WALKING BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT!

“Walking by faith…not by sight!”  2 Corinthians 5:7

If I ever did, I never will again take my eyesight for granted!  I am typing this in Microsoft Word in a very large font so that I can see it even blurry!  I cannot read what is written on fb and I thank my super adult grand children (Whitney, Jay & Amy) for taking care of me since Sunday with my second eye surgery.

Both eye surgeries have gone very well according to the surgeon.  I have a very different “view” ~ a very blurry one!  I will not be able to get some reading glasses until tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.  However, I feel so useless and handicapped and totally out of contact.  I know that my kids have tried to keep a word on fb and I thank them.

I am most thankful that I can type without seeing the keyboard, but it’s tough not knowing if I’m spelling correctly.  Enough said!  I want to praise the Lord for His “always with me” Presence.  He loves me beyond my expression or even understanding…but I praise Him for proving He is all that He says He is in His Word, The Bible.

The second eye has been very different than the first.  This one has had some discomfort with hurting; and it has bled.  This has played with my fuzzy mind and I have wondered if I truly was going to be better after all this surgery.  Well, I do see very well without glasses for distance.  But now, I will have to wear glasses to read.  This is totally opposite of my eye condition before.  I will adjust.  The pressure in my right eye is not recovered yet and I have to go back to the eye doctor tomorrow to have it checked.

An interesting thing happened while the assistant was checking my eyes and preparing me for the doctor  to check.  I was telling her about my question of the eye being so sore and the bleeding and not being able to see; and all of a sudden I just fell apart and started crying.  She was so sweet to comfort me and assure me that I was fine and my eyes were great!  Then my heart exploded with the truth being suppressed that I didn’t know was brewing there.  We learned early this morning that our Uganda love, Florence was denied a visa to come to America to be with our family – actually my son, Tim and his family.  She had received a visa and then had it taken back when she applied for a passport and then told she had to have another appointment with the Ugandan Embassy, which was today and they denied it because of something to do with her father’s death.  Florence has been in the orphanage most of her life.  She just turned 15 in May.  There are, of course, lots of factors we don’t know about and some we can’t share, but we are all disappointed at this point.  We do know that God is greater than the Ugandan government and He will do what is best…in HIS own way; at HIS timing…and EVERYONE will know He is God and His plans are reality.  We will pray for Him to help our unbelief and help us to trust Him and praise Him for what He is going to do.

The amazing part of this little story is that they took my blood pressure after I calmed down and it was the lowest it has been in over a week!  It was 124/74!  It has peaked at as much as 154/108!  I guess I just needed to have a good cleansing cry.  In addition, there was the wonderful atmosphere of a young lady named Linda that felt my heart and hugged me and supplied me with lots of Kleenex and told me that Dr. Eanes would pray for me.  Are you realizing I am in an office?  Would this be a normal reaction for my situation?  I don’t think so because I have experience the professional way and I can say this was much more comforting and satisfying, and obviously effective physically, too.  God provided me with His Body to come to my aid. Dr. Eanes also gave me some very encouraging words about Florence and trusting God is in control and has a plan.  He is a missionary eye surgeon who just returned from a trip to Africa, I think.

Also, yesterday my grandson(in law) Jay took me for my surgery and while they were getting me ready, he went to the main surgery building to try and see a friend of his who was having surgery also.  I asked the nurse if he couldn’t get back before I go in for surgery if someone could pray for me.  I know that my prayers are sufficient, but it’s nice for someone else to add to them.  She said:  “Well we don’t have a chaplain on duty but any of us would!”  Did you hear that?  I have been surrounded by God’s Love and Presence every minute, there is no reason to fear!  I thank Him for keeping me reminded in such loving ways.

By the way, He is with you, too if you belong to Him.  Just look around and see if He isn’t there loving you!

Because I am tired from trying to read and straining my eyes, I am going to lie down and rest and have a delightful time talking with my Lord and praising Him in all our situations.  Why?  Because He alone is worthy to be praised; He alone is the Answer; He alone is Life, now and forevermore! ~Betty *smiling :) 

PRAYER IS PERFECT & COMPLETE ONENESS WITH GOD

Prayer is asking in His (Jesus) Name

John 16:26 ~ “At that day you shall ask in My name.”

“At that day”

     –   The day the Spirit of God comes to dwell within us and makes us One with   

          God.

-      The day we become so intimate with God that Jesus’ life of prayer is our life of prayer 

“in My name”

-      This is an expression of intimacy; it is not a password!

-      Because we are identified with Jesus in His death and resurrection

-      Because we are born again in His Spirit

Prayer between a Child of God and The Father

Luke 2:49 ~ Jesus said:  “Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s House?”

“in My Father’s House”

-       A Child of God must be living in The Father’s House

-      Relate to the natural child

NATURAL CHILD                                CHILD OF GOD

House/Home                                         Temple/Church ~ houses God’s Spirit

A house is not a home without                They are only buildings without God’s

   a family!                                                Presence!

   Parents-Siblings-Grandparents          Temple was God’s Presence in the OT

   Aunts-Uncles-Cousins                        The Church in NT-The Body of Christ

Role of Family ~ to teach and help             Today it is a building & a body with

   child to grow up; to know one                   the Presence of Spirit of God

   another.                                            Parents of Child of God:

                                                                 God’s Word & The Holy Spirit

                                                           Family of God: All Children of God
                                                           Role of Family-to know God intimately
                                                                -to learn how to be Children of God
                                                                -to know and do His purpose

Prayer is to honor God

Luke 1:35 ~ “That holy one which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.”

“the holy one”

    – The Son of God born of flesh

“born of you”

    -To be born again is bearing in our body the Son of God!

    - He is in us, for us to make Him known by praise and honor; glorifying Him

        by demonstrating His Presence ~ “being about my Father’s business.”  

    - He is with me!  But, am I with Him?

His Purpose in us:  To finish His work.  He came to redeem the world from sin! 

We are to tell the world He has done it…and tell it until He comes back!

Prayer ~ Knowing God Hears

John 11:41 ~ “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”

“Father”

    It is an expression of relationship – not a password!  God must be our Father by being born into His Family by His Spirit to those who believe and receive Him!

“thank You”

    Honoring and praising God for being Father.  (John 1:12)

“You have heard me”

    God always hears the prayers of His Son  (Jeremiah 33:3)

    If the Son of God is formed in us:

       -The Father will always hear our prayers, too.

       - Our prayers will be prayers Jesus would pray.

Are we praying in His Spirit (in His Name) to our Father?

A good child asking for good things that will glorify our Father and Lord.

Make it real in me, Lord ~

Your Holy innocence and simplicity and Oneness

with the Father being manifested in me. 

Help me to be a real Child of God, just like You

who delights in being in constant contact with The Father. 

Have Your way in me and complete me in Your Spirit.

Cleanse me from the defilement of distance from You.

May You be obvious for Your glory!

WHAT IS MY OFFERING?

Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you.  Leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

When I come before the altar of God in prayer what do I bring as an offering?  Do I bring Him my best? Or, do I only bring Him my mess?  As I look at my offerings, I see that I am in debt to my Lord.  I bring Him little praise and adoration, and lots of complaints and whines!  Those times that were real and sacrificial were the most acceptable!

As a child, I gave my joy of life in song, dance and drama solely unto Him as my audience.

He was pleased.

As a teen, I gave Him my innocence and purity devotedly.

He was pleased.

As an adult, I put away childish things and began to see the world I was in and the fantasies it held.  My time at the altar became a duty of church attendance once a week!  Others were in my life that didn’t know or relate to the God I knew and loved…and they brought compromise.

I broke His heart.

As a prodigal child, I remembered the days when He was my God…and I came back offering myself as a servant; repenting of my idolatry and desiring to be my best for Him again.

He was pleased again.

For many years I gave Him my service and worked hard striving to gain His favor…striving to attain my best for Him.  I became…self-righteous.

He was patient.

In the year 1989, my test of faith began.  It was the hardest test of my life.  I had to do it on my own…I felt deserted and rejected and so alone that I doubted and questioned the reason for this.  I knew it was a test like Peter’s, but I knew what Peter didn’t – I knew why Jesus appeared like one he didn’t know – he didn’t know Him as Savior.  I did!  And, I knew He promised to be with me always – I could do anything with Him!  But, I found myself horrifyingly alone - for the first time in my life…He wasn’t there!  I felt like I imagined Jesus on the cross when He said:  “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”

The difference?  He was God and He had to be separated because of the SIN that He was paying the price for…for the whole world.  He was suppose to do that and die and be raised from the dead and would be with The Father again.  I knew that intellectually and believed it – but I was in the here and now AFTER that…and why did I feel forsaken when He had promised not to leave me?

I found myself being consumed by darkness and falling as in slow motion down a shaft in the center of the earth.  When I reached the bottom I was crying out those same words that seemed so appropriate:  “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”

As I slumbered there, motionless with exhaustion from crying, I tried reasoning and searching my mind for something – anything, that could explain.  I began to cry out in great desperation at the thought of being so alone – more than alone – completely deserted and betrayed by the One I had given my ALL to.  Why would He do this?  Why would He allow this?  What kind of test was this?  It was unfair!

Lying on the bottom of doom, I sorted the facts as I could see them and came to the conclusion that it must have ALL been an illusion.  God must have been just a huge fictitious figment of my imagination!  But, if there is NO GOD – what is there?  I know there is a devil for he has been too real.  So, what do I believe?

Conclusion – I’d rather believe there is a God and risk being wrong, than to believe there is no God and risk being wrong!  It’s a matter of gaining ALL or losing ALL.  With that grain of faith (I remembered He said that’s all it takes) I began to come to my senses.  In utter shame, I stretched out face down and begged God to become real to me again and show me His love that I longed for more than anything.

I began to rise from my darkness and awoke driving my car and feeling a sense of some unknown mystery on the horizon.  At this thought, a pre-historic grasshopper appeared on my windshield…and the rest has been told…

So much to be learned from the test I passed – The Test of Faith.  Was I ever alone?  Did He desert me?  Jesus said to Peter – and to me:  “I have prayed that you won’t lose faith.  When you turn again – help your brothers.”

He was there!

In the year 2005 was the beginning of a new life – The Maker’s (life) Diet, a life commitment and a mission:  The Lord spoke to me; “Get your body healthy…and then My Body healthy!”

He spoke new words.

July 4, 2009 was my Birthday Celebration of Praise to my God.  I was 65 years old naturally, 50 years old spiritually and it had been 30 years since making a life commitment to give God my best for Him.  It was my very best unto Him and Him alone!

He was very pleased!

Today, April 27, 2013 my offering and delight is only to be diligent in pleasing Him by giving my very best and being a witness unto Him until He returns for His Bride to take us Home!

Maranatha!