Leigh Breon
“Jesus is misrepresented” are the words that were once said to me as a response to a question I asked when inquiring to my future business partner about his work ethic. I asked “Do you mix God in your business?” Now I know he had to say “yes” because a Scripture from Hebrews was quoted in the company brochure, and in the lobby there was a plaque that dedicated his business to the authority of Jesus Christ.
Deep inside, I knew I was to partner with this man, but since I’ve lived in Georgia, my experience was that all the “Jesus fish” businesses were the ones that were the least trustworthy. My thoughts on this topic were consistent and I did not want to pair with a hypocrite. In fact, when building my personal home, a subcontractor would fail the interview if they affirmed their Christianity and voluntarily stated… “I am a good Christian and I will take care of you.” Those were the ones that did not take care of me in the past. I grew up in the city of Philadelphia and learned that business is business and never mix it with religious belief systems. Religion was kept personal and on Sunday.
So now I am faced with an opportunity to change the direction of my business career by partnering with a man I knew in my gut was true blue in his faith, but I still had to question him: “Do you mix God in your business?” There was a long pause as we stared at each other across the conference room table. I felt an intense calm over the room and I anticipated that his answer was going to be interesting.
When I heard his soft still voice, with a confident tone of sincerity, say, “Jesus is misrepresented”. I was intellectually awakened. I giggled and repeated his answer several times in my head.
Jesus is misrepresented…..Jesus is misrepresented….
Jesus IS misrepresented!
It was like I knew the answer, but I would never be able to articulate it in that manner nor in that tone. It was like Jesus saying to me…. “I am real and you do not know me!”
I proceeded to ask many questions to my future partner and he continued to teach me about the regenerated spirit that dwells in ALL of us. He explained to me that there is a separation of our soul and spirit at the born again experience, so that it will become whole in a process of reconciliation with God. He taught me that the soul was the producer of my will and choice and the Spirit held the blueprint of my true life.
The funny thing is, I never thought about my choices with a spiritual application, and I NEVER knew there was a Holy Spirit placed IN ME that had a plan for my life!!! My new partner walked me into the ministry, that was connected to his business, and showed me a few charts that the Lord revealed to him to teach His truth. I was in AWE… it was like I knew these charts.
My eyes and ears were completely open. I felt wiggly, weak and overwhelmed with the beauty of the charts. He said Jesus was born to reconnect us to a relationship with our Father in Heaven via the Holy Spirit. It was all about relationships, not religion.
WOW……I knew my life was about to change. Even though my life looked good on the outside it was really a mess on the inside because my spirit was not regenerated. I needed change! The change needed to be from the inside out. I needed to learn about my Holy Spirit. It was so cool… I skipped out of that office.
That day, he gave me a bible off the shelf and I took it home. I pondered many things that night and I re–confessed my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. I prayed to the Lord to forgive me for misrepresenting Him. I realized that we do perish due to lack of knowledge in Him.
All the years I sat in the Episcopal Church, I really thought that only special anointed people were privileged to have the Holy Spirit with them. The sad part that I had to face was accepting that I was religious, prideful, masking false perceptions, a big man pleaser and I never opened a bible up at home. In spiritual material, all I had was The Common Prayer Book that was given to me when I was confirmed in middle school, and I never opened it either. I wore a cross but never understood the true meaning of Jesus Christ and His walk to the cross for the removal of our sins. I was the hypocrite, not the man who wanted to partner with me.
Now my awareness was wide open and the acceleration was on!! I wanted to learn His truth and His Word. After a few nights of reading Scripture from The References of Life booklet, I started to physically and emotionally experience many manifestations. I had dreams and saw visions. My life started to change with many things and people being taken away. It was strange, the more I engaged myself in The Word and meditated on it night and day, the world changed around me. I knew to just go with it and to trust in this change. 2 Corinthians 4:16 was happening to me. It says: “Therefore, do not become discouraged, though our outer man is progressively decaying away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” I was not working in the world anymore; I was working on my relationship with Him. Draw closer to Me, and I will draw closer to you, is a Scripture that stuck.
I had to re–learn the definitions and meanings of words like repent, redeemer, faith, grace, and salvation. To me, Repent always meant “BAD” or “punishment”. When I learned it meant “to change”, I was less intimidated and open to repent.
As time passed, I experienced surges of Him and supernatural flows moving through my body. I was able to feel the Holy Spirit growing inside of me. Christ was being formed in me. One night, as I was listening to instrumental worship music, my head pulled back and my breath was taken away, and a new breath of life filled me. It was fresh and new. The spirit consumed my soul and body. I was unable to move. All my concerns were cast away and my focus was on the Word of God. I loved Him with a love I did not understand nor had I experienced before. He was real and alive IN ME! We were becoming one in spirit, soul and body.
As more time passed, I learned to worship and praise The Lord in song with many Thanksgivings. Seek and you shall find, knock and I will open the door, ask and I will answer, was a Scripture that repeated in my mind. I asked the Lord, “What is my purpose?”.
One night, I awoke with a song playing on my iPod of Meredith Andrews titled “You Are Not Alone”. I thought it was strange that it was playing, but I never heard the song before. I sat up and thought about what I was feeling. It felt like everything around me was drastically changing and I had moments as if I were alone in the world I knew He was with me, but I was truly set apart for His development in me. As the song played, I sang and listened to it several times. My tears were a flood and I felt comfort surrounding me.
After the third or fourth time in the song, I looked up and I saw a man standing there in front of me. It was Jesus and He started to talk to me and I could do was stare. He told me I was sent to help His people claim the cup. I said “The cup, what cup? What people?” I did not understand. I asked Him “Who?” and He showed me a man that looked like one of the field supervisors in our office. He said you will help him claim the cup. Then He had me draw a line on a piece of paper and write Isaiah 43, then a line under it. Under the line He told me to write SAFE. I had more questions but He went away. I kept staring at the same place and asked Him to return but He did not return. I kept hearing the words ‘claim the cup’ over and over. As I opened my bible to read Isaiah 43 I saw these words jump:
FEAR NOT…. WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS, I WILL BE WITH YOU, AND THROUGH THE RIVERS, THEY WILL NOT OVERWHELM YOU. WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE, YOU WILL NOT BE BURNED OR SCORCHED, NOR WILL THE FLAME KINDLE UPON YOU. FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. BECAUSE YOU ARE PRECIOUS IN MY SIGHT AND HONORED, AND BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, I WILL GIVE MEN IN RETURN FOR YOU AND PEOPLES IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR LIFE .YOU ARE MY WITNESS, SAYS THE LORD AND MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, THAT YOU MAY KNOW ME, BELIEVE ME AND REMAIN STEADFAST TO ME, AND UNDERSTAND THAT I AM HE. BEFORE ME THERE WAS NO GOD FORMED, NEITHER SHALL THERE BE AFTER ME. DO NOT REMEMBER THE FORMER THINGS, NEITHER CONSIDER THE THINGS OF OLD. BEHOLD I AM DOING A NEW THING!
The promises of God are to bring all things to our remembrance when it is time. The truth will be released with His Love, and His Word will go forth as a confession from my mouth, and it will not come back to me void. My life is not my own, as I was bought with the blood of Jesus Christ, so WE can yield a harvest on the Earth. Seed, Time, and Harvest!
I Praise The Lord for His timing, because only His time can perfect His Truth and Love in us. We rejoice in the beautiful exchange as it yields its harvest which is the inheritance that is the destiny designed for all those who delight themselves in Him. Being patient is the key in our Kingdom development, as our desires are developed in Him, so the Father can give us all things to enjoy; especially, the desires of our renewed heart.
My life is a new creation in Him. I write this testimony of my conversion and change as evidence of the true relationship with The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit that dwell within me. We are a team!!! An Everlasting Team!!!
Leigh Renee Breon
“Therefore, do not become discouraged, though our outer man is progressively decaying away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
