Hey guys!!
My name is Vanessa DeJesus. I’m a 30 years old Army brat that was born in Mannheim, Germany. I lived there for 9 years and was raised in a pentecostal church before moving to the U.S. I’ve spent the last 2 decades living near Tampa, Florida. I am one of four children to two amazing parents. My family is loving, loud, obnoxious at times and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Im just going to dive right in with full disclosure of what brought me here and why Im super excited about what God is doing here on The World Race.
To be honest, I feel as though I’m playing a bit of catch up because it took me so long to get here(at least it feels that way). I had a personal encounter and gave my life to Jesus at 13 years old. I knew that God called me to a life of purpose but I still wasted a good portion of my young adult life entertaining a life comprised of the bondage of sexual sin, idolatry and depression. Once I had a taste of betrayal, the selfishness, bitterness, defensiveness and self-righteous mentality soon followed and only grew heavier with time. I became increasingly numb, deaf and blind to Gods truth.
What didn’t understand until much later is that in the time that I felt hopeless and thought I was still running from Him, I actually fell directly into His arms…right where I needed to be. What started as faint whispers of His truth through the voices of individuals He strategically positioned in my life grew louder and full of hope. The influence of faithful servants and true worshippers in my workplace, prayers and transparent relationships slowly lifted those chains. As a result, my sensitivity to His voice steadily heightened. As His voice became clearer, I was reacquainted with His bittersweet conviction which led me face down straight to the feet of Jesus. It is here where His love facilitated healing and restoration while His sweet mercy nurtured transformation. In my stubbornness I continued to wrestle with forgiveness until I grew tired of fighting and eventually surrendered. I finally found rest in the arms of my Heavenly Father. I then realized what God spoke into my life over a decade ago still stands today and His promise and plan for my life doesn’t have an expiration date!
Regardless of the hurt, it is unacceptable for me to create excuses of why others’ actions are directly effecting my growth or lack thereof. I will no longer hold someone else accountable for my salvation, allow opposition from man or self-doubt to disqualify me or entertain a response of defensiveness that only fosters resentment, a victim mentality and/or juvenile rebellion.
So this is the beginning of my journey on The World Race after years of restoration, development of persistence and with an understanding of the importance of pushing through disappointment, fear, doubts and discomforts of my flesh. By the grace of God, I have chosen to operate in the authority of Jesus Christ and the dominion He has given us over the earth. I’m finally getting beyond myself in faith and with the knowledge that Gods word and truth meets us where we are, transforms, restores and overcomes to redeem us and uniquely position each of us in right relationship with Him!!!
