Open Your Eyes
I've decided to stray away from the fresh encounter series to post about an issue that is currently going on in my life.
After my grandmother's passing there has been some family drama (which is natural) and sides have been taken. My mother and uncle have been doing some distasteful things which caused me to leave my home to move into a better environment until I graduate. This caused them to be bitter, rude and overall indifferent to me and my well-being. My family, the people I've known all of my life turned against me and my other family members who have been innocent throughout this whole situation. I began to feel depressed, lonely, and unwanted. I haven't been able to properly grieve and I've been having consecutive mind battles due to this stressful situation.
I began to be discouraged about my future, who I am in Christ and if the situation will get better or not. It's so funny how through all this worrying and stressing I've been doing, the time I need to pray the most, I neglect to. I looked to the world for answers to a problem that God can only solve. God keeps good books and guards the people that He loves. A particular biblical story came to me during this storm in my life and it's the story of Elisha and his servant. The story is how the King of Syria got word that Elisha was giving the King of Israel his plans that he was making in private. The King of Syria sent an army to go seize Elisha and his servants. Elisha's servant was so worried and afraid of the King's army and how outnumbered they were. Elisha prayed a powerful prayer and something amazing happened:
“Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.” - 2 Kings 6:17-18
This showed me that the God of angel armies is always fighting on the behalf of those He loves.... I just had to open my eyes. The world had blinded me and made me only see things on a physical realm but I forgot that the battle isn't an earthly battle it's a spiritual one. Which led me to the scripture Eph 6:12 - "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places".
Now that my eyes are opened, I'm not worried about the enemies coming against me or the battle ahead. I trust God that he is in control and that he will see me through the other side.
A Fresh Encounter : Calling & Purpose
“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” — Acts of the Apostles 20:24 NLT
I remember my very first missions trip in the Spring of 2015. I was going to New York and Washington DC to outreach and win souls for Christ with our impact team and I was relatively new to the whole outreach thing. But as I was out there with a good friend of mine, I began to learn the ropes and thoroughly enjoyed giving my testimony and leading people to Christ. As I was soaking it all in one night on the drive back from a long day (seven hours to be exact) God spoke to me. He told me to abandon my dream of going into the Navy for the will and destiny that He had for me. I was a little confused as to what He actually wanted me to do but I said, "Okay, I will". I chose to surrender my whole will, destiny and life to God and whatever He wants me to do. I was loving living for God after that trip. I was excited and on fire like never before. But being the leaky vessel that I am in God, life got a little tricky for me. I ended up backsliding soon afterward. Although I picked myself up, dusted myself off and tried again I kinda put that on hold. I wanted to renew my strength in God before I reached for that destiny again. After going through the word of God, Acts 26:19 stuck out to me about fixing my eyes towards my purpose.
"Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision” —Acts 26:19
I understood that it wasn't about me or where I was in God. It was about the heavenly vision. I understood that God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. I have to keep moving forward no matter what comes my way.
As I've been walking with God through difficulty of all sorts including the death of loved ones, backsliding, being sat down from ministry, etc.. He's been drawing me closer to His will and destiny that He has for me.
Walking into 2016, I'm making the decision to claim the ministry God has set aside for me, the calling He has put on my life and the commitment of falling in love with Jesus.
Remaining Pure - My Story
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. (1 Cor. 6:18 ESV)
I remember being relatively new in my faith and dating guys who weren't saved. I didn't think it was that big of a deal because I wasn't aware of the necessity to be evenly yoked. This guy was a senior at my high school and we lived in the same neighborhood. He wanted to date me in the summer time before the school year was about to start , but I was more concerned with working and serving God at that time. He asked me to date him the first week of school. At first I wasn't sure but I eventually came around to the idea.
At first we were cool. We were enjoying each other's company and time. We went out on dates and he even celebrated my birthday with me. As we started to progress I saw that he wasn't completely faithful to me and that he wasn't as nice, sweet or caring as he started out to be. He didn't want to go out that much anymore, he was flirtatious with other girls and he didn't really want to talk to me a lot.
But one thing he wanted more than anything: not the fruitfulness of my mind, to share successes with me, or to see me make it for Christ.. but for me to have sex with him. At first, I was against it. I didn't want to engage in that because I knew it was wrong and against God's word. But after being pressured by him and having him give me ultimatums, I gave in.
But when God says no, He means no and the will of man cannot overcome the will of God. God led me out of sexual immorality and my purity remains intact to this very day.
The crazy part about all of this was this guy was a "Christian" who went to church and was involved in ministry. Although he knew God's law, knew how precious I was to God and that I wasn't that type of girl, he disregarded all that in an attempt to please his flesh.
In retrospect, I understand the severity of living for God and obeying his commandments even under pressure. I understand that I am the daughter of the King and my body is precious in his sight and that it should be only for the man of God that I MARRY.
It's Not Over Yet
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." – Isaiah 40:31 ESV
Gloria Blanchard – Circa 1971
My Grandmother passed away on December 23rd, 2015 due to complications with cancer. Although I saw the decline in her health, I didn't know that my Grandma was going to leave this soon. She was my rock, my confidant, my friend, my Mom, my Dad, my everything. I didn't see how I was going to get by without her. She raised me, took care of me, and sheltered me for 18 years. I asked God, "How am I going to make it on my own? How am I going to graduate from high school? How is my walk with you going to be different? What is going to become of me ?"
And through my questions and worrying, God spoke to me through a song called It's Not Over Yet by For King and Country.
The chorus goes like this : " Oh, to anyone who thinks their finished , it's not over yet , it's not over yet. To anyone who's hit their limit, it's not over yet, it's not over yet. Keep on fighting, out of the dark, into the light, it's not over... Hope is rising, never give in, never give up, it's not over". (See the video below)
God gave me the peace that surpasses all understanding.
God gave me the peace that surpasses all understanding. He has been sheltering me and healing me through my grieving process. When I first found out that my Grandmother had cancer I was defeated, hurt, worried and broken. I was mad that that amazing woman, out of all people on earth, got cancer. I was mad that it wasn't detected sooner. I was mad because I felt like it was the beginning of the end. I was only a couple of months saved then so I was new to the idea of trusting God. Now, two years and two months into my salvation, God has moved powerfully in my life. My walk with Him has gotten stronger than it has ever been and I am forever grateful. If it wasn't for God helping me to mature and grow, I wouldn't have witnessed to my Grandma or planted the seed of salvation.
I prayed for my Grandma to repent of her sins before she left this earth... And she did! God's wonderful gift of salvation showered upon my Grandmother before she left this earth and now I can say in total confidence that she is in Heaven with Him.
And I can also say for my family that although she is gone, it's not over yet for us. I know as for God and I, it's not over yet for me.
About This Blog
My Name is Alexis Blanchard
I was born on Oct. 11, 1997 in Norfolk, VA. My life has been a series of twists and turns from going through emotional abuse and harboring resentment towards people who have hurt me to having strongholds of addiction and lust in my life. One of the key things that happened to me was that I was abandoned by my mother in a crack house when I was 6 weeks old. That experience left a whole in my heart and left me broken for a long time. I started to turn to smoking weed , drinking , and destroying myself as a result of my inner bitterness.
I was content living for my flesh until September 21, 2013 when I was brought to the Potter's House Christian Fellowship Church of Virginia Beach. My life was forever changed and now I am serving God, withholding nothing. As I realized the events in my life and how I've been brought through the fires and the floods I'm constantly reminded of how God turns everything around for my good. And how my life, from then to now, has been covered by Jesus.... in Disguise.
Follow me on Instagram: @alexis_vbph for more encouragement.