Welcome! I’m happy that you’re here. I am Mary-Jeanette Smith and I go by MJ. I am an inspirational author, counselor, and speaker. It’s been quite a journey getting here, but altogether worth it!
Let’s face it, we all want to be loved and accepted. My journey has culminated in me answering the call to help others to heal in order to succeed in life. Some of us talk about manifesting destiny, but without transformation there can be no manifestation. That’s to say, without submitting to God’s process, what we manifest may not be God’s intended purpose for our lives. One, you were created for specific purposes; two, God intentionally ordered them before you were even “a zygote in your mother’s womb.” Each season in your life has a specific purpose, commensurately every season in your life has a God purpose.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'” (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT).
Imagine if hurting people manifested the chaos within without first being transformed! It’s a scary thought, but unfortunately it happens every day and always to someone’s detriment. As you just read, God never intended such disasters.
For the most part, however, people who’ve been wounded survive, yet in lingering, latent pain, choosing various cultural methods of escape from their suffering. For me, I folded in on myself–self-rejected–which led to self-abuse and volatile romantic relationships. When the abuse became life threatening God rescued me through a miraculous series of events. This story unfolds in my book, Making Heaven My Home, culminating in success! Thriving comes with giving God the chance to heal you for greatness–to live out your intended purposes in life.
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12:1-2, MSG).
I promise you that God is more concerned about you than what he can do through you! Please let him transform you before you attempt to manifest destiny. In order to discover and fulfill your godly purpose you must first be transformed. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,” please allow God to “transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” [Ro 12:2, NLT]). Holy Spirit will help you with this. From your transformed state you can then manifest your godly purposes! Anything else would be to create a counterfeit platform for destiny.
God is omniscient, talk to him and allow him to lead you to your destiny–he knows what it is.
God is omnipresent, everywhere and always with you.
God is omnipotent, there is nothing too hard for him.
I had to go through some grueling yet fruitful experiences in my life to get to the place that I have. That cultivation process inspired me to write two powerful books, Making Heaven My Home and Living Your Life Affirmed: Walking Confidently in Your Divine Purpose. Whereas I had thought that my degrees would be used exclusively in their respective fields, it turns out that they are now to assist in my diversity of writings for God—for you. Before I got here, the painful moments of my past had left me with warped beliefs about my future, including doubts that I could be of help to anyone. But through God’s love, grace, and merciful counsel my thinking has changed and my wounds have been healed. I am here now, transformed, to help you.
“But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let his grace go to waste” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Now walking confidently in my purpose, I can say that I’ve been changed from the inside out to manifest God’s destiny for my life. Sharing my insights for healing satisfies my sense of belonging while fulfilling my desire to help people.
My call to purpose: I once rented a beautiful loft in Colorado for a few transformative years following my divorce. Reclined on my private rooftop patio one evening, I lay there in my pjs delighted by the stunning display of bright stars against the blue-black, velvet sky. Unexpectedly I heard, intently, “People’s belief systems are determined by writers, that’s why I need godly writers.” Not only was I gobsmacked, but I was God smacked! My eyes misted with conviction as I cried, “Yes!” From my gut I cried “YES!” surrendering to what I’d been avoiding, realizing that purpose is not an option; it’s your life, it’s who you are and what you were created to do. Purpose is to serve. It then took me three years of preparation. Patience with a falcon’s vision is imperative for manifestation of purpose.
A RECENT TESTIMONY
During a weekend women’s retreat, almost 3 years ago, I had a spiritual experience that shattered the walls erected to protect my heart. Those same walls had held me captive from achieving my purpose. On the last day of the retreat, during the morning conference, as if a dam had broken, a guttural cry escaped from my throat as tears leapt from my eyes. Disregarding my resistance and shame, the Deliverer had come.
Trapped in my seat by a circle of fawning, female empaths, I had no choice but to publicly release the roar from within me as those virtuous women wept in recognition of my pain. If I’d had my way, I would’ve run into the bathroom to be in private. But God knew that I needed their corporate prayer, skillful counsel, and Holy Spirit’s guidance, to surrender to my deliverance. This is the benefit of the church—the unified body of believers—not the building, but the body of Christ.
A couple of days later, although I’d been unsettled by my show of vulnerability, I showed up for the retreat sponsor’s local, weekly, women’s prayer breakfast. My experience was addressed there by a young wife and mother who had attended the conference. She tearfully entreated me, “MJ, every woman in that room wishes she could have done what you had the courage to do,” to be free! She stated that their attention on me represented a “standing ovation” and not their pity. She said that what I went through was the highlight of the conference because it demonstrated the work of the Holy Spirit that had been declared by every speaker who’d presented on that weekend of the conference. God affirmed me that day, through her. Again, it was through the church that my strength was renewed to continue on.
That quickly led to my ability to share the tormenting secrets of my past in a safe, Christian counseling environment. It is what enabled and encouraged me to use my life to help others to be set free. After deliverance, healing can come. Sometimes we’re our own, worst enemy!
For several days after the conference, as my heart was being healed, cleansing tears leaked from my eyes. I leaked while brushing my teeth, I leaked while drinking my coffee, I leaked while washing my dishes, I leaked while merely being—I leaked until I leaked no more…
I saw myself as a girl ejected from the depths of the ocean’s floor. There I was doggie-paddling against the currents, fatiguing while waiting to be rescued. With nothing but water to see for miles, I knew I needed help to shore, and I believed it would come. Just as manifested purpose comes only after transformation, healing comes only after deliverance. Think of a splinter being removed from an infected site. After the removal of the splinter, a good cleansing, and the application of an anti-microbial to kill any infection, healing begins. Scar or no scar left behind, healing can then manifest.
EMERGENCE
Gratefully, after attending my sessions of post deliverance counseling, I was restored to terra firma. My legs back up under me, I took my first steps to destiny, armed with godly purpose.
Having been empowered to empower others, I comprehended that God had called me to minister healing through my writings and teachings, this time forging ahead—no fear, no doubt, no procrastination—as my purpose had been born. The joy, focus, and liberty that I move in, in Christ’s strength, is too good not to share with all who will receive (Acts 17:28).
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4, NLT).
Had I not made it out I wouldn’t be able to help others out. Had I not gone through my transformation I wouldn’t have reached my manifestation. I once asked, “Lord, why did I have to go through so much?” Holy Spirit replied, “The operative word is ‘through.’ You went through because I was with you. But there are those who are stuck and cannot come through unless they are pulled out by a strong arm.” I’ve come through some of what many are still stuck in. My assignment is to reach back to help them out. If this is you, you will benefit from the experiences and overcoming that I testify to in my blog posts, as well as what I’ve testified to in my books. My books and blogs challenge you to live your life affirmed (LYLA)! By the unlimited, ineffable love of your Creator you can do exactly what he created you to do. You belong here on earth. We all need your contribution to the collective.
Embracing God’s approval and affirmation will fill you with the boldness you need to use your life. It will mobilize you for success. Through comprehending God’s pre-approval of your life—amid billions—you will live a life that pulsates with purpose, realizing that it is your intended destiny!
MY WRITING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
I’m proud to have won a cash prize and local recognition for my award-winning essay “Servants of God.” Following God’s instructions, it has now been transformed into my book entitled Making Heaven My Home (MHMH).
MHMH candidly depicts the mid-1970s coming of age of Raina Reonne. The abuses, struggles, and getting back to health of this troubled woman is demonstrated from her teen years into her adulthood. The book illustrates Raina’s journey before, during, and after being raised in a cult-like church environment. Embittered, and rightly so, she runs away from the church and her immediate family at just 15 years old, after ten years of indoctrination. Commencing a street life of self-abuse and self-sabotage, she expresses her rage, enhanced by alcohol and drug use. Seventeen years later, via a supernatural encounter the morning after a drug binge, Raina learns that she can have the joy of heaven right here on earth. Thereafter begins her courageous journey to make heaven her home by making her heart a home for Jesus. Breaking forth like a butterfly from its cocoon, she soars victoriously over the ruins of her past.
MHMH has been published! Visit our BOOKSTORE page to read the 5-star reviews, and excerpt, and to purchase your copy! You may also follow and check in on my social media @the_gospel_tea on Instagram and at facebook.com/falconsvision/ for updates on my next book and offerings coming soon! All purchases can be made here at Falcon’s Vision LLC: Bridging the Gap Between Surviving and Thriving.
Living Your Life Affirmed: Walking Confidently in Your Divine Purpose is my next book project under production. It will halt your frustration and confusion about purpose, success, and destiny. On the heels of Making Heaven My Home, you will be equipped with the tools to live affirmed of who you are despite feelings of shame, guilt, rejection, betrayal, anger, apathy, or fear. Those of you seeking purpose will be transformed by the turn of the last page.
Included with the 10 chapters illustrating my personal God encounters are 10 “Activation Prayers” and 10 “Journal Time” prompts. “Anticipation is the ability to see the future and respond to it.” You will be renewed and inspired to anticipate your destiny as you live your life on purpose. You will learn to maintain your peace and sobriety, even amid the uncertain times in life.
My years of working with children, youth, adults, and the elderly, in both Christian and secular counseling, have birthed an advocate’s heart in me. My passion is to see people healed of the lingering wounds associated with past abuses and failures, to become the successes they were created to be. My greatest joy comes from hearing their success stories!
In Living Affirmed, I share God’s unique definitions of success, purpose, and destiny, and how to obtain all three. My mission is to help those of you who are stuck in a survival mode knowing that there’s more satisfaction living life in a thriving mode. Like Raina Reonne, you too can soar! You can be free to live your life affirmed (LYLA)! Living Affirmed means to live deliberately, making no apologies for your godly intentions, knowing that you were created to manifest purpose. It is with dogged determination in the protection and approval of God’s fervent love that you will succeed in reaching your destiny. It may take sabbaticals of “self-care” times to reboot—times of refreshing in your intimate encounters with God—but it can happen for you too.
Poetry: I am also proud to have won honorable mention for my first poem entitled “Red Dirt.” It expresses the amalgamation of my southern and northern heritage, my collegiate experiences and my spiritual beliefs. Although there was no category for it, I submitted it on a whim and it was lauded in the local newspaper as simply, “Powerful!”
I welcome you to grow with me on this journey as often as you will join me in this space. LYLA!
THE CONCEPTS AND INSIGHTS ON THIS ABOUT PAGE FIRST APPEARED HERE ON FALCON’S VISION LLC: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN EXISTING AND THRIVING by M. J. SMITH
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