Gigi's Blog

Friday night was filled with celebration and joy over the good news.  My mother and father in-law cooked for us and brought the food over.  I thought I am going to eat like I haven't in 2 months!  I got in the bed very early Friday and watched Charles Stanley, and his message on praising God, and thanking Him.  All the benefits of praising God.    Saturday morning was met with a full out "sift" by Satan.  I had insomnia Friday, and about the time I fell back asleep, Chloe started getting sick.  Mark got up with her, and I didn't even get up.  It was like between 4 and 5 o'clock.  When I did get up, I began to pray and pray and pray.  Trying to encourage Chloe, but she was really hurting.  At about 9:00 or so, she stopped, and then slept for a long time.  Mark started painting and accomplished alot, and that was a huge blessing.  In the early evening I started having chest pains.  Bad.  Scary.  I didn't say anything to Mark at first.  I went upstairs and got in the bed.  It lasted several hours and passed.  It seemed like it started after I'd eaten.  Sunday morning I was gripped with fear.  Chloe was baptized and thank God He hovered around her and gave her understanding and peace.  I sat in the service and felt in a bit of a fog, so scared I was going to start with those chest pains again.  Everyone was coming up to me to hug me, and I was pretty reserved, just from the fear.  That afternoon, I ate a few chicken nuggets, and within I'd say an hour I was in that tremendous chest pain.  I hugged 3 pillows, and after about 1/2 an hour it passed.  I went to church Sunday night for our Thanksgiving meal, too scared to fill my plate the way I wanted.  I wasn't social and happy and moving and giddy like I wanted to be.  I was mad.  I wanted to do cartwheels for Jesus, but couldn't.  Mark stayed to clean up-you know how he is about that, and when I felt too tired  I told him I really wanted to go and we did.  I was literally exhausted.  Exhausted from chest tightness, from fear, discouragement.  I had nightmares all night, and broke out in a sweat!  You know that's not me.  I came to work yesterday in a funk.  I ran to the bathroom a million times.  Was I leaking?  Was I leaking Was I leaking?  I would feel tightness in my back and think "Does my ureter have scar tissue?  Total fear.  Toally out of control.  Totally consumed. 

I remembered Dr. Stanley's sermon.  What was interesting was I had saw the sermon on praise Sunday morning again.  I always have felt when God wants me to"get" something he sends like a double validation of His point ('cause I'm slow).  So, I began to try to do a better job of praising.  I wrote a song yesterday on praise.  I usually write out of pain, so this was kind of new.  I tried to just think on His glory and majesty.  I went home, and Mark had been kind enough to take Chloe to dance, and they'd left before I got home.  I changed clothes and just sat there.  Cheryl Martin gave me a Message Bible Translation Sunday at church.  She knew I wanted one, and this was very, very exciting.  I began to read  it Monday night and got a revelation.  Matthew 10:32-33 "Stand up for me against world opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in heaven.  If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you?" I mean it was as if the Lord said to me, what are doing to stand for me?  Nothing.  I really had gotten in the mind set "Ok Lord.  It's your turn now to pay me back."  So, my heart changed.  I'm telling you, I woke up thinking, "stand up for Me against the world, and I'll stand up for you before my Father."   Once I had the knowlege of that, armed with what I knew about praise I had a renewed hope and faith. 

So, now what?  I am still praying, and really trusting more and hope He'll give me the grace to continue to do so.  Why do we pray?  Is it to change what God's going to do?  Does He change what He's going to do?  Many people say "no".  But, there are two stories in the Bible, that He does just that. I Chronicles 21:14-1514-15 God then sent the angel to Jerusalem but when he saw the destruction about to begin, he compassionately changed his mind and ordered the death angel, "Enough's enough! Pull back!" 2 Kings 20 (NIV)  1 In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."  2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.  4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "  7 Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a poultice of figs." They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.  8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?"  9 Isaiah answered, "This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?"  10 "It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps," said Hezekiah. "Rather, have it go back ten steps."  11 Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

You might feel as good as "dead" today.  But, it doesn't matter what you've been told, it doesn't matter your circumstance, God can change your situation.  I'm really trying to drop that truth the 18 inches from my head to my heart. I want to digest the good stuff He's allowed me to know:

1.He inhabits my praise. 2.If I stand up for Him before the world, He'll stand up for Me.  3. Prayer changes things.

Dear God,

I do praise you.  I pray you'll forgive me of imperfection as well as defiance, because both are short of your standard.  I thank you that I am forgiven.  God I'm looking to you today for my reader and myself.  God I pray that you will help us to resist Satan until he's gone, and help us to be motivated by the things that motivate you.  God please rain down answers of hope

In Jesus name, Amen

• Main
• archives
• Albums
• Links
• Admin
• Send us a story!

• My belly hurts, I mean stomach
• You don't get it
• Does God Hate??
• Pickles and Ice Cream not needed??
• Shouldn't be doing this
• If you see a bear-don't run
• Just Listen
• Just Listen

• General [134]

• RSS 0.90
• RSS 1.0
• RSS 2.0
• Atom