Be anxious for nothing

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

The enemy of our souls is not creative in his tactics...he cannot create anything...he only perverts and twists what the Lord has created and made perfect. Fear is the perversion of faith. Doubt is the polar opposite of hope. He tells us all the same lies, says to us (especially when we are tired or stressed out or if you are anything like me a little cranky because I need food!) ... "What are you gonna do? You will never get through this...Where is your God now? Oh, now you've really messed up...what are they gonna think? What will your family and friends say? Does he really love you? Does she really want to spend the rest of her life with you?"

The Bible calls the devil "the father of lies". He leans towards extremes and uses words like always, every time and never.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Lions hunt for the one that is weak and off by itself, away from the rest of the herd. I've come to the realization that the enemy may be a lion seeking those whom he may devour but when you know Jesus as your one and only love...seeking first His righteousness, and Kingdom (Matt 6:33) then that lion has no teeth...he may try to gum you to death but I know what the back of the book says! We have victory in Jesus... NOW...we don't have to wait until He comes back.

As a little girl growing up, not in church or knowing any of the things of God...and a child of divorced parents...all I knew was fear. Always looking around the corner wondering what would happen to me next. There was no peace and constant turmoil in our home. Hear my heart...I honor my mom. She did the very best that she could with the circumstances she had to work with. And my father, did the best that he could as a young man not following the Lord's will for his life. My stepfather was a hurting individual, and as most of us know...hurting people hurt people. As I grew into young womanhood, that fear grew and manifested itself into controlling behavior, manipulation, and boldness. Of course those who knew me only saw what they thought was a confident and accomplished individual. I lived a lie until the day I met my sweet Jesus.

Fear...it's a faith killer and I know it inside and out. I detest it. I know, strong words coming from me. The Lord has brought me to a place that I never thought possible. A place of peace and one where I can just 'be'...with nothing to prove. Yes, I still have my moments of anxiousness but after living a life of it and allowing fear to steal so much from me I'm so grateful to be able lay it at the foot of the cross. Don't buy into the lies...we win.

For I know the plans I have for you

Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans that I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

In April of 2006, just a short time after stepping into the light of a life with Jesus...I found myself getting the wind knocked out of me by the hurts that we encounter through life...a part of my past had caught me off guard. My flesh screamed to "confront" the person that was the source of my hurt. However...my God...such a gentleman...the lover of my soul wooed me to go on about my day in faith...to not behave as the "old" Lona would. I obeyed. Hurting, I drove to my destination to meet a colleague. As he and I walked across the parking lot a man called out to me...a funny little man as I recall. He said that he had a scripture for me...Jeremiah 29:11. You see...that person that I so desperately wanted to confront was my past...a very big part of my past. In faith and out of a deep longing to please my Father I put my flesh under and did as He asked. He rewarded me by personally sending one of His own to encourage me. My colleague had his bible in the car...as I read I cried tears of joy...knowing that I had a future and a hope.

That future is now and I am a few years older in the knowledge of the things of God (not that I have arrived, but you know what I mean) and how He works. My heart is so full of the love of God...the restoration I experienced this past weekend as I spent time with my sister and nephews...after years of missing out on so much when I was such a prisoner of darkness. His mercy and grace as I continue to experience time with the friends that He sent to me. Women that love Him with all of their hearts. Restoration of childhood friends that were such a part of my youth before I bought into the lies of this world. Drea, thank you for listening to Him and Molly thank you for setting up this blog for me to reach the multitudes...so that I can share how good He is. I have my family back after years of doing life on my own...we serve a God of second, third, fourth....chances. I am basking in a state of contentment!

Jeremiah 29:12 says "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13 says 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
14 says 'I will be found by you,' declares the Lord' and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nation and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the Lord, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'

Lord, I pray that You would open our hearts and minds to the fullness of your promises...to take You at your word. You have given us a future and a hope...you have restored and given and for that I thank you...In Jesus name I pray, Amen