I give all the glory, honor, and praise to God this morning. And can confidently say, I am His daughter. Not by anything I’ve done, but the work of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose on the third day. I stand here in anticipation of His second coming as He continues to mold me into the woman He would have me to be.

I have many things I could share with you all today that God has added to my overall testimony: my salvation story being saved in high school, God keeping me through my diagnosis of Lupus, an autoimmune disease, being delivered from the power of social alcoholism culture, or even how my husband, Royce, and I have overcome many trials before and during our marriage, but this morning, I want to tell you how my obedience led to a “ram in the bush.”

We know the story of Abraham and Isaac found in Genesis 22. God told Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac, whom he loved. And the very next day, he took him to be sacrificed. Right when he reached out his hand with his knife to slay his son, the angel of the Lord called out to him. And then he saw the provision, a ram caught in a thicket. Abraham, after sacrificing the ram, called that place, The Lord Will Provide. And today, I testify that indeed He does. 

A year ago, I decided to be a hero for my family. My husband had a job where he felt God was leading him out of, but this would be a financial burden on our family, so I decided to get another job. Not just any job, but another full-time job. So yes, I worked two full-time jobs, took care of our three kids, continued to volunteer and do ministry work, and I thought it was all good.  But God started convicting me and said I need to leave one of my jobs. And mind you, this was the one that I’ve been at for 4 years at the time, and was making the most money. I told God I would, but in my timing. God started hardening the hearts of my supervisors. I was doing a lot of things wrong in their eyes, but truly nothing had changed, so I knew it was God giving me signs. 

This past week, on Thursday, my supervisors called me in for a meeting and said they no longer think that I will be a part of this company and that they would get back to me this week regarding their final verdict. My heart stopped. What a financial burden this will be. But God said, Now, are you willing to do as I say? Are you ready to follow me? YES.  

I leaned in on God’s promises: to be anxious for nothing, He provided for the birds of the air, am I not more valuable than them?, and reflected on Genesis 22. I told my husband that I plan to quit my job on Friday, October 3rd. I sacrificed so much of myself over this past year. But obedience is better than sacrifice, and God will bless me in it.  Monday came, and a meeting was called for Tuesday at 9 AM. I fasted and was at peace. I knew what was coming. I logged in and was told I was being let go. But then the ram…I was being given a severance package. I could have shouted on that Zoom call. God provided in a way I didn’t even think of. AND what came to mind is, if they had waited a week and I quit, I would not have received that provision God blessed me with.  

So today, I praise God, thanking Him for His testing of my faith, for being patient with me. For providing in such a unique way. And allowing me to share this testimony with you all. It’s not by chance that, just a few hours after this had transpired, Abi reached out to me to share my testimony. Someone here may be in the posture of sacrifice, but God wants your obedience. Your obedience is what God is seeking to provide the ram you are longing for in your life. Will you be obedient today?

“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

April serves on the LIFE Worship team as a vocalist.