Destiny Helpers

Do you ever wonder why the ones you dearly love annoy you the most? Recently, a precious loved one came to stay with me to be nurtured while he was sick. It soon turned into an extended stay, as his landlord’s sister decided to move in sooner than expected, and he was forced to move out. This not only put a damper on the privacy I had grown accustomed to, but the idyllic perfection of my house. Although I love this person more than words can express, we have a tendency to clash. I tend to speak my mind and regret it later.

But this time was going to be different. I had determined in my mind to take every thought captive to Jesus because God’s Word says:

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

This means we are to weigh every thought against the Word of God to determine if it is true before it becomes an action. Speaking is an action. This is often where I get it wrong and miss the mark of God’s perfection (aka sin). As I put this verse into practice during my precious loved one’s stay, I literally clenched my jaw to keep my mouth shut, as I took every thought to Jesus and pondered if I should say what was on my mind or not. As it turned out, most of the time it was NOT. And so, our typical arguments were averted and my loved one’s stay was more peaceful than it had been in the past. Hallelujah! Praise God for His faithfulness to His Word!

When Good Leads to Bad

We were able to establish our boy in a new place rather quickly. However, after it was all said and done, I realized that the entire left side of my face (my jaw, teeth and ear) was in pain. It was bad! I realized that I had been inadvertently clenching my jaw to keep my mouth shut. That had caused a former condition called TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction) to return with a vengeance. Besides the facial pain, one’s jaw gets stuck making it difficult to open your mouth without a cracking sound in your head. It causes much discomfort and if left unchecked, other issues can manifest like cold symptoms and respiratory problems.

Now I am not an anxious person, or so I thought. Many years earlier I had been healed of another illness that the Lord had revealed to me to have been caused by stress. And I was reminded of this along with what has become one of my life verses.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in all things through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

I have come to know that God’s Word is true, alive and active in every way it presents itself. The Word of God can save, heal and deliver, bringing you from darkness into light. It can change your life and make you a new creation in Christ. Addicts can be set free, sicknesses can be healed. Hearts, minds, thought patterns and lifestyles can be changed for the glory of God, and you can have an abundant life right here in the land of the living.

I have also come to realize that you can be healed one day of an anxiety-related illness and have it return in another form when you forget what the Lord has already done, going back to some of your old ways. That is what happened to me during my precious loved one’s visit. Although I was obedient to keep my thoughts in check before I spoke, deep in my soul I had gone back to allowing other thoughts to remind me of the past, and then fear grabbed a foothold in my mind. I was anxious without realizing it. It wasn’t until a friend posted a profound devotion that got me pondering about what had happened. Check it out: Guardians at the Sepulcher

Shortly after that, I repented of having returned to my past fears, anxiety and lack of faith. I once again acknowledged God’s complete sovereignty and faithfulness in my life. Then, I recalled another verse from God’s Word that ministered to me.

“After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

After meditating on that one, I affirm my belief that I am on the mend from this TMJ, it is only temporary suffering brought on by anxiety and past fears repeating itself. The past will not define my future! My God is Faithful! My health will be restored to the glory of God. He is confirming my purpose in Him (writing these blogs), and He gives me the strength I need to do His will. I am established in Him. I love that word “established”. I have “achieved permanent acceptance”, “put together” for the glory of God, and “shown to be true” (These are definitions or synonyms for established). Yes my God is in the process of putting me in the place where he wants me to be. He is establishing my destiny, the plans that he has to prosper me and not to harm me, the plans to give me a hope, and a future. A future full of promise! (See Jeremiah 29:11)

Destiny Helpers

The people that God puts in your life are there to help you get closer to God. They are your “destiny helpers” a term my good friend Shyann often refers to (sometimes regarding angels) but, they are there to encourage you, to love you, or even to annoy you, remember that everything you go through in this life is allowed by God for His purpose.

Fear, anxiety, sickness and disease are tools of the enemy to destroy your faith in God. Satan stands before God accusing us with all of his lies. Our Heavenly Father permits it as a test of our love and faith. Sometimes I feel like “Job” and imagine the devil saying “she only loves You because You are good to her. Take away (this or that) and see what happens.” And my God says “Okay, but I’m telling you she is my faithful daughter.” And the rest is up to me to keep the faith and take God at His Word.

When I miss the mark of God’s perfection and feel the attack of the enemy, I remember that I am being tested to stand firmly against him. And through Jesus, I have everything I need to overcome. Jesus gave us that authority. (See Luke 10:19) Who ever crosses my path in life, be it friends, enemies or loved ones (especially those who who annoy me) should cause me to acknowledge that they are my destiny helpers, put in place for the sake of my holiness, so I can make my Heavenly Father proud. There was a purpose in everything I just went through. And now, I decree and declare my healing is coming! For God’s Word says: by Jesus’ stripes, I am healed. (see Isaiah 53:5)

I hope you gleaned something from this blog. Check out my good friend Shyann’s devotional journal. Her devotions are very good and not as long as my blog… Lol! Shyann Anderson Journal. You can also can buy her devotional book “Light for the Journey” on her website at: shyannanderson.com. Until next time, thank you for reading my blog and God bless you in Jesus’ name!