I read
this post this morning from October 31st on Dena's blog and just felt I
just had to pass it along!!!  It's wonderfully TRUTHFUL and
BLESSED.  Please take a moment to read.  It's all straight
from the heart of Dena at Dena Deliberations!!!
Check out her blog!

Satan is Patient
Several years ago I was in a small group working through the study Experiencing God. I remember repeatedly reading the line, “Your experience is not reality”
and saying “WHAT!!??” How can that be? It happened, I experienced
it…it's reality! Right? No…not really. I finally “got” what the
author was intending to convey.

Though we have many experiences in life, they are not the reality that God has for us.

Last week two friends and I began Joyce Meyer's, A Battlefield of the Mind. Joyce
worded things very differently, but I interpret it largely the same
way. She shared how Satan is patient. He will orchestrate the
experiences in our lives to cause us to set up “strongholds” or ways of
thinking that hold us captive. If our stronghold is “no one can be
trusted” then he use experiences in our life to “prove” that. If my
wrong thinking is that “I'm of no value”, he will “prove” that.

I
really appreciated reading this. You see, I've often been irritated and
offended by some of the psychological training that teaches that you
will live trying to find a mate (or whatever) like your father in
order to “work through” that damaged relationship, or that we are
unconciously determining to receive the worst because we are expecting
the worst, etc. Many aspects of my life have been difficult. Yet I've
been aware of the appropriate psychological responses and have gone out
of my way to avoid similar situations, rather than placing myself back
in them. Yet, my experience continues to affirm what I knew
(Biblically) to be false teaching and my fears to be accurate. Why?

Because Satan is Patient! Since
a very young age he has been orchestrating situations in my life (and
yours) to “prove” me right in my areas of negative thinking. My
experience is such that it is nearly impossible to choose TRUTH and say
that my experience is a lie and God's word is TRUE!

Now,
that, to me, is freeing. I can realize that yes, I have experienced
this, but that does not make it real. I can realize that “someone” is
working to ingrain in me such a negative pattern of thinking that it
cannot be broken. If he succeeds I will no longer be
effective as a worker in God's Kingdom. I will be “held captive” by my
thoughts and fears, unable to love and give and live in the freedom
Christ has proclaimed for me. And, since I'm a fighter, there's no way
I'm gonna sit back and let that happen!

I had no intention of writing about this today, but visited my friend Patricia's blog and was struck by her powerful message. “Yes!!” I thought. “Exactly!” (Thank you so much for sharing that)

Satan
is using something in each of our lives to cause us fear, hold us
back and to incapacitate us. It's different for each of us, but
just as powerful. And just as “unreal”, regardless of our
circumstances. Does Patricia have valid reason to fear dark nights?
Yes! Do I have valid reasons to distrust others? Yes! But are they
REAL? No. They are strongholds set up by “principalities and
powers” and we must strike them down.

Patricial used Psalm 27 to begin her post and I'll share it again her. Let us make the LORD the stronghold of our lives!

Psalm 27

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—
       whom shall I fear?
       The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
       of whom shall I be afraid?

My
husband and I had the honor recently to pray over a couple who has had
a rocky marriage ever since it began.  He has struggled with
alcoholism, gambling and drugs.  She has struggled with control,
bitterness and suppressed anger.  She has filed for divorce
several times and was close to actually being divorced before stopping
it just days ago.


Why?  You may ask.  What changed that a woman who has had to
act as both father and mother to her two kids for many years would want
to “try again” with a physically absent and emotionally unavailable
father?  Well, the change can be summed up in one word…JESUS!!


JESUS radically changed this man's heart.  It's taken a lot of
broken relationships, hurt feelings, mistrust and deception to get to
the place of turning his life over to Jesus but he has done it. 
And I want to be one of the first to say just how much this man has
changed.  A different man walks into the room now.  Someone
who's heart is devoted to Jesus.  Someone who's heart desires
nothing else than to earn his family back. 


He holds two jobs now.  As long as I've known the family he has
had no job.  He rarely came home at night.  And when he did
he was drunk or high.  He rarely contributed to the family in any
way that was constructive.  On occasion he would give his wife
some money if he had won any gambling but that about summed up his
contribution to the family.  His family didn't trust him. 
His wife didn't love him.  His children didn't understand why dad
was never there.

But now…..

This man is being transformed into a warrior for Christ.  His
entire demeanor has changed.  He's different.  He's
new.  He's now a child of God. 


Last week we, along with two other couples, anointed them with oil and
prayed over them, begging God for the resurrection of their marriage
and the reconciliation of their family.  They have already made
great strides in reuniting but felt as if they needed the spiritual
boost of others praying for them.


It was such a privledge to come before God on behalf of these two
people.  I have prayed with the wife for nearly 5 years for God to
change her husbands heart.  When He did it came at an unexpected
and tremendous cost to both her and her family.  It's been a tough
road for these two but after our prayers the other night I know God is
going to use this couple as a testimony to HIS own power and strength.


Our prayers were sweet, broken and right before the throne of
God.  We prayed believing in God's miracles for this couple. 
The Spirit swooped into our broken huddle and transformed not only
their lives, but ours.  All of us left the circle changed. 
Most of us praying realized we had done a very poor job of loving the
husband in his sinful life.  It's so much easier to love someone
when they are acting the way you think they should.


I'm so thankful Jesus doesn't love me that way…only when I act the
way he wants me too.  I pray I will be able to love others as HE
loves me.  I know it's impossible in my own strength.  Love
like that can only come from Him. 


We, along with the angels, cheer this couple on to victory in Chirst,
reconciliation for their family and a testimony that God will use for
all eternity. 


Do we quench the Spirit when we stay in control?  Yes.  Do we
need broken hearts to be healed?  Yes.  Does God do more than
we can ever imagine with the brokenness?  A resounding YES.

JESUS is all about the business of love.
And for that I am so very humbled.

Julie

I
love it when God chooses to enter into my little mommy “have I even
brushed my teeth today?” world and let me know beyond a shadow of a
doubt that it is HE who is speaking to me.

At church we are studying Better Together, What on Earth are WE Here For?…The Forty Days of Community
by Rick Warren.  I have to admit when I first learned of our
church's commitment to this study/devotional I was less than
thrilled.  I am already involved in a ladies bible study on
Wednesday mornings and can barely get that work done each week. 
But since my husband was leading the group we attend I decided to put
on my submissive wife hat and begin reading the book.  Wow! 
What a book!

My Wednesday morning Bible study group I mentioned is studying the book of John and it's an awesome study.

At the same time my love for Christian fiction has me reading When Heaven Weeps by Ted Dekker. 
So there you have it. 
1,2, and 3!!

Since God seems to confirm things in threes to me I wasn't surprised,
just overjoyed when I found God speaking to me about what love really
looks like.

I knew He was beginning to lead me into new
territory as I found myself overwhelmed by the passion in which the
main character of When Heaven Weeps
loves the woman God has chosen for him.  It's just a shadow of His
love for us but it was so overwhelmingly passionate, full of grace and
lacking any condemnation or judgement.  I found myself trying to
wrap the arms of my mind around the concept of such a love.

God further confirmed in me His desire to teach me something new
through my study in the book of John.  In Chapter 1 verses 35-51 I
found myself drawn to the story of Jesus' first disciples.  After
John the Baptist points John and Andrew to Jesus they immediately
follow.  What's the first thing Andrew does after finding
Jesus?  He finds his brother Simon and tells him. After Phillip is
called he immediately finds Nathanael to tell him about Jesus. 
The first two disciples has now grown to five disciples.  John,
Andrew, Simon, Phillip and Natanael.  All because of LOVE.

Do I run to tell the people I love about Jesus?  “Look what I've found…..the lamb, the Lord, my Jesus!”

As all this is happening within the same few day I begin reading Forty
Days of Community.  One of the first devotion says “The essence of
love is not what we think or do or provide for others, BUT how much we
give of ourselves.”  “Be full
of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and
gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” (Ephesians
5:2 LB)  It goes on to say:

• “A heart transformed by God is a heart that loves.”

• “Love is patient.  Impatience is not love.”

• “Being
  patient demands a cost; we have to set aside our agenda and yield our
  rights in order to 'welcome each other with open arms.'” 

• “Love is patient.  That means it puts up with a lot for a long time.“

Do I love this way? 
When one of my children has asked me something for the millionth time am I patient?
Do I realize that God loves me with a love that is so incredibly passionate?  Passionate enough to die for?

I sadly bow my head and answer, “No”. 

But then I feel it rise as my Jesus puts his finger underneath my chin,
raises my eyes to his and looks at me with a burning passionate
neverending love.  And I smile, knowing it's not about me but it's
all about Jesus.  He is the One who can allow me to love the way
He loves me. 

“Thank
you Lord for a love that burns so fiercely.  Brand that love into
my own heart so that I may love others with a love that feels
passionate, unhuman and different from anything they've ever felt
before.”

My great Aunt Blanche died this week.  She was 94 years old.  I think about all the things she must have experienced in her life.  She was born in the year 1911….that was a long time ago.  How the world must have changed since she was a young girl.  I know Aunt Blanche suffered alot in her life.  Her husband and her son both committed suicide.  I have never experienced someone close to me commiting suicide so I can only imagine how difficult the experience is.  I can imagine all the unanswered questions, all the “What if's”, all the looking back thinking “Should I have seen it coming?”.  How does one get to the place of peace when something so tragic happens?

After completing my Bible Study last week I felt led to write Aunt Blanche a letter telling her about my faith in Jesus.  It was a simple letter telling her I was praying for her and I loved her and that Jesus was waiting for her if she would only trust in Him.  I've known several people who have died with such a peace, knowing that were soon to meet their Savior.  I've also known others who seem scared or unsure at death.  I don't think I can judge or decide these people's spiritual condition.  But I could not help but wonder if Aunt Blanche knew Jesus.

My letter, however, did not arrive in time.  She died Monday morning before anyone could read the letter to her.  For my husband and I this is the second letter written to someone we knew was dying that didn't reach them before death.  This has made us ponder God's purpose in us writing the letters.

Was is about our obedience to His leading?  Were the letters to be used in someone else's life?  Or did we just not do enough?…..the “too little too late” idea.  I know in my head that I am not responsible for another person's salvation but I also know I will one day be held accountable for my actions as a Christian.  Did I miss His prompting somehow?  I guess I have wondered if her salvation was on my shoulders?  Isn't that silly?  It even sounds untrue typing it. 

Whatever God's purpose for those letters I trust He will show me what He desires for me.  He knows my heart desires to be obedient.  He knows I want to please Him.  A friend of mine told me today that if I was obedient to what God called me to do then that is all I am responsible for.  Again, it's a head knowledge that has not yet pilfered down into my heart. 

I pray my dear Aunt Blanche did indeed know and trust in Jesus.  I hope she's standing right beside him when I get to heaven.

In Christ,

Julie  

Well, it happened….finally.  Our first “firecamp” of the year as my children call it.  It's become a family tradition ever since my brother, Jeff, lived with us.  Don't you just love those family traditions you just happen onto.  You don't plan them or spend a lot of time searching for a tradition to make all your own.  They just happen.  I think they are so special because they are truly your own…not borrowed from someone else.

This has been one of the greatest gifts my brother left with us.  My middle son particularly loves the campfires.  He helps his dad chop limbs and drag things over to the fire.  He also collects all types of paper things around the house to burn in the fire.  He's definitely our outdoorsman.  Last night my husband and even got to see the boys put on a light saber show.  It looked so cool to see them off in the woods fighting “the dark side”.

With boys, living in the country has been such a treat.  We are in a neighborhood but outside of the city limits.  We've got approximately an acre lot but are surrounded by woods on two sides.  God definitely saw what we needed before we moved here and gave us the perfect house.  Our neighbors have a pool they are kind enough to let us use in the summer, we have woods for the boys to roam in the spring and fall, a creek in the back yard, and now a wonderful fire pit near the creek thanks to Jeff.

I hope this wonderful time of the year finds you enjoying some of your own family traditions.  Think about us on New Years Eve.

In Christ,

Julie