Now That You Have Read My Story... Let Me Give Him the Glory!

My proposal was nothing short of amazing!  I thank God for blessing me with a man of God who loves the things of God...

However, it has not always been this way!  This is the *real* testimony!!!

In 2009, my fiance and I were challenged to change our lifestyle so that it could exhibit more Christ-likeness...

We were both in church...  We were both spirit-filled... We were both tithers... We were both seed sowers... We were both servers.... We were both workers.... We were both worshipers....

And we were both DISOBEDIENT!  Yes, we did all of the things listed above + more... However, the lifestyle that we led behind close doors proved that we truly did not LOVE God. According to John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey what I command."

We were not living a lifestyle holiness... We were dishonest... We were shacking... We were fornicators and therefore we were walking in unadulterated disobedience!  In short, we were not obeying His commands!
Our spiritual godmother confronted us and we elected to face this awful truth... And the truth was we were LIARS and FAKERS! 

We both wanted to change our lives and our relationship with God. So we took what would be a total of six months to establish a genuine relationship with God... We did not see or communicate with each other outside of church during this time...

We took the time to fast and pray and to allow God to do a work in us individually!  We honestly did not know if we would come together again as a couple... We simply wanted God's will for both of our lives and we were determined not to allow flesh to get in our way...

Realizing that he may not have been God's will for me was almost as hard as me realizing how displeasing I was to God.  However, I wanted Destiny and I knew that my destiny lies in Him..not him!
So, day after day I immersed myself in word of God... The more I read the word... the more I wanted to develop a closer and more intimate relationship with Him... One day,while in my prayer time, I asked God how to fall in love with Him... He answered my prayer through this ebook.  It changed my life and my relationship with Him forever!  I began to truly understand that it my association with Him was not about religion, but a relationship!

The closer I became with HIM the more realized that  I had my {now} fiance on the throne of my heart!  That was not his place... That place only belongs to God!  No one or no thing should have a place in your heart higher to or equal to God... According to Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
So I had to put God in in His rightful place and that was #1 in my life... Before I knew it the pain from the separation of my {now} fiance and I started to subside and God's intimate and abiding love overtook me...  As sudden as a summer's rain, several months had passed and I was busy enjoying my time of fellowship with HIM! 

I was immersed in a deep bible study, prayer life and other studies... I had truly fallen in love with HIM.  One night I had a dream that I was conversing with his mother and she informed me that our separation would last until September... My heart dropped!  September!!! It was only May!!!  I woke up and shared my dream with her later that day... She is a woman and a prophet of God and confirmed that it would indeed take until September for God to do the work that need to do in both of us!

I continued to nurture my relationship with HIM by constantly eating the word. 

Be we realized it; September was here... and we went on our first date on the first Friday of September.  We had a set of very strict guidelines in place to protect the both of us and what we had established in our spiritual relationship(s) over the previous months.
Our first date was so sweet and wholesome... It was almost as if we were meeting each other for the first time, but it was so much better!  I am so grateful to serve a God who makes all things new!

We exchanged stories about our spiritual encounters only to find out that we were enduring the some of the same things at the same time... Our notes even revealed some to of the same scriptures on the same dates! Talk about confirmation!!!

We spent the next few weeks establishing guidelines for our relationship.  No kissing, no music that would bring back *those* memories, no inappropriate touching and no putting one another before God... Call us strict, but they worked!

I am so Godly proud to say that we have been able to maintain our pledge of abstaining for nearly four years!  On our wedding night we will be able to come together as God has ordained!

I have learned that obedience is better than sacrifice! Because of  our obedience the favor of God is constantly manifesting in our lives... I have been promoted three times in two years and he is currently the holding a major leadership role at our church.  Everything that our hands have found to do has been blessed! 

From the engagement throughout the rest of our lives as  husband and wife...the hands of God will be at work in our lives...because we LOVE HIM... We LOVE HIM because we OBEY HIM!
I will be the first to tell you that this has *not* been an easy journey... but rather a necessary one! 

It was necessary because until I could establish a true love for God; it was impossible for me to love my fiance the way that God intended because I had never experienced true Love.

It was necessary because I needed to root out so many other things so that God could plant more seeds of joy in my life...
It was necessary because it was an essential detour on my road to destiny...
Destiny Awakes... I am Alive.... and I give all the Glory, Honor and Praise to God!

So on September of this year we will start a new journey together!!!  Praise God!

Talents are Like Tokens; Destiny is Like a Treasure!

This year has been extremely busy for me... A brand new position in which I travel nearly 85% of the time, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, cultivating a consistent prayer life, volunteering at my church and running three successful businesses have proven to be quite a challenge!

I really admire those of you who do all of the above and yet still find the time to be nurturing mothers and loving wives! I pray that when the time comes for me to begin a family; I will able to sustain all that I am doing now as well as meet the needs of my family.

But for now, I have a full plate with corn to boot! Amazingly, I have been able to fulfill all of my obligations…but I question whether or not I have been fulfilling my purpose….

I have always been a creative individual, but since I have started serving God in Spirit and in Truth my creative ability has continued to multiply. My steps of faith have granted me miles of favor and blessings. I often liken my current state in life unto the servant in Matthew 25:14-30 who was blessed with ten talents only after he was obedient and maximized the gifts that God had initially given him. 
 
I am in awe of all of the gifts that God has entrusted in me. I am thankful for His creative power. I glorify the works of His hands through mine… Nothing is more rewarding than the smiles on the faces of happy clients… And no one can imagine the joy that I feel; the connection that I feel with the creator when I am creating… It is so pure! But yet when the smiling faces have disappeared into the shadows of their personal lives, the events are over, my “big” project was a success and I have made my final sale at the craft shows… There is a still small voice on the inside of me that says….. “This is not it!”
 
Although, I have a great job and all the endeavors that I’ve pursued have been lucrative…. I have learned one great lesson in life…. In time my talents have brought fulfillment, but only my purpose will fulfill my destiny.
 
And so the desire to fulfill my purpose and destiny deepens and the heart to seek the Kingdom of God and all of His righteousness develops daily. Your talents are like tokens and your destiny and purpose are like treasures. Guard it with your life! After all, it is one the most valuable thing that you will ever possess.