God speaks personally – are you listening?
“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:2-3 (NIV)
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. John 10:4 (NIV)
I make it a daily habit to ask God, my shepherd, what He wants me to do.
I asked God before leaving my first marriage—over and over and over because I couldn’t imagine He wanted me to leave. I believed He wanted to heal; however, my then husband had free choice and wanted to stay in his sin, while denying his mental illness, personality disorder, and enjoying his messed up choices. I prayed until my daughter and I came through on the other side to safety.
I told the Lord I would NEVER date or remarry after the disaster of marriage number one. If you have read my blog for any length of time you know I am married so you understand how my, “NEVER” worked out for me! I obeyed the Lord in meeting, getting to know, dating and marrying Farm Boy. I kicked, cried and pleaded most of the road of that obedience. When my marriage is tough I NEVER doubt about where I am supposed to be and what I am expected to do.
I’ve asked God to lead our family to the church home He had for us. He did!
I continually ask God who He wants us to hang close in friendship with as a family, and for our children. I am always thrilled with His choices!
When my son, A.J., suffered a freak accident which led to being scooped up in the doctor’s arms at the emergency waiting room and whisked away to a CT scan; the Spirit blew a whisper to my heart, soul, mind and strength, “This requires you on your face in prayer. This is your spiritual inheritance in the Lord; seek it.” The Spirit was so heavily upon me that my knees could do nothing but go down. The diagnosis was a severe traumatic brain injury. I already had my answer and prayed until I saw it fulfilled.
My family is going through a season of heavy spiritual oppression from the enemy. It has lasted over a year and a half. Our name has been slandered and we have been lied about more times than we can count. It is daily and it hits close to home. The Lord is speaking to us on the subject and to be honest what He is saying doesn’t make human sense, but we trust Him. Someday I’ll tell you about it but right now I am to quietly wait. I believe He has given us the answer. Our job is to pray it through to completion.
Then there is my health; a nasty auto-immune disease that zaps my strength and energy. To add insult to injury I can no longer eat Tex-Mex food and I have to severely limit my chocolate intake to low doses of 100% raw chocolate. I am now eating and living an auto-immune protocol life-style. Only prayer sees me through the difficult days. Some days I feel like I eat the Word of God and its sweetness satisfies my cravings.
Not a single one of the above examples happened without spending time reading the Bible and praying Bible verses out loud. “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) God’s word works for me every time; not always in my timing, but always for my good and always for purpose. When God speaks to me through His word it is personal and my name seems to lift off the pages of scripture about the circumstance I am going through or a question I asked of Him. Daily life: Little or big, difficult or easy, exciting or traumatic; God speaks into our lives.
Recently I have been calling to the Lord about a Christian woman I have never met. I heard about this local woman’s trauma through a friend of mine last week. Neither one of us knows this woman but know for certain the Spirit is calling and that God’s word is clear on what our actions need to be. I can’t tell you anything about this woman, Krissy, except that we have walked a similar road. She was in a toxic marriage and it will take the help of friends, church family, counseling and extensive Bible study to find her way through to healthy relationships for her and her children.
Krissy found out three months ago that her husband was molesting a child. The difference for her is that her husband admitted to the behavior, a crime against a thirteen year old, and now he sits in jail. I am thankful for her that she won’t spend the next sixteen years waiting to see justice served like I did; none the less, the road to help, healing and purpose will be difficult and long for Krissy and her four children.
Krissy had been a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom since starting her family thirteen years ago. She is living any woman’s worst nightmare while having the sole responsibility of meeting her children’s emotional, physical and spiritual needs. Krissy and her children had to leave their home. The kids not only had their family dynamics change, they have also enrolled in public school so Krissy can go back to work full-time. You may be thinking, “Great, she will get a full time job to take care of her kids.” If only it were that simple. At this time, Krissy does not have the necessary skills to find a job that will cover the bare minimum of expenses. They have no money and need financial help to get their family settled and on the road to recovery; moving expenses, food, school supplies, clothes, Christian counseling, gas, utilities, insurance…
As I have prayed for Krissy I am reminded of God’s word,
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. Luke 12:33
And…
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Acts 2:45
God does not say consider doing this. He says, “Sell…and…give.”
Please stop and ask God how you can help meet this immediate need in Krissy’s life.
My friend Jes Hunt has a GoFundMe account set up for Krissy. ALL GIFTS go directly to Krissy and her children.
If you don’t have the financial resources in your bank account to give a cash donation get creative! Do you have a, ‘Cash Back Rewards Balance’ on your credit card that you could claim and donate to this family? Or a few toys your kids have out grown or unused sports or exercise equipment that you could sell on social media? Maybe you could give up your Starbucks for the next few weeks, or eating out at restaurants and give that money to Krissy. ANY amount will help.
Thank you for prayerfully helping with this need. Here is the link:
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