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Grace Magazine | www.fbcglenarden.org 23 let God. I fell into a brief sleep and awoke with a new understanding of God. I told people I got up a new creature with a new understanding of who I was in God. Grace: Is there anything specific that helps you to continue your journey? MELLISSA: Specifically, the things that help me in my journey since the Fall are: I block a day on my calendar each month, usually the third Sunday, called "Me Time," just to rest and be in His presence. I try not to clutter it with any ministry activity or anything unnecessary. Just let Him give me rest. I remember that God has a call on my life that cannot return void. I must be brave enough to follow through without fear and have faith that God is with me. I always remind myself that if He has called me to do anything, He has equipped me with all I need to bring it to fruition so there is enough in me to be brave. I constantly remind myself God is sovereign and bigger than all my problems and every one of my situations. Grace: Which of McNeal's quotes have had the most profound impact on you? "You cannot serve from an empty vessel. An empty bag has nothing to give. You can't pour out when you are empty." Grace: Do you feel braver now than you did at the start of your journey, why? I most definitely feel braver. To start, I felt like a fool admitting that I did not think that God had me in a room of my peers. I could not believe I was expected to get on that chair on that stage and fall backwards in faith and release all my jacked-upness. I thought I would be the laughing stock for the remainder of the retreat and definitely once we returned, but it was quite the opposite. People came up to me and said I did what they inwardly wanted to but never could and were proud of me. People celebrated the breakthrough that occurred with me. Grace: What have you done to become more brave each day? MELLISSA: Each day, I stay brave by looking for the setup from God to be brave. Let me explain. That was a setup at the retreat. God clearly told me I would be going up front to help DeLatorro and that no one else was going to respond but me. I thought it was crazy until I saw it happening before my eyes. I was on the stage assisting the man, as a notetaker, who God would use to change my life. Look for the setups in your life that will orchestrate you to be braver. God knows when we are ready to be brave before we do. We were not innately born with fear. We learned fear when we came upon a situation or circumstance we thought was too big or too hard for us, forgetting nothing is too big or hard for God. TO BE BRAVER DAILY, I feed my gift. I used to hide from the prophetic gift that God placed on my life. In order to operate in this gift, I MUST be brave in order to speak what He says. I try to have daily conversations with God and stay in my Word. I try to always remain my true authentic self; honest and transparent before God. I also try to get the proper rest so that I can replenish. I try to eat properly and stay hydrated so that my senses stay attuned. I also remind myself of my own release experience and what God did for me that day and that He always has my back. Grace: Do you have any suggestions for someone who may be trying to become more brave? MELLISSA: ADVICE - Feel the Sun Even When It Does Shine, Know There Is Love Even When It Is Not There, Believe In God Even When He Is Silent, Always Listen For The Tap And Be Brave.G Chaé Carriere-Young Contributing Writer