see His perfect purpose and plan that He has for us. Our futures. Which is far better than what we could have ever thought of, dreamed, or imagined. I FINALLY came to grips with this reality. I let go and let God cut the ropes that held me bondage this past year. I let go and went. I entered into that rest that is of Jesus Christ. I am free. I am a child of God. I don’t need others’ approval or, “say so,” if you will, to tell me when to say, stay, or go. That is God’s job. Because Beloved, at the end of the day, it is what God tells you and not what others have said to you. So, I have chosen to GO and fulfill that commission that God has called me into for His destiny because His destiny is my destiny. This is not just a command for me. It is a command for me to fulfill. His mandate. His mandate is my calling for the rest of my life. I thank Almighty God for this truth. ~”Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”~Matthew 28:19-20.~

Since I have done all of these things out of obedience, I am at peace. The peace of God, which surpasses my understanding. It guards my heart and mind as I guard all of me in Christ Jesus.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life.”~Proverbs 4:23~

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”~Philippians 4:6-7~

I thank Jesus for surrounding me with His love. I thank you beloved for reading this blog. May the Holy Spirit of God empower you to let go, grow, and live for His Kingdom as I have done. God bless you!

“Sarah doesn’t have her priorities straight.”

This quote was said to me from a person I know, who knew my two friends from college, who decided to end their friendships with me for the reason stated: They thought I did not have my priorities straight. Here is my response to what this ignorant woman said through this woman I know (Even if they are reading this and don’t want to read this, it is for their own good. Keep reading if you want. Otherwise, stop if what I say or the Word of God says offends you):

“I’m not perfect. I’ve messed up. A lot of times this year, as a matter of fact. It is humbling for me to admit when I am wrong. At the same time, it empowers me to be able to be vulnerable, open, and honest with you about how the Lord is working in my life. He is transforming me and continues to transforms me. Grace by grace and day by day. During the time that I got my M.A. in Global Studies, I got into an argument with the both of you (I’m going to say it again: If you are the friends who are reading this, keep reading. Otherwise just stop if what I am saying and if the Word of God offends you).

One of you sent me an email with the statement, “I hope that we can both move forward forgiven and free.” I have a question for you when you make this statement, “Who are you to judge me for my sins when you have not even come to the Lord with your own sins and baggage?” The Word of God says in the Gospel of Matthew 7:1-5:

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”~Matthew 7:1-5~

You do not have a right to judge me where I am at spiritually when you yourself do not even know how you have sinned against me. Believe me, O daughter of God, it is humbling to admit where you have stumbled and failed God, even in your walk with Him. That is where the forgiveness begins. That is where true healing begins. That is how you can truly move forward forgiven and free. I can say this because this is what I had to do for myself in order for me to realize that I’m not only forgiven and free, but a daughter of the King too. ~”Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.~Hebrews 4:16~

You also do not have a right to tell me where my heart is. One day, I had a true friend tell me, “Thanks for sharing your heart,” after I gave a presentation on a Japan mission trip at my church. She was inspired of how much I love God and have a heart for the Japanese. It may not seem as if I don’t have as much of a heart for the Japanese as you do, but I DO have a heart for the Japanese. My priority is ministry. My priority is to serve. My priority is to love those in the world and not the world itself. Ministry is a job in and of itself because it is what ALL Christians are called to do, regardless of their background, family, friends that they have, etc. I love Jesus and HE is my top priority. ~”Anyone who does not love does not love God, because God is love.”~1 John 4:8~

Finally, I understand that you have moved on with your life. With that being said, I am moving forward too. God has better plans for me. Better plans for my life than I could ever dream or imagine of. He has allowed me and is allowing me to meet better people, who actually take me seriously and my priorities seriously, and have a genuine desire to serve God and others. As I said, serving others and ministry are my priority while Jesus is my top priority. So, your statement, “Sarah doesn’t have her priorities straight,” is a false statement and a lie and I rebuke it, in Jesus’ name. ~”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”~Jeremiah 29:11~

No. You do not have a right to judge me. No. you do not have a right to tell me where my heart is. I understand that you have moved forward, but so have I. I am forgiven and I am free. Good bye. God bless you.” 

I just want to start of by saying, “Thank You Father God!”

Thank You for writing Your Word on my heart. It makes my heart beat as You breathe life into me daily.

Thank You for using Your Word to be a light unto my feet and a path for me to walk on and forward. I can now call on King Jesus to be my Help as He walks alongside me on these splendid paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Thank You for planning out every detail of my life. Even in moments when I questioned Your plans for me, You allowed me to realize that Your plans are ALWAYS the best for me, O King Jesus Almighty.

Thank You for giving me a heart for children as a result of taking me to Lebanon and Japan. (for those of You who have not read my mission trip blogs to Lebanon and Japan, read them! Here are the links: lebanon2016blog.wordpress.com triptojapan2017.wordpress.com). Because of You, I now have a strong desire to serve children at church and home as I share the love of Jesus with them!

Thank You for anointing me with the gift of writing. Because of this amazing gift You have given me, I can now share Your Gospel to whoever reads my blogs and news articles for the Atlanta Christian Voice! 😉

Thank You for appointing me as News Editor of Atlanta Christian Voice. For such a time is this (my God). I can now be the mouthpiece of God in my writings as take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Atlanta and beyond.

Thank You for my church family. All of You have a special place in my heart for praying for me. Just know that I am praying for you too!

Thank You for my family. I love you, mom, dad, and sisters and brother (I hope you are reading this) and are praying for all of you to know the God I serve, King Jesus Almighty and to come to know Him personally. I love all of you very much. Just know that. I really do.

Thank You for providing me a place to live in Decatur, GA. I can now focus on my jobs as Editor of Atlanta Christian Voice and study for my doctorate.

Thank You for giving me the strength to persevere and study for my Ed.D. in Christian Education and Leadership. I will give my all to You as Your Holy Spirit leads me throughout my coursework.

Thank You for allowing me to be still and thank You for all of these things. Thank You Father God. Thank You Jesus. Thank You Holy Spirit. 🙂