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Be encouraged.
I am reminded of the end of a poem entitled Footprints In The Sand which says:
"You promised me Lord,When Jesus was hanging on the cross still clinging to life, His ultimate reason for coming to earth had not been fulfilled. But when he gave up the ghost, was buried and got up out of the grave three days later, our avenue of escape was created. I call that a ULTIMATE BREAKTHROUGH (The veil was not just penetrated, but it was torn from top to bottom).
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"
The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you".
Lets rewind just a little. When he realized that he was scheduled to be crucified, He pleaded with his Father three times for another way (perhaps a easier and less painful way), but as always not His will but the will of His Father. The road to the ultimate breakthrough became harder and more unbearable. His words became even fewer. The only hope Jesus had was His Father meeting Him in a place that even He had not been before and resurrecting Him.
We are going through trying times, not understanding why or how we are going to make it trough. The Lord's Word is true and His hand is unchanging - He will never leave us or forsake us. So even when we can't hear Him, we must trust that He is still there. Praise and worship has always been key because we know that He abides there.
Below is the last verse of a song that ministers to me often in tough times.
So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear you answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering that your love put you through
And I will go through the valley if you want me to.
____________
This week, immediately after posting the article on Giving Up, a spirit of depression came upon me that I have never experienced before. It was a heaviness so profound that I couldn't even begin to describe it. I went to bed in tears, spent the night in tears, and woke up in tears only to continue crying through each day. In the midst of this, God gave me the previous message called Labor Day, but I did not post it. Why? I was angry with God. I was frustrated due to certain circumstances I was facing. I was discouraged because I felt like God was simply not hearing my prayers. "God, why aren't you hearing me? Lord why are you not doing something? God, don't you even care?" I was inconsolable. My attitude towards God was wrong, and it was sin. However, even after repenting, I could not turn the tides from this depression. Instead of fighting through, I was going ever more into a downward spiral each day. It was a Hell I have never experienced before and it was supernatural.
I thank God for my husband who prayed with me continuously during this time. Also for the Sisters & Brothers who sent words of encouragement and correction, not even aware of what I was going through. One Sister shared how she was going through something similar and recommended that I listen to the message below, which I had missed. Why did I miss it? I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to have tuned in. This whole experience taught me a few things.
- Satan is launching supernatural attacks against true believers to make them grow weary...because we are close to a breakthrough.
In my earlier article on Giving Up, I stated that a main reason why people are giving up was due to the fact that they did not understand - and perhaps had never entered into - salvation. While this is true, Satan is also trying to crush those who do believe by creating circumstances so dire they seem unsolvable. This is being used by God for a specific purpose (as discussed in the video message below). - God gives us the power to always stand and not crumble under pressure...but the choice to stand is our own.
As I listened to the message below, I could tell this was a word from the Lord specifically for me. Had I not given in to the the storm which was trying to crush me, I could have experienced my deliverance a lot sooner. For 3 days I didn't study the Scriptures, refused to play praise & worship, didn't tune in to Bible Study, etc. As God told me, I was having a temper tantrum, but wallowing in my misery was only serving to hasten my decline.
Don't be your own obstacle to your deliverance. Press on no matter what it looks like or how it feels. Refusing to use the God-given resources of prayer, fasting, praise, worship, study, and fellowship when you are weak (and even when you are not) only hurts yourself. Don't turn into a baby when things get harder (note to self). - God's work will not be stopped. If you do not obey what He has given you to do then He will simply find another who will.
Much of what God gave me in the previous Labor Day post is reflected and expounded upon in the message below. It reminded me of my personal and favorite Scripture, which has also been the impetus behind this blog, "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14) Who is destroyed if we "hold our peace" when God tells us to speak or act? We are. Our disobedience does not affect God; His plans are Sovereign and His will shall be done. Yet, we will pay the price. - Do not think you are alone in your struggle or that some strange thing has happened to you in your trial.
Many brothers and sisters are facing struggles, even ones which seem as if they will overtake us. It is times such as these where we need each other even more. True fellowship with God and with the brethren will help us easily thwart the fiery darts of the enemy as he speaks lies to us and tries to undermine our faith.
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