March 14, 2021
It’s been a difficult week with Summer. It was a week the Lord continued to talk to me and I heard most of what He said. I only listened and acted on some of it, though. Today I’m listening and it’s touching my heart.
So I will share some of my Summer lessons and revelations of this week. Summer dog was doing so well after her surgery from November. She was released and for 3 weeks she did amazing. Then the equipment failed again and she went a couple weeks with a leg out of place before another surgery. They were finally able to do surgery about 2 weeks ago. It was a hard surgery on her but she doesn’t have as long of a recovery as the first one. In the last 10 days she’s had a fever, infection and intense pain. The intense pain started 6 days after the surgery so it’s a mystery as to what is going on but the infection is gone. This whole week I’ve watched her struggle with pain, cry and cry when she has to get up, fight us because she’s tired of hurting, not eat, not drink, mess herself because she hurts to move and cry if you touch her with your pinky. It’s frustrating for us. Some of her issues are medication related also. I prayed. I asked. I sought His wisdom and was feeling like nothing was changing but getting worse. I had times of strength. Times of weakness and tears. Times of confusion. Times of trying to figure it out on my own. Times of complaining. Times of faith. Times of fear. Times of anger. Selfish times and lots of times in His presence. How could I have such a vast range of feelings? It was all dependent on where my thoughts were.
Here’s what the Lord showed me and how it works for all our situations.
#1 – I’m blaming others. That’s a tough one to admit. No matter if there was equipment failure or not – me blaming and judging others is not helping but it is hindering the situation. Blaming and judging others creates a hard heart that can’t hear what God is saying. That puts me in a position of selfishness.
#2 - My selfish attitude made me feel like a victim because I felt my dog was being ignored and abused. Of course, I don’t want to her suffering but I’m causing anger and frustration to build up inside of me with this attitude. When that happens, my focus continues to be on the problem and I am not keeping my focus on the Lord. I do pray and believe but from a heart that’s half open. All this happens without me really realizing it until I hit the wall that says I can’t do this anymore! When there is pain, lack, conflict, basically anything worldly it’s hard to walk by faith. Actually, we can’t walk by faith without the Holy Spirit.
#3 – The Lord spoke to me that I was walking by sight. Every time Summer cried, I would want to cry with her. “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 It’s through His Spirit we see the finished work, the end result, the VICTORY! We cannot see that without the Spirit. Without looking through His eyes all we see is the physical and natural situation, condition or problem. I have to see through His eyes that Summer Dog is healed and running around with no limp. Since they cut off the top of her femur that leg is to be shorter than the other leg BUT we are speaking and declaring it will be lengthened and no limp! That’s where we all have to be with any of our problems.
#4 – The Lord gave me this verse the other morning loud and clear! “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 But pain is hard to ignore. Pain makes it hard to see by faith. I’ve found that I have been living in the moments, in the situations instead of the power of the resurrection. I’ve let the worldly issues control me instead of the power of the Holy Spirit! I know the difference but get caught up in self-absorption, my problems, my pity for Summer, judgment and dealing only with things that seemed possible. I’ve been looking for answers in all the wrong places when I felt like I didn’t hear from the Lord in my time. And all along He was right beside Summer and I waiting for me to get past myself so I could hear Him and believe Him. “But now that we have been fully released from the power of the law, we are dead to what once controlled us. And our lives are no longer motivated by the obsolete way of following the written code, so that now we may serve God by living in the freshness of a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 7:6
#5 – One morning I heard Him loud and clear (and listened!) that we were living in confusion.
“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” James 3:16 NKJV He had already told me I was being self-seeking and selfish and I know there is lots of confusion about Summer’s whole situation. When He shared this verse, I immediately remembered that He had shown us before that this was an attack and Ed broke the selfishness and confusion off us.
As I continue to pray and stand strong in this situation and many more life circumstances He continues to tell me that I don’t have to rely on my own understanding and strength to face anything we are facing. He says He has answered each of my cries, I need to listen and hear. I want to be still and know Him and hear Him and receive the revelation He has for me as I draw closer to Him. He says it’s okay to come to Him in my weakness for when I am weak, He is strong. “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
“
He’s restoring everything to better than before as we trust, wait and hope in Him. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:28-31.
When I focus on me and my problems the selfishness keeps me from seeking all He already has given me. When I look to Him, He fills me with more than I could ever imagine. It’s so easy to focus on the unknowns with Summer and even the not so positive possibilities of her situation. Instead of focusing on those things and what is causing her pain I am calling it gone and she is healed through His power and in the name of Jesus.
Right now, your situation probably isn’t a dog. What you are dealing with could be far worse but no matter what is going on in your life the truth of God’s Word is the same. He is the same in every situation letting us know He is there for us. He is wanting to hold each of us close to His heart. His love has no bounds. No matter what is beating you down He is saying come up with Me. “Rest in My everlasting arms. Let My love saturate your heart and abundantly overflow in your life.” “For everyone who listens with an open heart will receive progressively more revelation until he has more than enough. But those who don’t listen with an open, teachable heart, even the understanding that they think they have will be taken from them.” Matthew 13:12
“For those of us who believe, faith activates the promise and we experience the realm of confident rest!” Hebrews 4:3
Each of us have a situation or two in our lives in our lives. Continue to pray for and encourage one another. Also, continue to pray that His Truth and Love will prevail in our country!
Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
It’s been a difficult week with Summer. It was a week the Lord continued to talk to me and I heard most of what He said. I only listened and acted on some of it, though. Today I’m listening and it’s touching my heart.
So I will share some of my Summer lessons and revelations of this week. Summer dog was doing so well after her surgery from November. She was released and for 3 weeks she did amazing. Then the equipment failed again and she went a couple weeks with a leg out of place before another surgery. They were finally able to do surgery about 2 weeks ago. It was a hard surgery on her but she doesn’t have as long of a recovery as the first one. In the last 10 days she’s had a fever, infection and intense pain. The intense pain started 6 days after the surgery so it’s a mystery as to what is going on but the infection is gone. This whole week I’ve watched her struggle with pain, cry and cry when she has to get up, fight us because she’s tired of hurting, not eat, not drink, mess herself because she hurts to move and cry if you touch her with your pinky. It’s frustrating for us. Some of her issues are medication related also. I prayed. I asked. I sought His wisdom and was feeling like nothing was changing but getting worse. I had times of strength. Times of weakness and tears. Times of confusion. Times of trying to figure it out on my own. Times of complaining. Times of faith. Times of fear. Times of anger. Selfish times and lots of times in His presence. How could I have such a vast range of feelings? It was all dependent on where my thoughts were.
Here’s what the Lord showed me and how it works for all our situations.
#1 – I’m blaming others. That’s a tough one to admit. No matter if there was equipment failure or not – me blaming and judging others is not helping but it is hindering the situation. Blaming and judging others creates a hard heart that can’t hear what God is saying. That puts me in a position of selfishness.
#2 - My selfish attitude made me feel like a victim because I felt my dog was being ignored and abused. Of course, I don’t want to her suffering but I’m causing anger and frustration to build up inside of me with this attitude. When that happens, my focus continues to be on the problem and I am not keeping my focus on the Lord. I do pray and believe but from a heart that’s half open. All this happens without me really realizing it until I hit the wall that says I can’t do this anymore! When there is pain, lack, conflict, basically anything worldly it’s hard to walk by faith. Actually, we can’t walk by faith without the Holy Spirit.
#3 – The Lord spoke to me that I was walking by sight. Every time Summer cried, I would want to cry with her. “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 It’s through His Spirit we see the finished work, the end result, the VICTORY! We cannot see that without the Spirit. Without looking through His eyes all we see is the physical and natural situation, condition or problem. I have to see through His eyes that Summer Dog is healed and running around with no limp. Since they cut off the top of her femur that leg is to be shorter than the other leg BUT we are speaking and declaring it will be lengthened and no limp! That’s where we all have to be with any of our problems.
#4 – The Lord gave me this verse the other morning loud and clear! “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6 But pain is hard to ignore. Pain makes it hard to see by faith. I’ve found that I have been living in the moments, in the situations instead of the power of the resurrection. I’ve let the worldly issues control me instead of the power of the Holy Spirit! I know the difference but get caught up in self-absorption, my problems, my pity for Summer, judgment and dealing only with things that seemed possible. I’ve been looking for answers in all the wrong places when I felt like I didn’t hear from the Lord in my time. And all along He was right beside Summer and I waiting for me to get past myself so I could hear Him and believe Him. “But now that we have been fully released from the power of the law, we are dead to what once controlled us. And our lives are no longer motivated by the obsolete way of following the written code, so that now we may serve God by living in the freshness of a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 7:6
#5 – One morning I heard Him loud and clear (and listened!) that we were living in confusion.
“For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” James 3:16 NKJV He had already told me I was being self-seeking and selfish and I know there is lots of confusion about Summer’s whole situation. When He shared this verse, I immediately remembered that He had shown us before that this was an attack and Ed broke the selfishness and confusion off us.
As I continue to pray and stand strong in this situation and many more life circumstances He continues to tell me that I don’t have to rely on my own understanding and strength to face anything we are facing. He says He has answered each of my cries, I need to listen and hear. I want to be still and know Him and hear Him and receive the revelation He has for me as I draw closer to Him. He says it’s okay to come to Him in my weakness for when I am weak, He is strong. “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
“
He’s restoring everything to better than before as we trust, wait and hope in Him. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:28-31.
When I focus on me and my problems the selfishness keeps me from seeking all He already has given me. When I look to Him, He fills me with more than I could ever imagine. It’s so easy to focus on the unknowns with Summer and even the not so positive possibilities of her situation. Instead of focusing on those things and what is causing her pain I am calling it gone and she is healed through His power and in the name of Jesus.
Right now, your situation probably isn’t a dog. What you are dealing with could be far worse but no matter what is going on in your life the truth of God’s Word is the same. He is the same in every situation letting us know He is there for us. He is wanting to hold each of us close to His heart. His love has no bounds. No matter what is beating you down He is saying come up with Me. “Rest in My everlasting arms. Let My love saturate your heart and abundantly overflow in your life.” “For everyone who listens with an open heart will receive progressively more revelation until he has more than enough. But those who don’t listen with an open, teachable heart, even the understanding that they think they have will be taken from them.” Matthew 13:12
“For those of us who believe, faith activates the promise and we experience the realm of confident rest!” Hebrews 4:3
Each of us have a situation or two in our lives in our lives. Continue to pray for and encourage one another. Also, continue to pray that His Truth and Love will prevail in our country!
Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
