Below is a devotion that I wrote for Stephan this morning. He's very sick.. running a fever of 102. The reason he is home is because we had an appointment with the oral surgeon yesterday to see how his jaw is healing... He fell asleep in my car on the way home and has slept since! I believe he has a touch of the stomach bug and the drug bug combined. He's been on LSD and is seeing "lights?" Oh, how my heart just hurts... For about two weeks now- on the three occasions we have seen him, he keeps talking about getting things right in his life! He's saying things we've never heard him say... but there's this trust issue we have you know? It's so hard to believe what we want to believe!!! This LSD has really done some bad things.... I believe he actually got scared!
I have been praying that Stephan would have horrible dreams! Sounds like a bad prayer for a mother to pray right? I have prayed that he would have such horrible dreams to the extent that when he awakes in a breathless, cold, sweat that he realizes how thankful he is to be alive and when he wakes up so thankful that it was all a dream!!! I prayed that these dreams would make him second guess the things he's doing to himself. My prayers have worked! He has had horrible dreams on three occasions during these last two weeks! Stephan told me about them and they did have a lasting impact! I really believe God is at work...
Like I said, he is home and I got up, made my coffee and wrote this for him:
Start Your Walk at the Beginning
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
I Peter 4:12-14 NIV
Finding encouragement in times of trial can be tough, and sometimes these trials – or what’s after us, is only a “smoke screen” of diversion from our enemy. We get so caught up in walking though the smoke that we forget our purpose in life. Frankly, our best approach is simply to remember why we exist, which helps us to recognize our enemy's tactics. -Our purpose is to reveal and reflect our Father, to bear His image.
God has a plan for each of our lives and Satan will stop at nothing to see that this plan does not unfold. Knowing these things, our enemy attacks our love relationship with God and it overflows into the lives of others as well. So what do we do in a time like this? In order for fight an unseen enemy, your best response is to “counteract,” - which means: to make ineffective, restrain, or neutralize ill effects by using opposite force, action, or influence. How to do we do that? We start at the beginning…
Was there ever a time that you knew God? If so, go back to that time… Were you happy? Were you seeing God’s blessings on your life? Was He active in your life and bringing good things to it and using you for His glory?
My friend, many of our trials are meant to challenge our love for God, and we can combat them by staying in the Word, praying, and trusting God's wisdom and love. Remember, "God is light; in Him is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5NIV).
When we are in the Word and praying… we are restraining our enemy- Satan! We are attempting to neutralize the effects that he has on our life! God’s Word is powerful… It’s alive… It reaches to the heart of man and guides and directs our paths to find our purpose that Satan doesn’t want us to find!
We must also recognize the devil's aim to pervert our relationships. He wants division to come between you and those who truly love you. He wants to convince you that those who despitefully use you and can potentially cause discord in your life are your dearest companions! Proverbs refers to these types of friends as “Companions of Fools!”
In order to counteract the schemes of the Devil- Start at your beginning… Maybe you need to meet God for the first time. Maybe you need to recommit your life to Him… A good place to start is a prayer of repentance or asking God to forgive you… There is nothing He can’t forgive! He loves you so much! This prayer covers a multitude of sins! It brings you back in favor with God where He can move in and begin helping you rebuild your life, your health, your relationships and your purpose for being on this earth!
Don’t wait, my friend… Today can be the first day of the rest of your life-
of purpose!
