The Power of Redemption: When All Is Forgiven

By Lyris Figueroa

Laura discovers her husband’s infidelity and is totally distraught. Her heart becomes hardened, and she finds it impossible to forgive him. After she gives her heart to the Lord, she is delivered from the ties that bound her since childhood. Laura faces unexpected although familiar spiritual challenges as she develops a personal and intimate relationship with her Creator.

Christianity is not what Laura expected, and she finds herself in a situation she has never imagined. She is torn between being obedient and doing things her way. Will she be humble enough to forgive those who wronged her? Will she taste and live the goodness of God?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781504983129

Lyris Figueroa

Lyris Figueroa is a devout Christian and a retired Special Education Educator. She earned degrees and certificates as follows: Master of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education, Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, Certifications in Special Education and Manual Communication/ American Sign Language (ASL). She is the author of ENTER THE DARKNESS: GOING NOWHERE FAST and IN THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS: WHERE DARKNESS TURNS TO LIGHT. Her writing is crisp and real. Presently, she is happily married to the love of her life, Dr. Eugene Figueroa and living in New York. Her new project is titled CRASHING WAVES: fIGHTING THROUGH THE STORMS. Lyris is sincere, enthusiastic, and authentic in her writing. Her heart's desires are to be obedient to God, inspire and encourage others, and give those suffering a sense of hope.

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© 2024 Lyris Figueroa. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/21/2023

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8313-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8311-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8312-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016903676

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Table of Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PRAYER

PREFACE

1 WALK THE WALK

2 BORN-AGAIN

3 SPIRITUAL WARFARE

4 KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR

5 GOD’S CALLING

6 IN THE STILLNESS

7 WALKING IN THE LIGHT

8 TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE

9 THE POWER OF PRAYER

10 WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT

11 RECONCILIATION WITH THE FATHER

12 ALL THINGS MADE NEW

EPILOGUE

WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR

BIBLE VERSES TO APPLY TO YOUR LIFE

TRILOGY WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR

Dedication

To God the Author and Finisher of my faith.

To the past that shaped me, the present that

nurtures me, and the future that awaits me.

To all those who pick up this book, thank

you for giving my words a chance.

To the Saved, never forget where you were before your salvation.

To the Unsaved, know there is hope.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I thank my heavenly Father for all the blessings poured down on me. Thank you for making my paths straight. All honor, glory, and praise are Yours. Thank you for the gift of writing and Your still voice. This book could not have been written without Your guidance.

AuthorHouse Publishing Company, Annie Barrete (Publishing Services Associate), the Design Team, and Marketing Team. Thank you for your continued professionalism throughout the publishing process.

Dr. Lieberman, who is no longer with us and taught a Written Expressions Course at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, NY. Funny, he called me Larissa from the beginning of the semester up until the end, despite the number of times I corrected him. I recall a written assignment he gave the class. We were to write a story about a negative experience and the impact it had in our lives. When he returned the assignment he said, Larissa, you’re going to drive me to drink! Everyone laughed including me. The last day of the semester Dr. Lieberman handed me my final grade and on it he wrote, Larissa, keep writing.

Dr. Joseph Gaines, who was my Colloquium Professor at Boricua College in the Manhattan Campus and could not stress enough the 4 Skills of Communication. When writing always remember to be: 1. Honest 2. Clear 3. Concise 4. Relevant. Thank you for helping me to sharpen my writing skills.

Reverend Michael Kelly, Pastor Donna Kelly, family, and friends. Thank you for your continued support, love, prayers, and words of encouragement.

Last but certainly not least, much love and appreciation is extended to my husband, Dr. Eugene Figueroa, the love of my life, my best friend, and greatest supporter who believes in me and always pushes me to reach for the stars. Thank you for reading every word and sharing your thoughts, for the positive criticism, for expressing encouragement and being a part of my life throughout this journey. Your kind words will remain embedded in my mind and heart, Baby, you wrote a masterpiece. I thank God daily for blessing me the day He gave me you. The best is yet to come.

The trilogy is now complete. Thank you all once again. May God bless you richly.

Writing this book was not a simple task. The contents and its foundation are based on facts.

The names were changed to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

Prepare your heart for the continued journey of Laura’s life and all she endured. Please pray before you continue reading. I have included a prayer to help you in the event you do not know what words to say.

Read this prayer:

Father God,

You are all-knowing. You know my rising and my lying down. I am not perfect and have flaws. Open the eyes of my heart as I read this book. May it minister to my heart and help me understand the message in its context. Help me to forgive those who have caused me pain and not hold a grudge, not by my strength, but by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to move forward with love and understanding. Then, help me to forgive myself. Thank You for listening to my prayer request and thank you for what You are about to do all for Your glory. In Jesus’ precious mighty name, I pray. Amen.

Preface

Laura looked at her wristwatch. Oh, my goodness, it’s nine o’clock! We have to hurry and get out of here. Boys! Boys come on let’s go, we’re late. She called for a cab and arrived at the Church almost immediately. Laura and her children entered through the building’s front doors, she and her sons were welcomed with warm smiles, gentle embraces, and tender kisses. The people there were glad to see them. Families, friends, and invited guests filled the sanctuary. Tables were set up as they shared a delightful dinner. There were plenty of delicious desserts, including a variety of soft drinks, water, tea, and coffee.

While the worship continued, the pastor prepared for Communion. Laura and her sons walked up to receive the emblems. Then, the Lighting of the Candles Ceremony followed. Everyone formed a circle and the man of God prayed. Laura closed her eyes and listened with her heart. After the prayer ended, everyone joined him in an Amen. Then, he whispered into the microphone, It is now midnight. Happy New Year. At that very moment, Laura felt something gently touch her heart. She gasped and opened her eyes. She could do nothing else but weep. The New Year came in as gentle as a lamb. Everyone wished each other a Happy New Year.

Half past midnight Laura and her boys returned home. They were too excited to sleep. Laura formed a prayer circle with her sons, and they prayed again. She reached for her Bible and read to her children the story about the birth of Jesus. Laura’s New Year’s Eve was the best as far as she could remember. Her dream to bring in the New Year in Church finally became a reality. Her resolution for the New Year was to pray more, attend Service regularly, seek God’s face fervently and most of all desire His perfect will for her life. She knew God spared her life for a reason. What the reason was she did not know. One thing she did know; it was for something great. With that in mind, Laura knew her life would never be the same again. All she wanted was more of God and less of herself. She anticipated seeing what He had in store for her and her family.

Laura lay in bed thinking about her past life. She recalled the heartaches, hardships, struggles, and the many times she was lost and felt abandoned. Then realized that night she survived every difficult and dark moment of her life. It was because of God’s divine protection, His great love, mercy, kindness, and grace. God kept a hedge of protection around and about her from the moment of conception. During her most difficult, deepest darkest moments of her life, God gently lulled her . . . In the Shadow of His Wings.

1

WALK THE WALK

Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.

- 1 John 2:6 (NIV)

As the day turned to dusk the swirling hues of pink, blue, lavender, orange, and yellow beautified the sky. Laura entered the Church building and made her way to the New Converts class. She saw an empty seat and quietly occupied it. Then, took out her notebook and began to take notes as Pastor Cordero executed his lesson.

"Salvation is for everyone. It’s free. Anyone who acknowledges the need of a Savior and accepts Jesus Christ is saved. Romans 10:13 ‘For whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ There are three steps to salvation: 1) Repent: to repent means to turn away, to go in a different direction. What do we turn from? We must turn away from our lifestyle of sin that separates us from God. Whom do we turn to? We turn to God because He created us. He is our first Father. God loves and cares for us. We turn to our faith in Jesus Christ our Savior who sacrificed His life for us. 2) Believe: What must we believe? The Bible tells us we must believe - not only did Jesus shed his blood and died for us, but on the third day of His death, He rose again and is very much alive today. 3) Confess: What do we confess? We must confess with our mouth the sins that separates us from God. Confessing our sins leads to salvation and we must proclaim Christ for He is in our lives. What do we say? We say Jesus Christ is our Savior." Pastor Cordero stopped for a moment and took a sip from his bottle of water.

Remember, the Bible says we are His children. Following these steps reconciles you with the Father. Sin no longer separates you from God. You now have a clean slate to start a new life in Him. Will it be easy? Of course not. However, with Christ, you can do all things through Him because He strengthens you. These things mentioned you have already done and is the purpose why you are taking this class. Any questions? No one uttered a word.

Okay, I will continue. As new Christians, you must begin to read the Bible. Reading the Bible will help you live a righteous life. God’s Word is a book of instructions for our life. You will also learn about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. You will develop a personal and intimate relationship with Him as well. Additionally, you will learn about His ways, establish roots in your walk and how to be a Christian. Also, bear in mind your ways are not His ways.

Laura wrote as quickly as she could, not wanting to miss a word.

Next, as a new Christian, begin to pray. There is power in prayer. Prayer is simply talking with God. Adam walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden. Be specific in what you ask God for or what you want Him to do in your life. Always remember our God is loving and faithful. He loves you and wants to bless you with the desires of your heart. Present your needs to Him in prayer. Search your heart to be sure it is not what you want because what you want may not necessarily be good for you. Trust God because only He knows what His plan is for your life. His plan is greater and so are His blessings. Never give up on a prayer request unto the Father.

The class continued to listen quietly. Pastor Cordero resumed. "As you read your Bible, you will discover you must never stop praying. Even when you do not see changes or what you are asking for; remember God is on the scene and continues to sit on the throne. He is working in the heavens on your behalf. Open your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5:17."

Pages rustled as Pastor Cordero cleared his throat.

"It reads, ‘pray without ceasing.’ How must we pray?"

Without ceasing, replied the class.

Any questions so far? Everyone was silent. "We are instructed to praise God day and night. If we deeply desire to know God, we must communicate with Him regularly. For example, when you date someone, what do you do? You call on the phone several times throughout the day. Sometimes you call only to hear his or her voice and quickly hang up. You think about that person all day every day. You are so in love. The sky is bluer. The grass is greener. And the birds love song is a true melody to your ears. Be the same way with God. Let God be your first love. Tell Him all your troubles and concerns. Tell Him about your good days and your bad days. Although He is all-knowing, He still wants to hear from you. Let us make it a daily habit to communicate with Him. Remember to give thanks regularly." Pastor Cordero paused for a moment and quickly looked at his notes.

"The Book of James 4:2 says, ‘fulfill your daily needs and pray on behalf of others.’ We are called to fellowship. It is also important to pray together with other believers, encouraging one another, praising God, be uplifting and pray for answers to each other’s prayer requests and petitions."

Pastor Cordero looked at his watch. Take a five-minute break and we will resume shortly.

Laura stepped out to get a drink of water from the water cooler. She thought about what the pastor taught in the half hour she sat in class. Man, this is a lot to remember. I’ll review my notes later tonight and highlight the key points of being a Christian.

Class resumed. Pastor Cordero greeted everyone upon re-entering the classroom. He looked around to see if everyone had returned, then smiled, and continued to speak. "This class will prepare you to be baptized next month. Baptism symbolizes your new life in Christ, and it is your proclamation. You are now committed to Jesus. Even Jesus was baptized. John the Baptist prepared the way for the people. Turn your Bibles to Acts 2:41." He called on Laura to read. She cleared her throat and read aloud.

"Those who accepted His message were baptized and about three thousand were added to their number that day."

Confirmation of the Word is important. Do not go by what I say, confirm it with the Bible. The Word of God is never wrong, and it never changes. Pastor Cordero stopped briefly and looked at the students in his class. He tore off a sheet of paper from his notebook and wrote on the top Water Baptism. Then, he announced to the class to sign up for the upcoming Baptismal Service. The sheet was passed around the room and everyone except for Laura signed his or her name.

Friendships are important. How many of you have friends? We all do, right? Well, now that you are a Christian you cannot continue in those old friendships because you are a new creation. The old you has died and the new you is born. In other words, you are born-again. You must build new relationships with other Christians. The Christian life is shared and enjoyed with other brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Laura raised her hand.

Ah, finally a question. Yes, Sister Laura?

Please, correct me if I’m wrong.

I will.

Let me get this straight. Are you’re saying now that I’m a Christian I can no longer associate with my unsaved friends?

Yes. Light cannot mix with the dark.

Really? Then how can a light shine if it’s not in the dark?

The pastor remained silent. Laura continued. We’re supposed to be a light in a dark place. If we cut off our unsaved friends, how can we be a light in their life? How will they see the transformation in us if we stop associating with them? How will they in turn give their hearts to the Lord if we cut them off?

New converts are not strong enough to associate with unsaved friends because they can backslide, fall easily into their old ways. They can revert to what God has delivered them.

"Says who? You? Do you know that to be a fact? I think it’s a personal decision. It depends on the individual. People have enough common sense to simply say ‘no’ and or walk away. Better yet, if a person thinks he or she will fall, they should meet at a safe place like a restaurant and break bread together or a café and chit-chat over a cup of coffee. During this time, the discussion about Jesus and the goodness of God can be shared. The light of God which is in us will shine and it will not go unnoticed. If a