Fighting To See

My oldest son is turning 15 next month and all I hear him talk about is his permit!!! Is it really that time already?!?!? I know this is so exciting for him but honestly, for me, every time he starts talking about it I’m swept back in time to when he was just a baby. So many memories! Homeschooling, his first bicycle, the huge train we built together out of Pampered Chef boxes, his first puppy, and the list goes on.

As I started reminiscing, the Lord reminded me of a past situation that actually related to what He's been talking to me about presently. For the last several months we've been discussing vision; vision statements, His vision for my life, His vision for my family, ect....

The memory that I began to recall was one where we fought for my son's eyesight. He was born with strabismus and had surgery on both eyes when he was only six months old. He recovered and we went to several doctors over the next few years. When he was almost four I took him to a very negative eye specialist. (I didn't know he was going to be negative.) He asked my son to read the eye chart. Of course, it was pictures because he was too young to know any of the letters. The left eye was covered and with the right eye, he flew through the pictures. I thought to myself, “YES, he got everyone right!” Then, the doctor covered the right eye and my son got very quiet. He looked up at me with an expression on his face that to this day pierces my heart when I think about it. Through tears he said, “I can’t see it, mommy!” I immediately scooped him up in my arms and started reassuring him that everything would be ok. The doctor said the brain had stopped using the eye and he was going to basically be blind in his left eye. He said we could patch but it would be months before we saw any improvement; if any at all. He told me several stories about people he knew and how the process was irreversible. He didn't have one positive word to say. Not one!!

Needless to say I left there very upset. Upset with the prognosis and with the callous tone in the doctor’s voice. I went home and put Mason down for a nap and started praying. I remembered a book I had just finished on Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace (nothing missing; nothing broken), whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

I knew three things. This was my verse to stand on, it was not coincidental that I had just read this particular book, and I knew what my battle strategy was. This verse took on a very personal meaning for me that day.

I still remember part of the prayer that I prayed. ‘Lord, Your word says that if I keep my mind stayed on You, I will trust You because I will see You and Your promises in Your word. I will trust that You are who You say You are and I will trust that You will watch over Your word to perform it. As I trust You because I have kept my mind stayed on You, You will give me perfect peace (nothing missing; nothing broken)! And Lord, if my son loses his eyesight, then I won’t have perfect peace because something will be missing and something will be broken. So in Jesus Name I declare 20/20 vision over my son’s eyesight and I thank you for my perfect peace. AMEN!’

Let me say that I didn't just pray this once I declared it repeatedly; many times a day! I wrote that scripture on note cards and I hung it all over my house. It hung on the bathroom mirrors, next to every potty, on every kitchen cabinet door, on the walls, television, mantle, lamps and on every door in the house. I would walk around my house declaring his 20/20 vision and healing. I went to war!!!!

We did patching also and I made the cutest, wildest patches for both of us to wear together! The doctor had told me to patch for three months and make a follow up appointment. He was very clear that he didn’t expect to see anything different. This was simply protocol. I couldn’t wait three months. So in just a couple of weeks I called and wanted to have him retested. This time, to the doctor’s surprise, my son had 20/20 vision in both eyes.

God’s word is powerful, His promises are true and He is faithful!!

I asked God how this memory applied to me now and realized that just as the enemy tried to steal Mason's eyesight; his vision, the enemy has tried to do the same to me. The enemy doesn't want us to see who we are; who God created us to be. However, just as God restored Mason's vision, He is doing the same for me. I am declaring the same scripture over my spiritual vision! If I can't see spiritually then something is surely missing. I believe God will continue to speak to me on this subject because I will continue to ask

and... I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. Habakkuk 2:1

You Don't Know My Daughter!!

Ever been at the end of your rope? There was a time in my life when the end of the rope would have seemed relaxing next to where I found myself hanging. I was dangling from the ever dreaded single thread! Then, the Lord reminded me of a story.

This story begins in the book of Job as a conversation between God and the devil. God asked the devil what he’d been up to and satan said he’d been ‘looking around and checking things out’ (Job 1:7). Now we know that satan is the 'accuser of the brethren' (Revelation 12:10) so it would go to reason that satan must have been ‘looking’ for a brethren to accuse.

I believe there was a tone of sarcasm in satan's voice that day. However, because God sees past our words, straight into our soul and discerns the very intent of our hearts(Hebrews 4:12) and knows the end from the beginning, (Isaiah 46:10), how easy it was to see right through the devil and his manipulative comment. To the untrained ear it might simply have sounded like a pleasant response to a question, ‘Just looking around, checking things out’ (my interpretation). But I believe there was more behind that casual comment. See, satan would have loved to have shown God that there was no one on the earth He could trust. He would love to have shown God there was no one devoted, loyal or dedicated to Him. Perhaps, show Him men that were fair-weathered friends at best.

Although the war was waged in the unseen realm, the brunt of the battle was fought in the natural and God used a man. A man He could trust.

How much could God trust Job? He trusted him so much that He didn’t even tell him how important this battle was.

Did you get that?! The Lord didn’t tell Job that he had been chosen to prove there was a man devoted and loyal to God. A man that could lose everything and not ‘charge God with wrong' (Job 1:22).

Job didn’t know the magnitude of the battle. He didn’t know everything happening to him was repercussion of a war raging in the unseen realm. It was a fight between Almighty God and the enemy.

No, Job didn’t know. Job didn’t know it wasn’t about him. Job didn’t know God trusted him. Job didn’t know he was making a difference. Job didn’t know his story would be told for thousands of years and inspire millions of believers. Job didn’t know God recognized him as ‘blameless and upright, one who fears God and shuns evil’ (Job 1:8). Job didn’t know he was chosen to prove the enemy of our Father God was a defeated foe and a liar. Maybe if he had known it was a test of that magnitude, it would have been easier for him and he might have handled some things differently. However, even in the midst of the storm when his own pain and loss were screaming at him, he had the where-with-all to say….

Job 1:21

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord!

This war is not only still being fought today in the unseen realm, but we are still feeling the weight of it in our everyday lives; our marriages, our families, our health, and our finances. The enemy still comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) I pray in the powerful Name of Jesus that we never have to endure the pain and loss that Job endured. However, no matter what trial we’re in, no matter how big or how small - we still have to walk through it. We have to decide how we are going to make that journey be it a short one or a long one. What if, like Job, we are the proving ground in this battle, this trial that we are facing right now?

What if, right now, my Father and my accuser are having a conversation similar to the one they had about Job? What if the accuser is doing what he does best and is accusing me to my Father?

What if he's saying things like, “She’s not strong. She won’t make it. This is more than she can handle.”

What if my Father responds with, “You don’t know her like I do.”

Then satan counters with, “Turn up the heat and watch her crumble.”

Just what if Almighty God, Creator of all things, looks satan square in the eyes and says, “You don’t know My daughter.”

What if I’m the proving ground in my battle? What if my Father is watching to see how I will handle this trial and if I will prove to not only the enemy but to all those watching that I am strong in God and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). What if I choose a testimony that declares God is able and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). What if I trust God enough to believe Him when He says His Grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9), that His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), that He'll never leave nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5), that He will perfect that which concerns me (Psalms 138:8), that He loves me (John 16:27)and that He has, according to Luke 10:19, given me authority and power to stand against all the power of the enemy.

What if, like Job, I am (you are) the one who is chosen because God trusts us more than we trust ourselves. Why, because He sees the potential that He placed in us even when we don’t. Oh to see ourselves the way our Heavenly Father sees us.

Honestly, there are those days when the heat is turned up and I feel like I’m barely hanging on. However, on those heated days, I’m glad there are things we do know. Unlike Job, we DO know that we are not limited to our circumstances. We know everything that manifests itself in the natural realm is a reflection of something that’s going on in the spiritual realm. We know we’re in a battle. We know who our enemy is and we know from where it is our strength comes from!!! (Psalm 28:8) We are not uncircumcised giants but we are daughters of the Most High God and we know who we’re in covenant with. We know that it’s not all about us but about the One who enlisted us (2 Timothy 2:4). We know that our defining moments (how we go through trials) impact history.

Unlike our Father, we can’t see the end from the beginning. We have to trust Him and His vision and believe that when we’ve come through we will have grown to another level in the Lord, proven that we can be trusted and are able to say:

Job 42:5

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.

In this lifetime, we may never know the absolute magnitude of the battle we’re fighting or how our part in the battle impacts the overall unseen war. But can we be trusted to do our part? To continue standing when we’ve done all to stand? To fight the good fight of faith and not waiver? Dear sister, no one said it would be easy but may we scream at the top of our lungs in the midst of, in spite of, and over the roar of the battle,

“BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!”

The Deposit

Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

The Lord had rejected Saul as king and wanted the prophet Samuel to anoint the new King. God told Samuel in 1Samuel 16:1 ….for I have provided Myself a king among his (Jesse’s) sons. So, Samuel grabbed his oil and headed out. When he had gathered them all together, he looked at Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, and of course assumed that he must be the one. However, the Lord said in Verse 7 ….Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, yet Samuel didn’t hear the Lord select any of them. He asked if there were any other sons not present. Jesse told him of David who was tending the sheep. At Samuel’s request, they called for him and the Lord said in Verse 12 ….Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!

Because David was merely a shepherd and the youngest of Jesse’s sons, he didn’t even get invited to the shindig. All outward appearances prevented anyone from believing he was to be the future king of Israel.

However, when God looked at David that day, He didn’t see a boy who had taken down a giant, a man who had commanded an army, or a king who was leading a nation. These things had not yet happened. What God saw that day was not based on what David looked like or on what he had accomplished. God saw past the outward appearances that misled man. God saw the deposit that He had already placed on the inside of David. The deposit that would enable him to kill the giant, command an army and lead a nation.

So what does God see when He looks at you? God sees who He created you to be. The deposit He's placed in you that enables you to be everything He has called you to be and to do everything He has called you to do. He has planned for you, prepared for you, and empowered you.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJ)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Thank you Father for the deposit You've placed on the inside of us. Open ours eyes that we might see others and ourselves as You see. Lord, we will prophesy and speak to the destinies in our husbands, our children and ourselves today!!! AMEN

Are You Being Squirted with Orange Juice???

John 4: 39-40

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”

So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

And many more believed because of His own word.

Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

In these scriptures, the Samaritan woman has an encounter with Jesus. Pretty powerful one because she goes back to her city and begins to testify. This peeks the interest of the Samaritans and they actually end up asking Jesus to stick around for a couple of days so they can see for themselves what He's all about. I love that they wanted to check Him out themselves. They should!!

Someone else’s experience, teaching or testimony may encourage you briefly, but it will not sustain you. You need that encounter with Jesus for yourself to produce lasting fruit in your life. Your tree won’t produce oranges just because the tree next to you squirted you with orange juice. Don't get me wrong, orange juice is delicious!!! However, it's better to grow your own oranges.

One word to you from God will run circles around any sermon, lesson, devotional or teaching you might hear. It can penetrate your soul and last forever; producing eternal fruit.

Look what happened when they gave themselves the opportunity to be alone with Jesus. “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Thank You Lord for speaking directly to us with Your word that breaths life into every situation and penetrates our very soul. I declare in Jesus name that we hear the voice of our good shepherd. Lord, we will be looking to see what You have to say to us today. AMEN

I Shall Not Be Moved!!!

Psalm 62:5-6 My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation (hope) is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense;

I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!!!

I could break that scripture down and talk about it all day.

First, “my soul”, that’s my mind, will and emotions. That’s my thinker, my chooser and my feeler. Most days, that’s what makes me tick!!!

“Wait silently for God alone.” My ticker doesn’t wait easily. In spite of my mind traveling 90mph, my will has to put on the brakes and choose to wait – silently (that’s tough) for God alone. This can result in quite an inward battle whereas my emotions will join in the struggle.

“for my expectation is from Him.” What do I expect, or want, or think is fair in the situation I’m in? Again, my ticker must get involved and submit to God and allow Him to define the situation and the outcome. (Emotions, hang on!)

“He only is my rock and my salvation;” He is my foundation. Everything rests in Him and on Him. My hope is IN Him and my victory rests ON Him. It’s on His shoulders and I know I can trust those shoulders to carry me!

“He is my defense;” This is a good line to repeat over and over. He actually loves me enough to protect and defend me with everything He’s got!!! That’s a level of peace that passes all understanding!

“I shall not be moved!” I choose Him this day whom I will serve! I choose to line up my mind, will and emotions with what God has to say; His truth and His expectations. I choose Him to be the rock that I stand on! I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!!!!

Thank you Lord that You alone are my rock and my salvation; I cling safely to you. Thank you that you defend me! I declare this day that no weapon formed against me, my husband or my family shall prosper. I choose You this day to serve. AMEN