4TH MAN IN THE FIRE

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This is my go to verse in the Holy Bible when my life feels threatened by a situation that is so hot, it threatens to incinerate my entire existence!

The book of Daniel, Chapter 3: 17-18 is my all time, go-to verse when I need strength and resolve against the threats of the enemy.

The courage showed by Shadrech, Meshach and Abed-nego against the threats of a great king always encourages me when I am faced with a situation that scares the living daylights out of me; poverty, lack, relationships ending, bad medical reports, unemployment, life threatening sickness, children acting out, betrayal, homelessness and many others.

I FEEL EMPOWERED WHEN I CAN LOOK AT A THREAT AND DECLARE GOD'S WORD OVER IT, If it be so, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3:17- 18.

This morning, I realised that I am in the "burning fiery furnace !"

The king ( vexing situations) had finally put me in that place where it seemed impossible to escape.

Do you think Shadrech , Meshach and Abed-nego thought that the king would see his threat through and stick them in a furnace that had been made seven times hotter than normal ?

NOW THAT I AM SMACK BANG RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BURNING FIERY FURNACE, I SEE THAT MY BLUFF HAS BEEN CALLED AND I AM RUNNING SCARED!

Honestly, I didn't believe that it would get to this, where I am now tied up and the heat of this situation so hot. I realise that I have been selective in my confession.

Daniel :3 17 is the only part that I have been confessing because that's the part that's been palatable to me , the part where God delivers before we have to endure any pain or suffering. Now that it's gotten to Daniel 3:18 "But If not..." part, I am burning up and having fitful nights, stress and anxiety headaches and signs of melting down.

I need a shift in perception.

I have done all I can but here I am, in this burning fiery furnace.

But, I realise that l am not alone in this burning fiery furnace. THERE IS A FOURTH MAN HERE. HALLELUJAH!

He has been here all the time waiting for me to acknowledge his presence and surrender this situation and every situation over to him.

His quiet presence has kept the fire of my situation from consuming me. Against all odds l am still standing. Hallelujah !

If you will open your heart and spirit, you too will see the Fourth man in your burning fiery furnace. If you will receive it, you too can glean the glory of the Fourth man in that burning fiery furnace.

We don't hear anymore from Shadrech, Meshach and Abed-nego after they have been thrown in the furnace nor when they are called out of the furnace. Only the king who put them in there marvels:

lsee four men loose walking in the midst of the fire ...and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Daniel 3: 25-26.

May the Fourth man in each of our burning fiery furnaces become visible to all and may his presence cause a dramatic change in our lives. "...saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power...nor the smell of fire had passed on them Daniel 3:27.

May the Fourth man shield us from the heat of the burning fiery furnace of our situations and may we emerge unashamed and unblemished.

"Then Nebuchadnezzer spake and said Blessed be the God of Shadrech, Meshach and Abednego.." Daniel 3:28

May the presence of the Fourth man in our burning fiery furnaces cause those who cursed us to rise up and call us blessed.

"Then the king promoted Shadrech , Meshach and Abed -nego..." Daniel 3:30

FINALLY, MAY THE PRESENCE OF THE FOURTH MAN IN EACH OF OUR BURNING FIERY FURNACES RESULT IN OUR PROMOTION .

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ROMANS 12:2 “AND BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD: BUT BE YE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, THAT YE MAY PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD, AND ACCEPTABLE, AND PERFECT, WILL OF GOD.”

Iam a single mom of three adult children. My son is twenty-nine and my daughters are twenty-seven and twentyone.

I also have five grandchildren: two granddaughters ages seven and three and three grandsons ages three, and two are two years old, with another grandson due on July 27, 2020.

Growing up I never imagined that this would be the path I would be on. Have you been told you would not be able to obtain what you aspired to be or do?

Or, that you would not be able to reach your dreams because you are a single mother, because you were incarcerated, because you have a criminal record?

No matter what, NEVER let anyone or any situation stop you from making your dream come to pass.

We have even played ‘Cowboys and Indians’ and doctor. Sometimes playing doctor was the one that got us in trouble!

There was even a game called ‘Life’ where the objective was to have the most assets at the end of the game, from going to college, working and raising a family.

Then there was Monopoly. Monopoly allowed us to own all types of property, get Free Parking, pass Go and collect $200, but most of all, we could obtain a Get Out of Jail Free Card.

Unfortunately, games do not necessarily mimic real life. Purchasing property is not easily obtainable for some.

Getting out of jail can be a horrendous process. Very few places allow Free Parking anymore and, if you are not attentive and mistakenly park in a handicap space without the correct credentials on your vehicle, you will get a ticket that can be well over $100! Most of all, there is no place on life’s path that will allow us to collect $200 without work effort.

One day my husband and I were talking about the type of work I did for the insurance company where I worked. I told him that I discovered many accounts of people who shared his exact name with different addresses.

We entertained the thought - could I get away with creating a check for him and send it to his mother’s house?

The thought became an action. After experiencing “success” by not getting caught from our first two check generating ventures, we decided to continue in our newfound enterprise. I kept creating and sending the checks, he kept cashing them. And we both kept spending the proceeds.

During this time, and even before, I really enjoyed my life. I had just gotten married. I had two children, my own place, a car and most of all, I lived right around the corner from my church.

I was living comfortably and didn’t want for anything. I pretty much had what I needed.

At the age of twenty-eight, I was incarcerated for violation of probation. My husband and I were placed on probation for embezzling money from a company I had worked for.

My parole violation stemmed from my inability to make my appointments with my probation officer located in New Brunswick, New Jersey while I lived in Union, New Jersey.

But had I gone that route, I would not be where I am today.

My incarceration allowed me to realise several things.

First, life does not always go as we plan.

Second, be aware of what you think and dwell on. actions. What started out as a curiosity and consideration became a class X felon.

Just like with Job, God allows things to happen in our lives to help strengthen us and prepare us for our next stage.

When I was first placed in police custody, the first thing I thought about was, “I have some calls to make to make sure my children are taken care of”. At that time, I only had my son and my oldest daughter; but my husband was in no condition to raise to young children ages five and three.

My first stop was Essex County Jail on West Market Street in Newark, New Jersey, where I had to wait for transport to the New Brunswick Correctional Facility, located in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

My first stop was Essex

County Jail on West

Market Street in Newark, Kieha Peterson New Jersey, where I had to wait for transport to the New Brunswick Correctional Facility, located in North

Brunswick, New Jersey.

Once I was settled in, I quickly made the calls to people I knew would take care of my children until I was able to return to society

I first called my son’s father first. If it had not been for the fact that my husband had already called him, he would not have believed what he was hearing.

The same with my aunt, who when I called her, she agreed to take care of my daughter.

I never did cry. I knew I had to do whatever needed to be done to hurry back to my children. I was sentenced to eighteen months; however, I only did three months because I was released to ISP, the Intensive Supervision Program.

I only had to do a year on the program. Through it all, I maintained my love for God.

Even though I knew I had done wrong, I had to share my story, not just with the inmates, but with the Correction Officers as well.

Every time they saw me, they would ask if I made a wrong turn at the top of the hill, because I surely looked out of place in there. I knew that this was no doubt going to be my testimony to others.

I lived with my dad and my step-mother while I was on ISP. My son lived with his dad and my daughter lived with my maternal aunt. I had my children every weekend.

Even when I was incarcerated, my family brought my children to see me every other Sunday, until it got closer for me to come home. I told them to bring them on if they asked for me, but I still called. I had to maintain that communication, that bond with my children even though we were not physically together.

To this day, they do not remember me being incarcerated.

They only remember that my son lived with his dad for a while, and my daughter with my aunt.

Along the way, time away from my family inspired me to be all that I could just for me but for my children. I had been told it would be difficult to find a job paying well enough to help me take care of my children and pay restitution.

I had a curfew, ISP group meetings, and community service assignments which alternated between Community Food Bank in Hillside, New Jersey and my ISP Officer’s church.

In the beginning, I had to attend AA meetings, which I still cannot figure out for the life of me why.

I endured breathalysers, pop-up visits at home and urine testing. But I knew I had to follow the rules if I wanted to graduate from the program on time.

I used to wish I had taken that class more serious than I did, but then again, I would not be where I am today. Through ECC Training Inc.Program, I obtained an Office Assistant internship with the non-profit organisation, 10,000 Mentors, which provided mentoring for atrisk children in the city. I enjoyed working for both organisations. Not only did they believe in me to give me a chance, knowing that I had been incarcerated, they gave me an opportunity to learn as I worked. Some months later, I was recommended for a parttime Clerk Typist position with Rutgers College of Nursing. There I learned how to create manuals for the Nursing Students, registered them for classes and testing for their nursing license. I still maintained a close relationship with 10,000 Mentors and through that relationship, I was recommended for a fulltime Administrative Assistant position with Assemblyman-elect (at that time) William D. Payne. He had just won the Assembly seat for the 29 th Legislative District in Newark, New Jersey. The office manager for 10,000 Mentors personally recommended me for the job and submitted my resume. When I arrived for my interview with the Assemblyman-elect and his Chief-of-Staff, we met in a I was able to find part-time work as a Teacher’s Assistant at Essex County College Training, Inc. Program, which I had attended a few years before for AutoCAD (Computer Aid

Design). nice building just behind the Federal Building located on Walnut Street in Newark, New Jersey.

The first question he asked me was if I knew who my Congressman was. I told him “No sir, I do not”.

He asked me if I knew whose office I was in. I told him I thought it was his. He then asked how did I expect him to hire me if I didn’t know the answers to those questions. I had to think quickly.

I kindly responded that I had never been in that office before, nor was I really into politics at that time. He laughed and said, “You are sitting in my brother’s office, Congressman Donald Payne, your congressman.

“You’re hired.”

Note, I was still considered a convict because I was on ISP. There was not a day that went by where I did not thank God for making things fall into place as they did.

You see, all throughout my journey I stayed in church and I kept my children in church - taking four buses, one to church, then two back to take my son to his father’s, and then another one to get home to my dad’s house.

I diligently worked for the Assemblyman for nine and a half years. During that time, I became a Notary Public and I obtained my Associates Degree in Criminal Justice through Everest University (online).

All of the above served to bring me to where I am today. I am an Ordained Minister. I am a two-time Amazon Bestselling Author of Stories from the Pink Pulpit Women In Ministry Speak! and She Shall Rise Empowerment for the Kingdom Woman.

I have also gained Amazon International Bestselling Author status through Stories from the Pink Pulpit Women In Ministry Speak!. I am a three-time self-published author under the pen name of G.C. Peterson of Knowing When Enough is Enough: My guide to building your self-esteem, Book of Poems,Vol. 1 (both published while working part-time) and I Am Who God Says I Am (published while unemployed).

I am also a Self-Publishing Coach and Motivational INPowerment™ speaker. I am currently a member of NAACP Newark, NJ Branch (Silver Life Member), National Council of Negro Women, Women’s Speaker Association and The Pink Pulpit International Convention of Women in Ministry and the Founder of Absolute Word Ministries.

To this day, I do not know why I did what I did. My husband did not have a gun to my head, forcing me to create those checks.

I never thought about the consequences of being caught. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush of doing something and thinking how no one knew what was going on.

At the time, my husband was dealing with an addiction to cocaine, so I partly rationalised that the extra money would come in handy.

Remember the part when I said I was incarcerated?

Yet with God’s help, I have been able to accomplish things so many men and women think is not possible after incarceration.

We have been conditioned to think once a “convict” ALWAYS a “convict.”

NEVER let your past dictate your future.

NEVER let the people who cannot see YOUR vision dictate how your vision looks.

NEVER let anyone deter you away from your dream. Knowing that society said I could not be what I wanted to be after incarceration only INSPIRED me to work harder to do just what I was told I could not!

If we humble ourselves and listen to what God is saying to each and every one of us, we will live to see our dreams come to pass.