Copyright Š 2015 by Joanne Carter All rights reserved under the international copyright law. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express, written permission of the author or publisher. The exception is reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review. ISBN 978-1-56229-032-0 Christian Living Books, Inc. P. O. Box 7584 Largo, MD 20792 ChristianLivingBooks.com We bring your dreams to fruition. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Printed in the United States of America.
Publication Data
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Carter, Joanne, 1947My journey to freedom / by Joanne Carter. pages cm ISBN 978-1-56229-032-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Christian life. 2. Self-actualization (Psychology)--Religious aspects-Christianity. I. Title. BV4501.3.C3923 2015 248.4--dc23 2015030287
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Stay True to Yourself
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
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’m rooted in the past, grounded in the present, and reaching for the future. You will not enjoy life until you enjoy yourself. I’m a helper not a hinderer; if I treat everyone the same, then I treat no one specially. Do not compare, expect nothing, and appreciate everything. Envy and jealousy remove blessings from your life. The truth is permanent, and everything else falls by the wayside. Don’t let your attitude change your altitude. When winter comes and everything is still and frozen, that’s when God does His greatest work. I celebrate others’ successes to get where I need to 9
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My Journey to Freedom
be. When people attack you, shake it off—don’t let their poison filter into your life. Rise above it. Never spend time trying to explain yourself; not everyone will like you. Stay focused on your goals. Be true to yourself. Don’t live to please people. Know who you are and Who you belong to.
Live Like There Is No Tomorrow The less you hear what people say about you, the better off you are. Shake off criticism and position yourself to prosper. Be passionate about your life. Be willing to live with a good attitude, and keep something to pursue every day, for where there is no vision people perish. Don’t let your mind wander. Nothing is 100 percent—children, husbands, jobs, or friends. Hurt feelings will rob you of your blessings, so forgive those who hurt you. Hurt leads to anger which leads to depression and stress. When you are hurt, you make bad decisions. Take charge of your emotions and control your tongue, because if you don’t, this will move you away from the will of God. Get away from people who are framing your thinking. Take control of your life and renew your mind. Learn how to succeed being yourself. Overcome rejections, become a better you. Practice forgiveness, kindness, and patience. Keep God first place
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in your life. God’s Royal Blood is in your veins. Keep looking up to heaven, asking God to keep His hand on you. God will relieve you of all your pain. Keep your faith in God. God is only limited by your thinking. Break free from condemnation keep your faith in God. Learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Your greatness may not be great to everyone, but that doesn’t mean it is less. Your test becomes a testimony and your mess becomes a message. Are you just dating Jesus or are you married to Him? I wouldn’t take anything for my journey now. Don’t be a lukewarm Christian; stay true to God’s will and never limit yourself. Share your blessings. Beware of people who are hurting. Let God use you to show compassion and understanding for your fellow man. Be fruitful because God loves you; live to love all people so you can be a greater you. Some people are still running from their problems. You can stop running because help is on the way. There is a happy ending; God has a plan for your life and His love for you will always win. That’s the love of the Almighty. Real love is a peacemaker. Be aware of those who cause conflicts. Those are the ones who are lost, hurting, and looking for comfort.
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My Journey to Freedom
Work with God, He Will Work with You You can’t know truth unless you know grace. Grace protects you by the favor of God. Grace teaches you how to live righteously. Believe God’s Word over everything you hear or read. Know what to dismiss from your mind. Small-minded people let their circumstances determine who they are. To be blessed, be ready to be hated and envied. If you complain you remain the same. If you praise others you will rise and break free from bad thoughts and bad habits. Keep God first in your life. No matter what’s going on in your life, the Spirit of God will speak to you. There is a set time for favors, seasons, and deliverance. Stay in faith and you will hear God whisper down into your spirit, “Everything will be alright.” God has a time for your increase. He will make your enemies your footstool. God will show you what He expects of you. Believe all things are possible; ask God for a clearer view of your life. Keep thinking the right thoughts, live a big life, and go pro—you are the star in your life. God help me not to be a baby Christian because good works minus Jesus mean nothing. If you blow it, confess it and renew your mind with discipline and self-control. Keep looking up to
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heaven, and ask God to keep His hands on you. This is your year to prosper. I have positioned myself to be amazed and filled with God’s blessings, doing what God asked of me. I’m thankful for the life God has prepared for me. He has brought me a mighty long way. I’ve heard His voice and have seen Him in many figures. God has always been by my side. There is no greater love than God’s love. Know what to dismiss from your mind. Don’t fight battles with small-minded people; they are jealous and envious. Pay no attention to the people who don’t like you. God did not put you on this earth to do nothing. He put you on this earth to do something. So do it and move on. Your faith will determine who you are and where you are. Choose God’s way so you can stay in peace, not in pieces.
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Pay Attention to God’s Will
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9-10
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t’s not about the person who hits the hardest but the person who hits the most. Life has a lot of hard knocks. Don’t get into a relationship to receive what you cannot give. We cannot make our children responsible for what did not happen in our life. Have a merciful and forgiving attitude. Humility is beautiful; hold on to it. When you draw attention you draw criticism. Respect is earned not given. Have the faith to be nice when others are so nasty. Don’t offer God conditional love; His answer will be no. Conviction lets us know when we are 15
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My Journey to Freedom
doing wrong. Your best day with God is better than your worst day without Him. Lean on God; that’s what He wants you to do. You haven’t been beaten until you’ve been broken by a hypocritical Christian. When you don’t fit into people’s circles, you are criticized. Always speak faith, favor, and victory over your life. You will understand life when you look at it backward as opposed to forward. God loves you, lives in you, hears you, and understands you. It is important for you to know who you are in Christ. Jesus died for you and me so we can have the life He wants for us. Don’t let your fear get in the way of your destiny. When you worship you move Jesus on your behalf. Don’t get so involved in your world, because life will leave you broke and broken.
Pray without Ceasing The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are. Use your energy to believe and not worry. You have to come to your closed door before you get to your open door. Believe big and pray boldly. The grace of God will not take you where the will of God will not protect you. If you don’t talk to yourself, your self will talk to you. Because the bigger your future, the bigger your obstacles. Get up each morning expecting God to do big things
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in your life. The words you speak set the tone for your life. As for me, I declare God’s blessings over my life. Build your relationships around God, not man. You can’t control your circumstances, but the greatest circumstances come out of your pain. If you are not a liar then stop telling lies; live in the moment and don’t worry about what people say about you. You are a person of affirmation. When fear knocks, let faith answer. When you learn you teach. Uncover who you are and be honest with yourself. Define your own success. Don’t look back at the past with anger. Instead, look toward the future with joy. When things look their bleakest just look around; Jesus is about to show up. A servant of God must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach patience. Never invest more than you can lose. Comparison is lack of faith in yourself. To have grace in your life, you must shut out hatefulness and evil thoughts and deeds because now you’re being led by God. The more you are under grace the more God will lead you.
Help Someone Climb That Ladder Life is a climb but the view is great. You know you are blessed when you can do more with less. It takes courage to be blessed. You will be
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My Journey to Freedom
attacked when you are blessed. I’m not afraid of death as long as I live first. Profit is what you have left when the transaction is over. You can choose comfort or fear, but you can’t have both. When you are talking about your shame, open up to God and reach out to someone you love. Tell your story, and give yourself permission to be un-cool. It’s a calming experience. Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.
Set Your Mind on Things Above, Not on Things of Earth True religion is a relationship with God. True love will never return to you void. God provides the Word, but you have to provide the faith. Putting the two together is powerful. Keep your head up and work your faith. It’s not what happens to us but how we handle it. God will take your breakdown and turn it into a breakthrough. The power of forgiveness is greater than the power of hate. Do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits. You can’t control events, only how you react to them. I don’t visit my problems I embrace them, because doing so is a challenge. If you could invite God to lunch and ask Him one question, what would you ask? We all have to depend on
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our inner spirit when talking to God. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God is consistent; He will not let you down. We are in the world but not of the world. My time and my space are my situation.
Reach for the Sky God’s love casts out all fears. God’s love for you is endless. His love is priceless. Don’t let fear take the only life you have. Take your mind off your situation and yourself, and put your entire mind on Jesus. You will see your situation and your mind begin to change toward God. You are God’s gift; who you become is your gift to God. God’s grace empowers you to overcome all weaknesses. Grace will teach you how to live godly. I give myself permission to make mistakes and not feel guilty. Righteousness protects you from sin. The depth of your struggles equals the height of your success. If you ask more you will know more. Intelligence will destroy ignorance. Sometimes when you fall, God wants to see who you really are. Prayer will take you where ambition will not take you. God wants you to live an abundant life. Live the generational blessing; don’t downplay your blessings, wear them well. Do not worry about jealousy from people. Keep
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My Journey to Freedom
running toward God, keep reaching up. Take hold of His unchanging hands and watch your life change for the better. Step into your destiny and live in victory. God did not bless you for you only; He wants you to be a blessing to others. God will always take you further than you can imagine.
Don’t Be a Baby Christian Help me, God, to ignore the people who want to bring me down. Keep my eyes on the prize; there is a blessing on the other side of my pain, because I can’t look back now. The root of all selfishness is sin. Don’t make everything about you. Pass the test of love. God will not speak to you if you don’t need to hear from Him. Love has no loopholes. God can make you laugh or cry. You cannot judge anyone when you have not done all God would have you to do. Don’t miss the ministry God has for you. If you want to increase the anointing on your life, start treating people with respect and honesty. Don’t be a semi-warm Christian. Be aware of hurting people. Let God use you to show compassion and understanding. The power of joyfulness is enjoying everyday life. My mom always told me to cling to God’s hands. Let God lead you and His power will always be with you.
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You Can’t Run Don’t try to run from the devil or hurtful, evil people; you cannot run from your problems. People who reject you or disrespect you because of race and jealousy—never let those things devalue you or your purpose. Jesus stayed in His purpose when they led Him to the cross. They attacked Him but He did not budge from His purpose. Whitney Houston sang, “No matter what they take from me, they can’t take away my dignity.” Keep your window open. Let God move in, and embrace His presence, welcome His Spirit. Give your all to God. All of my good days outweigh my bad days. Observe Christian behaviors. They may look holy, but inside they are burdened down with misery. When you have the righteousness of God, you have no fear or terror. To be delivered out of sin, be true to God, because God won’t quit on you. I went to the deepest valley of my soul looking for God. God stepped in front of me, took my hand, and said, “Walk with me. I am your Father, your leader. I will sculpt your future; you are My child.” God said, “No one is greater than I.” How badly do you want God to be in your life? You can’t project what’s coming; why not let go
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My Journey to Freedom
and let God. There is no one greater than God. He has already mapped out your life. Read your Bible, pray without ceasing, be aware of God’s promises, and learn how to work His Word in your life.