By Lisa Brooks
I gave my life to Christ when I was nine years old. My mom and I had found a church, and it was there, in Vacation Bible School, that I first said yes to Jesus.
But by twelve, my world was shattered. I was violated, hurt, and lost. When I found the courage to confide in an adult at school, I was told that I had made the story up. I did not understand why, and in my pain, I blamed God. My mom was the only one who believed me. She stood by me when no one else would, carrying a weight no mother should have to carry, yet choosing to protect and love me through it all.
Through a situation that occurred, we were deeply hurt by the church we were attending, and we walked away. What was meant to be a place of safety became another place of pain. I built walls around my heart and carried unforgiveness for years. Isolation became my place of refuge. Trusting others felt unsafe, and vulnerability felt impossible. I learned how to survive by shutting people out. I did not want to be around anyone. I just hurt.
But God…
At sixteen, I found another church and began to receive healing. Little by little, God started breaking through the walls I had built. I rededicated my life to Him, even though I did not fully understand what healing would look like. I just knew I needed Him.
By eighteen, I encountered Him in prayer in a supernatural way I will never forget.
His presence came over me like a wave, overwhelming, undeniable, and healing. And then I began to feel what I can only describe as a fire surrounding my heart. It was not painful. It was cleansing. It was healing. It was a beautiful and powerful presence that wrapped around the deepest parts of me, reaching places no one else could touch.
In that sacred moment, it felt as though everything hardened inside of me was being burned away. Every layer of bitterness, anger, resentment, and unforgiveness began to lift. This was not just emotional. It was supernatural. It was a divine encounter that became a turning point in my life.
And in that moment, the Lord did what only He can do.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
He removed my hardened heart and replaced it with a heart of flesh. He allowed me to see people the way He sees them. He gave me the strength to forgive, even my attacker and others who had wounded me along the way.
In that moment, something broke and something new was born.
I forgave.
I was delivered.
I was healed.
I was set free.
Prayer became my weapon. My lifeline. The place where I could be honest, where I could cry, and where I could be restored. It became the place where I found strength when I had none left. That is why I believe in the power of prayer so deeply. It is communication with the Creator. It is where healing begins and where strength is restored. It is power. It moves. It changes things. It is where heaven meets earth and where hearts are transformed.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I learned to walk in forgiveness, even when it felt impossible. I have watched God move in my mother’s life too, slowly drawing her back to Him after years of hurt. What once felt broken in my family, He has been restoring, piece by piece, with grace, patience, and love.
I have been walking with Christ for over twenty years now, and I have seen His hand in every season, through the pain, the healing, the waiting, and the redemption. Even in the moments when I did not understand, He was still there. Even in the silence, He was still working.
And I made a promise to Him and to myself.
No matter what storms come,
No matter what trials I face,
I will stand firm.
I will serve Him.
I will not be moved.
Because His Word is true. “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
