What did you said?

When our son was learning to talk and form sentences, he would ask, “What did you said?” when he didn’t hear what someone said.

We would correct him with, “What did you say?” but to no avail. He continued on with his choice of words and he pronounced every single one with gusto. It was cute but we realized it was going to be a hard habit to break. He eventually did break the habit and for the last three years or so, he gets it right.

He is now 7 and we have homeschooled from the start. Today, during his math lesson we were playing a fraction game with a pair of dice (refer to picture). Each person takes a turn rolling the dice and if the written fraction matches the picture of the fraction, you get a check. The first person to three checks wins. The directions even describe it as a game of chance.

So we started the game, he rolled first and his didn’t match. He handed me the dice and as I was shaking them to roll, he said, “I already know you are going to win,” with the sound of defeat in his voice.

The Holy Spirit about knocked me out of my chair. I knew immediately the lesson he was about to learn had nothing to do with fractions and everything to do with, “What did you said?”.

I looked at my seven year old and said, “You just spoke your own defeat. Why would you say that?”

He had a puzzled look.

I went on to explain, on his level of course, how our words impact EVERYTHING. Our words determine the direction we are headed. Our words determine our mood. Our words determine  if we win or lose.

So we started the game over and I told him to speak positive this time. He started by threatening the dice, “If you don’t roll right, I’m going to throw you into next year!”

While funny, I had to correct him again – “No, we don’t use threats, we speak the outcome. Try saying, ‘I’m going to win this round’ each time it’s your turn.”

The game began and his first role was a match. My roll was not. He won that round. You should have seen the look on his face. We kept going.  He wanted to play to five checks instead of three so it took a bit to get there.

Through the game however there were some rolls of the dice that he didn’t get a match. At one point he said, “See, it IS just chance.”

So I stopped and saw another GREAT opportunity to teach him about faith and long suffering and how even when it looks like we are losing, we keep speaking faith. I was able to teach him the struggle between dark and light and when it looks like the dark is winning, we keep speaking light and how it’s a spiritual battle because the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.

John 10:10 NKJV
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

I explained it to him like I heard a preacher explain it one time. It really is kind of like the cartoons where you have an angel on one shoulder a devil on the other and they are waiting there to hear what you are going to say. When you speak words that line up with the Word of God (I’m healed, I’m whole, I’m blessed, etc) the angel can go to work and act on those words. If you speak negative and contrary to the Word of God (I’m sick, I’m poor, things will never change) then the devil can go to work and act on those words.

What we SPEAK has power and will determine our future.

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

So, what did you said?

GOD STILL HEALS

I don’t even know how to describe my Sunday. I’m laying in bed at 12:30 in the morning trying to process everything.

I’ve never had a day like today. There was heartbreaking news I received first thing this morning that broke my heart for a friend. Then an on time message at church in regards to some other things we are dealing with. A message that confirmed some of God’s promises for our life. Then more heartbreaking news after service. Then an evening service with a special guest minister who spoke something over me that I didn’t understand when he said it. I’ll get back to that in a minute. At the end of service I received healing that I’ve been believing God for, for a very long time. Then once home I found out my Aunt, who I just talked with a few weeks ago, passed on Friday.

The word spoken over me was from Psalm 30:5… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

When I heard the news of my aunt, I understood.

I promised God when I re-dedicated my life to Christ that I would always testify of His goodness. I don’t know what else to do right now except that. My aunt is no longer suffering and is healed and whole so I rejoice in that. As for the other heartbreaking news from today I can only trust and believe that God will bring something beautiful out of those situations more than He already has.

As for my healing, I watched my own left leg grow an inch and a half tonight. I was in the presence of God at the altar and a work was done there on a deeper level than I will go into here. But then, at the very end of service, I sat and watched a prophet of God pray for healing in my back as my heels rested in the palms of his hands.

You may have heard me mention before that around age 11 or 12, I had a mishap while cross country skiing where I got my skis crossed and fell hitting my tail bone directly on the spot where the skis were crossed. I truly thought I was paralyzed. I couldn’t move for at least 20 minutes and then forced myself to get up and walk, a very slow walk. I had other injuries after that including a bulged disc and some other issues over the years.

I’ve been to the chiropractor for years to get relief and preventative care. I haven’t been able to go these past few months because even with our new insurance, we haven’t had the money to cover our cost of the visits. I’ve been standing in faith that I’m healed even though in the natural I don’t remember a time I haven’t had some form of back pain going on. I don’t go by what I feel or see though, I go by what I know to be true in God’s Word and tonight that truth manifested.

As I sat back against the chair, straight as I could, when I put my feet in the palms of his hand, my left foot was about an inch and a half shorter. This was no surprise to me because I have not been able to stand flat on both feet without leaning to the right to balance myself out. So as he prayed… I will do my best to describe what I felt… It felt as if hands were wrapped around the bones from my lower back, in my hips, down my legs, to my feet, and pulled every which way to align everything as it should be. I even, not realizing it at first, pulled back against the adjusting and felt the pressure of it pulling me the other way. The work was in progress and there wasn’t anyway I could stop it if I wanted to because I was open to receiving my healing. I saw my left leg, with my own two eyes, grow (realign) an inch and a half. There were witnesses as well. There were others with back problems who were healed in the same way and I watched their legs reallign.

I knew when I stood up and walked, the healing was complete. When I walked across the sanctuary, I stood flat foot without having to lean to one side.

Then, on the way home, as I was talking with God and trying to process everything, I realized I could breath normally. God healed me of asthma tonight and I didn’t even know until I was driving home.

Two things: an obedient man is an instrument of God through which the Holy Spirit can operate. The healing comes from God, not the man, and we have to receive it. Second, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy so after healing he may try to bring symptoms back to get you thinking you weren’t really healed. Tell the enemy to shove it and stand on God’s promise of healing.

I still don’t know how to describe my overall day. There’s much in the details (outside of my healing) I’m choosing not to share and half of it isn’t mine to share anyways.

Pray for me and my family. My Aunt meant a lot to me.

Regardless of this up and down day, God is still good and the same today as He was yesterday and I can depend on Him tomorrow as well.