A New Creation Podcast with Jemese LaChel LCSW
A New Creation Podcast with Jemese LaChel points women to victory in Christ, one Jesus story at a time. Hosted by Christian trauma therapist and women’s mentor Jemese LaChel, this podcast brings Spirit-led teaching, biblical truth, and trauma-informed insight for Christian women women.
We focus on trauma healing through sound teaching, testimony, and transformation, sharing real women’s faith stories and honest, practical conversations about Jesus and healing. If you’ve ever wondered, “Is God even listening?” or “I just want to know Him better,” you’re in the right place.
New episodes every other Tuesday as ordinary women encounter an extraordinary God. Follow @jemeselachel on Instagram for encouragement and resources.
A New Creation Podcast with Jemese LaChel LCSW
Ep 37 | Trusting God in Life's Toughest Trials with Tanya Nemley
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Imagine enduring bullying, chronic illness, domestic violence, and the challenges of raising children with disabilities. In this moving episode, author Rev. Tanya Nemley, a 72-year-old dedicated minister, shares her extraordinary journey of overcoming childhood trauma and adversity with the unwavering support of God's presence. She reveals how scripture and divine strength have been her anchors through life’s toughest battles and offers profound insights into how understanding God's support can transform our view of challenges. Learn how combining spiritual wisdom with professional help can pave the way to healing. Tune in for heartfelt advice, encouragement, and a moving prayer for those in need.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes discussions on sensitive topics such as childhood trauma, domestic violence, and mental health struggles. Listener discretion is advised.
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💁🏾♀️NEW HERE? Jemese is a Christian trauma therapist, women's mentor and Spirit-filled host of A New Creation Podcast. Through Christ-centered conversations and inspiring testimonies, Jemese guides women through trauma healing, deeper faith, and freedom in Jesus Christ.
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Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy, counseling, or medical advice, and no therapist-client relationship is formed by listening. If you are experiencing mental health, medical, or spiritual concerns, please seek support from a licensed professional or appropriate local services.
Testimony of Healing and Redemption
Speaker 1And I'm 72 years old right now and I've been through all these disastrous things and when I look back , I think about how God healed me of cancer , how God healed my children that were in the NICU All four of them was in the NICU . I think about my daughter who was born , still born , still born , and I prayed there on that table in the delivery room and I said God , please don't let my child die , Please don't let my baby die . And after about five minutes I heard a little teeny , weeny cry and I heard the doctor say we're okay .
Speaker 2Hey , welcome back to a new creation podcast where we are pointing women towards a victory in Christ , one Jesus story at a time . I'm your host , jamis Lachelle Drury . I'm a Christian trauma therapist . Let's get right in to today's episode , okay , all right . Well , welcome back to the podcast . Friends , I am very excited to introduce to you the reverend tanya nemoli . She's a licensed minister . She's a mom of six children , a grandmother of two , she's married to reverend james a nemoli and she's an author of three books . Tanya can also be seen performing her ventriloquist act with her sidekick , miss jay , which sounds so fun and exciting , at Samantha's Little Bit of Heaven in East Northport , new York . She's been serving the Lord in ministry for over 50 years , and so that is our very official bio , but I want to welcome you here , tanya , and give you a chance to tell us a little bit about yourself in your own way .
Speaker 1Tanya and give you a chance to tell us a little bit about yourself in your own way . Well , thank you so much for having me . I really appreciate you allowing me to come on and tell my story . Yes , I am a mother of six children . I have five biological children and , if that wasn't enough , I decided to adopt one , and I'm married to Reverend James Nimley and let's see what else about me . I love the Lord and I just . My passion is to get as many people to go to heaven as humanly possible that I can do while I'm down here on earth . That is my total purpose for being here right now . I'm grateful that God gave me 72 years being , with all the problems that I've had in my life , that he honored me with allowing me to live for 72 years . I just had a birthday the day before yesterday , so I'm just .
Speaker 1I'm grateful . It's like it's all gravy now . Every minute that I live is gravy because I look at it as another opportunity to win a soul for the kingdom . So I'm all about soul winning , so is my husband , and that's our whole purpose . That's what we do . I've written out over , I've written out my testimony and I've given it out to over 4 000 people so far , and I I just wrote a few books and I'm hoping that they will go out into the vineyard and speak to people's heart and lead them to lord , to the lord , because they all have the salvation message at the end of the book . So that's what I'm about is I'm just trying to get as many people to um um , to heaven as possible , and I'm working for the kingdom of God . I'm on the clock .
Speaker 1I'm an ambassador for the Lord , and that is my purpose for being here right now .
Speaker 2Amen , I love that You're about your father's business .
Speaker 1Absolutely . I'm on the clock .
Speaker 2Okay . So my question is uh , how did you get to this point where you are so on fire for , so single-minded about the father's business ? Um , in other words , you know , was there ? Did you have a significant moment where you came to know Jesus ?
Speaker 1Oh , yes , oh yes , I did . Well , I accepted the Lord when I was about 13 years old , watching Billy Graham on TV , but I didn't , you know , when I turned 18 , you know , 18 year olds , do we just go out on our own path and forget about God for quite a while until he reels you back in ? And , believe me , he has his ways of reeling you back in . Um , my obsession with god came from , um , him healing me of , uh , depression and suicidal ideations . But my problems go back way before that .
Speaker 1So , and I just want to talk a little bit about my childhood trauma I don't want to dwell on it because I've been talking a lot about it . So it's bringing back all the memories but I grew up with absolutely no love from my parents . Just absolutely no love , no interaction with my father at all . I mean , he lived in the home , he worked , he was a good provider , I had a nice house and everything . Home he worked , he was a good provider , I had a nice house and everything . But there was no interaction , which really hurt me to the core of my heart . And my mother she also didn't just seem to be disgusted with me . I just could never do anything right , and I think what led to that is my mother and father had their own baggage in their lives from their growing up . And I think what led to that is my mother and father had their own baggage in their lives from their growing up . And then they look after they got married they lost the child . He was two years old . He died from complications of cerebral palsy . So when my sister came along five years after I was born she was sickly also and was in and out of the hospital and intensive care .
Speaker 1So I just kind of got left by the wayside and , being that I didn't do good in school because I had a learning disability and the teachers told my parents that I was smart but I was lazy . So that just added fuel on the fire to them not liking me . And then I was bullied in school really bad . So it seems like I could never do anything to please my parents or get their attention . So by the time I was 12 years old I just said forget this world . God made a mistake when he made me . He made people with the blind and no legs , so he made me with no brain . So I must be a mistake . So one night I decided to take my life at 12 years old and I took a whole bunch of my allergy pills and I was so my heart was in so much pain . I went downstairs in my parents' room . They were sleeping , it was late at night and they woke up and I told them what I did and I was crying and they told me to go in my room that it was between me and God . I remember that from growing up and them telling me that , and then me growing up and just remembering that that's what they said is between me and God .
Speaker 1So I crippled along in my life . I managed to graduate school and then I jumped into relationships with men that I had no business doing , because I was looking for somebody to love me , to just give me some self-worth or something , and so I made a lot of mistakes and then , at 19 , I married a man that I barely knew and the first week it was domestic violence all the way through four years of marriage with him , and then I got out of that marriage and I married another man , which is my present husband , but I didn't know he was an alcoholic when I first married him . Long story short , he became a minister , gave up the alcohol and he was a very patient , patient man with me through the baggage that I brought into the marriage . I brought so much baggage from my parents to the divorce and being a domestic violence survivor and I bought all that to the marriage . But my present husband was very patient with me . So I still was suicidal all the time . And to make another long story short because it's very long , because I want to get to how God brought me through this One day I was in my thirties I had had three children .
Speaker 1Two of them were in school and the third one was a toddler . So she was in her crib and I was so depressed that day I went to the kitchen , put her in a crib , put her to sleep . And I was so depressed that day I went to the kitchen , put her in a crib , put her to sleep and went down in the kitchen and got a knife and turned it backwards and was sticking it in my chest when all of a sudden I heard my daughter pulling on my dress , going mommy , mommy , and I dropped the knife and picked her up and I just cried and I called my husband at work . He came home , I said I got to get help and I signed myself into a mental institution that helped a little bit with the situation with my parents . So I got that straightened out , that it wasn't me , it was them and I told them everything I ever wanted to tell them about it , to their shock and then , we started the process of restoration with my relationship with them .
Speaker 1So I had to forgive them , which was hard . It took a lot of years to forgive them and to get my life back that I really never had . So I still was suffering from depression after that and one day I was crying , as I always cried , and somebody had given me a Bible and I never read it , but they gave it to me for a gift . So I was so sad this day and I said I tried everything . I was in counseling for years . I assigned myself into a mental institution . I'm still depressed . I know that the next time I try this suicide thing it's going to work , because I just couldn't take the pain anymore . So what I did was I got that Bible out and I didn't even know what to look up . I got that Bible out and I didn't even know what to look up and the Lord led me to I don't know how , psalms 86 . And it talked about God , please help me . And I cried and I said , god , if you don't help me this time you know , because you have all knowledge that I'm not I'm really going to be successful the next time . And he didn't really do anything right away , but he healed me , healed my mind of depression in a very unique way . So somebody had given me a dozen roses when I was in the mental institution silk roses and I decided to try to make corsages out of them . So I started making corsages and I cut each one up and made corsages and I sold them all . And then my neighbor across the street asked me to do her daughter's wedding flowers and I said okay , and I didn't know how to do wedding flowers . So I went to the craft store , bought some books on how to make bouquets and all this other stuff and I did her whole wedding . And it was like , where did I get these skills from ? They just came .
Speaker 1I was always crafty , I sewed and I crocheted , so I just taught myself how to do it . And then I just started buying more silk flowers and making all kinds of arrangements . And I bought teacups and glued them together and made arrangements in the teacups and then I made larger arrangements and vases and then my whole house , like every room , was just filled with flowers because I just kept making them like a factory . Then I said to myself , what am I going to do with all these flowers ? So my husband and I decided that I should sell them at craft fairs . So we bought a few shells and we took all of our kids and we did all kind of you know community fairs and we just was doing them like in the summertime . We were doing them like every week .
Speaker 1We were doing a craft fairs , and we just was doing them like in the summertime , and we were doing them like every week . We were doing a craft fair here and I was selling the flowers , and then I was doing more weddings . And then one day I said to myself I haven't experienced any depression . No sadness . Depression , no sadness , no crying . And I said , oh , my goodness , I'm happy . I never experienced happiness before , ever . I was happy inside . I was so happy and I knew that God healed me .
Speaker 2Yes .
Speaker 1And not long after that the Lord had been tapping on my husband and I's heart to go to church and we were ignoring him . And so one day we got a flyer in our fence and it said heaven to hell , what do you want for your life ? And I was Lutheran , my husband was Catholic and he said he was going to die Catholic , so he didn't want to talk about any other religion . But this one day we have been going through so much that when that flyer came in the fence I called the number up and this pastor said he would come over my house . He came over my house and prayed for my husband and I invited us to church . And we went to this church . He said it was a Pentecostal church and I was scared of Pentecostal churches .
Speaker 1I was like oh my goodness , these people are going to be hanging off the chandeliers . And so we said , well , we'll go and sit in the back of the church . So we went and we tried to sit in the back of the church but the pastor saw us and was like this is a family that came from our operation saturation , that we went through the whole neighborhood and they ushered us to the front row .
Speaker 2And .
Speaker 1I know , and we didn't even know about clapping in church and moving to music , and so we were like sitting there , like little pumpkins , our family .
Speaker 1But you know what , when they had the altar call at the end , but you know what , when they had the altar call at the end , oh my goodness , my husband and I went to that altar and we , we were at church every time the doors opened , all of us and our kids , and we became , my husband and I , became committed Christians and we dedicated the rest of our lives to working for the Lord and and I haven't stopped at all , I'm not looking back not look back , happy in the Lord , no depression and suicide .
Speaker 1But did all the problems stop in our lives ? Absolutely not . We continue to have all kinds of problems because just because you're you uh committed yourself to the Lord doesn't mean that that's like a a pencil eraser and everything's going to be . All your suffering is going to be gone .
Speaker 2As a matter of fact , it intensifies yeah yeah I think a lot of times you know we're waiting for this magic pill moment . You know where , oh , everything's settled and it is better , it better . Life with Christ is so much better . But I think that what I'm hearing you say is that you know you've experienced the instant deliverance of he healed your depression , and you didn't even know that he had done that . No , didn't even know really fast move of God . But then you've also experienced what it looks like for him to be with you through the process of the struggle and the suffering . And just because you're you're struggling does not mean that God's not with you .
Speaker 1Right , I just wanted . I want to just end with the things that I've been through so that I can get to the things that God has done for me , that I can get to the things that God has done for me Just real quick .
Finding Strength Through Faith and Love
Speaker 1I have been through , like I said , bullying by children and then , as I became an adult , I was bullied by adults too .
Speaker 1There is adult bullying People don't know that but it is when people are mean to you . I have domestic violence . I've been sick for most of my entire life . I've been raped twice . I have disabled children . Four of my children were in intensive care when they were born . I survived cancer and I also have a learning disability and I have a mystery illness that I've had over 12,000 episodes of a mystery illness every day . So that is all that I have been through and what I'm going through now , and so what I have to say about all of this is I've made this little lineup to tell you today , and it's I still have troubles , but troubles don't have me , God has me now . I made that up just for you . I'm going to say it again so you listeners can hear I still have troubles , but troubles don't have me , God has me now .
Speaker 2Amen , yeah , it's a perspective change .
Speaker 1Absolutely , absolutely .
Speaker 2I love that . It's reminded me of something that my pastor shared um , in the scriptures , it tells us , you know , we say often , when the enemy comes in like a floodgate , god will raise up a standard . And my pastor had preached how , back in you know the times when that scripture was written , there wasn't punctuation . There wasn't things like that . There's no punctuation . And so when we open our bibles , we tend to see , when the enemy comes in like a floodgate , comma . Then god raises up a standard .
Speaker 2And my pastor was teaching us to sort of have a perspective shift away from oh , this enemy is the enemy , is the floodgate , to remembering that our God , our God , is the one who raises up a standard , our God is the one who holds us , our God is the one who has the power , our God is the one . It's like a mindset shift , a renewing of the mind that we have to do , you know , in order to live out to , to , to live out of faith life . Otherwise our problems would destroy us and cripple us . But it's like no , I love what you said the Lord , he holds you .
Speaker 1Yep , he has me now . As a matter of fact , I have a charm bracelet and on it , Um , I have taken . I have a charm that says taken , because I feel like um Jesus died for me . He owns me now and I am taken and God is my father and I'm . I'm good with it , I'm good with that .
Speaker 2Yeah , praise the Lord , praise the Lord , I've been .
Speaker 1I've been searching for love my whole life . I've been searching for love my whole life . I wanted somebody to love me and I have a wonderful husband who loves me . We've been married for 48 years . But you know what I told my husband ? I said I am so glad that you are not jealous of my relationship with God , because I am obsessed with God . He is the love of my life . He takes care of me even through the really , really , really hard times .
Speaker 1There's a song by Kirk Franklin called Real Love , and I just love that song because it says I searched all over and I finally found my real love . And so in my life it's God first , and then the love that I have for my husband , and then agape love that I have for everybody else . That's the order of things . So I am obsessed with God and I'm going to that's . What helps me through the trials is his love . It's not just me finding about his love , but I had to learn how to love God . I didn't even know how to love him because I didn't have any experience with love from a child . So I had to learn how to love God and I had to learn that God loves me .
Speaker 1A lot of people don't understand how much God loves us . You know , my husband told me something that totally changed my life . He preached a sermon one day that I will never , ever , ever forget , and he explained to me that the devil was very jealous when God decided to make human beings . He was very , very jealous because he was an angel , and angels can never be God's child . But we who accept Jesus Christ , we are God's child . So when the devil figured out that God was going to make human beings and give them an opportunity to be adopted into his family and be his child , the devil figured out that God was going to make human beings and give them an opportunity to be adopted into his family and be his child . The devil was very jealous of us , and so he has tried to shame God and making us . He has tried to keep us separated from God . But if we knew how special we are to God , that we are his children , those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior . We are God's child and he has to take care of us . He has to because he's our father and the way he gave what he gave us to take care of us , he didn't leave us without any help . So I want people to know if you're not a Christian , don't look at us and go . Oh , they still are suffering . No , he gave us hope and this help and hope is the Holy Bible , and in the Bible is everything that we need to take care of ourselves . That he gave us to take care
Finding Peace Through Trusting God
Speaker 1of us .
Speaker 1You know , my husband preached a sermon that I wrote in my book and it was called , and I was really upset when I heard his title and it was when God's grace is not enough . And so when he told me the title of his teaching , I was like dude , are you crazy ? What do you mean when God's grace is not enough ? And he says , wait till you hear this teaching , wait till you hear it . And I trust him because my husband loves the word , I love to pray , he loves the word . So when he taught that teaching , he explained what he meant , and he meant that when God's grace is not enough is when you don't reach out and take it , because it's available to get us through this life . So if we don't hold on to God's grace and reach out for it and trust him , then we're not going to have that grace . So that was like a life another one of my husband's life-changing things . We have to reach out for God's grace . It's ever-flowing , ever-available and when you know God's word and you trust in God and you know about his grace , you are going to make it through this life . And that's how I've made it through this life .
Speaker 1So recently I've written a book and I know that you know I don't want to just come on here and try to promote my book , but I just want to tell you about it because the name of the book is a handbook for surviving suffering . In the midst of trouble you can still have peace and this is my life . This is what happened to me . This is how I have gotten through all of the heavy , heavy , hard card trials . Now people have trials all the time . Trials come and you get sick , you get a cold , you get the flu . You get over it . Like I had cancer . That was a trial . The doctor says we're going to handle this , and he did and I'm cancer free all these years .
Speaker 1Like trials will come , but the trials that I'm talking about in my book is hardcore trials , things that are life threatening to the point where you got to say that Psalms 23, . You know the shadow of death , you know when you're facing . You've lost your complete income , you've lost your husband , you've lost a child , you're sick and you get a diagnosis of cancer or you have a terminal disease . These are hardcore trials . And you say to yourself why would God allow me to go through these things and go through a lot of these things , and how am I going to get through it and still keep my mind . And this is this is was the reason that I wrote this book , because I wanted people to know that , even though you're going through the darkest of the darkest of the days and the hardest of the trials and you're calling out to God and he hasn't answered right away , that you can still have peace through all of this . And the way you can have the peace is knowing God's word . If you don't know God's word , you are not going to have the tools to help get you through every day . The tools to help get you through every day Because the things that God gave us in his word , the Bible , is a mysterious book and they say that the word of God is sharper than a sword . So you have to imagine how much power God's word has in the Bible to help you in your life , to change your life . If you need it changed , to get through it , to clean you up , to sanctify you . When you're going through the deepest of the hard trials , that word will come up in you Like .
Speaker 1One of the chapters in my book is from Aunt May , and I had to use this scripture verse that Aunt May said her whole life . Just a few weeks ago I was so sick I thought I was going to die . And I'm going to tell you this scripture verse about Aunt May . She was a woman of God , she was a pastor of a church for years and she just trusted God like nobody else trusted God . And just last week I was so sick , and not only was I sick , but my husband was sick and he had . I had to call an ambulance for him and I was sick too , and after the ambulance took him away , I was just like shaking and and it felt like I wasn't going to be able to get through this trial .
Speaker 1And I remember the scripture verse that Aunt May said that just was like the basis of her whole life , and it's Psalms 46 and 1 . And it says and I could hear Aunt May's voice and she would say God is our refuge and our strength , a very present help in trouble , and Aunt May said that all the time and so when that happened to me last week , I just kept , I got my own book out , my own book , and I turned to this and I just looked at Aunt May's face and I could hear her saying God is our refuge and our strength . A in the Bible is great Everything . My husband always says that , but there's times when you're going through something that just that one rhema from that scripture verse will pick you up and lift you up . So I kept repeating that scripture verse over and I repeated it for a half an hour and it just strengthened me . It strengthened me so much and that's what my book is about .
Speaker 1I have many scripture verses that and examples and tools just how you can get through the hard , hard trials when you are alone , when you're crying by yourself , when you're in the room by yourself and you feel like nobody in this whole world is thinking about you and your troubles in that room and you're all alone . After my husband left in that ambulance , I was by myself , my kids couldn't get to me and I was all alone and I felt all alone for a few minutes . But I knew I wasn't alone . And when I started reading that part about the scripture verse , I knew I wasn't here by myself . And another thing in my book I wrote that was a life changing for me was to realize that God is everywhere , at all times . He's in every space of the universe , he's in every space of earth , so we don't even have to close our eyes and bow our head . So if God is everywhere and he knows how many hairs we have on our head and he knows exactly what's going on every time with us , then he knows exactly what's going on with me right now . So I've been just opening my eyes and just saying , god , I need you . I know that you're right here with me . I know you see everything that's going on with me right now and I need your help . I need for you to hug me . That's what sometimes I say to God . I just need for you to hug me . And I just read the scripture verse . And the scripture verses is like a hug . It gets in my heart , it strengthens my heart , it strengthens my mind and before I know it , I just feel strengthened to get through that trial .
Speaker 1And I'm 72 years old right now and I've been through all these disastrous things and when I look back , I think about how God healed me of cancer , how God healed my children that were in the NICU All four of them was in the NICU . I think about my daughter who was born , still born , still born . And I prayed there on that table in the delivery room and I said God , please don't let my child die , please don't let my baby die . And after about five minutes I heard a little teeny , weeny cry and I heard the doctor say we're okay . And when I looked at my baby , when they brought her over to take her to the NICU , she was like blue as I can , and they were happy that she was breathing . But when I saw her she was completely blue where she was born dead and he brought her back alive and my son was born .
Speaker 1He also was born very , very sick and he had a massive brain hemorrhage and they said your son is not going to walk or talk , he's had a massive brain hemorrhage . He could . He was like two years old . He couldn't sit up , he couldn't hold his head up and they put him in a special school and let me tell you , my son got kicked out of that school because they said he was too smart . He had braces on his legs and they took those braces off of his legs one day and said that he can walk . And he started walking and he started talking and they put him in regular school and he had to have an aide and he was able to go to regular school and , believe it or not , he made the honor roll all through school and graduated at the top of his class . And not only that , he went to college and he graduated valedictorian and he walked across that stage his own self , with it , under his own steam , and got his own diploma from college .
Speaker 1And I am telling you it was hard . My husband and I we went to the NICU so many times for our kids and each time we went it was so hard . But God got us through and healed all of our kids . They're all alive , they all have great jobs , they all are living and they're all doing well . So when I tell you , yes , life is hard , but at 72 years old , when I have a lot to look back on and to see how God brought me through each and every situation , it has been amazing what he has done One time this is like a really hard story I was being sued by a family member and they all I had to get an order of protection because I feared for my life .
Speaker 1And they all came down to the court and it was about 15 of them and it was just me and my husband and a domestic violence person that was with us and they were doing all sorts of things and cursing me out and everything . And my husband and I were just sitting there by ourselves and I felt the power of God just over us , giving us strength to get through that situation . And the domestic violence lady said let me call the security to walk you out to your car . And I said no . I said no because I felt the protection from God and I left there . And that legal situation God got me out of that .
Speaker 1I was being sued another time and had to spend so much money , but God was there . And that legal situation God got me out of that . I was being sued another time and had to spend so much money , but God was there . He was a lawyer in the courtroom . They always say that , but it's true , god is a lawyer in the courtroom . He's a doctor . When you're in the operating room . He's there for you every time you need him . When you don't have food , when you can't pay your bills , when you lose your job , god is there and I am a living witness to this . I am a living witness to this that God is there for you .
Speaker 1I've lived a long time and every day that I live now , at 72 years old , is gravy because I'm so grateful , knowing all that I've been through , all of the hardships that I've been through , how he has gotten me through that and I hold on to those hardships like handrails and it helps me to get through to the next trial . And I know that life is still going to be hard for me going forward because I have an illness , my husband has an illness , but I know that God is with me and he's watching over me because he's proved it over and over and over again . And that's why I wrote my book called A Handbook for Surviving Suffering , because it's about all that I've been speaking to you about just now , all of the scripture verses , all of the strength that I've gained and how God has sustained me . That word sustain is an unbelievable word for a Christian , because God sustains us when we're going through and sometimes we may fall , sometimes we may faint , but he comes right in there and swoops us up . And these last trials that I've had these past few years . I just had a stroke in February and I tell you I have fainted and I'm probably still laying on the floor . But Jesus is carrying me around everywhere , like that footprints in the sand . We always know , we always hear that story , but it's really true . Whoever wrote that wrote the truth , because God is carrying me around everywhere .
Speaker 1Now I can't stand on my own . I'm walking around on God's strength and the thing that gives me encouragement is that he's going to be with me until my very last breath . So I don't fear going home to be with the Lord , because he's already showed me that he is with me and that he will never leave me and he will never forsake me . And that's what got me through my childhood trauma . My birthday is on the 27th and one day it was my birthday and God says I want you to read Psalms 27 . And I was like why do you want me to read that ?
Speaker 1And in Psalms 27 , it says when thy mother and thy father forsake you , then the Lord will take you up . And that's how I got through my childhood and that's how I'm getting through my life now , and it's tough . Now it's really tough , but God , he is my refuge and my strength . Just like he said in his word . He's not a man that he should lie , and sometimes my life is so hard that he gives me a vision of me sitting in a field and he's sitting there with me on the grass and just giving me peace , and peace in the midst of the storm . And that's what my book is about how you can have peace in the midst of the storm . Hallelujah , praise you Jesus , thank you Lord , thank you , lord , for all you've done for me and for you listeners who are listening , that are going through things .
Speaker 1I just pray for each one of them right now , lord . Some of them are just losing hope and not even understanding why you've allowed them to go through all of these things
Discovering Faith Through Suffering
Speaker 1. This , our suffering , has purpose and a lot of people don't understand that and they go . What purpose could God have for allowing us to go through this trial ? What kind of purpose ? You know I would do it all again to write this book and to write the information that's in here If it could help somebody else . I told God , he asked me that and I said I do . I go through my whole life again If everything that you brought me through and all the scriptures you gave me to survive help me to write this handbook for somebody else . I do it again and again and I want people to listen , to know that you don't have to go it alone . You don't have to feel alone . You don't have to feel that God is not watching over you , because he is and we can't question his ways , because he told us specifically do not lean on your own understanding on why he does what he does , and I have a saying for that . And I said this is God's way and God's world . He's the creator . He made us and he made everything to work like this and we don't understand his ways . We don't understand his ways . We don't understand the suffering . We don't understand the pain , and as soon as we have it , we want to question him . But I don't question him anymore because I trust him , because you know why . One day he promised in his word that we are never going to shed another tear , we're never going to have any more pain . He's going to take all of these troubles away and I look forward to that day and it gives me hope to hang on and to make it through .
Speaker 1My mother suffered at the end of her life . My mother-in-law suffered at the end of her life . Both of them had great physical problems . And my mom , right before she died , she was still in her little prayer book and on her way to the hospital . When she was dying , she would come out of consciousness and start praying for everybody and say you guys just keep loving God , just keep loving God all the way to the hospital and my mother didn't lose her faith and my mother-in-law didn't lose her faith . As a matter of fact , my mother-in-law I have a picture of her in my book because my mother-in-law suffered so , so much .
Speaker 1And one day I asked her . I said , mom , how are you getting through all this suffering ? She had congestive heart failure and she had to be brought back by the paddles Many times they had to call the ambulance and bring her back to life . And when I asked her , how does she get through all that ? And she didn't say much . She just handed me this little book and the little book was called Ask for Healing , given Grace . And she gave me that book and I didn't look at the book for years and after she died I found that book in my belongings and when I read it and read about this lady who had Parkinson's disease and she was a missionary , I understood what my mother-in-law said and I said what a woman of God that she was , because she served in her church and loved God to the end , even though she was suffering just like my mother .
Speaker 1And I said I want to be just like my mother and my mother-in-law , that no matter what happens to me , I'm not going to question God . I'm going to hold on to my faith and what I saw them do . And I'm going to do that because I know people are looking at me and saying she says she's a Christian and God is there for her . So I am showing other people that God is a keeper , he is a peace giver , he will sustain you , he will provide for you to the day you die . That's what I want to show the other people that God is a helper . He is a helper .
Speaker 2He is exactly who he says he is .
Speaker 1He is .
Speaker 2Right .
Speaker 1I'm a living witness . I'm a living witness of it . I've lived it , so I'm not telling people something that I , that I don't know . You know I may not have a theological degree , and that's okay , but I have life experience and that's what I wrote on the back of my book about myself . I said , um , that I w , I have a um . I went to the , I graduated from the school of trials and I have a PhD in suffering and .
Speaker 2I know what I'm talking about yeah , you're living miracle and a testimony . So you've shared .
Speaker 2So much for a lot I've been I always like to ask you know , um , I want to get to like the how , because I know that we have listeners who are thinking I , I want that , I don't know Jesus . This way , what would you tell that woman in terms of maybe just a practical thing , or didn't necessarily have to be practical , because sometimes the things of God don't . They don't make practical sense , you know , but what would you tell a woman who does not even know how to take the first step towards experiencing this loving God that you have described ?
Speaker 1Well , god will help you . He will help you if you're seeking him , if you want to know the God that has helped me . And you don't know God at all . All I can tell you is to be open about it . You know to be a seeker , to just say to yourself God , I want to ask you . I don't really believe in you and I don't really have any knowledge . I didn't grow up with religion in my household . But I want to know what this lady is talking about and I want to know if you're real or not . And when you say those things to God , he will reveal himself to you . He loves people who are seeking him and that word seek , s-e-e-k .
Speaker 1Seeking God . As long as you are seeking answers , he will put people in your path . He will get the information to you some way , because God is always talking to everybody who's ever been born anyway . He has the Holy Spirit . You may not understand about the Holy Spirit , but the Holy Spirit's job is to tap each person on their shoulder and say God is real , god is real , god is real . So the Holy Spirit is already talking to you . So when you get into a mode of seeking , then God is going to provide some way to get in touch with you .
Speaker 1If you want to do it on your own and you have a laptop or a phone , get you know what the Bible is . Everybody knows the word Bible . Get it out and just go to the book of John . Type in and Google the book of John and just start reading John one and read the whole story about Jesus Christ , because he's the answer that you're looking for . And if you have a Bible that somebody gave you , um , open it up . Turn to the book of John and read the story of Jesus , what he did for your life and what you need to understand that you need to be seeking him and seeking answers .
Speaker 1And a lot of people seek answers from astrology and looking in the newspaper and finding their birth date and try to find that there's no answers . In that , some people try to seek other religions and try to say well , you know , what about this religion ? What about that religion ? What about this thing ? What about that religion ? And there is only . I'm just going to say there's only one way to God , and that's , and one way to heaven is that's through his son , jesus Christ . So you need to want to know who Jesus is , and some religions don't want to even want to mention Jesus . A lot of people get upset about his name , but that's the only way that you're going to find out what I'm talking to you about and you're responsible for
Searching for Truth and Salvation
Speaker 1yourself .
Speaker 1A lot of people were raised in homes with no religion . A lot of people were raised with other religions , but as an adult , you are responsible to find out the truth your own self . So you kind of have to say you know , I want to find the right way , I want to which ? Which one of these religions is the right way , but I can tell you about Jesus Christ . He's the only religion that the person gave his life and came back alive .
Speaker 1None of the other religions or other ways to have a story like that . It's a very unique story and if you don't believe in Jesus , there is historical evidence that he did live historical evidence and so you have to do a lot of seeking . You have to want to know your own self and really be looking for yourself and looking for answers for yourself , because we all are seeking . I was seeking it at one time in my life until I actually came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ . So if you don't know him at all , just start by Googling Jesus or Googling the book of John in the Bible , and just start there and just start your own search and you will definitely find the answers there .
Speaker 1I can guarantee you , if you look , you will find the answers . You can take that to the bank and cash it . If you're looking for the right answers for your life , you're looking for the way to God and you heard about Jesus and you heard a lot of people are kind of upset when I'm all well , who is Jesus ? Who is Jesus ? He was really here and there's historical evidence that he was here . So do your homework , do your investigation , start looking , and as you're looking and investigating , then knowledge is going to come into your mind and into your heart and you're going to get answers to what you're looking for , as long as you're seeking the answers .
Speaker 2Yes , so good . I'm reminded of how , when I found the Lord , I say that he found me because I was seeking and he came and he got me . He scooped me up . He found me because I was seeking and he came and he got me . He scooped me up , and I remember I describe it as I had to get to the point where I wanted to know the truth more than I wanted to defend my current belief system . You know , you got to be willing to lay your current belief system aside to find the honest to God truth , and that's what the Lord did for me and I know that that's what he does for all who are seeking . You want to know the truth . He is true , and it's our job to to to keep our job .
Speaker 1We're responsible for our own souls . So if you die and you let's just say you die and you go to heaven and you're like I mean , you don't go to heaven , you die and here is the afterlife and you go well , well God , why can't I come to heaven ? He says , well , I sent you all this information on Jesus and everything . But you know , that's not what I was raised in my household with . But as an adult , like I told , this is the perfect example . I raised six kids and I was a tough mom and I told my kids I know I raised you right , but if you are wacky when you grow up , you're responsible to get you some counseling on your own . If you feel that you are wacky because I didn't do this as a parent and you know it's because of my mother I said , if you were wackadoodle when you grow up , go get your own self some counseling , get your own mind straight now . So I'm going to tell everybody who doesn't really know Christ either You're responsible for your own soul .
Speaker 1You can't say , well , well , I wasn't raised in that and I didn't know anything about religion . You're an adult now and you're responsible for getting the proper information or , like you said the truth . Look up the truth . Look , look in your own , your other religion . If you have an other religion , look at that . Compare it to what you've heard about Christians and look , do your own homework and find out about . Well , did Jesus really live , like the scrolls and all these scrolls that they're finding over there in the Holy land ? Do your own research and you will get the information , cause if you looking for God , he will make it known to you . He will make himself known to you . I . I guarantee it , guarantee it .
Speaker 2Yeah , it's like we take one step towards him . He takes a thousand steps towards us and that's just kind of the way that I've seen , that he is very willing to meet us . You know , he's a .
Speaker 1He's a God of love and but he is also very mysterious . You know , I tell God that all the time . I said God , you are very mysterious and you know it's a lot to his personality and there's a lot of things , the words , that we use about him . God is love , god is patient , god is the . There's a lot of different aspects about him , but one thing about him is that he's holy and he's a just God . So you have to get yourself straight with God by understanding that you don't have a real relationship with him . So you need to repent . That's a really big word , repentance . And what does that mean ? It means that we need to be sorry for the bad things that we've done in our life , because nobody is perfect , Nobody can say that they're perfect . So because you're not perfect , it's kind of hard for you to get in touch with God . So it is simple once you get the information . That's why you need to get a Bible .
Speaker 1That's why you need to get the book of John and you need to study Jesus' life and see what he was all about and what he did . They say this Jesus died on a cross . For you . You probably don't know what that means that you need to be saved . So you've got to be an investigator , a detective , because you know why , because your soul depends on it , because once you die , that's it . If you made a mistake , you can't go . Whoops , can I go back down to earth and go get those books and and read and and go back ? There is no do-over . So make sure that you know the truth before you die .
Speaker 1And as and at this rate , there's so many disasters happening you know floods , hurricanes and this , that and the other you , you need to be ready because one day we're all going to die . I'm going to die , you're going to die , we're all going to die . But where are we going to be ? Are we going to be in heaven ? Are we going to be in hell ? So do your investigation now , while you have time . You still have time and if you have a phone , you can get the Bible on the phone . There's no excuses . You don't have to go to the Christian bookstore and buy one . Just get on your phone , type in Bible , the book of John , and just start reading . Start somewhere , because you need help now .
Speaker 1You're going through a lot of hard times , a lot of difficulties , and you're not making it on your own . And for those who are suicidal , because I always have to say this if there's anybody who is suicidal right now and you're not making it on your own , and for those who are suicidal , because I always have to say this , if there's anybody who is suicidal right now and you feel like you can't make it to tomorrow , please pick up your phone and dial 988 and talk to somebody . There is help available . Please , if you want , if you need more help to help you , your childhood trauma , find a counselor , go to a psychiatrist , get a therapist . That's what I did . I did get help and it did help me because I had a lot of childhood trauma and and it took me years to work out all of that hurt that was in my heart , to sort it all out , and I have to say that I have forgiven my parents totally . Some people you even have to forgive them if they're already in the grave . You can't let them keep reaching out for you . You got to solve these things in your heart so that you can have peace . So get yourself some professional help .
Speaker 1Don't be ashamed of it . I used to be ashamed to tell people that I was in a mental institution . It was embarrassing . I didn't want people to know that story . But now I tell everybody . Because why suffer ? Why suffer when there's help available ? And some of the traumas that we've gone through , such as rape , such as childhood trauma , molestations those things have to be dealt with . And these professional people that's their profession they really can help you through that . But with that , you also need something for your soul , which is where faith comes in , and having a relationship with God and a relationship with Jesus . And all of these things work together to give you the peace that you are seeking and have been seeking in your life and to help you get over all the trauma . There is a way out . You got to work on it . You got to work on it .
Speaker 2Yes , amen , this has been so good . Thank you so much . So much wisdom .
Speaker 1Well , I'm 72 years old . I finally got some wisdom . My mother said that I wouldn't be smart . Eventually , you have a little knowledge and I don't want other people to suffer .
Speaker 1I don't want you to suffer needlessly when I know that there is help out there . There's help secularly and there's help biblically , and the most help that you need is to know God as your , as your father , to know Jesus as your Lord and savior . That's where 99.99% of my help has been , and a small portion of that has been from counseling . So , please , people , please go and get counseling if you need it . Don't be ashamed of it . You know a lot of the athletes are mentioning now about mental health . It's it's it's so good that people are talking about mental health . I'm so proud of Simone Biles and um , there was another swimmer , um , I forgot his name . He was on the thing , he , he was like the first one that says I'm having a mental health crises and now it's like people are going oh , other people are getting help . They're not ashamed to talk about it . So don't you be ashamed , you know ? And if your church doesn't want to talk about mental health because I haven't gotten a whole lot of help from church as far as having mental health situation , so sometimes you have to go and find your health . There are Christian counselors out there that are excellent . There are regular counselors that are excellent . There's licensed social workers . Now there's all kinds of trauma people with . For PTSD , there's all different kinds of techniques , like CBT therapy and all different therapies to help you to get to a better place . So take advantage of those things . But your , your best help is to seek God first , and then he will provide these people if that's the way that you want to go . But get help for yourself . Emotionally , you're responsible for your own self . Sometimes nobody's going to help you , but you . So it's .
Speaker 1We have these podcasts on that . People come on and share their stories with you . Why ? Because they just want to talk about it . No , because they want to help you . They want to give you the tools so that you can go to get help , so you're not sitting in your house crying and boohooing to the point where you're so depressed that you can't even function . There's no need to be like that . The point where you're so depressed that you can't even function . There's no need to be like that . There's help out there . Thank you for having these podcasts to have a platform so people know that they're not alone . That there's other people .
Speaker 1There's other people that have gone through your trauma . You're not alone in this and there's a way out . That's the important part . There's a way out .
Speaker 2There is a way out , okay . So thank
Powerful Prayer and Testimony
Speaker 2you so much . I want to ask , if you don't mind , would you close us out with a prayer and then I'll have you share a little bit where listeners could maybe find you or your work or whatever . You have a link or something like that . But could you pray over the listener ?
Speaker 1Oh sure .
Speaker 2As we close out .
Speaker 1We just give you all the praise , Heavenly Father . I just thank you , Lord , that you provide with this new technology that we have . It's so amazing . People , Lord , are using technology for bad things , but , Lord , there is so much good that's coming out of it and we thank you for that . So much good that's coming out of it and we thank you for that .
Speaker 1And I pray for each person that is tuned into this podcast , Lord , that I can even feel that some of them out there are just hurting . I even feel that some of them are just crying watching this and listening to the things that are being said , because you know why , Because God touched their heart . I know that you're touching them . I pray , Lord , for each person that's listening , that's going through things that you will just please touch their heart , their mind and their souls . Just help them by the power of your Holy Spirit to let them get the knowledge of you . You are the answer , Heavenly Father . Touch them as they . You are the answer , Heavenly Father . Touch them as they reach for their Bibles , as they reach out and try to read the scriptures to get help for themselves . Sometimes it's complex , but help them to understand the things that you are saying to them , because it's your love letter to us , it's your help for us . You have so much in there to help them . So I pray , Lord , that they will hold on to their Bible , read their Bible daily and try to understand what you have given us to make it through .
Speaker 1And for those who do not know Christ at all , those who don't know anything about you , I pray for them , Heavenly Father , that you will just let them be seeking , that .
Speaker 1Give them a spirit of seeking to seek answers , to seek you , to seek who you are , to seek why you sent somebody named Jesus to this earth and what they did . Please help them to understand . And for everybody who is shedding a tear , I pray for every tear that's falling from somebody's face right now . Lord , I just pray that you would just give them a hug , Just let them feel your love , that you are real , that you do care about them , that you understand that the pain that they're going through , the suffering that they're going through . You understand that , Lord , and that you are there for them . Lord , we just thank you for this time that this sister and I have had together and we just agree together to pray that people will be healed from the things that they have heard today and from the many other podcasts that's been on here , and we ask this all these things in Jesus name , Amen and amen .
Speaker 2Amen . Well , that's a wrap on another incredible episode . What a testimony . I love how the Lord connects me with these wonderful women who I feel like we've known each other for years , and hopefully that comes through with you too . I think that's the way it is when we connect through the spirit of God , you know . Anyways , I want to add that because Tanya and I just talked our way off of this episode , you know , I had to cut it off somewhere and I realized that I never actually had her drop her links , and so I'm just going to direct you to her blog page . I'm just going to direct you to her blog page . Her blog is godspeaks-i-listencom . I will include all of the links to connect with this wonderful woman of God in the show notes and , in the meantime , if you would like to be on the podcast , you can go to newcreationpodcastcom and connect with me there . Or , better yet , just send me a DM . Go to my Instagram at jimmyslachelle , send me a DM there and let's connect . No-transcript . No-transcript .
