10/20/10

It's a brisk clear morning here in Ohio. I was awake early for once. Made breakfast for Mark with the new cinnamon buns I made yesterday, eggs from our hens and sausage. I'm feeling better today. Had hurt my shoulder muscles last weekend and it got me down a bit. Went to church on Sunday it was amazing. Opened up my vision so much. I look back every once in awhile on my life comparing it today from a year ago or more. It is so encouraging to see how God is changing me. I should say right here and now that Debbie is in remission. That is an amazing statement. A miracle. Her doctor has not been able to say that to anyone with this kind of cancer. Can you imagine how that made him feel. She refuses to acknowledge anything other than God's healing power in her life. She is sure that there is a much broader meaning, a higher reason for her healing. The other day she was at the grocery store and a friend asked her about her health. She told them that she was in remission and that she was so thankful for God and the faith that He had given her. An employee overheard her and approached her. He said that even though he didn't know her and she him that he wanted to talk to her. He proceeded to tell her that he had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor and wanted to hear more about her faith. She witnessed to him and encouraged him to put his trust in God. She also assured him that he would be in her prayers. She was so happy to have been given the opportunity to share her faith in God. She told me afterwards that this is part of the larger meaning of her healing. I am so blest to be her mother.
Back to what God is doing in me. I received a revelation recently about my relationship with my husband and God. I am finding that as a woman (and I'm seeing this in other women too) we are always unhappy about something. When that gets fixed we are on to the next discontentment. It actually never ends. So discontentment seems to be a part of who we are as women. This includes my husband. Always wanting more attention, loving, affirmation, etc, and so on. It is much easier to see the faults in someone else than in oneself. So I have begun a war against discontentment in myself using the verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "...bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
This is a huge war. In my thoughts to be aware of how my thoughts are drifting. Discontentment with my situation. My kitchen, my counter space, my husbands things in the way, his attitude. etc., etc. There are so many things to be discontent about and it is very deep. A ray of hope is in Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,..." This isn't something that can be changed from the outside. It is only changed in the mind. Getting God's Word into my mind. Basking in His Word. Letting His Word fill up my mind and "bringing every thought into captivity" this is in the mind. That's where thoughts are. So I'm walking in the yard the other day and some naughty discontent thoughts about my man are crowding in on me. There is no condemnation for that. Thoughts are like flies. Sometimes they land on you. I realized that this was happening and prayed. Then I had this thought. Straight out of the Bible. Matthew 16:19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." I have to take a minute here. There is too much power in this verse. "Silence" please. Let me share one more verse that is also powerful in connection with a Christian wife. 1 Corinthians 7:14 "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife,..." and visa versa. This is powerful and the vision I had about these things right there while I was walking in the yard. It takes much longer to write about it than to experience it. It was more like turning a light on which only takes a second. To bring these horrible condemning thoughts into captivity and punish them is to loose on earth and in heaven. To sanctify my husband by my obedience to God in this matter. To render him free to God in my thoughtlife. This way when God looks at my husband through my mind he only sees my beautiful thoughts about my man. Similar to the way He, God, sees me through the Blood of Jesus. I got really excited about this. I'm doing all these things to be a good Christian Stay-at-home wife and mother but this is the real key. My thoughts about everything. This freeing in my mind of my man gave a huge purpose to the effort in taking every thought captive.