Pushin' with you, girls....

Have you ever been desperate for God? Have you experienced a time when it seemed God had abandoned you? A time when you just couldn't "feel" God's Presence?

Most of you know that my father-in-law passed away right before Thanksgiving. Then....we went right into the holidays. I felt immense pressure being a first year homeschooling family. My church is going through HUGE struggles right now. We have been here since we moved to Iowa- for 13 years- this is my family. And of course, just "life" seemed to deal me a blow at every corner. Andrew has been asking tough questions about his faith and God (he is 14). Bills, laundry, the cares of home of family....

I found myself avoiding God. Instead of crying out to Him, I ran away from Him. There were plenty of distractions to keep me busy....the Wii, the computer, the TV, activities....anything to avoid facing the "work" of allowing God to heal my heart.

Boy, the enemy LOVES when we do this. It is a perfect opportunity for him to kick us when we're down. He brings everything possible into our lives to further discourage us- a forgotten bill to pay, a cold, fighting kids- you name it. You know, "what ever CAN go wrong DOES go wrong!" And, then he whispers in your ear, "You're a failure. You are not good enough. You are unloved. No one appreciates you. God isn't there."

Sisters, know those are COMPLETE lies from the enemy!

I (you) are loved. Yes, I could never be "good" enough, but thanks be to God, I don't have to be! I am perfect in Christ! In Christ, I am MORE than good enough....in Christ I have everything I need and His grace is sufficient for me. I am NOT a failure, but "more than a conqueror" in Christ Jesus. God appreciates me. He has numbered the very hairs on my head. I am "precious and honored" in His sight. God is here. He has never left me. He calls to me. Whispers to me.

"I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I am with you wherever you go."

So, as I walk through this wilderness, the Promised Land in my sight, I cry out like David, "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name, I will lift up my hands."
I am at Laced with Grace today sharing about SPIRITUAL BATTLES and how I fought this latest one.... I hope you jump over there to read it!

Also, THANK YOU so much for all of your prayers as I have been walking this road. Many days they have truly gotten me through. Thank you, friends.

This is war.....again!

Please join me at Laced with Grace as I share about the war I am engaged in (again!) this summer!!!

Put on that armor!

Grace and peace to you all this morning!

Do you ever wake up feeling "heavy?" All the burdens of the day upon you, and you haven't even brushed your teeth yet? That's where I was this morning. Thinking (OK, worrying) about all those things that need to be done- kitchen cleaned, floors scrubbed, bathrooms cleaned (didn't I just do that on Wed?!), the laundry room cleaned and ready for winter, my closet cleaned, all of the laundry put away...

I was feeling that overwhelming feeling of "how am I going to accomplish all of this?!" Even on my morning walk, the time when I meet with God, praying and praising, I felt very distracted and my mind had a hard time staying in one place! He spoke to me, "Tracy, of all days- put on your armor!" So, I thought I would put it on with each one of you, so that we may together "stand firm and be alert," ready for whatever comes our way.

Let's praise Him before anything else!
from Psalm 57:
"I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts- men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp words (OK, David was being chased down by Saul, in fear for his life. But- that laundry room is a ravenous beast to me! Thinking about it is devouring my energy and my joy!)
BE EXALTED, O GOD, ABOVE THE HEAVENS; LET YOUR GLORY BE OVER ALL THE EARTH.
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
FOR GREAT IS YOUR LOVE, REACHING TO THE HEAVENS; YOUR FAITHFULNESS REACHES TO THE SKIES.
BE EXALTED, O GOD, ABOVE THE HEAVENS; LET YOUR GLORY BE OVER ALL THE EARTH.

the armor from Ephesians 6:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and IN HIS MIGHTY POWER (Lord,
I want to rely on YOUR power- not my own. Help me to be strong in YOU!).
Put on the full armor of God so that you can stake stand against ALL
the devil's schemes (whether he is trying to steal your joy, distract
you or replace the Truth with lies).
...stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (sometimes, that is all we have left- we are just standing and saying, "I will not give up!").
Stand FIRM then, with the belt of TRUTH buckled around your waist..."

Lord, we do put on your Truth. Jesus said, I AM THE TRUTH. We buckle the Lord Jesus Christ around our waist.

And just like any weight lifter would never lift a heavy weight without first buckling that leather belt around his waist, we would not dare lift any weight of the world without first buckling the Truth around our waist.

The center of your body is the "powerhouse." If it is out of shape, it can cause all sorts of problems. We need Jesus and the written word- Truth centering us, making us strong, giving us the support we need. Lord, I believe Your Word is Truth, it is power. I choose to believe it. No matter what I am "feeling," I choose to put on the Truth and the promises of Your Word. I am a Child of the Most High God. You love me. If You are for me, who dare be against me? I am more than a conqueror in the Lord Jesus Christ. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am precious and honored in Your sight. You are working ALL things together for my good (all things aren't "good," but Your are working everything together FOR MY GOOD!). Jesus said, "Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." I choose to BELIEVE AND LIVE OUT THE TRUTH- IT WILL BRING FREEDOM IN EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE.

We put on the breastplate of righteousness. And, again, where does our righteousness come from? It comes from Jesus! What does a breastplate cover? Our hearts! The Bible says, "Above all else- guard your hearts, for it is the wellspring of life." We place Jesus over our hearts. Above everything else, we ask You God, to come in and make our hearts pure!

Make my heart like yours! Give me a new heart. Work my heart so that it soft and pliable and ready to listen to You. Purify my heart. "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Lord, help me to set my heart on things above, not on earthly things. Show me things in my heart that You want to change. Help me to surrender ALL of my heart to You and to Your good and healing hands. I know Philippians tells me that when I pray (and am NOT anxious about anything), the peace that passes all understanding will keep and guard my heart (and mind) in Christ Jesus. I give You my heart, God and I place the righteousness of Jesus over it.

We fit our feet with the readiness (to be fully prepared) that comes from the gospel of peace. Lord, our feet take us everywhere we go. We put on Jesus on our feet- the gospel of peace. Jesus is the only way we have peace with God. Help us to take Him everywhere we go, being a Light for Him, shining His light. Help us to spread the good news of our faith. In every word, to friends to strangers, to our husbands and to our children, let us exude Jesus. Help us to "walk the walk" with Jesus fitted to our feet. When I read this part of the armor, I am always reminded that after Jesus healed so many, He would say, "Go in peace- your faith has healed (saved) you." Lord it is our faith that brings peace- peace with God, peace with others, peace within ourselves. Lord, strengthen our faith!

In addition to all of this, take up the shield of FAITH! Yes! It is not faith in ourselves, our abilities, the world.... But, faith in You, the Lord Jesus Christ! I can do all things through Christ! I believe "You are who You say You are, God! I believe You can do the things You say You can do! I believe I AM WHO YOU SAY I AM- blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted in the Beloved, included in Christ, FORGIVEN, redeemed, a child of the Most High God! I believe Your Word is alive and active in me!"(Beth Moore) Lord, there is no better shield than our faith!

Have you seen movies like "Gladiator?" The shields were huge, covering the soldiers' whole body. And, when a group of soldiers were together, they went down together, as a whole (like the Body of Christ), bringing their shields together as one. With this shield, "we extinguish ALL the flaming arrows of the enemy." We put out every lie and scheme of the evil one by holding up our faith in the One who already has defeated him! Satan is a defeated foe! "He that is in me is GREATER than he that is in the world- Satan." We pick up our shields and stand firm against the enemy, choosing to believe God and all of His promises.

"Take up the helmet of salvation." Wow! Ladies, so often the battle begins in our minds! It starts as a sliver of doubt. A lie planted by the enemy. Our own fleshly desires and sin. It can be a lack of trust in God. But, put on the helmet around your mind! And, where does my salvation come from? It comes from Jesus! I am putting Jesus around my mind, my thoughts. I am "taking EVERY thought captive in obedience to Jesus Christ."

No matter how I can explain it, how reasonable it looks, how much I desire to think it, I am giving it over to Jesus! The Word says I have the mind of Christ! I want to think like You, Lord! I want to put down every lofty thought and vain imagination that comes against You. I want to trust You and what Your Word says! Lord, clean up my mind! I surrender it to You! I don't want to think things that are NOT of You! Take every thought, every idea, and make it Your own. Your Word says I do NOT have a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, self-control and SOUND MIND. Again, Your Word says DO NOT BE ANXIOUS OR WORRY about anything (ANYTHING!!!!!!!), BUT IN EVERYTHING, TO PRAY ABOUT IT WITH THANKSGIVING, AND THEN THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING WILL KEEP AND GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS. Lord, renew my mind in You.

And, finally, we are to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Again, Jesus, You say You are the Word. I pick up the Living Word and the Written Word, my sword, and I fight against anything that would come against me. I cut through any lie of the enemy. I cut through any misconception, any confusion.

Your Word is LIFE and TRUTH. Lord, Your Word is a light for my path (in the world's darkness, Your Truth will shine Your way). I want to hide Your Word in my heart so that I may not sin against You. Your Word shows me the way I should go. Grow in me Your Word, O Lord. Give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation while reading it so that I may know You better! Fill me with Your Word and Your Truth.

Now we are ready for our day! May grace and mercy and peace be yours in abundance today!

This is War!

I have been been in a war the past few weeks, and at times, I must admit, I have felt DEFEATED! With whom am I battling, you ask? Who is this enemy?


It is the dreaded Japanese Beetle!

To read about how the enemy of our souls resembles this WICKED bug, please visit me at Laced with Grace today.

To finish reading this devotion, please visit me (click on) at Laced With Grace!

Armed and Dangerous!

Did you know you are in a BATTLE? Did you know that you have a real enemy who wants to kill, steal, and destroy the things in your life?

Your family. Your marriage. Your relationships. Your finances. Your health.

He loves to steal your testimony by tempting you back into patterns of sin that get a hold of you. He enjoys destroying your witness of the power of Christ by capturing you in a gripping fear that is anything but victorious. And, he is always there to kill your joy, bringing instead worry, doubt and anger.

Are you afraid?

Praise God, we don't need to be!

Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus already faced him and crushed him. Jesus, who is in you, is greater than him. Satan trembles at the NAME of Jesus. You have the power through Christ to stand against the enemy. Do NOT be afraid of him!

Are you armed and dangerous?

The Bible tells us to put on the full armor of God and STAND firm and alert. (Ephesians 6:10-17) Notice that it doesn't tell us to FIGHT, but to stand. God will FIGHT the battle for us. But, we need to equip ourselves with Jesus.

First, put on the Belt of Truth.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..." So, buckle Jesus firmly around you. Picture Powerhouse Gym with bodybuilders squatting twice their body weight. What do they put on first before lifting any weight? A thick leather belt that supports, stabilizes, and protects their bodies while they lift. Jesus does exactly that for us- supports, stabilizes, and protects us as we lift the weights of the world.

My son just started playing football. You better believe I want him to wear that helmet to protect his precious brain! We are to put on the Helmet of Salvation, or the Jesus Helmet, to protect our minds against impure thoughts, worry, and negative, self-defeating thoughts. We take every thought that plops into our minds "captive." If it is a lie, we replace it with the Truth.

Next, put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. Righteousness only comes through Christ, so we put Jesus on as our shield. What does a breastplate cover? Our hearts! Jesus protects our hearts when we allow Him to cover us.

Walk with the Shoes of Peace on your feet. Everywhere you go, allow Jesus, the Prince of Peace guide your steps. When you surrender to Him with every step, He will fill you with the peace that passes all understanding!

Next, lift up your Shield of Faith. Think "Gladiator" here! These warriors carried shields that were huge and covered their whole bodies. When the attack came, they would fall to the ground, allowing their whole body to be covered with the shield. It is your faith, believing in who God is and what He can do, that EXTINGUISHES the arrows of the enemy! It is your faith that PUTS OUT every scheme Satan uses against you.

Finally, lift up your Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Again, Jesus is the "Word," so lift up Jesus as your weapon! Both the Living Word and the written Word will cut through every lie of the enemy. Read your Bible. Wield your sword. Call out to Jesus.

Notice there isn't armor covering your backside, so don't run from the enemy. Instead, stand firm, face him, covered in the protection of Jesus. When you are feeling defeated, take your place as a victorious child of God and call on the Name of Jesus. The battle has already been won and the victory is yours!

Father God, thank You that I am more than a conqueror in Christ! Thank You that You are "for" me. Thank You that You have equipped me with everything I need to stand against the enemy. Help me to remember that the battle has already been won and that I am already victorious in Christ Jesus! Help me to put on the armor daily. In Christ's mighty name we pray. Amen.

This post was first published 8/08

The Future Generation....YouTube...and sparklers

Last night my (newly) 13 year old had a sleepover for his birthday. So, Andrew and 7 other 13ish boys slept outside in the tent. Andrew has gone to school with these guys since kindergarten.

We laughed at Paul Blart (we project it on the garage wall outside like a drive-in....very cool!), grilled burgers at 10 PM, lit sparklers...very fun.

It was awesome watching these BIG boys (most of them taller than me) play like little kids hitting a baseball around the yard, swinging on the swing set, chasing each other....

But, around 2 AM, they started watching some YouTube videos. Some were silly videos THEY had made- you know pretending to be BIG FOOT, bathroom humor- usual BOY things. Others were videos that are just posted by the millions of users to YouTube. Some definitely bordering on inappropriate sexual innuendo....(and I am sure they were being "careful" of what they were showing with me there!).

A couple of the boys are atheist, a couple "Christian", going to church, but not living out their faith..... And, I am again reminded of what a different world my son is growing up in.

Not that there haven't been sexual pressures, drugs, and alcohol in the past. I remember being in 6th grade when a neighborhood friend took me into his house and showed me his grandfather's Penthouse collection- a small room with these magazines stacked (I am not exaggerating) to the ceiling. Too embarrassed to throw them away? Still read the hundreds and hundreds of issues? Waiting to sell them? Have no idea why he kept them....

I began drinking when I was in 7th grade....so I know alcohol has been a problem for a long time....

But...

There is such a SATURATION of culture..... Some of these guys (judging by their expertise on navigating YouTube) spend hours on the computer a day. No limits on TV, vidoe games, or movies. One has already battled pornography addiction. None of them (except for Andrew) have a STRONG, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Listening to them talk last night, two of them are "experts" on evolution.

The enemy is in full assault on this generation.

More than ever, we as Christians have to be a Light in a dark world. We have to speak up. We have to pray for the Lost. We must LOVE them in actual relationships.

One of these guys went to a loving, Christian preschool with Andrew. (Which, looking back, is strange. I don't think his parents are Believers.) Now, he is an atheist. Expert evolutionist. Educated in pornography.

Heartbreaking.

When I look at him, I still see the 4 year old smiling....long, mussy hair. Sweet heart.

Battle going on for his SOUL.

His SOUL.

ETERNITY.

This morning, (after about 4 hours of sleep) the realization again hits me.

We are not playing games.

There is a battle raging.

Another guy leaves for Japan next week to spend the summer with his extended family. Again, such a different world he lives in.....No one he will be in contact with believes in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

It is not too late for these boys.

Pray for this next generation. We can become cocooned in our "safe" lives, forgetting there are lost souls out there that need the love of Jesus.

The Way Things Are???????

I was going through some of my older posts and found this. Oh, how I needed to hear it again. I hope you will be blessed by it. It is from October, 2007



Praise You, God! You were so AWESOME, POWERFUL, AND BIG at the Ladies' Retreat where I spoke over the weekend. Praise You! God confirmed time and again how He wants to set us free! He does not want to see His dearly Beloved children in bondage, living under the yoke of Satan's deception! Hallelujah!

This morning, one example stands out in my mind.

A dear woman at the retreat had shared with me what she is going through at home- a terrible situation. Her husband is in bondage to a terrible sin. We prayed together, and I especially prayed that she would feel God's loving arms around her. I prayed that He would comfort her, pour out His wisdom on her, and shower His love upon her. The next morning she shared with me how powerfully God had spoken to her through His Word. God led her to Isaiah where it talked about how He was going to come in to crush bondage and pride and that He is a source of strength. This passage spoke to her personally. It touched her exactly the way she needed. God had put His arms around her through His Word. God's Word is alive and active and personally speaks to each one of us! Praise God!

I was thinking how often we can sometimes "roll over and play dead." We start believing that THIS is all there is, or this is just how it is. We forget to fight- to stand firm and put on His armor. We forget to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power and to take our stand against the enemy's evil schemes. We just accept our circumstances as "the way things are." (Did you ever see the movie, Babe, about a pig who refused to accept that things were just the way things are?) We just sigh, and say, "This must be God's Will, His plan." And sometimes it is! There are times that He is refining us or our circumstances are a result of sin or our choices- but that is a whole other blog!!!

God reminded me of an example of this that happened not too long ago. I was NOT feeling well- I had a "bug" of some kind. But, I had so much to do. My "to do"list was FULL. While I was praying with my mentor and prayer partner, I had a "woe is me" attitude and was just kind of giving up. "I am sick today, I won't be able to do all things I need to do. Oh well." I even said, "God must be slowing down." (And He, does do that, too- but that, too, is a whole other blog!!!!!)

She began to pray for healing. She began to take our authority in who we are in Jesus and what He has already done for us. I, of course, didn't want to hear these things! I wanted to her to feel sorry for me- I was sick! I wanted to "wallow!" But, as we prayed, my faith began to rise. I knew it was God's will for me to get up and accomplish the things He had called me to do that day.

We talked about the time when Jesus healed Peter's mother from a fever and she got up to serve them. (Matthew 8:14) Immediately after we prayed I felt better. I still had my cold, but my attitude had completely changed. I had energy to get up and do the things I needed to do. Once I finished, I felt God say, "Rest now." I felt so much better!!!! I rested without worries of my tasks. I was so thankful and praised Him over and over!

This morning, as I pondered all of this, I opened my Bible. The Spirit led me to the story of the woman being healed in Mark 5:21-34. The crowds were huge. The Bible says, "A large crowd followed and pressed around Him." Have you been somewhere where the crowd was huge and people bump into you and you bump into them? Somewhere where you have to hold hands with the people you are with for fear of being separated? I picture the crowd like that around Jesus. The people are crowding Him, trying to get near Him.

The Bible says, "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse." Whew! There is so much just in that short passage! In Bible times blood issues were taken seriously. If this woman had a blood disease, she would have been considered "unclean." People probably avoided touching her or getting too near her- for twelve YEARS. Can you imagine the pain and the loneliness of this suffering for so long? In fact, Scripture says she had "suffered a great deal." Can you relate?

Have you suffered a great deal?

She spent all she had. She spent everything she had to get well. She sought out many doctors. She was using everything available. Yet, she was not healed. In fact, the Bible says "she grew worse." Have your circumstances ever grown worse, even when you have given everything you have to change them?

But, she knew where to go! She knows that Jesus can heal her. She thinks, "If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed." She knows the power of the her Savior. She knows it just takes a touch of his cloak. She doesn't even need to touch Him, just His clothes. So, she comes up behind Him, without saying a word, reaches out, and touches His cloak."IMMEDIATELY her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." God wants to free us from our suffering!

Notice a few things. She goes to Jesus. She has great faith- she knows she just needs a touch from Jesus. She reaches out and touches Him. "At once Jesus realizes that power had gone out from Him." Wow! She reaches out, touches Him in her need, and power goes out from Him to heal her. Now, Jesus knows who touched Him. He is God. He is all knowing. All through the New Testament Jesus knew the thoughts of those around Him. So, He knows already knows who touched Him, but He asks, "Who touched my clothes?" Now the disciples are surprised by this question. EVERYONE was touching Him! A better question might have been who is NOT touching me???? They say, "You see the people crowding against You, and yet You ask, 'Who touched me?' "

Jesus looks for her in the crowd. She knows she's "caught." She falls at His feet, trembling with fear and tells Him the whole truth.

Jesus calls her "Daughter." He says, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Hallelujah! Jesus FREES us! He frees us from our suffering! Jesus came to "set the captives free." She has been healed already, now He wants to free her and bring restoration! In front of the whole crowd, all the people she was trying to avoid, Jesus restores her and validates her. He calls her daughter!

One other HUGE point- there were LOTS of people touching Jesus, many of which probably needed healing. Why didn't Jesus' power go out from Him when they touched Him?

She believed!

Jesus said "her faith healed her." So many of us may touch Jesus, but do we believe? Do we have faith in Who is and What He can do?

Thank You, God that You bring healing and freedom! Thank You for Your restoration!

Praise You, God! You were so AWESOME, POWERFUL, AND BIG at the Ladies' Retreat where I spoke over the weekend. Praise You! God confirmed time and again how He wants to set us free! He does not want to see His dearly Beloved children in bondage, living under the yoke of Satan's deception! Hallelujah! This morning, one example stands out in my mind. A dear woman shared with me what she is going through at home- a terrible situation. Her husband is in bondage to a terrible sin. We prayed together, and I especially prayed that she would feel God's loving arms around her. I prayed that He would comfort her, pour out His wisdom on her, and shower His love upon her.

The next morning she shared with me how powerfully God had spoken to her through His Word.God led her to Isaiah where it talked about how He was going to come in to crush bondage and pride and that He is a source of strength. This passage spoke to her personally. It touched her exactly the way she needed. God had put His arms around her through His Word. God's Word is alive and active and personally speaks to each one of us! Praise God!

I was thinking how often we can sometimes "roll over and play dead." We start believing that THIS is all there is, or this is just how it is. We forget to fight- to stand firm and put on His armor. We forget to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power and to take our stand against the enemy's evil schemes. We just accept our circumstances as "the way things are." (Did you ever see the movie, Babe, about a pig who refused to accept that things were just the way things are?) We just sigh, and say, "This must be God's Will, His plan." (And sometimes it is! There are times that He is refining us or our circumstances are a result of sin or our choices- but that is a whole other blog!!!)

God reminded me of an example of this that happened not too long ago. I was NOT feeling well- I had a "bug" of some kind. But, I had so much to do. While I was praying with my mentor and prayer partner, I had a "woe is me" attitude and just kind of giving up. I am sick today, I won't be able to do all things I need to do. Oh well. I even said, "God must be slowing down." (And He, does do that, too- but that, too, is a whole other blog!!!!!) She began to pray for healing. We began to take our authority in who we are in Jesus and what He has already done for us. I of course, didn't want to hear these things! I wanted to her to feel sorry for me- I was sick! I wanted to "wallow!" But, as we prayed, my faith began to rise. I knew it was God's will for me to get up and accomplish the things He had called me to do that day. We talked about the time when Jesus healed Peter's mother from a fever and she got up to serve them. Immediately after we prayed I felt better. I still had my cold, but my attitude had completely changed. I had energy to get up and do the things I needed to do. Once I finished, I felt God say, "Rest now." I felt so much better!!!! I rested without worries of my tasks. I was so thankful and praised Him over and over!

This morning, as I pondered all of this, I opened my Bible. The Spirit led me to the story of the woman being healed in Mark 5:21-34. The crowds were huge. The Bible says, "A large crowd followed and pressed around Him." Have you been somewhere where the crowd was huge and people bump into you and you bump into them? Somewhere where you have to hold hands with the people you are with for fear of being separated? I picture the crowd like that around Jesus. The people are crowding Him, trying to get near Him.

The Bible says, "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse." Whew! There is so much just in that short passage! In Bible times blood issues were taken seriously. If this woman had a blood disease, she would have been considered "unclean." People probably avoided touching her or getting too near her- for twelve YEARS. Can you imagine? The pain, the lonliness of this suffering for so long? In fact, Scripture says she had "suffered a great deal." Can you relate? Have you suffered a great deal? She spent all she had. She spent everything she had to get well. She sought out many doctors. She was using everything available. Yet, she was not healed. In fact, the Bible says "she grew worse." Have your circumstances ever grown worse, even when you have given everything you have to change them?

But, she knew where to go! She knows that Jesus can heal her. She thinks, "If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed." She knows the power of the her Savior. She knows it just takes a touch of his cloak. She doesn't even need to touch Him, just His clothes. So, she comes up behind Him, without saying a word, reaches out, and touches His cloak."IMMEDIATELY her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering." God wants to free us from our suffering!

Notice a few things. She goes to Jesus. She has great faith- she knows she just needs a touch from Jesus. She reaches out and touches Him. "At once Jesus realizes that power had gone out from Him." Wow! She reaches out, touches Him in her need, and power goes out from Him to heal her. Now, Jesus knows who touched Him. He is God. He is all knowing. All through the New Testament Jesus knew the thoughts of those around Him. So, He knows already knows who touched Him, but He asks, "Who touched my clothes?" Now the disciples are surprised by this question. EVERYONE was touching Him! A better question might have been who is NOT touching me???? They say, "You see the people crowding against You, and yet You ask, 'Who touched me?' " Jesus looks for her in the crowd. She knows she's "caught." She falls at His feet, trembling with fear and tells Him the whole truth.

Jesus calls her "Daughter." He says, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." Hallalujah! Jesus FREES us! He frees us from our suffering! Jesus came to "set the captives free." She has been healed already, now He wants to free her and bring restoration! In front of the whole crowd, all the people she was trying to avoid, Jesus restores her and validates her. He calls her daughter!

One other HUGE point- there were LOTS of people touching Jesus, many of which probably needed healing. Why didn't Jesus' power go out from Him when they touched Him? She believed! Jesus said "her faith healed her." So many of us may touch Jesus, but do we believe? Do we have faith in Who is and What He can do?

Thank You, God that You bring healing and freedom! Thank You for Your restoration!