“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory…” (Colossians 1:27)
It is with cautious excitement I announce the coming publication of a manuscript I completed in 2014. This is a book I was urged to write with the Lord and Holy Spirit. I never would have desired to share it’s content with the world…but God always has a reason for everything we walk through in this life, and having this knowledge, well, I cannot say no to Him.
It was 2011 the first time I recall the Holy Spirit leading me into a time of writing, then staring in awe (disbelief) over what had been typed on the page before me. No way…no way Lord! I thought. “Why would you want me to share this with anyone?” I asked. Then He took me on the painful process of reliving things I tried to forget about who I once was. It took years and thankfully God is gentle on us when we are allowing his deliverance to transpire. It was through the writing of this book, I received the first round of both understanding and healing needed to truly lay down my past and move ahead in my walk with the Lord.
After writing Part 1, I then sat the manuscript down and walked away. For over a year, I allowed this work God desired I complete to lie nearly dormant on my laptop. I knew what was holding me back and so did God. I actually wrote about this in 2014 when both of my grandparents died suddenly, only weeks apart. I will never forget that day in church when Abba Father pulled the rug out from under my feet, reminding me of His almighty power to either allow my life to move forward or hold me back, if I didn’t finish the book. It took only a week of sitting in solitude with the Holy Spirit to finally complete the first draft…thus freeing His blessings to flow in my life once again. I learned a big lesson in obedience to the Lord, from that single experience.
Afterwa, it seemed God took my life on very unexpected paths of learning, leaning, growth and deliverance; what I now understand about my life and the Lord, has been preparation for a time such as this.
Finally, near the end of August I felt the pressure of the Lord’s gently hand on my back, telling me it is now the time to release my story…no, HIStory, into the world. So, I obeyed and prayed (and I do daily) over it’s release. I relinquished control of this finished product recounting Part 1 – my old life, plus the first 5 years of my life walking with the Lord. There is no coincidence in the book concluding at the fifth year of my walk. The number 5 in the Bible represents God’s grace. It was God’s grace that saved me. When I prayed for guidance on the book’s title “Grace” was the first word I was given…then the rest came:
Bound by Seduction | Redeemed by Grace : One Woman’s Story of Falling into Freedom
The subtitle was given to me when I signed on to have the book published and represents where I sit now – free.
The irony: As I sat and dedicated three days to a final proofread of the book, I realized I am now able to (through God’s wisdom) understand completely the bondage I was in. A lot of that understanding came with all I’ve contended with and been delivered of, over the past year and a half. The compassion I now have for the people who brought so much pain and confusion into my life, is exasperating! Mainly because I can understand their bondage too.
God revealed, over the course of writing this book, how His grace has always been upon my life. His strength has always resided within me. Most importantly, in my spirit man I never truly forgot who I was in Christ, despite not remembering him, because He has always lived within me.
I have a lot of of writing stuck on the inside at present. The reason I haven’t shared is because I’ve sensed this book is a priority right now. Plus, I’ve felt a bit stuck due to never-ending family issues that are out of my hands, yet I’ve had to play an active role in monatering until things calmed down.
As the time draws closer to publication (and the copyright has been put in place) I will share exerts from the book on this blog and on social media. (I am up in the air if I want to create an entire new online identity for the book alone, seeing this blog has a decent following! Since the marketing will be up to me, and I’ve been down this road before, I have a firm grasp on what to do, but also trust God already has this laid out!)
The book, God willing, will be printed before the holiday rush. Until then, I’ll be focusing on the work I need to do with the publishing company to make that happen. I do hope those of you who read this blog will consider purchasing a copy. I absolutely know what God has shown me about the message contained therein, the relevance it has in this most pressing time in our world, and that He intends it to have an impact.
The royalties, beyond the cost of the book itself, will go to fund work the Lord has put before me (ministry: another book and moving forward with The Potter’s Clay Cafe) so purchases will be sowing into the Kingdom, not into my pocket book!
Thank you for your readership! Please share this blog with others you feel may be blessed by what I am led to share.
In His GRACE (which I am always grateful for),
Stacey