Janet's Story:How God’s Amazing Grace Transformed The Deepest Pain to Shining Joy

Speaker 1: 0:01

It's time now to get the hell out of your life. A weekly broadcast with real people sharing real struggles and offering real hope. Today's show will encourage, inspire and empower you to face life's challenges with a full confidence and renewed hope. Now let's join our host, ron Myers. The Provider.

Ron Meyers: 0:24

Hello, my friends, it is so good to be with you today. I love power, I love faith, I love to walk out of my house each and every morning knowing that I am okay with Jesus. I am, and so are you if you are a believer in Christ. But unfortunately, people, we don't have enough churches, we don't have enough preachers telling you, reminding you of your identification with Jesus, who you are. You are wholly righteous, blameless. The apostle Paul said that you and I Christians, are complete in Christ. We lack nothing to live a godly life bearing much fruit. I will go into that in a few more minutes in my monologue. But today, my guest man I love this lady, janet Perez Eccles, her story, wow. She is going to share her first hand experience of Jesus victorious living in her life despite trauma and adversity. She has a book out and we are so glad to talk to her today about this book. And, janet, the book is called Now I See how God's Amazing Grace Turns Betrayal, blindness and Heartache to Shining Joy. Janet, I love your story.

Janet Perez Eckles: 1:55

You know, when you read the subtitles, the deepest pain. I think, ron, today so many people are going through those episodes dark times, gloomy times, the world is a mess and they're wondering where do we go from here. And I think my story, ron, I'm hoping is one that would give people the new side of darkness, the new side of adversity, because I found that to be true in my life when I was 30, a disease or the retinase did my side completely. It was a matter of 18 months and it started closing in from the sides. At first it's called retinitis pigmentosa and at the beginning I was kind of concerned. I'm thinking, what is going on? Of course the ophthalmology specialist all said there's no cure, there's no treatment, no surgery, there's absolutely nothing. But I thought, no, I still have a little bit of sight. But then, 18 months later, my vision closed completely and I was horrified because that meant that I'd be blind the rest of my life.

Janet Perez Eckles: 2:57

And at 30, 31, I was just beginning my life. My little boys were three, five and seven years old. I had a loving husband, my daughter, and all of a sudden here I am facing the rest of my life in darkness. And my husband couldn't take that episode. It was traumatic for him, I imagine, and he came home one day and told me that he found somebody else. So that physical darkness turned into an emotional darkness, feeling rejected, thinking now what's going to happen to me, to my little boys? So I was pretty much devastated.

Janet Perez Eckles: 3:36

And of course I think some of you listeners might identify that when things go so wrong, so unexpectedly, so out of your control, you begin to think why me? You know so pretty to think and you wonder where is God? Why has he abandoned me like this? What did I do to deserve this? I used to think that too. I wondered you know what? Did I commit so many sins? Because I grew up Catholic. So I was thinking what can the sin do? I have to be punished this way.

Janet Perez Eckles: 4:08

But something beautiful happened right In the midst of my transformation. A friend invited me to a Christian church and I thought wait a minute, I'm Catholic, I can't go to a Christian church. That's not right, that's against our doctrine. But I was so desperate for healing because she said, if you're having a healing service, then I put a side on my Catholic limitations and boundaries and I went with her and they prayed for me, but nothing happened. No healing. I was still blind, completely blind. No shadows, no colors. I saw absolutely nothing. I still don't. But what did happen was something totally amazing that changed everything for me.

Janet Perez Eckles: 4:48

It was a verse in the Bible that they read. It said first the kingdom of God in his right business and all these things will be added on to you. And I thought what is he saying? Seek him first. Well, I was to give birth. I wanted to see again, I wanted to be normal again, and when my husband used to love me, I wanted to be a mommy to my little boys. The guy's got the same Seek me first. What I did is I cried. I did it in my heart. I said how does one seek you? I had no clue. I told him I don't know how to do that. He showed me how to do it and he did. A friend of mine gave me a bottle, an audio, and I began to listen to God's Word.

Janet Perez Eckles: 5:37

Now, I'm sure a lot of you listeners read the Bible, or maybe they don't, but to me the Bible seems like an overwhelming type of book. I didn't understand it. I didn't know what to grasp, how to go about it. But when I began to read it and with my heart that was so empty, so desperate, so longing for answers, his Word came alive and it made sense and it was like. It was like he was writing it just for me and the book of Psalms, when he says my Word will be a vantage feed in the library of God, I thought I stopped and I held my breath and I said how does he know? That's what I need. I need somebody to guide me, I need somebody to take me step by step in the star world. And you know what else I did run.

Janet Perez Eckles: 6:21

Whatever I read, I believed it, and I read that God has a plan for us, plans to prosper, as neither how much plans to give us hope in the future. I said okay, lord, I'm going to believe you. I don't know what that future looks like for me. I don't know what will become of me in my blindness, in my blindness, in my marriage that's fallen apart. But I'm going to hang on to your promise and I'm going to hope in you and I'm going to believe that the future you have for me is going to be good. I don't know how it could be, but I'm going to believe it.

Janet Perez Eckles: 6:54

And, oh, I'm here to tell you, ron, she did exactly that. Wow. He healed my marriage. He opened up the doors for me to become an inter-Spanish interpreter, an award-winning Spanish interpreter, to become an author, a speaker traveling internationally. And then I looked back, ron, and you know what I remembered. I remember what he said If you take at first all these things, he'll be added on to you. Well, he did Decades. Now that I've been with that side, I see how he just keeps adding them. Wow, and I don't know, my cup of water flows right. Wow, so you know my blindness. It turned out to be a blessing.

Ron Meyers: 7:38

Yep. So I was going to ask you do you think, if you wouldn't have lost your eyesight, do you think you would be where you are today?

Janet Perez Eckles: 7:47

You know, ron, that is an excellent question. I wish more people would ask that because that's so important. Before I lost my sight, I was a go-kart, focused on what I needed to do Plans for my life, vacations. The cars were drove, the house was lived in, you know social settings, the design was closed, all the things to the world. But you know what? Pretty much ahead at all.

Janet Perez Eckles: 8:08

When I was sighted, I had a great job with all the beautiful stories. Home. I could stay home with my little boys. We were doing financially well. My boys were healthy. They were beautiful. I was healthy. I had everything. I had everything. You know what? There was an emptiness in me that never knew how to fill it and had I not stopped my lost my sight, I would still be longing for that. But when my physical eyesight one my spiritual eyes game 2020 vision Wow, wow, yes, it's great at work. How he is so faithful to a summer this, how he gives you the comfort, the guidance, the provisions for every step, I would have never know. My heart is just so full and so overflowing with Joy only because I'm walking in here, I'm leaning on him, I'm trusting him and I know you probably didn't get a chance to read my whole book, but in my book it's actually a memoir.

Janet Perez Eckles: 9:09

I include other tragedies, not just listening my side much worse tragedies than that, but still the Lord was made true and speaking of your book, there's an excerpt in this book.

Ron Meyers: 9:21

I want to read it. It says maybe at this moment you are sitting on the floor with the pieces of your broken heart strong around you. Terminal has turned your world upside down and the flood of tears won't stop. Answers, healing, solution and change are nowhere to be found in the ugly, chaos and dark fog of despair. What would you tell someone that says they're just raised their hand and said, oh my god, she's talking about me.

Janet Perez Eckles: 9:48

That's true. So many people are right now. You know suicide is an all-time high and I would say to them you know you, when you go through that dark fog of despair we tend to look at. The second thing is we tend to look at this situation how am I going to resolve it? But I would encourage them to take your eyes for a moment off.

Janet Perez Eckles: 10:07

The second thing is the painful episode and lift your eyes to the Lord and begin seeking him, seeking his word. What is he saying to you now? Is he saying, okay, you're on your own now, figured out? Or is he saying to you I am faithful. Will he not me? Trust me, hold on to me? Are you listening to his promise? This is I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Begin to listen to his word, focus on him and embrace his promises.

Janet Perez Eckles: 10:39

You see, I had to do that. I had no one else and, by the way, I'm not ever, ever, would I ever say that counseling is not valuable, because I'm sure it is, but I never really went to one single counseling session. My counselor was the Lord, amen. My therapist was his word. He had the game of the strength and no human could give me.

Janet Perez Eckles: 10:59

So if you just change your focus from your situation and you know, here's the secret one. The secret is to Express out loud, say what you live. Lord, I am counting on you. I'm a God, I am believing that your son Jesus, you, will give me the peace and I'm going to trust in you. Any moment that you begin to think about the for me, why me? My husband's leaving me, I'm going to be evicted from my house, or the diagnosis I just received from the doctor. What you need to do is speak. That was both. You are my healer, you are my provider. You promised you would help me. I am believing and I am receiving that promise right now. Amen, he's doing that. I'm just a lot and I think he Please, and he does look down upon us Because he knows our thoughts, he hears our words and, yeah, also there's the way we hold in our hearts.

Ron Meyers: 11:49

Wow, you are just a breath of fresh air. Listeners, I'm speaking with Janet Perez Eccles and her book is Just an outstanding book.

Janet Perez Eckles: 12:00

It's called now I see in the subtitle is how God's amazing grace Transforms the deepest name, shining joy, and I named it. Now I see from the song amazing grace. You know, I was lost and I was found. I was left blind. Now I see, and I tell you, do I I never so better my life after Christ Jesus became the Lord of my life? Yes, that's right now, I think amen.

Ron Meyers: 12:27

Know that. You know. I tell people that I Encourage my listeners to have the daily maybe minute-to-minute conversations with Jesus. Isn't that what we need? It is just a unshakable faith in Jesus.

Janet Perez Eckles: 12:42

That's right. That's exactly where it's at right now. We we look at the things that are going on in the world, in our personal life, but we forget that those of us who have accepted Christ, who's Lord of our life is Christ Jesus. We have to remember we have his power at working on, we have his supernatural anointing and power to be able to conquer anything. And Sometimes we walk around who, who pulled me? Or what's this? What's this? Why keep on trying? We got saying then that you have my power, or your Holy Spirit is active, believe it, embrace it. You sit, walk on that belief and you write nonsense. But that's really what we need now. And he, jesus, died. He warned us, he said in this world he won't have trouble. But then he said hey, take heart, meaning listen up. I came that world, you're the overgainist. So why sink into the room and the cast when you say you know I am standing in Christ's Word that he overcame, he brought the victory, he has my triumph. I am more than a conqueror. I'm going to live like that, amen.

Janet Perez Eckles: 13:56

Now people may be saying right now around listening to us, but you don't know what I'm going through. We have no idea. So hard. And I've been there because another tragedy happened in my life. One night we received a phone call. Every parent died late at night, but my Joe, 19 at the time, my youngest one, the youngest of my three boys was wounded and I don't know who could have wounded him. My Joe always attended a Bible study. He was captain of the cross team, captain of his football team in high school. He was witty, he was extremely handsome and he always made me laugh. But my Joe? What could have happened to him? So we rushed to the emergency room and in that room we waited and waited, praying Lord. What happened to our son, you know, be with him. So then, finally, doctors walked in and they asked us are you the pin for Joe? I was going to jump to my seat and they asked well, you see how easy. When can we take him? What happened? And that's when the doctor around told us that my Joe had not survived the 23 stab when he had received. He was at the wrong place. He and another man, I guess, exchanged words on the road. We don't know. They pulled into the 7-Eleven parking lot to get out of the car.

Janet Perez Eckles: 15:04

So my son didn't know, the man was under the knife and my world crumbled. I couldn't breathe, I was numb with pain. But you know, in that moment of agony God spoke to my heart so clearly. He said be still and know that I am God. What he was telling me is that he understood and he made me just be still and recognize that he still had the same power, the same faithfulness, same grace and comfort that he has shown.

Janet Perez Eckles: 15:31

When I left my side many years back, the nurses were coming to me that emergency, when they were pressing a pill and the palm of my hand saying ma'am, take this, take this. They wanted to give me a glass of water. I think they thought any moment now I would explode in hysteria and just go and lose it. But I wasn't. I was so focused on Lord speaking to him. Lord, grab me the strength, grab me the faith, but I need you.

Janet Perez Eckles: 15:56

I was speaking to the Lord in my heart.

Janet Perez Eckles: 15:58

I wasn't screaming hysterically or anything, because I had to be strong for my husband, for my parents, for other two sons. I had to be there for them and the Lord was so faithful. He gave me the peace, he gave me the comfort, he gave me the strength and in that peace run I remembered wait a minute I'm not afraid of from my children only because two years prior he had gone to an adult fellowship or a personal athletes camp and he accepted and invited Christ as his savior. I knew where Joe would be, I knew he was in heaven and I also knew that I'm going to see him again. So with that guarantee, in that sense of hope, that sorrow that could have consumed me turned to gratitude, great hope. But because I can live with that hope, I can live with that joy, I'm going to see him again. What a privilege, what a privilege it is to be able to still write books, to still travel on the country and internationally to share the truth that with Christ Jesus there's no tragedy that doesn't turn to triumph.

Ron Meyers: 17:05

So, janet, there are people listening right now. Maybe they never even talk to Jesus. They really aren't that concerned. They don't even think there's a God out there. But now you have the microphone and you can talk to him. Who is Jesus to you?

Janet Perez Eckles: 17:19

For me, what it means is that he is my best friend. He is the one I go to, he's the one I trust, and there are so many things in my life, you know, as I travel by myself, it sometimes can be risky, but you know what. He is with me, so it's always feared. I can count on him. I can talk to him and I do many times and I believe him, and what I do is I get to know him. You know what? So for you and I are talking, you know I know a little bit about my ministry podcast radio show, how you inspire people.

Janet Perez Eckles: 17:51

I learned that by talking to you and by and you learned about me by hearing my story. I think, with Jesus, I learned about him by reading about him how he raised his dad, how he healed the sick, how he was so excited about what he did with me spiritually which is a better side to have them physically right. So I see how he reacted, how he went about. His love, compassion, his faithfulness. That's what I mean to know someone who can give you something that no one in this world can give you.

Ron Meyers: 18:24

Wow.

Janet Perez Eckles: 18:25

You can know that he will always give you the truth. When the world aligns with you, he has the truth.

Ron Meyers: 18:30

That's what Jesus means your heart is full of Jesus, and thank you so much. And before we go, can I get you to pray for us?

Janet Perez Eckles: 18:39

Oh, father, god, you know, those listening to this program some of them, lord are at a place where I was in darkness, loneliness, desperation, wondering. Is there an answer? Is there a solution, father? I seek to them and I answer that they would choose to live their life toward you, that their heart would return to you, that they would embrace and receive your promises for you. I pray that today, as they hear, this program would be the day of change, a new beginning of transformation. That they may not look at the circumstances but seek Christ's Jesus instead. That he could give you and your faithfulness, so that they would put aside any misconceptions about who you are. That began a pure life with you, surrendering their lives, their situations, their futures, all to you, about Jesus, and I pray for us and peace upon them. I pray peace upon them and I pray new answers, new horizons that only you can open for them. I pray that, in Christ, my precious name is amen.

Ron Meyers: 21:22

I opened up the show with saying that I love power, I love faith, I love to walk out of my house each and every morning knowing that I am okay with God, and I am, and so are you, because if you are a believer in Christ, you are holy, you are blameless, you are righteous, you are totally forgiven and you have a plan and a purpose that will baffle and amaze the world when you do life with Jesus and not a religious Jesus, but a free Jesus, jesus that has given you the freedom so you can become everything you were created to become. I went to a prayer meeting the other night and it was an awesome gathering of great believers, but I was in shock when I heard some of the prayers. They were begging for God's mercy and forgiveness and I really thought I was listening to Old Testament prayers and I just kept my mouth shut saying Lord, that's okay. In your time, you will reveal that you are there with them, you are residing with them and that, if they really understood their identification, that they were righteous, they were holy, they were blameless, that you are living inside of them, that, no matter how many times they pray for you to become closer. They're as close to you as you will ever be, and they never need to pray for more and more of the Holy Spirit, because you reside in us. We need none of that. We have everything.

Ron Meyers: 22:51

The Apostle Paul, his ministry of spreading grace to the Gentiles was all about telling believers that with God's grace, we believers Christians are complete and lack nothing. So what's the big problem? Well, the problem is we have defeated Christians that leave churches on Sundays wondering what in the heck did I just hear? I don't feel better. I don't know how I'm going to do life with Jesus this week. I don't even know how I'm going to get out of bed in the morning hearing that message. Friends, that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is not the New Covenant. That's something you'd hear in the Old Testament.

Ron Meyers: 23:35

It is my humble opinion that until Christians begin to walk with their shoulders strong back, realizing that they are free to be themselves and the power that God has displayed inside of you can move mountains with faith. Friends, the world's falling apart, not because evil is so rampant. It's because Christians aren't doing anything. We all agree. We watch the news, we give high fives and say, yeah, we need to have a change in this country. No, we need to have a change in the church. We need Christians to stand up and be who they were called to be.

Ron Meyers: 24:11

If you walk in your purpose and you walk in your destiny and you do everything that you were created to do here on earth, well then you've accomplished what Jesus set out for you. He is the only one that can lead you to where you need to go, and you need to start trusting and obeying the faith level that he is giving you, faith that says, lord, I don't understand all this. A lot of this is a mystery, but I am going to walk in your promise today. I am free, I am forgiven, I have a plan and I have a purpose. So, lord, will you just remind me how much you love me, will you remind me how valuable I am to help the kingdom of heaven advance and friends. That's all you do.

Ron Meyers: 24:53

You live life like that, and each and every day is a beautiful, wonderful day. Don't live in the future, don't live in the past. Live in the present and trust Jesus with all your heart. He is the only one that you should be listening to and remember 2,000 years ago, when all the disciples and all the craziness in the gospel was spreading like wildfire. They didn't have churches. 80% of the people were illiterate. They trusted, believed and had faith in who Jesus was, and it radically changed their lives and it changed the world around them. France Bible study, more church attendance isn't going to change anything. What's going to change this world is Christians walking in their identity and sharing the love, the grace and the mercy of Jesus Christ with a hurting world.

Speaker 4: 25:53

Ron will be back in a moment to wrap up today's conversation. We want to encourage you today with God's promise to you. It comes from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 11, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. That's God's promise to you when you choose to commit your plans and future to Him. Now back to Ron.

Ron Meyers: 26:25

Well, friends, I wholeheartedly encourage you to begin a dialogue, a conversation with Jesus. That's the only thing that's going to get the hell out of your life. Day to day conversations with the only one in this entire universe that actually cares about you, that actually forgives you and actually holds no grudges, because Jesus is for you and never against you. I'll be back next week with another great episode. In the meantime, remember this I love you, jesus loves you, and it's time to get the hell out of your life.

Speaker 1: 26:59

Today's show was produced by Ron Myers Ministries, a listener-supported ministry. For a copy of today's broadcast, please visit our website, thepromoterorg, and would you prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible donation so that we may continue to share stories of God's amazing grace with the world? And join us next week for another broadcast of Get the Hell Out of your Life Real people sharing real struggles and offering real hope.

Speaker 4: 27:25

We would like to express our gratitude to Coffee News for their support of this program. Are you tired of scrolling through the same old news feeds every morning? Then switch things up with Coffee News. Our publication is filled with interesting stories, brain teasers and uplifting quotes that are sure to brighten your day, and now you can access Coffee News anytime, anywhere, by visiting our website. So, whether you're sipping your morning coffee at your favorite cafe or browsing online from your desk, we've got you covered. Start your day off right with Coffee News at ReadCoffeeNewsOnlinecom.