272. Fatherly Lessons, Part 1

Makayla Thomas shares her journey from religious routine to authentic relationship with Christ, revealing how God transformed her from a church-goer with a checklist mentality to a committed follower experiencing His presence daily.

• Describes her pre-conversion life as "lost and drowning" despite attending church regularly
• Experienced a recent 7-month "wilderness" period without job, car or income that deepened her faith
• Overcame temptations during hardship by choosing to trust God rather than returning to old patterns

Watch Video Podcast: https://youtu.be/a2h4MkQL0nM

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Mikayla Thomas
• 4:00 Fellowship at North Colony Church
• 10:00 Relating to Ruth in Scripture
• 12:10 Life Before Christ: Walking in Darkness
• 19:26 Rededicating Life Through Baptism
• 23:11 Wilderness Moments and God's Deliverance
• 29:56 Finding Strength Through Hardship

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Today's guest is a young woman whose journey reflects both resilience and a deep desire to grow in faith. Born in Phoenix and raised in Dallas, she's a 27-year-old Christian who is passionate about self-development, lifelong learning and spending time with the people she loves. She is learning to walk boldly with Christ, growing in love for Him and for others. Though life has its ups and downs, she stands firm in her belief. So please welcome to the show, mikayla Thomas. Hello, mikayla.

Speaker 2: 0:48

Thomas, welcome to the Call by God podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:50

Hello, hello. Thank you for having me Listen. I am excited that you're on and again, if Adni was here, adni would be like you know. Thank you again for answering the call. You know so we get excited when guests come on this show. So again, thank you again for answering the call.

Speaker 2: 1:07

Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1: 1:09

Yeah, so before we get into the initial question you know I already spoke about you briefly Could you tell our listeners and our viewers a little bit about yourself?

Speaker 2: 1:20

Yes, so I'm from. I was born in Phoenix, arizona, but I was born in Garland Texas with my mom and my three sisters. Garland Texas. I love to. I love connection. I love being around people I can ask questions and learn from. I enjoy the small things. I enjoy nature. I enjoy taking myself out, learning about myself, pushing my limits, anything about God I love. So just about learning, enjoying life, being authentic, overcoming. That's a little bit about myself. I like cats. I really love cats oh, wow.

Speaker 1: 2:09

I love cats um yeah okay, do you own a cat? I did.

Speaker 2: 2:16

I did own a cat not currently. She was. She was okay. So she was a foreign cat, so she's different. So she was a foreign cat, so she's different. So she was a Norwegian forest cat. So yeah, she would climb on top of the walls, latch on the walls and like slowly come down, like that, and you could hear it. And yeah, she was crazy.

Speaker 1: 2:40

I know they said cats are like cleaner than dogs.

Speaker 2: 2:44

Very yeah, yeah, I know they said cats are like cleaner than dogs. Very yeah, yeah, she was a little. She was very intelligent, so I would like clean and everything. She'll go right behind like she'll watch me and then she'll go behind me and like mess up everything. So she was very intelligent, she was very, but cats are very clean. They are.

Speaker 1: 3:04

Yeah, they are.

Speaker 1: 3:06

So, I prefer them, amen. So so let's get right into it. So, um, I know your, your leaders, uh, encourage, you know the church, to have fellowships. You know, at the church, in essence, you know they, they want every member to get to know one another. Um, right Cause, because I've been to your church once. I've been there, I've been to your church this year and I was like, wow, it's amazing how they encourage the fellowship.

Speaker 1: 3:39

Yeah, when I was there, kayla, when I was there, I like what your preacher did during the closing prayer, the whole church like stood up and formed a whole circle. Church stood up and formed a whole circle and I think it was a brother and sister in Christ and they was like, hey, they said, if you're not going to leave now, you could stay and fellowship. I was like, wow, I think y'all had a fellowship meal that day. So that's what I was thinking in terms of fellowship, because I know that day I didn't stay because I had to leave, I had to go to the airport, but I remember we formed the whole circle around the whole church. They did a closing prayer and then I think they said it was like a fellowship meal and I think the fellowship meal was more so an encouragement to get to me. I mean, I'm just outside looking in to get to know one another better, to communicate. Could you tell us more about that? I?

Speaker 2: 4:25

got you. So what stood out most to me when I first visited North Colony was the love, the atmosphere. So with North Colony it's like they actually take the Bible and actually apply it and I got to see that when I first went there. The fellowship add in there. You know what they learned in their perspective and just asking questions and like we really do take fellowship very seriously there, because that's connection and it's genuine.

Speaker 2: 5:17

Because family, when you think of, when I think of family, I think of connecting, being together, it's genuine, it's real and I feel like we really need that because some of us didn't have that growing up. And so when you come into a space like that, it's different and you're drawn to it and you want more of it. Like man, like I didn't get to experience that growing up, Like I know for me, like I've always wanted, like I didn't get to experience that growing up, Like I know for me, like I've always wanted, like connection, family, to be around my family members or to be around my favorite cousin, my favorite uncle, and just hear them and see them. It's a beautiful thing and we take very pride. We take pride in that because when we have visitors coming in, some of them are not used to that, Like some churches of Christ don't really go like extend that out, but we we really do because it's very important. We're a family. This is a relationship. It's building genuine christian relationships with one another. Uh, we need that. Yeah, that's good.

Speaker 1: 6:30

It reminded me like a of the first century church you know, they had everything in common and that's why when I went there, I was like, oh wow, this is like kind of cool. So you can't I'm sure you can't be that christian that just walk in the church and just run out to the parking lot and you out Like I got my word and I'm good.

Speaker 2: 6:48

We're going to be like, hey, sister, you OK, do you want to stay for the Institute? Like, what did you learn? Like we're genuine, like we want to actually like be it, like we want connection with you, like we want to show and pour out God's love, Jesus' love, on you. It's very important.

Speaker 1: 7:05

I like that. I like that. So, in this season that you're in right now, which woman in the Bible could you relate to and tell me why? Ruth, ruth.

Speaker 2: 7:19

Ruth.

Speaker 1: 7:21

Why? Why, ruth?

Speaker 2: 7:23

Ruth was very committed and loyal. She knew where she wanted, where she needed to go. She needed to be with her mother-in-law. She needed to be there and she saw that and for me, I know where I'm at, I know who, what path I need to stay on. God has placed certain women in my life that I can be able to learn from, reach out to talk to, because I need that in my life right now. And Ruth was willing to work. She was willing to learn and I'm very willing to learn and I enjoy working. I enjoy asking questions and being under a woman, especially a woman of God, who has more experience, more wisdom, so I can relate to her in that aspect.

Speaker 1: 8:19

Yeah, that's good, because I think it is important that older godly women should pour into younger women and vice versa.

Speaker 1: 8:26

So it would be like older men, a God, men of God, pouring into younger men. I believe in that. So just to hear you, just to have that mindset, saying like, hey, you know, I'm loyal, I'm faithful and, most importantly, you're a servant. You say you love working and I'm sure you love working in the loyal, I'm faithful and, most importantly, you're a servant. You say you love working and I'm sure you love working um, in the church and outside the church. So that's, that's definitely a blessing.

Speaker 2: 8:48

I really do.

Speaker 1: 8:50

Yeah, it's a beautiful thing. But I know you wasn't always that, I know you wasn't always like that. You do have a past. So before you, um obey, so tell me how was life like, because I'm sure a woman that's, you know, 20 plus years old and you know we all have a beginning story, you know, before we obeyed the gospel. So could you share a little bit about your background in that regard? Like before you obeyed the gospel, how was Michaela like in the world?

Speaker 2: 9:25

regard like before you obeyed the gospel. How was Michaela like in the world? Michaela was lost, um, michaela was lost and she, she was in pain but she tried to, um, I guess, relieve that pain through certain activities. Mikayla has been through a lot of trauma, but she, at the same time, I can still relate to Mikayla because Mikayla still that, mikayla still didn't give up. She doesn't let certain things stop her from where she wants to go. But she was lost. It's like being in the dark, not having any guidance. I didn't really have as much guidance as I do now and I definitely didn't have Christ with me. Christ came in and changed my world, changed me from the inside out. Like I said, I was lost and I was drowning, drowning.

Speaker 2: 10:30

But, you don't. I didn't know I was drowning until I was saved, until Jesus pulled me up out of the water. And now, looking back, I'm like man, like you don't really know, like you really don't know until somebody shows you, yeah, that's true.

Speaker 1: 10:50

So when you say you was lost, like, could you like elaborate more on that? Because, like, I'm gonna give you an example. So for me I was, before I got saved I knew I was lost. You know, nobody had to tell me. I knew I was going in the wrong direction, but I think the hardest thing for me, I didn't know how to get in that narrow path. I didn't know what it means to live a purposeful life. In essence, I was living a life that was like just getting up I was pretty much getting up, going to work and I was in college, so I was living a life purposeless.

Speaker 1: 11:25

In addition to that, I was clubbing, so I used to be a clubber and I was an alcoholic and so I did a lot of things that was ungodly.

Speaker 1: 11:35

So even when people used to talk to me about God, or walk up to me and talk to me about God, talk to me about God, or walk up to me and talk to me about God, I used to tell them yeah, I'm a Christian. So, you know, because I was raised to know Jesus Christ a little bit. So the people that I used to encounter would be like hey, can I talk to you about God or are you a Christian? I used to say, yeah, I'm a Christian. So it's like if I walk on the streets right now and ask people if they're a Christian, nine times out of 10, people are going to say that they're a Christian, because people always feel like they're in a right with God, but they don't have no relationship. So when you say that you was lost, could you like more elaborate on that? What is it that you felt like you was doing, that you considered to be lost or live in a life that's with no purpose?

Speaker 2: 13:20

purpose. I walked aimlessly. I didn't have the best relationships at that time. Growing up I didn't have the guidance that I needed, the wisdom, the understanding or just a teacher, somebody to teach me how to navigate life or to have a relationship with Christ. So I grew up in the body but I didn't have a relationship with God and at the time I wasn't really pursuing a relationship with God. I didn't know what that looked like. My family grew up in the body but in my personal life I didn't see that God like a personal relationship somebody had with God. I didn't see that guidance. I wasn't really looking for it.

Speaker 2: 13:59

But I was going to church like you know, routine, because my people was going, you know, and it's like it's a lot a lot of people kind of relate to that as well Like I'm just going because I have to go, my people. I've been going since I was young. We get up at eight o'clock in the morning, my grandma she playing the worship music and we finna go to church. But I didn't have a relationship with God. So I lacked a lot of things and I think in a way I was searching for something, I was searching for fulfillment, but I was so blind and I couldn't find it. So I was just anguished, just trying to find what I was looking for, but not being able to actually put to words what I'm looking for. So I was just trying to find that, in whatever activity you know whether that was like sex, drugs, anything that brought some kind of fulfillment in me.

Speaker 1: 14:57

So if that makes sense, Wow, so you was pretty much going to church and you kind of like had a checklist yes, you're helping somebody here, because I believe that. So I'm going to give you two parts so you may have an individual that's going to church in a place of worship and they just got a checklist. Like I went to church today, but no relationship.

Speaker 1: 15:20

You may have another person on the other hand, be like look, I don't want to go to church because I don't want to be no hypocrite. You know, because you know, you know them folks be like they, be quick to bash the community, the assembly of God. Be like man, I don't want to go to church because there's a whole bunch of hypocrites. You'll have somebody like me that there's hypocrites everywhere.

Speaker 2: 15:41

There's hypocrites at the job, you still go there. That's a good point.

Speaker 1: 15:45

You know, folks will just be throwing out like reasons of why they don't want to go to a place of worship. But there are people like that that just pretty much be like oh, I went to church today, so I guess I'm good with God, god is good with me, because you know I went to church, so that was pretty much what you was doing. Yeah, that's what you're saying. You were just pretty much, because you have that background and that history of your parents going to church or being raised in the church and then you pretty much going based on what they taught you since you was young. So that's me. That's that's why you say you was pretty much walk, walking. You was pretty much lost because you haven't really tasted the goodness of God.

Speaker 1: 16:22

So so you, you gave your life to Jesus in 2013. So so I want to know, like, who taught you the gospel and how long after did it teach you to obey the gospel? Because I know we're in 2025 right now. So now you fully given your life to God and now you're walking, this walk, and you're building a relationship with him and, like man, like what, what in the world happened in your life for you to say, lord, I surrender Because most people they go through stuff. They be like all right, god, I give up. I'm ready to surrender and follow you like something happened in your life or did somebody teach you the gospel, like, could you walk us through that?

Speaker 2: 17:01

yeah, so at Greenville we had these things where a preacher would come in it will happen in August, I don't remember the word but like a minister would come and visit and preach the gospel for a whole week. Brother Washington, I don't know if you're familiar with him, brother Washington. He came and excellent, excellent minister, very knowledgeable, very wise, and how he spoke about Jesus, I was convicted, like I wanted to get baptized, like I wanted that. And so I got baptized when I was around 12 to 13 years old. Um, and after that, I remember not really being as committed as I should have been. I was in my teenage years you know, not teenagers can be um, it didn't really happen for me to like 22, 23, whereas, like, my life did like a complete turnaround. It's like I woke up, but I know it wasn't me because I remember, you know, not being as committed, still going to church, still checking off the list. I didn't have a relationship with God. It's different, you know.

Speaker 2: 18:16

So, around 22, maybe, like 22, 23,. That's when my life changed. I, my eyes were opened and I started pursuing like God, like, okay. So this is my mind is on my, my mind is on God now, okay. So now I'm reading and I'm praying, I'm trying to apply the word and you know, I'm experiencing more of God around that time. So that's really what got me on this path today. Was God just waking me up, getting me out of the dark, opening my eyes? Because I know for a fact it was not me. It wasn't me at all Right.

Speaker 1: 18:55

So you got. So I just want to make sure that I follow you correctly. So you got baptized at 12, 12, and then you went astray for many years, until recently yes, um, in 2023, you got rebaptized. Like how, how did that come about?

Speaker 2: 19:10

So I got rebaptized once I gained a better like. I gained more understanding, more knowledge of okay, my sin. It offends God. What I did, what I do, offends God and Jesus came down here and died so I might live, to have a relationship with God. And I learned more about baptism, about the gospel, and I was like and I heard a YouTube video I think it was Brother Williams on baptism and all that and I was convicted. I was like I want to get re-baptized, I want to rededicate my life and I want to do this. So I went to go get baptized that Wednesday.

Speaker 1: 19:49

Oh, wow, yeah, you didn't waste no time.

Speaker 2: 19:51

I didn't. I was convicted, I was like I know what I want to do, Like I'm focused and I'm about to get me baptized.

Speaker 1: 20:00

Wow, I like that, I like that drive. So you know, when Jesus Christ got baptized? Jesus Christ got baptized and then the spirit of God led him into the wilderness, the wilderness. So you know, when I first got baptized, you know I read the Gospels Matthew, mark, luke and John and when I read that in the Gospel I'm like, wow, the Spirit of God led Jesus Christ in the wilderness to be tried. So I believe that Christians, we go through trial periods, wilderness moments. So I know you rededicated your life in 2023, as we alluded to. So I know you rededicated your life in 2023, as we alluded to Like did you have a form of wilderness moment where you feel like you got tried since 2013 to present day? And if you did, could you share that moment and how God has delivered you and how you have overcome?

Speaker 2: 20:48

that, yeah. So you brought, you, made me think we're in a spiritual warfare, right, and so I was in a relationship with the world before I came into a relationship with God, right, and so the enemy had control of my life. And so my enemy, he knows your weaknesses, he knows you know your, you know what, what you're drawn to. And so when I got baptized, I started getting attacks and he hit me in a certain area. It's relationships. He started throwing men in my face and relationships that meant me no good.

Speaker 2: 21:28

And with the mindset I wasn't like, willing to, like you know, do anything, but like I would tell them like, hey, like have you heard about Christ? And you know, I would try to bring them to Christ, and I will say you can't change nobody. If nobody's willing to change, you cannot change them. And so he will start sending, uh, hitting me in that area. And so, um, I'm still learning about my walk, I'm learning how to um to how to walk with God, learning about prayer, learning about spiritual warfare, seeing you know what I don't need to do, what I need to do, thoughts, and so I'm still learning.

Speaker 2: 22:06

And so at the time, I'm not as strong as I can say I am now which I hope I am, say I am now which I hope I am, but I do believe, um, the enemy kind of he sent, he sent somebody and they steered me away, they got me off the path and I was away for about four years. I was away for about four years after I rededicated my life, life, got baptized and this, after I got baptized, I was, I was good for a couple of months and then I had received a job and I was able to travel and so when I was able to travel, I was in a new environment and I met this person and they kind of, you know, led me astray. And yeah, and God is so good, god is very good, he's delivered me from every everything that the devil threw at me relationships, mindsets, addictions, anything. He delivered me from every single one of them. Um, I recently just came out of a season where I was, I guess you could say, wilderness.

Speaker 2: 23:21

I was in the wilderness for seven months wow I didn't um, I didn't um, I didn't have a job, um, I didn't have a car. My car broke down. I felt by myself, I I was, I felt enclosed, like I couldn't go anywhere but the house, I didn't have a car to have money. I have pressures on my back, I have whispers in my ear and then I'm dealing with unresolved, like trauma, things that I was still doing, like idolatry. I was still dealing with stuff, but I didn't know what I was doing at that moment until until God like had to, like literally close down, shut down everything, and I'm in this for seven months. So that was, that was my wilderness and I I recently just came out of that, in March.

Speaker 1: 24:19

Wow, that's pretty much fresh, because we're in what? June? Yeah, so Mars, that's like three months ago, yes. So what did you do to overcome that? Did you receive the help of sisters or fasting and praying? How did you overcome that? With the help of God.

Speaker 2: 24:36

God is so good. God is amazing. Like because before I will say I was confident in money, I was confident in my abilities and my strength. I was, I was confident in it, I relied on it until God shook that up and took it away from me and helped me realize, oh, like I can't depend on you, like I'm having this conversation, like I'm I'm like I can't depend on money, like I, like I thought I could, I can't depend on my own strength, like I see that I'm weak without God, like I can't really do this without God.

Speaker 2: 25:16

God showed up in so many ways and he put me in humbling situations where I had to go get plasma to be able to get from place to place. There was an event we had a event at North colony. It was a. I held like a, a painting event. Most of that was provided because was done because of plasma, and it was very humbling because I'm like god, like I don't want to do this, like it I'm hurting, like it plasma isn't like pliable, like it hurts, um, so, but I seen like the fruits of him still in that, in that, with the activity his sisters were willing to help me, and then I've also seen him provide through sisters at at North College and I love them so much. Some of them were willing to come get me. I live 45 minutes away from North College. I'm in Garland, texas. When I tell you, god is so good. These sisters were willing to come get me. Some of them were willing to let me spend a night so I could be able to go to church on Sunday. And then there was times where God provided food for me. Now I don't have income, but like he allowed me to get approved for food stamps and I remember one day, like I was hungry, we didn't have no food. The food stamp card came the same day. I'm like, I'm hungry. It came the same day.

Speaker 2: 26:48

When I tell you he showed up in so many ways to where now it's like god, like I trust you, I trust you, like I'm good, like if I was to go through that again, I think I would be kind of. I would be kind of excited a little bit for it, because I get to spend more time with you. I would do stuff a lot more differently, but God showed up. I will never leave nor forsake you. It's real and I'm there Like, cast your burdens on the Lord, for he cares about you. God was there for me, like when I was crying, when I was by myself, he showed up and what made me endure it and not give up? I made a choice. I'm going to stay right here Because if I go back and it's crazy because, like the enemy knew too, because I would get like thoughts like go smoke, go do this, it's open for you, call them up, you know you have all this like who cares?

Speaker 2: 28:01

Like you know God's not. You know thoughts like that will come, will flood in my mind. But like once you know, once you experience God and you have a relationship with him and love him, it's like and you know things and you see things, relationship with Him and you love Him. It's like and you know things and you see things for what they truly are. Like I know if I was to do that, I know what is behind it, I know it and I know that if I do this, this is going to affect this. It's like a reaction. It's going to, you know, like a domino effect. It's consequences.

Speaker 2: 28:32

I decided I'm gonna just stick to this. I'm gonna let patience have her perfect work. I'm gonna trust what God say, even though I'm warring. I'm at a, I'm battling against myself. My flesh is literally crying like we need, we need a job, we need to do this, we need to do that. But my spirit is like this is the time where you spend time with God. You learn what you can. You need to learn what you're doing. I, you know, I was I. I, I allowed it to, I didn't allow it to be um, I didn't become it, I didn't allow it to, I didn't allow that to be my identity. Christ is my identity, and that's different.