He Removes Her Halo

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

I have not ceased to praise the Lord for the last several weeks.  Who can begin to comprehend the depths of this great God we serve?  I don’t understand it…I don’t deserve it…but He continues to show Himself faithful over and over, without fail. 

I began my journey as a Christian with the Lord bringing me my first Christian friend, Anna.  That was in 2002.  We grew up in the Lord together and it was like having a close sister. Our relationship was sort of like Jonathan and David.  We loved each other like real sisters and it was a pleasure to grow up in the Lord with her.  I thought the other day how much we had been through together.  Much of the time has been spent apart with me living in Arizona and her in another state.  She’s just such a dear friend and as I write this story, I wait in great expectation to watch the Lord move you to greater faith in His Word because He who promised is faithful to perform it.

I first posted a blog about my friend, Anna, in June of this year.  It was a story of faith that was sparked inside of me after Anna told me to believe God to heal.  I was a new Christian and never really heard of healings and sure didn’t think they happened anymore if they ever did.  But through her encouragement, I dared to believe the Word and God moved mountains on this woman’s behalf.  If you haven’t read this, I want to encourage you to read one of the most remarkable miracles I have ever experienced  http://thewordofmytestimony.blogspot.com/2010/06/do-you-believe-god-healsdare-to-believe.html. 

About a year after this great miracle, my dear friend took a fall from her horse.  At first they thought it was a sprain and put a walking cast on her foot and waited for it to heal.  Month after month, she continued to have so many problems with her foot.  She was casted and off of work so long that she ended up losing her job.  Finally, she went for a second opinion and there they performed a CT scan of her foot.  The doctor informed Anna that several bones in her foot had been crushed and she had been walking on them for so long that he didn’t have any guarantees he could help her and it was a possibility that he wouldn’t be able to save her foot.  At the very least he would have to perform surgery on her foot.   He had given her instructions to come back after he looked over the records and they would plan surgery.

Anna called me to let me know that not only did she lose her job because she wasn’t able to return to her work, but that she had a broken foot and now at the very least they would perform surgery with the possibility she would never be able to use her foot again. 

When she shared this with me over the phone, I remembered what she told me about God healing people.  It’s funny how we have faith for other people to be healed, but it is so much harder when we are asking God in faith to receive healing for ourselves.  But I knew, if the Lord had healed a sick lady with cancer, why wouldn’t He also heal her?  So I shared with Anna that she didn’t have to believe this doctor’s report.  After all, God had spoken to the children of Israel about taking their land.  Numbers 14:31-32  But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out.  God had given them a promise, but they believed a bad report and God punished them because of it.  We had a choice to believe a bad report or believe that God was greater than that report and He ultimately could heal her foot. 

Isaiah 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord.  According to the Word, we reasoned together and believed that God didn’t want her to lose her foot.  So I said in faith, “forget the surgery.  This is what we are going to do.  I am going to pray for you over the phone and God is going to heal you, ok?”  Anna replied, “Ok.”  This agreement from Anna wasn’t like a weary “Ok.”  I knew when she said it, she believed and that was enough faith for the Lord to move.  So I prayed.  Now, I don’t even remember what I prayed, but I knew we both believed He would heal her and we waited for the supernatural.  There was no special prayer or special order that we had said the prayer.  I wasn’t even there to lay hands on her according to the Word of God.  It was just simply believing the Word.  As I prayed for her, she started to feel a funny feeling in her cast.  Then it started becoming really uncomfortable until finally she started feeling the bones move inside her cast.  It was almost as if she could hear them moving.  She was perplexed by what was happening.  Then suddenly, the bones tightened in her cast and  there was a huge pop in her foot.  Immediately, she knew she had been healed.  She said, “God just healed me.”  Now I don’t know why I was stunned, but I was.  I mean, we believed for healing, but it’s just so incredible when we see and hear God healing us!  I was so astonished by this experience and by the power of Jesus, I couldn’t even sleep that night. 

For the next week, she only spoke of healing.  She arrived to her surgeon who had every plan to do surgery on her foot and was still holding tight to her bad report that was tucked away safely in her medical records.  Before scheduling surgery, they performed another CT scan.  You could have heard a pin drop when the doctor came in to talk with Anna.  Flustered and feeling like he had made a huge medical error of misdiagnosis, he showed her that there was no longer any break in the foot.  After apologizing several times for making a huge medical error, Anna let him know that he had made no errors.  “No, you don’t understand.  I did have a break, but I prayed and believed God and He healed me,” Anna explained.  After Anna explained what Jesus had done for her, the doctor let her know that he didn’t believe in that kind of thing but she could call it whatever she wanted to call it.  All he knew was a couple weeks before she had several crushed bones in her foot, and now she had a perfectly normal foot.  Praise God.  If we just believe, He will move mountains for us and bones! 

Several years have gone by since that amazing healing of Anna’s foot.  I moved to Arizona and life just gets busy.  But I would always think about all of the great experiences we had together and how much the Lord taught us about the power of just believing in faith.  So you can imagine how deeply saddened I was by the email I received from her last month telling me she had gotten into a head-on car collision that almost killed her and left her with a broken neck.  I could literally feel the anguish she felt by her situation as I read through the email.  I felt the hopelessness in her heart when she asked, “Why does God allow these things happen to me?”  

I immediately called her to find out what had happened and to encourage her.  She explained that she had been hit head-on and had been in a halo for the past 6 weeks.  If you have ever seen anyone with a large, 12 pound, metal halo drilled into their skull that you need to wear 24/7, you can just imagine how uncomfortable that would be.  After six weeks, she could hardly stand it but she was going to have to wear it for another 7 weeks.  Over the past seven weeks, she had needed to have someone with her 24 hours a day to help her at all times.  It was an extremely difficult situation for her. 

My heart went out to her.  I knew she was extremely hopeless.  But I said, “Wait a minute.  Remember what the Lord has done?  Remember your foot?  Remember what God has done in your marriage?  Remember?”  We reminisced about what the Lord had done and I said, “Now, we are going to use that same faith and God is going to heal you again.”  

That evening while I was praying and reading the Word, the Lord spoke something so deep in my heart.  It was in the book of Job when Job’s friends wrongly accused him of being unrighteous and God was going to bring judgment on his friends.  But God told Job’s friends if they gave an offering to Job, that he would offer it to the Lord on their behalf and Job would pray for them.  Then his friends did as God commanded.   And there it was, one little scripture tucked away in the book of Job.  I saw it and it literally jumped off the page and into my heart.  Job 42:10  And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.  There it was.  Now Job had lost his wife, his kids, his livelihood, his health, his wealth…he lost everything.  But it was AFTER he prayed for his friends (and took the attention off of his own problems), God restored all that he had lost.   I immediately called Anna back the next day and told her this is what the Lord had spoken to my heart.  I said, “Now here is what we are going to do.  For the next three weeks, until you return for your appointment, we are not going to pray about ourselves and our problems, but we are only going to pray for other people.  I am going to stand with you in agreement and we are about to watch the Lord perform another miracle.”  Anna agreed and in her voice, I knew she had received this from the Lord and I knew without a doubt, He would be faithful to heal her. 

For the next couple of weeks, we continued doing this.  One evening, I called her and she was out on a walk.  I said, “What?  You are walking?”  The first time I talked to her, she could hardly get around and had someone with her night and day to help her.  Now she was on a walk?  She confidently told me, I know in my body that the Lord has healed me.  I know the day it happened.  She shared, “You know, this time it was just between me and Jesus.  I know people were praying for me and people could have laid hands on me, but this time it was just a matter of believing Him.  Was I going to believe Him or was I not going to believe him?” It was so profound.  In fact, I got off the phone with her the first time we talked and was disappointed that I had not even though to pray for her.  But it wasn’t about me praying for her or laying hands on her.  You see, she received her healing as soon as she believed the Word.  It was as simple as that. 

Anna continued to share how she had started to ask the Lord to give her memory of the accident.  Floods of memories were coming back and she realized that the Lord protected her the whole time.  She said she remembers saying to herself, “Oh no.” That was right before the car hit her.  She said as the car hit her, she saw a huge shield come up in front of her like a huge hand.  She knows it was the Lord protecting her.  As the days went on, the Lord continued to bring back floods of memories of how He had intervened in her life.  The Lord brought back a memory when she was 18 years old.  She was walking from a beach up to some stores by herself.  She said some men stopped in a car and asked her for a ride.  She said no, but as soon as she said no, they pulled up alongside her and opened the car door really fast and started getting out.  As soon as they did that, they almost slammed into another car and had to drive off quickly.  She didn’t think anything about it then, but the Lord showed her that He had protected her from being abducted.  Then he brought to mind another time when she was babysitting.  A friend of another friend came over when she was babysitting and tried to attack her.  She must have blacked out and when she woke up, the bathroom was full of blood everywhere.  The guy who attacked her was all bloody like he had gotten beat up.  But there wasn’t a scratch or drop of blood on her.  The Lord showed her again, He had protected her.  Again he showed her when she was driving one cold winter, and she started to slip on the ice.  Another car was coming toward her to hit her and she saw herself go through the other car like a shadow.  It was like mist and she was on the other side.  Not a dent in her car and not a scratch on her.  She was supernaturally brought to safety and other people who witnessed it saw it happen just as she said.  Again, He brought her through without a scratch.  She said, “When I questioned God why He allowed my broken neck, He showed me these things.  And Now I realize, this accident and what I have gone through is for a bigger purpose.”   It was so amazing to see what the Lord had done in her heart since I had talked to her last.  He had sent so many people to encourage her heart and the Lord was doing a wonderful work. 

A week later was the big day.  She was going to the doctor to see her results.  That evening, I prayed for her and I told the Lord I believed He had healed her and I was looking forward to a good report.  There was a little wavering in my heart the next morning when I received a text message from her.  It read, “The CT scan doesn’t look good.  I am going on 100% faith right now.”  Immediately Hebrews came to mind, but I couldn’t remember where the scripture was.  I prayed, “ord, bring to remembrance this scripture.  All at once, it came to me and I typed it in my phone as fast as I could get it to her.  Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  Immediately, she took this Word from the Lord, went into the bathroom, got down on her knees with her 12 pound halo on her head and said, “Lord, I don’t care what it looks like.  I believe you healed me and I am thanking you for it.” 

Anna walked out of the bathroom and into the doctor’s office.  Her doctor held the report in her hand saying everything looks great and we are removing your halo.  Jesus healed my friend again.  He remained faithful to heal her body completely and she had this halo removed four weeks early because she dared to believe the Word.  What an amazing testimony of the love, faithfulness, and the power of Jesus Christ.  His Word is true and it will always produce the fruit when faith is applied. 

Through this most agonizing experience, Anna has seen God’s purpose in it all.  She has been able to witness to her brother and his wife and to many other hurting people who need Jesus.  She also believed the Lord to provide for her family financially through this situation.  She said daily checks continue to come in the mail for her medical bills and her family’s needs.  One day she told the Lord that she needed money to pay a bill.  She said, “I believed Him.  I just waited and it came.”  There was a knock on the door and a woman she had never seen before was at the door.  She introduced herself and explained that she was from the church down the street and every year they take a collection for a family and she handed her a check for $2000.  

I want to encourage you to take your requests to the Lord.  Come to Him with confidence.  This Word is above all, because God has magnified His Word above His Name.  Psalm 138:2  For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.  His Word is true and if applied with faith, it will produce 100% every time.  Let us rejoice in our King who is mighty to save, heal, and restore.  He is worthy to be praised and glorified 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.   

All Eyes Are On You, Lord

IKing 1:20 "And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel [are] on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

It’s been almost five years since that horrible day when our van was T-boned by a speeding car.  He was just a young kid speeding through a residential area flying through stop signs.  I still remember it like it were yesterday.  I was five months pregnant with my daughter and I had my 8 year old twins and my 1 year old daughter in the van with me.  I will never forget looking through the shattered back windows to see my son, Charlie, slumped to the side not responding.  This is forever etched in my mind.  This horrific accident and the head injury he received from smashing his head and breaking the window, set in motion years of neurological problems and set backs for Charlie. 

Now we consider ourselves to be reasonable people.  So after years of paying insurance, I guess we expected the insurance company to also be reasonable.  But an amazing phenomenon happens when you come to collect those years of paid premiums.  Your own insurance company becomes your enemy!  We didn’t ask for it, but it definitely happened.   It happened almost at once.  One day we were those good paying customers, and the next day we were considered exaggerators, liars, difficult people, and the list goes on. 

We, in fact, tried everything to negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement for Charlie’s injuries.  We took the Word of God to heart when it says in Luke 12:58 "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer and the officer throw you into prison.  The last thing we wanted to do was drag it out.  We tried and tried, but the insurance company just would not cooperate. 

There is an old song from the 1970s that used to be one of my favorite songs as a child.  It’s called “The Coward of the County” by Kenney Rogers.  I loved this song because the words were so awesome.  Throughout the whole song, the man is keeping his promise to his dad who has gone to prison.  He had made a promise not to be an outlaw like his dad and his dad tells him, it’s okay to turn the other cheek and not fight back.  But at the end of the song, he sings:

I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you done.
I walk away from trouble when I can.
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek,
and Papa, I sure hope you understand:
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man.
Ev'ryone considered him the coward of the county.

Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe.  We felt, as Charlie’s advocates and his parents, we had to fight for him.  So we did.  We hired an attorney and the fight started.  It has been over five years and we are still fighting for him.  It has been difficult and discouraging as we have had our character come into question as parents and Charlie’s character and integrity has been called into question as well.  It has been a journey to say the least. 

We have finally come to the end of the journey and we are scheduled for arbitration. Charlie’s attorney, Dave, has always fought for him.  He has always gone the extra mile.  He has been relentless.  So I was a little taken back when I talked to him last.  He had gotten off the phone with our insurance company’s attorney who wants to meet for mediation before arbitration.  Basically, this is their attempt to try to low ball us without going to arbitration where it is likely they will have to pay the policy limits.  Our insurance company’s attorney started dropping what I feel were seeds of doubt in Dave’s head.  The other attorney suggested that maybe Charlie’s head had never really even broken that window out of the van at all.  After all, that’s just what we said happened.  It’s not like anybody saw it.     

Dave had a meeting set up with Charlie’s neurologist on the following Friday.  He let the other attorney know he wouldn’t make any decisions about negotiations until he met with the neurologist.  Dave and I talked for a while and he shared, “This is the end.  We aren’t going anywhere else for an opinion.  Dr. T. is the best in the state and all eyes are on him and his opinion.”  He went on to warn me that a lot of times, even if the physician knows the symptoms are related to the trauma, they won’t be willing to testify.  Testifying takes time, it’s grueling, and quite frankly when these physicians are running large volume practices they just don’t have the time for it. 

When I put the phone receiver down after talking to Dave, I told my husband that I sensed  there was a loss of momentum in Charlie's fight.  I shared with my husband, “We need to be on our knees praying.  We can’t stop now.  We have to finish this fight.”  I knew in my heart that it didn’t depend on Dr. T. or even Dave for that matter.  The Lord knew the truth and He would bring about His plan and outcome with or without their cooperation because ultimately He was our attorney.  1John 2:1 …And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.   

The morning of the meeting between Dave and Charlie’s neurologist, Dr. T., I rose early and came before the Lord.  I let the Lord know that although Dave’s eyes are on Dr. T. for answers, my eyes were on Him.  I wasn’t going to trust in man’s testimony, but the Lord’s.  I read the Word and spent time Him.  There was a portion of my reading for the day that I didn’t have time to read, but I sensed from the Lord that I should read it.  It was in the Ezra Chapter 1.

Ezra 1:1  Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing..” 

This was as far as I got.  My eyes rose up off the pages of scripture and the Lord caused me to understand.  The Lord spoke to my heart promising that He was in perfect control of the meeting between Dave and Dr. T. that morning and He was indeed going to stir up Dr. T.’s heart to say the things he needed to say and not only that, but Dr. T. would be willing to put them in writing. 

I ran up the stairs where my husband was getting ready for work.  I said, “John, the Lord just spoke to us.  He is taking care of this.”

Two days past after the meeting and I still hadn’t heard from Dave.  When I finally got in touch with him, he said, “The meeting went even better than expected.  I wasn’t expecting it to go so well.  Dr. T. has agreed that all of Charlie’s symptoms are directly related to the accident and he was willing to put them in writing.”   Not only was he willing to put the facts in writing, but he allowed Dave to organize them and write them out and Dr.T.r agreed to sign the document!

Just thinking on what the Lord has done has brought me humbly to my knees.  He never fails us.  He never leaves us.  He always fights for us.  It has spoken volumes to me.  God is indeed in control of every situation and every word that is spoken.  I am blessed and thankful to be under the authority of such a loving, powerful Father! 

Keep it Simple

A have a dear friend who recently met with me to talk about some business ventures I am embarking on.  She was so kind to share how she got started in her business and the philosophy she has followed through the years.   Rhonda shared, “Doing what you love doesn’t have to be complicated.  Just keep it simple.”  I am forever thankful for her advice.  I have taken her advice in starting my new business.  But more than that, I have taken her great advice when I think about doing what I really, really love…sharing the love of Jesus.   

There have been so many opportunities to share about Jesus that I have let slide by because I tried to make it complicated.  I thought I needed to have all of the scriptures memorized in case I would get asked a hard question.  I thought I needed a background in theology or biblical training in order to be able to answer the great mysteries of the bible.   I thought I needed all of these things.  But the reality was I didn’t need a bible college degree.  I just needed to take my friend’s advice.  I just needed to keep it simple.  Today I realized,  I am just a simple woman who is completely loved by an incredible God.   

So this week, I just kept it simple.   

I cared for a woman at the hospital who had such a beautiful name.  I had never heard of it before.  As I got her comfortable in bed, I asked what her name meant.  She answered, “It means LONELY.”  I said, “Awww, you don’t have to be lonely, Jesus loves you!”  She smiled from ear to ear and so did her family.  In fact, her health has declined so much recently, I’m sure she hasn’t smiled for weeks.  By just keeping it simple, I was able to share two very important biblical truths with her.  Deuteronomy 31:6  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  AND  Ephesians 2:4 But God who is rich in mercy, because of his great love, with which He loved us,   Simply put, she doesn’t need to be lonely because God loves her! 

The very next room I went to was a gentleman who just found out he had two cancerous masses in his brain.  As I gave him his medications, the man’s wife shared about his condition.  She said, “He has been the picture of health all of these years and now we are waiting to see what the next step is.”  As I handed him his pills, I said, “You are going on a journey, but you aren’t alone.  God is with you.”  I saw the hope rise up in their hearts as I expressed to them in a simple way that they would not have to go on this journey alone because God is faithful and He would not leave them.    Psalm 23:4  Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For you are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.   

Right after this, a hospice representative came in and wanted to introduce herself and give us some literature about her company.  Boldness rose up in me and I said, “I don’t know if this is a conflict of interest or not, but I wanted to let you know, I am starting a private duty nursing business here in Tucson.”  Her eyes got huge and she asked if I would be willing to go to lunch with her.  She was a regional representative for Tucson and she had 250 contacts of people who she could connect me with.  We are meeting for lunch tomorrow to talk about her company and see if we could partner together.  I was thrilled because I had been asking the Lord just one simple thing, “Just open doors for me, Lord.”  So I felt compelled to tell her.  She smiled and said, “Maybe he is opening doors with me.”  It was just a simple comment, but for a moment, this woman shared in my faith.  The faith that says God opens my doors and closes them and He is in complete control of my life.  Revelation 3:7  What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.   

Some days my heart breaks for those I care for.  Some days I keep it so simple I don’t even use words.  I have no words to comfort  those who are hurting and sick.  I just simply ask God to show Himself through me.  When I go in to the patient’s room, all I have is a smile and it’s contagious!  Even the worst crabby,  angry, or depressed person can’t resist the joy of the Lord.   Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; in your presence is the fullness of joy; at your right hand or pleasures forevermore.  This biblical truth was expressed so simply I didn’t even use words.   

So today I celebrate in my simplicity and I encourage you to take my friend’s great advice.  Keep it simple.  It takes all the pressure off knowing we don’t need to know all of the answers to the great mysteries of the bible.  We don’t need to know all of the scriptures.  We just need to keep it simple.  It’s just that simple!  Psalm 119:130  The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. 

But God...

When the storms of life come crashing in on me, it's easy to be plagued with fear and doubt. More times than I'd like to admit, I serve myself up a large portion of fear and doubt when I am facing a trial in my life...and then I serve it to myself for dessert! It's the natural man's response to fear when we are faced with the unknown in a difficult situation. But God... I am here to tell you, we have a God who has overcome the world. We do not have to be satisfied with the "fast food" of fear and doubt when we have the "gourmet" meal of the Word of God. It never changes. It never spoils. And according to the book of Jeremiah, the Word can be eaten and it's mighty tasty! Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.

But God...

Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart fail; [But] God [is] the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But God...

Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah

But God...

Genesis 48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

But God...  I really love this statement. The statement "But God" appears 613 times in scripture. I just recently taught a women's bible study and they talked about "But God" and how He is the finishing touch to a fearful thought or doubt. Jesus is our answer. We don't have to be satisfied with the "fast food" of fear and doubt when the "gourmet" meal of the Word of God and His rich promises last forever. Don't be satisfied with anything less!

I recently went back to work as a Registered Nurse. Five years ago, I decided to quit my job as a nurse to stay home and raise family for a few years. Many people told me it was professional suicide. I'd lose my nursing skills and nobody would hire me. But I knew a little secret..."But God" opens my doors and closes them and I am not subject to the world." It was my "But God" moment.

God indeed opened doors for me at the hospital I used to work at. I was hired almost immediately and I started working. I got a PRN position and could pick any hours I wanted to work and I could work 8 hour shifts or 12 hour shifts. It absolutely was perfect. Several weeks into my new dream job, the hospital started cancelling all of my shifts because of low census. My plans to work hours this summer to be able to renew my license was coming crashing down.

Immediately fear and doubt was presented to me on a hot steamy platter like a rich meal at a fancy restaurant. I started to worry. I started to doubt that God had gotten me the job in the first place. I started trying to figure it out on my own. I started thinking what other jobs I could apply for. But then it came to me...   "But God..."

I sat on my swing on my back patio and I called out to the Lord. I told Him I wasn't going to do anything on my own but I was going to wait on Him. I knew He would watch over me and I didn't need to worry about it. In fact, I told the Lord, "I refuse to worry about this. There is no need. I trust You." In my heart I had a peace that cannot be explained. One simple two word statement settled it, "But God..."   As I sat there, I asked the Lord to touch my heart in a special way and I knew He would answer me.

One of my favorite past times is going to Good Will and finding treasures. Sometimes they are old vintage items that are neat or just neat things I find for my own house. That day, I went to Goodwill. I asked the Lord two things. I asked that I would find a "treasure" at Goodwill and also that He would speak to my heart in a special way.

I had no idea how God would touch my heart. As I looked through the bins at Goodwill, I reached in to one of them and pulled out a tiny bible. When I opened it up, it was a bible from December 25, 1943 and in the back of the bible it had a handwritten journal of one soldier's battles in World War II. What a treasure I thought. As I held this little bible up, I realized it was alomost two generations old. And then, like a flood, the Lord spoke to my heart through the Book of Psalms. Psalm 12:7 You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.  God has preserved His Word from generation to generation. I had nothing to fear. I had God's Word. I can't tell you how deep and how wide God's love was for me at that moment.


I am glad I chose God's "gourmet" meal of rich promises. Within 72 hours, the Lord had completely turned things around for me in a mighty way. A made a call to the woman who hired me (a sister in the Lord).  She then made some calls for me to other departments in the hospital. I was referred to one of our sister hospitals who is critically low in nurses and they are paying 1.8 times my salary! Not only do I have more hours to work than I could possibly work, they are paying me almost double time to do them! The Lord has opened more doors for me than I could have ever imagined. It was all Him and all glory goes to Him.

God has given us His Word and His promises are good...from generation to generation. "But God..."  has become my new defense when fear and doubt come. I speak to the mountains in my life with "But God..." knowing that He has everything in His hands.  God will always take care of us. God will never fail us. We have His Word and it's "gourmet." So don't settle for the "fast food" of fear and doubt!

Prayer: The Secret Weapon

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

The United States Military is one of the most decorated, powerful military forces in the world. America the Beautiful is armed and dangerous with a long list of weapons of mass destruction; the computer operated drone, satellite detection for bombings, secret mission submarines, Delta Force for counterterrorism, and last but not least, Navy Seal Team 6. These massive weapons and special teams are designed for the most elaborate covert operations of their kind to accomplish only one thing –to abolish the most powerful enemy.

I love my country and am blessed to have such a powerful military organization guarding me at all times. But, you see, I have found in my spiritual life to have a very powerful special weapon of my own – Prayer. I have oftentimes been on the receiving end of this most powerful weapon of prayer and have reaped eternal benefits on more occasions than I could count. The fruits of this powerful weapon have been evident in my life through and through and have on many occasions significantly changed the course of life. This massive harvest of fruit in my life from being on the receiving end of others praying for me has caused me to take this most significant opportunity to pray for others to the deepest of levels. Join with me in this most elaborate military operation with our greatest weapon of mass destruction of all – Prayer.

Why Do We Pray?

We pray because God hears us and responds by fighting our battles.

James 5:16 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

When we pray, God hears us. And when He hears us, the Word of God says it avails much. God responds to whatever our battle is and He is ready to fight for us.

We don’t need an army of thousands of people or the Delta Force or Navy Seal 6, we just need the most effective weapon against the enemy…prayer. These people prayed and the Lord came to their rescue and He is still rescuing us today. If anything makes the enemy shudder, it’s the power and effectiveness of prayer to the One who answers.

God fights for us.

Joshua 23:10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.

I know first-hand the power of prayer and how the Lord rescued me by winning the battle for my soul. In 2003, I was a guest speaker at a missions banquet in Wisconsin. I gave my testimony and shared several instances where God had answered my prayers. At the end of the evening, a shy red-haired woman came up to me and in a very small voice said, “God has answered my prayers about you.” I was struggling to make a connection with who this lady was. Looking a bit confused, I said, “Do I know you?” She shyly answered, “No, but I know your father. He used to tell me about you and all you were going through. Whenever I would drive past your father’s house, the Lord would put you on my heart and I would pray for your salvation.” I am certain I am saved today because of this woman’s prayers on my behalf. I am forever in debt to her for her faithfulness to pray.

We pray because we acknowledge our dependence on Christ.

Matthew 15: 5 I am the vine, you are the branches, He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

We pray to Him because He is our only source. We must completely depend on Him to plan our attacks and fight our battles. We will have our “battle success” only through remaining in Him.

Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence in faith through Him

We can be bold when we ask God and we can expect Him to answer. We have access to the One who has all the resources to provide solutions and we can come to Him with confidence knowing that when He hears us, He answers.

I sat on a plane in 2004 ready to return home from a visit with a friend. It had turned out to be quite a disaster. My ex-husband had gotten remarried that weekend and I was on a huge pity party. He had moved on and remarried and I was still waiting for God. I was really broken that weekend. I sat there on the plane ready to return home and I poured my heart out to the Lord. I asked God if He would send me a woman to minister to me. Right after I prayed, I just knew with confidence that He heard me and I knew He would send her. I cried out to Him and said it was very seldom that I ask, but this time I needed someone to minister to me. I was sitting in the middle seat. I looked at the man on my left who had his headphones on and the woman to my right was reading a book and not at all interested in talking with me. In my heart, I said, “Lord, you are either going to change this woman’s heart next to me or you are sending someone else. I watched and waited for the woman to arrive. Person after person boarded the plane and sat down until the plane was almost full. The very last woman came through the door. She was an older woman in her 60s. She started coming toward me and said to the woman next me, “Excuse me, I think you are in my seat.” The woman to my right looked up from her book and said, “No, this is my seat.” The gray-haired lady pulled her ticket out of her purse and showed the woman next to me. It was indeed her seat. I knew as soon as she sat down it was the woman God had sent. This lovely woman ministered to me the whole way home. She shared her own faith in Christ, several scriptures to encourage me and loved on me the whole way home.

My God heard my prayer and not only did He hear it, but He responded. He sent her for me not only to minister to me, but to pray for me. We exchanged addresses before we parted ways. The next week, I was thinking how special that was that God heard me and responded to my plea. When I thought of this woman, I had this deep feeling in my heart that she was praying for me. Immediately after this thought, I went right to my mailbox and pulled out my mail. When I pulled my mail out, a letter dropped out on the ground. I knelt down to pick it up and it was a letter from the woman on the plane. It had just eight powerful words. It read: Stacy, I am praying for you. Love, Elaine. God hears prayer and He responds powerfully.

We pray because we are not ignorant of our enemy.

1Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We are in a battle. If you don’t realize you are in a battle, it means you’ve been taken captive. This battle is like no other. The most powerful of all military weapons of mass destruction pale in comparison to the weapons needed for this battle.

Join with me to arm yourself with the most powerful secret weapon available – Prayer. Make a commitment to step up your prayer. Get a prayer journal and pray specifically, fervently and consistently. We must completely depend on Him to plan the attack on the enemy and to completely annihilate him. He will respond powerfully to our prayer. This is a weapon available for our taking. Take hold of this secret weapon of mass destruction, our prayers, and stand back and watch the Lord fight our battles!

I am God’s Favorite…and So are You!

Psalm 16:3 As for the saints who are on the earth, They are excellent ones, in whom is all my delight

For the past several weeks, I have taken hold of such an awesome truth. The truth is, I am God’s favorite…and so are you! The Lord has reached deep down in my soul to show me this beautiful reality. It struck me deep in my being when I first read my pastor’s wife’s blog. In recent months, she has been diagnosed with lung cancer. She shared with our congregation that late one evening, her husband insisted she go to the Emergency Room because she was complaining of pain in her chest. Like any other trip to the emergency room, they had waited hours and hours until they both finally dozed off. When she awoke, she looked over at her sleeping husband who was still clutching her purse that the nurse asked him to hold hours before. What a sweet picture. It made me smile at the love she had when she looked at her husband still holding her purse. When she saw her husband’s faithfulness and love, she said, “He really is my favorite.” Deep in my heart, for just a moment, I realized that’s what God thinks of me. This profound statement really stuck with me. The Lord has continued to bring that saying to my attention ever since. And every time I turn around, I am hearing God’s people sharing that same truth with me. Yes, I am God’s favorite…and so are you!


1. You are God’s Favorite because He is not partial. Webster’s definition of Partial: Inclined to favor one party more than the other.


Job 34:19 Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor: For they are all the work of His hands & Romans 2:11 says For there is no partiality with God.

I have had people respond to me from time to time, “Wow, You must be really special. God must really love you. He really favors you.” But God says in His Word, He is not partial. He will not favor me over you. You see, I am His favorite, but you are too! I rejoice with you that you share in this great reality. We are God’s own favorite people.


2. You are God’s favorite because He died for you and took you to be His own special treasure. Webster’s definition of favorite: one that is treated or regarded with special favor or liking; especially a person who is specially loved, trusted, or provided with favors by someone of high rank or authority.



Titus 2:12 who gave Himself for us, that He might purify for Himself His own special people. He gave Himself for us. He was beaten beyond recognition as a man for our sins. He died a violent, horrible death for our sins. On the third day, He rose again to save us from our sins and now He has revealed to us that we really are His favorite. What a delight to be His favorite.

God delights in us and to Him, we are precious beyond compare. I have a special saying when I am sharing the love of Jesus to the world. I tell them, “Don’t you know, Jesus adores you?” Just a few days ago, I had my 5 year old daughter with me while getting my hair cut at a salon. The door of the salon opened and a thin, tattooed gentleman brought his little 4 year old daughter in the salon. He asked my hair stylist could his daughter play in the salon with my daughters. She came in and my 5 year old, Grace whispered in my ear, “Does she have Jesus in her heart?” I smiled and whispered back, “I don’t know, why don’t you ask her?’ Grace shared with the little girl the simple bible truths of the gospel that I had taught her and the she opened her heart and prayed with us to accept Jesus in her heart. My heart melted inside when her big brown eyes widened when I explained Jesus now lived in her heart. This beautiful, blonde girl had just become God’s own favorite. When I walked out of the salon, I saw the parents of the little girl outside the door. Their bodies were riddled with the effects of drug addiction. I wanted to hug the mom and tell her, “Don’t you know, your little girl is God’s own favorite? She is His treasure and He wants you as His favorite too.” My heart hurt inside when I saw the emptiness in her eyes and that she didn’t know the depths of this great love for her.


3. You are God’s favorite FOREVER. Webster’s definition of forever: For a limitless time; at all times: continually.


You are God’s special treasure and this astounding promise lasts forever and FOREVER! This reality has brought me to my knees in tears countless times over the past several weeks. I am His favorite and this warms me from the inside out and blesses me beyond words.

Psalm 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life.

Hebrews 13:5 For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

It’s hard to imagine that this great God is not partial. We are, in fact, His favorites. We are His own special people and so are any of the “whosoevers” that John 3:16 talks about. Let us live every day in the reality that we are God’s favorite. Let us live our lives out loud for those who are lost and hurting and have no love. Let us bring them this great love that cannot be compared…that they would know they are God’s favorite and this great love lasts FOREVER!

Hurry Up and Wait!

Isaiah 49:23 "Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me."

Have you ever said to God…”Hurry up….only to hear Him answer, “…Wait. We are always in a hurry aren’t we? It’s fast food, instant messaging, and the microwave. I used to put my food in the oven and wait for it. These days, I decline to purchase a meal if it takes longer than 2 minutes to prepare in the microwave. I’ve found no satisfaction to use the mail service at Netflix anymore. I want the instant stream from the internet right to my television. I don’t want to have to wait the extra day to get my favorite movie to watch. The fact is, we want what we want, and we want it right now.

This concept of waiting has been on my heart for a couple days now. I’ve come to realize, I am not that great at waiting on God. I am impatient, demanding, and always being reigned back in to wait for God. I was driving home today from my bible study, and literally at every stop light I was jotting down revelation at the Lord gave it to me. Since it’s been a long time since I’ve written, I hope to bless you with what the Lord revealed to me today.

There are three things that stood out to me as the Lord poured revelation into my heart:

1. Everything has an appointed time.
2. It’s essential to wait on the Lord for the appointed time.
3. It’s absolutely necessary to be ready when He calls.

I have many times been impatient with the Lord and nagged God to Hurry Up! It’s like holding back a race horse when they open the shoot. But contrary to what I think, Scripture is filled with examples of God having an appointed time to accomplish His will and His purposes.

Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. God had an appointed time for Sarah to receive her promise to conceive her baby. Sarah’s appointed time came when she was 90 years old!

John 5:4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. There is an appointed time that God heals. And for this man who had an infirmity for 38 years, this appointed time of God’s healing touch was what he had been waiting for.

John 7:8 You go up to the feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come. There was an appointed time for Jesus to go into Jerusalem, suffer, be crucified, and an appointed time that He rose from the dead on the third day. This amazing event was to happen at a special time and it happened not one second before it was supposed to. He waited for His appointed time, and therefore, it accomplished all that it was meant to.

These great men and women of faith had an appointed time and they waited for that appointed time. Abraham was considered to be righteous because He knew God who promised, was faithful to deliver that promise. And after waiting 91 years, Sarah received her promise. The man with the infirmity sat at the pool day after day waiting for his miracle. He had waited 38 years for his appointed time and his miraculous healing and God delivered not one minute too late. Jesus waited 33 years for His appointed time. He did not go ahead a second before His appointed time. He waited for the Father to give direction and He followed and delivered our promise.

As we wait on the Lord, we can wait with expectancy. 2Peter The Lord is not slack concerning His promise. God will deliver, but we must see we have an appointed time, wait for our time, and be ready when He calls.

Exodus 12:11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. He wore his belt and had his shoes on and a staff in his hand. Why do you think he had his shoes on and his staff? Because after he was done eating the Passover, he was planning to go. He was ready, with his belt, shoes and his staff. He was prepared to leave.

Matthew 25:3-8 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: Behold the Bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him! Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. The wise virgins had oil in their lamps and they were prepared when Jesus arrived. When He called, they were ready.

Jesus has an appointed time for us for His purpose. It’s not our timeline, but His. He has it calculated down to the second. Join with me as we wait on the Lord for His appointed time and His call. Let us fill our lamps with oil, gird our waists with a belt, and place sandals on our feet. Let us be ready for the call of God and go at once when we hear Him!