Poems and Words of Faith

Its a time of struggling and learning what your body can and can’t do when you have not long been diagnosed with CFS. I never understood fully how hard it was, from listening to friends who have it, but now I know, Tiredness and fatigue should be written as exhaustion, Low mood should be written as a dark place with anxiety and depression. Not being able to cook and do the things you did, should be written as the hardest thing and so I could go on. However, as I’ve got very low with this, I suddenly felt God put this on my heart.” Its a time to turn this around for good. A time to sit, to rest, to grow, to listen, to reach out to others, to cry, to pray, to meditate on Gods Word and just simply be” In fact, it remined me of a couple of other people that had mentioned to me as well to just simply be with Him.

So I thought…… I cant do much at times like this as I’m sure others cant either but we can sit with our Heavenly Father and just be. He knows how you are feeling He knows and understands that you may not be able to stay long at the moment but come and be, just simply be with Him. He is with us always but taking that time to just rest in your special place with God will help so much. He cares for you, He understands and He will meet with you, maybe just in a small way at the moment but as time goes on this will get better I am sure. We will realise how much we have grown in this time of darkness. I felt, as this only started a short while ago for me, that He seems so silent, a million miles away but I think this may have been because I’ve been struggling with a lot this last year and CFS was the ‘icing on the cake’. CFS drains you and isolates you and you have no energy etc and I don’t know about you but my time with God has not been that good recently because of all this. Not because I have stopped believing but because its been a physically and mentally hard time. However, I believe, the light will come again. He is a good God, a faithful God and He is with us always. Even though we may not see it now He is working. We will know His love, peace and wonderful presence shining through the darkness. Heaven may seem silent for now but just simply be and when the time is right He will speak to us again but for now just rest with Him. Simply be, as He understands. He will bring beauty out of the ashes and give us a garment of Praise Keep looking, keep trusting He is a heartbeat away.

Man Shall not live on bread alone but on every Word that comes out of the mouth of God

I have been suffering lately with CFS and its quite bad at the moment, exhaustion, low mood, depression and anxiety and my time with the Lord hasn’t been that great as I am just resting and watching TV as I can’t do much else. I haven’t been able to read my bible that much or spend much time with God either which I have found very upsetting and hard. However, two people have said just go into your quiet room and just be. If I cant pray or read Gods word just be. He knows and understands, So that’s what I have been doing. And today I believe God gave me this

I had just finished praying this morning and I heard in my heart the words. “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God”. I sat there quietly wondering if it was me or really God but realised it must be God. Only He would put a random verse into my mind, especially when it was just what I needed. So I thought about this word and mulled it over in my mind. Food sustains us physically but only the word of God can sustain us spiritually in times of fear, sickness, troubles worries etc in every area of our lives. The enemy will often come and say, “did God really say…..?” But our enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy and one of his tactics is to feed us lies Lies about yourself, lies about God and much more including distorting Gods word, but if you have been feeding on the word of God and have it in your heart you will have the ammunition you need, Gods word, and can declare Gods truth instead. Declare it all day if you have to but don’t give the enemy a foothold. Don’t listen to him. Whatever your facing declare Gods truth. Feed on it as a cow would as it eats the grass. We need to be like that as we read Gods word. Read it, regurgitate it, chew it over again and again. Get it into our hearts, minds and spirit. Let Gods word feed you, go deep. In times of trouble or need it will come to mind and we can declare Gods truth but it will also change our mindsets if these are wrong too. Take Gods word like medicine and declare it, repeating it will change your neurological pathways and where you once had wrong beliefs these will change over time.

God has given us His written word so we can read it, learn from it and keep it in our hearts so that we have the Sword of the Spirit whenever the enemy tries to weaken our walk with God or our time with Him. Maybe you are in a place like I am at the moment where ill health is causing you to be so tired and and unwell that its hard to do much at all but if the Word of God is hidden in your hearts then when the enemy comes saying lies in your mind you can declare Gods truth over your life and bring life to the situation. If the enemy is attacking then keep your armour on and declare Gods word. He is a good God a faithful God and he is with you in every situation. A song I heard a while back was by Casting Crowns “voice of Truth” its well worth a listen 🙂

Many of us I am sure become quite low over continuing issues in our lives, health, finances etc. and of course when you are feeling like that the devil comes along and likes to stir things up. Putting thoughts in your mind that you think are yours but are actually from Him but you just don’t have what it takes to fight him off.  Do you allow these thoughts to take over and you find yourself going lower and lower. Wondering how you are going to get through this. 

Well I want to share with you what God has shown me over the last few days that have changed my mindset.  I still have the problems and concerns but I am not thinking these thoughts, I am using the Sword of the Spirit (Word of God) to fight the enemy. I know and trust that the Lord is with me and whatever the outcome I’m not worried because nothing happens to us without going through God first. He is in control.  He loves us, He has a plan and whatever that plan is it will bring Him glory and you to a better place. He is sanctifying us.

I love how God reveals things to us in everyday things.  Sometimes we just know something is for us so we need to listen. It could be something in His Word or in a Sermon, anything.  I was listening to a sermon from a church pastor from America who I listen to a lot and trust his teaching and he was talking about yielding to God. I made notes and thought about what was said. Then an email came through and  yes, it was on yielding to God and then something else I ‘fell upon’ later in the day. I realised that if God had put this in my way  3 times I needed to make note of what He was saying to me.

I am going to let you know what I did and what happened because I feel in my heart that this may help someone else , maybe God is wanting to reveal this to you too.

I had my quiet time with Him as usual one evening a few days ago and although I have surrendered all to Him before I felt after He had shown me this 3 times that day maybe there were things i hadnt fully surrendered to Him. I needed to yield/surrender everything to Him and I mean everything. I gave him my fears, anxieties, doubts, my health, my job, kids, moving house, everything. I don’t know if something left me (maybe the devil let go of me) or God touched me but i ‘felt’ something  and I have not been the same since. I don’t feel weighed down, evil thoughts have gone, I am full of joy and praising God in my heart and out loud a lot too. Circumstances haven’t changed , I still need to face moving and my health issues etc but God has changed me. I know His love more, feel His presence more, I am just over joyed. There is a new found trust that i haven’t known before, i have trusted Him in certain things but doubted in others, now i completely trust Him, whatever the future holds He is with me and I have nothing to fear. 

Its funny because a few days after this I was looking at something from the same pastor as above about Praising God in the storms of life as well as in the good times.   This spoke to me a lot too as He is worthy of our praise whatever is going on in our lives. Praise changes things, it brings you into the very throne room of God. It changes our mindset and hearts to focus on God not our problems.  Later that day I saw something else about praising Him through it all, and I believe God showed me something in the middle of the night too, I just happened to look on my emails at 2 am in the morning (as you do) and there was one about Praising God. Praise Him. I thought there it is again, three times. The same as Yielding, 3 times.

The way my mind works I wanted to look this up. Was there any significance in the number 3. Yes there is. 3 in the bible is the number for harmony, new life and completeness.

God has said things 3 times in the bible 467 times.  One or two ive written here. God spoke to Samuel 3 times, Peter 3 times, (feed my lambs). Jesus rose on the 3rd day, 3 patriarchs, 3 gifts to Jesus when he was born, the ark of the covenant contained 3 sacred objects, Daniel prayed 3 times a day and of course the Trinity, Father Son and Holy Spirit to name but a few.

I wanted to share this with you as if you are going through times of stress, uncertainty, anxiety, health issues, whatever it may be and life, the devil, your own thoughts are trying to drag you down and keep your eyes on yourself rather than the Lord , then if you haven’t already yielded/surrendered to our Lord, please think seriously about this. This is the right thing to do. He has given us His life to save us and we need to place our lives into His hands and trust Him, give Him everything. Praise Him too, whatever is going on in your life still praise Him. He is to be praised and worshipped whatever is going on. He is still Lord of our lives, He died for you, He has called you to be His child , He has saved you to live forever with Him, here now and forever,  so He deserves it all, whatever we are going through or however we feel.

‘He took my hand and lifted me up out of the miry pit and set my feet upon a rock’. Jesus is the rock

Stand on the rock, Keep looking up, Keep focused on God, Keep praising Him, Obey His Word, Trust Him, Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you and surrender all and watch what He does,

If you dont know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour then i trust that you would call out to Him today. He loves you so much and wants to save you from eternity without Him. Beleive in the Lord Jesus , His death and resurrection, that He is the son of God and you will be saved. Call out to Him, you will never regret it.

There is so much in our world today that causes us to be anxious/fearful and worry not only for the here and now but for the future. They take over your whole thought pattern. Once in , thats it they are there rolling around in your head. What if? …. What if?… WHAT IF?…….Shall i do this,  shall i do that, How do i know if this is the right thing to do? So many questions run through your head. How will i pay my bills? How will my appointment go at the doctors? Will my children be ok as they travel? I cant go anywhere, I cant do this or that. In the middle of all these questions its just a mountain of What if’s and I cant’s…………

Do you know that most of the What ifs and i cants are lies. Most of what we fear doesn’t happen. Most of what we worry about doesn’t come true. I know this because i have been there,  I still visit the mountain of ‘What if’ and ‘I can’t’ quite regularly. Its taken over huge chunks of my life at times. BUT one thing the Lord has shown me more and more is that i need to lay these things down and Trust in Him. I know its easier said that done but if we truly believe that our Heavenly Father loves us , cares for us and that His Word is true then as you study His Word and ask Him to reveal to you just what you need for today He will.  You will find He has given us all we need to know His Word to help us and we have the precious Holy Spirit to guide and lead us too. The Holy Spirit will speak to you as you spend time in His presence.Take that time to spend with Him it is so important. Wake up in the morning and thank Him for another wonderful day to spend with Him. Spend time in His Word and prayer.

There are many amazing verses in the bible to say and repeat daily till they become part of you. Remember 1 Peter 5v8 ‘the devil roams around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour’  Don’t let him do this to you. Speak out the Sword of the Spirit using the Shield of faith.  God has not given me a spirit of fear but of love power and a sound mind, say this every day till it becomes part of you.  Remember how Jesus overcame satan when he was tempted. IT IS WRITTEN ….. We have to speak Gods Word , there is power in Gods Word. Trust Him

As James says Submit to God. Resist the devil and he WILL flee from you.

Prov 3 v 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will keep your paths straight. Phil 4 v 4-8 REJOICE IN THE LORD …..Be Anxious for NOTHING, but in EVERYTHING by prayer, supplication and thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding WILL guard your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus

So rejoice in the Lord, give Him Praise and thanksgiving that He has saved us, loved us, never leaves us , He is with you in the storm, He is just a whisper away. Sing worship songs in Praise and Glory of our Saviour.  Gods Word cannot lie. God has given us in His Word all we need to live a victorious life in Him. So lets live by it. Give it to God make your requests known to Him . He loves you , you are His child. Tell him how you are feeling and give him your worries and fears and He says that His peace WILL guard our hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.  If our first response is to fear/worry/doubt then maybe our first response should be to take it to the Lord.  Remember God is in control He has it. He wont let you down.

I was really worried about something a while ago and spent nearly two weeks worrying about it making my self feel awful but when i stepped out in Faith and did what i believe God had called me to do i was completely calm and relaxed it was amazing and in those times you realize how Gods Grace is sufficient for us for Gods strength  is made perfect in weakness.

Go to Him now , spend time in His Presence and watch what He will do in and through you

I was reading my Daily Bible reading this morning on 1 Kings 17 v 1-24 I sat there for a while and realised what a powerful passage this really was.  That’s what is wonderful about Gods word the more you think about it and ponder it and study it , new things come out of it.

I was struck by the way God provided for Elijah. We often think that maybe God wont come through this time or we think God needs to come through in our way , the way we see it should happen. But that’s not right. Yes of course we need to come to God and ask for His provision/help/healing etc but leave it up to God how that is to be accomplished. To leave it all in His hands. We need to trust Him, He knows best and knows exactly what we need and when.

How would you or i feel about ravens coming to meet our needs? Would we have trusted God with this? Believed God? I mean fully believed. Elijah did ‘He went and did according to the word of the Lord’.When i was off work last year with stress/anxiety I wanted the Lord to come and bring His healing. I wanted to be healed straight away. I used to cry to God, help me Lord please just take this away. But God in His wisdom didn’t quite do that. He provided people  ( my ravens ) People who prayed with me , took time to be with me and God showed me many things through scripture He gave me or gave others for me. I learnt a lot through that time and i praise God with all my heart that He did provide, He did heal in His way and in His timing. I also learnt we don’t need to plead with God He knows all about what we are going through and we need to pray in faith that He will bring that healing/need. We also need to do our part by speaking to our mountains. The Lord shows us that in His Word , He commanded the sickness to go, the demons to go , or the man to pick up His mat and walk etc

It is hard when you are going through dark times, don’t get me wrong. You may be suffering now and not know which way to turn, cant see the light at the end of the tunnel , dont give up praying and seeking. He will provide. Trust Him Hold on to Him. Ask others to pray for you which i believe is so important, our brothers and sisters joining together in faith.

The other thing i wanted to mention that struck me this morning , you know the story at the end of this were the dear widows child died. Her immediate reaction to this was ‘You have come to bring my sin to remembrance and to put my son to death.’ This resonated with me as i have often when things have happened in my past thought , I’ve done this , i’ve brought this on myself ,what have i done wrong now?  Have you done this? Yes there are times when we deliberately go against God  and we have to pay the consequences of that sin , God in His great mercy forgives us when we come to Him and repent but we still have to go through the consequences of that sin. But there are times where some things just happen. That’s life. We are not in heaven yet. You have not done anything wrong. Just cling to the Rock , stand firm and He will be with you. He loves you and He will provide