Words matter. Written words matter. Spoken words matter. But did you know that the only word that speaks life into us is God’s Word? That was the theme at this year’s TRUE Women’s conference held at Victory World Church in Norcross, GA. I have been a member of this awesome church since 2009 and I have attended all the conferences from when I became renewed in Christ. I can vividly remember my takeaways from all of them but there are some that do stand out; probably because of the life changing experiences I encountered. There is the 2011 RESILIENT Women’s Conference where I found out I was 5 weeks pregnant with our daughter Kennedy – from this conference, I understood the very essence of the type of woman I needed to be for my daughter; a woman with dignity, strength and filled with joy. The 2014 IMAGINE Women’s Conference was where I began
to hear God’s calling on my life, my purpose for being on this earth, understood the reasons behind all the sexual abuse I endured in my childhood and young adulthood; it was at this conference that I finally said, ‘yes Lord I am ready to go on this journey you are calling me to- I don’t know what, but I trust you’. Then there’s the 2016 TRUE Women’s Conference! Here I finally accepted all that God had been tugging, placing, lighting, visioning, planting on my heart the past two years since the IMAGINE Women’s Conference when I first heard his voice. At the TRUE Women’s Conference I fully understood that He is the author and finisher of my faith; and my destiny truly comes from Him and no one else; I understood that I needed to accept the call He’s placed on my heart to help women become FREE – Faithfully Renewed Encouraged Exceptional women- in Him (a journey so scary but so rewarding thus far). I have chosen to write about my takeaways from the 2016 TRUE Women’s Conference because this conference ‘confirmed’ God’s voice – the one I’ve been hearing for two years. His Word is Truth, and when He speaks life and light into you, you become His chosen one. A truly true experience with God means to:
Bring all thoughts to captive: We should take responsibility for our thought life because we are wired to be able to choose; and if we are not listening to God to help us choose, then we are listening to the world. (Dr. Caroline Leaf) This message brought back to focus my understanding of how powerful the mind is. My mind is separate from my brain in that, my brain is the physical form and my mind is the spirit. Knowing this confirmed that the only way to overcome any addiction – food, drugs, sex, social media – is the constant memorizing and meditating on his word. That renews our minds as we begin to focus on things of Him and not of the world. It transforms our lives – for me it has begun to transform my relationship with fitness i.e. I choose to eat to be healthy not to be skinny. See Dr. Caroline’s Leaf’s book ‘Think & Eat Yourself Smart’.
Suit up with the Armor of God: “There is always something you can’t see influencing something you can see” Priscilla Shirer. The enemy is always scheming against us therefore, if he is going to scheme, then as a child of God, I ought to have one too – so should you. Read Ephesians 6:10-18. Prayer, Obedience and Praise (POP) hits the enemy where it hurts – our countenance can change so fast when we know the enemy has no control over us. We have to be alert and keep praying and ensure that our ‘breastplate of righteousness’ is on point to block out the enemy. The enemy has free access to your hearts if you have no breastplate on.
Be clothed in strength and dignity: “She is clothed with strength and dignity. And she laughs without fear of the future” Proverbs 31:25 Sister, you are not meant to do the obstacle course in your life alone. You can’t build your strength on what you are familiar with; you have to build your strength on something more powerful. You have to understand that your future is uncertain, you can’t practice for it BUT you can be prepared to face the obstacle course of life by ensuring that you have a solid foundation (God’s Word); have a strong core- your faith; and a secure identity in Christ. Pastor Colleen Rouse redefined for us what it means to be a #strongwoman and it’s all one that hasn’t been far from our lips – Proverbs 31
Besides being filled with these messages, words of giving, sharing, and supporting came in the form of panel discussions, lunch time chic chats, prayer walk experience and soulful worship and praise. I mentioned that this conference ‘confirmed’ the voice of God I’d been hearing for two years; and that’s because the closing message by Priscilla Shirer simply stated that I “stop wishing away what the Lord is welcoming into my life”. For years I disobeyed His calling on my life to address my past head on and use that experience to help other women. So to finally sit in this conference and clearly hear His voice again and again was the culmination of my truly TRUE experience.
So from here on I sing “My God is awesome, He can move mountains, Keep me in the valley, Hide me from the rain…” (Pastor Charles Jenkins) As you read this post, I’m not sure where you are with your walk with God, or what you are searching for; all I can say is if you haven’t fully tasted his goodness, my sister, my brother, my friend it’s never too late to let him in. And know that His voice comes in many ways – sometimes through a blog post, sometimes through a conference – no matter the how, you have to be ready to receive the what – His call – so you can have that truly TRUE experience too.
Be Blessed and Stay FREE
Kate Coker Daisie