The Certain Ones Magazine: Prophetess share with us information on your upcoming Women’s Jamaican retreat.
Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: June 13th-15th
2013, we are going to be in Jamaica to worship and praise God. I call
it worship on the water. We get to worship God in tropical place. We so
often think we can only worship the Lord in a traditional manner, in
the four walls of our local church. That’s not true; you can worship and
praise God anywhere. I preach in my singles ministry, whether you are
married or not I tell them, “Girl you better get a life!” A part of
getting a life is getting on a plane, going somewhere you have never
been, going somewhere fun and relaxing and enjoying God while you are
there.
The Certain Ones Magazine: What advice would you offer young women who desire to one day to get married?
Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: There is nothing
wrong with desiring to be married. That is something that singles in the
Lord will have, is that desire. I tell people that if they don’t desire
marriage, what are they supposed to desire? I minister this a lot; and I
would invite you to visit my YouTube page at
Youtube.com/TeraCarissaHodges. I have a snippet where I minister the
sermon “Come out the cave.” For so many women their life is just work, home,
and the grocery store; and they are wondering why they are not being
found.
Now God can do anything, He can send your husband to your front door,
there is also a huge chance that He is not. Everyone talks a lot about
Ruth and Boaz, understand that Ruth left her home Moab and went to a
different country called Judah. We are not saying move to Russia or
Kenya, He is saying add more to your life to increase your chance to be
discovered.
The Certain Ones Magazine: Salvation should not be boring, it should be fun! Some folks are just too wrapped up in church alone.
Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: Absolutely! I say
this a lot as I minister, that some women just don’t live life. Go to
the movies, to the spa, go bowling, and go to 5 stars Restaurant. There
is no sin in living; we think if our life is not church then everything
else is a sin. That’s not true. I implore people to understand, there is
so much more to you than what you’ve done. There is a big world out
there. Take some cooking classes, go the museum, and art gallery. It is
a whole life out there that awaits you.
The Certain Ones Magazine: How do you differentiate the woman and the prophetess and your ministry?
Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: I found my identity
through Christ. Through personal prayer, worship, Bible study, and
conversation with the Lord. I implore people all the time to build
their relationship with God; because that is how you’re going to find
out who you are – and why He designed you the way that you are. When I
say that, I mean that it’s not by happenstance you have the parents you
have and that you had the life experience that you had.
I know it might feel like someone else is in control of your life but
you have to understand that God is all knowing and there are
something’s that He allowed because it was tied to your spiritual DNA,
who He was fashioning you to be because it was linked to your ultimate
purpose and destiny.
When I started out in ministry I confessed to God, that I am human.
One thing that God told me was “Do not allow the people to make you an
idol.” So for those who follow me on twitter understand that I just
don’t teach scriptures only. I tweet that I am getting my hair done or I
am at the Atlanta Hawks Game. I am not going to allow people NOT to
let me be human.
People fall because they act so different from others, we all have a
call, and my call may be different. God doesn’t just expect holiness
from the leaders but from the saints as well. I surround myself with
people who don’t pull on my gifts. I have some pretty strict perimeters
that I don’t allow people to cross.
The Certain Ones Magazine: Congratulation on your article in Essence Magazine!
Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: Thank you very
much! Sophia Nelson, the author of that piece reached out to me because
of this phenomenon taking place in the body of Christ right now: which
are single women wanting to marry Pastors. They want to marry Pastors
because they are seeing the glitz and the glamor of “being the first
lady”, but don’t understand that what it takes to walk in that position.
I tell women, you don’t want a man with a title, you want a peaceful
marriage.
Just because a man has a title, that doesn’t mean that’s who he is,
when he is not functioning in that title or office on Sunday. I tell
women to build their own life, so you are not looking for a man to give
you a life. When you can take your own self on a shopping spree, and
driving a nice car because God has blessed the fruits of your hands,
when you can take yourself out to a 5 star restaurant, so that when a
man comes along; who can or cannot do that for you, you’re not easily
moved. Because you are not checking him out for what he is driving, but
what is driving him and that is his character, which is the most
important. Everyone can have a great life if they put their trust in the
Lord, and not running behind a man.
The Certain Ones Magazine: One of the most key
issues that women has a problem with is time tables. The waiting process
can play havoc on the emotions on many of women. They are advancing in
age; their biological clocks become overwhelmingly loud. So, now their
want has become greater than their need. In the middle of this all is
the lack of identity. They don’t know who they are and often times seek
validation in the arms of a man.
Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: I would reminder
women that your husband is designed mate is design to be that your mate
and not you’re God. You should have an identity before you get married.
Your purpose and life should be figured out. A marriage is not a rescue.
Too many people are looking for a rescue not a relationship. You have
the power to work on your own life.
How can a woman know if he is the one? Well number one is he
pursuing you? In the Bible (Genesis 2:23) it was Adam who made the
declaration “”This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she
shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” What kind of
declaration is he making over you? Because a man who is in love with
you, who is ready for you, and is ready to be your husband, he will make
a declaration over you; without you having to prompt him to do so. Boaz
was the one who inquired after Ruth immediately “Who is she? Who does
she come from?” He began to make provisions for her, leaving extra for
her in the field as she was gleaning.
When a man loves a woman, he protects her; number two what provisions
has he set up for you? What safety net has he put over you? So often
women get caught up in the fantasy and illusions they’ve created in
their own minds. The Bible says to cast down all imaginations that
exalt itself against the knowledge of God. Part of the knowledge of God
has it relates to marriage is that you don’t get all these spiritual
confirmation without some natural affirmation. Because marriage although
it is heavenly designed is an earthly institution that has to walked
out in the earth realm.
Tera Carissa – Relationships
