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Woman Evolve 2024 was held in Arlington, Tx this year with over 40,000 attendees. WE24 was my birthday gift and the best gift EVER! Thanks to my dear friend, Fantashia Moore! She knows me pretty well and I appreciate her.

Let get into Woman Evolve 2024!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉

First I want to say I went into the conference with no expectation. I was not expecting much. I was feeling low to begin with and it affected my heart. But I was COMPLETELY wrong! There are no words to describe what happened at Woman Evolve 2024 (WE24). I’ll share what happened within my heart.

Allow me to give you context. It all started the first day. When I woke up, I was reminded of a dream. I had this dream two years ago when I moved to Las Vegas. I only shared this dream with one of my friends, Sandrine. The dream was so real. I didn’t have words to describe how I felt about it. I dreamed a man was pursuing me in an unfamiliar open space. There were men and women all around Him and I stood at a distance watching everyone. Everyone was bringing to Him their needs and asking for things. I remember thinking to myself I can just wait my turn when I pray as I backed away. I felt the man move from among the crowd and he started moving swiftly towards me. I did get scared and also started to run away. But I wasn’t afraid of Him, just what he wanted with and from me. It wasn’t until I woke up that I realized I had seen Jesus. Jesus did not look anything like I had seen in various paintings in many of my family’s homes. This shook me and I never shared with anyone in depth besides with my friend Sandrine.

This dream took place two months after I made it to Vegas. I was living out of my car. I didn’t share with anyone but my close friends. I also shared with my little sister and my cousin. I didn’t share because I wasn’t looking for validation or sympathy. I was at my lowest and had been for some time. I said nothing to no one. I didn’t know before the conference how to give it language. My main thought was I can’t get any lower than this and this stuck with me.

I even thought to myself Vegas was my wilderness season. Really, it’s the place I learned of God’s abundance. It is where I learned of His care for me. My whole life I learned to be needed but not cared for. God changed that. God as big and as great as he is had my back. He made it crystal clear that he wasn’t like anyone I have every met or lived with in my lifetime. He only asked for my obedience. I didn’t care how much my obedience cost me, I just knew I trust God completely.

I didn’t share with everyone what was going on in my life because I feared being ridiculed and discouraged. My obedience cost some relationships that no longer served me on my way to surrender. God showed me in another dream this was between he and I. He even showed me where I spent too much time explaining things. I did this because I didn’t want anyone uncomfortable with what God said for me to do. Crazy, right? It’s also very real.

So I don’t care any longer for anyone’s disapproval or criticism. Talk to God about it yourself. I don’t have the time to waste explaining away anything God is doing or was doing in my life. I won’t explain a thing ever again. Period. 🤌🏾

Living in Vegas I only had one goal in mind. That goal was to stay obedient no matter how ridiculous I appeared. No one in Vegas or outside of Vegas was aware of what really was going on in my life. I didn’t know this then but I didn’t want anything to be misunderstood or taken out of context. Another thing God was working out in my life. My whole life I have always felt misunderstood and didn’t fit within any group blood or friend. Jesus knew and saw everything but I wasn’t aware until I was reminded that my obedience landed me in Vegas. I trusted God more than anyone I know. I knew nothing – no person, no hardship, no trial – could stop me from surrendering to God’s leading. God became safe to me and I know I don’t want to imagine how life would be without Him.

At WE24, I felt like I met Jesus again but instead of running away I decided to run to Him. I was tired of feeling so low and not having language for it and I wanted to just release it from my own grip. But what does it really mean? Surrender to the possibility that things could get better or remain the same. Surrender took on a whole new meaning at WE24 because it wasn’t about being sold out for Jesus. It was my way up. Jesus wanted another degree of surrender and I gave it without a passing thought. The entire conference felt like a meeting between a manager and an under performing employee. It changed because I was allowed to share what was holding me back and release it all. All the losses I took and the things the enemy stole from me. I found myself at war with the enemy for all I endured the last two years. It physically was draining. But I wasn’t gonna stop until I got what was mine. I cried the first two nights because this was a full circle moment for me and I was tired. Literally! 🥲 But, I pushed through my tiredness and showed up for myself because I needed me to do so.

Listen, everything that happened in the last 2 years prepared me for my now. I’m not who I was a year ago. I’m free but still surrendered. A new me, but who God always said I was in many of my dreams. He didn’t lie and he can be trusted with every single cell of who I am.

WE24, I can’t explain but I can explain only what happened within my heart. Down is the way up is what I hear often. I get it now. Surrender got me the best birthday gift ever. The mental torment I struggled with is completely gone and the heaviness I carried is just a distant memory.

Sarah Jakes Roberts thank you for this conference. Thank you for holding space for me and the 39,999 other women in the room. My heart is so full and I’m grateful to have been in attendance.