God Answers Prayers! The Women's PowerWALK Wednesday night class was definitely an answer to mine. Before I started the class I felt lost, alone and I was desperate for help, desperate for answers. I had realized that I had let Satan in control of my life. I had allowed myself to become angry and full of resentment and bitterness which led me to sin against my family and most importantly to sin against God. I thought that through it all I didn't need God. That through the years of waiting for Him to step into my life and make it better, to change those in my life I wanted Him to change, wasn't ever going to happen. So I thought I could go it alone, without Him. I let Satan deceive me into thinking that I didn't need God. I was tired of waiting for the change I was praying to happen and thinking it was an impossible request and I was angry with God for not being there for me. However, through all my struggles, looking back I realize that God never left me. He was there waiting, patiently for my return. I had begun to feel guilt and remorse and shameful for how I had behaved. I hated my life and I hated what I had become, and when I began to pray again I felt completely unworthy of His grace. My prayers were in desperation for knowledge, for what I thought I knew I realized I didn't know at all. I had been taught by my parents that all your answers could be found in God's Word, so that became my prayer, "Teach me, O Lord, teach me Your Word.". I also prayed "Teach me how to pray." Soon after a door was opened for me. My mother came to me telling me of a new class that was to start on Wednesday nights. I saw this as a God sent opportunity so I accepted the invitation and went to the class....Best decision of my life....Everything I had prayed was being answered. Every Wednesday night I felt as if God Himself was speaking directly to ME through Michele and the other women who spoke. What I have learned in the past year is this; God has a plan for me, He has always had a plan for me, the problem WAS that I also had a plan for me, but it wasn't what God wanted for me. In all those years I was expecting God to work MY plan in my life, not His. I was also wanting God to change others in my life, so that they could be how I wanted them to be. I have learned that I can only change me and that by changing me and allowing God to use me, that through me I can have an impact in their lives. God doesn't change others' hearts because we ask Him to, that would be taking away man's free will. But by asking God to change me to make me like Him and by aligning my heart with His, I am allowing God to do His work through me. When I now pray, I pray "Not my will Lord, but your will for me." I never fully understood the meaning of that prayer until I was taught it's true meaning in this class. When I started the class I was at a place in my life where my heart was ready to be mended and then molded by the Lord. I am not fully healed yet, I still have struggles daily and there is still so much more for me to learn. God directed me to this class because He knew what I needed at a time in my life when I had sank to the bottom. What makes this class wonderful is that I haven't found one perfect woman yet. We all have scars, we all have sinned, we are all sinners, this we don't deny. But God is truly working through these women to teach me how to love myself again through the grace of God. I am learning to put all my Trust in the Lord, to let Him guide me instead of taking my own direction. I can't wait til the next Wednesday, I crave going to this class. I am a work in progress and the Women's PowerWALK Wednesday night class by God's grace and glory will help me to succeed in my walk of faith in Christ who strengthens me. To God be the Glory!!!!!
