Surprise!

HOPE S.H.A.R.E.D. (Share How Abba Relates Every Day)

Yesterday, My husband took off work to spend the day with me and a friend, A, visiting from Colorado. We decided after school to take the girls on an adventure. The weather: remarkable!  The wind that usually rushes down the plains in Oklahoma had stilled.  The sun: bright, but not too hot, created a perfect day for a hike.  In metropolitan Oklahoma City, finding a place to hike posed a great challenge.  We didn't have the Rocky Mountains, or the "mountains" of southwest Oklahoma.

 We drove to a local nature park, only to discover it was closed on Mondays.  We found a new park with a few wooded areas for bikers and hikers.  As we trecked through the trees on narrow, muddy trails, we enjoyed the time together. (It's funny how the girls get tired walking down the street, but can hike for hours in woods??).

On our final trail, I waited on the path as my husband and youngest daughter, age 6, took off to look at the small spring that meandered through the trees, while the older two girls (ages 11 and 9) and A, (I won't tell you her age) walked ahead on the path.  A few minutes later I hear a screech!  I thought maybe one of the girls had gotten hurt.  But to my surprise, the two girls, screaming as they ran back to me, exclaimed, "There is a snake!"

Curious, I walked ahead to take a gander. They weren't lying when they said it was big! I got close enough to take a picture of it with my camera. The quality is not great, but you can see the size (black thing behind the tree)

I'm thankful my friend accompanied my girls on the trail.  She said my oldest daughter froze when she saw the snake.  My friend helped her turn around and head to safety.  My friend's role reminded me of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as followers of Jesus. 

1.  The Holy Spirit reminds us of His presence.
In John 14:16-17 Jesus says,
^" I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;  that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you."
 (emphasis mine)

The Helper, the Holy Spirit, the very person of God, lives in us who follow Jesus.

Just like my friend stayed with my girls when my husband and I stopped, the Holy Spirit promises to remain with you forever.

2.  The Holy Spirit reminds us of peace.

In John 14: 26- 27 Jesus says, " But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

The Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus promised peace.  God can bring peace in the midst of the "snakes" in your life.
And peace belongs in the list of "fruit" that the Holy Spirit produces in us.

 Galatians 5:22-23 says,
^" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

3.  The Holy Spirit reminds us of protection.

When I decided to look at the snake, my friend told me exactly where to find it for my protection.  Even though the Holy Spirit lives in us, sometimes He uses the Bible to warn us of danger ahead.  The Bible tells us how to protect ourselves from the evil one, the devil himself (tempted Eve in the form of a snake).

Ephesians 6:11-17 says,  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against  flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 
The only offensive strategy in fighting against Satan is the word of God, the Bible.  Most times the best defense (protection) uses the best offense (the Bible).

Do you have the Holy Spirit in you?
Do you have peace?
How are you using the Bible to fight against our enemy?
What verse do you use as your sword?

Linked to my friend Kathy:Cornerstone Confessions

Lessons from Last Year's Fear Part II

The story continues... (you may need to read the last post first " Lessons from Last Year's Fear")

The ER Dr. admitted her into the hospital over night because she couldn’t walk.  The next morning, she still had difficulty walking to the bathroom, but progressively got better throughout the day.  The pediatric Dr. took blood work and decided to do a heart echocardiogram and EKG due to elevated  white blood count (WBC )and sed rate (rate of inflammation).  Everything checked out fine, praise the Lord!  The Dr. discharged her because clinically she was much better, but he couldn’t explain why she got better so quickly.  He also warned that , "she may not be out of the woods yet".  Even though all the tests showed her heart functioning normally, it did not mean her heart wouldn’t be affected later.  He instructed us to call our pediatrician if there were any changes.  She finally came home around 5:00 p.m.

The snow storm came as expected, making the roads questionable for travel.   A friend offered to take me to see her in the hospital, but we thought she would be home sooner than she did.  I also had two other girls to consider.  So, my battle continued.  Faith or Fear?  Besides the step I shared in the last post (Focus on the Present), I also had to:

 

I.                      Focus on the Proof.

 With my daughter, I had to focus on truth, the facts, not fantasy.  The facts: she had strept throat, taking medication, swollen ankles, rash, not walking, ER, tests, good test results.  Later: feeling better and home.  Fantasy:  internet search.  I had Jadyn dying of leukemia in three weeks.  I continually had to ask, "What are the facts?"

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV)

To overcome fear, I also had to:

 II.                  Focus on the Plan.

With my daughter, I had to choose a  plan of action.  I needed freedom from fear, or

my inaction would freeze me with fear.

I took these three actions:

           1) Prayer 
          I prayed and called my family to pray, even at 11:00 p.m.  

Philippians 4:6 says,“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

                             2)  Profess Promises

Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

                      I claimed the promise of peace.  If I would pray with thanksgiving like Philippians 4:6 says, the promise of peace in verse 7 results.  I needed peace to guard my heart and especially my mind.  I experienced the peace beyond what I could understand just as verse 7 promises.   

                                3) Praise

I cranked the music and praised God during the day, sometimes singing at the top of my lungs.  I could not stay fearful when I focused on God, not self.

I'd like to say that is the end of the story.  She came home and we lived happily ever after.  But "happily ever after" stories only happen in fairy tales.  I'll share the rest next time.
 (You may want to sign up by e-mail or join this site, so easy to do.  God Bless!   

What about you?  What action do you need to take with your fears?  Do you need to pray about a situation, instead of fear.  Profess the promise of Philippians 4:6-7 to have peace?  Or praise to place the focus on God?

To continue the story:  Lessons from Last Year's Fear Part III