by Christian International | Sep 10, 2025 | Articles
YOU ARE ENOUGH
As Christians, we often wrestle with the nagging lie that we don’t measure up. Feelings of inadequacy creep in and whisper that we’re not smart enough, strong enough, holy enough, or simply… enough. Yet the Word of God reminds us again and again: in Him, we already are enough.
From the time I was a little girl, I struggled to believe that truth. Growing up, I often felt like I didn’t measure up. My brothers excelled in school, while I silently battled undiagnosed dyslexia until high school. I was the youngest and only daughter, naturally shy, easily intimidated, and always comparing myself to others. Later in life, the wounds cut even deeper. I endured verbal, emotional, and physical abuse that left scars on my self-worth. I faced betrayal so personal it shook me to the core, convincing me I was unworthy and that I would never measure up.
I was the first in my family to go through a divorce, left raising four children alone. That same year, the joy of becoming a grandmother was overshadowed when my first grandchild was born with a severe heart condition requiring open-heart surgery. As all this unfolded, I relocated closer to family and began working at Christian International. The whirlwind of transition, responsibility, and heartbreak left me buried under a sense of overwhelming inadequacy.
But God.
In the middle of my brokenness, God began to show me, “I made you. And because I made you, you are enough.” Psalm 139:13 (NIV) declares, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” From the very beginning, God designed me with intention and purpose. Even when I doubted myself, He looked past my weakness and saw my heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) reminds us, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Scripture shows us again and again that every person has shortcomings, yet God still chooses to use us when our hearts are surrendered to Him. Romans 3:23 (NIV) says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But God doesn’t leave us there. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And John 3:17 (NIV) reassures us, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” The truth is simple: in Christ, there is no condemnation, only restoration.
Time and again, prophetic words I’ve received or spoken over others have started with, “God has made you unique.” And it’s true. None of us share the same DNA or fingerprints. Romans 9:20 (NIV) asks, “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” When we criticize ourselves, we are indirectly suggesting that God made a mistake. Yet He makes no mistakes. Genesis 1:27 (NIV) assures us, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
And still, in hard seasons, we often meet our own “Job’s friends”—people who criticize, slander, or gossip. But the Word is clear: Psalm 101:5 (NIV) warns, “Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.” Instead of tearing down, we are called to build up. Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:11 (NIV): “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
The Christian journey is not about perfection or speed, but endurance. Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) declares, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Along my path, I’ve stumbled, fallen, and needed God’s redirection. Yet each time, He reached down, lifted me up, and set me back on course.
Jesus warned us in Luke 6:37 (NIV): “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Paul echoed in Galatians 5:26 (NIV): “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Today, social media tempts us with endless comparison to polished images of “perfect” lives. But behind many of those smiles are hearts desperate for love, healing, and encouragement.
God reminds us over and over: “We are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37). We “can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13). And “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Yet so often, the fiercest voice disqualifying us is our own.
Even Moses felt the sting of inadequacy. Exodus 4:10-11 (NIV) tells us, “Moses said to the Lord, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent… I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?’” God had confidence in Moses when Moses had none in himself. And God still chose him.
Beloved, our confidence is not in ourselves, but in the God who formed us. Jesus died for us exactly as we are, paying a price we could never pay. Salvation cannot be earned—it is given by grace. And in that grace, we find rest.
So hear this truth: in Christ, you are chosen, you are called, and you are enough.
by Christian International | Aug 14, 2025 | Uncategorized
As Christians, we are often taught to serve, to sacrifice, and to press on. Some of us were born into ministry, dedicated our lives to Christ at a young age, and have lived immersed in the work of the Kingdom. I asked Jesus to be Lord of my life when I was three, and I was filled with the Holy Spirit at six. From a preacher’s kid to a minister’s wife, and now a full-time ministry leader, I’ve heard countless sermons on God’s love, peace, grace, discipline, faith, and perseverance. But sermons on rest? Those are rare, yet rest is just as essential as every other part of the Christian life.
Yet Scripture begins with God Himself modeling rest:
Genesis 2:2 (NIV)
“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.”
God didn’t need to rest; He chose to. Not out of exhaustion, but as an example to us. He built rest into the rhythm of creation because He knew we would need it for our bodies, minds, and spirits. Rest is not a reward after you’ve earned it; rest is a rhythm you live in because God established it. Even your body lives by this design: your heart pauses in a tiny silence between beats; your lungs linger at the top of a breath before releasing; your muscles rebuild while you sleep; your mind resets as you step away from the noise. Trees rest from producing leaves in the fall and winter.
Sabbath Is Holy
Exodus 20:8–10 (NIV)
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…”
This is not a mere suggestion, it is the fourth commandment. Rest isn’t just sleep. It includes spending time with family, enjoying the Lord’s presence, or doing something that refreshes you. Some days, I take a quiet, mental-health day, not to escape responsibility but, just to decompress and realign. And that’s not lazy; it’s obedience. Sabbath is how we say with our time and calendar what we believe with our mouth: God is Lord, not our workload.
Psalm 23:1–3 (NIV)
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”
Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… you will find rest for your souls.”
The Christian walk includes rest because rest is sacred. When we stop striving, we learn to trust. And in trusting, we experience God’s peace. The Shepherd doesn’t drive us; He leads us and sometimes He “makes us lie down” because He loves us. Picture it: like a weary traveler lowering a heavy pack, you set your burdens down and finally breathe.
While You Rest, God Builds
Genesis 2:21–22 (NIV)
“So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep… Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man.”
Even the creation of Eve came while Adam was at rest. Some of God’s greatest works happen not while we labor, but while we rest in Him. When we rest, God works on our behalf, healing, restoring, and providing. Adam slept, and God was fashioning his family. While you rest, let God build your home, your clarity, your strength. Your soul and body need rest. Resting is taking care of yourself. Enjoying life is a form of rest. Enjoying the people God placed in your life restores your soul. Your brain quiets its clutter; your immune system strengthens; your body is renewed as you sleep. In rest, God is not passive; He is powerfully active on your behalf.
Matthew 6:26 (NIV)
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Rest is an act of faith. If God provides for the birds, how much more will He take care of us, our families, our finances, our future? Rest says, “Father, You’ve got this—so I will set it down.” Rest is how we let go so God can lift.
Hebrews 4:9–10 (NIV)
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.”
There’s a saying: You work and God rests, or you rest and God works. Choosing rest means choosing to believe that God’s got it. Healing requires rest. When our bodies are sick, resting helps us heal. Clarity comes in rest. And God speaks in rest, sometimes in dreams, sometimes in stillness. If you feel foggy, frantic, or frayed, your next breakthrough may be on the other side of a God-ordained rest.
Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
We don’t earn salvation, healing, or provision by striving. Christ accomplished it all at the cross. Now we walk in it—not by toil, but by trust. Grace frees you from performing for what Jesus already purchased. Rest is how grace becomes your pace.
Colossians 3:23–24 (NKJV)
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
As believers, let’s embrace rest, not as weakness but as worship. Rest is holy. Rest is faith. Rest is obedience. And in rest, we are renewed—in body, mind, and spirit—by the One who invites us to lay down our burdens and simply trust.
This week, choose one act of holy rest (and make it tangible):
•Do something you enjoy for the enjoyment of it
• Share a meal with close family and friends, enjoying each other’s presence.
• Turn off the noise, darken the room, and take a true nap.
by Christian International | Jun 30, 2025 | Articles
On May 23, I was blessed to welcome my eighth grandchild, Sylas. The miracle of birth is truly amazing and a beautiful reminder of God’s creative power.
In the womb, a baby is protected, surrounded by fluid, receiving continual nourishment, and everything it needs from the mother. All the while, the baby is growing into the likeness and image of its parents, maturing and preparing for the next stage of life. In many ways, this is how our Christian journey unfolds—we are growing daily into the image of Christ as we prepare for eternity.
Then, in just a few short hours, everything changes. The baby is thrust from that safe, familiar environment into a new world—breathing air, no longer protected by fluid, now needing to cry for nourishment, completely dependent on others to care for and protect them. This mirrors the believer’s transition from this earthly life into the glory of heaven.
My mother once had a revelation that this is what it may be like to die and go to heaven. While we are on earth, we are maturing and growing into the likeness and image of Christ Jesus. One day, just like a baby leaving the womb, we will leave this world and be thrust into an entirely new and glorious heavenly realm.
The difference between the womb and the world is immense, but so is the difference between this world and heaven. Just as a baby cannot comprehend what life outside the womb will be like, we cannot fully comprehend what heaven will be like.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9
“And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.” – 1 Corinthians 15:49
Trying to understand God and the spiritual realm with our natural minds is like an ant trying to understand a satellite. Imagine handing an ant a manual to an airplane or a spaceship and expecting it to comprehend it. Likewise, we often argue over theology, but God has told us that many things are beyond our understanding. Just take a second and think about God never beginning and never ending. Mind Blown! God gave us a manual to live by—the Bible—but we cannot grasp all its meaning without the help of the Holy Spirit.
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” – 1 Corinthians 13:12
That’s why God says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” – Hebrews 11:6. Walking with God is a walk of faith and trust—not asking why?, but learning to lean into His faithfulness and trusting He is directing your steps.
Instead of endless debates about theology, God calls us to love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” – Mark 12:30 “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:31
We are to love our neighbors as ourselves—which means we must also learn to love ourselves. He tells us not to worry, that He will work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Just as the birds do not worry, we are to trust Him. (Matthew 6:26)
With God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Just as a baby learns to walk and talk over time, we too are learning and growing in our faith. Babies place their complete trust in their parents—and we must place our trust in our Heavenly Father.
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
In the Gospels, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for debating and trying to trap Him in theological arguments. Instead, He emphasized love, faith, humility, and obedience.
We are instructed to “study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15
Our God is a great God. He knows the end from the beginning. He is the Alpha and Omega, all-knowing.
“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.” – Psalm 145:3
Yet He loves us each individually. He knows the number of hairs on our head (Luke 12:7). His love is so vast we cannot even begin to imagine it (John 3:16). His grace, forgiveness, and heart for us are beyond our comprehension.
There is much we may never understand on this side of heaven. But one thing we do know: God is a good Father, and He has prepared something far greater than we can imagine for those who love Him.
by Christian International | Jun 4, 2025 | Articles
As believers, we are called to unity, not uniformity. We often assume that people with similar backgrounds will think and respond the same way. But even within families, perspectives can vary widely.
I have four children. All four come from the same DNA, the same gene pool. You’d think they would see the world in similar ways. But my oldest is 40, and my youngest is 30, with six years between the two middle children. The first two, a girl and a boy, were homeschooled and attended Christian schools through high school. The younger two boys went to public school. The first two were raised in a two-parent household. The second two were raised by me as a single mother.
Even with their shared heritage, each one processes trauma, joy, and life’s challenges in their own way. Their experiences have shaped their worldviews. And the same is true for all of us.
We come from different cultures. We are male and female. We’ve had different upbringings, family dynamics, and educational paths. All of this influences how we see life and how we respond to it. That’s not just okay. It’s intentional. It’s how God designed us.
This reminds me of the parable of the five blind men and the elephant. Each man touched a different part of the elephant and came to a different conclusion. One felt the trunk and thought it was a snake. Another touched a leg and believed it was a tree. Another felt the side and thought it was a wall. Each man’s perspective was valid, but incomplete. Only when they came together could they begin to understand the full picture.
It’s the same with people. Eyewitnesses to the same event—like a car accident—often describe it differently. One may say the car was blue. Another says teal. One blames one driver. Another blames the other. They might all be right based on what they saw.
Romans 14:2–3 speaks to this idea:
“One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.” (Romans 14:2–3 NIV)
This passage isn’t just about food. It’s about honoring different convictions. It’s a call to walk in grace. Just because someone sees or responds to something differently doesn’t make them wrong. It may just mean they’re coming from a different place and a different story.
Even in ministry, the Fivefold gifts bring different perspectives. A pastor ministers with compassion and care for hearts. A teacher brings clarity and instruction. An apostle lays foundations and casts vision. A prophet discerns and declares what God is saying. An evangelist carries a burning passion for the lost. Each brings something different, and all are needed to equip the saints (Ephesians 4:11–13).
Here at Christian International, our diversity reflects this same beauty. Our staff includes people from Jamaica, Trinidad, El Salvador, and all across the United States. Some are married. Some are single. Some have children. Some do not. We are men and women. We come from different financial backgrounds and life experiences. And each person brings a unique and valuable perspective.
As 1 Corinthians 12:21 reminds us:
“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’”
The eye sees differently than the hand. The head functions differently than the feet. But we need every part working together in order to be the Body of Christ.
Have you ever been in a debate with someone, and the more you listen to them, the more you begin to understand where they’re coming from? You start to see why they think the way they do. That’s what the saying means: “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” Try to see it from their perspective.
My dad has said to me, “You have to give people the right to be themselves.”
So the next time you encounter someone with a different perspective, instead of resisting it, try embracing it. Ask God what part of the bigger picture they might be helping you to see. Because in the Kingdom of God, different doesn’t mean wrong. It may just be part of His beautiful design.
by Christian International | May 22, 2025 | Articles
A few years ago, I heard the Lord say, “I’m taking My Church from survival to revival.”
We are in a season of divine disruption and reformation. But as the Church begins to awaken, so does the opposition. And if you’ve felt like the attacks have gone straight for your back, which is your strength it’s not your imagination.
The Lord gave me a dream about a demonic assignment called Rabshakeh, sent to beat down reformers, revivalists, and leaders with accusations and poison. In the dream, the enemy was trying to poison a leader’s back, his strength, and break him. But before he could succeed, we caught him. And we turned the rod meant for our destruction back on him.
Maybe you’ve felt this same warfare: a strange heaviness, relentless pressure, a flood of accusations in your mind. It’s not just personal—it’s prophetic. The Rabshakeh assignment is designed to break your will and get you to lay down your weapons before the breakthrough comes.
But here’s the good news: this assignment is being intercepted. What the enemy meant for evil, God is turning for good. You are not alone, and this is not the end. You are part of an exceedingly great army being raised up in this hour.
God is not just reviving you—He’s restoring your strength so you can finish strong.
Let the accusations fall. Let the voices of intimidation be silenced. You are moving from survival to revival.
