God has been healing me in multiple areas of my life including cancer. I feel it is time to share some of the very deep and painful struggles I've been going through. I will attempt to be as authentic and honest as I can be as long as it brings hope, a deeper faith and a glimpse of God's truth into the readers lives. Most importantly, I "Choose to Shine" for Him and use my words in a way that will bring Him glory; therefore, as I write I may not always be perfectly candid in my story sharing, but you can be certain that I will write from authentic life experiences, only after pursuing God on my face as to what He would have me share, as opposed to simply regurgitating knowledge.
Today, I write in grateful celebration, and to remind whomever might be in a midst of their own deep struggles out there, that...
God is Faithful
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever,
Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe." Psalm 107: 1-2
I captured this picture on our way to life group. This rainbow was actually stretched right across our life group leaders' home. Even as we made the twists and turns through the neighborhood it remained there and was waiting for us upon our arrival. I had one of those profound moments where it felt as if God stepped out of the immense universe and stopped all that He was doing to personally speak to little ole me. He said to me, "This is my reminder that I am faithful and will be true to my promises to you. Though the journey through the storm may have seemed long, I was always with you. I never forsook you and I will see you through victoriously until the end. The downpour is over. Look who is by your side. Rejoice. I have rescued."
I took a deep breath and knew immediately that my life was indeed entering a new season. Yes, there is still alot of mud and muck left over by the downpour of troubles that I have experienced over the past decade. It can't be hidden away. The downpour eroded the old landscape of what I called my life. Praise God, I can honestly say today that I am glad. You see, God is faithful. He has redeemed me from the hand of the foe and He is in the process of giving my life an extraordinary makeover. I can hardly wait to see the design that He is going to be revealing for He is THE Master Architect!
You might be wondering about my "downpour of troubles" and what they might have been. In time I will be carefully unfolding the bigger picture only so that I can share some of truths that God has so graciously revealed to me. Today however, I just want to express my gratitude for the Lord's abiding presence in my life. His love is constant and He is always good. I am so thankful that through my faith in Christ, I can know Him personally and experience the deep love He has for me.
Perhaps you are going through some troubles of your own right now and you feel as if you are in the midst of a downpour and you can't see beyond the rain or through the darkness. Maybe you are about ready to give up and drop in defeat. Please let me encourage you by saying that He sees you and He loves you. You are not alone. He is right there in every breath, every tear, every moment of your life. If you cry out to Him, He will rescue but you must obey what He tells you to do in that moment even if it will not instantly relieve the pain that you are currently experiencing.
One of the most effective outcomes of any attack by the enemy is the shift of our focus from the eternal to the temporal. Once we begin focusing on the temporal our thoughts follow. If we allow these thoughts to continue, and forget to hold them captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), we soon become controlled by negative emotions which if not dealt with correctly lead to faulty decisions and then ungodly actions. However, if we will stop in that moment when our focus is being shifted, our attitudes are being corrupted and our faith is being weakened and instead purposely breath a prayer for help and refocus on the Lord and His will, we will be strengthened and encouraged to stay the course of faith in Christ.
Lately, I have been reminded that to remain strong and victorious against the enemies tactics, we need to replace those negative temporal thoughts with thankfulness and gratitude for all God has done, is doing and will do according to His promises for us! God deserves our gratitude and is actually angered when we choose continual grumbling instead of thanksgiving for all He has done for us.
There is another step you can take beyond expressing gratitude to God that will really help you become part of the solution to any trouble or attack that you or a loved one might be facing... you can turn that attack right back around on the enemy by taking those thoughts captive and turning them immediately into intercessory prayer.
