The Roller Coaster to Freedom

By Courtney E. Mayfield

"The Roller Coaster to Freedom" is an inspiring and motivational book which takes you on a journey through the realities of living in our fast-paced society. It deals with the real issues; the ones you do not understand, never paid attention to or no one dared to explain. As you read this book, you will experience a roller coaster ride that brings you face to face with the truth about living godly in an ungodly world.
•Are you secretly battling with your sexuality?
•Are you searching for love in all the wrong places?
•Have the brief flings left you broken, lonely, and feeling “used”?
•Are you suffering from low self-esteem, rejection, and guilt?
•Do you have questions about God and your beliefs?
If you are suffering from doubt, fears, lust, the effects of poor decisions, distorted perceptions of sex, love, God, and life, God wants to bring you to a place of peace and purpose. Candidly and honestly, Courtney lets you into her personal life. From a place of experience, she reveals how you can break free from your emotionally destructive past to a life of spiritual growth and godly maturity. Learn how to develop an intimate relationship with God, just as she did.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Living Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781562293437

Courtney E. Mayfield

Courtney E. Mayfield is a laid-back, down to earth girl, born and raised in Houston, Texas. She is currently a soldier in the United States Army where she works as a logistician for her company. She has attended Culinary School at the Art Institute of Houston and Ashford University for Medical Health Care Administration. She fellowships at God’s Holy Temple of Fire II where the pastor is Michelle Page. An Evangelist, Courtney has a desire and a passion for God and His people. Her goal is to help people like her and others to overcome the many obstacles we face as believers.

Book preview

The Roller Coaster to Freedom

It's Time to Wake Up!

by Courtney E. Mayfield

Largo, MD

Copyright © 2017 Courtney E. Mayfield

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please go to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

Christian Living Books, Inc.

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ISBN Paperback 9781562293208

ISBN Smashwords Edition 9781562293437

Unless otherwise marked, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version-Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible® Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NET) are taken from the NET Bible® Copyright ©1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To my mom for never giving up on me, my pastor, Michelle Stanford-Page for allowing God to use her, and last but not least, to all the wonderful men and women who pick up this book.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Why in the world am I here?

Chapter 2 – You’re the Real MVP

Chapter 3 – Who Your Real Enemy Is

Chapter 4 – Pleasures of the World

Chapter 5 – Don't Eat the Fruit, Eve!

Chapter 6 – God Wants You 2 Travel Light

Chapter 7 – Jesus, Your Tour Guide

Chapter 8 – The Church

Chapter 9 – Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Introduction

My name is Courtney Mayfield, and I’m from Houston, Texas. I am a 26-year-old Evangelist and a soldier in the United States Army. And, I am on fire for God. It has always been my desire to give back to the Lord by helping young girls and women find their purpose and identity through Christ. God has placed all of us here on this green earth. However, a lot of us, including me didn’t have a clue why. I wasn’t always on fire for God. Like many others, I fell off the narrow path between the time I first gave my life to Christ and where I am now. My insecurities got the best of me. As I got older, men came in and out of my life. One of those men was my father. I had no idea how to deal with my situation. My initial reaction was to push people away, but it didn’t make me feel any better. As you can imagine, things just got worse.

On October 18th, 2010, I joined the military against my mom’s wishes. At first, she didn’t want me to enlist, so she told me to ask God and make sure this was what He wanted me to do. Although I was adamant about my decision to go, I still asked God as she suggested. I felt He was leading me in that direction. I went to basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Lee, Virginia. After I had graduated, I went to my first duty station in Ft. Lewis Washington. But as soon as I got there, I started hanging around with the wrong people and started going out to clubs every weekend – not missing one club night. It was a new experience for me, and I was elated to be free from my mother and all of her rules. I thought I was cute and no one could tell me otherwise. It was freedom at last – from my mother at least; Uncle Sam doesn’t play (LOL).

The clothes I wore were getting shorter and more revealing. Needless to say, the men I attracted did not want me for my mind alone. I thought that if I dressed a certain way and hung out with certain people that it would make me cool and popular. But I ended up losing myself in the process.

A few months passed, and I was deployed to my first overseas mission. There, I met a man who I thought really cared about me. But once I gave him the sex he wanted, he was gone. I felt so stupid, hurt, and betrayed that I didn’t want to talk to men at all. After that, I considered having relationships with women but knew in my heart, I would never take it there, or so I thought. To make a long story short, once I got back from Afghanistan, I met a girl from New York who had the biggest crush on me. Believe it or not, the feelings were mutual, but it didn’t work out in the end. I was looking for love in all the wrong places.

Something on the inside was nudging me to go back to church, and I did just that. I had heard about a church in Tacoma when I first got to Ft. Lewis, but I never attended. I finally decided to visit the church. After the first service, I went on a regular basis. I was accustomed to church back home, so I felt I was in the right place at the right time. Still, something was missing, but I didn't know what. My time in Washington was winding down, and my next move was to Germany. I enlisted for another three years. Why? I don’t know.

Finding a church in Germany was difficult. There was a church on the base, but the truth is, I didn’t like it. My sponsor, Natasha Smith, suggested that I go with her to a church down the road. It was OK for a couple of Sundays, but something just didn’t feel right. I stopped going. A few months later, I met Darrel. He told me that one of the NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) he worked with was a pastor who had invited him to visit his church. I suggested we should check it out. I was excited because I was looking for a church to attend. Plus, it was an opportunity to stop my mom from bugging me about finding a church and making sure I was tithing on a regular basis.

So my friend and I started going to the church called God's Holy Temple of Fire II. There, I met the most amazing group of people ever! From that day on, I went to church faithfully and never missed a Sunday. There was something special about that church; I didn’t know what, but I could feel it. The people were genuine, and the pastors taught directly from the Word of God.

The first day I attended, a lady by the name of Evangelist Page – at the time – came up to me and said, You are here for a reason; you are searching for something. In my mind, I was like, How does she know this? I just laughed in her face. Afterward, I felt I had been rude to a woman of God. Nevertheless, that day, I went home feeling refreshed and decided I would keep going. The more I went, the more I found myself getting closer to God. I learned a lot from the messages they preached. But something was still missing.

I attended a women’s conference at which Evangelist Page spoke a word from God. That night changed it all. Unbelievably, she revealed exactly what was going on in my life. She told me what had happened in the past, what was going on in the present and what was to come in the future. As I listened, I felt within me that she was just a good guesser; I didn’t even stop to think that she was a prophet. There I was, at one of the lowest points in my life, and she was telling me everything that God wanted me to do at that moment in time.

After that, every Sunday, God would give her the words to speak to everyone in the church. It was an amazing experience for me