In the mid 1990s Althea Winifred found herself in an emotionally and physically abusive relationship.

At the height of one of their disputes her ex shouted: “You are worse than a maggot!” The words stung, but they also gave her the necessary push to leave the toxic relationship and start defining her worth and value by God’s standard.

“When he said that, the first thing I thought was how maggots swarm around dead things. They turn into flies. They irritate people. Then I thought to myself, I have to be better than that.

“I realised I couldn’t do anything about what that person thought of me, but I could do something to better myself and avoid winding up in a negative relationship like that again.”

She found the answers she sought by opening her Bible.

Ms Winifred recently reprinted the Christian devotional she penned 20 years ago, Who Is The She Within You. She hosts retreats and workshops based on the book with the goal of providing women of all ages with the tools and support to discover their identity in Christ.

“The book has made its way to England, Europe, parts of Africa and North America and the interesting thing is people e-mail me to this day to share how it has impacted their life,” Ms Winifred said.

“I had one girl who got the book directly from me and she called me up one day feeling discouraged that it wasn’t working for her. I asked her a few questions and realised every time she started the book she would always stop before finishing it. I told her she had to be patient and consistent.

“She tried it again and people started to gradually notice the change in her. It was an inner change that manifested itself on the outside with how she carried herself. She had been single for a while, but in two years after reading the book she was married and ten years later they are still together. The book was the catalyst for change in her life.”

According to Ms Winifred, once a woman understands who she is and who God created her to be, many areas of life start to work out.

“The way the book works is you do 22 days of reading through scriptures and asking God, ‘Who is the she within me?’ Every day there is a certain principle that is written about, for instance, Day Ten may focus around how God sees you as being priceless. Even if you don’t feel that way at the time of reading, it may be a few months later that, [when] someone puts you down, you can recall that affirmation and start to redefine who you are.”

Many of the principles from the book are found in Proverbs and Psalms. Once she’d left her abusive relationship, Ms Winifred stumbled upon the verses and learnt how to seek validation from God, instead of partners, strangers and co-workers.

“Studying God’s word helped me to learn to love me. I realised I couldn’t love someone else if I didn’t love myself first. Whether you are pleasantly plump or slim and trim, you have to like who you are and embrace the way God made you. I came to the conclusion that I like me, not just on the outside but, most importantly, on the inside. Life isn’t perfect, I still go through challenges, but now I see myself as how God sees me.”

Ms Winifred has written more than a dozen books, including Ultimate Faith, Birthing It Through Prayer and Healing Is In Your Words.

To order a copy of Althea Winifred’s book Who Is The She Within You, send an e-mail: shewithinyou@gmail.com