PEARL

Pearl

Recently, many women at the Community of Believers Christian Church in Cuyahoga Falls participated in a women's study on the book Captivating. I'd like to share how it came to be ... and the amazing impact it has had on so many.

About two years ago, I was going through some very difficult times emotionally, physically, financially, relationally, mentally and spiritually! Through the grace of God (I had been a Christian more than 30 years) and the wise counsel of a woman in our church, God began to help me deal with some very deep issues in my life that needed His healing touch. At about the same time, a good friend of mine shared a book called Captivating with me. When I read the verse in Isaiah 62 about the Lord giving us a "new name," I just could not get my arms around that concept and I put the book away.

Over the course of many months and God's deep healing touch, I began to understand why His love and goodness were allowing the difficult things in my life to take place. He wanted to heal me in my deepest parts and was allowing the circumstances of my life to draw me to the only place where I could find true and lasting peace, comfort and love. Eventually, I thought I was ready to receive the "new name" God had for me, and so I came to Him humbly with my request. I immediately received an impression in my spirit of a pearl. I was so excited when I read these words ... pearls are very rare, very valuable, very admirable. And, of course, the beauty of the pearl comes about through great friction! I even found it significant that pearls are buried in hard shells deep beneath the sand, that need to be uncovered, even as God was beginning to dig deeply to reveal to myself the beauty He saw in me.

It was many months later that under completely different circumstances, our Pastor's wife, with no knowledge of my experience, shared that she felt the women should study the book Captivating. We immediately knew it was a word from God. The study lasted three months and about 20 women faithfully attended. In addition, a blog was established based on the study. Through the study, the Lord has given dozens of women in our church and our family and friends their new names. The most amazing experience has been to see women begin to embrace the truth of how God sees them - with tender love, affection and desire. Some of the Captivating videos can be seen by going to Facebook or YouTube for the Community of Believers Church.  My deepest thanks for your open heart and spirit in receiving this incredible message of Captivating from the Lord, sharing it with others, and allowing others the wonderful gift of receiving their New Names from Him!

 

Daily category: