Just say the word!!!

I hate to watch people struggle. It's heartbreaking really. My dear sweet friend (who doesn't read this blog, but doesn't mind me writing about it) had an affair about a month ago. She's a wonderful Christian with the sweetest spirit and in my opinion the greatest marriage I've ever seen. They have 2 beautiful adopted children. But 2 years ago the day after my dad died expectedly, her mom died very unexpectedly. She fell - hard. Started drinking, hanging out with the wrong crowd (yes you can hang out with the wrong crowd as an adult - absolutely), and started a perpetual fall downhill. It broke my heart to watch. A few weeks ago she told me she was trying a new church and she was "going to love it". I'm all for loving church, but the way she said it made me think something was up. Last weekend she told me the whole story. And when she told her husband she had an affair - he confessed to her that he had one too, 7 years ago, right before they adopted their first child. I said to her, "God works all things together for good - even this - and even though God didn't want for his affair to happen, when your affair happened and you confessed to him, it gave you a level playing field and the ability to understand each other. He's working even that together for good." That was God - not Brenda - trust me. Their marriage is on the mend just weeks later. He is SO GOOD to grant us grace even when we fall again and again.

But it so hurts to fall and too often we bring people down with us. I know it was such a difficult process for her and her family and the other families involved. I hate Satan and his scheming ways. I know we have free will and that we are responsible to God for our actions, but I also know the Devil has NOTHING better to do than wait for a weakness to surface and attack us. Or for that matter make us so aware of our strength that we trip right over his foot on our pride. He's so annoying and I cannot WAIT for the day that he is thrown into his pit and locked up for good! SEE Ya!

One of my favorite stories of all time in scriputre is The Centurion. My favorite verse is this one.
Matthew 8:8 (New International Version)
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed."

We need to do more than believe IN God, we need to BELIEVE GOD. When God says you can, you can. When God says you will, you will. When God says He is, He is. You fill in the blanks with what you're going through today.

Bottom line, we're not worthy. Bottom line take two - We can have what He promises-just say the word! (disclaimer: I'm certainly not a big fan of the name it claim in theology that will get you a new corvette, a winning lottery ticket, and front row seats at the super bowl, but the things that God has promised ARE ALREADY OURS!) Satan would love for us to miss out on the blessings that are ours just because we are children of the King of Kings. It's not a matter of it-they're ours, we just have to claim them.

We are healed, forgiven, at peace, encouraged, hopeful, saved . . .and the list goes on. We are in Him all that He says we are.

Today for some reason, for me, I need the assurance that I am His, that I belong to Him, that he will never leave me and will certainly never forsake me, that He knows and he cares and He is with me. Nothing is wrong, I just need him especially close today and he is happy to do just as he promised. When I say to the Lord, "You promised to be with me, so be with me today." He sends out the word and the universe pauses to make sure His promises are true. He CANNOT go back on His word. STOP DOUBTING HIM. Believe it and move on. "You said you'd be with me so be with me." And just like that He is. Go forth and believe. And for good measure tell Satan to SHUT UP. :)

Satan would love for us to walk in doubt, to be healed and then buy some spiritual bandages "just in case" it doesn't stick. Don't do it. BY FAITH BELIEVING. Thanks to the Centurion for knowing he wasn't worthy, but believing anyway. His servant was healed and we can be too. . .for good, for eternity.

Brenda