Janie - As If Nothing Ever Happened

By Gloria Nesloney

As I sat, all of a sudden I got a feeling of deep sadness and sorrow. I just couldn’t shake it off. I didn’t know why it happened, or who it was for. I began to intercede for this person that may be experiencing it. I prayed until I got an answer from the Lord. He told me to call a friend of mine. I’ll call her Janie. The Lord told me, “Just tell her, in two weeks, it will be like nothing ever happened.” Janie was known for her ability to prophesy and pray for others often. This time the prayer was for her. Only she would know what this meant. I had not seen Janie for over six months.

When I called her, I mentioned the Lord had me call her. I told her about the feeling that overwhelmed me, but it wasn’t about me. I asked if she knew anything about it. Janie asked me if there was any more information. I said the only thing the Lord said was “In two weeks it will be as if nothing ever happened.” I told her it didn’t make sense to me, I asked if it made any sense to her.

Janie was in agreement that what I heard and felt were from the Lord. It was an intercession answer for her. The time frame was exactly when she received the devastating news that her sister was in an accident. The sister was struck by a vehicle while riding her bicycle.

The sister was in critical condition with broken bones, a head concussion, and was in a coma. The doctors were unsure of how bad the head injury was but it was serious. Fluid was building up around her brain. I shared my concern and prayer with Janie and assured her that the Lord said, “In two weeks it will be as if nothing ever happened.”

It has been a practice of mine that when I am praying for someone, I follow-up to ensure that their prayer request has been answered. I check to see if they need someone to keep praying for their situation. Two weeks had passed with no report of the situation of my friend’s sister.

After work, I called. Janie was at the hospital with her sister and I could hear her voice elated. I asked how her sister was doing. Janie said, “My sister just woke up from the coma. She is alert and the doctors are amazed at how well she is doing. It was like nothing ever happened.” We celebrated the good news quietly because there was a room full of people.

Janie said, “My sister doesn’t remember the incident and the only real evidence of injury is she didn’t know what day it was or phone numbers. I said, “You know that is hard for a lot of us.” We both chuckled and we gave our sincerest praises to the Lord.

I became more aware of intercession. At this point of my walk with the Lord, I knew to give the burden to Him and ask Him how He wanted me to participate. The Lord has been faithful and even when I didn’t understand or know what was going on; I believed the Lord would direct me.

Intercession never ended, it still continues as an integral part of my life. For the sake of writing the many details, I wanted to capture this event that helped catapult my faith from action of doing the unknown, to rising in the confidence and knowledge that if God said it, I not only believe it, I know it to be true.

 

As the Father has Loved Me

By Gloria Nesloney

With my face in my hands and kneeling at the front of the altar, I covered my countenance as I was lost in my emotions. If it wasn’t for the custodians closing the church for the day and turning off the lights, I would have remained there on the floor at the altar repenting for all of my sins. Clearing my tears and regaining my bearing, I stood to prepare myself for my ride back home. That day was only one of many episodes in that I encountered the presence of the Lord touching my hard heart while I was at the altar. I didn’t want to ever leave the altar of intimacy between the Lord and me. It was a beautiful time when I would surrender, and I could feel the Lord’s embrace.

The moment of brokenness from truly repenting came to an end when I arrived at my home. I would wrestle again with the constant reminders of my sins. I would find myself stuck in bad habits that didn’t end just because I asked Jesus into my heart. For just a short time, a week would go fairly well when I did not feel trapped by the addiction I was in. I forgot about having a cleansing altar moment. Instead, I would be thankful and do a short prayer as if I was better for not sinning as terribly that week as in the past.

What changed? Why was it that when I sinned, I wanted to stay at the altar longer? When things were going great, I was okay just to give Jesus a symbolic high five, because I was glad I did better that week. I didn’t want to be a roller-coasting Christian. There was work to be done, and I wanted everything that held me back from receiving true freedom to be gone from my life once and for all. It took some time, but I learned to cling close to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Again I found myself repenting, but this time instead of the presence of the Lord that I felt before, I was frustrated because I knew I would sin again. I got up, left the altar, and went back to my seat more angry than relieved. I was stopped by an elder who noticed that I was distraught. I could sense his concern for me, but I tried my best to keep my conversation short and uninviting. That elder shared with me the words that changed my life forever. He was wise and a sage that I call upon even to this day. When he spoke, he ministered using scriptures that were apt for the moments I was experiencing. I visited the elder often and he shared what it meant to be in the presence of the Lord. Little did I know that the elder had the key to the eternal truth I needed to hear.

This elder of the church was also known for his prophetic insight and various ministries in South Texas. He spoke as one with gentle proverbs, sharing deep wells of revelation. I was intrigued by the words and life I observed. Time wasn’t important when I stayed listening to everything that was shared. He had a way to reach my heart with truth by asking questions that prompted me to ask more questions instead of finding quick-fix answers. How was I going to live this new life of serving Jesus if I was going to be living in sin too? Later, I would understand that what he was teaching me was how to follow Jesus with all of my heart no matter what situation I was in.

His first lesson shared with me was, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you, remain in my love.” With the deepest conviction, he said these were the words Jesus told him through the scripture. He began to tell me how this scripture changed his life. He told me of his testimony of how so many years ago he was a sinner, and what I was witnessing was a redeemed sinner, who clung to Jesus. The more he desired Jesus, the less he wanted to sin. Instead, he found delight in how to serve the Lord with all of his heart. I could clearly see he was telling the truth. I asked myself, “How do I ever get free from sin?”

“As the Father has loved me”... I can remember seeing pictures of my own father so many years ago holding me near him when I was an infant. His secure strong arms held my weak wiggly body. He held my head close to his chest. He provided everything I needed even if he didn’t give me everything I wanted. I can recall the numerous times he showed me he loved me when I was hurt. He made sacrifices to give me what he thought was best for me. He never told me his secret of how he loved me during my rebellious years. He loved me when I felt scared and alone. He loved me when I didn’t love myself. He loved me enough to take me back to his home when I needed a place to stay.

When I was in the fourth grade, I felt the love of my father when I had an accident that left me bleeding with a deep gash on my calf. He rushed over to care for me. He did everything he could to make sure I was not going to bleed anymore. I saw his green eyes gently tear up when he saw I was scared, but he talked to me in a tender way that calmed me. He carried my young body to the vehicle to take me to the doctor to get stitches. He carried me out of the vehicle as carefully as he could back to the house and watched me as I rested and through the healing process. I only have a reminder of a scar, but I don’t feel the pain anymore.

As a teenager, rebellion, lies, and anger welled up in me, and I let it fester and I did not tell my father. I thought I knew better for myself that it was easier to push him away rather than tell him the truth. Little did I know that my father already knew the truth, and he loved me anyway. One thing I wished I had done at a younger age was to run to my father when I needed help instead of trying to do life by myself. My independence longed for instruction, safety, and the secure arms of my father. I learned that now when I have a situation that is hard, instead of running in the other direction I run to my Father for help and counsel.

“So I have loved you”…echoed into my heart when I realized my husband, Malcolm, loved me before I really knew him. We had scheduled a time to meet each other for a casual friendly lunch out of town. I was unable to attend the luncheon because I was in the emergency room with dizzy and fainting spells. I was not able to contact Malcolm to cancel our meeting. When I was released from the hospital, I went back home and found several messages from him.

I was not in the habit of letting people know where I was or what I was doing or when I wasn’t feeling well, but I am a responsible enough person to make it to meetings on time or cancel ahead of time when I wasn’t available. I called him back. He was silent on the other side as I began to apologize for not calling him before canceling our luncheon. He thought I stood him up. That broke my heart. When I explained to him that I was at the emergency room to get treated, he expressed his concern about my total well-being. I didn’t know he loved me like that. As we married and I began to completely trust my husband to protect me, be there for me, and help me, I shared with him more about what I was going through because I could see his concern for me. Jesus loves me like that too. He didn’t want me to hide from physical, emotional, or any kind of pain. He wants me to tell him where it hurts so that He could heal me.

I started to understand that no matter if I was hurt because of something that happened to me or if it was something I was guilty of, Father God loved me, and so did Jesus. I realized how much deeper God and Jesus loved me. The most transformational moment in my life was when I read Ephesians Chapter 2. In summary what it meant for me was that even if I wasn’t remorseful, even if I was rebellious, even if I was going to try to do this life by myself, God already knew, and He loved me anyway. It wasn’t about the tears I shed that meant I was sorrowful for my actions. It wasn’t my anger that kept God from me. It wasn’t about me working my way to get to the heart of God. His love reached beyond my actions whether intentional or unintentional.

With the new revelation, I was able to catch myself drawing closer to the Lord. I cared less about wanting to sin and looking for more opportunities to please Father God. I was reading the Bible to learn about this loving God that I was experiencing. Understanding the scripture was difficult for me at the beginning, but the more I read, the more the Bible seemed to be coming alive. I was reading the scripture that seemed to go with what I was experiencing in my own life. It directly impacted my circumstances of learning to trust a Holy Father with my whole heart.

“Remain in my love”…The ride on the roller-coaster of sin came to an end. I got off the ride. I didn’t go back to the ride. I didn’t get season tickets. I didn’t desire the ride, it made me sick to even think about those days. I stopped trying to get my life right, and I learned to live for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I needed them in my life more than anything. Surrendering and clinging to their love was the summit to victories in my life. It is not a quick visit when one remains in love, it is a constant state of being in the presence of the Lord. It was not just because I went to church that I was able to receive the Love of God. I learned that I no longer had to go to the altar to repent to feel the presence of the Lord. I can feel the presence of the Lord everywhere I go when I cling to Him.

I was learning to remain close to the Lord. If things were starting to get confusing or some of my old habits were trying to find their way back in, I called on my Father to help me. When I was in trouble, instead of hiding from my Lord, I would confess and run to Him. I had to remain in the constant knowledge that yes, God loves me and always will, but when I clung closer still, I would not be hurt or scared, I would find wisdom and sound counsel. I would be safe and find my peace. He is my hiding place and refuge when I feel alone or fearful. The solution to every one of my situations is to make sure to include God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in my life even the smallest of decisions. Though I now know how much the elder from the church, my earthly father, and my husband love me, the Love from my Eternal Father far exceeds them all.

Clinging Tightly: When you begin to cling to Jesus, you will notice there is less room for addiction, sin, and pain.

#GloriaNesloney

Exceedingly, Abundantly

By Gloria Nesloney

When people think about healing, the first thought is physical healing. However, there were various areas in my life where healing was necessary. I had physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds that were obvious and some that were hidden. Along with some of those wounds came financial wounds. When I needed surgery, when I was depressed, or when I didn’t have hope, each time I was going through an ailment, it depleted me. Financial strain only complicated the issues. I found myself on a slippery slide down to poverty on more than one occasion. It seemed as if every time I was getting back on my feet, I would dig deep into my empty pockets only to find lint fragments. So many days of struggling, I thought it was my destiny to be poor and stay poor since I had grown up in poverty. I worked hard, but I identified with piggy banks that were used for decorations not saving money. I accepted my fate, like sand through the hourglass was money in my hands.
I had just become a Christian in 1995, and tithed for the first time. I was on government financial assistance and paper currency was issued. I remember having the brown one dollar food stamp booklet and I would purchase a small bubble gum pack for twenty-five cents so that in return I could have seventy-five cents change. I did this a couple of times in order to have some cash for toiletries and hygiene products. One day, I put the quarters in the offering plate as a tithe and prayed, “Lord, I know you can multiply this if you want. I don’t know how you are going to do it, but I know your word says you can.” Little did I know the request I was asking was going to open a door for my first part-time employment at a clinic that week. I worked at the clinic for a couple of months and though I saved finances when I could, again I would find myself with no job and no money. I was able to find a part-time job, save for a while, and be broke again. The cycle continued for almost ten years.

   

All I knew was I didn’t want to stay in the generational financial rut. I had to do something different than what I was doing. So when I was twenty four years old, I moved out of town to look for permanent employment. I worked at the school, hotel, insurance company, court house, ice-cream parlor, coffee shop, chiropractic office, hospital, radio station, and radiology departments. I learned everything I could, but the positions were from a temporary agency. I was at the mercy of the agency to hire me. Don’t get me wrong, each of the part-time position jobs I had were beneficial to me, but since it was part-time, I couldn’t keep up with bills in a new city and continue working in order to get ahead or at least balance my budget. When I wrote my resume, it was filled with gaps of unemployment because I would find odd jobs that were not part-time or full-time positions rather these jobs were on an as needed basis like baby or adult sitting, yard work, homeschooling, or housekeeping.
In the summer of 2002, I was taking classes for ministry and our assignment was to watch a video about the importance of tithing. Under my breath, I said, “But I have already done that, and I gave more sometimes as an offering. Why can’t I seem to stay blessed?” I heard the Lord say, “What is it to you?” I was caught off guard and that was when I learned that being blessed had nothing to do with tithe or giving, but rather, trusting the Lord, the attitude of my heart, and full obedience. Then I heard the Lord say, “$100,000 will be yours.” I laughed out of doubt because I was living paycheck to paycheck always lacking or barely making ends meet in that season of my life. But, I knew if the Lord said it, it must be so. Even though I couldn’t see it at the time, the many ways the Lord has provided me exceeded my expectations and have been more abundant than what He promised.

I stayed with several friends during my time out of town. It was a time for me to learn to trust the Lord for everything. It was common for me to help around the house by cleaning or doing chores to help compensate for my stay. During the day I would walk or catch a bus to look for employment. I went to every building I could and would fill out applications. I would bring home several business cards of all the places I went to prove that I was actively looking for employment. I was declined for job openings one after another for almost three months. I was qualified as I had a college degree, I had certifications, I was teachable, and I was willing to work. I just didn’t have the key needed to open doors of opportunity. I had to face my fate. Again, I was lacking, but still I tried.
One day, I was helping a church set up for an event, and a folding table dropped on my foot causing excruciating pain, with a bone popped out and lots of swelling. I couldn’t afford to go to the doctor, and now walking was very limited to look for work. Rent was coming up and I had lost hope. So I prayed. “Lord, I need your help. You promised you would take care of me. Show me where I should go, what I should do.” Immediately, after I finished praying, I get offered financial help to help pay for the medical care I needed for my foot and rent for the month. I thanked the Lord on how quickly the answer came through. That evening I had a dream of moving back to my hometown and in the dream I’m dressed in business attire, working behind a desk in my own office.
Eventually, I returned to my hometown in 2004 with no money to show that I was ever employed. I didn’t want to move back to my hometown, but I knew that I had a house that I didn’t have to pay rent and it was better than trying to pay someone else what little finances I was receiving from working. The attitude of my heart had to change about moving where I didn’t want to go. For just a little while I had stopped searching for employment and decided to make a vow to Lord that I would stay in my hometown if he provided me with the job he wanted me to have. My determination was evident when I asked to borrow $50.00 so that I could paint my house. What I lacked was that I never called my house my home. This time I was going to make it my home by painting it with bright welcoming colors.
As I was painting my home, the Lord spoke to me and told me he had a job lined up for me. About two months later, I was called in for an interview for a position I didn’t apply for and a company I have never heard of. A friend purchased me a blouse, skirt, and shoes for my interview. I went for the interview on Friday and was asked to come in on Monday as my hired date. It was a full-time position working for the oil industry with a major corporation. I had my own office behind a desk. I worked there for ten years until I married and relocated.
While I was there, I was encouraged to invest some of my salary. Since I have never done that before, I didn’t trust it. Plus, the poverty mindset had not changed in me yet. It wasn’t until I took some financial classes that were offered by the church that I learned how to save, how to budget, how to invest, how to get out of debt, how to stay out of debt, and how to purchase wisely. The phrase I live by was taught by Dave Ramsey during the Financial Peace class, “Live like no one else, so that you can live like no one else.” That was when I started to have some of my salary invested in the multi-billion corporation when the shares were low and affordable for me. Though the stock markets have had their ups and downs, I am benefiting from compound interest these days for saving when I did.
One example of how the Lord has provided was when I was asked to go on a mission trip to Mexico. I knew I could not afford it, but I knew I was supposed to go. The Lord provided all of the finances through an anonymous donor. I had a tumor that needed to be removed by C-section and the medical bills were totally paid. Somehow, I had just enough to continue to give for tithe and offering. There was a time when I was ministering in North Texas and a stranger handed me an envelope with about $700 cash. It was just the amount I needed for a room I was renting and to pay for my phone bill so that I could get prospective calls for employment.
Another time was when my husband and I were invited to go to Uganda. We could not afford it but I knew we were supposed to go. On a Saturday evening my husband tells me, I said, “I know the Lord wants both of us to go, but we can’t afford it. If the Lord wants us to go, He will provide not just what we need for the expenses but also a little more to allocate for the time we will not be working.” On Sunday morning we were approached by an elder who wants to meet with us after church. He did not know our discussion or our situation. He gave us more than enough to cover the expenses for both of us to go to Uganda and to take care of our bills for the month.
As I write today, I can continue to testify that I have been blessed more than I could have imagined. This is to give hope for those who may have had financial struggles. We all have had financial struggles, but when it’s constant it can really weigh on a person's worth, their capabilities and desire to move forward in the workforce.
When I learned secrets for financial freedom, I had the power to pull the proverbial plug off for the cash to flow. Sometimes it trickled in and sometimes it was a wild river. The generational lack of finances stopped with me. In return when He would provide, I would use the tools for budgeting, saving, tithing, and investing knowledge I received from the financial classes. Now I help train others who are going through a financial slump get into position for their financial freedom.
I learned that being blessed isn’t about having financial security. I have found that being blessed is more about being obedient even in the little things and the blessing will follow. The amount $100,000 proved to be just a number to look forward to, but the Lord has out done Himself by providing healing in every area of my life that exceeds monetary value. The scar of being in poverty is a reminder of the faithfulness of the Lord.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV 
#GloriaNesloney