Redefining Strength

I’ve always considered myself to be a strong person. Strong physically, strong mentally, and strong emotionally. Probably too strong at times. To me, being strong meant taking care of myself, not letting emotions get in the way of logic, keeping it together in times of crisis, and being a steady rock. 

My mother-in-law gave me a beautiful cross with the scripture from 2 Corinthians 12:9 printed on it. I love it and I have it hanging in the living room where I can see it all the time. It says “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”. The other day I was looking at that cross and reading those words and I thought, What does that even mean? Why is everything a riddle?

First, I went and got my Bible which is the paraphrase called The Message. I love it because it’s so simple. 2 Corinthians 12:9 MSG - My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Well that’s a little clearer but what I am supposed to get out of this? I knew God was really trying to tell me something. I had been staring at that cross and those words for days. So I asked. What is my lesson here?

He told me that my definition of strength is all wrong. I’m thinking in the natural. I’m living in the natural, and operating in the natural, when as a child of God I should be living supernaturally. The true definition of strength is the willingness to be weak (physically, emotionally and mentally) and trust that God’s strength is enough. 

“Look around you,” He said, “look at the people I’ve brought into your life. Remove your blinders and your judgments and look at them the way I look at them. See the things you would once have called a weakness and recognize the true strength in those people.”

So I looked around. I looked at the people in my life. And I saw unbelievable strength, given to them through the Father. 

I saw the single mother. How hard she works to provide for her child. How she probably struggles with loneliness and longs for a partner in life. How it would be easy to feel sorry for herself. But she lives a virtuous life. She is an amazing Christian example for her daughter. She’s constantly seeking God in everything and will not compromise in any area. She has put her faith in Him to provide for the needs of her family. 

I saw the single father. How he processes the pain of divorce behind closed doors so it won’t affect his child. How he wishes that the right person would come along and he could have a traditional family again. How he could wallow in his situation, raising a child on his own. But instead he gives it over to God. He seeks, and prays, and learns. And he believes that the Father will provide for his family as well.

I saw the married couple that has beaten the odds. How they faced a relationship torn by infidelity and other issues. How they could have easily walked away. How they had people encouraging them to do that very thing. But they didn’t give up. They both, individually and as a couple, asked God to fix the relationship. They both allowed God to work in them alone and the marriage blossomed. They have an amazing connection now that they may not have ever had before.

I saw another married couple who have risen above their struggles. How their marriage was deteriorating because of pornography and hypocrisy. How again it would have been easy to walk away. But they didn’t. They sought out God to work on them and their relationship. They both have a communion with the Lord that is awe inspiring. They’ve allowed themselves to be messengers for God by being open and transparent about their problems. 

I saw the woman who had worked in the sex trade. How she could have been a victim her whole life. How she could have used her circumstances to stay in that lifestyle. Instead she rose above. She got out. She converses with the Father on a level I’ve never seen before. She has taught me about hearing God and obedience.  She put herself in His hands and he’s blessed her beyond measure.

I saw the former addict that’s been clean and sober for two years. How hard it has to be to stay away from the people that were part of her old life. How she works hard and is trying to get an education but there are roadblocks all along the way. How it would be easy to fall back into old habits. But she’s learning to give it to God. That He will provide a way. He will remove the obstructions and give a clear path to His will for her.

I saw the woman that lost her mother, her father, and her mother-in-law all within months of each other. How it would be understandable to throw in the towel. How she could have lived in self-pity. How she could have cursed God and said I’m done. Instead she turned to the Father. She didn’t allow the root of bitterness or depression to take hold in her life. She handed it over to Him and believed His will was done. She knows that she may never understand the situation in a natural sense, but she believes that He is looking out for her.

I saw the husband with the sick wife. How it would be easy to get frustrated and ask Why me? How it has to be difficult to not be able to “fix” the situation. How it’s got to be hard to not get irritated with her inability to do things and to get tired of picking up the slack. But he doesn’t. He prays and praises and thanks the Father for all his blessings. He soldiers on, day after day, to provide for his family. He gives everything over to God and has unshakable faith that the needs will be met. 

I don’t have enough space or time to list every single person that went through my head. I can tell you it literally took days. God showed me over and over and over again how people in my life had trusted Him with their problems, had laid their weakness at His feet, and He had strengthened them into modern day Samson’s. Then He asked me to do the same. 

I won’t pretend it’s easy for me. I’m a control freak that likes to be strong in her own right. This is a struggle for me in my faith. But the closer my relationship gets to the Father the easier it’s becoming. Thankfully He’s patient with His children. And thankfully He’s surrounded me with amazing examples of how lives can be changed by giving Him complete control and total trust.

Lies and Snake Eyes

The Lord speaks to each of us in different ways. Some people get words or thoughts that pop into their heads. Some people get “signs”, like a bible verse, a word from a friend, or some other clue. Some get a feeling or a knowing that a message is from God. Some people hear an actual audible voice. I, personally, have visions or dreams. My messages don’t always come in the form of a dream but most of the time they do, He knows that gets my attention.

One night last week I had a dream I just can’t shake. It was very obviously a message from the Father and one I needed to hear. I had been thinking about it for days, mulling it over, processing the message, deciding if I was going to share it on this blog. Then yesterday morning the speaker at church asked if anyone had ever had a dream that they just couldn’t stop thinking about.  Talk about a sign!

The dream started with me at a haphazard campground in the wilderness. For those of you that know me you’re thinking this must be a nightmare if Whitney is at a campground – I agree. In the dream I came out of my tent and was looking for something in the foliage around it. All of a sudden a rattlesnake sunk its teeth into the underside of my arm, in the triceps area. I lifted up my arm and this snake was attached, fangs dug in, and hanging from my arm.

I obviously freaked out and took off running for help. The first person I came to I held up my arm and said, “Can you help me?” This person recoiled in horror and began to back away. She said, “I’ll pray for you!” and ran the opposite direction.

I continued on and found a second person. I approached this woman, rattlesnake dangling from my arm, blood beginning to drip from the puncture wounds. I said, “Can you help me?” She looked at me with pity and said, “I’ll pray for you.” She bowed her head and prayed then looked up and smiled. She said, “It’s taken care of. The affliction is gone.” I lifted my arm higher and stared at this snake squirming in the air and said, “No, it’s not, it’s right there.” She patted me on the shoulder and said, “You just have to claim it” and walked away.

At this point I was getting desperate. I kept running until I found a third person. I said, “Can you please help me?” She looked worried and said, “Let’s pray.” She laid her hands on me and said a powerful prayer. She then looked up at me said, “Ok, I know what the Lord wants me to do” and proceeded to grab the tail of the snake and start pulling on it. I began to scream as the pain got worse and she just kept pulling. I finally just turned away from her and began to run again.

I came a little further along the path and saw a campfire. As I got closer I could see a man sitting by the fire and even closer yet I realized it was Jesus. He stood up and was waiting for me. I ran to Him and said, “Can you please help me?” He smiled lovingly as He reached over and pushed the jaws of the snake, quickly and deftly removing it from my arm and tossing it into the fire. Then He wrapped his hand around my arm and I could feel the healing. He said, “Why didn’t you come to Me first?”

I sat down next to Him by the fire and I said, “You were too far away, the others were closer.” He said, “I’m always the closest to you” and he pointed. I looked and realized my tent was right next to the campfire. I had run to the right and made a huge circle back. If I had run to the left I would have found Him immediately. In my frenzy I had turned the wrong way.

“When you need help, come to Me,” he said. “When you need direction, come to Me. When you need answers, come to Me.”

I couldn’t even say anything. I could feel the love He has for me, the desire to help me and take care of my problems. But I knew He was saying He couldn’t do it for me, I had to ask. I had to give over the control.

He continued, “You need to stop relying on PEOPLE for answers. I AM the answer. You need to stop asking PEOPLE to pray for you and expect the solution to come from them. I AM the solution. You don’t need someone to stand in the gap for you, child, THERE IS NO GAP. I live inside you and you know my voice. Ask me directly and I will respond.”

“But I’ve felt blocked from you,” I admitted. 

He smiled again, that beautiful loving smile. “Any block you feel is from the outside. I am on the inside. Remember that.”

He then handed me a piece of paper with several verses written on it. I will include them at the end of this post. 

To some people this may sound harsh, but it wasn’t. Our Father corrects us when He needs to but it’s always in a loving manner. As far as the three women that prayed, honestly, I don’t know what to make of it.  The message for me on a personal level was that it doesn’t matter what type of prayer someone says for me, if I’m putting my faith in them and not God then it’s a misplaced belief. 

Another interesting tidbit – most of us associate a snake with the Devil or sin. In researching this a little I discovered that in prophetic dreams a snake represents a lie.  I’ve been learning a lot about root lies. Seeds are planted and take hold effecting every area. A seed like self-worth, for instance, but that’s for another post. The point being there’s only one that can remove the lie from your life and replace it with something beautiful.

Psalms 32:8  I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you. (NASB)

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (NASB)

Isaiah 30:21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (ESV)

James 1:5 If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. (CEV)

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom, and insight. He will be powerful, and he will know and honor the Lord. (CEV)

Job 33:14-15 God always answers, one way or another, even when people don’t recognize his presence. In a dream, for instance, a vision at night, when men and women are deep in sleep, fast asleep in their beds—God opens their ears. (MSG)

John 10:27 My sheep know my voice, and I know them. They follow me, (CEV)