Well.....after eight or nine times of getting up with Aaron last night ( and several days of Abigail and Aly already having this junk!), I remembered this blog post from February 2008! I was giggling at 3:00 A.M as I was REBUKING the PUKE!!! Rereading it has encouraged me and I hope it blesses you as well! Here it is:
First published 2/8/2008
OK, now that I have your attention with that title.........!
It has been sooo long since I posted anything- since Jan. 18th. I have "written" so many posts in my head over the past few weeks. Does anyone else blog in their head?????? Anyway, it has been a crazy time for the Berta family and the enemy has been in full force on the prowl, attacking at every opportunity.
It began right after Christmas, with my hormones taking a weird swing, which resulted in a 36 day long period, trips to the doctor, exams and an ultra sound. I am great, praise God! But, I have a whole new appreciation for the woman who bled for 12 years and was healed by Jesus!
January continued with two repair man visits for our washing machine, extensive dental work replacing two crowns and 3 hours of drilling (ouch!), purchasing an elliptical machine that was malfunctioned (and several phone calls to Nordic Trac and Sears, who were both wonderful!), my 40th birthday (which was awesome, including a big party), 3 ice/snow storms, about 25 inches of snow, four snow days with the kids home, various school projects for my 3 oldest kids, and now the "sickies" running through 4 of my 5 kids, including Abigail, our baby. Ashley, the second child to come down with this junk, threw up blueberry oatmeal, which took the whole morning trying to remove the stain. Just when we sure we over it, Aaron threw up in his bed. (Will I ever get caught up on the laundry?????)
Today, while praying for Aaron, I couldn't stop laughing when I said, in the name of Jesus, "I rebuke the puke!" Thank you, God that you have a great sense of humor and that truly you do not give us more than what we can bear.
Interestingly, I am speaking in February at a ladies' retreat. Now, experiencing attack before a conference or retreat has been something I have come to expect from the enemy. He doesn't have any new tricks. He tries to distract me and steal the joy from my life. I know the temptation is there for me to question/doubt what I am speaking and teaching: God is great..... that "He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world."...... that "I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus"..... that I will have trouble and tribulation in this world, but praise be to God, Jesus has overcome the world! And, "I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength."
Now, you may be wondering what I am speaking on at the retreat. The message is about leaning on Jesus in daily life- depending on your relationship with Jesus Christ to triumph over the mundane day-to-day trials and tribulations of life, all the while experiencing joy and peace. God is so good! He always gives me lots of examples/experiences from my daily life to use as examples in my talks. LOL. Seriously, God does allow me, as a speaker, to live out the Truth I am going to be sharing with women. I am able to sympathize with their daily trials and share how God helps me.
The enemy wants us to believe that our God isn't interested in the "small" things of life. So many times it is not the HUGE disasters or crisis, it is the accumulation of all the ordinary things that get us down. We get distracted with life and all of its circumstances and we forget to bring it all to the feet of the One who can help us. Or, we think we should be able to handle it. The enemy whispers to us, "failure" when we struggle. We allow Satan to suck the joy from our lives, and we get "down trodden."
Beloved, our God is able to do "immeasurably (can't even measure it!) more than all we ask or imagine..." The Amplified says, "He is able to carry out His purpose and do super-abundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask (love that) or think[infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]...." And, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God doesn't want to be there just in those horrible, devastatingly hard times of life, He wants to be there when we are living every day. He wants to be our joy, our peace, our Rock, and strength.
James tells us, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4.
I want my faith to be complete! I want to be mature in my faith! I don't want to lack anything! I know that in this life the washing machine will break down. I know kids will sometimes get sick. I know sometimes I will oversleep. There will be snow days. Things won't always go the way I've planned. But, my attitude in these daily trials is so important! I am going to purpose in my heart to remember that "the joy of the Lord is my strength." In all things, I am going to rejoice in Him. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
Finally, because I have an enemy, because he does try to suck joy from my life and discredit my testimony of Jesus Christ, I need to put on the armor of God daily, standing firm against him. Ephesians 6:10-18, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood (our husband, our kids' teachers, the check-out clerk, our neighbor, a friend who has betrayed us....) but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world...Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when (not IF) the day of evil comes, (the trials of daily living), you may be able to stand your ground....Stand firm with the belt of Truth buckled firmly around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish ALL the flaming arrows of the evil one (all of his plans and schemes- sickness, disease, broken appliances, disobedient children......). Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With all this in mind, be alert (that is a BIGGIE!) and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Father God, I come before you and praise your holy name! Jehovah, you are awesome, amazing, glorious! I love you, Lord! Father, I thank you for this opportunity to write, write, write all that has been on my heart. Thank you for sleeping babies and a quiet house. Lord, I pray this entry may encourage some precious heart that has been "down trodden" with the burdens and worries of life. Jesus, you tell us to come to you with our daily burdens. And, you promise that you will take them and trade them for a yoke that is easy and light. Lord, you promise that "you will give us rest." Remind your people, remind ME, daily that you are a God that cares about every struggle, no matter how big or small. Fill us with inexpressible joy that your Word promises. Remind us that this earth is not our home and that we have a glorious inheritance waiting for us. Remind us that Jesus tells us we will have trials and struggles here in this fallen world, but to take heart because He has overcome the world! Hallelujah! Lord, you don't want us to be depressed, beaten down, ready to give up. No! Lord, your Word tells us that we can have abundant life here on earth and that our joy is NOT tied to our circumstances, but tied to you, Jesus! Fill us, fill me, with this Truth to overflowing! In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen and amen and amen!
