Wanda Mann

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For many years I have asked God to heal me.  Now you may be surprised at that, but when I was a young teenager we discovered that I had a twisted spine.  The label the medical community puts on it is scoliosis...  For the most part it never really hindered me from doing what I wanted.  But, as time marches on, I have had to battle the effects of imbalanced muscles caused from the curve.  I have been through seasons of migraines, muscle spasms and chronic pain and each time God has healed me ... but not when I wanted Him to.

I have examined this from many angles, but today I was listening to someone that I admire greatly and who has much to say about this subject of healing.  Her name is Joni Eareckson Tada and she is a quadriplegic (she has a new audio-book that is being released and you can download the 1st hour of it free at https://christianaudio.com). Joni said something that surprised me, but that I can totally relate to.  She quoted Psalm 37:4 and said that as much as she desires to be free from the wheelchair and the present pain, she has a greater desire to know God & to grow in Him.  Joni is allowing God to work good in her despite (or is it, 'to spite') what the enemy has thrown her way.

My heart totally concurs.  I started to recall all of the times that I went up for prayer, with absolute faith to be healed (and each time in response to God's prompting for me to do so, I might add).  I have continually come away from each of those experiences with God answering a deeper need, a greater need every time.  My back is still curved.  He eventually healed me from the migraines & spasms.  But again, my back is still curved.

My greatest quest in life is not to have a straight back, although I won't argue if it comes.  My greatest quest is to know God's peace, to really trust Him, to have His mind, to be so intertwined with His presence that I am truly one with Him.  My 2nd greatest desire would be to reflect & wear Him well to my family... and to you.

I'll stop here.  If you are in a hard place, trust God to deliver you.  If He does not alleviate your physical circumstances, trust Him.  Do not let the enemy gain control of your mind & your spirit. 

• Take charge (guard) of your heart PROVERBS 4:23. 
• Submit to God and rebuke the enemy JAMES 4:7.
• Delight yourself in the Lord.  Worship Him.  Trust Him.  He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.  He loves you. LAMENTATIONS 3:22-24
  
• Allow Him to work His purposes out in your life. PSALM 57:2
  

I am praying for you.

Maybe I've been looking at this the wrong way. 

Is obedience simply something that is required?  Is it a chore?  How do I do it with joy... with absolute trust?

I've been asking these questions a lot lately.  I want to be obedient; in fact, I think that I am for the most part.  But, I want to find how to be 'peacefully' obedient.  I have come to realize that I can only do this by putting my full trust in the One that I am obeying.

I've been reading in Exodus and in just one sitting I read the following:

1. If I do what God asks... I will not have diseases of judgment put on me; (Exodus 15:26)
2. I will be a special treasure to God, given the status of a priest; (Exodus 19:5-6)
3. God's mercy will be shown to 1,000's of generations that come after me; (Exodus 20:6)
4. And I will live a long time in the land. (Exodus 20:12)

That's all in a 1/2 hour's worth of reading!  Here's what God has been trying to break through to my spirit:  Diligent obedience is my reward.  It literally places the blessing & favour of God on my life, my children's lives, their children and so on...

Aside from the incredible privilege of seeing that (yeah, yeah; I'm that old! :), I think that the next great reward of obedience comes in the form of 'peace'.  What a treasure (& relief) peace is; for when I am not struggling against God well, I am not struggling!

Take time to ponder this today.  Obedience to a gracious, kind and merciful God is His way of rewarding us.  What a good God we serve.

Ever wonder why Pharaoh told Moses to wait until tomorrow? 

Look at what it says:
Moses said to Pharaoh, "I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray ... to be rid of the frogs...
"Tomorrow," Pharaoh said.

What?!  Apparently, the frogs were everywhere; in their beds, their kitchens, their hair...  Well, God did say that they would go up on them :)  Why would he be so ridiculous?  Why wouldn't he have said, "Right now"?

Anyway, this word 'tomorrow' has been intriguing me lately.  Maybe it's just me, but I find that I am either putting off what I should do today or thinking (worrying) too much about tomorrow.  Sounding familiar anyone out there??

The thought occurred to me that maybe if I really learned how to do today, I'd be right where I am supposed to be... tomorrow. 

Find peace today, my friend.  Trust God with tomorrow.  It'll be a today soon enough...

I was reading Genesis 31-33 today and noticed something in Jacob that sounded
way too
familiar to me!!

Take time to read through this story if you haven't done so in a while.

Jacob would often respond to God obediently, but his methods of response were frequently dictated by fear. 

As I was reading along, it struck me... guilt produces fear!  Does that seem right out of the blue?  Think about it.  Years earlier Jacob had run from his brother Esau because, well, Esau wanted to kill him.  It was probably a good thing that he ran; but he ran with the guilt of why his brother wanted his life.  Jacob had deceived him & essentially robbed everything from him.  Jacob's actions didn't produce remorse, they produced fear and fear flees.

Now, in chapter 31, Jacob is faced with another relational issue, this time with Laban.  The difference here is that this circumstance was probably not Jacob's fault.  God tells Jacob to leave and go back to his homeland.  Jacob obeys... but he obeys with fear operating.  Instead of leaving with confidence in the care of God, he fears the worst reaction that Laban might possibly throw and tries to sneak away.  It's funny to me how he thought he could do this without being noticed (all the flocks & herds & wives & kids :).  Anyway, Laban asks Jacob why he did this and Jacob's response was this, "Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force.' " (Genesis 31:31)

Fear can sound quite noble.  Fear tries to mimic wisdom.

BUT, there is a difference!  Wisdom and fear cannot operate in peace together.  Both are masters, and both will compete for control.  Wisdom is sound and confident, daring and peaceful all at the same time.  Fear is irrational and anxious and extremely short sited.

Here's the lesson I learned today from Jacob:

1. God honours an obedient heart, even if we do things afraid.  Now I may sound as though I am contradicting myself, but to me this is the struggle that Paul talks about in Romans 7.  I personally have decided that fear will not win in my life.  It is a strong force and must be battled whenever it raises it's ugly thoughts against God's.  (see 1 Samuel 15:22, 2 Corinthians 10:5)
   
2. Guilt produces fear.  If you are carrying guilt for something, take the time today to let it go.  Repent before God and, if possible to whomever you offended and release the situation to God. (1 John 1:9)
   
3. Don't allow your past to control today.  Stop running from your past.  Face it.  Deal with it.  Ask God for the courage to do so and for wisdom.  He'll lead you because He wants to.  (Romans 2:4)
4. Run with Wisdom.
   

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.."  Ephesians 1:17

And I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Who had led me in the right way...  Genesis 24:48

I've just finished reading the story of Abraham's servant going to find a wife for Isaac (I'm glad times have changed!), and was so impressed by this man's reliance on God.  He asked God for direction, was thoughtful in discerning it, and gave immediate credit and worship to Him when the answer came.  No wonder Abraham could trust his servant with this huge task!

It's caused me to reflect on my own life and recall the several times that God has obviously directed me and our family over the years.  A lot of these instances resulted in significant course changes for us.  I remember the moment that Bruce & I knew we were meant for each other, the time when we knew we were to go to Israel, the way He led us to one of our homes, the purchase of a property for our church, etc., etc.  I can also remember some instances that surprised us, but God has shown that He was closing a door (I think it was right on our foot!) only to open another one.

Do you remember such times?  Why not take some time to write them down and worship God for His intervention in your life.  Encourage someone else by posting a brief comment here to give testimony of God's faithfulness in your life. 

Train me, God, to walk straight;
then I'll follow your true path.
Put me together, one heart and mind;
then, undivided, I'll worship in joyful fear.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;
I've never kept secret what you're up to.
You've always been great toward me—what love! 
You snatched me from the brink of disaster!
   God, these bullies have reared their heads!  A gang of thugs is after me—
      and they don't care a thing about you.  But you, O God, are both tender and kind,
      not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit.
   So look me in the eye and show kindness, give your servant the strength to go on,
      save your dear, dear child!  Make a show of how much you love me
      so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed,
   As you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet.
Psalm 86:11-17 MSG

Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard my supplications!
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song I will praise Him.
Psalm 28:6,7

Bless Him today.  Don't just think of all of the hard stuff of life.  Take notice of how He has made Himself known in your life; how He has shown up in every situation.  As I reflect on mine I can see Him there in every turn of events -- positive or negative -- waiting to prove Himself strong & loving on my behalf.

Praise Him today.  He has heard your cry for favour & grace (supplications). 

Trust Him today.  He will help you indeed.  I can give testimony to that!!

Sing to Him.  Let your heart burst out with joy toward Him.

"But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.  Deuteronomy 34:10

I've just been in front of the TV watching two people having great conversation.  As I engage in their discussion, I become part of it as if I were there... but I am home, alone.  What a great advantage we have as we can connect & interact with people that we've never met before!  The backyard fences of our society have tumbled down in so many ways over the past few years with the development of so many social networking mediums.  But, is it enough?

God gave us something very similar, but even more powerful when He left His Spirit here to dwell inside of us.  We are told that His Spirit is like a deposit guaranteeing what we will actually know & have in Heaven one day! (check out 2 Corinthians 5:4-6)  I can't wait!  In fact I think about this a lot.  I really crave what Moses had... meeting God 'face to face'. 

I've heard His voice in an instinctive sort of way, I've felt His presence in a spiritual & penetrating way, and I've seen evidence of Him all around me; but I have never tangibly seen Him with my eyes, touched Him with my hands or heard His audible voice.  I long for that moment.  The more I get to know of Him now, the more my heart yearns to know Him fully.  This is a good thing, for my heart stays on the right path as I continue to seek Him and know Him.

So, be encouraged today.  Continue to seek, to reach, and to reason with Him.  He is your God & He loves you.  I believe He is longing for that 'face to face' moment as well.

For right now "we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."  1 Corinthians 13:12

Have you ever wanted to run?  I have many times and I must say, the times that I gave in to the urge did not prove to be profitable!

The book of Ruth opens with this type of dilemma. We read of a family that left home, but more than that, they left the covering of God that was over that home.  Judah was a land established by God through Abraham.  (Times of famine usually occured due to disobedience, but they always remained under the promise of covenant that God established with Abraham.  God always turned things around when they came to Him in repentance.)  Anyway, Elimilech & his family left Judah and went to Moab.  Moab was a nation that descended from Lot's son; a son that was born to him through his daughter.  Yup, that's what I said.  (see Genesis 19:30-38)  Are you getting the picture?

God plants, establishes and promises to take care of His own.  We are to trust Him in the place that He leads us.  He will make good on His Word.  I can't help but think of Job here, when he cried out...