The One I Love Calls to Me

By B. Olivia Strothers

The journey of life is a life we live in stages, not just by ourselves, but also with our families. How we handle these stages will determine the life we live. I hope that as I have shared some of my own journey with you, you also are inspired to lean on and trust the only wise individual who can love, comfort, lead, and guide you successfully throughout all of these stages. He is our Peace, Comforter, Strength, Teacher, Advocate, and Love, and as you communicate with Him, He will show you how. After all, He is the Messiah.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781646709618

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

The Bridegroom-King

An Ancient Word for a Brand-New Day

A Poem from Father God to Me

The Wedding Gown

In the Secret Place

My Identity

Surviving

God, You Promised!

Questions Lurking in My Mind

Seasons in Our Lives

God's Intent

You've Got the Game Messed Up

Caught Up

Hiding in Plain Sight

The Cup

Who or What Is Calling You?

My Faith

Love, a Powerful Action

Whose Report Will You Believe?

A Sinner's Prayer

Notes

About the Author

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The One I Love Calls to Me

B. Olivia Strothers

ISBN 978-1-64670-960-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64670-961-8 (Digital)

Copyright © 2020 B. Olivia Strothers

All rights reserved

First Edition

Scripture quotations marked TPT are taken from Song of Songs: Divine Romance, The Passion Translation, Copyright© 2014, 2015, Used by permission of Broad Street Publishing Group, LLC, Racine,Wisconsin, USA. All rights reserved. www.thepassiontranslation.com.

Scripture quotations taken from the AMPLIFIED BIBLE, Copyright© 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by the Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright© 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of New Press Publishing Group.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, Copyright© 1962 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

God the Father

This book is passionately dedicated to the glory of God, my Abba, His only begotten Son, Jesus, who is my Brother, Savior, and Lord, and to the personality of them both, the Holy Spirit, my Comforter. I love you all as One, as well as individually.

My children

To all of my children, and their children, from this generation forward. My love for you all is limitless. The greatest legacy that I could leave to each one of you is the legacy of Jesus Christ. Always remember that you are the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus. It starts with believing on Him through faith (Romans 10:9–10).

Ron McPhatter Jr.

To Ron, my son, whose love and support has undergirded me through the most horrendous storms of my life. It is this child, whom God has used as an instrument, to honor me as his mother, respect me as his elder, and communicate with me as his friend. Thank you, my son, for truly loving me and for sharing your life and family with me.

Doris Mines

To my friend Doris Mines, whose prayers and support have been invaluable to me and my family. You were the midwife whom God used in a season, where it seemed as if my entire life shattered into pieces. You are the epitome of God's love to me. Thank you, Doris, sincerely.

The Bridegroom-King

O my beloved, you are lovely.

When I see you in your beauty,

I see a radiant city where we will dwell as one.

More pleasing than any pleasure,

More delightful than any delight,

You have ravished my heart,

Stealing away my strength to resist you.

Even hosts of angels stand in awe of you.

Turn your eyes from me; I can't take it anymore!

I can't resist the passion of these eyes that I adore.

Overpowered by a glance, my ravished heart—undone.

Held captive by your love, I am truly overcome!

For your undying devotion to me

Is the most yielded sacrifice.

The shining of your spirit

shows how you have taken my truth

To become balanced and complete.

Your beautiful blushing cheeks

Reveal how real your passion is for me,

Even hidden behind your veil of humility.

I could have chosen any from among the vast multitude

Of royal ones who follow me.

But one is my beloved dove—unrivaled in your beauty,

Without equal, beyond compare,

the perfect one, the only one for me.

Others see your beauty and sing of your joy.

Brides and queens chant your praise:

How blessed is she!

Look at you now—

Arising as the dayspring of the dawn,

fair as the shining moon.

Bright and brilliant as the sun in all its strength.

Astonishing to behold as a majestic army

Waving banners of victory.

The Shulamite Bride

Why would you seek a mere Shulamite like me?

Why would you want to see my dance of love?

The Bridegroom-King

Because you dance so gracefully,

As though you danced with angels!"

(Song of Solomon 6:4–10, 13b, Passion Translation)

An Ancient Word for a Brand-New Day

Be not wise in your own eyes, reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn entirely away from evil. It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.

—Proverbs 3:7–8

Growing up in my culture, I was easily manipulated by my thought process, and I developed my own preconceived attitudes about that which was exposed to me, in the form of education, family beliefs, and lifestyle, as well as social contacts.

In order to keep pace with all of the above, survival became my first and foremost instinct, resulting from the personal conflicts dwelling within me. That survival instinct was totally contrary to the thoughts and desires of my Maker and Creator, who designed me to have a relationship with Him. He had another molding in mind, out of which He wanted me to be shaped; unfortunately, my present design was already cast.

Now ordinarily, society says that after the age of five years old, what you have become, how you think, and any issues that you may have developed, are a done deal. Yet my Maker and Creator said that nothing is ever impossible for Him, and that no word from Him shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment (Luke 1:37; Matthew 19:26). He reassured me that if I would just follow His instructions and commands, with the help of the Holy Spirit, reverencing and worshipping only Him, I would be changed. My thoughts would become His thoughts, and I would begin to detest my way of doing things. My speech would no longer be vile and distorted; my ways would no longer be perverted; my disposition would be like the One who would redeem me from myself and the self-imposing standards of others.

So being thoroughly sick of myself, I decided to taste and see (Psalm 34:8) if what was extended to me, was going to be powerful enough to change me, or would this be another broken promise that would send me further into the belief that my way of doing things wasn't so bad after all.

It is something quite powerful in esteeming my Maker, the Creator of all the earth (Psalm 24:1–2). It actually moves Him to do what His heart has been longing to do since the beginning of time as we know it. He is an ancient word for a brand-new day, and that word is quick and powerful; it gets in between the intents of my heart and the discerning of all of my thoughts (Hebrews 4:12–13).

I would like to think of the whole ordeal as being not wise in your own eyes, as quoted in the beginning, is to whether or not you think this has worked for me. Reverently fear and worship Him for yourself and then you will have all the proof you will need.

Oh yes, my Creator has a name. You can call Him Ancient of Days, but I choose to call Him my Lord God, Creator of all.

A Poem from Father God to Me

When I speak to your heart direction

And you obey Me,

Notice that it is many times

Without counting up the cost,

Because you, my Daughter

Would shrink back in fear and intimidation.

So your aggressiveness is noted

In many a situation.

Then when you are in the midst

Of what I have called you to

I can help you,

Seeing it is already too late

To turn back.

As you see yourself halfway

From the point of destination,

You will gradually realize

It takes the same amount of energy

To move forward as it does to shrink back.

It is your call, Daughter

You decide.

But, clearly, you can see

That my Yoke, up to this time,

Has been much easier.

—by the Author

The Wedding Gown

As I sit here in my chair, in the corner of my bedroom, tears streaming down my