Women for Jesus Newsletter Volume 1 Issue 10
Spring Edition
Woman of Influence Interview with Tera Carissa Hodges Tera Carissa Hodges enjoys being of service to all mankind. An empowerment champion through her speaking, media appearances, coaching, and mentoring, helping people become empowered despite their past and mistakes is her passion. She enjoys serving the community through outreach initiatives and organizations she supports. From her Life Now Luncheons were she encourages women of all ages to press pass their pain and live their best life now, to anti-bullying campaigns for teens, and more, she travels extensively domestically and internationally to minister in speaking, media interviews and more. Her international invites and international media outreach includes: South Africa, England, Ghana, Australia, Bahamas, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago and more. Tera has also appeared on numerous national television programs, radio shows, and magazines such as: Essence Magazine, The Word Network, Stellar Award Winning Radio 1000, and more.
Tera recently visited South Africa for a women’s conference and imparted a word that was in season for most of us. We are honoured to have her as our woman of influence and believe her story will bring light to many women across the country.
Volume1 Issue 10
woman of influence
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“Marriage is good. It was designed by God. But, it is not the be-all that ends all. You can get married and still not feel fulfilled because God never designed a man to fulfil you. There are places in a woman that nobody can touch but God. That's why it's so important to have a relationship with Him, focus on your purpose and your destiny. “
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself (where you grew up, your childhood memories and the type of vision you had for yourself whilst growing up)? I grew up a tom boy, if you can believe that (laughs). I did everything the boys did: play football, kickball, softball, and more. I also grew up less than half of a mile from the church I spent my formative years. So often, on Saturdays, we would walk to youth choir rehearsal, vacation bible school, and more. It really was like the church was literally apart of our yard. Growing up, I thought I would be the equivalent to what Beyonce is now. I knew all of Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey's songs, would lip sing them and create dance routines with my older cousin, who I regard more as a sister. What type of challenges have you had to face that have ultimately shaped you into the woman that you are today? Again, I grew up with the boys so to speak. So from early on, I saw men as my equals, my peers, people to work with, etc. That has been an essential tool to have in my business career and ministry career. Some women are so intimidated by men. That can't be. You respect men--and they respect you. But, at the end of the day, we are different, yet equal. What does a day in your life look like? My day always begins in prayer. Next, emails--lots of them (laughs). On any given day, the ministry receives over 1,000 e-mails. I can't answer them all but my team and I have devised a system to get through as many of them as possible. Because I also work full-time, I usually get that aspect of my day started around 10 a.m. I am blessed to have flexibility, because my clients respect who I am and what a day in my life can look like. Literally, no day is the same.
We are big fans of your work and how you have encouraged women to pursue God’s call for their lives and not look towards marriage as a goal. Can you elaborate on that? Marriage is good. It was designed by God. But, it is not the-be all that ends all. You can get married and still not feel fulfilled because God never designed a man to fulfil you. There are places in a woman that nobody can touch but God. That's why it's so important to have a relationship with Him, focus on your purpose and your destiny. I counsel women of all ages, walks of life, etc. And, what I can tell you is that while no one gets married to get divorced, nor anticipates their spouse's pre-mature home going, the women who had a life before they got married, and never lost sight of who God has created them to be as an individual seem to fair better emotionally and mentally after a traumatic separation. This is why Abigail in 1 Samuel 25 was able to move on so quickly after Nabal, her husband died. She recognized, I want a husband--someone who knows how to function in the office of a husband, not a particular person. She moved on logically instead of remaining stagnant emotionally. What are some of the challenges that come with being a young wife/first lady? Much like Jesus, people will look at your age and think that because they are older, they are more anointed. Not so! The anointing is the anointing and is not based on age. If not careful, you will have strong personalities who will want to be out of order and not respect the
position God Himself has given you. In that case, pray and let God fight your battles. No one can correct people like God can. Outside of work, what do you like to do for fun/ get your mind off things? SHOP (laughs). But, not just shop, bargain shop. I take great pleasure in walking off with bags of clothes, purses, shoes, etc that I got at 70% off. Also, because I love to cook, I also enjoy fine dining. I will order, eat, and then go home and try to mimic what I tasted. I also enjoy salsa dancing, comedy nights, and foreign travel. New experiences reign supreme for me. What has your experience in Africa been like? How is it different from the U.S? I LOVE Johannesburg, South Africa. Strangely enough, it reminds me a lot of Atlanta. But, Johannesburg's culture is so amazing to me. From the food, dress, customs, everything is such a celebratory experience. We are elated to have had Tera Carissa share her words of wisdom with us. To get in touch with her ministry visit www.teracarissa.com
“Trust God and LIVE your dreams. Life is too short to die with regrets. We all make mistakes and have lessons we've had to learn. But, at the end of the day, dust yourself off and try again.�
#RoundTableDiscussion
We are delighted to bring you our new feature called #roundtablediscussion. This feature is aimed at providing sound counsel to young women and provides readers with an opportunity to raise questions and concerns and receive proper counsel from those that God has appointed to guide us. Our panel is made up of men and women of God who have been entrusted with various ministries in the body of Christ. We are delighted to have them on board and we hope that they will help us have a clear perspective of God’s way of doing things. Remember to email us your questions to womenforJesus10@gmail.com.
“A guy comes into your life. He used to be a Christian and went to church but he doesn’t go to church anymore. He doesn’t drink nor smoke and he prays so-he-says and knows that I’m a Christian and he has been pursuing me for over a year. What should I do?”
HI, interesting indeed. In my walk with the Lord I have seen worst of sinners becoming best of Christians and vice versa, therefore it can be dangerous to judge a person according to their current position. But few questions needs to be answered before you can give yourself to this man. Do you love him or do you love the idea of someone pursuing you for over a year? Pursuing women is what guys do for a hobby anyway. What is it that made him to stop going to church? Will you afford to go to church alone for the rest of your life? Let me conclude by this quote "A sister's heart must be so hidden in Christ that a man would have to find Christ to access herUnknown
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future. “ Proverbs 19:20.
“Concerning sex, how are leaders tacking it? Is it still considered a “sin” or a challenge?”
“The Corinthian church had been taught by Paul that it is God's grace alone that saves and keeps one saved. The Corinthian church thought since they had been declared righteous because of their faith in Christ, they could sin without consequence. There are many religious people who say the same thing today. Here’s one of the most important points I have come to learn. The hiddenness of sexual sin does not absolve us of corporate accountability for the sexual sin in our churches, because the motive for secrecy is to keep doing it. . “And people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). Killing sexual sin starts with exposure (confession); it ends with no longer being enslaved (Romans 6:6). Exposure is painful, but it is better to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” than to hear, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” We have to be accountable and confess so that healing may come (James 5:16). The Lord is always ready to forgive and cleanse those who turn to Him in confession and repentance (1 John 1:9). True conviction is followed by true repentance and Heart change is critical. Read psalm 51
Many people become frustrated in their struggle to overcome sexual sin because they never seem to achieve lasting purity. Part of the reason you may not overcome sexual sin as quickly as desired is your misunderstanding about the location of the battle. The physical manifestation of sexual sin is simply the outworking of what has already been going on in the heart (mind) for some time. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 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. Rom 12:1-2 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other” (Colossians 3:12–13). The bottom line: we’re in this together. The battle against sexual sin and lust is a battle charge given to the whole church community. We expose sexual sin for what it is, humbly deal with sexual sin when and where it appears, and together shine the light of God’s truth and expose sexual sin, and rejoice in sexual health and wholeness. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Gal 6:1 Remember in the process of dealing with sin let us not destroy the person in the process. Deal with sexual sin severely but don't destroy the person but restore them.
“No sin is ever right or good, and no sin ever produces anything right or good. Yet there is no sin beyond God's redemptive healing power.”
“As a leader serving in arenas outside the “church”, how do you strike a balance between being a Kingdom Ambassador and still relating to people you lead who may not share the same faith?”
Relationships should not be defined by faith/religion. Relationships should be defined by love that is a global language that transcends ethnicity and religion/faith. You don't love because of religious persuasion, you love because of who you are. Jesus sets the perfect example by being a friendly with everyone. We must learn to see people before we see their religious labels Secondly it takes maturity to establish a relationship with those who do not share your faith. Relationship is critical to introducing them to your faith. How can someone believe in your God when your God stops you from being their friend The issue is not necessarily balance but synergy, where everything works together for a godly outcome
“It takes maturity to establish a relationship with those who do not share your faith. Relationship is critical to introducing them to your faith. How can someone believe in your God when your God stops you from being their friend”
“Why is prosperity emphasised so much in church whereas preachers are not doing anything outside ministry to accumulate wealth? Is it fair to put that much expectation on the congregation?�
It should be noted that once upon a time poverty was seen as a fruit of the Spirit. Much work needed to be done to rectify this erroneous and destructive belief. So the teaching on prosperity was somewhat restorative in the Church in that it's advent was meant to re-align the Church to the correct biblical position.It is dangerous to assume that the reason preachers preach on prosperity is because they want to accumulate wealth by putting undue expectations on the congregation. The ultimate objective on preaching about this delicate subject was to empower the saints to rise up and take charge of their financial destinies. There are minister who are involved in business and who are bi-vocational. Some write books and produce CD's. It needs to be established that there is such a thing as bible based prosperity. "God wishes above all that we may prosper and be health even as our souls prosper." III John 2. There are other corroborating scriptures that support bible based prosperity. A further example is found in the book of Joshua 1 where Joshua is exhorted to meditate on the law so that he may be careful to do everything that is in it so that he may make his way prosperous. Let it be established that God the Father wishes to "supply all our needs according to His in glory by Christ Jesus". Bible based prosperity is a benefit of the new covenant and David in Psalms 103 instructs us not to forget all of his benefits. It's the role of the teacher and or preacher to inform and bring into remembrance the congregants the benefits due to them. So the teaching and or preaching about prosperity is in line with the grain of scripture.
It should further be noted that it's a responsibility of the minister of the gospel to present the full and unadulterated counsel of God. Emphasis on full. Paul speaking to the Elders of Ephesus said that he did not hold back from declaring to them the full counsel of God. The danger of our time is that we tend to treat the part as the full. Teachings on prosperity when over-emphasized can sound like a broken record. It is imperative that the minister of the gospel declare the full counsel of the Lord. Over-emphasis of certain teachings have led to extreme views and has given way to unscrupulous operators who have seen an opportunity to hold the masses to ransom.
“Our hearts need to be pure and our minds need to be renewed when it comes to finances� Email us on womenforJesus10@gmail.com If you would like to personally connect with the panel.
War against rape silent protest The 2nd Annual War against Rape and Abuse Silent protest will be held in Polokwane. Contact Sandra on 0762726264
The Will of God -Mmaphuti Mashamaite
“From the time you accept Christ as Lord over your life, the term "Will" becomes a part of your everyday vocabulary. Morning prayers are coloured with willingness to surrender plans and purposes to God. But how often do we do that? How often to we really commit to the very thing we pray for? I remember waking up mid month in September during my morning prayer asking God for a heart that beats only for His will. I was incredibly tired of doing my own thing. I had recently broken up with a guy that I thought was the Adam to this Eve, was the peanut butter to my jam and the hallelujah to my amen. Because the whole time I believed that God had my back with that choice. But my experience stirred the need to really enquire from the Lord what exactly He wanted me to do. You know how after a bad experience Mmaphuti Mashamaite, Head of you give the whole "teach me your ways, show me your Mmabothakga a Morena. glory speech" to God? Yeah, that was me. Well, God sat me down. Hard questions were posed. Living in an era where women are encouraged to be independent and Neyo didn’t help either. To do it all with very little or no help, even from the God who created you. It hit me like a ton of bricks when God pointed out that very issue. Why are we so independent when it comes to doing life? Why are we so okay with doing life without God's will? Why do we think living outside His will is only in relation to sin? Because the truth is you can do all the good in the world or in your life but still be outside His will for your life. Point out that one thing that you are okay with doing without God's council. My thing is relationships. I've always believed that because there's so much 'fish' to choose from, God doesn't choose our soulmates, we do. And I had stopped believing in soulmates. I remember asking God why I'm such a failure in my man/woman relationships. His answer (first in the form of a question) was straightforward and simple: Why don't you believe that I have someone especially tailored for your purpose when everything I do is planned, connected and ordered? You trust me with every other aspect of your life, why can't you do the same with that?I repented almost immediately! And not in the emotional way that I usually do. This time it was as real as it could get. My response was as real as it could get. I prayed a prayer that would change my life and perception on a lot of things: Thank you Father that you have my back. That as independent as I may try to be You still know and attend to my need for You, for your counsel. As hard as it is to do, I completely give myself away to You and Your will for my life. For the first time ever, I give myself and my future with regard to my relationship to you. My marriage, job, family, friends will not exist for my own desire but for Your will. You take control over everything. You be my agent, my matchmaker, my bestfriend but most importantly, my Father. So these days I discipline myself whenever my "Miss Independent" side tries to take over. Before making any decision I first ask God, "is this in line with Your plan"? If not I move right along without a second thought.”
Loving me, loving my ovaries –Ngwana’mobu “Vagina, ovaries and Cysts… These seem to becoming more common phrases in conversations among a lot of young woman. Ovarian cysts are common among women who have their periods, and mostly appear and disappear on their own (youngwomenshealth.com, 2014). The problem only comes when they don’t disappear on their own and you experience abdominal pain for several weeks, then you need a doctor. And even if it grows, it may not have any impact of your body’s ability to reproduce or produce hormones. With September being Ovarian Cancer month, I felt I should my journey with my ovaries. I don’t know about you but I used to think the only time I would go to the gynaecologist is when I was pregnant, not anytime sooner. Then one day my periods didn’t come for one month which turned into 5 months and one day there was a flood from my uterus. Did I mention the paralysing pain that came with it? All I could say after day 11 was #FixItJesus and I went to the gynaecologist for the first time at 21 before my 2.5 babies become a distant dream. Since I am a firm believer in googling everything when the doctor said it was an ovarian cyst, I googled it the moment I left the consulting room. Knowledge is power, and I was just happy to find out that it didn’t mean I will have cancer or lose out on being a mama. I had to take medication to inform my body that “Hey boo I’m not pregnant so let’s shed some reds for a few days with a hint of discomfort and a dash of pain ;)” and I saw my doctor so much we were on first name basis but it didn’t bother me much. With time my uterus DRAMA become more of a Russian doll with every doctor’s appointment revealing a new aspect to the condition, which after some time, tears and frustrations put me in a better position to take better care of my body. My mum always says “You have one body and one life, there are no replacements if you don’t take care of it”, and my Mama was right again. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul teaches us that God expects us to take care of our entire bodies where the Holy Spirit lives. We often get so caught up in getting that degree, that job, that BAE, that car and getting that money; that we forget to pay attention to our health. So do not neglect the small signs that body uses to signal problems or wait for a nudge to leave you hospitalised. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit with your ignorance of your health. Love your vagina! Treasure your uterus! Appreciate your ovaries! And Smile.”
Farewell Lerato Masenya
We would like to bid a heartfelt farewell to our committee member, Lerato Masenya. Lerato has been serving the ministry for four years as Head of the Unashamed department that deals with evajelism. Lerato has contributed extensively to innovative programmes such as our newsletter feature woman of the month, which focuses on conducting a case study on a specific women in the bible. Lerato is a seasoned writer and has dedicated her life fully to serving God. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours and truly believe God will continue using her to be a voice for the Kingdom. Women for Jesus will always be her home and we will continue supporting her in her future projects. Thank you for your contribution and we love you Lira.
“My heart for women for Jesus is for the ministry to succeed beyond expectations� –Lerato Masenya
#Mylovestory competition “Above all, love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sin” _1 Peter 4: 8 As many of you know, our theme this year is as according to 1 Peter 4:8. In keeping up with our theme, we are running a competition where you stand to win a manicure and pedicure treatment courtesy of Glamfairy. All you need to do is write a short testimony in a blogpost form about how you have come to know the love of Christ and how has it transformed your life. It is imperative that you emphasize exactly how Christ’s love has transformed you and go into detail about that. The competition will run from the 12th of October to the 13th of November. The winner will be notified on the 27th of November. Please note that the gift voucher is valid until the 11th of December and though it is open to residents outside of Polokwane, Glamfairy is based in Polokwane therefore the winner is responsible for accessing the voucher in Polokwane.
Lighthouse conference We hosted our lighthouse conference in July to celebrate our 5th year anniversary as a ministry. We had a wonderful time connecting with everyone and hearing from God through our speakers for the day. We would like to thank everyone for their continuous love, support and prayers. Thank you for making the event a success and we truly hope you took with you what God prepared for you that day. We look forward to sharing such great moments with you in the near future.
Women for Jesus team, 2015.
Heartfelt Gratitude We would like to thank Millycent Mashela for helping us out with our financial report. As a registered N.G.O and according to Law, we are expected to send a financial report to the Department of Social Development to account for our finances. We struggled to find a registered financial officer, and could barely meet the financial implications that came with it. God immediately connected us to Millycent, a registered financial officer who has been helping us out. We truly appreciate her efforts and we pray that God continues to bless the work of her hands. Millycent Mashele is a registered CA(SA) and Managing director of Knowledge and Training Hub. If you require her services, please feel free to email her on millycentmm@gmail.com
“Sad reality is that a lot of people don’t love their jobs, actually doing it for the salary. This is 21st century slavery at its best. We need passionate, and purpose driven workforce to be able to compete at a global level as a country. We are trapped in this prison of employment just for salary. We need to break away from the salary prison to purpose driven employment. “Millycent Mashela CA(SA)
Millycent Mashele CA(SA)
Out and about SHE woman Conference August month is known as the month of women, and many women events are being held within this period. And amongst many on the 22nd of August 2015, Mrs Granny Ramachela hosted a women’s conference under the theme She Woman. The event was held at Fountain of Hope Church Seshego Zone 5C. It was a day filled with a lot of insight from different women who spoke a mouthful concerning women issues. The first session was a Q&A ,whereby four ladies named Bokweni Machaba, Thabang Mmotlana, Lucy Kgopa and Shoki Makamedi set around the couch and tackled questions such as “ What is PROVERBS 31 woman like ? ’’ . And the behind the pulpit we had Mrs Mapula Legodi, Mrs Refilwe Lebepe and Mrs Mabushe Kgatle and it was within these speakers that roles of womanhood were decoded and we learnt in a great manner how a woman ought to carry herself. How women should not define themselves by their experiences nor past but by the word of God. Behind the Mic, worship sensation of the likes of Sesi Nunky Koma,Tumi Meletse and Matjie Mokhudu helped make the day an even beautiful experience. We would like to thank Mrs Granny Ramachela for the invite and a very blessed day.-Molatelo Mathoko.
Dress like the future you We were delighted to get an invite from the ladies of Pretoria for a seminar that has truly changed the perception of women who are of the Kingdom and in the marketplace. The conference was a delight and we would like to applaud the organisers for such an event. May God truly bless you.
Lioness Arise seminar August has truly been a wonderful month form women. It gave everyone an opportunity to equip themselves in order to be young women of influence and it was wonderful to see God raising various ministries to aid in this. We were honoured to get an invite for the Lioness Arise seminar where we got an opportunity to connect and interact with other ministries that are involved in areas similar to those that God entrusted us with. It was refreshing to see other ministries that are as effective even in the market place. Furthermore, everything was done with a high level of excellence and attention to detail. The food was impeccable and the setting was just right for us to truly connect and tap in to what God wanted to be achieved that day. We where personally challenged to raise the bar when it comes to excellence and believe that this is one of may opportunities to connect with other ministries and impact women throughout Polokwane. A special word of thanks to Sandra and Madame Huslter’s Mashudu for their excellent work .May God continue working through you.-Lebo Tisane
For more info please contact: Chair Person Lebogang Tisane 0713569928 Logistics Shirley Malope 0760278395 Love in Action Molatelo Mathoko 0724213344 Meladi Montjane 0790653603 Unashamed Lerato Masenya 0797845086 Mabothaka a morena Maphuti Mashamaite 0817571489 Secretary Phethego Kgatla 0766543160 Public relations Mahlatse Tloubatla 0721265311