Normally I can sit down to a keyboard and hammer out some words that
fall together beautifully. I can't seem to do that this morning.
We have had a hellish few days around this house. I won't go into
details but the Lord is working on me and my fears and dragging me into
accountability and dealing with my fears. Suffice it to say that stress
has just about driven the three of us over the edge and yesterday Mike
was literally sick from it. Body aches, couldn't lift his head off the
pillow. We are being hammered right now in a HUGE way by the enemy not
wanting to see our growth in the Lord and our relationship with Him.
This morning we turned a corner, thankfully, and as He always does,
God's loving us through it all and teaching us all lessons. I marvel at
the fact that when you are willing to COMPLETELY submit yourself to Him
and you are COMPLETELY willing to accept responsibility and learn from
the past, He will show you things about His love for you that defy human
explanation. He shows you that His love for you gives you incredible
power over whatever the enemy is trying to destroy in your life. Just
when I think I've earned ANOTHER MBA at life studies, He takes me to yet
another life college campus.
The sweet pastor from our church,
Pastor Dave, who first met Mike visiting him and praying for him in the
hospital 19 months ago, has become a regular visitor at our house,
reaching out to Mike. It's been a sweet relationship. He's taken a
sort of mentor role to Mike, the same role that my darling uncle had
before he was taken from us. Mike is careful to not look at someone
like Pastor Dave as a father figure, but the sweet man blesses Mike with
such peace and encouragement that it's hard not to. Mike has learned
to look to God as his true Father, but realizes that men like Pastor
Dave are His messengers. He's been encouraging Mike to return to the
men's bible study on Wednesdays at the church. He didn't want to return
until he was able to see well and was more mobile. He continued to
pray that God would heal his eye completely (the healing has slowed down
and the vision is cloudy). Then Pastor Dave finally broke through.
"Remember the story about Jesus being in a house surrounded by
townspeople he was teaching and there was a group of men that wanted
Jesus to heal their friend? They went up on the roof and lowered their
friend down through the thatched roof into the room in front of Jesus.
Jesus touched him and told him to pick up his mat and walk out,
remember? You're trying to do YOURSELF what the man's friends did FOR
HIM. You are trying to work one-on-one with God when sometimes, you
have to step back and let others lower you down through the ceiling and
put you in front of Jesus."
Voila. The light went on and Mike got it.
"I'm denying others their crown by not letting them lift me up in prayer to God."
Exactly.
So, today I will drive him to the church and up to the third floor we
will go and I'll drop him off for men's bible study. The enemy has gone
to great lengths to cloud my mind on Wednesdays and forget what day it
is. Time for God to step in and get the situation handled.
You could say that the spiritual blinders have come off and we are BOTH
seeing truths and the need for change. And in His most loving way, God
is accomplishing just that. You just have to be willing to see it and
change and when you DO, that's when you know you'll hear, "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant."
