101 Days to Be Encouraged

Dear friend,
In 2005, I decided to follow hard after God and lay hold of everything He had for me. I was at a point in my life where nothing could fulfill me. On the outside, everything seemed ok. I was a college graduate, in a relationship with a good guy and working in a job that made a difference yet on the inside something was missing. I had lost that child like connection to my heavenly father and knew that I was not living up to my full potential. I knew that there were areas in my life where I was living in shame, fear and defeat and I was trying to fill that void with relationships and success. Tired of living the way I was living, I cried out to God, “I refuse to be in this same place this time next year”. For me it wasn’t necessarily a physical place but rather a spiritual place. I would begin to take my place in His kingdom. I ended the relationship that I was in and begin to be more sensitive to God’s leading. It was at that time that the inner lack of peace began to get stronger. For some “crazy” reason, I felt that I needed to let go of my current job. I thought that this was me so I resisted the urge and held on, yet the feeling got stronger and stronger. Not wanting to feel like that anymore, on a lunch break, I told a co-worker that “if God didn’t want me working at my job anymore then, He was going to have to fire me himself.” That was at 1pm and at 3pm my supervisor called me in the office and stated that the company no longer needed me. It was a bitter sweet moment for me as I felt like God answered me yet at the same time; I was now without a job. For me the next step was to move to Houston, Texas to get involved with Lakewood Church because I had visited several times before and it always felt like home, or go back to school to get my Masters in Biblical Counseling at Dallas Theological Seminary. I sought the direction of the Lord on my first 3 day fast and it was during that time, that I felt He directed me by asking the following, “If you move to Dallas, what would you be seeking?” I answered, “even though it would be a Christian career, it will still be a career.” “And if you move to Houston, what would you be seeking”. My reply was, “because I don’t have any family, friends, or a job in Houston….I would only be seeking you”. The Lord answered by saying, “there you go….seek God first and all else would follow”. I began to take steps to move and a few months later was moved to Houston and involved in the church.
From there, God began to show more of Himself to me. When I needed money and provision, He would lay me on someone’s heart or open a door to an opportunity. He would answer my heart’s desire by bringing me things that no one knew I was thinking. I saw His grace, favor, mercy, heart but I also begin to know more about me; who He created me to become. I began to overcome some of my fears and insecurities and made great friends with people who were beautiful, talented, and strong in the Lord. To where I once longed to be…the Lord now had me living that dream. I was now connected back to my heavenly father.
But friend, I can’t say the road was totally easy. A lot of the decisions I made didn’t make sense to others and sometimes made no sense to me. I had doubts, worries, concerns and became tired. I even made a few bad decisions along the way. Some of those closest to me felt like I was crazy yet all I could do was continue to trust God; trust that I heard from Him, He was guiding me and that He had me even when I didn’t have myself. It was always at my times of low, doubt, worry, confusion and weary that the Lord would encourage me. He would drop things in my spirit and then confirm that I was hearing from me. He would bring great people across my path that showed me more of Him. I would feel His presence and joy in supernatural ways. Like water to a marathon runner, food to a hard worker, a soft pillow to a homeless….God and His encouragement became to me. I knew that whenever I got the chance, I too would encourage others on their journey to see more of Him just like He encouraged me. I wanted to let people know that they aren’t crazy and they can lay hold of WHATEVER God puts in their hearts. I wanted to provide the tools and resources….even if that is just a place to stay and food to eat until they get back on their feet and that is why I am writing this first book of many.
On the next pages, I have taken 101 messages from my everyday life. These were the actual ways that God would encourage me on my journey. I’ve also added what I call “Call to action” tips. These are little steps; mental and physical you can take to fight discouragement and continue to believe that good things are ahead. I am excited to share with you and I truly pray that during the next 101 days….you will Be Encouraged.

Trusting God,

Monica Johnson
The InLight Writer