Dear Reader,
So many things have changed these last almost two months since the corona virus left China and spread all over the world in a very short time. Our way of doing things and our habits have changed dramatically. It's not that way just for us; however, but for our friends, coworkers, spouses, children, and families. It is affecting almost everyone, and it seems mostly in a very negative way. People are tired of being home and told what to do. Some are so depressed they feel like they have nothing worth living for. They may have lost their job, their best friend, a family member, or their own health. They can't leave an abusive home. They still have bills. They worry. Alot.
Warning* This blog post is very long, but I couldn't find a place where I could divide it into two blogs. With all that is going on, we seem to forget the constant in the change. That God really is with us, and He cares deeply. So dear Reader, please read through to the end and see Him in a way that maybe you hadn't before. Look for His glory! And may He bless you beyond your wildest imagination! I wrote this almost three years ago for a ladies Bible Study, but I think it's very applicable today.
An Answered Prayer
"Dear Heavenly Father,
I feel so lost today. I feel
like I’m just one of the 7½ billion people living on the earth, unnoticed,
and with no real value. I try so hard, and nobody seems to care. Others get
promoted or get raises and I am still just filling a low position. I got my degree
and really believed that it would help, but so far it doesn’t mean anything. I
try talking to my friends, but it seems like whenever I have a problem, or need some encouragement no one is there.
Father, sometimes I feel
like giving up. When my friend Agnes died it hurt so much I thought my heart
would wither up and die too. I miss her so much, and I feel so lonely. She
always made me feel like I was special. I don’t understand why she had to die. She
was a good person, You know that! We prayed and we believed, but still she died.
Why did you have to take her?
Lord, my faith is diminishing.
Actually, I think it’s gone. Are You even there? Why don’t You answer me? Please
help my unbelief! I don’t know what it is that You want me to do in this world,
but more and more I feel like a failure.
And look at this place! The
world is horrible! The crime and the terrorism and the human trafficking! There
are people crashing into people with trucks and cars! I’m afraid to let Angie
and Burt go to concerts anymore! Everywhere you look on TV or in the papers
there are awful things going on. I’m afraid I’ll get beaten up because I’m in
the wrong place at the wrong time or because of what I wear! I’m afraid to get
in my car anymore and be driving down the road when someone texting comes over
the line at 60 and crashes into me head-on. Oh God, I know You fill the earth
with Your glory, but I just don’t see
it anymore! What is happening to me?
Please, Father, help me! I don’t
even know who I am anymore. I feel so alone and so lonely! Nobody cares about
me. My whole life I was neglected and bullied and passed over. My life is a
sham. I’m not pretty, I’m not smart, I’m not special to anyone, and I’m not
happy. I don’t even remember what that feels like anymore, God. Sometimes I
just want to die. What is it you want from me? Please help me!"
Haven’t we all at some time
in our life felt that way? I know I have. But what does God have to say? If you can relate to anything in this prayer, this
message is for you.
"My Darling Child,
I want you to listen to Me. Stop
all the noise for a few minutes and just relax. I am right here. Be still and
listen with your heart’s ears; there’s much I want you to hear. I love you. I
love you more than you could possibly imagine, with a love so deep there is no
way to measure it.
I want you to know that I
hear each prayer you’ve ever prayed. You must believe that with everything you
are. That, my child is faith, and right now yours is under assault. I have
never closed my heart to your prayers. Whatever you ask for in prayer, just
believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. When it doesn’t look
like anything is changing, when all is lost, you must believe the opposite, because that is what is true. Faith as small as a mustard seed can move
mountains, you know. But the thing is this, you can’t waver. So whatever you
do, don’t doubt! When you do, you become like a wave on the ocean, tossed and
blown by the wind with no stability. It takes diligence, and you must know with
all your heart, mind, body and soul, with every fiber of your being, that I
will do what I said I would.
Be confident in what you hope
for, and be assured about what you don’t see. Trust Me, dear one, trust Me, and
as you do, I will fill you with such joy and peace that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. My peace surpasses all understanding, and
I left it within you. Wear it as a cloak around your weary shoulders.
And remember, if you don’t
have faith you can’t please Me. Don’t you know that anyone who comes to Me must believe that I exist, and that I
reward those who seek me with all their heart?
I have never left you, not
for one moment from when I first thought of you before I even formed the earth.
I saw you and I loved you, and I knew the time when I would bring you to this
earth to carry out the plan I have for you. I am with you, my child, every minute of each day. I will not leave nor forsake you!
Let me tell you a little
about Myself. Maybe you’ve forgotten in your despair just Who it is that you call
out to. Don’t cry, my beloved, all is well. Just close your eyes and listen.
I am the Sovereign Lord, the
Most High God, El Shaddai, Adonai. I am Jehovah, Yahweh, God Almighty, King of
kings, and Prince of Peace. I am the Rose of Sharon, the Bright Morning Star, the
Alpha and the Omega, the Ancient of Days. I am the Author of Life, the
Beginning and the End, the Bread of Life, the Creator; I am the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit. I am the God of Truth, the One and Only. I am Abba,
Jesus, and Friend. I am Love. I AM.
When I speak, things happen. I
have power over death, and no one can challenge what I do. My child, My power
to create all things from nothing is beyond what man can comprehend. Sure, some
try to explain things off ‘scientifically’ by saying that two rocks happened to
bump into each other and the fragments formed all the stars and planets. Science
says that you, my beautiful daughter, evolved from an amoeba, then a shrimp, a
fish, and a monkey. These theories are lies that some of my children believe. The
perpetrators of those lies, those who have taken my children away from the
truth will suffer greatly in the end times if they don’t confess and repent.
I am ever-present. I am
always with you. My servant David put it this way, “Where can I go from Your
Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are
there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of
the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will
guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness
will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not
be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to
You.”
My beloved, you should take
comfort in knowing that I watch with care over everything you do. There is
nothing too big that I can’t fix, and nothing too small that it escapes Me. I
know everything. I determine the course of world events; I remove kings and set
others on the throne. I give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars!
I remind my children constantly
that I am with them, but they go on their way never stopping to realize they
are alive, clothed, housed, and fed. They forget to notice the beauty around
them. I don’t bring the sun up with a glorious sunrise and then go away until
evening when it sets! Everything I
create has a part of me in it. I am the cobalt blue in the sky, and the breeze
in your hair. I am the ripple on the water, and the flower whose fragrance
gathers your attention. I am the bark on the mighty oak tree shielding it from
the battering elements. I am the sand beneath your toes on a warm beach, and I
am each snowflake that glides down from the heavens. I am a sweet drizzle and a
ferocious hurricane. I am a whisper on the wind and the howling gales. I am
your smile because your heart is happy. I am each tear you shed. They are so
precious to me that I collect them and keep them in a jar.
I am the cloud that gives you
relief on that hot summer day. I am that little puppy that melts your heart. I
am that rock outcropping where you can rest on your climb. I am the roar of the
ocean’s waves. I am the mountain you moved close to so you could enjoy its
beauty and majesty. I am the cool stream and the deep ocean. I am the sun and
the moon, and the stars.
It’s all part of My design. All
that I created is from a part of Me, and it’s no different with you. I am in you. But my purpose of being in you is
even greater than the beauty you see around you.
I am
always within you, holding you tight with My Holy Spirit. I promised I would
never leave nor forsake you. I keep My promises, every last one of them. I
wouldn’t want to leave you, you are
valuable to Me and I want to protect you. So, I am not just sitting beside you
when you are on death’s door, no, I am walking each step with you, dreaming
each dream, resting, running, jumping, climbing, all of it. I am even in the
gym with you!
I love
you. Nothing can separate you from My love. Does it mean that I will stop
loving you if you have troubles or trials or are persecuted? Will I stop loving
you when you are hungry or cold, in danger, or threatened with death? No! NOTHING
can ever separate you from Me! Death can’t and neither can life. The angels
can’t, and neither can the demons. The things you worry about today and
tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep My love for you away from My
love. Nothing so high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all
creation will ever be able to separate you from the love I have for you. I
revealed that love to you through My Son, Jesus.
I
enjoy being beside you, before you, behind you, above you, and within you. There are times
you expect instant gratification in answer to your prayers. Some will have
testimonies of instant rewards, yes. But don’t be concerned with other people’s
business. You don’t know their situations or circumstances, their heart, or how
Mine works. If you envy other’s prayers being answered, where is your heart? Be
patient My darling. Pray for your heart to be changed. Pray for more of Me. Pray
fervently and don’t lose hope. Then wait and see what happens.
No one
else has the same physical attributes I gave you. It hurts me that you don’t
think you’re pretty. I do! I think
you’re more beautiful than you can imagine. I made you to look like Me, and I’m
absolutely beautiful. Nothing
compares to Me.
When I
made you I took such care. I didn’t wave my hand and order another girl. No, I
spoke you! I knew your face and your name
before the earth was formed! I took special care with everything that makes
you, you. While you were in your mother’s womb, I was in there with you. Each
day I told you how much I loved you. I told your little heart to beat and how
many beats each minute. I told your eyes to be green, and your hair to be brown.
I told your legs how much to grow each day, and I told you how tall you would
be. I breathed into your lungs just the right amount of air, and I delicately
formed the inner workings of your ears. I gave you your own fingerprints,
retinas, and lip prints. No two are alike, not even in identical twins. I made
you unique, a one of a kind. Just the way I like you.
It was
My finger that you held when your world was as small as just you and Me. I
whispered the secrets of the universe in your ears, and told you that you were
Mine, now and forever. I gave you unconditional love, and when it was time to
be born, I lovingly guided you out of your mother’s body, and then placed you
into the doctor’s hands.
When
you came into this world, you forgot about Me. You were at first startled and
then curious of all that was going on around you. As you grew, the world became
‘home’ to you. But I never forgot about you, or stopped watching over you with
all the love in My heart. Even as you began to rebel and sin entered your life,
I still held onto your hand, and still caught your tears. When you cried I felt
it, when your heart was broken I held on to you so tight. I brushed your hair
out of your eyes and helped you pass 10th grade. I gave My angels charge over
you so that you would be safe. I told them to minister to you about My goodness
and mercy. I watched over you like a mother hen watches over her chicks and
guarded you under My wing.
When
you came back to me, when your heart could no longer take the emptiness that
was your soul, when you knew deep inside that something was missing in your
life, I jumped out of My throne and threw a celestial party! I danced, and I
sang, and I shouted for joy, because my beloved was finally home! There is nothing
like a celebration in heaven, child, let Me tell you that! Each time you had a
new revelation I smiled. I cried out for joy when you learned to forgive with
all your heart! No, I never left you.
I’ve never left any of my children.
I was
there when Agnes died, and all those who have gone before. I walked beside her
each day of her life. As with you, I had a very special relationship with Agnes.
She lived by My Word and spread the Good News to all who would listen. She gave
to the poor, and cared for the needy. She encouraged the downtrodden. She
volunteered at church and after school because she had a servant’s heart. She
did great things for the Kingdom, and she received her reward. She was not
afraid to die to this world; she knew that I had made a house for her. But more
importantly, she knew that to be with Me
for eternity was the greatest reward anyone could have.
The paradox of Me being with
those that are dying and then with them a moment later in heaven is something
none of you will understand while you live on this earth. I am everywhere,
always. I comfort the sick and the dying, and I bring rest to the weary.
They all know I am there at
the end. There is such joy when someone leaves their physical life behind and
becomes new. Yes, it is only in the twinkling of an eye that you all go from
living and breathing to your eternal destiny. I am close by to all, and for
those who believe, it is the reward for the good fight. Their faith has saved
them, and now they are home in heaven.
My love, you are living in
fear, and your soul has no peace. You live in a sin-infested
world. Yes, there is crime, and my babies are being murdered, and terrorists
are slaughtering innocent people. Many have prayed to Me to take their lives
and bring them to eternal justice. They have asked me to smite them as King
David had asked for his enemies. Child, there is something you need to
understand. Saul, who later became Paul, was a terrorist too.
His main
concern was to rid the world of Christians. There was terror in my follower’s
eyes as he rode into town. Then I had a little talk with him, and clouded over
his eyes. When three days had passed I sent my servant Ananias to meet with him.
I told Ananias to go,
because Saul is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings,
and the children of Israel. I told him that I would show Saul how many things
he must suffer for My name’s sake.
As difficult
as it was for Ananias, he obeyed and went to where Saul was and laid his hands
on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road
as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the
Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once. He
arose and was baptized. So you see Paul, who was once a terrorist named Saul,
repented and gave his life to Me to spread the Gospel near and far. Paul
suffered but never complained. He knew his reward would be great. Paul wrote 2/3
of the New Testament. Do you see how I am able to use people?
Until a
person takes their last breath, whether they be a terrorist or anyone else,
there is a chance that they will give their lives to Me. So you must not be
afraid, you must pray for your enemies. Pray that they will come to know Me in
the land of the living. Pray hard for them and no longer speak badly of them. I
cause the sun to shine on the wicked as well as the righteous, and it rains on both of
them. You must leave justice to Me.
You fear many things,
daughter. There is great power in fear, but is only powerful against the one
who submits to it. For those caught in the ‘grip of fear’ there is nothing like
it. Fear comes directly from evil. It is tortuous to the mind, and can even cause
the heart to die.
I don’t bring fear, I never
meant for My children to even know fear. Satan is the king of fear. He
enjoys seeing my children tormented. Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear, like
most things, is something you can take or leave. I prefer you leave it. That
defeats the enemy. If he can’t scare you, his powers are useless against you. I
gave you the Spirit of love, power, and a sound mind. Those spirits are what
you need. A sound mind shouldn’t bow to fear. Fear is always a lie. Always!
I have
told you to fear not. I tell you that all the time. Just shut down your angst
long enough to hear My voice. You can do it. Even in the ‘small’ fears you
have, if you will just call on Me in praise and worship and apologize for your
sins and repent, fear will have no choice but to flee. When you submit to Me
and rebuke the devil, he must flee. By submitting you are rebuking. As you draw
near to Me, I draw near to you.
My
precious, you need to know that I have gone before you and made a path for you
to walk. No one else who ever was, who is, or who will be, will have the same
path. Everyone has their own path, plowed with each of them in mind. You can’t
walk on theirs, and they can’t walk on yours. You may be able to see their path,
but you won’t be able to reach it.
You
will find that sometimes your path is pleasant, with birds singing and fragrant
flowers bordering the edge. You will walk in sunshine and a breeze will cool
you. Life will seem without a care and you will move along happily, forgetting
all your problems. Then there will be days when the sky darkens and the flowers
curl up and die. Days when the storm threatens to wash away even that which is
beneath your feet. You will find the path leads you through thistles and
thorns, and rocks that make you stumble. Tree roots will trip you, and the
barrenness of the land will make you miserable. You will fall and scrape your
knees and cry. You will see a mountain far off glistening in the sun, but the
way there is hard and cruel. Yet you must go on.
As you journey through this life, you will have joy
and heartache. There will be pleasure and there will be pain. You will search
for answers and find none. But as I said, the plan I designed for your life is
a good one, with hope and a future! I
never promised that life was all fun and games and that everything was going to
be perfect. No, I even said that those who follow Me will be hated and
persecuted. I don’t expect you to do anything I didn’t.
Alas, you have forgotten My
words. You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you
will understand. As you walk on your path, keep the peak of the mountain
in your sight. The climb to the top will be a difficult one with narrow places
and steep climbs. Once you reach the summit you will rest. You will be able to
gaze down into the valley where you journeyed and see the trials you endured. From
up here that path won’t look so terrible. You will realize that no matter what
tried to prevent you from reaching this place; it wasn’t strong enough to
defeat you because I was always by your side coaching you on.
You
asked what it is that I want from you. I want to reach the unreachable. I gave you the right words to encourage the weary. How did I do that? I
gave you a life and a past. It
doesn’t matter if someone is 18 or 80, everyone has a past. Things have
happened to you that have caused you great pain. Maybe friends did leave you when you needed them most.
Others were bullied because they wore braces, or were heavy, or had acne, or weren’t
as smart or as pretty as some. Others were verbally abused by older siblings. For
some, their own parents put them down or berated or beat them out of their own
inner madness. Some were cheated, and robbed, and assaulted, and raped. Maybe
even left for dead. And maybe they didn’t feel like there was anyone in the
world who would understand their loneliness or their sorrow.
But there is! There is your Savior, My Son, who knows exactly how you feel. He too was abused.
He was ignored; He was dismissed as a nutcase, and accused of working for the
devil. He was beaten, berated, cursed, cussed, and spat upon. He was slapped in
the face, His ministry was being robbed by one of His own, His best friends
abandoned Him, He was accused falsely, judged by the common man, tortured, and
sent off to die the most horrible death, that of the cross.
His life had its share of being hated, misunderstood,
and reviled, when all He wanted to do was lead the blind to know their Father. Everything
He suffered, He suffered with love in His heart. He obeyed and endured because
He knew it would lead others to salvation and they would come to know Me and
bring Me glory. He reached the unreachable, the broken, the lonely, and despondent.
You are here for a mission to bring me glory as well. You
suffered trials, and more will come. There is a young woman who you know
that has terrible pain. She has gone through many of the same things you did,
and like you, she doesn’t think anyone would understand or even care. She looks
at you and thinks you have it all under control. Her best friend was killed in
an accident, and she grieves like you do over Agnes. Her friend was also a good
servant, achieving more in her 20 years than many others do in 50. She feels
lost and alone.
You must open your eyes and understand that the
horrors you go through in your life are actually gifts. Yes, daughter, gifts! You are meant to go through trials because it builds your faith; and once
you are through them, you will see
them with new eyes. You will realize that I didn’t leave you there to suffer, I
gave you the strength and the courage to move forward, and you made it! You
survived and grew stronger.
And now you can show compassion to this young lady
because of the compassion you were shown. She will grow stronger because
through Me, in your weakness is strength. Just as Jesus’ mission was to reveal
Me to mankind so that they would know My love, so it is with you. You are more than a conqueror! Instead of fearing trials, expect them and know
that if you stay in My word and meditate on Me, you will win! I have the
victory! And once you have gone through each heartache and kept your eyes on Me
despite the lies the enemy wants you to believe, you will become more
impervious to the enemy’s weapons.
I gave you a coat of armor. Don’t
keep it gathering dust in your spiritual closet, put it on and wear it every day. Draw your strength and might
from Me. Put on the full armor I gave you to protect yourself from the devil
and his evil schemes. You’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood
alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural
powers and demon princes that slither
in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that
lurk about in heavenly places.
And this is why you need to
be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these
evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. Yes, stand—truth banded
around your waist, righteousness as your chest plate, and feet protected in
preparation to proclaim the good news of peace. Don’t forget to raise the
shield of faith above all else, so you will be able to extinguish flaming
spears hurled at you from the wicked one. Take also the helmet of salvation and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
I am your Father and I love you. When you sin, when
you do something wrong, I don’t stop
loving you. It pains Me, but I love you nonetheless. Would I be someone you’d
want to go to if I was cruel and heartless? No! You keep coming to Me because I
give you hope! I give you strength, but most importantly, I give you love. But you must repent, My daughter,
and get back on track with the truth inside you glowing like a hot fire!
You must leave ‘self’ behind. You find that difficult
sometimes. Do you know why? Because you don’t know who you are, nor Whose
you are! You are Mine! Who am I? The Maker of all things. I am God! I am all
the things I’ve told you about.
You don’t concentrate on who you are in God’s eyes. When
you were young, you were Mr. and Mrs. (so and so’s) daughter. Then you were
somebody’s girlfriend, and then somebody’s wife, and somebody’s mother. You
were the person who sat in that desk
or the one who was a stay at home mom. You were somebody’s best friend. None of
this made you feel like you had an identity of your own. As you got older you
struggled with your identity, or your lack
of it. Really, who are you?
You are all
those things, yes. So and so’s wife or mother, teacher, nurse, pastor, friend,
and whatever else you claim.
But in all those labels, all those titles, what you
were searching for are these: You are Daughter
of the King, Ambassador to Christ, a ‘Saint’, Beloved of the One True God! Worthy!
Capable! Loved to the death! Chosen! Confident! Prudent! Kind! Loving! Loyal! Tender!
True! Virtuous! Diligent! Special! Apple of My eye! Precious and Dear!
These things are truth. You are the righteousness of
God in Christ! You are first and not last! You are blessed and highly favored! And
none of it is because of who you were,
or the life you led, it’s because I
chose you and called you My own. I gave you grace when you didn’t deserve it,
and mercy in place of what you did
deserve. You can’t do anything without Me, not even breathe. And so, every
minute of every day, because I love you so much, I forgive your sins when you
repent, and I kiss you goodnight and I sing and dance at each glorious
revelation you have, and for each decision you make to move forward in the
Kingdom.
I will speak through you into the hearts of many others;
some just like you, who don’t know who they are anymore. I will use you for My
divine will. You will go out and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the
unreachable. You will do it in ways that they will understand. You will succeed
where others have failed. Your words and actions will comfort many hearts. You
will meet many people, and you will have to expand your tents. New beginnings
are on the horizon.
For any of My plans to come to fruition, you must
learn more about Me. Read the bible, finish your studies, meditate on the good
things. Don’t be so easily distracted by the enemy. Swat him away like a dirty
fly. That’s all he is, lord of the flies. He can’t hurt you, but you can, by believing his lies and being
unprepared for his attacks. I am God Almighty and I have said so! I have
blessed you, and what I have blessed, Satan cannot curse! You are on holy
ground.
So remember Whose daughter you are - Mine! And there
is no other father like Me. Run to Me in joy and sorrow. Sit at My feet and
hear My heartbeat. Let Me love on you. I want to give you so many things! I
want to show you things. When you are confident in Whose you really are, Mine,
not the world’s, then you will advance on the fast track in the Kingdom of God.
You will be known and honored, but not until you
change your heart. The enemy will work overtime on you as you accept the truth.
You can beat him with my word. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God. Remember that, concentrate, don’t walk out of here today and forget. Rely
on Me. You will look back on these days as the beginning of the journey that
brought you closer to Me.
And remember, faith can take you places where fear
will never bring you; and courage is not the absence of fear,
but the presence of faith. Love Me with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your mind, and with all your strength. Such love has no fear,
because perfect love expels all fear.
If you are afraid, it is for fear
of punishment, and this shows that you have not fully experienced My perfect
love. Let that be your guideline, child.
Enjoy
the beauty of the day, and know with all your heart that I am here, and I love
you.
