For the Moms – Tides of Faith w/ Jessie DiVola

How many children do you have? I have four children.

How old are your child(ren) OR how long have you been a mom? Ages 6, 4, 4 and 2.

Are you a mom of girls, boys, or both? Three boys and a daughter (2)

How has fierce faith driven you to intercede for, stand with, or fight against on behalf of you and or your family – in spite of what things looked like in the natural?

In September of 2021 my husband went to rehab for a second time in two years for a Percocet addiction he had been battling for over a decade.

At the same time that he was there, our employer mandated all employees to be vaccinated. I did not want to be vaccinated, but I also knew that we could not afford to lose half of our income.

At the time I wasn’t walking with the Lord even though I was a believer, but I felt the Holy Spirit pushing me towards Jesus. I began to pray every day over this situation, and I did so for three weeks. I asked the Lord for guidance in the way I should go. At the end of those three weeks, I felt an overwhelming peace with the thought of resigning.

My husband supported my decision to leave and stay home to raise our children. This was something that I wanted to do from the time the twins were born, but could not do so because of my husband’s addiction. Although we had two incomes coming in we were barely making it on one, because he spent his paycheck on drugs. At that point he had only been home from rehab two weeks and had seven weeks of sobriety under his belt.

Many who were on the outside looking in must have thought that I was crazy.

How could I trust that he wouldn’t relapse again and drain our bank accounts to support his addiction?

Why would I put so much pressure on him when he was just barely getting his life back in order?

Well, it wasn’t my husband who I was placing my trust in. It was Jesus who I trusted with every fiber of my being. I surrendered my husband over to Jesus, and gave up trying to control everything. I had faith that the Lord had a greater plan for our family and would provide for us.

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)

After submitting my letter of resignation, the first thing I did was find a church. The Holy Spirit had been nudging me for several months to get myself and my family in the house of the Lord.

I had worked Sundays for eight years, and now I had no excuse to not attend Sunday service. That first Sunday service I attended at my church was confirmation that I had made the right decision about leaving my job.

When I pulled into the parking lot I began to cry uncontrollably, and I did not understand why. The crying continued on and off during the service. The message that day was about why the church should care about the next generation of believers. The Holy Spirit began doing a work in me the moment I pulled into the church parking lot, and continued to speak to me when I was inside. It was then that I knew that the reason I felt peace about resigning from my job was because Christ was leading us to Him.

Giving Jesus our yes and having fierce faith in Him has completely transformed our lives. My husband was not a believer before going to rehab. He has been sober now over a year and a half and admits that without Jesus he could not maintain his recovery.

I believe the Lord used my husband’s addiction and the vaccine mandate to bring us to His feet. We have placed Him at the head of our home and in the center of our marriage. Through this journey He has slowly transformed each of us individually, our marriage and our parenting. Our children now know who Jesus is and look forward to attending church on Sundays.

“ I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long”.
(Psalm 71:7-8)

“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deed, yours alone”.
(Psalm 71:14-16)

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Define biblical motherhood.

Biblical motherhood is kingdom work.

As mothers, our first ministry begins at home and our greatest work is raising children who know and love Jesus.

We are raising the next generation of Christians who in turn will raise the next generation of Christians. The work that we do at home affects eternity, although the world likes to tell us otherwise. Society today tells us that our skills and our time could be put to better use outside the home. Why would you want to spend your days changing diapers, preparing meals, cleaning, and caring for sick children, when instead you could be a fierce independent woman, making money, and spending it on travel, food and other luxuries?

However, the Apostle Paul had a lot to say about this matter:

In Colossians 3:23 he says, “Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men.”

He went on to tell Titus that when promoting sound doctrine, the older women should teach what is good and train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their owns husbands, so that they don’t bring on shame to the word of God. (Titus 2:4-5).

Biblical motherhood is also sacrificial love. In Ephesians Paul tells us to be imitators of God and to follow the example of Christ who offered himself as a fragrant offering and sacrifice because he loved us.

When you become a mother you may have to sacrifice a career, or sacrifice your time. Our selfish desires have to be put to death on the cross.

While you are in this season, be encouraged in knowing that the work you do as a mother pleases God. Also remember His promise that someday you will know the impact of your work.

Proverbs 31:31: “Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”

How is the enemy waging war on Motherhood?

I love this question, because this was discussed in a bible study group I lead.

As we talked about what spirit-filled homemaking looks like, the topic of our phones being a distraction was brought up. Our phones and social media take so much of our time and distracts us from time with the Father, our children, and even housework.

Then the question was posed, “Why is it that we find it so easy to do everything as for the Lord and not man except when it comes to mothering?”

The answer is the enemy is waging war on Motherhood. He doesn’t just destroy families through divorce, he also attacks mothers since we are typically the primary caretakers of the children in the home. We end up battling spiritual warfare whether we realize it or not.

He distracts us from what is important, and we end up eating the bread of idleness. He makes us feel like our children are a burden instead of a gift from the Lord, and he gives us a spirit of anxiety and depression.

The woman of Proverbs 31 watches over the affairs of her household. We can do the same by managing our time, our family’s needs, and our homes‘ needs like rest, health, love and affection, teaching and listening to our children.

We don’t just want to share a house with our children, we want to nurture them, so we create a home. Proverbs 14:1 says “The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” This is why it is so important to always be alert and of sober minds. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5: 8-9)

In the oftentimes unending demand of mothering, how do you keep Christ first?

Our relationship to the Lord is described as Him not only being a Father, but also as a husband. He is a jealous God and wants intimate time with us.

What happens to your relationship with your husband if you go a period of time without intimacy? If we are not intentional about making time with our spouse, we may begin to feel like there is a wedge between us. It is the same with God.

When I don’t make time for Him, that is when I feel like He isn’t there. Many times I can’t feel Him or hear the voice of the Holy Spirit if I am not nurturing our relationship.

Throughout all four Gospels we see Jesus retreating from the crowds to spend time in prayer. I try to do the same by waking up while the house is still quiet, and transitioning into reading the Bible. I say “try” because I’ve struggled in the winter months when I’m warm and cozy in my bed.

Matthew 26:36-45 shows us a picture of what many of us battle with everyday. Jesus went to Gethsemane in the middle of the night to pray. He took Peter, John, and James. Jesus told the disciples to pray as well. Every time Jesus returned to the group he found them asleep. He asked Peter “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41).

This happens either in the morning when we’d rather sleep in or at night when we fall asleep in the middle of prayer. It takes discipline and work on our part to change our daily routine, like going to bed earlier and setting an alarm.

Start by asking the Lord for help in overcoming the challenge you face with the flesh. Every time I’ve asked Him for the strength and energy to peel myself out of bed, the Lord has answered my prayers, because He too wants that intimate time.

The final way I keep Christ first is by being in communion with Him. The Lord wants to be a part of every aspect of our lives, not just our daily quiet time with Him. As I move about my day I constantly talk to Him. I talk to Him while driving, cooking, washing the dishes, folding laundry, etc. I began doing this, because I would tell myself I had to pray about something, but more often than not after running around all day with the kids I would forget. The second reason is, because by the time my head touched the pillow, I’d be so exhausted that I would begin to fall asleep in the middle of prayer.

Over time I realized that inviting the Holy Spirit into every aspect of my life is a key component of the sanctification process. The more I spent time with Him the more I turned to Him for guidance and direction, because I wanted to live a life that reflects Jesus and pleases the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “pray without ceasing”.

Connect with Jessie

Instagram: @Lionesslove15

I am all the more grateful for the women (like Jessie) who have chosen to join me on this journey of transparency. I can’t thank you enough.

For the Moms is an annual written blog series which aims to ignite and connect Godly Women in various stages of Motherhood toward the revelation of their Divinely given assignment and their impact as the gatekeepers of the home.

The purpose and mission is to elevate Christ and conceptualize Godly character in Motherhood – and to reach down and pull up those Mothers who are just starting, who are understandably worn, or who have somehow lost their way.

Further, For the Moms is a movement that is calling to attention the warriors within us for the times in which we live. We will aim to unravel the mistakes and cycles of generations past. We will wage war for our families. And, we will diligently seek the Lord’s face concerning His will for our children, and who we are becoming through our Motherhood.

My prayer is that the women who lay eyes on the For the Moms Series, will be encouraged, emboldened, and all the more hopeful. I sure am.

For the Moms,

Hannah

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