I’m pleased to welcome Krista Pettiford toour Lenten focus on faithfulness. Her heart to affirm women is deeply felt in her book, A Call to God’s Daughters to Step into His Lab (Love – Acceptance – Beauty) and in her L.A.B. Chat podcasts on ITunes and kristapettiford.com.

She candidly shares how God pursued her, even when her dreams fell apart. Thank you Krista for sharing your story on finding faithful in the midst of divorce.

I’m grateful for how she candidly shares how God pursued her, even when her dreams fell apart.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalms 34:18 NLT
Krista’s story:

Married just short of seven years, my marriage began to unravel. I’d been in a relationship with my then husband for over 15 years. We met, lived together, had children and married without the benefits of walking with God.

However, shortly after we married, I was radically born-again. I don’t believe my salvation is to blame for things going south. But they did.

1. How would you describe your faith walk or view of God before your pain appeared?

Before the pain of divorce, I’d just become a new Christian so my view of God was still coming into focus. I grew up in the Catholic religion and had a relationship with God through Jesus as my Savior.

However, as an adult, I had four children and got married — in that order. I didn’t know enough to fully trust God, but I knew He was real and I was willing to follow Him.

2. What surprised you the most about this season of your life?

The thing that surprised me about this season in my life was that it happened.

As a new Christian, I began to hear about the many ways God could and wanted to bless me. Then bam — my marriage and my life fell apart!

It was a contradiction to what I was hearing. But I was already smitten by grace. It seemed the closer I drew to God, the more the seams of my life came undone.

I continued to go after Him and learned to trust His word, even though I couldn’t trace what He was doing. I had no logical explanation for my husband leaving less than three years after I put my faith in Christ.

3.Who or what did God use to teach you about (or remind you of) His faithfulness and love?

God used my relationship with Him and the church. I started going to early morning intercessory prayer with a group of older women. They prayed with me for God to bring my husband back.

That didn’t happen. But God walked me through that season of life and gave me the grace to keeping going.

I learned to enter into His presence, worship Him, and hear His undeniable voice during that time. As I lay on the altar and prayed for others, God ministered to me. He directed me and guided me. He showed me and told me He is faithful.

4. How does God use your testimony to encourage others?

Now, I lead the same prayer ministry God used to heal me. I’m the women’s ministry leader at my local church and I minister to women in crisis or transition.

I know and share the assurance that God is near to the broken-hearted and sets those that are alone in families. He leads them to a wealthy place.

I teach women how to have a deeper relationship with God. Some are married, single, or somewhere in between, which is where I lived for a long time.

I am able to teach others how to hear His voice, be led by Him, and allow His love, acceptance, and beauty to shape their identities as they live out their faith.

5. How do you desire to demonstrate faithfulness in your walk with God?

I desire to stay the course in all God has given me to do. I desire to be the woman He’s called me to be — to do the work and finish the race He’s called me to run.

Krista Pettiford is mom to four beautiful children, the women’s ministry leader and a prayer leader at her local church, New Covenant Tabernacle located in San Diego where she lives.

She is also a dynamic speaker. Krista has a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Southern California Seminary. She writes and ministers with a solid Biblical message and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. She is dedicated to leading women into a deeper relationship with the triune God and helping them be who God created them to be.

You can connect with Krista on her website at www.kristapettiford.com.

You can also connect with her through social media: Instagram: @kristapettiford Twitter: @kristapettiford Facebook: kristapettifordpage and YouTube: kristapettifordchan