I Know It Was The Blood: A Story of Overcoming

By Ceola J.

To my beloved Sisters all over the world, to understand who we are as women, we must first recognize and understand who we are as daughters of the one and only true and living God. In Him lies the understanding that our quality of life is not determined by comparison to another woman, but on God’s unfailing love and predestined purpose for

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jan 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781640883987

Book preview

i know it was the blood:

A Story of Overcoming!

ceola j.

Dedications

This book is dedicated to my grandmother Wilma Jean Buck who was always my ROCK in life until her passing in March 2017. Over the years she shared many stories of her father, my great-grandfather, who was a traveling minister and healer. His legacy has helped me through some pretty rough times in life. It is these same stories which have challenged me over the years to seek more knowledge of Jesus Christ. I will never forget the precious times I spent with my grandmother as she taught me about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit and how to live for God. In doing so, she gave me my identity as a Child of God, one which over the years, despite challenges, has never left me.

Due to her encouragement, I stayed in church and learned to put God first in all things. Whenever I would find myself in challenging situations, she would remind me to pray and remind me God would not fail me. Her response to every situation was, I put my trust in God. She was my go-to spiritual advisor. The time I spent with her was the most influential time in my life. She was the most amazing role model any young girl/woman could have ever asked for. She demonstrated before all of her girls how to be ladies. In her, we saw true strength, poise, class, and elegance. She showed us through her life an exemplary model of how a lady should be regarded. She never accepted less than what she deserved as a woman of God. She was a woman who knew her worth. It is because of the life she lived before me that I am the woman of God I am today. Mistakes and life-choices I have made are no reflection of her raising me. She did not escape life’s trials and tribulations; her faith in God graced her to triumph over them. My life’s victories are certainly attributed to the faith she demonstrated before me. As a result, I too have been triumphant. You will be forever missed, cherished, and loved! Thank you, Granny Granny.

I would also like to dedicate this book to women world-wide who have overcome victoriously and to those who will look to this book to garner the strength and encouragement necessary to triumph. We are all overcomers according to the living word of God For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith (1 John 5:4, KJV). It doesn’t matter if it was verbal, sexual, mental, or emotional abuse. It doesn’t matter if it was drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, or any other form of addiction. Whether it was adultery, prostitution, promiscuity, lying, cheating, gossiping, or anger management issues.

If it was a 400-credit score, losing one, two, or three homes, cars, or jobs. If it was being cheated on, suffering a divorce, or being hurt by a friend, brother, sister, or church family. If you’ve lost a loved one, grew up without your parents or parent, or were unable to become a parent. Regardless of what it is or was, the Father said we overcame by the Blood of the Lamb and the Words of [our] testimony and they loved not their own lives even unto death. (Revelations 12:11, KJV).

Foreword 

When Ceola and I met nearly ten years ago, both of our spirits bore witness that our steps had been ordered by the Lord. He introduced us to one another by divine appointment. It has been my joy and honor to know Ceola since that time and to prayerfully watch the unfolding of God’s masterful plan in her life one detail at a time.

Walking in covenant relationship has many precious blessings and benefits, one of those being the sweet privilege of knowing someone outside of their public ministry life, where things are not always easy, perfect, or pretty. 

In the midst of many challenges, I have known Ceola as one who earnestly seeks God, desires growth, and is willing to adjust and adapt to the Lord’s loving and tender directives, even when those directives require sacrifice.

With courageous transparency, Ceola opens up the many chapters of her life and lays them bare within the pages of this book. Ceola shares challenges, trials, and lessons learned along the way, reminding us that the Lord is ever present in times of trouble and that He will ultimately work out all things together for good.

Ceola exemplifies the spirit and attitude of a seeker of truth, gleaning knowledge from her painful life experiences and using her life as a tremendous tool and testimony of faith, hope, and the overcoming power of the blood of Jesus.I am convinced that the Lord longs to bring each one of us into the dynamic of discovery-the discovery of who we truly are and the discovery of His divine purpose for each of us in the earthly realm. This is possible, Paul writes in Ephesians, As the Lord imparts to us the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation to know Him through our deepening intimacy with Him (Ephesians 1:17, Passion Translation).Ceola pens this book from a place of intimacy, a place of discovery, a place where the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation have brought her to return her to her authentic self. This is one of our greatest privileges as sons and daughters of God.The pages of this book are full of life, but these pages are also issuing an invitation to enter into the same dynamic of discovery in our own lives. May the transparent honesty with which Ceola shares and the revelation of the Father’s unfailing love and purpose inspire you to look deep, ask the hard questions, and enter into the next season the Lord has for you!

Prophetess, Jacqueline M. Seeno, L.C.S.W


 

Preface

I have never desired to share my story with anyone, let alone write a book. This was truly laid upon my heart by God. Although God gave me the title of this book close to eleven years ago, I did not start writing the book in earnest until September of 2013. In 2011, I was writing my own bio for a website for a nonprofit organization I had incorporated. As I wrote, I felt a strong nudge to include a bit about my childhood. It was my childhood which provoked my desire to open a homeless shelter for women and children. The more I wrote about my childhood, the more emotionally challenging it became and what I felt led to share was becoming more in-depth. I thought to myself, what is God doing? As I continued to write, the tears began to fall. I felt transported back to those traumatizing times in my life. When I finished writing, I found myself staring through my tears at a full page which included intimate details about my mother, her drinking, her illness, as well as my sexual assault, my academic shortcomings, the shooting and more. These were details I had never before shared with anyone. I felt the same pain I experienced when I was a child. It felt as if I was grieving all over again. That’s when I had an epiphany. I felt God telling me, what you experienced during these specific times in your life is what many other women and children are experiencing now and what some will experience later. Your testimony and victory will offer hope. What I’ve done for you, I will also do for them. I will never forget that experience as long as I live!

Not long after this, I was asked to be a guest speaker on an international prayer call. I was asked to share about the nonprofit I had started. I thought to myself, this is going to be easy. I’ll just share the mission statement of the nonprofit. Then I can answer any questions the listeners have. This was not how it went. As the time drew closer for me to share, I felt God nudging me to share what I had written in my bio. The entire idea of sharing this information made me very uncomfortable. I felt vulnerable and open to the surety of what I had convinced myself would be a plethora of judgment, condemnation, and gossip. None of which I desired to experience.

Finally, the morning of the 5:30 a.m. call was here and yes, can you believe it? I was still trying to figure out how to get around being obedient to God. I was sweating profusely as the clock continued to tick closer to 5:30 a.m. What was I going to do? God had not given me anything else to share and I knew my plan of sharing the mission statement was not going to fly. I grew nauseous. I was a hot mess, and that darn clock would not stop ticking! When the facilitator introduced me, I thought I would pass out. There were women on this call from all over the world and you could sense the anticipation on the line. The expectation was not because of me, but because of the reputation of the facilitator for having powerfully anointed guest speakers on this call. I thought to myself, surely, I am not in this class of folks. I knew for sure the facilitator had made a major mistake in asking me to be a guest speaker. I had the pleasure of being on this call before and I knew how serious this group was when it came to God, prayer, and a mighty movement of His Holy Spirit. God was going to have to bring His A-game or I was certainly going to flop. Under mounting pressure, I brought upon myself, I thought the surest way to sail smoothly through this call was to obey God and do what He said to do. I cleared my throat and with a tremble in my voice and a belly full of nerves, I introduced myself, Good morning, my name is Ceola.

As I read what I had written, I once again began to experience the pain of my past. When I finished reading my bio from the website and opened for comments, the women were not slow in sharing. I found it amazing that so many of us had so much in common. It was on this call I realized my story is the story of many women from all walks of life, my tears are the tears of many. I realized when one of us leaps over fear and opens up to share what God has done in our lives, it encourages others to open up as well. That morning on the prayer line, there was a powerful move of God and with it came a release, a much-needed revelation, and fresh liberty. It was amazing to experience!

I struggled long and hard with the assignment of writing this book, but I knew it was a part of my life purpose with God. Sharing a story with the entire world which only a handful of people knew would be a huge leap of faith—and maybe the most foolish thing I have ever done! The difference in the two would be the Why behind the What. My Why is because I know God placed writing this book on my heart and I have chosen to obey, trust, and put my faith in Him as I take this journey. The What is the hope, encouragement, and love of God I want each reader to experience as they read the pages of this book.

My prayer for each person reading this book is to receive the story as one offering inspiration through a heart of compassion. As an opportunity to experience God’s unfailing and merciful love through the redemptive Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As I have been liberated through sharing my story, I believe those who read this book will find liberty too. Before you continue reading the pages of this book, please stop and pray, and ask God to help you to not see me, but to see Him. Ask Him to allow your spirit to be receptive and your heart to be open to hearing what thus says the Lord.

Since that morning on the prayer call close to nine years ago, I now understand the book title I Know It Was the Blood: A Story of Overcoming. It has been three years since this book was originally published and God has done more than I ever thought or imagined. I’ve had the honor of sharing my story with many women. I’ve shared the pain, the guilt, the shame, the embarrassment of poor decision-making, and the sweetness of His grace, mercy, and unfailing love. In openly sharing my story I’ve learned it was the story of many other women; just like me and you! I’ve learned to unequivocally trust God and to be willing and obedient—even when I’m scared or feel unworthy of what God maybe doing in my life. I have come to understand that God knows exactly what He is doing! Perhaps through this book many more women and men, may experience healing, restoration and purposed living through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To everything there is a plan, a purpose, and a season. So, it begins, I Know It Was the Blood: A Story of Overcoming! I pray you know just how special and deeply loved you are by God, your Father!

Thank you,

Ceola J.

Acknowledgements

TBN/Trilogy Family, thank you for the opportunity to share a story where God’s love, grace, mercy, and faithfulness are expressed. Matt and Laurie Crouch continue to boldly carry the vision your parents were entrusted with over forty-five years ago to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! May God continue to enlarge TBN’s territory! With Love, Ceola!

Writing this book was more difficult than I could have ever thought possible and more fulfilling than I would have ever imagined! I could not do this without you Mama Pam (Pamela Dobson). You allow me to be human; to cry during times of heartache, to vent during times of disappointment, to laugh when I want to scream, and to pray when I need it more than anything! Our daily 10 a.m. prayers and all those prayers in-between continue to strengthen me. I can hear you now, Baby girl, let us pray. When we unite in agreement, praying and seeking God for instruction for the vision, we have and continue to see the hand of God do great and marvelous things according to His good and perfect will! Let us continue to pray for His