Yesterday was such an inspirational day...even though it was a tough day/night with symptoms, I felt the presence of God so close...He spoke some things to me that I needed to hear and hear desperately and it's all about murmuring and complaining. But before I tell you about this, let me share some images I captured yesterday that also portray another aspect He shared with me...thankfulness. I needed to distract myself from the relentless cravings to eat anything besides vegetables (!!) and set out in my "wanderings" to find something special to photograph. I went to the Pali mountain pass and found God. He showed me His P E A C E and His Glory in the landscape. He showed me that He has placed me here because He KNOWS me so well and knows this is how I can fully heal...through my vision...to feast on His beauty of creation. So here are a few images that captured this for me yesterday with my wonderful iPhone camera.
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| Beautiful view from my favorite spot to go and talk/listen with God on the Pali Mountain pass |
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| Taken with my macro lens attachment for my iPhone 4 |
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| This is a cemetery up the street from me that is HUGE and SO amazingly beautiful! It set up high on a hill and has a wonderful view of Kaneohe Bay. |
I was listening to Joyce Meyer, whom I absolutely LOVE, she has been so gifted to teach about the power of our thoughts! I have gleamed SO much from listening to her podcasts (you can download on I-Tunes to your iPod, phone or computer or just listen from her website) I was listening to the podcast - "The Power of Words" while I was driving and what she said was so significant for me that I had to pull over and write it down in my journal that I keep with me. (Just for that reason!) It was focused on how we tend to be like the Israelites, who God led out of slavery, through the desert, to take them to the promised land. God provided a man named Moses to lead them out through the power that God gave him. God provided the food & water they needed to eat and continually showed them He was with them, leading and guiding them home. Instead of focusing on this and being grateful, they were uncomfortable and complained! Oh this story has always been the center of my focus as I have fully related to it myself! But there's been no time like NOW where it really struck me that I am just like them! God brought me out of captivity (living in a dark, cold, wet climate...stuck inside my home & SICK) and provided the financial provision (SO many areas where He made this possible!), He provided the perfect little abode for us to live, He provided a wonderful landlord who is in tune with what I need to get well (he went through the same process himself 30 years ago when he moved here, very sick, in need of healing and found his healing through changing his diet and the healing of this island) and who is also a photographer with a very successful business on the island who wants to hopefully train me to do his photoshop editing, He is providing a beautiful land for me to get out and do the ultimate wanderings with my camera and I have been complaining..argh. I have been uncomfortable with the difficult food cravings and the physical symptoms and I have murmured & complained greatly! How could I do that?? How could I overlook all that He has done for me? How have I let my discomfort be my focus?? Just like the Israelites, I have been forsaking the Blessing for immediate gratification. I feel so bad...so self focused...
God asked me yesterday..."Sue, what do YOU BELIEVE?" I really had to sit and think about that because what we believe is how we are living, right? What I TRULY BELIEVE is what's behind my inability to stay off the negative foods permanently and what is fueling the murmuring and complaining. I asked God to show me yesterday what is deep inside of me and, not too surprising, He showed me I'm walking a life of un-belief. Un-belief that He is WHO HE SAYS HE IS. That His promises He gives me in His Word and through direct sharing with me are TRUE. If I really believed it, I wouldn't be using food to help me to feel better temporarily because I would be working hard at attaining His promise that He WILL heal me and bring me out of captivity! I would be forsaking everything to attain that for my life and health. Oh Lord, thank you for this revelation! I know that in order for me to come to a place of strong belief, I need to draw closer to Him. Have You be the center of my focus daily. To discipline my mind to not dwell on my symptoms and difficulties/limitation of my health/foods and focus on You and Your Promises.
The closer I get to Him, the easier it is for me to BELIEVE. And I must change what comes out of my mouth. Every time I murmur and complain, I am speaking the curse over my life/body. But every time I speak God's promises out loud, I am speaking His BLESSING over me and opening the door wide OPEN for Him to work it out His perfect will for me in my life!
LOOK for the T R E A S U R E in your trial! There is such power in confessing God's Word! "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105) Confessing God's Word is not a way to get our own way, but by confessing God's Word we are placing ourselves in AGREEMENT with him for HIS plan to come to pass in our lives.
Romans 4:17 says that God speaks LIFE to the dead and calls nonexistent things as if they already existed! Think about Genesis that tells how God created everything...He SPOKE it into being! There is so much more P O W E R in our words than we ever imagined! We need to harness that power that God has given us and speak it for good! Not only into our own lives but into the lives of our loved ones as well! I think we can all get lazy and let ourselves slip easily back into the "habit" of complaining...I know it's a habit for me because when I try to stop, it's not easy! I love that David, when he was preparing to battle Goliath with just his slingshot (1st Samuel 17:42-48) RAN toward him CONFESSING out loud what he BELIEVED the END RESULT of the battle would be! (I encourage you to read this - you will get such a kick out of this small child with such fierce belief!!) Think about this...get a mental picture in your mind of this and place yourself right in the same scenario with your difficult circumstance. For me, when I get hit hard with symptoms, as I'm sitting and not able to go or do in pain, I will imagine myself holding my slingshot up to this enemy of my health, confessing out loud..."God, I believe in Your Promises that because I took a risk of faith, I am now healed and whole and I trust that as I am doing all that I can on my end by eating only those foods that heal, You will do what I can't and will bring this healing to pass!!" Amen!!
Thank you Father for loving me SO much. Thank you for your patience in my learning. Forgive me Lord for my selfish ways. Forgive me for all of my murmuring and complaining...I confess that I have not believed Lord and will set out to change that today. I confess that I have allowed my health/healing/food to become my "God." I have put way too much focus on this for far too long Lord. You are my everything, You are my rock, You are my fortress and I shall not want. You make me to lie down in green pastures...the still, green pastures of Oahu...thank you my Father for Your Gift to me.
Here's to a new day today, full of Seeing His Blessings and speaking them out loud!!
Sue
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