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I walked off the stage Saturday, and I just knew. The curse had been supernaturally reversed! 

Just five years earlier, Freedom for the Good Little Church Girl, the book that kept my computer hot for months,emerged from the womb of the printing press. Fragrant, black ink splashed crisp, clean pages with a scent of newness. However, the journey they unveiled had been anything but clean … or crisp … or fragrant. As a matter of fact, the journey wreaked of legalism. And legalism was far from new. In fact, it was even older than the Pharisees who made it famous.

Freedom for the Good Little Church Girl made it to print in January of 2018, but in February of that same year it became apparent that Satan did not appreciate me sharing my message of freedom. He knew there were those who would read it and come to the same conclusions I did, God’s love, forgiveness, and salvation: 

• cannot be earned 
• are freely given as a gifts 
• need only to be received, opened, enjoyed, and then shared.

Every year on the first Saturday of February, Lean into Jesus Ministries organizes a ladies’ conference in Guntersville, Alabama. Almost 30 ladies make up this inter-denominational group whose passion is to simply share the overwhelming love of Jesus. I had the honor of speaking at this conference in 2018. As my excitement swelled in anticipation of the event, so did the tactics of the evil one. I got sick and almost lost my voice. I kept quiet the day of the conference so I could save what voice I had left. However, at the very end of my message I hyperventilated and felt lightheaded as I left the stage. I thought I had successfully muted the volume on all my negative thoughts, but suddenly those dastardly decibels jumped up to a deafening level. I began to hear loud and clear, “Who do you think you are? Who are YOU to tell these ladies anything. You did an awful job! You should be ashamed. Nothing you have to say matters.†

Unfortunately, I let Satan’s curse set the tone for the rest of the year. 2018 turned into a dreadful nightmare. So many things all at once! The load was too heavy, and I wasn’t good at asking for help. Satan had me right where he wanted me – weary, worn, sad – and ineffective. Those things do not make good advertisements for freedom in Christ.

If you’re struggling with a heavy load, ask for help. My wise counselor friend finally convinced me to do what ONLY I can do. Let family and friends do what they can do. And most importantly, let God do what only He can do. If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, then you are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. He is not frightened of Satan or any of his tactics. Trust His power! Allow yourself to know and feel how much God loves you. Make friends with the Jesus you read about in Scripture. Listen and learn from the Spirit. He will show you the way to all of the best places and faces! He has all the right answers, so don’t be too prideful to follow. 

In the last five years, there have been other speaking opportunities that I wanted to open up for me. Yet, deep in my heart I knew that if speaking was the path I was meant to take, God would keep preparing my heart, and HE would be the one to open a door for me. 

At the end of last year, I moaned to some friends that I thought, perhaps, God just wanted me to stick with writing. Maybe God wanted me to let go of the idea of speaking even though the miracle He had performed in my heart and mind needed to be shared. I told them I was planning to take the “Ask Donna to Speak†banner off of my website in January if I didn’t hear something from God beforehand. One of them said, “Don’t do it in January. Why not give it a little longer?†I shrugged and said, “I don’t know. Maybe.â€

Then, toward the end of January, an email popped up from a lady I’d not talked to in years. She asked if I would be available to speak at her church’s ladies’ conference at the end of February. She said they had gotten a late start with their planning. After reading her message a couple of times to be sure I’d read it right, I checked my calendar. That’s when I realized Ron and I had already promised his sister we’d come to North Carolina that same weekend. I thanked my friend profusely for the invitation and told her my reason for declining. I asked them to please keep me in mind for another time. 

Surely, the Spirit enjoys setting up divine appointments! Surely, He gets a kick out of fulfilling our hearts’ desires in unexpected ways at just the right time. It only took a little while for my friend to email back with an alternate date. She asked if I would be available on the first Saturday in March. My heart skipped a beat or two. That date worked perfectly! 

I have to keep writing because God has been so good to me. But, even if I’m never asked to speak again, I am eternally thankful for the ladies of Concord Baptist Church. They have a spirit among them that cannot be anything but genuine. The songs chosen and the testimonies shared prove that the Spirit had His hand on us all. The effects of the love they showed me Saturday will last a lifetime. As I walked off of their stage, I was overwhelmed at how the sweet, sweet Spirit had demonstrated His willingness and ability to reverse ANY and EVERY curse Satan speaks over us. 

Lord, thank you for removing from our minds the harmful lies of Satan and refilling us with your love, grace, and the power of your presence. Help us to be patient with ourselves and with each other as You continue to work ALL THINGS for our good. Help us recognize Your hand at work in our past so that we can be confident with our future. Keep reminding us that it is not to us, but to Your name that we give all our honor and praise! In Jesus name, AMEN!

“My brothers and sisters, when I first came to proclaim to you the secrets of God, I refused to come as an expert, trying to impress you with my eloquent speech and lofty wisdom. For while I was with you I was determined to be consumed with one topic—Jesus, the crucified Messiah. I stood before you feeling inadequate, filled with reverence for God, and trembling under the sense of the importance of my words. The message I preached and how I preached it was not an attempt to sway you with persuasive arguments but to prove to you the almighty power of God’s Holy Spirit. For God intended that your faith not be established on man’s wisdom but by trusting in his almighty power.†(1 Corinthians 2:1-5 TPT)

May we all trust in the almighty power of God’s Holy Spirit!