MEET Bethany

Bethany’s first non-fiction book, Helicopter Mom, was published in May 2017 to rave reviews and lives changed. She is already busy writing her second and third books, Junk in the Trunk and Lucifer’s veil, while continuing to play around with other snippets of book ideas. she writes for a variety of christian ministries including YouVersion, Holy Beautiful, and her own LIFT! Ministry as well as blogging regularly. Bethany will tell you she has an opinion on just about everything so you never know what she’ll be writing or speaking about next!

Bethany and her husband Gabe along with their 3 bio kids (and a variety of other children that god loans them from time to time through fostering) reside in southwest Missouri. bethany is a retired flight nurse, having been called in 2017 to christian ministry with writing and speaking full-time. however most days you can find her ‘momming’ her way from dawn to dusk with her kids. Bethany has a special love for the disabled community and spends a lot of time advocating for them (you might catch glimpses of her daughter #littleMiss around her social media who was born with some designer genes.) she is passionate about sharing her experiences, her losses, loves, and legacy with others in order that they may know christ better.

I want you to LIFT! What Do I Mean?

 

I Thought You Would Never Ask.

Click Here To LIFT!

I am a sinner… holy moly have I got a corner on the market on sinning! I’m (unfortunately) extremely good at it and I’ve (also unfortunately) had a ton of practice at it. I’m a adulteress (twice over! The first time with a woman and the second time with a married man), I’ve dabbled in drugs, considered stripping for awhile to make money, I went through a time of pathological lying, of demonic warfare, of being within 2 days of divorce proceedings with my husband. During the really rough stuff, I was diagnosed with multiple personalities (which was, in my opinion, some for reals demonic oppression). I was sexually abused by my uncle for many years as a child, I spend years of my high school and college years, and even my early marriage just seeking God. I was so lost and had so much baggage. So many hurts haunted me wherever I went- both thrust upon me and many that I inflicted on myself.

I grew up in a middle America home with a loving and Christian family. My parents were (and still are!) wonderful, God-fearing and God-following people. I was raised in strong churches and with overall great relationships with friends and family. But this wasn’t enough to protect me from evil, both inside and outside of myself.

But God has changed me!

The minute my husband, Gabe, served me with divorce papers in 2003 I had a major decision to make…. To finally and fully commit myself to God… or shake the dice and continue to do life by my own rules. I was knee-deep in the middle of a lesbian relationship at the time. Gabe and I had been separated for many months at this point. I was a shell of the person I could be- lonely, defiant, stressed, depressed, prideful, angry, hurt… you name it. I was a mess.

I made the decision to seek God mostly out of fear of losing my marriage… but it was made with anger and insolence. I was not happy with life! I was so angry- I remember telling God, “You’d better make this decision worth it… because I know what I’m giving up (what I thought was the love of my life…) and I’m not sure You can beat it!” (Looking back, I’m so glad that fire and brimstone didn’t rain down on me that very second! I certainly would’ve deserved it five times over!)

I went into intensive counseling with an amazing older gentleman and someone who came to be a father-figure, mentor, and friend to me and Gabe both. It was years in process. During this time I started remembering abuse I’d had in the past, issues that I had with trust in men, and overall the utter brokenness that was so manifest in my life. I had been a Christian all my life, I’d given Jesus my heart at an early age… and yet my life had slowly slithered down into the abyss. Through the guidance of my counselor, a lot of love and support from my husband and family, I slowly trudged out of the gates of Hell.

And what a journey it was! The demonic warfare that raged around me was intense! The devil wasn’t giving me up without a fight… but I had the Overcomer in my corner and ultimately rode in victory to the healthy, happy, and whole woman that I am today!

---

But the story doesn’t end there back in those days. Even coming out of the affair and fixing my marriage, I faced a lot of judgment and black-balling from the church, from people who should have been praying and encouraging me. Gabe got much support, I however did not. He was embraced, I was not. It was an unexpected development during those hard times. I was surprised and deeply wounded by those who I turned to in my need. Both Gabe and I spent several years healing from the wounds inflicted on us during that season.

Bethany L Douglas

As if that wasn’t enough, as if I hadn’t learned the lesson fully (which clearly by my behavior I had not), in 2007 I had another affair, this time with a married man. I knew it was wrong, and thank God is was not as ‘physical’ as my previous one, however it exposed much additional healing that I obviously needed- both in myself and in my marriage. The affair ended on its own without Gabe finding out about it. I had never planned on telling him, figuring he would leave me for good this time, until one fateful afternoon many many years later…during a time that we were actually thriving in our relationship, in our personal lives, with a great church, and with God.

One sunny afternoon in 2012, Gabe had a confession for me… he had hidden a porn addiction from me- for literally our entire marriage. I was stunned. He had lied to me about it dozens and dozens of times, and I had believed him. I felt my world turn upside down, I felt betrayed, humiliated, a fool. It was an impossible pill to swallow. And yet I had to, because I was convicted that afternoon to finally tell him about my second affair. Whew… you can just imagine how that conversation went- on both our sides! There was a lot of crying, confession, repentance, forgiveness, and renewal. It took time for both of us, but God (once again) walked us through it.

God is so good! He is the great physician, the great healer, the great Prince of Peace. And He has brought real peace, real truth, real confession, real repentance, and real transformation to our house! Without Him I would be lost (still and forever!)

Today I want to encourage you dear one- as I can personally attest, there is NOTHING that you’ve done or gone through that God cannot fix completely. In fact, I’ll go a step further and proclaim that what your issues are, God will not only fix… He will make better! That unholy vow I told Him during my first affair He has answered me in spades. I work at it, I practice walking with my Savior, I have to commit to being intentional and on guard in this journey called life. I refuse to let those years of hard work not be proclaimed from the mountain tops- because in my weaknesses God is made great! He is the ultimate savior and redeemer! My life now is more blessed, more fulfilling, more peaceful, more complete than anything I could have possibly imagined. It is not perfect, and I am still a sinner (I always will be, though I try not to!) BUT (and that’s a BIG BUT!) I am a living, breathing testament what the blood of Jesus can do in a life.

Please do not ever think that you are beyond redemption!

I believe that Christ literally descended into the bowels of Darkness to retrieve me out of its depths-

He only asked me to take the steps with Him.

And if I can do that… You can too!

If those steps need to be taken today, I beg you to take them. Walk with Him, step by step, He’ll carry you if needed for while (He definitely did that for me), but you have to LET HIM.

The clock is ticking– whether we want it to or not

 Dear one, if you do not know for certain, with 100% assurance that you belong to Christ, I would be horribly remiss by not showing you how to ensure your salvation.

If you are feeling the Holy Spirit stirring inside you, that feeling deep in your bones that will not let up and keeps calling you to submit, then please read further. The MOST pressing thing on my heart is my hope that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9), that you are transformed by the blood of Jesus that was shed for you! I invite you today, this moment, to enter into the most fantastic journey you will ever venture on. If you feel those stirrings please do not ignore them. God the Father is calling you by name to come join Him as a friend, servant, warrior, daughter, sister, and fellow heir to heaven (Romans 8:17). He wants a relationship with YOU! He desires YOU to do this thing called life together! He is passionately seeking and pursuing YOU! Do not ignore this amazing opportunity, my friend.

(The following has a ton of scripture. I encourage you to follow along with me in your Bible, however, if you do not have ready access to one I have written out the most important verses for you to read. The rest of the scripture texts are for reference only, you can certainly check those out at a later time.)

“So what do I do? Where do I start?”

I thought you’d never ask! First off, I do want to tell you that this is a decision not to be taken lightly. Unlike many “conversion experiences,” I want you to know what you are getting into. God promises to walk with us through thick and thin, to uphold us and never leave us, to run with us and alongside us in this journey of life. He ensures us His protection, His comfort, His shelter, His presence, His peace, His wisdom, and discernment (Psalm 91 among others). But being a Christian does not guarantee that everything will go perfectly in your life forevermore. Contrary to popular belief, nowhere in the Bible does it state that Christians have it made in the shade when it comes to an easy life. In fact, many times the opposite is true.  BUT (and as our pastor likes to say, “That’s a big but!”) all things are ours in Christ Jesus! And with God on our side, how can we lose? Amen?

Our salvation comes at no small price-  not only was it purchased by no less than Jesus’ sacrifice and blood on the cross, but it comes with the sacrifice of our very selves as well. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, the life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NIV). It is a hard road to walk with Jesus, potentially fraught with peril and persecution from outside and from within. It is a constant pursuit of seeking the Savior and obedience to Him. This “thing” we call Christianity is not for the faint of heart, and not everyone will make it. Again, it is just the cold, hard truth. “You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT). Did you catch that? Not all will enter! And yet, the door is open to everyone who seeks to enter it. It is closed to no one! “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8 ESV). Will you knock today? God promises to open the door and usher you in, with grinning face, tears of joy streaming down, arms open wide, and joy in His heart to meet you. He’s been waiting for you!

So, let’s do this! First off, dear one let us acknowledge the fact that we are sinners, plain and simple. There is nothing good in us, we are not “born good”, we are not infallible, we are just old-fashioned, fallen people. And we always have been. Romans 3:23 (NIV) tells us, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our spiritual genetics inherited all the way back from Adam are burned into our very DNA. We are helplessly and hopelessly sinful with no redeeming qualities. Any attempt at “goodness” looks like filthy mud when compared to God’s surpassing glory and perfection (Isaiah 64:6). In short, we cannot get into heaven on our own volition. There is no amount of praying, doing good things, being a good person, working hard, giving enough, or even sitting in enough church services to gain entry into heaven. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts.

And the real rub here is that God, by His very nature, is perfect. He cannot be imperfect, He cannot be around anything that is less than perfect. So it leaves us in a bit of a bind… He wants and desires us to be with Him. After all, when He first created us, His invitation included that we would basically be best friends with Him for eternity. Remember back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God’s desire was that we would be without sin so that we could hang with Him forever. At least that was the original plan… But sin entered the world and forever altered the landscape of heavenly possibilities. Eve’s decision to eat the fruit (if you are not familiar with this story see Genesis 2:15-3:1-24) ultimately tore asunder the link that had been forged by God between Himself and us. Which, for obvious reasons, pretty much screwed mankind for all eternity (#thanksalotEve).