Guest Author:
Anthony Fadelle; Head Wrestling Coach At Miami Palmetto Senior High
I have been a Christian since I was 17 years old and I am now 44 years old. I am humbled at the ways God has used me for His kingdom, many times regardless of where I was spiritually. As Christians, we are taught that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit in us. God being who he is sets this up for all of us who make this choice. There is God the Father and next to Him is the Son of God, Jesus Christ! However, God in his omnipotence knew there needed to be a third person and He gave the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. I have attended church’s that would speak of the Holy Spirit and some that wouldn’t. He was never a strong focus of any of the sermons or bible studies I attended. This was something I took for granted and it made my life of choosing sin much easier. There are so many Christians in this world today that walk with Christ and the Holy Spirit in them, but they are walking in defeat and not in Victory. I was one of these Christians, until recently.
Now, Covid-19 sent me home on March 13th because I am a teacher and that was our last day of school. We all left with the thought of maybe returning to school in May to realizing that this thing was a lot more serious. Well, from March to May I just lived life like I always do. I would wake up, give some online assignments, send my wrestlers their work outs on WhatsApp and make all kinds of personal plans and goals that rarely come to fruition. One thing I was subconsciously dreading was the month of May, which I will explain now. My mom passed in 2008 and that was the most devastating loss that could have happened to me. I mean I am 100 percent a momma’s boy and when I lost her, expectantly, it was vicious on my soul. So, when May comes around there is Mother’s day, which I can’t celebrate anymore, then the very next week is my birthday and then to top it all off, the week after my birthday is the day my mom went home to be with the Lord. This month is brutal for me and I only really know two ways to deal with it, my flesh, and my appetite. I turn to the things that numb me and/or that taste good. This was the start or should I say the catalyst to my transformation.
The month of May flew by like time was doing for most of us during this Pandemic. I did feel blessed because I had a paycheck coming in every two weeks and I was comfortable. This wasn’t a time in my life when I was really struggling, I was managing my life. I am sure many of you reading this know what I am talking about. I do just enough to keep up the front and keep on the mask that everything is Ok. Well, something I forgot to mention was back in April I went to see my doctor. I had gotten sick before the wrestling state championships and it was different, and my body did not recover like normal. I am not one to get colds or anything, maybe one or two instances over a few years. So, I decided to get my physical while I was there and get it out of the way, you know routine. I went back a few weeks later which was the end of April and my sugar levels were not good and I was labeled prediabetic. Now, let’s fast forward back to the month of May, May 28th. I woke up and was feeling worthless and groggy. I had over-eaten the entire month and never slowed down to think how much. That morning I was going to check my sugar level because I got a machine finally and I was going to check my weight. My house was cluttered, and I would eat out all the time and would just waste away because I didn’t have wrestling or football practice to go to. So, I get on the scale and my jaw dropped it said 354 pounds! I was devastated because I had never been that heavy before in my life. My sugar levels were worse than the day of the doctor. The funny part is you would think this would be the part where I would say I realized I needed to change everything. It started the change in my eating lifestyle, but I did not change my soul and the selfishness of my flesh. That moment was right around the corner.
The date was August 8th, 2020 and it was a Saturday. I remember it very clearly. I had submerged myself back into a place of darkness. There was no light and I felt numb. I was feeding my flesh and my emotions while listening to every whisper that came from the evil one. As I said NO MORE!! I could feel that this was a time for my soul to connect and run as fast as I could to Jesus. The very next morning I decided to look up some sermons or bible studies to get into online and I was led to John Bevere and Messenger International. I click on the link to see what he is all about because we struggled in very similar ways. Then like a lightning bolt, when he started talking about the Holy Spirit, I felt this burst in me. These words are what transformed my soul and had me to begin my genuine repentance of all my choices of sin. He said do you know that the Spirit of God lives in you? He is there from the moment you become a Christian. Then he said, do you want to know why you can’t hear Him? It is because He is grieving you as you choose death over life in Him!! I stopped the video and I sat on my patio and visions and memories of all the bad choices I made started to play and in each one I realized I made the Holy Spirit grieve. I wanted to fix that, and I no longer wanted to be this Christian that just gave into sin because it was easy to do. No, He lives in me and I want to hear Him and spend time with Him. I want the Holy Spirit to mold me, protect me and be happy with me.
I started reading the word of God every day. I stopped with the television and the wasted time. I kept my house up to date and my body in check. My sugar levels were at 91 which were above average, and I had lost 45 pounds and still losing. Now, that all sounds great and yeah someone should feel better when they accomplish those physical things, but my friends, there was a peace and joy that I have never had in my life. You see I have written stuff about God, and I have led Bible studies and I have even preached. I was humbled every time God allowed me to serve him, but I was never walking in victory. Now, as I walk in Victory in Christ and with the Holy Spirit AWAKE in me, I know that it’s not that I cannot sin but rather because of the peace and joy, even in the darkest moments and thoughts, I need not sin. He has given me life and when Jesus tells us to capture every thought and make it obedient to Him, he deals with them all. I promise you my friends, I am a control freak and a person who always tries to get everything done and if our Father, Son and Holy Spirit can change me they most definitely can renew you. It says in 1 Corinthians 3:16, NLT:
"Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?"
GOD is in us, Jesus is in us, The Holy Spirit, He is in us. How then can I choose to sin when I have my redeemer and re-newer of my mind and soul in me? My friends please ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to you and ask to be baptized in Him. As you read the word of God with the Holy Spirit awake in you there will be a growing desire to read, pray, laugh and sing more! I want to leave you with this scripture aimed at your hearts. The scripture is one that the Holy Spirit gave me right before I started to write this. It is Romans 15:13 (The passion translation) and it says,
“Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!”
-Selah
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