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    My First Steps in the Ministry
    My First Steps in the Ministry
    My First Steps in the Ministry
    Ebook86 pages1 hour

    My First Steps in the Ministry

    By Leverna Williams

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    About this ebook

    Today there are so many distractions thatturnusaway from what we are called to do. We willingly indulge in thepleasures of life instead of following the perfect plan that God already has for each of our lives. Ifwe look honestly at our own lives, we will see that we are turning to so many differentthings and peopleto help solve theproblems we face in life. My First Steps in the Ministry looks into the life of an ordinary manto see howone can choose to answer the greatest call in life; doing the work ofthe Lord. By submitting your plans and will to the will of God one will come to realize that the only way tomake it through the vicissitudes of life is to gotheway thatis orderedby Jesus Christ our Lord. My First Steps in the Ministry shares with allhow to step into their destinythrough experiencesthat willhelp them find their way to a fulfilled life with Christ. Isnt it time you letgo of your past and let Godwalk youinto your future (Psalm 51:10-12)? Just realize that its not too late to turn your life around.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateSep 28, 2008
    ISBN9781467834711
    My First Steps in the Ministry
    Author

    Leverna Williams

    Reverend Leverna Williams was born and raised in Vineland, New Jersey. In 1988, he enlisted to serve his country in the U.S. Navy. In his career in the military, he served in Operation Desert Storm and Japan. After he left the military, he chose to reside in Bradenton, Florida. He now serves as an associate minister of Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church. He received his BA degree in theology from International Theological Seminary (ITS). He is the father of 3 sons, and is currently employed with the Manatee County School Board. 

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      Book preview

      My First Steps in the Ministry - Leverna Williams

      Special Thanks

      To my mother, for if it were not for the Lord acting through her, I would not be here.

      To Sheri; Brittany; Miss Brenda; Mr. and Mrs. Morris; Pastor Imogene Jackson-Rose and the Carter Temple family; Pastor James Roberts and the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church family; truth baptist church; Harold; Marvin; Michelle; Deloris; Aunt Irma; my brothers, pedro, joe, eric, and bryant; and last but not least, Evangelist Mary Upchurch, for all the long hours during which she has put up with me in preparing this book. Also, thanks go to Joy FM 88.1 in Bradenton, Florida for all of their inspiring spiritual programs.

      My sincere thanks to all of you for your prayers and support in God’s word through the years.

      Forward

      In an attempt to come to you with some of life’s struggles, I’m hoping that some through some of my life experiences, this book will take you on a ride into a world that so many of us often travel but in which we are afraid to let go or share with someone our life experiences. Through our testimony, someone may just realize that it’s not too late to turn his or her life over to the Lord.

      In this book you will take a ride, perhaps down a road you have already traveled or are traveling now.

      I hope that you find it in your heart to heed the word of God and know that he is always there.

      If you find yourself in a situation, maybe by the grace of God, there is something in this book to let you know that you are not alone in your situation.

      If God can bring me through, just know that in God’s word there is hope for everyone if you just believe.

      God bless

      Psalm 143

      Hear my prayer, o Lord. Give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

      And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

      For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

      Therefore my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within in me is desolate.

      I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of my hands.

      I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

      Hear me speedily, o Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

      Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul to thee.

      Deliver me, o Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

      Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

      Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

      And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

      Holding On

      I had just gotten my paycheck, and it was way less than what I had expected.

      Before I had gotten paid, my spirits were high in the Lord.

      I felt like my day was outstanding to that point. I didn’t want to open my check to see how much I had made, so I waited a while before I opened it. When I finally got the courage to do so, it felt like my whole world had collapsed around me, like everything I was doing was in vain; the work for the Lord, the work on the job, was getting me nowhere fast. What was I doing that kept me in this downhill run? Was I handling my money right? Was I doing what the Lord required of me? Was I missing my blessing, or was I being blessed and didn’t realize it?

      I had to:

      1)   learn to manage my money and my time

      2)   ask myself, where is my faith? (Just because times were hard didn’t mean I had to give up; it just meant I needed to fight that much harder for what I believed in)

      3)   sincerely ask the Lord for guidance in how to spend the money in the right areas of my life.

      As I was going through these trying times, the Lord laid on my heart the book entitled The Great Investment, written by T. D. Jakes. This book opened my eyes in a new perspective; not only did it explain how to manage my money, but it also pointed out that sometimes things aren’t always going to go according to the way we plan and that we have to go through something in order to get something. My faith is rooted and grounded in the name of the Lord, and I realize that we are still human, and going through different situations may cause us to waiver in our faith at times. But it is up to us, the person, to recognize that God is still on our side. We should not fall victim to our inner man and to the power of Satan by letting the situation get the best of us, whether it be regarding death, finances, family, loss of a job, or your church family. Stay strong in the Lord. He has given us the tools to fight with. We have what we need to go on. The question is, is it enough in our eyes, when the Lord has already blessed us?

      When Does Prayer

      Become a Key?

      I believe that prayer is an essential part of our christian journey, right from the start in our christian walk.

      One of the first things we must do is deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Christ (Matt. 16:24–25)

      Secondly, we must repent of all wrongdoing (sins) and, with sincere repentance in our hearts, ask the Lord to come into our hearts (Mark 1:3), and we must believe in him. If you’re wondering about these steps, I believe they are the first forms of prayer that must enter into our lives in order to take the necessary steps to go on in God’s word. I believe that prayer is so important that without it, our lifeline to God would be cut off. Some may think otherwise, but if you look at it, when we first came to the Lord, the first thing we did was say the Sinner’s Prayer with the utmost sincerity. From that point on we attended church, went to Bible study, went to prayer meetings, and attended sunday school.

      Okay, let’s keep it real. We know that everyone does not attend all of these functions, but my point is this: if we are not at all

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