The Restoration of a Woman's Soul: The Transformation of a Woman’S Soul from Death to Life

The Restoration of a Woman’s Soul

The Transformation of a Woman’s Soul from Death to Life

Linda Sennett

AuthorHouse™

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© 2011 Linda Sennett. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 07/22/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2569-3 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2570-9 (hc

ISBN: 978-1-4567-2571-6 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011900458

Printed in the United States of America

Author Photo by Tom Bailey Copyright © 2006.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954,1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. Copyright used by permission.

Scripture taken from the King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1

The Journey Begins

Chapter 2

The Answer

Chapter 3

Gone Astray

Chapter 4

The Encounter

Chapter 5

Finally I Overcame

Dedication

In loving memory of my father,

Whitney Sennett, Sr.

Dad, I miss you.

Acknowledgements

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for Your awesome and magnificent greatness of forgiveness that you offered me through Your love. Jesus, You are my all! You truly are the Lord God Jehovah-Rohi: The Lord is my Shepherd, for in You, Lord, there is guidance, there is security, there is protection, and there is comfort. From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord who made Heaven and Earth.

Bishop Bady, I would like to thank you for the patience, time, and effort you put into pastoring me over the years. You patiently hung in there with me and believed in me, and you wouldn’t give up on me. For that, I thank you.

Kimberly Bady, I would like to thank you for the kindness and sweetness you showed me throughout the years of my trials. You have always treated me with love, kindness, and respect. In my eyes, you truly represent what a first lady should be. I love you for who you are.

To my wonderful granddaughter, Rayshondria Cook: I love you and I will always have your back.

To my daughter, Wyshanda Sennett, who is my right hand: Thank you for all of your hard work on this project. Times were rough and hours were long, but we made it through this. Thank you for not giving up on me and for sticking by me. You were my best critic.

Mother, thanks for being there through all of the hard times.

To the Harvest Time Church members, thank you for your continuous support during my times of trial.

Thank you also to the following people for your support, time, prayers, counseling, and patience:

Collins and Debra Aboagye, Althea Bacchus, Amelia Brown, Michele Cunningham, Augustine Degorl, Lionell Diamond, Stacy Dixon, Stephanie Hill, Felix Impraim, Kenny Inugo, Carolyn Mattix, Lena McClain, Deborah McGowen, Jacqueline Ngumoha, Nathaniel Nwobu, Geraldine Reed, Dina Rogers, Raymond L. Rogers, Karen Stephenson, Victor Williams, Harvest Time intercessors, and my loving family.

Introduction

Welcome to My Journey

Isn’t it funny how we mere humans are always trying to solve problems independently of God our Creator? During my life as a Christian, I have tried to solve several challenges without the help of God, and I am a witness to the truth that you absolutely cannot make it without Him—not if you want a true and genuine victory.

In our Christian journeys we try to keep our heads up through various phases of life, each with its abundant challenges. But sooner or later, we are sure to discover that our own strength is insufficient. It is only when we submit to God and surrender our all through Jesus Christ and receive His grace that we can hope to overcome.

God said His grace is sufficient for everything we need, sufficient to help us bear anything we will endure or have endured. Isn’t it wonderful to know that our present does not have to dictate or predict our future?

Who this Book is For

It is shocking how many church-goers struggle with their freedom in Christ. Paul said in Galatians 5:1, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. But we are not living in the freedom that God purposed in our lives when we are struggling with guilt, depression, hurt, anger, low self-esteem, lack of forgiveness, or other shortcomings.

Many of us walk around believing that we are saved, but we are unaware of the actual state of our souls. We might think that simply going to church is enough to get us into Heaven. Or we may doubt our own salvation and need constant assurance that we are saved.

Whatever your doubt or mistaken belief, know this: You can be delivered from the inner forces that prevent you from experiencing God’s love, grace, joy, peace, and manifold blessings. You can attain victory in your life.

I wrote this book because God revealed to me that I should not keep secret what I have learned. He told me my story was meant to be shared, and I have come to believe with all my heart that people may benefit from hearing about my struggles, my experiences, and my ultimate deliverance and victory through Jesus. This book is also for those who want to overcome their sins and live for Christ and for those who don’t know there is a true and living God and that He is very, very real.

How This Book Will Benefit You

By walking with me through my journey, you will discover my faults and learning experiences. You will hear about the steps I took to overcome and you will learn how you can overcome as well. You will discover effective praise and prayer tips. You will find many quotations from Scripture—all of them from the Zondervan Amplified Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted. I use the Amplified Version because of its simplicity.

At the end of each chapter you will discover a journal section called Your Journey. This is a place for you to think about some questions as they might relate to your own life. Some of the questions may not apply to your experience directly. Others may allow you to begin thinking about some of the big issues in your life. Your Journey is meant to be a starting point for reflection, a place to put down on paper the truths that form your own reality.

As you walk with me, you will come to understand that there is no problem that is bigger than God. Once you receive that understanding, believe it, and begin to act upon it in faith, nothing can hold you hostage ever again. You will begin to live in the freedom Christ gave to us through His life, His death on the cross, His burial, and finally, His resurrection to sit at the right hand of God the Father.

With that in mind, let’s now begin our journey through the stages I traveled as I sought to overcome a life of sin. And let us praise Him, for His love, mercy, and grace took hold of me in my struggles, and now He allows me to live victoriously for Christ Jesus! God, through His magnificent grace, has set me free, and He can do the same for you.

Chapter 1

The Journey Begins

My Introduction to Jesus

The very first time I felt the Lord calling me to the altar, I was five years old and my mother and I were attending a Sunday evening service at a Baptist church not far away from our home.

Going to church was one of my favorite things to do on any day, but I especially enjoyed it when it gave me some special time with my mother. She and my father worked hard to provide for my five siblings and me, and I rarely had her undivided attention.

Holding tightly to my mother’s hand, I glanced up at her as we neared the beautiful brick building a couple of blocks from our home. Of medium height, light-skinned, and with long, black hair and eyes like a cat, she said nothing and her mind seemed far away as she led me toward the church and my very first personal encounter with Jesus.

The church looked small on the outside, but when we stepped inside I stopped dead in my tracks, amazed. There must have been a hundred people in the large open space, and all of them seemed to be caught up in the act of worship.

Come on now, my mother murmured, leading the way down the aisle. As I followed her I gawked at all of the new sights that greeted my eyes every way I turned.

Even at my young age I could tell that the Holy Spirit was really moving in that church that night. The sights and sounds of worship filled the place. Shouts of Hallelujah! and Praise the Lord! mixed with noises of agreement and supplication. One woman was crying because she felt the awesome power of the Holy Spirit, and tears streamed down her face as a heated intensity filled the room.

That intensity continued during the service. The pastor, dressed in a yellow rain slicker, was conducting baptisms in a space behind the pulpit. At some point, I turned my gaze to a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall behind him. Its simple composition of land and water spoke of peace and serenity. It made for quite a contrast to the intense worship under way all around me.

I wish I were there with Him, I thought idly.

As the words crossed my mind, Jesus appeared in the picture out of nowhere, holding His hands out to me, beckoning me to come toward Him. Startled, I looked around to see if anyone else had seen Him. Nobody seemed to notice. When I turned back to the picture, He was gone.

A few minutes later, the pastor came to the altar, dressed in the raincoat that he had been wearing during the baptisms. He held out his hands exactly the way that Jesus had, with the same expression that seemed to say, Come. He stood there for a long time in silence, but no one came forward.

To this day, I have often regretted not going up there the minute that Jesus called me to come forward and give my life to Him at the altar. Being such a little girl, I still had much to learn about being a Christian. I was afraid I would have to leave this Earth and go with Jesus then and there, leaving my mother behind. I stayed fast to my mother’s side, but I never forgot that experience. It was only the first of many times that I would attempt to make the move toward Jesus.

Every time I visited that church after that night, I would stare at the wall where the picture was hanging to see if Jesus was standing there again. I never saw Him in the picture again, but I have often wondered just how different my life might have been if I had left my seat that night and walked toward Jesus at that young age.

Ours was a