"In His Time"……

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”. Lord knows He placed on my heart a great word to minister today and I was SUPER excited when the Holy Spirit placed it on me last Saturday as I napped before the “Stand 4 Jesus” rally. So, once I arrived to pick my sister (Jocelyn) up for the rally I couldn’t WAIT to tell her about what was placed on my heart to ENCOURAGE someone. However, I beat myself to the finish line because YESTERDAY the Holy Spirit said, “THIS is what God wants you to use to ENCOURAGE tomorrow”. I’m NOT going to lie….I was like “YOU SURE” lol because I already had studied my bible all week to prepare myself for something TOTALLY different. So, here it goes……18 yrs ago around THIS season I sat in class a freshman in high school. I sat beside a young man slim in size but tall in length. He seemed shy and quiet and I liked that about him because I was VERY outgoing and OUTSPOKEN. Over the year we became “BEST FRIENDS” and we found ourselves always chilling with each other as “Friends”. I would set him up with females and OF COURSE I wouldn’t give his friends the time of day(Not my type).After two years of being “Friends” our feelings became DIFFERENT for each other and we began an “OFFICIAL” relationship, now I’m not saying “EXCLUSIVE” because in ALL honesty we were BOTH young so we went with the flow. After the birth of our first son in my 11th grade year of high school things became “VERY” different we were PARENTS…WOOOW imagine THAT. He graduated a year before me and I followed successfully the following year(with a son on my hip…LITERALLY). After PLAYING HOUSE for a couple of years, we went our separate ways. We continued Co-parenting our son and that worked perfect for us. Throughout the years I had a relationship and so did he. We would see each other on fridays to do what we called “Drop off the package” lol, that was our little saying for him picking our son up every friday. After six years of being a single mother… (As far as having a Husband) I decided my situation was no longer for ME.I began attending church(which my son was already doing weekly with my mother) I decided to give my moms church a try because my son was ALWAYS coming home excited about “About My Fathers Business(AMFB) Outreach Ministry”. I went a few times and as I shared before I was raised in the church; therefore, I recognized Gods word being ministered IMMEDIATELY. After attending weekly, I joined the church(along with my son) and we were baptized about two weeks later. Now, this is where the story gets INTERESTING my son who was about eight at this time invited his father(my high school sweetheart) to see him get baptized. The day of the baptism his dad showed up(OF COURSE) and he saw I to was getting baptized and I can remember how he told me how proud he was of my decision to give my life to Christ(for some ODD reason that meant A LOT to me) and that our son talks about our church all the time. Over the next two weeks my son and I attended church and my walk with Christ was GROWING daily. I remember it so well because it was Mothers day Sunday, I looked up and my sons father was walking in church with two dozens of flowers(One for me and one for my mother) and I was SHOCKED to say the least. My sons father wasn’t raised in church and in all the years we knew each other we had NEVER attended church together. I read an article that says “When couples do things together whether it’s bird-watching, playing tennis or attending church — they tend to do better,”  and “when they don’t share these activities, particularly when they are important, couples are more likely to suffer.”When one partner attends services regularly and the other does not, relationship satisfaction is lower. Two nonreligious partners are more content together than partners with different practices, the study says. After service my sons father told me that our son had been HOUNDING him since the baptism to visit our church so he FINALLY decided to attend. After a month of REGULAR attendance my sons father gave his life to Christ and was also baptized. Thru all of this we remained co-parents to our son. Until one night I received a call from my sons father asking if I was still in a relationship(answer NO) and that God put on his heart that he needed to work things out with me THRU CHRIST. I was in SHOCK(a little b/c I KNEW what God was capable of by this time) but I AGREED and we began COURTING each other ALL OVER AGAIN but this time with CHRIST leading the way. We would do things together as a family and the GLOW on my sons face was UNEXPLAINABLE. After about four months he proposed to me and FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY WE WERE JOINED TOGETHER BY CHRIST AS ONE….HALLELUJAH!!!! My husband and I lived IN THE WORLD two TOTALLY different lives and even held other relationships for SEVEN YEARS…..YES!!!! SEVEN YEARS and it was NOTHING BUT GOD that made us ONE “In His TIME”. Mark 13: 33 “Be on your guard [constantly alert], and watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come”. Habakkuk 2:3 “For the revelation awaits an appointed time;  it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” Today I want to ENCOURAGE SOMEONE who may be down on themselves because their not where THEY feel THEY NEED to be in their lives. Whether it’s the marriage/relationship your in or your career. You could be FRUSTRATED that LIFE is not what YOU PLANNED it to be. I ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY to PUT GOD FIRST. YES at the FRONT OF THE LINE!!! and WATCH WATCH WATCH Him do HIS WILL “NOT” YOURS…..TRULY give your ENTIRE EXISTENCE on earth to HIM and FOLLOW…. Now, “TRULY” FOLLOWING means GIVING UP some things ex. A man/women, FRIENDS, PARTYING, DRUNK DRINKING, so forth and so ON…..even if you have to give up the LOVE of your life for SEVEN YEARS because God(when YOUR in HIS WILL) will bring him back in HIS TIME. See we KEEP HOLDING on to DEAD weight because WE WANT TO but I’m here to let you know your life WILL NEVER EVER CHANGE unless/UNTIL God is in TOTAL CONTROL of it. Look at MY story THAT WAS NOTHING I MEAN NOTHING BUT GOD!!!!!!!! Today CHOOSE God and PRESS FWD and you will SURELY see a CHANGE…..NOT YOURS BUT HIS CHANGE!!!! Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.  Before you were born I set you apart!”  ACCEPT this WORD and TODAY BEGAN to receive what God has for YOU…..in Jesus name   Be Bold Be Patient Be Changed Be READY to receive Be in HIS WILL……. S. Carter