Rachel De Vera Avila
Daughter of God | Wife | Mother | Sister | Ministry Leader | Bible Teacher | Friend
With a heart full of love for Jesus and a passion to empower women, Rachel is the founder and leader of a transformative ministry, Sit With Jesus, designed to help women grow in biblical literacy and understand their true identity in Christ. As a daughter of God, a wife, mother, and sister, Rachel’s personal journey has been one of redemption, healing, and restoration. After straying from her first love and allowing life’s challenges to taint her heart, Rachel rediscovered the profound freedom and joy found in God’s Word, and now she’s committed to guiding other women back to their First Love—Jesus Christ.
My Story
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We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by word of our testimony. So here’s mine: I was born into a christian family, went to church all my life, and accepted Christ as my Savior at 9 years old. Growing up it was all I knew and I was raised by my parents who also tried their best to fight the good fight of faith as best they could. Until college life happened and I went my own way straying from God’s Truth following my own truth. Pride: confidence and satisfaction in oneself.
The more I leaned on my own understanding, the more I strayed. I started feeling weary, overwhelmed, depressed. I was slowly steering away from the One who truly loved me, my first love, Jesus Christ.
I allowed the weight of the world, culture, friendships, influences to taint my heart. I did not guard my heart with His Words. My way was best, I thought. At the outward and surface level, my life looked “great,” but it was superficial. My soul was dying and on the inside I was really crying for help. Deep down I knew I needed true and real fire to re-ignite my life.
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I knew I needed to not only accept Christ as my Savior but to live my life serving him as my Lord. To accept Him meant to follow him and take up my cross. When I came to this realization, I decided then that I was going to step into True freedom: Accept my identity in Christ, change my ways, and make Him Lord. Christ. My Lord. My Savior.
Sometimes God allows painful moments to redirect us to the path we’re meant to take.The Truth is with his gentle love, he redeemed me. He chose me and know me since my mother’s womb. I was knitted fearfully and wonderfully made. And though my journey had detours, it was always going to lead back to Him.
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I am redeemed. I am accepted. I claim my position as his daughter, heir to the throne.
For that I give him all the glory and all the praise for what He has done and what He continues to do through it. This life is bigger than us, but Jesus is the way, the truth, the life.
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Not to us, but to His name be the glory!