It Was Good That I Was Afflicted

By Laphoia V.Long

Laphoia V. Long is a born-again believer who speaks to her audience by Divine Holy Inspiration, through the Word of God. She expresses to the reader, that we all have an appointment with destiny. She believes every person birthed in the earth has a purpose in life, ordained by God. Her belief is that the reader will find hope, encouragement and words of inspiration, as she walks them through her own personal journey as a Christian. She reveals to the reader that trials, test, and tribulation is to identify each child of God as partaking of the sufferings, of Christ. She explains that through the eyes of God, He gets the ultimate Glory, just as He did with His Son Jesus. Her concept of writing this book is symbolic to traveling on a road to reach the destination of "The Promise Land", with only to find many obstacles, and oppositions that attempts to hinder us from moving further in life. She encourages the reader to look ahead, keep the focus, and diligently seek the face of Almighty God when faced with challenges. She brings forth the word with, strength and power, in hopes to impart the truth in the heart, mind and soul of the believer. She believes that through the teaching and guidance of God's word, the believer will understand, the reality of their redemption, enabling them to walk in their divine call. Her voice resounds to the world, by compassionately letting them know that Jesus is the way, truth and Life. It is her utmost desire for see people gravitate to the divine will of God, and to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. She leaves the believer with this final note: "That their Greatest Afflictions will bring forth the Greatest Blessings". Come and Journey with her, to a road that leads to The Promises of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463450342

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Epigraph

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Afterword

Conclusion

About the author

I Can Truly Say…

Dedication

To my eldest son, Marquan Gates & youngest, Dashawn Gates. My sisters, Rose, Dorothy, Mary, Beverly, and my eldest brother Jim, and to all of my beloved grandchildren, Devin, Selima, Cierra, Parris and Carter. I would also like to thank Maria Reddick and her son Reginald Gillespie for their spiritual support. Also a Special thanks to, John Raynor (business research librarian) and Nic Covington of the High Point Public Library.

Epigraph

if you want to succeed, you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.

John D. Rockefeller

Foreword

God is doing great and mighty thing in the lives of his people. His concern is that no soul will be lost in this dying world. As a contribution to the Kingdom of God, I can testify that Laphoia V. Long’s desire is to carry out the great and mighty things that God has ordained for the lives’ of God’s people, by having a voice to share in God’s wisdom, knowledge and revelation of his word. She has been a good friend of mine for many years. I met her in the year of 2000. We both work together as teachers at a Child’s World in High Point, North Carolina. Over the years I have seen the growth and development of Laphoia and have witness her sharing the gospel of Christ to many others. She is well rooted and grounded in the word of God, and displays the character of genuine fruits which abide in her through Jesus Christ. She has shown the love and compassion for the gospel and by doing so, has been an effective witness to the believer as well as the non-believer.

In this book, It Was Good, That I Was Afflicted; Laphoia addresses the important areas of a christian journey by concepts that are symbolic to one who is traveling on a road attempting to reach their destiny. She wants the believer to know that some roads are steady, and some roads come with temporary setbacks. There are many distractions among us from day to day that attempts us to lose focus. She encourages the people of God to continue in the race, and don’t give in, or give up. She reminds them that, the race isn’t given to the swift, but to the one who endures to the end. Laphoia also reminds the reader, that there will be stumbling blocks along the way. She encourages the reader not to be overwhelm by the distractions in life, and to keep the faith through the trials and test that confronts them. She leaves the reader with this note: stay encourage, keep the faith, and hold unto God’s unchanging hands, because deliverance will surely come in times of their afflictions!

Joann Shelton, retired teacher/counselor

Green Street Baptist Church

High Point, North Carolina

May 12, 2011

Preface

God is calling the church to a higher level of dimension. we can see for ourselves as Christians, that God’s word is being fulfilled throughout the world. Chaos and destruction of cities and lives all over this nation have been lost, and we cannot understand, why. As for the church we should know, and we should be ready to sound the alarm for the Lord as faithful stewards in the Body of Christ.

The time is now, for all of us to know the reality of our redemption, that we may fulfill the divine purpose and will of God for our lives. Believe me, I am ministering to myself, as I write to you concerning the matters of life. God has so much for his people to accomplish in the earth, and now is the time for us to see the manifestation of God great works in the earth. As children of God we have his promises, and I yearn to see changes that will effect every believer in a positive way, by first starting with the mindset.

A glorious change from within, that will bring Him glory. We know longer should be thinking about self, but we should be mindful of others as well. We need to be more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and allow God to direct and lead our paths. Let us seek after the spiritual things that the Lord wants us to possess, (righteousness, holiness, Godliness, and fruitfulness) this will cause everyone to see the manifestation of His fruit in our lives.

I am writing this book, because I have found that destiny is alive and well within me, and it has given me the motivation to inspire others to wake up and get moving to the purposes and plans that God has ordained for their lives. God’s will is for all his children to prosper as we live on the earth. He also want us to prosper in our spirit, soul, and body. He wants us to be sufficiently supplied, so that we can distribute our wealth for the building of his kingdom and to help others who are less fortunate than ourselves.

I personally know what is like to live from paycheck to paycheck, to no check, to no check and the finish equation is: nothing from nothing leaves nothing. Child of God, this is not the plan God had for you and I. God has placed in each of us a treasure. When we think of treasure, we know that it has been buried, and we have to dig deep to find it. The treasure is not worth finding, if you don’t want to dig deep!

When we are in constant fellowship with the Lord, seeking his face and meditating on his law day and night, we position ourselves to have him to reveal to us those things that enable us to reach the next level of faith. The more time we spend with God, the more He reveals His divine plan for our lives.

I remember when the Lord revealed to me what the acronym for Bible meant, I was so excited that I never shared it with anyone. This was something I kept to myself, and I believe this is the right time to share It with others. The acronym God gave me for bible is: breathing in the breathe of life which is everlasting. Gods word is God breathed and it produces not only life, but eternal life. This is why I am sharing this with you, because as we read, and study the word of God it will produce newness of life within and our spirit man becomes quicken by the power of the Holy Spirit. A Christians motivation should be steadfast, immovable and unshakable. We must remain faithful and trust that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us, (Philippians 4:13). In knowing this, it will enable us to stand through the storms of life. In order to stand, we must have the word as a permanent foundation as we delve deep into the things of God.

Another revelation, I would like to share with the reader is, you must know who you are in Christ; and know the level In which you are in Christ. God revealed to me three levels in which a Christian must go through to obtain the personification of Christ. The first one is death, we must die (1 Corinthians 15:31)to things of the flesh as Christ was willing to die for all of us to become free. As you read the book, you will find that there are many places in which we are expected to give up something to achieve something better. Dying to the flesh may not be easy, but it is required of us as Christian to be submissive to God’s will and obey his commandments.

The second level is buried. Once you and I have learned to be submissive and obedient to God and follow his will, we began to recognize that challenges and difficulties are only temporary covering, like the grave. For some of us it makes us feel we have been conquered, but in reality, this is not so. The treasure may be buried, but what is buried can always be found at the appointed time.

There are times when God has to place us in suspension, where we can be safe and protected. This is a hidden place where only God can find you. There are people who think that there is no hope for you reaching your destiny, not being aware that God has blinded their eyes from your destiny.

Meanwhile, Satan always desire to use someone or something to attempt to abort your destiny. So God protects you by putting you in a secret pavilion, where know one can find you, but Him. The enemy thinks he has won, but in reality he has lost. 1 Corinthians 15: 55 says, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? The grave didn’t hold Jesus, and the grave cannot hold you and I! As we partake of the suffering of Christ, we reign with him also. Through our hardship of afflictions it brings God glory, hallelujah!

The third level is resurrection, you are risen with Christ, and well equipped to be a servant or the most high God. Hallelujah! You now realized that the Lord is in control, and He alone has power over your life. For all power has been given to Jesus in heaven and earth, and as Christian we should rejoice about it! Amen. My question to you is, what level are you? When you are aware of the level you are on, there’s relief in knowing how close you are, from reaching your destiny. I hope that you will find the freedom you deserve as a Christian, and be inspired as the Holy Spirit grant you wisdom, knowledge and revelation as you read.

Let’s pray together as you begin to read this book:

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, I yearn to know you more and more. Teach me to be the man/woman of God you will have me to be. I want to do your will, and fulfill destiny to be a blessing for your kingdom. Reveal to me, by your precious Holy Spirit those things that hinder me from making progress in my life. I desire to have a intimate relationship with you. I long to hear your voice when you speak. If there is anything in me that displeases you Father, I ask that you remove it from my heart. As I read this book, touch my heart, and allow me to be open to the truth which will cause me to be a better Christian, for your glory in Jesus name.

Introduction

It has been some long years, a journey in which I continue to travel on, as a Christian. however, there are times in our lives that we may not clearly understand what it means to be a Christian. There