When God Moves - Testimony of Faith

There IS Hope in the Lord!

Hello my friends and dear readers! For those who have followed my journeys and hardships through some of my writings on this blog, and most of all, my profession of faith and trust, you know the struggles in my life have been all too real. I have remained faithful, obedient and bold throughout it all! God has never let me down nor has He ever turned His back on my pleas. His timing may not have been in my timing which sometimes warranted worry and borderline fear at times, or the outcome might not have been the outcome I thought it would be, but as we all know, that is our flesh working and talking! What matters is that God came through each and every time! God is an "on time" God and He knows what we need, when we need it, how to deliver it and will provide when the season is ripe. In this post, I am going to take you on a little journey; one that will prayerfully give you hope in your walk with Jesus! One that will prayerfully be the testimony that will help you cry out to Him and become His child. A journey that will touch your heart, lift your spirit and that will show you the face of our Creator God. A journey that I pray will lift you up from out of the darkness and into the Light of our Lord and Savior! This is my story of a recent journey of Faith, Trust and surrender. A journey and testimony of hope when I felt hopeless. A story that took me to a whole different level of Faith that I hadn't experienced before, that which gave me a sense of a "fleshly" hopelessness that I had to pray away; yet, at the same time, gave me a stronger faith that taught me something new! I know, and knew, as long as I have Jesus, I have HOPE! This is a story that even I still have a hard time believing, but nonetheless, I'm rejoicing in daily! A journey that changed me somehow, yet I can't explain it in words just yet. I believe that's due in part to not quite knowing the full extent of this "change" that I feel as well as being so overwhelmed with the KINDNESS that I was shown by God that still makes me weep! I'm overwhelmed by His orchestrated provisions and kindness on a very personal level! I pray you read to the end!

I bring this to you because I know, without a doubt, there is someone that the Lord will speak to through this testimony and I want each person who is led to this post to be touched by His hand, His Love and His grace! I want each person to know there is Hope in what may sometimes feel like a hopeless situation, no matter what that situation is! God promises to provide for His faithful children and this is a testimony of one of those "hopeless" situations fulfilled by one of God's promises!

Let me first begin by saying that my last article I wrote and posted on September 1st, 2018 called "Being a Walking Testimony" which can be found here, was a post that, unbeknownst to me at the time, would be one that also would speak to me. I wrote it just days before my hardship hit and didn't understand the full implications of that post until later, in the first weekend of December. If you haven't read it, please do so! It's funny how God works and how He inspires us even when we think we're inspiring others. Let me say just for the record, I rarely revisit my own writings that I'm led to write for you, my readers. Never been comfortable doing so as this ministry was given to me for others and though it is God inspired for others, there has been a time or two that I have revisited one and knew I wrote it for me as well. But this time? Well, follow along.....



I'll first start with the back story leading up to how God moved! Back in early September, and shortly after my aforementioned post above, I came home from work to a home that was 90* F inside. It was 93*F outside and very humid that day. As you can imagine, it was stagnant, hot, muggy and unbearable inside. Even my cat was seeking cool wherever she could find it. I suddenly was hit with a very sickening feeling that I just didn't want to face. I feared my central heat/air unit went out. Typically, I wouldn't have immediately went to the worst case scenario, except that my unit was nearly 20 years old and likely wasn't going to be the usual "fixes" that come from a blown capacitor. A blown capacitor would be the typical first guess but something told me this wasn't typical. Nothing in my life this whole year had been typical, as a matter of fact, it had been difficult so I doubted this would be any different. But I had a small amount of hope that I mustered up so I began my "search" as to what was causing this. I went outside to the heat pump unit and didn't hear a thing. It was silent. Gut wrenchingly silent. The fan blades weren't moving. I didn't hear the compressor either. I swallowed hard. I teared up and I said a prayer. Well, actually, it was more like a plea for His help because I just knew this wasn't something that could be fixed cheaply. I went inside and I turned off the unit via the thermostat. Then I turned it back on. Nothing but the exhaust fan. I cried and broke down. The next 8 days was going to be very hot and my windows are old and open from the side making it impossible to even put a box fan facing out to circulate air or to suction the hot air out. We used to do that when I was growing up and it worked fairly nicely. It wasn't the same as central air but we'd get a breeze through the house.

For the next three days, I spent my time asking everyone and anyone if they knew of some good HVAC people or companies they could recommend. I was telling everyone who would listen about what happened and my hardship. I gathered a few names, I found a few of my own then I began to make calls and appointments. As a side note, I don't make much money where I work, in fact, it's the lowest pay I've had in over 18+ years. This job, however, was definitely from the Lord at the time, and although I knew it wouldn't be where I'd end my career, I knew I was there for reasons that would be revealed to me eventually, while others, I'll never know and just trusting God that He will make a new path for me to venture down in His time. I know it wasn't time for me to move on to another position for whatever reason so I continued to trust, as I am this very moment. I accepted this job with a peace that God would provide and I'd be able to pay my bills each month but more so, asking for Him to use me in any way He seen fit and for whomever I needed to be used for. I accepted the position because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was from Him. After the one job I wrote about in the ice storm article that I accepted but knew I jumped ahead of God, I made a promise to myself never to step outside of those bounds again, at least not knowingly. I would wait upon the Lord no matter how long it would take.

Financially, I'm making ends meet but with little left over. I can't make much plans for "emergency" situations or to be prepared for unexpected expenses. So with that said, adding to the limited income, one of my previous hardships of going into a pre-foreclosure due to an extended unemployment bout from the job that I jumped ahead of the Lord on, which I've also spoke about in another article, ruined any chances of me getting financed. My home was saved out of foreclosure by a modification and God gets the glory there too! But even that was different than what I'm about to share. I thought maybe, someone, some company, somewhere, would trust me enough to make small payments if I could get some type of a down payment as a good faith gesture. I would make payments as I had always paid my debts until that hardship of no employment or other income, if only someone would give me a chance! Then if God blessed me with another job down the road, I'd increase the amount monthly with what I could. God knew my heart and my intentions. He also knew I wasn't looking for a hand out as I've always worked and did my best to make my way with His help. My heart ached. I felt alone. I felt hopeless. On some days, I even felt abandoned. Not by God. But in general. But God gave me tenacity and He gave me a fighting spirit when He created me.....I couldn't just give up now. Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

And so it began. Everyone I contacted was a clear no. I had three people come out, all said the same thing. All said the ground in the compressor shorted, which tripped my breaker and I was told to keep the breaker off and not to turn it on or it could cause a fire. The compressor fried basically. They all said I needed a new unit, but no, they don't do payments because others in the past have defaulted so they stopped. The 3rd person was the company our building uses and I thought maybe he would help. He gave me one option....the owner would allow me to make three payments for three months. At his estimate of an installed unit, that would have been $2200 a month. I don't even make that much a month. So, I stared at this man with tears in my eyes and thanked him for trying. He told me he wouldn't charge me for the trip call to help me a little. I told him that I will trust that God will lead me to the right company and I'll just have to figure out how to stay cool the rest of the Summer but pray that I don't have to face a full hard winter without heat. He was genuinely concerned, told me how unbearably hot it was inside and advised not to use space heaters as the cold sets in. I didn't have that kind of money. Nobody I knew was able to loan me that kind of money either.

He is With You

I believe the range of all of the estimates were from $4800 to close to $7000 but could possible change once they began work. I don't have that kind of money and I admit, I panicked just a little. That's when it really hit me hard. That's when I felt hopeless. That's when I couldn't think straight. But I didn't give up. I continued to call all the local businesses to see if they knew of any assistance to help me. I researched and tried to find grants that would give low income loans with little or no interest so I could make payments with what little money I had left over each month. Door after door kept getting slammed in my face. Even though I was considered "low income," I wasn't considered "low" enough for some of the grants that I came across. My hope was waning, I won't lie. I kept trying. I'd keep crying out to the Lord begging Him not to let me go through a full hard winter without heat. I'm sensitive to the cold as it is and the health problems from the accident I had flashbacks to the ice storm titled "In the Stillness of the...Ice?" that I wrote about here. I did not want to experience anything like that again and the "extreme" cold temperatures had me worried. When I received those approximate estimates on a replacement unit, this daunting, helpless feeling became very clear to me, and very real. This was MUCH bigger than me! One of my favorite verses kept coming to my mind....Psalm 34:17, "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles." So I wept some more.

A month passed. I suffered through several more days of the unbearable heat until the 2nd weekend in October. From days of the home baking under the sun and in the humidity, with no outlet for the heat to escape, it became difficult for me to regulate my body temperature. I was doing everything I knew to do to keep cool, including wearing ice cold wet cloths around my neck, to try to cool me down. That last weekend frightened me as my skin became clammy and my heart rate was going off the charts. My head was pounding as I laid there on the floor praying for an answer and praying for His intervention with my health. The cold weather was fast approaching as it appeared we were going to be skipping Fall altogether and with no solution in sight, I continued to pray. I had a few of my other prayer warriors praying as well. Mark 11:24 tells us, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." I HAD to believe this! I had nothing else to hold onto. I had to look over my life in the past and remind myself of all the times the Lord Jesus Christ provided for me, provided a way out for me, and maybe it wasn't what I thought it should be at the time, but it was what was best for me. Who better to make that determination than the one who Created me in the first place! I had to believe God wouldn't allow me to freeze through a hard winter, nor allow my pipes to freeze and/or burst. I had to refocus and stop thinking about the ice storm and what I endured at that time. Although, that experience was just another one of my moments of impact to add to the story of my life, it, too, changed me. A co-worker brought me in two small space heaters, one for my basement to maybe assist in preventing my pipes from freezing and the other for my bathroom. She also bought me some cat food to ease some of the financial burden knowing using space heaters would increase my electric bills. A dear friend offered to help make payments for a unit if I could find someone to help and she prayed diligently and lifted me up, while another friend gave me gas money, helped in buying food, blessed me in other ways by lifting me up in prayer and encouragement, my dad sent an electric throw and an electric blanket. Warmth was on everyone's minds and worried all of us. I was sent money to purchase two oil filled electric heaters which were safer than the other kind. My sister is disabled and on a limited income but sent me some money to help get extra heaters if needed. I had a few friends and acquaintances offer me places to stay on the coldest of nights if I needed to. But absolutely no luck on any company assisting me with payments on an install. And no luck gathering funds and/or payments to a company. I began to feel defeated when I was reminded that Satan will not lay doubt in my heart because I know my Lord will provide. Satan is already defeated and so are his lies! I couldn't let him put any thought of defeat in my mind because when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable, those thoughts can become a reality if we allow them to travel to our heart! Get thee behind me Satan by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ!

By this time, I wasn't sure if this problem was going to be fixed in time or not. I wasn't sure if I was going to have to suffer through the winter before my breakthrough or how long I was going to be without before God said, "Ok. It's time." I was willing to suffer and sacrifice. The unknown is a scary place to reside so I continued in my walk and in my faith, trusting all through it. I had many people asking me how I was going to make it through the winter, what was I going to do, how was I going to keep warm. All kinds of questions arose from those around me who knew my situation. Some even suggested that I sell the house and count my losses. That wouldn't solve my problem and as a matter of fact, would likely create more. I knew that wasn't the answer and I also knew I wasn't being called to do that either. I remember telling everyone that my only hope is in the Lord for His provisions. I'd tell them I trusted somehow, someway, God would lead me to a grant, or a company that would work with me. I told them that's all I have to hold onto are His promises and I will hold on for however long He asks me to. Selling my home was not an option for many reasons but mainly because that would be out of fear and lack of trust. And even out of desperation. Yes. I was desperate. But not in that way. I still had to be wise. That wouldn't be wise. Somehow, I knew in my spirit, this was going to be "witnessed" by someone who needed to see the hand of God work in action. I may never know who this will touch and it doesn't matter. I know it will be witnessed and was witnessed by someone who needed it and through this writing, I am praying the same! I've always said that there are eyes watching our every move and we have no idea from which direction they are coming from, but they see. They are watching. They are seeking. And if God is using us for His purpose as I willingly ask Him to do all the time, then He will see to it that selected eyes will see His handiwork through us when it's needed!

I began to notice how people would react to my answers and to my sense of humor through this. Since the temps dropped significantly, I was joking about living inside of a freezer and how I would likely be "preserved" a little longer preventing extra wrinkles from appearing. I'd say, "Well, at least cold slows down the aging process so there's that." I'd laugh. I'd also tell them that if I left butter on the counter or something else food related, I wouldn't have to worry about bacterial growth or spoiling because the butter nearly froze and it would only take 30 minutes for my hot tea to turn cold. It made a few people uncomfortable, while making others laugh and question where I could find humor in the midst of something so traumatic. But what else could I do? I'd already cried so much behind closed doors, all I could do is make light of an otherwise dark situation. I pumped on.

He is Faithful!

Then another month passed, and we're now in November. As if my life hadn't had enough trauma for a year, or 10, we get a cold snap way too early that produced....you guessed it....ICE!! Tree limbs were snapping off, pounding my roof and deck. I'd hear trees falling off in the distance. Ice and a little snow had packed the house and roof making it even colder inside. I heard one large bang and it shook my house! I was fearing the worst! I feared my tree came tumbling down. I bundled up and went downstairs and outside. I was looking around and watched a neighbors tree literally falling from the weight of the ice. What made this storm a little more dangerous was there were still a good amount of leaves on the trees in our state/area. That made it heavier. Healthy trees were falling down all around. Branches and limbs were crashing to the ground. I came back inside, and decided to walk on the deck to check out the view from a little higher up than ground level. I grabbed my umbrella for whatever reason and out on the deck I went, when all of the sudden, a large limb approximately 10-12 feet long fell from the tree above my home and down on ME! It hit the back of my head and back, entangling me in the mix. My umbrella buffered the impact on my head although I am certain I was hit hard enough to sustain a mild concussion. I know the symptoms well. I screamed out trying to get out from under it! My neighbor heard the crash and my scream and thought the tree feel on me as she wasn't able to see clearly through the ice pelts and the fence. She hollered over to me and was trying to get to me but I told her I was ok and I'd just got myself out from under it! I was bruised. I had a goose egg on my head and sore. My knee was swollen and bruised. I felt like I'd been run over. I went inside and fell to my knees in thanksgiving for the Lord giving me the thought to take my umbrella and from saving me from worse injuries. It remained cold inside and I just kept layering myself up while staying under the electric blanket and throw. God got my attention yet again. I didn't need to be outside looking or checking for anything in this kind of weather because I couldn't do anything about it anyway! Nature is nature and it's also much bigger than I! I surrendered everything that night because as God literally "knocked me over the head" to get my attention, and made me realize that I couldn't do anything about the storm and trees, it was a valuable lesson to show me I couldn't do anything about my situation either. It was bigger than me and I'd just have to wait upon the Lord and trust that someone would finally work with me....and then I laid it all at the foot of the cross and walked as though it was already done! Four days afterwards, I was driving home and noticed my roof was the only one with snow still on it. I had to laugh at that sight because it was obvious that I was the only one without heat on my street.

There's the back story. There's so much more in between but I wanted to hit the highlights only. A week or so after the ice storm, I was driving to work listening to my favorite Christian radio station, WJIE, worshiping all the way to work. For those of you who would like to listen to the station and be touched by their ministry, you can find it here.  It always seems to play songs that are personal to an individuals experience and speaks to each ear that hears. Anyway, some random thought, out of the blue, was planted and I heard a voice in my spirit tell me to send in a prayer request to the radio station. I knew the radio station was heard all around and since the website is public, I figured there would be several hundred prayer requests being sent in weekly, or even daily, but why not. If the thought was placed in my mind, I should listen to it. The more that pray, couldn't hurt. Together is an amazing key that opens the door to the power of God and His provisional blessings. Afterall, we are one body with one voice seeking God together. There is mighty power in praying together and for each other, and standing in agreement for those petitions. Deuteronomy 32:30 says of God’s army that "How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had surrendered them?" There is a multiplied effect in being together before God. So I figured I'd do it when I got home after work. Well the day got away from me and life happened. I didn't put my request in as I was led to that morning. The next morning, I'm driving to work again, praising and worshiping when all of the sudden, that small, quiet spiritual voice was a loud thundering voice almost commanding me to do it that night. It took me aback but I kept it in my spirit, and knew I had to be obedient and put this as my priority. I got home and prayed for the words to write. My full name, email address, subject and prayer/petition was all that was required so I composed what I could in the space provided and submitted. I told a short scenario, I shared my financial hardship, I asked for prayers for someone to find it in their hearts to give me a chance to make payments and I reiterated that I wasn't looking for a hand out, but rather just a hand up. I would do my due diligence in repaying the loan with the help someone would give to me. I added that all the glory will go to God and everyone will know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was God who provided this blessing!

I knew my obedience and the truth that I was led to share would be heard. To what extent? I wasn't sure but I did what I needed to do. I was relieved that I would have others praying for my situation as well and I literally slept soundly that night through the coldness of the night. I began to tell everyone about me "receiving a sense of urgency" to put my prayer request on my favorite radio station to be prayed over. Some gave me strange looks as though I was reaching for the stars, while others asked me how I even thought of doing such a thing. To those, I answered, "I was prompted by the Holy Spirit while I was worshiping to the music on my way to work. I just had to obey. I'd done everything else that I could think of to do. I even contacted my previous pastor to ask him to put me on their prayer list. But this was different. I was prompted with urgency and a loud booming command!" To the scoffers, I smiled. With as much resistance as I felt from some of the scoffers and even from my co-workers in the corporate office, I felt it must mean that God was going to take me to another level of Faith, and the devil wanted to prevent me from taking that leap!

Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

That was my verse of the day the following morning! God listens and instructs! He knew what I needed to hear to let me know He had this and was with me through it! I had a peace that came over me that reassured me of His presence! I didn't understand how or when but I knew God would hear all of our prayers. Together. Collectively. I began to pray for His mighty strength because I was feeling a bit weak by this time.  I knew I needed to stay strong, obedient and boldly speak about my Faith through this hardship. There was a sense of urgency that I couldn't explain, nor can I explain now. Approximately a few weeks had passed and I received a call that would ultimately change me. It would change my situation and take me to yet another level of faith that I wanted to share with everyone! There were scoffers along the way that didn't believe God would come through as they didn't have a relationship with Jesus. There were other scoffers that tried to plant seeds of doubt and be the devil's advocate. I rebuked them in the name of Jesus and asked the Lord to take any of those seeds of doubt away! Yet there were others still who didn't believe that God provided miraculously in our lives but that we had to do all the work. There were many who just couldn't understand how I wasn't completely falling apart and was holding onto my faith as tightly as I had been. I could see their disbelief written all over their faces. It didn't discourage me though. Some people actually was able to see how strong my faith was in action. I told the Lord throughout these 3+ months or so, that however He seen fit to use me through this seemingly impossible situation, I'm willing to do what I need to do but I also told Him I would wait for Him and wanted to show others His love through my hardship, however long that would take and no matter how it would turn out! My situation was not too big for Him.

The phone call came from the president/owner of the radio station. He stated that he received my prayer request and wanted to know if it had been resolved yet. I was in shock because it hadn't even crossed my mind that I'd ever be contacted much less by the president/owner! I told him no but I was still working on it and I still had hope. He then proceeded to tell me he'd like to see if he could help, that he'd already spoke to one of their partners who were HVAC professionals and to ask for my permission to give him my address so he could send someone out to my home to assess it. This was alot for me to take in considering how it blindsided me and was out of the blue. He told me, in his words, "Please understand, this is at no cost to you." I felt the wind get knocked out of my sails! I believe I fell silent trying to catch my breath and make sense of what I just heard! No cost? Was he serious? I'm speechless and unable to process what I was hearing! I finally caught my breath and, out of my shock, I said, "Did you read my request? It's not a fix. This is a whole replacement unit." I felt so awkward once I let that slip off of my lips because of course he read my request! He repeated that it was no cost, that they'd get this taken care of for me and not to worry.

I broke down. I wept and sobbed and tried to get my address out audibly so he could understand me. I was a blubbering fool. I thanked him profusely and told him how hard I was struggling and how I worried about getting through the winter without freezing! Within an hour, I had the first call of many from the HVAC company he was partnering with to set up the initial assessment and from there, my head began to spin! The original call from the president/owner came on a Monday and by Thursday, I had a scheduled time for the install for Friday. It happened so fast! I cried off and on throughout the day while I was at work trying to keep it together. But that was a fail. I texted some of the people that had been there beside me through this journey praying right along with me to let them know what just happened. I told each of them that I'm still in shock and can't wrap my head around this yet, and even pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming! These things don't happen to me this way and for free? I was not expecting that at all! I didn't pray for that neither. I remembered how God forced me to send my prayer request into the radio station. He knew that He was going to deliver my blessing through them, using them in my journey! Remember, God always goes before us! He knows the beginning and the end and everything in between! It was already done. The first morning I let the thought slip by but on the 2nd day, He wouldn't let me! The small soft voice prompting me the day before, became a loud booming command! I obeyed this time and it's amazing how God moved so quickly from there! I had no clue! I was just going through my daily life, trusting, with Faith, and going about my business.

His Favor and Blessings

When I went home that evening, I cried like I'd never cried before! There was a sense of relief, sure. But there was something else. Something happened to me, deep within me. Something personal, spiritual and unequivocally miraculous. Something I'm still grappling with as I write this to you today. I don't know what it is just yet, but this touched me in a way that I will never forget! I praised His goodness and kindness! I literally felt the Love of God envelope me and warm me! It's TRUE! I needed to feel His presence, His warmth, His arms and He didn't fail me! The surge of love was unbelievable! But then, something hit me! I was so overwhelmed by all of this and how fast it was moving that I fell to my knees yet again because I realized that God was already moving and orchestrating His blessing long before I ever got the call! He'd been working behind the scenes, building every block, smoothing every path, waiting on me to do what I needed to do, preparing hearts. What's more is I realized that God stuck His hand in the middle of all of those prayers, plucked me right out from amongst them, hand delivered me to the president/owner and gave me favor! Maybe He even had to prepare someone else who was watching me go through this to give them an experience through my own hardship. This hardship wasn't for naught. It had purpose. It had meaning. It had power! It had purpose for me as well as for someone else. I say that I'm a walking testimony....and I've shared plenty through my walk with Jesus. Somehow I knew this was different though. I'm not sure if this is over just yet as I believe others still will be touched by it. I asked that the Lord use me and use this testimony to be far reaching as I wanted to be able to let others know there IS hope in what may seem like a hopeless situation. I'm living proof! And this was on a personal level that I was touched by God's own hand and love!

Let me now take you back to the weekend before the call. It was a warmer weekend so I got out all of my shrink wrap and began covering my windows to help seal up the drafty ones. My windows are old and drafty and with no heat, I needed to prevent as much cold air from coming INSIDE as I possibly could, so I started my mission. I covered three the best that I could and then that's when I felt compelled to revisit my post that I wrote on September 1st, 2018. Being a Walking Testimony. Hmm? Now I will say with confidence, it wasn't a coincidence that I was inspired to write those words just days before my unit would go out and just months before I would have yet another testimony of God's kindness and have another chance to be a walking testimony once again! Notice that I was doing my due diligence by sealing up windows while I could take advantage of a few warm days, how I was going about my daily life with some sort of normalcy? Notice how God also led me to read my own words to remind my of how hardships and moments of impact become part of our story and our walking testimony! This was a moment of impact for me in a great and powerful way. I've written about moments of impact in our lives in a few different posts and the importance of embracing them and allowing them to be defining moments, moments that change and shape us! One of those posts can be found here. Some people get so caught up in life, in the world, in the brokenness, that they don't SEE those moments of impact as defining moments. Especially those who don't know Jesus as their Savior. It's important to have, and allow, those moments of impact to become your defining moments! Find them. Embrace them. They’ll take the breath right out of your lungs. It's at that one moment when time stands still; life stops for a second. They come suddenly but they grow slowly. Defining moments at the moment of impact are those moments that are divinely arranged to redefine our lives. Divine appointments lovingly appointed and arranged by God specific and personal to us individually. They're there to set us on a new path that changes the way we live, think, act, or talk. They're there to set us on a new path that shapes us into the person we should become.  People had them all the time in the Bible – shaping them and growing them into new people.

Ephesians 3:19-20, "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 20) Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Fast forward to the day of the install. At this point in the story, I want to say alot transpired between the Monday of the initial call to the actual day of the installation. Alot of powerful moments, overwhelming moments. I can't share them all because of time and space. I want each of you to know though, it was a week that I will never forget! A week of showing me how God moves! A week of gratitude from a place God awakened by this blessing. So, on the day of the installation, the two installers were let in, shown where the unit furnace was and the breaker box. I introduced myself and told them I'd let them alone to do what they do best while I stayed upstairs under my electric throw to keep warm, after all, it was going to be an all day event. I told them if they needed me, just holler. I also opened the basement garage door so they could have easy access in and out with the pieces they would be working with to install. The two men were amazing, kind and had a good sense of humor. They also kept me informed of their progress, etc. Halfway through, one of the radio station personalities whom is one of my favorites came by. He was bearing more gifts, a book and a CD of one of my favorite Christian artists! We chatted a little, they had the camera crew come to video the installers outside, then came in and did a mini audio-interview. I was a little unprepared for that part but he said he felt it went well and that he got what he needed. If not, he said they'd be in touch. They wrapped up and left. What an amazing journey! Then, about 3/4 of the way through, one of them was in my hallway making some noise. This was the only time I got up to check on them because my thermostat was working so I popped my head around and saw they were replacing it. I asked what they were doing and they said they replaced the thermostat and gave me a new one. I smiled and said I didn't know this was part of the install but I knew it wasn't part of the unit. He said it was on the order. I bounced back to my couch and hopped under my throw. I couldn't believe I was getting a new thermostat.

Once the install was complete, they took me down to show me the air filter and how to change that since it was definitely different than what I had! They showed me the safety features, the new piping and went over some of the features. That's when I noticed the condensation pump looked different. I pointed to it and asked if they put a new lid on it. He chuckled and said they replaced the pump too and it was a little bigger than my old one. He explained that it would also assist in helping my air not work as hard. WOW! Ok, thank you!!! He said it was on the work order too. By this time, I'm overwhelmed even more! Then the big news....as if all of this wasn't amazing enough or big enough! I don't even remember what I asked but he "casually" mentioned the size being a 2.5 ton unit and I was upgraded from my 2 ton. I was speechless! I said I thought I was getting the same, a replacement for exactly what I had as far as tons. I didn't even know what kind of unit this company specialized in but because it was a gift from the Lord Himself and He lined it all up, I didn't care! He said according to the measurements and assessment from the service manager that came out a few days before them, the unit I had was too small! I received a larger upgraded unit, a new thermostat and a condensation pump! When I glanced at the furnace, that's when I saw the kind of unit....they put in a Trane. They are not cheap and they are one of the best manufacturers of HVAC units! I was in complete disbelief! Never in my wildest imagination, did I ever expect any of this! I didn't ask any questions along the way in the process as I knew God orchestrated this with who He hand chose so I stayed out of the way and let the blessing come as it may!

On our way out, when it was all done, I thanked the two installers, asked for their full names so I can send a letter of thanks and praise to the owners and shook their hands. It was at that time when one of them said, "We want you to know how blessed WE are to have been able to be part of this journey with you and help you. Hopefully, you will be able to put this all behind you now, and look ahead! You will stay warm now. God is so good!" I teared up and thanked them again! I told them I wasn't sure if they knew the magnitude of my gratitude for everything they did for me and how this touched me! I told them I'd struggled for a long time, having been hit with some hardships and this was an amazing blessing that I'm glad they were a part of as well! I was given a hug and as I closed the doors behind them, I fell down and began to cry again! Funny how God moves without telling us! He wants us to believe! He wants us to TRUST! He wants us to have FAITH! He wants us to keep our eyes on HIM! He doesn't want us to DOUBT! We are reminded about His love and provisions and not to worry or doubt, in Matthew 6:25-30, "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26) Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27) Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28) "And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29) yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30) And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?" God knows our needs. He knows when to provide those needs. He doesn't want us to worry because worry steals our joy from our hearts and makes us focus on things that we can't control or change. In fact, worry can make us physically sick as well as mentally.

When He moves, He moves BIG. When He moves, He moves with calculation, love and kindness! When He moves, He knows exactly who to use, for what, when and pulls it altogether before we even know what hits us! When God moves, we must move with Him! When God moves.....He moves because He loves us! Because He cares about and for us! Because He promises to provide for our needs! When God moves, it can literally knock the wind out of our sails and knock the breath out of our lungs! He will touch someone else through this testimony! He will move someone's heart through this story. I may not have the financial means to do much of anything but I have a voice! I have this platform that God blessed me with as my ministry and I have a boldness to tell my story unashamed! God loves you! It always fascinates me when, out of the blue, from nowhere, God shows up, speaks, whispers, and moves to make a plan come together! Sometimes God's moves are subtle, quiet and unassuming. Those are what I call "God Winks." Then there are those grand, thunderous, earth shaking moments when all you can do is sit back, buckle up and enjoy the moment! That's what happened to me on that amazing day that I received my call.

John 16:33, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."  

This particular Scripture says that in this fallen world we will have distress, stressers and trials. Many of them. It's inevitable. Distress of any kind can be caused by unexpected crisis, which was the case for me, adversity, or in the everyday daily pressures that we must encounter in our life. We aren’t always able to control the stress that comes crashing into our lives, but we sure can control how we choose to respond to it. I've said all of my life that we have choices in how we respond to any crisis or trial or hardship that we face in this life and because we are children of God, we better be wise in those choices because we never know who is watching! We never know who we can influence or impact. When you face stress or trials, do you choose to turn your face to God and move closer to Him, or do you choose to ignore Him and handle your feelings and situations on your own, by yourself? Jesus tells the disciples in this Scripture that the only way to find peace is by choosing to be close to God. I don't know if you've experienced this or not, but I know this to be true. In my past, when I wasn't making the choice to be closer to God for whatever reason, I couldn't find the peace that I longed for. However, when I moved close to Him and remained focus on our relationship, there was a peace beyond my own understanding! It's one of the most important reasons that we need to choose to turn towards God in the midst of stress and hardships is to protect and strengthen our faith. To move God’s heart, it's important to have the presence of Faith in everything! 

SOMETIMES, GOD USES CHALLENGES TO REMIND US THAT HE IS MOVING. 
Don't let this scare you or worry you! Tests are sometimes what we need to be reminded of this and challenges are nothing more than tests in disguise.

We all need HOPE! We all need to feel the warmth of His Love! Hope is something I've really learned through this whole process in a much deeper way than I had anticipated. After I'd laid everything at the foot of the Cross and surrendered it all to Jesus to take care of for me, I had a peace, a gentle, peace that others were noticing but not quite understanding. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even sure I was understanding it because there was a time or ten that I would be approached by someone asking how I could be so calm and why I wasn't in more of a panic. I was just as shocked as they were in their quest to find out why I wasn't in a perpetual state of panic. I knew God was the source of my peace but as they questioned me, it would sometimes make me sit there and question myself. Was I being realistic? Did I do everything that I could to help myself? Why wasn't I more worried or in more of a rush to solve this? Was I in denial? I'd soon snap out of that line of questioning as I knew where it was coming from and I would not allow it to penetrate my spirit! Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There were truly an orchestra of people that God aligned on my behalf to bring about my blessings! I can't be thankful enough! Each and every person through this whole process has played an integral part in delivering His blessings to me. God chose each one for His purpose. Each and every one has played a part of writing a chapter in my never ending story and testimony and I can only pray that I will be able to play an integral part in helping to write a chapter in someone else's story through my testimony! I was not able to see anything that was going on behind the scenes while God was lining up the players. I was not able to know the extent of His blessings that He was about to bestow upon me! I would drift briefly to the things that I could see and it seemed daunting to me! However, when I'd keep my eyes focused on those things that I cannot see, I knew in my spirit, I would be OK.  2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

What an amazing way to end the year of hardships! I pray this gives you hope. I pray you find His Light through your darkness. I pray you find comfort through your time of troubles. For those who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal and intimate Savior, I pray you open the door as He is knocking and waiting for your call to Him! Repent of your sins. Turn from them and be born again! Cry out to Jesus because He is the ONLY Way, the Truth and the Life! 

Repent
Acts 3:19 - Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

Receive
John 3:36 - He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.

Assurance of Salvation
John 10:27-28 - My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them our of My hand.

Salvation ONLY in Him
John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Acts 4:12 - Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Happy New Year and may this be a year of love in abundance! 


 
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