Embracing Freedom

^{John 8:31-36
31} Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. ³⁵ A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.--

I don't think we truly understand the blessing of freedom. Freedom is never free. Someone has to pay the price for another person to be free. MLK paid with his life to further a dream of all races being able to freely live life equally. Our parents/caregivers went out to work everyday to bring in money so that we could be free to be children. Though some of us still had it rough, we eventually took steps of sacrifice to free us up in other areas of life.

What is my point? Not to be philosophical. Not to get deep. Not to preach you happy but to invite you to be free today. Free to make a decision. Free to walk out in faith. Free to be changed. Free to be new. Free to not be like others, but free to be you.

If you don't know Christ, get to know Him. Don't formulate an opinion of Him based on the media, someone else's good or bad experiences with church, or misinterpretations of the Bible. How would you feel if you were negatively judged and summarized based on a misconception or untrue assumption?

If you do know Christ- whether it be distant, as an old friend, or passionately- stop waiting on the miraculous and incredible supernatural things to manifest before you submit even more of yourself to Him. Faith truly is standing, believing, anticipating and knowing it will happen even when there isn't a TRACE of evidence to be found.

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If you don't know Christ but would like to know Him, all you have to do make a decision.

Jesus was broken, bruised, beaten and crucified to heal our broken, bruised, beaten, and dead lives. He went to hell so we don't have to. He rose again so that our lives can be one of triumph and not despair. Nuff said.

Believe me? Speak this aloud: Jesus. I may not know you now, but I wish to. I've heard things in the past about you, some good and more than likely bad. But I come right now seeking to know You. Father- I believe that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to this earth to be a sacrifice for me. He died on the cross, went to hell, and has risen again and is alive today. Jesus, come into my heart and become my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you just spoke those words, know that this is the first step in a lasting, rewarding, but also hard relationship. I will not paint you a pretty picture. The life of a Christian isn't easy. It has challenges, it has drawbacks. But it's also very rewarding and totally depended upon what YOU put into it.

So what's next? You've prayed this prayer but you're still in despair or you still feel the same. The next step is to lower your guard and throw out your preconceived notions about Christians. Some are crazy, some are mean, some lack integrity, some are stale, boring ,wack, etc. But there are also a lot who are approachable, who actually have fun. Those that build up other people. But most importantly there are Christians in your city who love God and will pour out that love into you. Churches all over America have small groups based on age, interests, gender, lifestyle patterns, etc. If you need help connecting with people please send me an email to: jerrika@divinescreation.com

Made in His Image!

Modern society appears to be on the right track in terms of equality as it relates to gender, race, religion, etc. However, even with the enormous strides that have been made, there are still many more steps to be taken.

From the earliest days of time, it has been evident to be a man's world. The first human created in the Garden of Eden was the male, Adam. In addition, before Eve was even created, Adam had a name, job, and a destiny (this is something you should be looking for in a mate, but that's a different blog!)

In fact, if one were to casually read the Bible, it could be strongly concluded that it isn't written for women. However, I'd invite ladies to take some time and study the Bible allowing God to speak to your hearts. What I hope you'll find is that God is no different than you! In fact, most writers, though writing under the unction of the Spirit still inserted their own biases, ideals, and cultures of the day into their writings. We must be careful not to attribute God with the ways and actions of man. We were created to be like Him, not the other way around. So though men may treat you a certain way, or even speak to you in a certain, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's godlike or even an inherited behavior from God.

The point is, we were all created by God. We are all His design and all equally important to Him. God's love, purpose, and destiny for us is not confined to our race, gender, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity. We are all the same to Him, He is no respecter of persons.

Let's focus today on Genesis 1:26-28. This section of scripture is well quoted when a preacher seeks to prove a Christian's position in the earth. Let's take a closer look at it:

^26-28 God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature. So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth." --The Message

Notice the wording: God made human beings in His image, and those same humans reflect His nature. They [humans] are responsible for ... He also created them to be godlike. We could also deduct that the "male" and "female" He created, are refers to the them He blessed and charged to: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take Charge..."

In a nutshell, be empowered woman. Not just because Hillary Clinton ran for President. Not because Sarah Palin was a VP candidate. Not just because Nancy Pelosi is powerful, Oprah's a billionaire, and Harriet Tubman was brave enough to bring about change. Be empowered because you were made in the image of the Almighty God. Divinely Designed. Designed to be great. Destined for success.

These are some very uncertain times we live in. However, we can rest assured knowing that the One Who created you and everything around you, has given you the ability to be responsible and "Take Charge." Don't wait on a stimulus check, don't rely on unemployment, stand up on your feet and use the power given by God and tell anyone who'll listen, "I am made in His image!"

Welcome to my Blog!!!

You all may be questioning the necessity of ANOTHER blog about the life of some random woman out in the world somewheres! But there is great purpose and power in sharing one's life and testimonials.

My name is Jerrika Jones to describe me would take many words describe: Lover. Daughter. Mother. Survivor. Friend. Leader. Student. Teacher. Most importantly, Believer. And what exactly do I believe in? My beliefs are in Christ. That He has risen. He took my sins, paid for them, and got rid of them. I believe that He loves me, and through Him, I can do anything.

I also believe in good fashion, good hair, feelin good about yourselves and great friends!

I'm the mother to a soon-to-be one year old son, who I can honestly say saved my life. I was walking down a dangerous road, and traveling back to a path that had nothing good for me. You see, I didn't find Christ after my son. Jesus found me well before. I was the Campus Minister, the leader, the example, the road model.

But I praise God for second, third, and fiftieth chances. His mercy is new everyday, and with everything that has happened these past two years, I am now a stronger person. I will elaborate more on my life and testimony in the blogs to come.

For now, I look forward to meeting you and stay tuned for more material!