Brethren, friends, acquaintances, and others: Despite what the enemy is throwing at us in these last of days, I truly feel that our Wonderful Father is using all the pain and fear that we’ve suffered in the past (and present) to reach out and touch those who are in similar circumstances. I can feel the Holy Spirit flowing through us NOW, at this precise moment in time, more than I have ever felt Him move before. We need to continue to persevere through the tough circumstances and allow God to lead us to the rainbow that He has established at the end of the storm. The rain may fall now, but the SON will shine soon!!! It is only when our Lord breaks us, empties us, and forces us to give ALL of ourselves over to Him that He can finally begin to fill us with His Spirit to accomplish His work. He allows us to experience the heat of the fire in order to bring empathetic and soothing relief to others -- to share with them that everything is going to be OKAY!! The fire will never get hotter than God will allow, and although we may smell the smoke, we won’t get burned if we continue to trust and defer to our Lord -- to not give in, to not give up, to not give ground, to not give thought to defeat, and to NEVER, EVER quit!!! "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing by any means shall hurt you." If we never pass through the fire, then we have no credibility to witness to other hurting souls who are also experiencing the hurt, pain, anguish, and scorching from life’s flames. Talk is cheap unless it is backed up with experience, wisdom, encouragement, assistance, and love. We need to remain strong in our faith -- no matter how dire the situation gets. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" … "When I am weak, yet I am strong." Do we still worry? Do we still experience flashes of fear or panic? Do we sometimes dread what tomorrow might bring? Do we still suffer from doubt, although we shouldn’t? Are we mortal and susceptible to human emotion? Are we sometimes weak in our faith? Do we occasionally lose our temper and diminish God’s Light? Do we fall short of the mark more often than we would like to? Do we frequently feel that we have let God down? Will we continue to sin until our last day upon this earth? If you are absolutely honest, then your answer to ALL of the above is a resounding YES!!!! Jesus paid the price for us at the Cross and we are His forgiven Children and His Bride (do you protect your children and spouse)? I have only recently learned to face the fear by letting God deal with it FOR me. God gets us through the toughest of days when we can't even believe that resolution is possible. He then dusts us off and sends us back into the flames (in Love and Protection) to pull others out of the fire. He loves us and will utilize us to help others if we avail ourselves to Him. All things are possible, and all things are used for GOOD to those that love God. He doesn't just take lemons and make lemonade; He takes water and makes wine! Nothing is impossible for Him. Some wonderful Brothers and Sisters have shared that my words have sometimes touched them. Well, I can't take much credit for words written by me, because ultimately they were inspired through my tough circumstances, through my difficulties in life, through my mourning of loss, and through the Holy Spirit as HE used everything in my life to share with and to touch others!! All Praise, Honor, and Glory be unto our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!!! It is ONLY through the Holy Spirit that Jesus can shine His Light unto others (we are just vehicles willing to be driven). It is wonderful to feel God’s Light and Power flowing out -- to be ministered to by His angels who “gather around us to catch any tear drops that may have fallen”…. “God gently bends us, and bends us, until we're bowed down to the ground, until we are strong enough to twist and dance like a willow in the wind -- and nothing is able to break us”. This last paragraph was inspired by two very dear Christian friends (and thus, quoted appropriately). These thoughts were difficult to compile because as soon as the Inspiration was upon me, so too were the attacks from the enemy trying to prevent them from reaching an audience. I have become accustomed to this, and expected it, and trust in God 100%. But this still doesn’t make our walk any easier -- just more predictable. That is why I decided to publish four of my poems that have been collecting dust (and probably justifiably so). So please forgive me for barraging this forum with my boring poems, thoughts and inner-feelings. I am just trying to follow the Lord's guiding in my life and to reach any straggler out there that is looking for a reason to believe. Now is that time for them, this Christmas time of year, because Jesus is the Reason for the Season! God bless you all!! Humbly This encouraging post and your poems are truly inspiring, Humbly. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and soulful literary talent with us today. The truth you speak and the passion of your words is lifted by the hand of the Lord! TR Very true. The pain, suffering, and trials I have gone through have definitely opened doors of ministry later in life. The empathy I have toward others going through the same type of difficulties comes from enduring them myself. It also helps me to know how to point them to Christ through the hardships. My husband and I were discussing our roles during the millennium and I was mentioning that I really don't care about "ruling/reigning" over a town, city, or country... I would love to work directly with teaching the children and young adults and travel around the world learning different languages and cultures. We talked about how our experiences and memories here on earth would probably help us in that 1,000 year ministry. Hi Humbly, You should post your poetry. I would love to read it! I agree with all you've said except for this "It is only when our Lord breaks us, empties us, and forces us to give ALL of ourselves over to Him that He can finally begin to fill us with His Spirit to accomplish His work." I believe the Lord can and will use anyone He sees fit to use, even non-believers. I know there are times in my journey when I wasn't fully submitted to Him yet He still used me for His service. I only bring this up because I don't want those who are growing to give up because they are not at this stage of their walk yet. Thank you MWS, TR, yhwhtalmidah, Tammie, Yohanan, and so many others for your kind responds to my barrage of poems thrown all at once. I appreciate the sincere sentiments, and I agree Yohanan, that the Lord will use anybody and everybody to accomplish His Will -- whether saved or unsaved, just like you stated. God bless you all and have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. YBIC, Humbly Indeed a proper rallying cry would be don't quit, don't look back! Also given where we stand in the annals of time, it seems that whatever word the Lord would speak would take on a greater sense of urgency. As for any last minute instructions the Lord might offer, will no doubt have paramount value, IMHO! Besides, wilting is for flowers! TR
