The past few weeks the Lord has had me taking notice of my words, what I listen to with my ears, what I put before my eyes and then look into my heart to see if there is a peace, joy, hope and love. If there isn’t I know I need to go to my heart. When I go to the doctor with Dave I can get caught up in the reports, procedures, risks and outcomes that they share with us. Then I realize that when I am caught up in that I am not seeing it His way. Why aren’t I calling the tumor gone? Why do I let the enemy keep messing with my family and not take authority? Why are we accepting the bank’s report of an empty account? Sometimes we can just get caught up the process – the road we are walking and only see what is right in front of us. There are times I talk to my brothers, my kids, some friends and I must be such a downer because I am focusing on what is right in front of me and not Him. There are SO many uncertainties with Dave and fear gets in the way. The report that his tumor is rapidly growing and there is no plan of treatment at this time, no set dates to continue his treatments, no real answers while he feels and we know the situation is increasingly becoming worse in the physical realm. I watch my Mom feel helpless but she doesn’t realize her prayer warrior prayers are making a difference. When I get caught up in all this He showed me I am looking at things through the world’s eyes and not His vision. “For we live and walk by faith, not by what we see with our eyes.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
I am choosing to believe despite what I see with my physical eyes and to be aware of His presence in all I do. This faith life I desire to live is about reaching, believing and embracing what my eyes don’t see as possible. There are no boundaries in faith as His ways are unlimited and I can’t think with natural understanding and be in faith. Jesus becomes my source and nothing is impossible with Him. He is always assuring me of His love. He tells me to look in the mirror and see Him in my eyes.
“The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. If your heart is unclouded, the light floods in!” Matthew 6:22
A year ago I wrote about our grandson who was living a life that could easily have killed him. He was with the wrong people and making very bad decisions. He was very messed up. So I had pictures of him around the house before my eyes where I could see them from when he was young to a couple years ago. Faith is believing no matter what is going on in the physical. “Help me turn my eyes away from illusions so that I pursue only that which is true; drench my soul with life as I walk in your paths.” Psalm 119:37
I have individual pictures of all 22 grandchildren where I can always see them. I have family pictures of all 5 children’s families. I have pictures of my family surrounding me so I can keep them in prayer. I know the truth is that they are my inheritance, they don’t belong to the enemy and they do know the love of God. That’s where my focus has to be! As I pray, I see my family whole and touching the world with His love. Today Caleb is doing amazing. I know someday he will share his testimony of deliverance to others who are lost.
We know the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. I remember when I realized that even Jesus had to get His focus off the circumstance and onto the Father. “Then Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, gazed into heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the bread and the two fish and distributed them to his disciples to serve the people—and the food was multiplied in front of their eyes!” Mark 6:41 He took the food and looked to His Father in heaven. He didn’t look at the 5000 and get into doubt. He didn’t see the fish and bread multiply in front right then but He told the disciples to feed the people. It happened as they went that there was plenty. What an example He gave us. I can’t look at my problems with my natural eyes. I must see what He is showing me and keep my eyes focused on the Father and His love. He gave me a book of promises and that has to be what I see with my eyes.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he has anointed me to be hope for the poor, freedom for the brokenhearted, and new eyes for the blind, and to preach to prisoners, ‘You are set free!’ I have come to share the message of Jubilee, for the time of God’s great acceptance has begun.” Luke 4:18-19
I must keep His promises before my eyes. I read over and over many of the words He has given me lately and I declare these over myself. I have a vision board with His promises He has reminded me of so when my mind starts to see things that are not His promises I can bring my focus back. I have verses and promises that my Mom and Dave can daily see has they are going through this process. If we read anything today, watch any TV, look at any social media stuff our eyes will see a whole lot of lies. When I choose to put stuff in my mind that makes me negative I am not choosing His life. Our minds are never on neutral but always seeing Life or death. The Word says to choose Life.
Right now the media and just the world in general are flooding our minds in two different areas of fear. These two situations are both important, real and vital but they are presented to the people from a fear perspective. One would be the election coming up. You cannot believe anything you hear. One person contradicts the other. This is normal during an election season but it still isn’t right or good. It’s a mess. It’s a ploy from the enemy to get us into fear and confusion. The confusion that is trying to be placed on us in this whole election situation is danerous. We have to keep our gaze on Him and nowhere else. He will show us the path of truth.
The other great fear outbreak right now is the Coronavirsus. There’s more breakout of fear than the virus itself! This is nothing but the enemy! I am not saying there isn’t a virus and we don’t need to use wisdom and caution. BUT the virus itself is from the devil as Jesus died for all diseases and sickness. He took it to the cross. Then fear is definitely a strategy of the enemy. We read a couple weeks ago that perfect love casts out fear. “There is no fear in love – dread does not exist, but full-grown, complete, perfect love turns fear out of the doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment and so he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love – is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection.” 1 John 4:18
“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7.
He calls us to a higher way of life. We get going in these battles of life and forget that He already won them. Things will happen. Battles come. Fear comes but it isn’t supposed to stay! He is our strength. We are to align our thoughts and words with His. Our focus and gaze must be on Him. We get distracted and He showed me it’s time to wake up and get our focus right. The things of this world are a mess. The enemy is trying hard to keep people deceived. We need to completely release our hold of what isn’t of Him and let Him show us the way. Nothing is impossible for him. We need to stop over thinking and trust in Him. It’s time to be one who stands up, stands firm. It’s time to be one of the few that dare to believe Him and have radical faith! It’s time to stop letting the negativity of the world rule our minds and hearts.
“I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones!” Ephesians 1:18
He Lord showed me this in Romans 4:17 from the Message Bible: “Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, “You’re going to have a big family, Abraham!”“God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” Romans 4:17 This is the journey I am on right now – me and my Father. I call things that are not as though they are! Tumor gone! I speak Life more abundant! Family healed! He says “it’s time to leave behind what no longer is so we can see what is yet to be”. We are to leave the cage of fear and soar with freedom. “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 Here at church we have a vision mirror. The Lord showed me that we are to take verses He has blessed us with lately and tape them to the mirror in the entrance so others can see them and we can stand and believe together. There is paper, pens and tape for you to put your revelation, the current verse or promise you are standing on, a word from Him, a testimony. This is something we can do weekly. Let’s be the lighthouse church on the mountain that chooses to not be a part of the negativity but dare to believe Him in everything and have radical faith!!
“And the crowds marveled with rapture and amazement, astounded over the things they were witnessing with their own eyes! The lame were walking, the mute were speaking, the crippled were made well, and the blind could see. For three days everyone celebrated the miracles as they exalted and praised the God of Israel!” Matthew 15:31