The Journey Moves On...

Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

When I announced to my Dad that I had converted to Christianity, he tossed his arms in the air as if to say “Rebel child!” I didn’t convert to be rebellious, I converted because I felt I belonged in the world of Christianity. I had a home there, nestled with Christ.
 
Heb. 5: 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
 
You see, my very first crush was on a man who walked on water, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, the lame walked just to name a few of the miracles of Jesus. This is the man that I was introduced to in Christianity. I was introduced to Him in the Catholic religion, but I was a confused child when it came to praying the Hail Mary, and passing the statues and beautifully psychedelic fragile stained glass windows. Maybe other kids never got confused and as many members of my family are Devout Catholics, I didn’t judge them, I just didn’t feel at home. We were poor, six kids with parents who drank. The Catholic church was big, beautiful, bold and rich. My Christian school was small, and comforting like a warm blanket after a cold rain.
 
John 3:2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
 
I felt a new determination and on a spiritual mission to know this Jesus and declare Him as my first love. I wanted to be like Him, be comforted by Him and in my walk with Him, be spiritually touched by Him.
 
Ps. 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
 
People called me weird and strange; imagine a seventeen year old kid trying to deal scripture to drug addicts. Because of my search, and as I wobbled on the road toward sobriety, I was shown many things along the way. I was dragged through sexual abuse, gave birth to an Angel, stomped on by alcohol to the point that it sliced like a razor on my soul, and left me bleeding for solace in the Lords arms. As I cried out, I was being tempted by Satan, he was handing me drugs that made the journey more flavorful, made life more bearable. Made pain oblivious.
 
Deut. 7:19 The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.
 
I decided one day to spit in Satan's face and as I watched it drip from his chin, he tried to smother me in ugliness, dipping me in his pit and wrapping his claws tightly around my throat. As I lay gasping for air, God with all His power and might, reached in with His hand and asked, “What can I do for you?”
 
I cried out in breathless desperation, “Save me, sweet Jesus.”  At 21 my Lord and Savior tossed me over His shoulder and carried me away from the life of darkness, drugs and alcohol, and that is when the real journey began. This was when I saw one set of footprints leading away from the abyss, in the sands of time.
 
Matt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
 

Gal. 4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
 

I was on the the rocky road to recovery with forks in every direction facing me, the difference was that Jesus was on the road with me, with a guiding hand and I was no longer alone. My life forever changed, as I began the talk and walked the walk. I meditated on the Word daily, I absorbed knowledge like a sponge. I changed spiritually as I dove into the Word that had been shown to me, as in preparation for something bigger. I was no longer on a physical path clinging to the things of this world.  Each step became a step in knee-deep molasses as the spiritual spiritual journey took me on a leap of faith.
 
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
 
I was now wrapped in the spiritual world, drinking from the beauty of the stellar cosmos, seeing the Light drizzle on my soul and empowering me to make a change, not just in me, but in my family and those circling around me who would listen to anything I had to say. I was in the field with the sheep, and some listened intently, some didn’t want to hear, some changed, and some strayed to another path. Their journey would then become their own. I glided forward in life, hurdling obstacles, leaping galaxies, whisking adversity into another realm, and embracing each new sheep in my field.

Jer. 3:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
 

John 10:2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.