It is Not Finished Until that Day of Completion, in the Name of Jesus Christ

Yesterday was a turning point in my life.

I got accepted into Liberty University’s Master of Arts (M.A.) online program in Pastoral Counseling! While I feel excited for this new turning point in my life, I give all of the glory to God for it, in the name of Jesus Christ.

You may be reading this blog post and wondering 2 things:

Why a Pastoral Counseling degree?
Why another Master’s degree?

I have a couple of reasons that I hope will inspire you, especially for those who are struggling and battling mental illness, as I have. May my story plant that seed to inspire you to carry on, in Jesus’ name!

~”I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”~Philippians 1:3-6, NIV~

During my childhood, my Mom had a mental illness. I did not know that she had a mental illness nor did I know that she was battling mental illness because I was just a child. My Mom battles paranoid schizophrenia. I did not know that my Mom was battling paranoid schizophrenia until I reach adult hood many years later and my Dad explained to me exactly what the mental illness was that my Mom struggled with and I had a desire to help her. Keep in mind, my parents are divorced.

Help her??!! You may be wondering WHY in the world I would want to help someone, who caused me a lot of grief and pain during my childhood years because of her mental illness. It is not because she is my Mom, but because I battle a mental illness too. I battle bi polar disorder and mild autism and can relate to her because I know what it is like to fight against the emotions of the flesh and self. Myself. And these feelings that come up in myself are thoughts of the enemy and ruler of sin, Satan.

~”For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”~2 Corinthians 10:3-4, ESV~

I am salt and light to my Mom, who struggles with mental illness. She may feel ashamed and grieved because of what she struggles with, but I let her know that she is more than an over comer and a victor, in the name of Jesus Christ, of paranoid schizophrenia. I have told her that many times and my prayer for her is that one day, she will see and recognize that she is loved, cared for, and highly thought of by Jesus. Jesus loves my Mom.

I know that just as Jesus loves my Mom that He loves me too. I want to be Jesus to my Mom and for her to know that she is loved by God, in Jesus’ name, and that He does not see her as a paranoid schizophrenic just as He does not see me as the one with bi polar disorder or mild autism. I want to be that living testimony for her and for others, who need to experience Jesus and who need the healing, help, and hope that is found in having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

That’s right, dear reader. I want every one, who is reading this blog post or who meets me to experience breakthroughs just as I have, in Jesus’ name. My desire is for that man or woman who needs to get well to have a double portion of the Spirit of God that is found at the well. My desire is for that child, who is an orphan struggling to find his or her identity to find it in the Lord. My desire is for any person, lost or saved, who struggles against or fights a mental illness to know how to overcome it and to be saved by the One who saved me: Jesus.

Jesus saved me with the help of my church when I was going through a rough time. I remember when I was struggling to get by financially and the root reason for that struggle was the mental illness that I struggled with, bi polar disorder. My church and Sunday School class pointed me to the resources I needed to get the help I needed from my psychiatrist and to get well, mentally, as they prayed for me to get well. I thank my Sunday School class for assisting me when I came back from the missions trip from Japan, because if it were not for them, then it would not be well with me and my soul, in the name of Jesus Christ.

I would not have the peace of God that I have now if I did not get help, but most importantly, if I did not have my Sunday School class to help me. God bless them!

~”For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord.”~Jeremiah 30:17, ESV~

You see, dear reader, I desire for you and those who God allows me to meet to have a divine encounter with to experience the healing, help, and hope that is found in Jesus Christ because of my experience and the testimony of this story that I shared with you, in Jesus’ name.

I decided to get this M.A. degree in Pastoral Counseling so that I can

Allow my future clients to experience the healing, help, and hope that is found in a divine encounter with Jesus Christ.
So that I can fully operate in the purpose that God has for my life.

I invite you to pray for me, dear reader, now that you have read my testimony:

Dear God,

Thank You that the reader who read this blog post knows what healing, help, and hope that is found in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You that the reader, who opened up this blog post, is encouraged by my story, which is really Your story as I give You all of the glory of how You found me when I was hurting and needed help from You and my church family. Thank You that I will be taking classes for my M.A. degree in Pastoral Counseling this Summer 2018 and that this is all a part of Your purpose for me and the plans You have for my life. May each reader who reads this blog post and prayer be inspired as he or she learns how to receive healing, help, and hope, that is found in Jesus Christ. I pray that each reader knows that there is power, in the name of Jesus, just as I have found, and just as I have showed others, such as my Mom and others around me. May each reader know that Jesus is the only Key to the Answer to solve the problems of hurting and darkness in this dark world as You have allowed me to see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, and touch with YOur hands. Bless each reader today as You bestow healing to those struggling with a mental or physical health condition. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless You, dear reader! May my story encourage you today! 🙂 ❤