"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalms 37:4
I saw the look of gritty frustration on John's face as he blew in the front door. I asked him what was wrong and he fumed, "The truck won't start!"
"The truck" is an old 1981 Chevrolet pick-up we affectionately call "Ole Yeller." He's had it for years, and it's been like a faithful old friend to him. But since we've been married he's been trying to get it back into good running condition and that has been a slow, piece-meal process. Today was the day he hoped he could get Ole Yeller to pass emissions inspection, but when he went to leave, the old boy just squealed and sputtered and wouldn't even start.
I felt moved by the Spirit to go out there (while John was rummaging in the garage) and lay my hands on the truck to pray. I remember praying, "Lord, YOU know what this old truck means to John. You know it is the desire of his heart to have it working again, and Your Word tell us you love to grant the desires of the hearts of those who take delight in You. John takes delight in you every day, and so I'm asking for this small favor. Holy Spirit, YOU are all power! I believe YOUR power can start this truck and I believe that when I step inside it and turn the key, you will give the power it needs!" I believed it. I really did. And it started immediately! John came running out of the house, looking so amazed. "You did it!" he exclaimed.
"No, I didn't. The Lord God Almighty did."
As he drove away I went out in the back yard to see how the internet/phone company was doing. We had new service installed because we could not keep good wireless signal with the old company. The technician had the same frustrated look on his face as John had had earlier. "I thought this was going to be a quick job, but I realize now it could take a couple of days. The source tap on the telephone pole is burned out completely and I can't get any signal to your house."
I knew these events were spiritually tied. I went downstairs to my "prayer closet" and sought the Lord again. He spoke to me very clearly and I believe I am to share His words with all of you - because it is an on-time word. I heard the Spirit say:
"You were right to appeal to Me to start the truck. You acknowledged that My power can do what the world cannot do. Now I am causing you to have a few days without technology. Without phone or internet, you will be "fasting" from the world, and you will have to depend upon Me instead of your computer. Draw close to me, child. Be glad for the quiet. Now you can tune into MY signal instead of your "wireless" signal. My signal is far more powerful! And the days are coming very soon when you may not have your signals and your technology and your running vehicles. What will you do then? Will you learn to trust me and rely on MY power and my direction? Learn now. Listen now. Practice trusting me, moment by moment, for what you really need. And just as you believed that I would start that truck -- always believe."
Friday, March 2, 2018
Monday, February 19, 2018
Broken Down in Broken Arrow
"Our part is to cooperate with Him in focus, gaze and attention (Psalm 27), so that the pathway through the coming furnace (as in Matthew 24:21) becomes a delight rather than a trauma, because we see Yeshua right by our side." - Yoni Koski
Matthew 24:21 says, "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again."
The constant, continuing barrage of carnage and death in American schools, restaurants, concerts and night clubs truly does feel like great distress that is building in intensity. No wonder the Lord described it as birth pains, which continually increase in great pain and distress, until finally, the baby emerges and joy overtakes the pain.
A kingdom is being birthed! Our part is to cooperate with Yeshua in focus, gaze and attention so that as we move through the coming furnace of affliction, it will become a delight because we SEE HIM RIGHT BY OUR SIDE.
Before I begin this tale of our car breakdown, I want to be quick to say that I know this does not really qualify as a "furnace of affliction," or a great distress. However, it was indeed a challenging situation and I knew the Lord was using it to show us how faithfully and lovingly He would walk right by our side through every moment of this challenge.
We left home on February 9th for a three-week trip of ministry and visiting family. We were scheduled for a weekend of ministry with a congregation in Lucedale, Mississippi and then a 70th birthday party for John with all the generations of his family gathered in Alabama, followed by visits with my son and family in Pennsylvania and my sister in Illinois. However, we got as far as BROKEN ARROW, Oklahoma and our faithful old 2002 Yukon Denali breathed her last and died!
Driving through heavy traffic on the big Broken Arrow Expressway, I felt a sudden urgency that we should pull off onto an exit. I wondered why. John still had coffee, I didn't need to use the bathroom, and we hadn't been on the road long enough to trade drivers. What was the urgency? Yet, it continued, so I simply said, "John, would you pull off at the next exit?" He ignored me and drove right on past. The urgency intensified. "John, please would you pull off on this next exit?"
"Do you need a restroom?"
"No, but could we just exit off for a minute?" Again he did not respond and drove on past. Finally, as we approached the third exit, I guess he heard the pleading in my voice and he quickly made his way across several lanes and took the third exit. When we got to the top of the exit ramp, there was a loud, startling bang at the rear of the car and then it would not move forward or backward. John jumped out of the car, thinking we'd been hit from the rear, but that had not happened. The car behind us was several feet back, waiting for us to move. But by some amazing "coincidence," there was a large concrete pad, almost exactly the size of our long vehicle, just beside us, where we could pull over and get out of traffic. Single-handedly John began to push and steer this heavy, disabled vehicle over to the right, and I was in awe at his strength, concerned about his heart as he would have to strain so hard to move it. Later, I was filled with the certain knowledge that an angel had helped him, because this was really too difficult for one person to do! Yeshua was right beside us.
Once the car was pulled over, he realized it wasn't going to stay there, it was going to roll, and would not remain in park. I scrambled down the hill alongside us and found a large stone, about 25 pounds heavy, and brought it up to place in front of the tire, to keep the car in place. We called a tow truck and he towed us to the Chevy dealership that "just happened to be" only a mile and a half away. I pondered what could have happened to us had we not made an exit off that busy expressway. The car would have suddenly died in all that 75-mile-per hour traffic and.... well, you can imagine. Yeshua was right beside us! The Holy Spirit had guided us. Angels gave us strength and protected us.
As we rode in the tow truck cab, I suddenly panicked, realizing I did not have my cell phone. "Oh no! All my contacts! All my maps for the journey! My lifeline!" Delivering us safely to the Chevy dealer, the tow truck driver gently told me, "I have another call, but I'll take the time to go back to where you broke down and look for your phone."
Seriously? Have you ever seen a busy tow truck driver offer to go back and look for something you dropped? This one did, and in about ten minutes' time he returned from the place of our break-down and handed me my phone. Yeshua was right beside us.
After the mechanic looked at the car, we were told the repair would be around $3000. The car was worth $1500. I'm no rocket scientist, but that math did not add up for me! We needed another vehicle, and we needed it quickly, in order to get to all our appointed rounds. We don't finance anything and don't carry debt, so we told the "Previously Owned" car salesman our meager budget for a car, and he looked pretty dismayed. "We only have three vehicles in that price range and two of them are the same model." To make a long story a bit shorter, I'll just say that we took one of the three - a very nice 2012 Buick LaCrosse - and we bade goodbye to old "Dolly Denali," who had faithfully taken us SO many thousands of miles across this country in the service of the Lord. She had broken down in Broken Arrow and her wandering days were over.
Now came the biggest miracle of all - fitting the tremendous amount of STUFF from the big, roomy SUV into this sedan. Doubt pervaded my mind. No way! We had lots of hanging clothes, two suitcases plus the suitcase full of books and CDs, paper sacks full of our road munchies, a huge cooler full of lunch food and drinks, John's water filter, and a couple of very large emergency supply bins we always travel with. I was certain it would never fit - but the little car salesman was very motivated to make the sale! He scurried around like a squirrel burying nuts for the winter, and somehow, everything got tucked, folded or scrunched into a space. I was truly amazed. Yeshua was with us.
It was dark and we were tired, hungry, and behind our schedule now by a day. Where to spend the night? We drove two miles to where we saw all the usual hotel signs: LaQuinta, Marriott, Double Tree. Expensive! Way above our price range. John looked down the hill below and said, "Look at that building. Is that a hotel?" Exhausted, I replied, "I don't know, but we can go see."
It was an elegant facility known as the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center. We approached the reception desk and spoke to Benjamin. "Do you have a room available?" To my astonishment Benjamin said they had a standard king room and with my AAA discount the price was $80.00; less than a Super 8 in this area! I was grateful and handed him my credit card. While he checked us in, I shared with him the events of our day. Completing the check-in process, he handed me a key and whispered, "I gave you an upgrade. Enjoy."
Wearily, we lugged the suitcases up to the third floor and as we approached the room, I noticed it had a sign above the door that read "CABIN SUITE." We turned the key and my heart was simply flooded with the deep, abiding sense that Yeshua was not only right beside us, but making this pathway through the furnace a DELIGHT! It was the biggest hotel room I've ever seen in my life - decorated like a lovely cabin in the forest, with wood beam ceilings, paintings of bears and elk on the walls, a huge hot tub and an over-sized four-poster king bed. It felt like God was wrapping us in His huge arms with a loving hug, letting us know that in the midst of adversity He would not only be with us, but bless us.
Our part is to cooperate with Him in focus, gaze and attention. Psalm 27: 4-5: One thing I ask of the LORD, this only do I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock."
Matthew 24:21 says, "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again."
The constant, continuing barrage of carnage and death in American schools, restaurants, concerts and night clubs truly does feel like great distress that is building in intensity. No wonder the Lord described it as birth pains, which continually increase in great pain and distress, until finally, the baby emerges and joy overtakes the pain.
A kingdom is being birthed! Our part is to cooperate with Yeshua in focus, gaze and attention so that as we move through the coming furnace of affliction, it will become a delight because we SEE HIM RIGHT BY OUR SIDE.
Before I begin this tale of our car breakdown, I want to be quick to say that I know this does not really qualify as a "furnace of affliction," or a great distress. However, it was indeed a challenging situation and I knew the Lord was using it to show us how faithfully and lovingly He would walk right by our side through every moment of this challenge.
We left home on February 9th for a three-week trip of ministry and visiting family. We were scheduled for a weekend of ministry with a congregation in Lucedale, Mississippi and then a 70th birthday party for John with all the generations of his family gathered in Alabama, followed by visits with my son and family in Pennsylvania and my sister in Illinois. However, we got as far as BROKEN ARROW, Oklahoma and our faithful old 2002 Yukon Denali breathed her last and died!
Driving through heavy traffic on the big Broken Arrow Expressway, I felt a sudden urgency that we should pull off onto an exit. I wondered why. John still had coffee, I didn't need to use the bathroom, and we hadn't been on the road long enough to trade drivers. What was the urgency? Yet, it continued, so I simply said, "John, would you pull off at the next exit?" He ignored me and drove right on past. The urgency intensified. "John, please would you pull off on this next exit?"
"Do you need a restroom?"
"No, but could we just exit off for a minute?" Again he did not respond and drove on past. Finally, as we approached the third exit, I guess he heard the pleading in my voice and he quickly made his way across several lanes and took the third exit. When we got to the top of the exit ramp, there was a loud, startling bang at the rear of the car and then it would not move forward or backward. John jumped out of the car, thinking we'd been hit from the rear, but that had not happened. The car behind us was several feet back, waiting for us to move. But by some amazing "coincidence," there was a large concrete pad, almost exactly the size of our long vehicle, just beside us, where we could pull over and get out of traffic. Single-handedly John began to push and steer this heavy, disabled vehicle over to the right, and I was in awe at his strength, concerned about his heart as he would have to strain so hard to move it. Later, I was filled with the certain knowledge that an angel had helped him, because this was really too difficult for one person to do! Yeshua was right beside us.
Once the car was pulled over, he realized it wasn't going to stay there, it was going to roll, and would not remain in park. I scrambled down the hill alongside us and found a large stone, about 25 pounds heavy, and brought it up to place in front of the tire, to keep the car in place. We called a tow truck and he towed us to the Chevy dealership that "just happened to be" only a mile and a half away. I pondered what could have happened to us had we not made an exit off that busy expressway. The car would have suddenly died in all that 75-mile-per hour traffic and.... well, you can imagine. Yeshua was right beside us! The Holy Spirit had guided us. Angels gave us strength and protected us.
As we rode in the tow truck cab, I suddenly panicked, realizing I did not have my cell phone. "Oh no! All my contacts! All my maps for the journey! My lifeline!" Delivering us safely to the Chevy dealer, the tow truck driver gently told me, "I have another call, but I'll take the time to go back to where you broke down and look for your phone."
Seriously? Have you ever seen a busy tow truck driver offer to go back and look for something you dropped? This one did, and in about ten minutes' time he returned from the place of our break-down and handed me my phone. Yeshua was right beside us.
After the mechanic looked at the car, we were told the repair would be around $3000. The car was worth $1500. I'm no rocket scientist, but that math did not add up for me! We needed another vehicle, and we needed it quickly, in order to get to all our appointed rounds. We don't finance anything and don't carry debt, so we told the "Previously Owned" car salesman our meager budget for a car, and he looked pretty dismayed. "We only have three vehicles in that price range and two of them are the same model." To make a long story a bit shorter, I'll just say that we took one of the three - a very nice 2012 Buick LaCrosse - and we bade goodbye to old "Dolly Denali," who had faithfully taken us SO many thousands of miles across this country in the service of the Lord. She had broken down in Broken Arrow and her wandering days were over.
Now came the biggest miracle of all - fitting the tremendous amount of STUFF from the big, roomy SUV into this sedan. Doubt pervaded my mind. No way! We had lots of hanging clothes, two suitcases plus the suitcase full of books and CDs, paper sacks full of our road munchies, a huge cooler full of lunch food and drinks, John's water filter, and a couple of very large emergency supply bins we always travel with. I was certain it would never fit - but the little car salesman was very motivated to make the sale! He scurried around like a squirrel burying nuts for the winter, and somehow, everything got tucked, folded or scrunched into a space. I was truly amazed. Yeshua was with us.
It was dark and we were tired, hungry, and behind our schedule now by a day. Where to spend the night? We drove two miles to where we saw all the usual hotel signs: LaQuinta, Marriott, Double Tree. Expensive! Way above our price range. John looked down the hill below and said, "Look at that building. Is that a hotel?" Exhausted, I replied, "I don't know, but we can go see."
It was an elegant facility known as the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center. We approached the reception desk and spoke to Benjamin. "Do you have a room available?" To my astonishment Benjamin said they had a standard king room and with my AAA discount the price was $80.00; less than a Super 8 in this area! I was grateful and handed him my credit card. While he checked us in, I shared with him the events of our day. Completing the check-in process, he handed me a key and whispered, "I gave you an upgrade. Enjoy."
Wearily, we lugged the suitcases up to the third floor and as we approached the room, I noticed it had a sign above the door that read "CABIN SUITE." We turned the key and my heart was simply flooded with the deep, abiding sense that Yeshua was not only right beside us, but making this pathway through the furnace a DELIGHT! It was the biggest hotel room I've ever seen in my life - decorated like a lovely cabin in the forest, with wood beam ceilings, paintings of bears and elk on the walls, a huge hot tub and an over-sized four-poster king bed. It felt like God was wrapping us in His huge arms with a loving hug, letting us know that in the midst of adversity He would not only be with us, but bless us.
Our part is to cooperate with Him in focus, gaze and attention. Psalm 27: 4-5: One thing I ask of the LORD, this only do I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock."
Sunday, January 21, 2018
In the Shadow of His Hand
Oswald Chambers: "Whenever God gives a vision to a saint, He puts him in the shadow of His hand and the saint's duty is to be still and listen. There is a darkness which comes from excess of light and that is the time to LISTEN. Never try and help God fulfill His word."
Wow. That timely word deeply spoke to me; perhaps it speaks also to you. I feel that I cannot see and I cannot hear right now in the spirit realm. I feel blind and deaf like a person groping in the dark. Yet I had not considered that it is dark in a shadow!
Psalm 91: "He who dwells in the shelter of El Elyon (the Most High) will rest in the shadow of El Shaddai.
Is that why it has felt so dark in these past few months? Because I am in His shadow? God gave me a vision exactly a year ago; a vision for a new ministry He wanted to birth. Since then I've been looking at properties, trying to "feel my way in the dark." The vision seems stalled and the provision has not come forth. Perhaps I've been trying to help God fulfill his word! Is it really stalled on HIS timetable? His plan? His blueprint? No, it's me...trying to shorten the process I have to go through to be ready. Oswald Chambers went on: "Abraham went through 13 years of silence, but in those years all self-sufficiency was destroyed." No more helping God to get the job done! No more thinking that I know more about the fulfillment of this vision than He does!
What if I set aside all thought of this future vision and decided to be content and joyful in the present? What if I learned to accept the silence of this darkness as the shadow, the shelter of El Shaddai - the dark, quiet place of the womb where I wait for Him to bring birth?
You have me in the shadow of Your hand, Father and it is my duty to be still - and listen - and know that You are God.
Wow. That timely word deeply spoke to me; perhaps it speaks also to you. I feel that I cannot see and I cannot hear right now in the spirit realm. I feel blind and deaf like a person groping in the dark. Yet I had not considered that it is dark in a shadow!
Psalm 91: "He who dwells in the shelter of El Elyon (the Most High) will rest in the shadow of El Shaddai.
Is that why it has felt so dark in these past few months? Because I am in His shadow? God gave me a vision exactly a year ago; a vision for a new ministry He wanted to birth. Since then I've been looking at properties, trying to "feel my way in the dark." The vision seems stalled and the provision has not come forth. Perhaps I've been trying to help God fulfill his word! Is it really stalled on HIS timetable? His plan? His blueprint? No, it's me...trying to shorten the process I have to go through to be ready. Oswald Chambers went on: "Abraham went through 13 years of silence, but in those years all self-sufficiency was destroyed." No more helping God to get the job done! No more thinking that I know more about the fulfillment of this vision than He does!What if I set aside all thought of this future vision and decided to be content and joyful in the present? What if I learned to accept the silence of this darkness as the shadow, the shelter of El Shaddai - the dark, quiet place of the womb where I wait for Him to bring birth?
You have me in the shadow of Your hand, Father and it is my duty to be still - and listen - and know that You are God.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Waiting, Watching, Trembling
On the last day of 2017 I sat before the LORD and asked Him to speak to me a Word about 2018. I waited a long while in the quiet, making sure my own mind was uncluttered and able to hear and receive what was on HIS mind. Eventually I heard the Spirit speak:
"WAR. Many wars will break out. You will see much death - but also great signs and wonders. These times will cause you to tremble with fear; but do not be afraid. Wear my Word like armor. Use the Sword (the Word) as your weapon.
"Israel, My beloved, My delight, will suffer. Pray! Pray and believe! My Word will be accomplished.
"The fall of the wicked is a foreshadow of the fall of governments. Chaos comes and unless one is in the Strong Tower of My Name, they will crumble.
"Things will happen suddenly - and the changes will be almost too fast to follow. Not all will be as it seems. Seek Me. Seek My Word. It is Truth. The deceivers shall be many and you must pray for discernment.
"The fall of the wicked, the greedy and the corrupt this year is written: 'Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high; to escape the clutches of ruin.' (Hab. 2:9) For the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea! You (Lord) came out to deliver your people, to save your Anointed One. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from hand to foot!' (Hab. 2:14, 3:13)
This was the end of the Word God gave to me and so I inscribed it in my journal and wrote below it, "Abba Father, my tiny frame stands at the window, my nose and fingers pressed against the glass, waiting, watching, trembling...."
It is a time, as never before, when we must be a people who are watching and waiting on God, undistracted by the world and all its noise. He made it clear that His Word is our safe place. He will do battle, as we remain in Him. And this morning, January 7, 2018, He took me to these passages and asked me - and all of us, His people - to pray them earnestly in the days ahead, for this is a prayer for this hour.
Isaiah 64:1-4
Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before You! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your Name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before You! For when You did awesome things that we did not expect, You came down and the mountains trembled before You. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
"Abba Father, our tiny frames stand at the window, our noses and fingers pressed against the glass, waiting, watching, trembling...."
"WAR. Many wars will break out. You will see much death - but also great signs and wonders. These times will cause you to tremble with fear; but do not be afraid. Wear my Word like armor. Use the Sword (the Word) as your weapon.
"Israel, My beloved, My delight, will suffer. Pray! Pray and believe! My Word will be accomplished.
"The fall of the wicked is a foreshadow of the fall of governments. Chaos comes and unless one is in the Strong Tower of My Name, they will crumble.
"Things will happen suddenly - and the changes will be almost too fast to follow. Not all will be as it seems. Seek Me. Seek My Word. It is Truth. The deceivers shall be many and you must pray for discernment.
"The fall of the wicked, the greedy and the corrupt this year is written: 'Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high; to escape the clutches of ruin.' (Hab. 2:9) For the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea! You (Lord) came out to deliver your people, to save your Anointed One. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from hand to foot!' (Hab. 2:14, 3:13)
This was the end of the Word God gave to me and so I inscribed it in my journal and wrote below it, "Abba Father, my tiny frame stands at the window, my nose and fingers pressed against the glass, waiting, watching, trembling...."
It is a time, as never before, when we must be a people who are watching and waiting on God, undistracted by the world and all its noise. He made it clear that His Word is our safe place. He will do battle, as we remain in Him. And this morning, January 7, 2018, He took me to these passages and asked me - and all of us, His people - to pray them earnestly in the days ahead, for this is a prayer for this hour.
Isaiah 64:1-4
Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before You! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your Name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before You! For when You did awesome things that we did not expect, You came down and the mountains trembled before You. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
"Abba Father, our tiny frames stand at the window, our noses and fingers pressed against the glass, waiting, watching, trembling...."
Monday, January 1, 2018
Believe That You Have Received
Mark 11:24-25: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And when you stand praying if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins."
This past weekend, as we all peered into the new year of 2018, the Lord God illustrated both of these verses for John and me in very powerful ways. I know it's important that I share and bear witness to what He did and what He has taught me, so that others will receive these words of Yeshua and understand them in the context of our own daily lives.
On Saturday morning John's right leg was swollen and walking around was causing him great pain. Given his past heart attacks and known vascular issues, we both began suspecting a blood clot (Deep Vein Thrombosis). Knowing how serious this could be, I told him we needed to go to the Emergency Room. John refused and said, "No, let's pray." My husband's faith! It always emerges so strong in the face of adversity! I placed my hands upon the affected calf area and began to decree over the clot, that it was crushed, destroyed, loosed and demolished in the name of Yeshua! I spoke authority over it in His Name and commanded it to be destroyed by the power of His Blood. Then I spent the morning make tea for John, filled with tumeric, ginger and cayenne pepper, knowing that these good herbs open up the blood vessels. Within about two hours the swelling went down, pink color returned to feet and toes, and the pain completely left him! "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours." John believed and John received. Yet, I was reading a commentary on this verse and I think his caution is important:
“We should not interpret verse 24 to mean, ‘If you pray hard enough and really believe, God is obligated to answer your prayer no matter what you ask.’ That kind of faith is not faith in God; rather it is nothing but faith in faith, or faith in feelings.” (Wiersbe)
He makes a good point. Faith in God means we trust God to give us what He knows is best for us. I am rejoicing that He answered John with complete healing and our part is to share the testimony!
The Holy Spirit has been illustrating Verse 25 to me over the past few days regarding the story of my son. I just shared in another blog about our conversation where he asked me not to speak of my faith again, and SO many of you responded with similar stories! It is amazing how many of us are struggling with prodigal sons and daughters. What a blessing it is for us to share our pain and pray for one another! But the Spirit is teaching me something vital from this verse: "And when you stand praying if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins." Holy Spirit is speaking to me that this means we are never to place our "ministry" ahead of good relationships with people. As in Romans 12:18 "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." And so, in response to this counsel, I have been reaching back in to my son instead of withdrawing from him (which is probably what he expected me to do). I have made the promise that, weather permitting, we will drive out to Pennsylvania next month to spend some time with him and his family over President's Day holiday weekend. That means we will be there for our seventh wedding anniversary. Delighted, he promised that he and his 11-year-old son would cook us an Italian dinner! He and his wife both called last week and we had positive, joyful conversations. In the midst of writing this blog, just now, he texted me, "Happy New Year, Mom!"
It is all as if the Lord is showing me that sometimes we must forego preaching and our righteous airs and keep meeting people right where they are, with that love that Yeshua must have shown when he ate with the tax collectors. Maybe the tax collector's wife made him a nice Italian dinner and maybe He smiled with gratitude and showed such a love that they came to really KNOW Him.
This is not really new to me. I've reached out to this family for many, many years now. I spent an entire month there when my grandson was born, and did my best to fill the house with the fragrance of the Spirit and the deep love of the Lord. But I can't give up. You can't give up. When we stand praying, we must forgive them of their sins - and when we pray, we must believe that we have received it.
This past weekend, as we all peered into the new year of 2018, the Lord God illustrated both of these verses for John and me in very powerful ways. I know it's important that I share and bear witness to what He did and what He has taught me, so that others will receive these words of Yeshua and understand them in the context of our own daily lives.
On Saturday morning John's right leg was swollen and walking around was causing him great pain. Given his past heart attacks and known vascular issues, we both began suspecting a blood clot (Deep Vein Thrombosis). Knowing how serious this could be, I told him we needed to go to the Emergency Room. John refused and said, "No, let's pray." My husband's faith! It always emerges so strong in the face of adversity! I placed my hands upon the affected calf area and began to decree over the clot, that it was crushed, destroyed, loosed and demolished in the name of Yeshua! I spoke authority over it in His Name and commanded it to be destroyed by the power of His Blood. Then I spent the morning make tea for John, filled with tumeric, ginger and cayenne pepper, knowing that these good herbs open up the blood vessels. Within about two hours the swelling went down, pink color returned to feet and toes, and the pain completely left him! "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours." John believed and John received. Yet, I was reading a commentary on this verse and I think his caution is important:
“We should not interpret verse 24 to mean, ‘If you pray hard enough and really believe, God is obligated to answer your prayer no matter what you ask.’ That kind of faith is not faith in God; rather it is nothing but faith in faith, or faith in feelings.” (Wiersbe)
He makes a good point. Faith in God means we trust God to give us what He knows is best for us. I am rejoicing that He answered John with complete healing and our part is to share the testimony!
The Holy Spirit has been illustrating Verse 25 to me over the past few days regarding the story of my son. I just shared in another blog about our conversation where he asked me not to speak of my faith again, and SO many of you responded with similar stories! It is amazing how many of us are struggling with prodigal sons and daughters. What a blessing it is for us to share our pain and pray for one another! But the Spirit is teaching me something vital from this verse: "And when you stand praying if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins." Holy Spirit is speaking to me that this means we are never to place our "ministry" ahead of good relationships with people. As in Romans 12:18 "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." And so, in response to this counsel, I have been reaching back in to my son instead of withdrawing from him (which is probably what he expected me to do). I have made the promise that, weather permitting, we will drive out to Pennsylvania next month to spend some time with him and his family over President's Day holiday weekend. That means we will be there for our seventh wedding anniversary. Delighted, he promised that he and his 11-year-old son would cook us an Italian dinner! He and his wife both called last week and we had positive, joyful conversations. In the midst of writing this blog, just now, he texted me, "Happy New Year, Mom!"
It is all as if the Lord is showing me that sometimes we must forego preaching and our righteous airs and keep meeting people right where they are, with that love that Yeshua must have shown when he ate with the tax collectors. Maybe the tax collector's wife made him a nice Italian dinner and maybe He smiled with gratitude and showed such a love that they came to really KNOW Him.
This is not really new to me. I've reached out to this family for many, many years now. I spent an entire month there when my grandson was born, and did my best to fill the house with the fragrance of the Spirit and the deep love of the Lord. But I can't give up. You can't give up. When we stand praying, we must forgive them of their sins - and when we pray, we must believe that we have received it.
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