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LadyCha0s

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She placed her Bible on the pulpit, opening it to where she would read from. She looked at everyone and smiled, Gabriel was looking at her with a big grin. She breathed.

"God Bless everyone!", she said and everyone in unison said "amen". She thanked the Pastor for the opportunity and how grateful she was to be up there on the altar. She had the Pastor pray for the message and once the Pastor said amen, she spoke.

"If someone would have told me one year ago that I would be standing here and holding a mic, I probably would have called them crazy."

Everyone nodded and smiled.

"One year ago, right before September was over. I was raped.", she said bravely, hearing many gasp and seeing some girls's faces turn red. Angel nodded and continued,"I felt my whole world cave in, my heart brake into a million pieces. I tried to kill myself, but I was a coward. I couldn't face the guy who did it, I didn't go to school. I was alone and confused, fearing the worst."

She stopped and looked at Alex who was smiling at her and giving her a thumbs up. She looked at her Bible and told everyone to remain seated.

"I would like for everyone to open their Bibles to Genesis chapter 50, verse 20...When you have it say amen.", she waited for everyone to speak.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen...But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

She closed her Bible and everyone looked at her.

"Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob. He was hated amongst his brothers for Joseph had a gift. He was able to dream dreams and interpret them. His father and his brothers rebuked him for his dreams. They pushed him away if you will....Joseph was misunderstood by his family and pushed away. Imagine yourselves trying to reach out to your family and they, with misjugdment, cast you out. When I was raped, I found out I was pregnant. I tried to reached out to my mother, my father...But, in the moment, I was cast out. Pushed away by the ones I needed most. How many of you have been pushed away when you needed your loved ones the most?"

She looked around and saw a few of the girls tearing up. Gabriel as well.

"So Joseph was sold into slavery and became a slave to Potiphar, a wealthy Egyptian and captain of the guard. Joseph found favor in his sight, Potiphar trusting Joseph and leaving everything he owned in Joseph's care. Potiphar's wife basically asked Joseph, as plainly as it says in the Word, 'Lie with me'. But Joseph refused her and said he couldn't sin against God and do his master wrong. So the wife got mad and lied to her husband saying Joseph had tried to rape her. So Joseph was sent to prison. How many of us have been falsely accused and had the tables turned on us when we did nothing wrong? How many of us were slaves to our pain, sadness, our anger? See...When I was raped and became pregnant, everyone pointed the finger at me. I was nothing but garbage to many in my family. I was mocked as was my husband, he was falsely accused of something he didn't do. And even though I have never been to prison, I felt trapped, alone, afraid. How many of you have been trapped inside yourself, wishing to be somewhere other then you are? Wishing to be free of your pain and anguish?'

She smiled.

"And let me tell you something, the secret that kept Joseph from losing his mind in his circumstance...His faith in God. Joseph, although he was inprisoned and alone and cried out; because I can imagine he must have cried himself to sleep many nights. And after all the men in prison with him forgot him, his faith in God remained. He knew although everyone forgot him, his God would never forget him. Through his faith he was brought out of jail and sent to interpret Pharoah's dreams. Through that, he helped Egypt prosper in the famine and he became the second most powerful man in Egypt. Through faith."

She paused and took a sip from the water a deacon had left her.

"After the rape and finding out I was pregnant, I had no faith. I didn't believe God even cared. But see, God always has a way of coming into your life whether you like it or not. He allowed for Gabriel to come back into my life. He and I had lost touch, I had no idea that he was a Christian. But God knew that and he had a plan. You see, although I was freaking out wondering "WHY me? Why God? Why?", God was working on getting me from being a helpless wreck to a strong, faith filled, believer. Gabriel was never ceasing in filling me with the Word, even though he knew some days I wanted to just hit him in the face, he didn't stop. Through that, I started to believe, I started to have faith, until the day you all saw me come here and fall to my knees in surrender to the Lord."

She paused and smiled as everyone clapped.

"Church of God, although Satan thought he had me in the palm of his hands, God knew what He was doing. Satan may have had his wins when I tried to kill myself and sought to make the guy who raped me suffer and when he filled me with doubt and anger. But God came through. He always does. Everything that happens to us, yes, they may be terrible things. Things that pains the Lord to see us go through. But whatever happens to us, God always finds a way to bring us to Him and to renew us and to use our past for His glory. I stand here now and can't regret a single thing in my life. Every tear, every sorrow, every pain and loss I have had to face, I know and believe God glorifies Himself and brings us up strong, valiant and courageous. Use your experiences to help others, in that, your testimony, you can bring others to the Lord. I don't know your life, your past. But I know this, everyone of us have gone through a situation that we went through hell. But although those who hurt us meant it to hurt us, God meant it for our good and own benefit, to help those who have gone through the same things as us and are seeking the answer. We have the answer. That is why that last sentence of the verse says to save much people alive. Because we have the answer to bring to others out there the answer, Christ Jesus. Nothing He does is to hurt us. But to make us stronger and closer to Him. To bring others to him. Now I can help a girl or boy who was raped and tell them how I survived and how I overcame it. We go through these situations not to be tortured or made suffer, but to get stronger and to show this world and all those who are lost the way."

She took a deep breathe and looked at the audience.

"For those of us who know the story of Jesus and how He gave His life for us, there is no surprise for you there. But how many of you thought of how many beatings He took, how many times He was spat upon and lashed and cut and kicked and punched, all for OUR sakes?....How many of you know how many times they ridiculed Him and tore Him up just so He could show us His love and compassion towards us? And we say He doesn't exist, He doesn't care....Church of God...Although you have suffered, I have suffered, no greater pain has yet existed than what our Lord Jesus has suffered for me, for you, for us. He is always by your side, waiting for you with open arms to come and run to Him and His love. If there is one more thing I can say is this, we are lost without Him and His love. Without it, we are nothing. Don't let your suffering pull you down, use it to push forward and like Joseph, become strong and full of faith. God Bless you all and I pray you took in this word and continue forward in this walk. Because it isn't easy, but trust me, it's worth it."