Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: I found my identity through Christ

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 a 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 that 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 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/teracarissa.  I have a snippet where I minister the sermon Come Out Of 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, but there is also a huge chance He will not. Everyone talks a lot about Ruth and Boaz. But, you must understand that Ruth left her home in Moab and went to a different city called Judah. God is not saying move to Russia or Kenya. He is saying add more to your life to increase your chances of being 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. Some women just don’t live life. You can go to the movies, to the spa, bowling, five star restaurants, etc. 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 from the woman, the prophetess and your ministry?

Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges: I found my identity through Christ through personal prayer, worship, Bible Study, and conversations 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 somethings 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 people to make you an idol.” So for those who follow me on Twitter, they 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 to not let me be human. 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 is single women wanting to marry pastors. They want to marry pastors because they are seeing the glitz and the glamour of “being the first lady,” but don’t understand 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 drive a nice car because God has blessed the fruits of your hands, when you can take yourself out to a 5 star restaurant, when a man comes along who can or cannot do that for you, you’re not easily moved. You are not checking him out for what he is driving, but what is driving him and that is his character, which is most important. You can have a great life if they put their trust in the Lord, and not run behind a man.

The Certain Ones Magazine: One of the most key issues that women have a problem with is time tables. The waiting process can play havoc on the emotions of many 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 remind women that your husband is designed to be your mate and not your 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, 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? 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 about Ruth immediately “Who is she? Where 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 delusions that 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 as it relates to marriage is that you don’t get all these spiritual confirmations without some natural affirmation. Marriage, although it is heavenly designed, is an earthly institution that has to be walked out in the earth realm.

Click and listen to Prophetess Tera Carissa Hodges interview on The Certain Ones Talk Show.