“Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:18-19

In the aftermath of hurricane Ian our paradise was a mass of devastation, and we were overwhelmed by it all. It almost seemed like a hedge of protection came down when our pool cage and two coconut trees took their fatal fall.  The debris of mass destruction was everywhere and it seemed a colossal undertaking for it to be restored. But after many months the new cage erected was stronger than before, and gave not only a panoramic view of the lake but of God’s faithfulness too.

The spiritual warfare brewing in my home left me also feeling defenseless with no answers as how to handle it. As I kept swinging my sword with God’s Word I was met with the devil’s resistance and felt defeated. Then I realized I was dialoguing with the enemy which I soon found I was no match.  The onslaught of condemnation weakened my resolve, and when I went down I went down hard.

During the night when I lay frozen in my bed, I would muster a slight whisper, and say,
“I still trust you,  Lord.”  And then the peace would come. I would at times give into the devil’s tactics, looking for any escape offered. There were times I went against my strongest convictions realizing my faith was shallow, no depth at all .  Then the Word would remind me of all the examples of the righteous who took their own falls, like Abram fearing the famine ran to Egypt and lied about Sarai , putting her life on the line. Peter who denied Jesus three times after Jesus was arrested. And David who found refuge in the enemy’s camp when he was running from Saul. Jonah who tried to escape God’s will, ended up in a fish’s belly before repenting and answering the call.  Moses who got angry, striking the rock instead of speaking so the water would flow. Joseph who shared a dream and ended up in a pit.  Job who thought he had it figured out but realized after much suffering, he really didn’t know God at all. Elijah running from Jezebel after calling fire from heaven, running in fear hid in a cave until he heard God’s small still voice. But God knew of their weakness and was sovereign and in control of it all.  Once He revealed to me at best I was hypocritical, cowardly, and lacked integrity when it came to witnessing His love. But nevertheless, He would complete the work He started in me and I would recover from it all.

When I thought I could no longer stand it I heard God say, “Am I not in control and sovereign over everything?”  Yes, Lord.  Then again I heard His small still voice say, nothing more than, “Believe I am for you.”  It was straight forward without any emotion, just a call to believe in the midst of the most intense trial to believe He was in me, with me and for me , that’s all .

Two years prior I was in a different type of war. I had covid, was receiving satanic messages on my blog and allowing the devil’s condemnation for something I did wrong.  The Lord did not deliver me by any miraculous sign nor did I see a vision or have a dream, no, not at all, it was only His Word I recalled.
“If God is for me who can be against me.”  “No weapon formed against me will prosper.”  “Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.” “Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. God works all things together for good for those who love him and are called for His purpose.”

After remembering His Words, I spoke them, got up praising and dancing in triumph over my enemy.

” We Were Made to Thrive” by Casting Crowns

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Like David, consequences I have to suffer,  but the Lord remains the same, His unconditional love is always there to help me sustain, holding me by His right hand,
again and again. (Isaiah 41:13)

It is always when I confess I lack knowledge,  strength, and even enough faith, and say,
” I will wait for the Lord”, He makes a way in the wilderness, streams in the deserts and makes everything new again.

In this present crisis, I have no answer, but to “wait on the Lord.’ I know like the new pool cage, with its panoramic view, I can see more clearly His mercies are new each and every day. And as I trust in His faithfulness, I am also more alert to His ways.

Thank You Lord, for your Word is Truth and you are steadfast in all your faithfulness.

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Abide in His Word