For those of you who have followed my blogging journey since my very first posts titled ‘Waiting’ and ‘Works’, you know that in 2023, the LORD revealed my calling and during that time, I sat down with Him to begin to write a book. What you don’t know is just how long I’ve had the nudging to write this book. So, let’s rewind.
At eighteen, I was a freshman in college, a virgin, and I had this deep nudging in my heart to write a book about keeping my virginity. Just four years prior, a freshman in high-school, I prayed a prayer to God. I prayed that I would meet the love of my life and save myself for him. I prayed this prayer throughout high-school and college with the firm belief that my prayer would be answered. As a sophomore in college, I even started doing personal research on virginity after hearing time and time again from friends that they regretted losing theirs the way they had. I even had a college acquaintance tell me, you have to write it. I would have loved to receive this message. I concluded my undergraduate career more than determined to keep waiting for ‘the one’. A couple of years later in my mid-twenties, I met someone who turned out to be my first serious relationship and first love.
I ignored the glaring red flags and enjoyed the ride which led me to losing my virginity in that relationship. I was convinced he was the one I would go on to marry and spend the rest of my life with. When the inevitable break-up happened a few years later, I was left with the regret of knowing I had made the wrong decision. A few years later after the break-up, I leaned back towards God as we often do in times of trials, but this time, I fully surrendered my life over to Christ which brings me to the present.
Over the course of my surrendering, He’s revealed my calling as a writer multiple times. He’s revealed that all the visions and dreams He’s given me over the years aren’t just coincidences, they are of Him. He was entrusting me with them and it was up to me to, as they say in the faith, answer the call.
God slowly, surely, and eventually, reminded me of His nudging for me to write this book. As it pertains to my debut novel, How Not To Lose Your Virginity, here are two of the couple of signs He’s given me:
I was in my prayer closet and had just finished a study session with Him when He asked me to bring my laptop in. He then told me to go to my personal email account and look up ‘how not to lose your virginity’. I asked Him why and told Him, again, with confidence, that everything pertaining to this book or even the idea to write it was fully deleted after my break-up. He responded by telling me to search in my inbox anyway. When I searched it, to my surprise, there was a zipped folder – the only one – including drafted notes and story ideas I had regarding this book. I can’t even begin to tell you why or how this was saved because from my limited understanding, everything (and I mean everything) related to this book or even the idea of writing this book had been wiped out from my end.
Here’s sign number two. I moved back home during the height of the pandemic and as God’s perfect timing would have it, there was a random box in the house that was left unnamed and unopened. For weeks, no one knew whose it was or cared to bother to open it. In fact, we figured we would just donate it. The box was on its way to donation when my sister came to me and said, hey, I noticed a notebook in the box with your name on it, you should look at it. When I looked through the box, there it was. Pages of paper with scribbled notes I had taken back as a sophomore in college, attempting to write this book. At the time, I thought the book would be about keeping my virginity from the perspective of a virgin. I would have never guessed the warning and the depth to which God was calling me to write this book from His perspective of knowing what my life’s choices would be.
To say the least, these nudges couldn’t be ignored. I sat down to write and with the empowerment of The Holy Spirit finally completed my first draft for the book in a month, my second draft the following month, and so on continued my process to write the manuscript.
Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NIV)
In January 2024, I sat down with the LORD and wrote in what I call my ‘Vision Journal’ after watching a series of studies on Habakkuk including this one. I devoted a day with Him to write in this vision journal. The plan was to spend this day with Him telling Him where I’m at in my life, where I’d like to be according to His will, and then give Him the opportunity to tell me what His plans were for my year 2024 so that we could bridge these two plans according to His will. The day was enriching and rewarding.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV)
God revealed a lot for my year, and my life in general, during this time and it was then that He also revealed that one of His visions for my year was for me to self-publish How Not To Lose Your Virginity. I was scared, nervous, and frankly, upset. I had already taken a huge leap of faith writing this book, I thought it was only fair that He didn’t have me go and publish it too. I contested it and told Him I wouldn’t, because the writing fellowships I had applied to prior to our conversation didn’t accept self-published authors and I had no desire to self-publish and didn’t think it could even validate my work. I also couldn’t afford to.
Little did I know that when God reveals a truth, it’s because He already knows the plans He has for our lives and His thoughts are above ours as Isaiah 55:8-11 tells us. God does not operate in time so He revealed His vision for me to be a self-published author because He knew I would go on to be a self-published author according to His will.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 (ESV)
Over the course of the winter months, I began to soften to the idea of self-publishing a book and learned all that I could regarding it. Eventually, I formulated a cost-effective and practically free plan to self-publish and during this time, God practically used every skill I had to enable me to do this without spending a fortune. I used skills from my personal and professional experiences to complete the manuscript, design my website, the book cover, and the formatting required for the book. My twin-sister, who also enjoys writing and is listed as Editor on the book, offered her constructive criticism on the characters, pace of the story, and manuscript. Her feedback enabled me to finalize my official manuscript without having to hire a team of professionals. Traditionally, publishing requires a team of marketing experts, editors (story editors, developmental editors, character editors, etc.), and more.
Around May of this year, I hadn’t heard back from the writing fellowships I was so desperate to be a part of despite knowing I should have heard back from them by this time. I also had sent a few inquiries for agent representation which all led to rejections. It was then that I gave my yes to God and not even a week later, I heard back from the fellowships. I wasn’t admitted to any of them. Though I’m still open to traditional publishing, it’s empowering to know that the avenue of self-publishing is available for writers.
I spent the rest of my Spring preparing for a potential book release and even decided on a release date with God – August 16th, 2024. After agreeing on the release date, I officially announced that I was self-publishing my novel on my social media and spent the remainder of summer preparing for it.
On August 16th, 2024, as God Himself previously confirmed, the book was released. A vision for my life came to pass.
I’ve never felt more exhilarated, excited, at-peace than when I’m writing. God has given me a desire of my heart that I’ve loved to do since I was young and if money hadn’t been a concern, I would have started to do much sooner. He’s given me the grace, the courage, the strength, and His wisdom to pursue my calling and accomplish something I never thought I could. I don’t know what the future holds but I know this, I will continue in the direction of this calling knowing that the LORD is with me. I pray to write many more books and stories and pieces for years to come, but I pray most of all that this post inspires you. Because if God says it in His word, He will do it. If God reveals a promise or vision to you that something will come to be, it will come to be. When God makes a promise, He doesn’t lie.
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will.”
Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
My encouragement for you this week is to sit down with Him if you haven’t done this. Ask Him to reveal those plans He has for you that He’s waiting to partner on with you. I pray that you are encouraged to know that if God can do it for me, He will do it for me again, and certainly He will and can do it for you too.
Sincerely,
Anne
Has a vision from God come to pass in your life? Comment below!
The book of Exodus is a great book to study to see how God empowers His people to do the works He’s called them to.
Here’s additional scripture to meditate on this week:
“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14 (ESV)
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
“Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”
Psalm 25:12-14 (ESV)
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:4-5 (ESV)
“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
Psalm 37: 1-7 (NIV)
“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the LORD.”
Luke 1:45 (ESV)
“and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.”
Matthew 20:4 (ESV)
he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”
Luke 8:10 (ESV)
“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”
1 Corinthians 7:17 (ESV)
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
“You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill.”
Exodus 28:3 (ESV)
Daughter in Waiting Ministry 
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