Normalizing Anxiety?

 This teaching is such a breath of fresh air.  It is so rare to hear this topic so honestly addressed and without apology.  This is the type of truth that truly "sets captives free!"  Hallelujah!

Soul Power: The Counterfeit of the Holy Spirit's Power

 

The Violent Gospel

 

Among the Trees

    Tribulation is difficult.  No Christian who has ever experienced a tremendous season of tribulation would ever make light of the trial, nor would the Christian brush off a brother or sister's time of testing, yet no trial is designed to consume a believer.  We are promised hopeful results if we will steadfastly and humbly follow God's Words and directives. 

    When hope and faith are being tried by fire, we would do well to remember the Lord's specific instructions to His people . . .  

Jeremiah 17:

5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man (Hebrew word geber = means a valiant man or warrior) that trusteth in man (Hebrew word adam = means a human being), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

7 Blessed is the man (Hebrew word geber = means a valiant man or warrior) that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (Hebrew word da'ag = anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:  who can know it?

10 I the LORD search (haqar = to penetrate; to examine intimately) the heart, I try (bahan = to test -especially metals-; to investigate) the reins (kilya = kidney; figuratively the mind), and even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. 

    We are more apt to look to the left or to the right (the arm of flesh) when the trial seems unending and the confusion is mounting.  When a resolution looks bleak and God doesn't seem to be "moving," we may start looking to man (adam) for a faster solution:  Perhaps adam will be kind, maybe adam can maneuver in this way or that way, or adam could possibly bring the remedy needed to this difficult season.  And if we don't think adam can bring change, we can at least rely on adam to feed the worry and doubt surrounding the trial.  Yet - God's Words in the Book of Jeremiah indicate that this kind of "solution" will stunt us.  Our growth is impeded just as the heath's growth is stunted and gnarled when a believer lowers his eyes from seeking God's help to seeking man's (adam's) seeming solutions.  What a pitiful site for a believer (geber = valiant man or warrior) to begin looking to the arm of flesh to fix anything.  If we do that, God reveals the outcome: a curse.  I don't type that or quote the word "curse" as a subtle threat or an intimidating word.  Instead, it is simply, by default, all that a believer could expect as the result.  How could a believer (born-again Christian) ever expect mere man (adam) to solve or deliver him from this life's trials?  Stunted. Gnarled. Gloomy. Naked. Destitute.  

    When a believer chooses to place his hope and trust in the LORD, being blessed is the promise we will reap.  Notice in verse 7 that anxiety is truly alleviated, and fruit is certain.  Verse 7 does not promise the absence of heat or drought, but it does assure us that we will not be scorched by the heat, but will instead be planted near a plentiful supply of water.  Leaves and fruit will abundantly result - all because trust and hope were placed in the Lord, rather than in the gadgets, tricks, and carnal "power or might" that adam (the arm of flesh) can offer.

   Brother or sister in the Lord, perhaps you started running a good race.  Perhaps the Lord has been well pleased with your ministry of the past.  Maybe the Lord has appreciated that you have tried false prophets.  These things are important to the Lord.  Yet - there is something of greater importance that the Lord desires.  It is that we never forget our first love.  Him. Our Lord and Savior.  He implores His people who have dearly loved Him in times past to return to Him.  Return to the first works of childlike devotion, trust, and hope in Jesus.  A simple walk of prayer, Bible study, and unfeigned trust that the Lord can do and will do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think.  

He promises life beside a river that never runs dry. 

His Banner Over Me Was Love

  A Word In Season . . . 

Wilderness

Joy In The Suffering

The word "CHAMPION" is used three times in the Bible.  Each time, the word is used to describe Goliath.  (Here are two of them:  1 Samuel 17: 4; 1 Samuel 17:23)

Didn't he look like one?  A real champion.  Physically intimidating.  Vocally aggressive.  Don't most people do that even today?  You know - they look at a person's "stats" and "presentation" to determine if he is a champion.  It's all about what humans can observe with their eyes and
hear with their ears    ➠     Goliath: The Champion.

                   〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜〜

"On the road marked with suffering, blessed be Your Name.  

On the road marked with suffering, blessed be Your Name."

We have been taught by the world that strength is in the apparent victor - the muscle-laden champion. Yet, for just a moment . . . if you would, please consider the strength found in those who suffer for the cause of Christ.


➻A bloodied and beaten body hanging from a cross didn't appear victorious at all to the onlookers.
(Yet in His suffering, Christ brought salvation)  STRENGTH
➻An imprisoned Paul with lacerations from his last beating looked a lot like a defeated man.
(Yet in his suffering, he wrote to all Christians throughout time)  STRENGTH

Christians are called to be led of the Lord's Spirit no matter the suffering that seems to engulf us.  Sometimes the suffering will feel much like a swarm of killer bees that you can't swat away fast enough, but even with that tremendous anguish, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

 "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:3). 

 I don't say that lightly.  The trials and tribulations of those who suffer for Christ are the most intense battles ever fought.  The pressure is excruciating and debilitating.

How is it possible to minister to others while we are suffering?  It was about a year ago that the Lord answered a prayer by directing me to Psalm 113:3.  The prayer directly related to my concerns that I had in being able to successfully serve Him in the way He has called me to serve Him.  I understood, in part, what He was saying to me, but it took literally until today to understand it on a much deeper level.

There are times of tremendous trials in a Christian's life, and if we are not careful, we might believe Satan when he whispers that the suffering hinders us or causes a delay in the Christian being able to "do the work" God has called the Christian to do.  Satan would have us to think that we need to break free of the trials so that we can run full speed in serving the Lord.  However, the Word teaches us that we are not to seek to avoid our trials.  We can't go over them or around them.  No, the Christian is called to go through them.  (James 1: 2-4)

Did Paul postpone sharing the Gospel when he was suffering?  Or did he work the work of Christ DESPITE the anguish he faced?  Did Paul walk around angry at God because he was suffering so much when all he really wanted to do was spread the Gospel?  Or did Paul rejoice in his sufferings and continue to spread the Gospel?

2 Thessalonians 1: 4-5

 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

We strive to make it to the mountaintop because we just can't stand the suffering of the valley, but it is in the valley of suffering where the Christian will share his strength with those who need it - just as Christ did, just as Paul did, just as David did, just as John did, just as all of the nameless Christians have done throughout history through today and into tomorrow.  We mistakenly think the victory is up at the top, but for a saint of God, the victory is IN the valley.  That's where the fruit of the Holy Spirit is grown and birthed.  That is where the strength of the Lord forges us into vessels fit for the Master to use.

From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.

David gathered five smooth stones from a brook (1 Samuel 17:40)

By definition, a brook is a stream found in valleys.  In valleys.  By definition, stones are made smooth by the amount of time they spend in the water that washes over them.  Those stones must have spent a lot of time in that valley's brook.

Here's my favorite verse describing the Champion Goliath:

1 Samuel 17:52
Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

To the Saints

Fight the good fight of FAITH!

The other day I stood at a crossroads, not really sure what decision I needed to make on a matter that had cropped up out of the blue.  Something about the situation did not sit well with me spiritually, but I didn't want to make a decision on the matter without knowing for sure what the Lord would have me do. 

So within a few hours, I declared a fast.  I didn't declare it by announcing it to the world, but instead, I declared it quietly to myself.  No food. No drink.  I didn't want to hear from my flesh - JUST GOD. I longed to do God's Will.

These days are truly tribulating for born-again believers.  Jesus said they would be (John 16:33).  Everywhere you look, the world is deeming this and that as being perfectly acceptable, but what does God say?  Saints, you can't look to the right or to the left during such times of tribulation.  Seek the Lord.  And when the Shepherd speaks, the peace is profoundly beyond anything this old world could ever cook up.  His Voice will always point us to holiness and righteousness.  It won't likely be popular, but it will be Right.  What the world calls "no big deal" may very well be a BIG DEAL to Him.  Oh, beloved, let us always follow His leading.

After I began the fast, the spiritual war ramped up to a level I had not experienced in some time.  There is a spiritual world, and there is a war in the spiritual realm.  We do not battle against flesh and blood, but as we are told in Ephesians 6:12, we do battle against "spiritual wickedness in high places."  Another translation states we fight against "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." 

Satan showed up throughout that evening and the entire night.  I went to bed at my usual time, but the night was spent in intense prayer.  I literally slept about 1 hour and a half (and that 1 1/2 hours was interrupted repeatedly).  I am sharing this for one reason and one reason alone.  I want YOU to fight the good fight of Faith no matter how intense YOUR battle gets in these last days.  If you think you are hanging by a thread as you face Satan in the spiritual realm, then let that thread be the hem of Jesus' garment.  FAITH in Jesus.  FAITH in what Jesus will do.  FAITH in Jesus to deliver you.  FAITH in the Lord to give you the answer.  FAITH. FAITH. FAITH.  Jesus said in Luke 18:1, "Men ought always to pray, and never to faint."  Are we really absorbing what He is saying here?  Always Pray.  Some battles are overwhelming, but IN Christ, we can overcome every single one.  We have got to get that deep down in our very beings.  IN CHRIST, we are overcomers.  He made the way!

I cannot possibly fully explain all of the techniques Satan used throughout the night to get me to throw in the towel.  To give up.  To give in.  To say, "What's the use..."  He is diabolical, demonic, maniacal, satanic, a fear-monger, a bully, and an accuser.  The most intense encounters I have had with Satan and his minions have always involved him removing his mask for an all-out spiritual assault, but the Lord has taught me that when Satan gets to that point, it is because Satan knows he's losing. 

I prayed much of the night. I very literally held God's Word in my hands.  I repeated, "The gates of hell shall not prevail." 

I said over and over, "God, put Your Strength in me."  Over and over.  "Put Your Strength in me, Lord."

I said, "Lord, you promised me that no matter how dark the times get, I will have a song."
I asked humbly, "Lord, where is my song..." I asked this throughout the night.  "Lord, you promised.  Where is my song..."  It was a humble repeated prayer.

Eventually, the 5 o'clock hour arrived, and I went downstairs, but something different was happening within me. The tide was turning.  The Lord showed me that first and foremost, He was calling me to SUBMIT to Him in this matter.  When He showed me this, I can remember quietly embracing the word "submit" in my dark living room.  In literally seconds, my Shepherd's Voice then clearly instructed me as to what I was to do regarding the issue that I had been fasting over.  The answer did not come until after a night filled with spiritual war, not until after I embraced "submitting" to Jesus.  Then, Jesus clearly told me His stand on the matter.  It was the opposite of what the world called "harmless."  Satan fled.  I walked from my living room into my kitchen REJOICING because I now knew what God would have me to do in this matter.

I pulled a piece of paper from a tablet in the kitchen. With complete resolve and peace, I planned to write on it the details of what God had instructed me to do. The tablet had originally 365 different verses in it.  One per page, equalling one for every day of the year.  When I pulled the paper out so that I could write down what God had instructed me to do, I noticed the verse at the bottom of the page:

The Actual Page from the Tablet 

I had prayed for hours throughout the night, "Lord, put Your Strength in me."  "Lord, where is my song..."  Those were my exact prayers and exact words.  I tell you, who but God can beautifully orchestrate such events?  Evidently, this verse is found one time on one piece of paper in this tablet that once spanned 365 pages on my kitchen counter.  I don't know if this page was the 160th page or the 250th page, but God knew it would be the page on this day that He would let me know He HAD put His Strength in me.  The day that He HAD been my song-- just as He promised me many months ago. 

No matter how dark the days get, look to Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith!  Do not give up - do not surrender to Satan.

Beloved readers, Fight the good fight of FAITH.  Trust, that the Lord will answer.  He will direct our steps.  Let us pray through.  Let us seek His Face.  Let us submit to His will no matter what. 

No matter who you are reading this, I am praying for YOU.  If I have never met you, I am praying for you.  If you are my friend, I am praying for you.  If you dislike me, I am praying for you.  If you are struggling right now, I am praying for you.  I am praying for you because I have been awake in the midnight hour more times than I can count crying out to the Lord for His Guidance on various matters over the years.  I know what it is like to have Satan breathing in your ear - roaring his pathetic lies.  I am praying for YOU.  I am praying that you will continue in the faith.  I am praying that you will submit to God's will above all others' wills.  I am praying that you will pray through no matter how long it takes.  I am praying that you will fast when needed.  I am praying that even when it seems that you are hanging by a thread that you will remember joy truly does come in the morning - no matter how long the night - no matter how long the season.

There is a brief memory from my childhood that has always profoundly affected me. It's the memory of a piece of paper. Even when I saw it at just 7 or 8 years old, I can remember looking at it and knowing it was so true.  The paper was clipped to my fridge.  Lo and behold, I found the picture by Googling it.

 
Now, it may seem silly to post it, but there is great truth in this picture.  Satan battles hard against us, but no matter how bleak the situation appears, no matter how victorious that serpent appears to be, JESUS overcame every, single ounce of him.  

Rely on Christ to put His Strength in you.  Rely on Christ to be your song no matter the darkness that surrounds.

We are promised in God's Word the following regarding True Grace.  God has shown me time and again that we can absolutely count on these verses every time:

1 Peter 5:
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

Do It Again

No matter what tribulation this life brings, seek the Lord. 

He will speak.  He will move.  He will calm.  He will guide.  He Will. 

Pray. 

And then pray more.

And then pray yet again. 

Pour yourself out before His throne of Grace.  Never accept the notion that He won't show you.  Go back to prayer.  Read His Word.  Understand that it is His Strength and His Strength alone that we need.  True victory can only come from and through Jesus Christ.  Be careful that you don't allow the previous sentence to simply be a nice idea always floating far off in front of you.  It's not just an idea.  It is a REALITY.  It is God's will that it be YOUR reality. 

Apart from Him, we have no strength, no wisdom, no power.  Make your petitions known to Him.  Expect Him, as a Father, to minister to you.  He will.  The passing of time, the silence, and the wait are ALL meant to draw us TO Him  - not to turn us away from Him. 

Matthew 15:21, 15:22, 15:23, 15:24, 15:25, 15:26, 15:27, 15:28

One of my favorite stories of the Bible is the one of the Canaanite woman's persistence in the presence of Jesus.  It is a beautiful, beautiful scene.  I don't think I will ever tire of reading it.  Oh, how the Lord loves this kind of faith.  Even when it appeared that God was not going to move on behalf of this  Syrophoenician/Canaanite woman, she pressed in and let Him know that although she may be in the eyes of most a dog, she wanted the crumbs that only He could provide. 



Oh!  What a testimony!  Focus on what He can do - not what you can or cannot do.  She went to Him because she knew deliverance had to come FROM HIM!  Jesus called her faith a  GREAT FAITH.  I was reading this story to my 11-year-old over the summer, and while he was listening, I could tell he was trying to figure out for a moment why God would be turning this woman away, but then he said with such confidence and resolve, "Jesus is not a bully.  He was testing her!"  Hallelujah!! Let us who are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 years old ALSO understand that Jesus is NOT a BULLY!  He's the SAVIOUR of the world!!!  Humble yourself in His presence - just as she did.

Go to Him seeking those powerful crumbs, and watch Him seat you at His Feast Table~

Press in, Beloved. 

Videos Below:

It Shall Speak, and Not Lie

Me beside the river - Friday, July 6, 2018 - early morning 

River of God

Have you ever sat by a river and listened to the water as it moves?  It may sound silly, but I love the sound of moving water. Not man-powered moving water, but God-Powered moving water.  It attracts wonder in me.  It reminds me of God.  I'm reminded of His power.  I'm reminded of what it feels like when His Living Water moves in me.  I'm reminded of what it's like when He is teaching me something - when He is preparing me for something - when He is revelating to me - when His Grace is flowing deep within the recesses of me that no man-made x-ray could scan or identify.  His Living Water transcends the limits of man's capabilities. It's miraculous.  And I am so thankful for that and for Him.

Deep calls unto deep when His Living Water begins to move within a believer.  There are no letters that I could tap on this keyboard and no words that I could form using those letters that could ever spell a word to truly capture what happens when a Holy God speaks inside of a believer.

To every person whose eyes will scan this, please know that there is no relationship more important than an honest, genuine, and loyal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  In one part of the New Testament, the Lord speaks about the importance of knowing Him.  I'm going to use the word again because I completely believe our relationship with the Lord centers upon this:  Do you KNOW Him? Does He KNOW you?  (Matthew 7:21, 7:22, 7:23, 7:24, 7:25, 7:26, 7:27, 7:28, 7:29)  Take the time to read each of those verses.  As a true, loving husband knows his wife, so is the case with the relationship a true believer has with the Lord.  It's intimate. The relationship isn't mechanical.  Such is no relationship at all.  It's not "a show" to impress the onlookers.  It's not a self-seeking or a self-glorification relationship.  Jesus Himself said that a true relationship must be in spirit and in truth.  That's how we worship Him.  There is no other way.  (John 4:24)

Consecrate yourself to knowing Him more and more.  The intimacy of a relationship with Jesus will get deeper and deeper.  Prayer, the study of His Word, a humble heart, & a desire to just be with Him are foundational principles as we journey with Him.  Silence the world.  It is true that we can pray anywhere, but there is something sacred about leaving the presence of all distractions, bowing in the floor, and communicating with a heart of humility to the One True & Living God.  Communicate with a heart of loyalty to Him - with a desire of being used by Him - with a longing to be transformed by Him. Make this a part of who you are.  Make it what you do.  This must be the priority of all who want to know Him and be known by Him.  He will communicate back to you very personally.

The Necessity of Intimacy
Over the years, I have kept private journals of my relationship with God and our communication with one another. I have also taken pictures of "God's Voice" moments over the last years as well.  Just as the Lord told Joshua to set up 12 memorial stones as a way of remembering and a way of telling future generations of God's provision, so I do the same in the form of journals and pictures.  They are a reminder of my intimate moments with the Lord, Jesus Christ.  During anguished trials, I go back, and I remember. They are a memorial for me to endure in Christ.  This feeds my faith, and it is by grace THROUGH faith that we are saved.  ~Saved from every trial.  Every tribulation. Every attack of the enemy.  Every temptation.  Every persecution.  Every loneliness. And ultimately, saved by grace THROUGH faith to spend eternity with this ALL sufficient Savior.  May we always cling to this faith in Him.

Faith.  So much hinges on this miraculous faith because the Bible teaches that there were places that Jesus did not perform miracles because of the people's lack of faith/unbelief. (Mark 6:5, 6:6, Matthew 13:58)

I share the information below because very, very dark times are in the world right now, and the Lord's desire is to see many come to the true saving faith of Jesus Christ.  Very importantly, He does not want to see anyone currently IN the faith depart from the faith.  Intimacy with the Lord is available to all.  Come to the water and drink.  He is not willing that any should perish.   (2 Peter 3:9)

Our Faith Will Be Tried By Fire

A Brief Personal Testimony that I Pray Draws All of Us to a Closer Communion with Jesus - Our Savior     ✞

I pray what I am sharing below is shared with complete humility of heart on my part in such a way that only God can get the glory for it because only He deserves the glory.  I am so eternally thankful for the STRENGTH that He promises to place in those who follow Him.  Even when trials and afflictions come, we can look to our Great Savior and know that HE KNOWS all about it ~and that His plans are for good.  There will come a day when I will depart from this world - sooner or later, but I tell you that there is such peace in KNOWING Jesus.  Let all of us come to know Him more intimately on an ever deeper level.   I pray that I will continue to grow in His Grace and that I will be found faithful to Him all the way unto the end (Matthew 24:13).  I pray that I humbly serve Him seeking only to have His glory shine through me in some way.  How worthless I am without Jesus.  May the Lord always help me to stay low to the ground so that He can shine bright.  

Recent Sacred Moments of Intimacy and Preparation with & from the Lord:
✞-March 23, 2018 - The Lord's Living Water began speaking a particular verse to me. He did this 3 times.  Over the years, He has taught me that when He speaks to me on a verse or a topic 2-3 times in a row, that there is great significance in those moments and in the Word that He is bringing to me.  So I rejoiced in His Voice speaking to me, but the entire revelation wasn't yet fulfilled.  (During this revelation, I had been seeking His face diligently on a matter.)
✞-May 31, 2018 - The Lord's Living Water began speaking to me about what I needed to do while I waited on Him.  (I had been painstakingly seeking Him on particular issues that impacted many lives.)  The waiting for His Voice came with such difficulties and anguish, but the Lord was faithful to tell me what to do while I waited for Him.  His instructions were very specific. (He ministered to me on events I had been praying for, but I had no idea at the time that He was preparing me to endure the waiting of an event yet to come.  This future event would result in all of these previous prayers being answered.)  He was very clear to speak to me from Habakkuk 2 - 2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
✞-June 6, 2018 - The Holy Spirit gave me paragraphs of details moments after I had been upstairs praying with total surrender and total faith of believing only He could move on a matter.  He promised that He was about to move in order to answer the prayer.  It was not a selfish prayer.  It was one in which I humbly requested God's absolute miraculous work this summer in order to fix, repair, and prepare in certain, specific areas.  His presence that night in answering was absolute.  There was no doubt He had heard and that He was going to take care of the needs I had placed before Him.  He said so many things, but I cannot stress this enough to those who will read this:  We must exercise great faith with great trials.  And we must - even after we have prayed all we can pray - we must then pray MORE EARNESTLY, even as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Never give up the faith; humbly know that all hope rests in Jesus.  Go to Him as a child.
✞-June 7, 2018 - The next day the Lord's Living Water - His Holy Spirit - continued to speak.  He repeated verses and repeated His promises.

I wrote this in my journal on June 9, 2018.  

✞-June 16, 2018 evening - The Lord continued to minister to me regarding the provision of His Strength on this evening - which He had been faithful to speak to me days and weeks prior on multiple times.
✞-June 17, 2018 evening -  While putting clothes in the washing machine and then walking away, I experienced a strange health episode within my body.  My husband was at work, and my 11-year-old and 6-year-old were the only ones home.

God IS in the Details:

Blessings Birthed in the Trial ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior

• My husband and I prayed aloud in the car as we journeyed to the ER that is 30 minutes away.   ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• We pled the blood of Jesus the whole way and more promises from God's Word. ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• Blood tests and CT Scan at the ER - were all normal that night.  ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• It wasn't until the next day of this event that I was reminded my 11-year-old son stood up in the living room during the chaos of the event and took it upon himself to say, "I rebuke you, Satan."  He said it so forcefully and so faithfully. ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• My youngest sister revealed a day later that she hadn't prayed in a year, but this event led her to stand in her living room praying for me while I was at the ER. ⇒An ALL Sufficient Savior
• A few days later, I visited my regular doctor.  He wanted to do a series of further tests.  More blood tests, ultrasound, MRI.  He listed the possibilities. Those possibilities were not good.  Yet, even when Satan sought to bring fear on me in those moments, a supernatural joy would rise up in me.  A desire to rejoice would rise up in me.  A knowing from the Living Waters of Jesus that were stirring in me would pour forth and would pour over, and peace that this world could not know would just take over.  ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• A few days later, I sat in the waiting room (what to do while you wait), and the word balm of Jesus' blood just kept coming to my mind.  I prayed, "Lord, heal me with the balm of Gilead - with the balm of your blood."  It was like the Spirit just wanted me to say that over and over again.  I was soon called into the lab and sat in the chair.  As I sat there, the Lord did something that only the Lord could do in that split second, and a Spirit of peace and of God's provision came over me.  A few days later I was informed that those detailed blood results were "very good."   ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• On Wednesday, June 20th, I wrote verses on my chalkboard in the kitchen.  The Lord had been faithful to give those verses to me as He had stirred His Living Waters.  Some of the verses had been given to me days, weeks, and even months before the health incident.  Others had been given just the night before I wrote them on the chalkboard. ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• As I wrote up the verses, the serpent reared his accusatory words.  "Why are you writing all of that up?  It doesn't apply to you.  That looks ridiculous!  No one believes those words will prove true."  But they stayed up.  I didn't fully understand why I was writing them in that particular location.  But God did and would show me later.  God would fully reveal many things to me on Saturday, June 23, 2018. ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• Weeks before these events, the Lord had given me "The just shall live by his faith" in Habakkuk.  And through this trial, He showed me what He meant by that and how that is applied in our lives.  After this event, there was a lot of waiting.  Ten plus years ago, this type of event would have halted my life.  I would have been paralyzed by fear.  I would have shut down.  But the Lord had spent 10 years transforming my mind.  So BY FAITH, I LIVED, while waiting. By faith, I took care of my kids, while I waited.  By faith, I went fishing and wading in a river with my husband and kids, while I waited.  By faith, I shopped at Walmart with my family, while I waited.  By faith, I drove, while I waited.  By faith, I went to sleep at night, while I waited.  By faith, I prayed, while I waited.  By faith, I washed clothes, while I waited.  By faith, I mowed my yard and my mother's yard, while I waited.  "The Just Shall LIVE By His Faith!!!!!!!!!!" ⇒ An ALL Sufficient Savior
• Saturday, June 23, 2018:   When the Lord spoke to me about Habakkuk, the vision, and waiting for it back on May 31st, there was a word that caught my attention.  I remember saying, "Lord, I don't know what you mean by write the vision on tables."  But as soon as I had mentioned that to the Lord, I didn't really deeply consider it further . . . until the Lord spoke on it.  I was mowing this day (23rd) and listening to a sermon that I wasn't really that interested in...but it continued to play as I mowed.  Near the end of the mowing, I strange spirit of fear came over me - one that indicated I needed to turn off the sermon immediately.  It was a sudden fear.  I've noticed Satan do that so often.  He'll attempt to bring sudden fear, but those times have normally meant that God is about to speak, and it is one last ditch effort by Satan to prevent me hearing what the Lord would say.  This was true.  Literally seconds later, the preacher began to speak about Zacharias picking up the writing table to write: "His Name Is John!"  In that second, the Holy Spirit's Living Water began stirring in me so profoundly.  I cannot articulate what happened that day on the lawn mower and in my house afterwards, but the Lord let me know repeatedly:  "It is what God says it is" on my writing table/ my slate in my kitchen.  The Lord let me know that what I had written on my writing table would be the fulfillment of what He had been teaching me for weeks even before this medical event and that through this medical event, all prayers for the last months would be answered!

This is my chalkboard in my kitchen. I wrote these verses on it 6.20.18 and took this picture the same day.   The Lord had given each of them to me over the span of weeks.  

• Monday, July 2, 2018 - I was alone in my home hours before I was scheduled to have two major medical tests.  While I was waiting to leave for the appointments (45 minutes away), I had been praying.  And in only the way God could do it, He - again- brought me to the moment Gabriel spoke to Zacharias.  He had days before ministered to me regarding Zacharias, and yet again, in an unmistakable way, the Lord chose to present the moment Gabriel told Zacharias that God had heard his prayer.  A sense of strength and power came over me - over the years, the only times I have felt true courage and strength have been when the Lord's Living Water revelates to me and fills me. This was one of those times.  A month prior to this, the Lord had brought me to Job 23:6.  It was a remarkable moment of who God is and how His strength is our source of endurance.  Look to the LORD above all.  He will provide all that we need.  Continue in the faith of knowing He has the power to deliver us and to help us no matter the trial or battle or temptation.  With God's strength flowing in me, I drove to my tests.
• Thursday, July 5, 2018:  The results were in - and it was as God said it would be  - JUST AS GOD HAD PROMISED, the results of those two sophisticated tests were taken care of by JESUS!  All the "scary" possibilities were silent and just not there.  Thank you, Jesus.  I am still so humbled by His Voice over the last weeks and over the last several years.  ✟ What a Savior~  He is the Great Physician.  And my earthly physician that day at the doctor's office simply said there was no need to do further tests.  There was no need to see any other specialists.  I walked out of the doctor's office in awe of God and that when He gives a vision, it will tarry (waiting for all things to be fulfilled), but It Will Not Lie.  

And just as the Lord had promised to me, the prayer requests that I had presented to Him -long before this medical event- were answered.  I had prayed about past events, present events, and events months down the road - like only this Great Miracle Worker could do, they were all addressed and fixed. And I expect more overflow from this beyond my own life because the Lord assured me that he would do exceedingLY abundantly in this matter. 

Friends, we are living during perilous times.  Only through Christ can we overcome the trials.  By faith, go boldly to the throne of Grace.  Seek an intimate relationship with Him that is founded on loyalty, honesty, and obedience.  

Know that He is God.  

Know that He is God and that nothing is too hard for Him.  

He will speak and minister to you in your situation very specifically.  It will be godly, pure, and holy.  He will place a miraculous strength in you that leaves you glorying in Who He Is and what He Can Do.

May the details shared above bless someone and offer hope to you when your trials come.

Intimacy:  There are many sacred details of this event that I have tucked away in my heart and in my journals.  Just as a husband and wife in a truly loving intimate relationship will not reveal such details to others, so is the case as we journey intimately with our Lord and Savior.  

The Just Shall Live By Faith

Let Every One of Us Choose Each Day to Do Exactly That

May the Lord Bless Each of You In Christ Jesus

The Church at Satan's Throne

Video Below

Though It Tarry, Wait For It

Ever feel like you are an onlooker among many other onlookers seeing and hearing the same things as others, yet while they are being entertained, you are inwardly sorrowful at the spectacle of it all?

Do you ever become perplexed by unpunished evil -- the kind of evil that ensnares the innocents of a society? Do you find that wherever you look, to the left hand or to the right hand, evil is parading itself in all of its debauchery?  Do you ever meekly ask the all-powerful God, "Why is this permitted, Lord?"

If yes, then please know that you are not alone.  The Lord in His vast knowledge that transcends space and time used a relatively unknown prophet who lamented the sights and sounds of his time period's world stage to speak to His people thousands of years later as we are forced to be onlookers on this world's stage.

Let this bring you peace, Saints.  Let this bring you peace.  God knows all about the enemies at every turn, and while the enemy may think he is in control, God is actually using the enemy and his minions to bring about a greater good for God's faithful remnant.  God sees all and is over all.

Habakkuk - Not much is definitively known about this prophet, but I praise God that He permitted this man's short 3 chapters to be placed in the Holy Bible.  I tell you, time and again, God shows me that every single period and comma means something in His Word.  The Holy Spirit took nothing for granted when composing the Bible -- and neither should we when we read it.

When the Holy Spirit is guiding our study of God's Word, the Bible truly does become a Living Word.  It is truly made alive with the quickening of the Holy Spirit stirring our innermost being as we read it.

God is amazing.

Habakkuk appears to have been a prophet who lived during an agonizing time.  Click here to read the entire Book of Habakkuk - it is a very short book of the Bible.

Below are some key points from the Book of Habakkuk as outlined in the reference section of the Thompson Chain Bible:

• Main Theme:  The Mysteries of God's Ways in Dealing with Sin and Oppressors
• Synopsis:  The book begins with the prophet being heavily burdened by unpunished evil and questioning God as to why He is permitting such things to occur against His people.
• He receives a reply revealing the divine plan of using the Chaldeans as a swift and terrible instrument of judgment against evil nations.  Habakkuk 1:5-11
• Still the moral problem is unanswered in the mind of the prophet.  How can a holy God use these wicked heathen to waste and destroy people more righteous than they?  Are wrong and violence to continue forever? Habakkuk 1:12-17
• The prophet ascends his watch-tower to look over the world.
• He receives the reply of Jehovah, and is told the purpose of God is soon to be fulfilled, and is encouraged to wait for it, Habakkuk 2:1-3.  Then follows the sentence that has been a watchword in the Christian Church - Habakkuk 2:4.
• Content with the new light received, the prophet utters a series of five woes against the dishonesty, the covetousness, the bloody building enterprises, the debauchery, and the idolatry of the great world power.  Habakkuk 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 18-20
• Finally, he utters a sublime prayer (or psalm of praise), speaking of the majesty and glory of GOD and declaring his unwavering trust in His divine plans.  ~HALLELUJAH!~

Below is an outline of Habakkuk (Bible Study Tools):

I.  Title (1:1)
II. Habakkuk's First Complaint: Why does the evil in Judah go unpunished? (1:2-4)
III. God's Answer: The Babylonians will punish Judah (1:5-11)
IV. Habakkuk's Second Complaint: How can a just God use wicked Babylonia to punish a people more righteous than themselves? (1:12;2:1)
V. God's Answer: Babylonia will be punished, and faith will be rewarded (2:2-20)
VI. Habakkuk's Prayer: After asking for manifestations of God's wrath and mercy (as he has seen in the past), he closes with a confession of trust and joy in God (ch. 3)

___________________________________________

Saints, continue to live by Faith.  No matter the sights and sounds that are so vexing, always remember that the Lord is in control.  In due time, He will bring all things together for His Glory.  Let us be found faithful to Him.  The just shall live by his faith.  Live by faith.  

Faith. Faith.  

Let God turn your sadness and complaint into a song.  He did it for Habakkuk.  He will do it for all who genuinely seek Him.  Habakkuk forgot his lamentations of the evils of the world and instead, it was replaced with a joyful song of God's control of it all!  Oh, hallelujah to my King!

Habakkuk's Psalm at the End of the Book
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

Remember My Chains

Videos Below

Sleeping For Sorrow

Nowhere Else

The Loneliness of the Christian
By: A.W. Tozer

The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an
ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the 
fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate
world.

His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his
kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his
absorptions in the love of Christ; and because with his circle of friends
there are few who share his inner experiences, he's forced to walk alone.

The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused
them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord himself suffered in
the same way.

The man (or woman) who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual
inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few
who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so
he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk.

For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is
avoided, and the gulf between him and society widens. He searches for the
friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes
and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none, he, like Mary
of old, keeps these things in his heart.

It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find
human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find  

nowhere
else.

Stealth

Stealth - 
One of my boys likes to use this word when he describes certain people. Part of the definition involves doing something secretly without anyone realizing it is going to happen. Most of us have heard of the stealth bomber. 

That aircraft was built to move quickly, efficiently, & secretly, and the after-effects of the stealth bomber are unmistakable. 

Months ago, I found myself in a predicament that brought fear upon me. I wasn't sure why I was placed in the situation, but I wanted out of it. I prayed earnestly on the matter for days, and when the Lord spoke, He literally said, "Walk on." 

You see, a part of me wanted to consult people regarding the matter, but the Lord instructed me to "Walk on" past those I thought I should speak with in the matter. He told me that He would handle it and that I was not to consult 'wizards and warlocks' who just offer worldly solutions. 

I literally kept walking that day. And now months later, I see a stealth God Who knew exactly what He would do with that situation. 

He doesn't call Christians to cower somewhere in the corner or to run from the battle. He calls Christians to report for duty, waving the banner high. 

He will stealthily place His people in the eye of the storm so that we can bear witness of HIS TRUTH right in the middle of a Roman system of lies.

The Warden

Recently, I, as well as other teachers in our area, were given the opportunity to visit places of employment for an in-service day.  I chose a USP (United States Penitentiary) in our area.

We were scheduled to take part in a tour of the prison that houses over a thousand inmates.

We discovered when we arrived that the tour would not occur, after all, because there had been violent episodes a few days prior, and the prison was on lock down.

I said all of that to really say this:  Instead, we were escorted to a conference room where three USP employees planned to introduce themselves to us, explain the dynamics of a prison system, daily life, employment opportunities, etc.

The teachers hadn't been in the conference room but for a few minutes when the first USP employee began introducing himself and his role at USP.  As he did, a man walked into the room; immediately, another USP employee saw the man, and she interrupted the speaker mid-sentence.

She said, "The Warden is here."

The way she said it was unmistakably understood. Somebody just entered the room.  SOMEBODY just entered the room.  Everybody else take a seat because SOMEBODY --the leader, the boss, the rule maker, the rule enforcer-- just entered the room.

The speaker didn't even finish his sentence.  The floor belonged to the Warden.  The other speakers very obviously stepped back as the Warden began speaking and were attentively engaged.  This moment was one of the best examples of respect I have ever observed by man.

One day, every knee shall bow.

This may sound silly, but for me, the moment was remarkable not because of the man or his job title but because I couldn't help but liken it to what everyone should do when the LORD enters the room.  

How often do we stop mid-sentence when The Lord has something better to say?
How often do we truly reverence the Spirit Of God when He enters our realm?
How often are we willing to lay down our dialogue as we converse with others when the LORD stops us mid-sentence?
How often do we listen attentively when The Lord is speaking?
How often do we allow our egos to take a seat because The Lord has a better plan?
How often do we heed the signs when it is time for God to speak and time for us to be silent?

We better know that although the warden held the keys to a man-made prison; the Lord Jesus Christ holds the keys to hell and death.

May we be found faithful to HIM and know that The Lord  is the SOMEBODY who

• always has something better to say,
• always deserves our reverential respect,
• always supersedes our thoughts, and
• always deserves our undivided attention.

Amen!

The Struggle

Jesus said, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:50)

According to Strong’s Concordance, the word straitened in the Greek means:

“to hold together, i.e. to compress (the ears, with a crowd or siege) or arrest (a prisoner); figuratively, to compel, perplex, afflict, preoccupy:—constrain, hold, keep in, press, lie sick of, stop, be in a strait, straiten, be taken with, throng.”

Are you experiencing this baptism of anguish right now? Your response during time(s) of  “straitening” is crucial.  Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

This baptism of tremendous struggle (an anguish that will seem impossible to bear) must be endured in the faith.  You must endure the humiliation. You must endure the loss.  You must endure the agony.  Giving up is not an option for those whose eternity will be spent with Christ.

You will suffer as a Christian. Let that sink in.  How will you respond in such times?  In your patience, possess your souls (Luke 21:19).  Understand that while the suffering (your tribulation) is and will be the most agonizing time(s) of your life, those times of trial are the most important, and if endured in Christ, the most holy encounters a person can have with the Lord.   

Never find personal delight in another person’s suffering, but, at the same time, always know that suffering is an opportunity for a person to either continue on the narrow path that leads to Jesus Christ or an opportunity for a person to begin his journey with Christ - as long as the suffering person continues in the faith.

During tribulation (agony), read (study) the Word of God, pray, fast, and most importantly, never give up on the Lord manifesting Himself to you. Satan will whisper all kinds of deceptions to you. He will want you to be angry, to give up, to kill yourself, to assume God just doesn't care; each of these ultimately equal not continuing in the faith. Don't you believe him!

The first true moment of tribulation in my own life occurred some 9 years ago.  I’ll link those personal

testimonies at the end of this article. During that time of being crushed by the wine press (a death of my flesh and birth of the Holy Spirit within me), the Lord was first silent for a long period of time, but He, in His mercy, sent a sister in Christ to feed me manna until I could reach the crucial and mandatory place of Peniel (Genesis 32:30). It was there that I saw His Face. His presence manifested after months of agony (months of prayer, months of weeping, months of building faith, months of fasting, months of studying His Word).

In that process, I was trampled on the ground in a state of utter humiliation.  All types of “notions” I had about my abilities crashed to the floor!!! Hallelujah! The Lord was patient during all of this, and He, being all knowing, waited until I reached complete brokenness, complete humility before He showed me  #1 that He truly exists and #2 that I am nothing if I do not rely on Him. The scales gradually fell from my eyes, and through this threshing process, my perception of sin and carnality was turned on its head -  better yet, it was ripped to shreds !  It was only during that excruciating process (the process where my cross was heavy and my knees were buckling underneath) that I was truly born of the Spirit and the Truth.

The aspects of carnality that I loved about life (my life, other people’s lives, and just in general) died a slow, agonizing death.  Due to truly enduring by faith, Christ was forming in me, so that I could walk in the SPIRIT of CHRIST (Romans 8:9; Romans 8:11).   I gloried in God to see that dead carcass of selfishness and carnality at the end of this tremendous struggle, and you will too!  Just endure, knowing that your fiery trial will yield the fruit of righteousness.  I was happy to see my carnal self put to death. As painful a battle as it was and some of the battles were beyond brutal, such was necessary to really be straitened (pressed, perplexed, afflicted, thronged) (Luke 12:50).  Not only was it a battle against my flesh, but Satan was also very fond of my carnality too; he had spent 32 years molding me, so he brazenly made his presence known over a period of several months.  Hallelujah, the LORD is stronger though!

Why do I share this?  When YOUR day of tribulation comes (and maybe it is here now), do not take the easy way out.  Do not listen to your flesh or Satan.  Do not listen to voices in this world who know nothing about truly enduring in the faith.  Go to God, and do not relent until He speaks.  He will.  He will.

Further Reading:

That Much More

Place of a Skull

Stand in the Gap

Confusing the Voices

Follow Me

Skin for Skin

The Tribulum and Threshing

Are You Really IN Christ?