The Blessings Don’t Come Without Lessons: The Struggles of a Retired Philadelphia Police Officer That Led Her to Walking in Her Calling

By Antoinette Bethel-Danzy

This book is a collection of poetry and sermons that the Holy Spirit has put on my heart during the different chapters of my life. When I am bothered or my hearty is heavy or if I am just plain excited, I write it. I pray that anyone who reads this book may be blessed from the inside out, encouraged and will be just motivated to keep the faith and to stay on the path of righteousness even when the road gets rocky.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664242968

Antoinette Bethel-Danzy

Antoinette is a prime example of how God can still use anyone no matter what you have been through or how many mistakes you’ve made. After almost dying on the job as a Philadelphia police officer, she knew there had to be a purpose for her survival. She took the hurt and pain from losing custody of her first born to being nearly divorced and allowed God to use her to encourage and inspire someone else. No matter what life has thrown at her, she still believes in the goodness of God, spreading love, encouraging others and doing good no matter how much wrong has been done to you.

Book preview

1

My Life As an Intercessor

Have you ever found yourself standing in the gap for someone else so that they can be set free? This mediation or intercession is known as paga, which can be translated in several ways, including reach, touch, border, boundary, or bull’s-eye. Perhaps you have found yourself being an extension of the ministry of Jesus through His body—the church—mediating between God and humanity for the purpose of reconciling the world to Him or between Satan and humanity for the purpose of enforcing the victory of Calvary through intercessory prayer. Well, congratulations, you may have literally changed the outcome of someone else’s life for the better just by having meetings (paga) with God on their behalf. Kingdom work! Everyone is called, but few will respond.

As a devout Christian who was brought up in church, sang in the choir, taught children’s Bible school, attended church regularly as an adult, and served in any way I could, I still had no idea how important of a role I played when it came to others’ salvation. I’ve always prayed for myself and others, but I never thought that my prayers may have affected where anyone else would spend eternity.

Let me tell you a little bit about my journey as an intercessor. I have been an intercessor for quite some time, but I never knew that there was an actual name for what I did. When I was frustrated or worried or lacked understanding for the behavior of others, I chose to pray for them. I admit, sometimes it was for selfish reasons: I thought that if God would fix them, it would make my life much easier. But as life went on, I had to change my prayer from that to simply, "God fix me! Deal with my heart and take everything that is not of You out of me. Show me the error of my ways and touch the hearts of those who may not know You. Soften their hearts to know Your grace. None of us are anything without You! And give me the humility, strength, and know-how to endure whatever life throws at me without hardening my heart in the process or thinking that You love me any less because of my circumstances. I want to be better, not bitter. Draw me nearer; I don’t want to become distant."

I remember the first fast I ever did—in January 2020. It was for me. I needed revelation. I needed clarity. I needed guidance. I needed answers. I needed understanding. I was tapped out. I needed all these things for me. But then it dawned on me: if all these questions and solutions can come out of fasting for myself, what can God accomplish through me for someone else? Now you can’t stop me from the random fasts when I feel led by the Holy Spirit to do so. I have literally had moments where one minute I’m doing and eating whatever, and the next I’m stopped in my tracks and saying, I need to fast! It’s always for good reason but not always about me.

I pray and fast for my immediate family, distant family, friends, church, and colleagues. I pray and fast for the world and those who don’t know who God is, especially in these times. No one can afford to not know who Jesus is and acknowledge Him as the one true God. As it is written in Isaiah 46:9: Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. Exodus 20:3 sums it up: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. I honestly can’t grasp how you can even still be doing something as simple as breathing today and not realize or recognize that you are specifically being kept. Between the shootings and the riots and the protests and the accidents and the natural disasters and the diseases and pandemic and all the chaos around us—the babies, children, parents, pastors, elders, everybody dying all around us, the good and the bad—you still think it’s you keeping you? Your works are that great? Life and death is only held in your hands? Wake up! It is Jesus. It’s always been Jesus.

I implore you to ask yourself this one question: Why did God pass over you? It wasn’t so you could complain about toilet paper or not being able to work or the movies you’ve missed or the parties you couldn’t have. If you don’t use this time to find and pursue your purpose, you are wasting time. I am beyond grateful that that childbirth or that accident or this kidney disease or all three COVID-19 encounters I’ve experienced didn’t take me out. I choose to spend every day that God gives me giving myself to others and building His kingdom by bringing more people to Christ and helping save souls in these last days. My goal is to take in everything that I can about Christ and His Word so that I can eventually teach in a school or institution—not just a teacher of His Word but a believer and a doer! In the words of George Eliot, It’s never too late to be what you might have been.

So, if you are reading this, keep in mind that when the Lord asks His people to do something, there is a temptation to wait for a convenient season. There is always the tendency to hold back until it won’t cost anything or be so difficult. I encourage you to be the person who is not afraid of responsibility. In meeting resistance, you will build your strength. If you only do what is easy, you will always remain weak. Though God is sovereign and all powerful, scripture clearly tells us that He limited Himself concerning the affairs of earth to working through human beings. First Timothy 2:1 says, I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. We need intercessors today more than ever. Will you just sit back and ignore the calling on your life, or are you willing to stand in the gap by any means necessary and give God all the glory?

2

Reflecting on 2020

Even before the start of 2020, everyone in the Christian community preached and taught about how 2020 would be the year of perfect vision, and I, in all my infinite wisdom, thought, I have had perfect vision. I ain’t never had to wear no glasses, praise God! But boy, was I way off. I had no idea that they were referring not to my eyesight in the literal sense but to how we were going to see other people and the world through a spiritual lens. I would’ve never thought that I would lose so many acquaintances, cry so many tears, learn more from the deaths of those I’d lost than I had from their lives, or no longer look up to those who once led me during my shaky Christian walk. I would’ve never thought that I would let go and let God in so many areas of my life, that I would be forced to trust