How to choose victory instead of defeat
There are no certainties in life, no matter how we try to plan, as I have discovered through various experiences in my life. Many things have happened that have propelled me towards destiny and these stories have helped me to be the woman that I am right now, more motivated to fulfill the purpose that God designed for my life no matter what I must face for glory. of the.
In February 2007, exactly four weeks after my second child was born, I moved with my husband and two-year-old son to Dayton, Ohio, to help with a new church in the area that a pastor we had recently met. had started. We moved in the middle of the cold and snow. I was born and raised in Alabama and for me snow, ice, and subzero temperatures were few and far between. However, despite reservations, which were not due to the snow, I followed my husband to Ohio in an effort to support his decisions as the head of our family and the man he loved. For the next year and a half I endured loneliness and feelings of worthlessness as he struggled to please the church, my husband, and God; I didn’t know where he fit in and nothing he did seemed good enough for our pastor, my husband, or those he worked with in ministry. I felt like my gifts and talents were being stifled and forced to live and follow the leadership, even if they were wrong, instead of having the freedom to trust and follow Jesus Christ and be led by Him. The family and friends I knew and I loved were in Alabama and I felt like I was surrounded by enemies and they were the people we now call “family”.
When I arrived in Ohio I was twenty-seven years old and weighed one hundred and fifteen pounds. After being there a year, he weighed twenty-eight and eighty-five pounds. I couldn’t be myself with the church “family” or with my husband. I was not allowed to speak or speak for myself, the dreams and visions that my husband and I had were overshadowed by only doing what we were told to do. My husband had a secular job and was on call 24/7 for the pastor and other church administration within the ministry and the kids and I hardly ever saw him. He felt that he was consuming me and that I had no one to turn to. I understood being in the ministry as a pastor’s daughter, but I had never experienced anything like this, the captivity I felt. But because he knew that God’s Word was true and that Christ had come to this earth to “heal the brokenhearted” and “set the captives free,” he knew that was not the end. He knew that the Word of God said: “Whom the Son sets free, he is free indeed.” I turned to God because he was the only one I could take this matter to. I cried out through prayer, praise and worship and wrapped myself in his Word.
At the end of January 2008, my husband was injured at work. While he was on leave, he stayed home with us and it was nice to have him home. A month later, he made the decision to move our family to Alabama. Over the next several months, as we packed, saved, and prepared to return home, I discovered that I was pregnant with a third child and the people who were supposed to be “family” (those we moved to Ohio to help) they were instructed to have no contact with us at all. But it was okay because I knew that we had served, helped and sacrificed everything.
My experience in Ohio, while painful and challenging, was not without a silver lining or purpose. The silver lining was that circumstance didn’t kill me and I’m still on my feet today. It strengthened me and prepared me for the other bumpy roads and storms to come. Life is full of storms and battles to face, but the real challenge is making the decision to weather the storm or fight the battle with God on your side. Do not allow your faith to be broken or shaken because there is a purpose and a plan for everything that happens in your life. Remember that Jesus Christ has already overcome the world and all situations and circumstances for each one of us. Get up and stand on the Word of God in the midst of adversity and watch God work on your behalf to free you from captivity and heal your broken heart so that He can lead you to the next chapter of your life, which is just another design. in the purpose that He created for your life. Through Jesus Christ you already have the victory.
Take a look at Choosing Victory Over Defeat: Another Chapter, which is the second part of this article series.
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be set free, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free. .” Luke 4:18 NLT
“So if the Son makes you free, you are truly free.” John 8:36 NLT
“No, notwithstanding all these things, the overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Novels 8:37 NLT
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for calamity, to give you a future and hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
