I have been walking with the Lord Jesus, the Christ, my saviour since 1981 and He has been showing me great and mighty things since then. This past year is no different, He has been revealing to me some things concerning the hardships and trials of the past 7 years!! He has opened my eyes to a new and deeper understanding of Himself! Who He is, what He alone can do and He has given me understanding in this life! And I am sooo grateful for His work in my life!
We all have read or heard stories about how Jesus is God, that He is Good, how He calmed the storms, healed the sick, spoke words of wisdom to the masses or just to His disciples. How He died on the cross for our sins, and how and when He rose back up and revealed Himself to those around. We believe and we go on to live our lives each day.
I have found that at different points in my life the Lord wants His word to come alive to me, for me to experience each of these scenerios in a real way. He makes these "stories" become more than just a story in a book that I read and believed by faith, but a reality that I have experienced in my life in these modern times! In the here and now, through different circumstances, yet the same Lord with the same love and help.......answers!!! <3
Jeff and I have been under an extreme amount of pressure from storms that have raged since his on the job accident on Nov. 17th, '07. The financial strain and stress of being out of work for 7 mos. the physical pain and loss of feeling in his foot and the use of some of his toes plus the cost of 2 surgeries, one for him and one for me has had a real set back effect on our whole life.
The first step to finding the victory in alll these raging storms was that we had to CHOOSE to keep Jesus as our Lord, our Saviour whom we put all of our faith in. We also have had to chose to push through, to keep servin, keep listening, to keep seeking Him first in all things and to keep waiting on Him each day to set our paths straight!! Calling upon Him time and time again to hold us, to keep us safe in the middle of the raging storms, much like the movie the perfect storm where 3 storms met in the middle where a fishing vessel was located. They were lost at sea. We have to choose not to have the attitude that we will be lost in the storm, but instead We have to chose to stand and SEE what it is that Jesus will do on our behalf!
We are told in the word to: Let not your hearts be troubled! We have a job to do, it is a battle. This does not just happen.
Deut 20:3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them.
John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
3824 לֵבָב [lebab /lay·bawb/] n m. From 3823; TWOT 1071a; GK 4222; 252 occurrences; AV translates as “heart” 231 times, “consider + 7760” five times, “mind” four times, “understanding” three times, and translated miscellaneously nine times. 1 inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding. 1a inner part, midst. 1a1 midst (of things). 1a2 heart (of man). 1a3 soul, heart (of man). 1a4 mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory. 1a5 inclination, resolution, determination (of will). 1a6 conscience. 1a7 heart (of moral character). 1a8 as seat of appetites. 1a9 as seat of emotions and passions. 1a10 as seat of courage.
Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
At times we have felt absolutely flooded out! Wave upon wave and tear upon tear!! But I can say that the Lord has been faithful! He has made Himself real and taught us many lessons.
We can say with all our hearts that Jesus is Good, Righteous in His Soverignty. He has carried us, whispered to us of His love over and over. He has bound up our wounds and healed our saddened hearts. He has allowed us to share with others, to be one lamppost on their path to light the way ....that leads right to Faith in Christ!
Right now we find ourselves in another scary trial as I am about to have a biopsy from an abnormal mammogram. In the midst of being very upset and overwhelmed I have begged, borrowed and stole the prayers of many of my friends to help in this time of trouble!
Don't be afraid to ask for prayer, we all need it! We can all help each other carry each others burdens through the power of prayer. Let me tell you it works!!! The Lord has calmed my emotional storm and given me a peace. It's that peace that is sooooo totally unexplainable! I can't begin to explain it, nothing has changed except that I cried out in the Name of Jesus and He alone heard my cries and answered me. He has calmed the storm in my heart and mind. He has lifted the oppression of the many voices of fear in my head and heart. And in this storm He has spoken many great and wise things to me about my life!! About what we have been going through!
(Please do pray tomorrow as I go in for testing!
I know and am blessed to be His daughter, His Princess, His Heir, a part of His Royal Priesthood, His Ambassador for Heaven, the Apple of His eye, His Servant, His mouthpiece proclaiming Him as Lord and Saviour for all that would choose Him.
Here are a few of the things He has shown me!
He is Soverign and no one can change His plans for me, my family nor for the world.
HE IS NOT CONSTRAINED BY ANY THING! 315 ἀναγκάζω [anagkazo /an·ang·kad·zo/] v. From 318; TDNT 1:344; TDNTA 55; GK 337; Nine occurrences; AV translates as “compel” five times, and “constrain” four times. 1 to necessitate, compel, drive to, constrain. 1a by force, threats, etc. 1b by permission, entreaties, etc. 1c by other means. Strong, James
No thing can constrain Him. Money, fear, loss, trials, homes, mortgages, jobs, gravity, science, man, devil, evil, the good of man, surgeries, health, sickness, marriage, husbands, wives nor sin! Nor the depths of the ocean or by the height of the skies!
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 27 Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. 28 Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth. 32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein. 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth. 34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.
1 Ch 16:25-34
Nothing can seperate us from His love for us!!!!!
He is close by in times of trouble, a very present help.
He saves.
He has held a steady course in our life, even when it was out of control in our own sight.
He carries us in His arms all the while healing our hearts, minds, souls and physical being.
He has kept what the world would has tried to take away.
He hears every single one of my prayers big or small. He cares, He answers.
He is the healer of relationships.
He has seen us through changes, losses, fears, falling outs, raging anger in ourselves or from others.
He feed us, His sheep physically, emotionally and spiritually.
He reveals and hides good and bad.
He is Good and because we love Him, and choose to serve Him, He has made every single thing in our life work together both to glorify Him and for our benefit!
He keeps you where He wants you and moves you where He wants you. No one in the world can change His will from happening, in His timing, in your submitted life to Him. We truly are proof of that.
Though His will is not in full sight to us, we are and will keep working hard to keep our hands open and ready to serve Him at a moments notice. Not holding so tightly that we can't let go, yet holding on enough to the rope that is tied to His leading us in the right direction!
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Heb. 10:23
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:14
I hope and pray that this little bit of insight, into one christian family will help encourage you to keep pressing forward laying hold of the faith that is also in you...
Luv2u,
Blessings, Monica's Munchies <3
