Barely Surviving or Thriving

For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land." (Jeremiah 29:11-14 NLT)

Walking with God is a beautiful adventure, giving our hearts to Jesus, doesn't mean we will always have an easy time at life or a walk in the park - it means that we will always have a guide, a defender, and a protector.  Not until we get to Heaven (our true and final home) will everything be perfect.

"...He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." (Revelation 21:4 NLT)

Until we get to Heaven, we have to live here on Earth (our temporary home) and that means we are in enemy territory.  As a Child of God, you are an enemy to the devil and he will do whatever he can to keep you from receiving the blessings and favor that God has planned for you.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)

Our Earthly home holds many seasons for us, the key to not just surviving the seasons of life but thriving are found in our walk with God. How close do we cling to our guide - is it wholeheartedly? Or only when we encounter bad times?  Have you noticed that when life is going smoothly, no bumps in the road, no turbulent weather, we tend to drift on the path laid before us; sometimes to the left or to the right, not so intent on following closely to our Guide, our God - instead we're distracted by the buzzing around us and losing focus on the Light that has been shining on us. It's not until the clouds roll in, the conditions get harsh, that we notice we haven't been paying attention to our Guide, and have somehow gotten off path - then we call out to God, only to learn that He never left us, no matter how far we got off our path, He was there all along, waiting patiently for us.

Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6 AMP)

The enemy deceives, he entices, he lies, and uses our own pride (the very thing that got him cast out of Heaven) to convince us that we don't need God.  Sometimes the devil wants us to believe we've messed up too much to return to God, that He would never take us back, so we might as well continue with our diversions or maybe just figure out this problem on our own and the further we get away from God, the easier the lies are to believe and we become more like those who never knew God.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT)

Pride blinds - our pride tells us that we can fix it, we don't need anyone's help, we got ourselves in this mess, we can get ourselves out - God doesn't want our pride, He wants our obedience. When we make mistakes, He wants us to ask forgiveness, but He wants us to humble ourselves and acknowledge that He is God and that we NEED Him, not just to help us out of our problems, but that we NEED Him everyday in every situation. 

Know whom you're dealing with!

   God alone is powerful enough to create the earth.

He alone is wise enough to put the world together.

    He alone understands enough to stretch out the heavens. (Jeremiah 10:12 VOICE)

God isn't a 'Cure-All-Your-Problems' solution to be taken out only when needed, God is our Heavenly Father - He desires a relationship with us, He wants to be a part of our everyday lives, He wants to share in our joys and comfort us in our sorrows. God is the Almighty Creator of the Universe, we were each created for a purpose, we each have that stirring within ourselves that until we've fulfilled our calling will leave a void that cannot be filled. 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; (Jeremiah 1:5 AMP)

We each have a purpose, we each were created by God - for God, we each have been given God's promises, we each have been given the opportunity to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We can navigate this life blindly without our Guide and Light, or we can call upon our Lord and God and follow Him - follow Him ALWAYS, through the seasons of plenty and the seasons of plight, just barely surviving or thriving - the choice has always been ours. 

Standing Up to Your Goliath

45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!

47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:45-46 NLT)

Talk about motivational speeches, this just gets me ready to conquer the Goliaths in my life! I’m so tired of being attacked by the enemy, he’s relentless in his attacks on God’s children, because he knows we already have won and wants to trick us into thinking we can still be defeated - BUT the truth is, we can’t!

4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.  5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4 NLT)

Once we have believed and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died on the cross for mankind’s sins, rose again on the third day and is now seated in Heaven at God’s right hand – we became children of God! We have an inheritance and we are made righteous because of Jesus – not because of us (we could never achieve that on our own).

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.t Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (Romans 8:14-17 NLT)

That suffering is what the devil brings upon us, but because of Christ we can defeat the devil and the suffering he brings us. Jesus bore the cross, the misery and death for us – but he defeated the devil when he rose again on that third day! So anything the devil brings to us, we can refuse it and kick it back to him. David stood up and without fear told Goliath that he was going to defeat him, not because of who he was, but because of WHO his GOD was! And that’s exactly what we need to do! When the devil attacks, grab a scripture and defeat him with that sword, say it out loud!  When we speak God’s Word over the enemy and the circumstance, we are calling on God’s truth over the devil’s lies and there’s no greater power than the name of Jesus – so believe it and use it!

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11 NLT)

So stand up to your Goliath now, whether it be finances, illness, or relationships – speak the Word of God over that circumstance and be free from the bondage that the devil is trying to trick you with.

Jesus has already won, claim the victory and receive the blessings, favor and grace that God has for you!!

10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11  And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts.12  And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:10-12 AMP)

Lay Those Burdens Down and Pick up GOD's Promises

How often do you pray to GOD to help you with a burden and then after you lay it down, end up picking it back up when something else is added to it? Do you ever pick it up and start worrying over it again, pick it up and think GOD’s too busy for this, I’m sure I can figure something out… Part of the faith walk is leaving those burdens behind and keep trusting in GOD, trusting that in HIS time it will be taken care of.

‘For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’ (Matthew 11:30 NLT)

Walking by faith means trusting GOD no matter the circumstances around us. GOD didn’t put those road bumps, difficulties and pitfalls in our path, but HE can use any situation to teach us what we need in our journey with him.

‘Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from the beginning to end.’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT)

Some people insist that their problems are too small for GOD and they don’t want to bother HIM with their ‘stuff’.

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (1 Peter 5:7 AMP)

In the Greek translation, the word used for ‘all’ is the Greek ‘pas’ and this word is literally translated into ("each, every") means "all" in the sense of "each (every) part that applies." The emphasis of the total picture then is on "one piece at a time."  (ananeóō) then focuses on the part(s) making up the whole – viewing the whole in terms of the individual parts.

Do you see that ALL our cares, ALL our anxieties, EACH and EVERY little detail that makes up our anxieties are to be cast upon Jesus – there is no tiny detail that JESUS wants left out, HE wants us to bring HIM everything to HIM!!

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail). (Psalm 55:22 AMP)

What’s good about starting with the small stuff, is that when we see GOD’s faithfulness in answering those smaller issues, we have built our faith up enough that bringing HIM the bigger issues are second nature and without thought. The faith walk is a trust walk, we trust that GOD will answer our prayers; we lose our worldly way of thinking and begin to think in the Kingdom of GOD  way.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus spoke of the faith of a child? Because a child doesn’t question when they are told something, they believe it, it is fact - period: “You stole my nose!” and/or “Santa/Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy is coming”.  We are given a whole Bible filled with GOD’s Word and we still have doubts. Doubt is what happens when you’ve lived in the ‘world’ too long – we learn to doubt and we learn to distrust. This world is ruled by Satan and that’s his job, to keep us from receiving all that GOD has for us. When we buy into the enemies lies, ‘miracles are of the past’, ‘GOD doesn’t heal today’, ‘that’s prosperity teaching and it’s not for us’.

If you are a Believer and you believe the Bible is GOD’s Holy Word and that GOD is truth and GOD is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow – then you don’t need to be concerned with the devil’s lies because our GOD is a GOD of miracles, a GOD that heals, a GOD that wants to bless you with an abundance!!

Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you. (Luke 10:19 AMP)

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides] (Ephesians 6:10 AMP)

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. (1 John 4:4 NLT)

There’s our authority, we have Christ in us, we are empowered by the same Spirit of GOD that raised Jesus from the dead! With the Holy Spirit living in us, we are given the Authority of Christ, with that authority we can do all that Jesus told us we could do!

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! (Matthew 10:8 NLT)

Did you see that Jesus told us to heal, HE didn’t say, ‘go pray to GOD for healing, HE said go and heal’! The devil’s greatest deception has been using ‘wolves in sheep clothing’ to tell Believer’s that we can’t have what GOD’s Word ALREADY told us we have!

Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. (Matthew 7:15 NLT)

Our minds have to be renewed to GOD’s way, not the world’s way, that’s why we HAVE to immerse ourselves in the Bible, immerse ourselves in the promises of GOD and refuse to listen to the lies of the enemy. The devil can’t take from us what is already ours, but he can lie to us and keep us from experiencing the promises that GOD has for us.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT)

GOD’s promises are so great that the enemy wants desperately to keep us from them, because when he keeps Believers in bondage from his lies, we aren’t able to fulfill all that GOD’s wants to give us and all that GOD has planned for us to bless and encourage others.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge (Hosea 4:6a AMP)

If you renew your mind with the Word of GOD, it will become second nature to you speak out the Word of GOD and to believe it without fail. Faith walking and trust walking can only happen if you keep the Word flowing from your heart so that it pours out of your mouth! Alter your thoughts to GOD’s will for your life, there you will find all the promises that GOD has for you and that is when you see those promises come to be!

For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34 NIV)

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. (Romans 12:2 AMP)

Healing Takes Faith and a Little Patience

   But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brougt us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 NIV)

That is just one of the many scriptures that refer to our healing, I have a list of over a 100 scriptures that show how healing is GOD's desire for us. I had spoken to others who have received miraculous healing, read about others and heard pastors talking about it. So what I haven’t been able to grasp, in groups that believe in healing, why some people are healed and some are not. I’ve wondered does that mean those that haven’t been healed didn’t have enough faith?  So I began looking at what we need for our faith:

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. (Romans 10:17 NLT)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—(Ephesians 2:8 NIV)

Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." (Matthew 17:20 NLT)

So we grow our faith from reading GOD's Word, we are saved by grace through faith (believing that we can even be saved), and that with faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains. So now I think I know what is required to have healing, but don't have a practical application, that is until....

Febuary 8th our vet gave us the prognosis of lymphoma and advanced kidney failure for our 'puppy' Jedi. The vet told me he had about 30 days - I immediately told her we believe in GOD's healing and that we won't have to worry about that. Three days after that prognosis we brought him back in and she was amazed at how wonderful he was doing, she said she knew we believed in healing and that she was impressed. We have been continously praying for Jedi and have only been speaking life over his diagnosis and not death, we have believed that he received healing and that maybe some symptoms are still showing, but everyday he is healthier and he is healed. 

I pray over a list of people every night, all for different requests, and there are a few for healing. I've often prayed the same way for these healings and now that I've been in a situation with a healing, I have been second guessing the way I've been praying, because I've learned from personal experience that our emotions, faith, and patience are constantly battling each other.

I read once a story that happened to Bro.Kenneth E. Hagin, he said he was visiting a friend at work in an oil field, he had just left that friend and the friend was in a terrible accident that he was maimed so badly, that he had died. While Brother Hagin was praying over his friend he was giving GOD all the reasons why this man needed to stay alive and couldn’t die; the man would later tell Brother Hagin he was in heaven and talking with Jesus, and Jesus told the friend, sorry you can’t stay, Brother Hagin won’t let you. The friend lived and continued to serve the Lord all because Bro. Hagin was praying over him and explaining why his friend needed to live! 

Well, last night (30 days past the original diagnosis), my dog was very near death and I was very afraid; crying and praying over him in the Spirit. You see I was so torn, I had believed we received healing, so why was this happening, my flesh (emotions) fighting with my faith (spirit) and my patience (my mind - soul). As I was praying in the Spirit, my mind began thinking of that story from Bro.Hagin, so I began to tell GOD why Jedi couldn’t die. His healing is going to lead others to salvation, there are too many people who are watching him to see if my miracle happens or not, there are too many people counting on this to make or break their faith. My Facebook friends are aware of the prognosis, many are praying, some I’m sure are skeptical and then some are probably needing this miracle as badly as we want it.  Our sons need to see this healing, so they can know first hand that healing is ours, that prayers do get answered and GOD cares about us, what matters to us, matters to GOD. My father hasn't been in church for years and I know how much he loves his ‘grand-dog', so I know he needs to see this miracle. Last but never least, my husband away in Afghanistan needs to be able to see his puppy of 6 and half years again. Their reunions are so sweet, there are a large number of ‘viewers’ who could see this as a miracle since I take video of our Boxers and Daddy’s reunions and upload to YouTube, we have gotten over 500k hits – think of how many people we could share and our miracle healing with.

So my point here, Jedi’s miraculous healing could very well lead to people turning to GOD for salvation. So this battle we’re in, is not just a battle for our dog’s life, but the battle for people’s salvation and restoration! Which makes sense why the devil would be attacking my family so hard right now, we’ve had more than just one fight on our hands, we’ve had several, and all at the same time. I know without a doubt, I could not have made it through this if it weren’t for the previous faith battles we’ve endured, that which doesn’t kill us, really does make us stronger!

I’m not going to lose this battle, I don’t care what the devil throws at me next, I’m standing on the solid rock and I will not be moved. It doesn’t matter how many times we get knocked down, it only matters how many times we get back up! So I’m fighting here for much more than our puppy beating cancer, I’m fighting for the lost and wayward; I have been praying that GOD would use me as HIS vessel and often I've thought of what Jesus said:

He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matthew 9:37-38 NLT)

So I’ve learned a lot during this time, I’ve learned that I can never know what a person is going through when they are praying for healing. I’m only praying for our sweet puppy, I refuse to even imagine what it would be like if it were one of my sons or another family member. I use to wonder if continuing in medical treatments, surgeries, medications that seem to destroy the quality of people’s life to fight the disease was actually going against their faith – but I’ve learned personally, that I would do whatever I physically could, to fight for my Jedi.  I’ve learned that healing can be received immediately or the healing maybe present but we just might not see the immediate effects; that maybe GOD is working on our patience during this season of illness. I believe without a doubt that EVERY illness, accident, and injury are from the devil! And I know that whatever the devil means for harm, that GOD can turn to good. 

And we know that God causes everything to work together  for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)

HE made the water into wine, HE made the blind see, the lame walk and the dead to live! The key to every miracle was faith and action. We have to have faith that we will receive the miracle and we have to put that miracle into action. In my situation, we prayed for healing for Jedi, then we made the action of telling everyone, "The Vet has given Jedi 30 or so days to live, but I'm claiming victory in the name of Jesus ~ if you've never seen a miracle before, watch closely, ones on its way!!!" You see that was a step of faith, proclaiming to everyone that we were going to receive a miracle, that step of faith was the action GOD needed for us to receive our miracle. 

Now like I said, I believe patience is a big part of faith, sometimes we have to grow in patience and personally I know I needed to work on my patience. So we might not see an immediate end to all the symptoms, but we know we've received the healing and we will see it in GOD's timing, not our own, because HE sees the big picture; HE knows what we need to get to where HE wants us to be in our faith.  

As I sit and watch the events unfolding around me, I can’t see GOD’s plan, but I trust that HIS plan for me is full of an abundance of goodness, mercy and grace. We don’t see the big picture, we only see a narrow view of what’s going on around us. The plan was that I was to be driving to Florida today, I had the perfect opportunity to stay with a friend, have a wonderful and practically free trip to Disney and the beach for our son's Spring Break. It's just that the devil threw a wrench in our plans this past week; he did a few things that would have totally knocked the wind out of our sails if they had happened a year ago, but we’ve grown enough in our faith walk that we’re able to take the punch and just roll with it now. This relapse happened late last night and I would have been on the road a few hours after - it wouldn't have been a good trip if I had known Jedi was sick. I would have been worried the whole time, because you know no one can take care of your sick 'child' like Momma.  Thanks to what the devil intended for our harm, I’m able to take care of our puppy and nurse him back to health promptly so he can be on the road to recovery and healed! Our family has also learned a valuable lesson, because Jedi received such fast healing when he was initially diagnosed, I believe we took that healing for granted - now more than ever we are united in fighting for Jedi, we’re joining in prayer, we’re taking this opportunity and using it to spread the Gospel to all those we know.  I know that if we stay on the path HE has for us, we will get to see the goodness of the Lord....

Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness

      while I am here in the land of the living.

     Wait patiently for the LORD.

      Be brave and courageous.

      Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

(Psalm 27:13-14 NLT)