Journey4Jesus
Praying Gods Word in all areas of life… The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
with God all things are possible…
How far we’ve come…
Time gives us the incredible gift of 20/20 vision, the ability to look back through the review mirror to see where we were as well as where we are now. As I type from my journal entry written 3 years ago, I am completely and utterly humbled at Gods faithful hand in our life… the extent of His Love.. and the lavishness of His provision.
As I re-wrote these words below, I can remember and feel the tightness in my chest as I prayed those words. I am reminded of the tears that ran down my face as I simply couldn’t see past the moment. But most importantly, I remember the attack of the enemy; the constant barrage of thoughts he whispered to me: “God doesn’t really care about you…you’ve been wasting your time, don’t wait on him to help you…did the Bible really say that he would be there for you? (maybe others but certainly not you) look what you’ve done with your life…”
It was these constant voices that caused that tightness in my chest. These voices that worked so hard to keep my eyes focused on the impossibilities rather than the God abilities. The enemy gains strength in our weakness, he is both crafty and relentless in his attacks… but he is a LIAR.
The absolute only thing that saved me from the onslaught, was the Word of God. Whenever these crushing doubts arose I would seek the face of my Father in His Word, and every single time He met me there. Sometimes, it was just a calm that came across my body. Other times it was the beauty of nature, reminding me my creator was there…and still other times, it was the words themselves but no matter how, He was always faithful.
Through this experience I have come to learn more about the tactics of the enemy, but also so much more about the Love of our Heavenly Father. The enemy is limited in his power and ability, he uses what he knows about you; your weaknesses…your regrets…un-forgiveness in your life…your areas of un-repented sin…In short, he knows how to make you squirm and those are the strings he pulls.
God on the other hand; He never condemns, he lovingly opens our eyes to acknowledge our sins and failings, He offers forgiveness and cleansing for every one of them. The enemy places our sins on a scale from bad to worse…making us believe we could never be good enough. Our Lord does not, to him sin is sin and ALL must be cleansed by Him, and the best part…cleansed and forgotten, remembered no more.
So when you are being attacked by the condemnation of past sin, you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt, where that condemnation is coming from. You can put your hand in front of you and state with authority, “Get behind me Satan, you have no power here”.
As I sit here writing in 2021, I am overcome with emotion as to how much more the Lord provided for us, more then we could have ever dreamed or expected. I am so thankful that we waited to follow His path, rather than speeding off on our own once again (did that far too many times to count).
This verse became one of our life verses these last 3 years, and we have experienced the truth in these words…When we are faced with choices, stand don’t run blindly forward in your own will…seek Gods way, pray for direction… then walk forward in that. In doing this you will truly find rest for your souls.
When we are faithful to follow the plan He has for us, He will lavishly provide far more than we could ever dream… He did this with us and I am 100% certain that He wants to do it with you as well…my soul has found rest, and it’s a beautiful thing my friends.
Journal Entry: (Where we were…)
July 12, 2-18
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your Word from this Psalm. Thank you for reminding me that the Psalmist too suffered and felt alone in his suffering… He felt as if Your ear was turned away. Forgive my lack of faith Lord, as I struggle with these same feelings.
I know who You are Lord, I believe in the power of Your name, I know that there is nothing You cannot do, and I understand, that even now You are at work preparing us…even when I cannot see or feel anything. So as the Psalmist wrote; “I will keep hoping for your help; and I will praise you more and more.”
I recognize that it is a choice to praise You, and You are worthy to be praised in ALL seasons of our life. Not only when things are calm and easy, but also in the times of trial and hardships. Send Your Spirit Lord, to minister to us…to bring peace and assurance that You are with us in this.
Thank you for whispering my name to others, who reach out with encouragement, help me to continue to be there for others as well, and not get lost within my own problems and situations.
Open our eyes Lord, that we might see. Show us the path that You have for us; where do we go from here? where & how do we work, serve & live? What purpose and plan do You have for us Lord?
I am so incredibly grateful for this beautiful peaceful spot You have provided for our trailer Lord, I can see You all around; I hear You in the birds, and witness Your creation with the visits of muskrats and moose. I have always felt closest to You in nature Lord, so I am very thankful that this is where You have placed us for such a time as this.
Lord Jesus, would You provide something today for both Mike and I to experience You, and be reminded of Your faithful presence, encouraging us that You have not turned Your ear from us nor forgotten us. I wait in expectation of something from You.
In Jesus name ❤️ Amen
My Final Thoughts & Encouragement:
First of all I would like to thank you, my friends, for joining me on this journey. That’s what life is, it’s a journey of growing; growing as a person, growing in our relationships, growing in godly righteousness. It can be a lonely journey if we travel it alone… so I want to encourage you to keep travelling together. I would love to hear from you, so that I can encourage you on your own journey as well.
Friends, I don’t know what your particular journey looks like today; where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. Maybe you are in the process of coming out the other side, you’ve learned important lessons that others might need… I encourage you to share those lessons, be the encouragement that someone else needs.
Maybe you are still stuck in the middle, totally uncertain as to how things will play out for you, and you are feeling alone and discouraged. Hopefully if that’s you, you already know Jesus… I encourage you to lean in to Him. Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy who only wants to derail the plan God has for you. Seek the face and heart of Jesus in His Word… read the book of John and be reminded of how very much He Loves you.
Maybe you are in this place, but you don’t know Jesus at all, or at the very least on a personal level. Maybe all your life you have been told that He isn’t real, even a fairy tale for those that aren’t strong enough in life. I am here to assure you that He is very real. He has promised that if you “seek you will find him”. Open your eyes to the world around you and see His hand of creation, and believe that He created you in His image, and knew you before you were even born.
He desperately wants to be your strength and refuge in times of trouble, he even allows difficulties to draw us closer to him, to recognize our need to depend on him rather than ourselves. If this is you, go to my “Do “You Know Jesus” page to learn more. Get a Bible and seek for yourself, if you are seeking in Truth.. you will most certainly find…
Blessings, Janet ❤️
Journey4Jesus 