During our Thursday night meetings we always open up with "Success In the Process" stories...
Looking for a success during the healing process is important because our healing doesn't always come at once--it can be a process with small victories along the way. We must look for these small victories and praise God for even the "little" things. If we don't do this and see the successes (small or large) along the way we could become discouraged and let go of God's Promises and good gifts.
As a result of a hormonal imbalance caused by PCOS, I have had dark course hair that grows on both sides of my chin for the last five years (embarrassing to even talk about). As the years go by, more hair sprouts up and I spend 10 minutes (sometimes longer) each morning and over 10 minutes each night plucking them out. It is not uncommon for me to pluck out 15-25 hairs in one day. It's annoying and can lower a person's self esteem in a heart beat. When talking to others I'm always wondering if they can see them and when I touch my face and feel them and my thoughts are always "I can't wait to get home so I can pluck them out".
However this week I decided to "speak like 'Zeke" (see previous meeting notes) over my symptoms of PCOS. I am sick and tired of the hairs on my chin and they need to GO! On Monday I became bold and began speaking the Word of God over this symptom. I said, "Unwanted hair on my chin, you WILL listen to the Word of God. I am fearfully and wonderfully made according to Psalm 139:14 and Isaiah 53:5 says that by HIS stripes I AM healed!" I have continued to repeat this several times a day. I wasn't repeating it out of fear but as the Holy Spirit prompted me. Yesterday, June 20th, I plucked out ONLY 3-5 hairs! This morning after my shower, I found ONLY 2; which on a typical morning after a shower and my pores have opened up, it is not uncommon to pluck more than 10-12. All day today I have been feeling around my face and have not felt any! This is something I haven't felt in over four years!
Praise God! I will continue to "speak like 'Zeke" over other areas of my life because I know that through my faith, God's Word is powerful and I can EXPECT to see results. Yes, sometimes I feel silly speaking out loud and I often wonder if my husband can hear me...but I don't care anymore.
God is faithful and He loves to give His children good gifts. He cares about the hairs on my chin and He wants them gone just as much as I want them gone.
Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Speaking like Ezekial is easy...here is a recap of the lesson on how to "Speak like 'Zeke"
Ezekiel
was in a hopeless mess. He was standing in a valley of DEAD (completely dry, brittle, lifeless) bones that were
supposed to be an army of very alive men. It seemed impossible to human eyes
for them to live again. No hope (we’d say). BUT let’s look at what Ezekiel (whom I nickname ‘Zeke) says.
Ezekiel 37:1-10
Verse 3
Then
he asked me, "Son of man, can these bones become living people
again?" "O Sovereign LORD," I replied, "you alone know the
answer to that."
Notice:
·
He
spoke out loud
·
He
did not speak impossibility (even though it had to have crossed his mind)
·
He
didn’t ask anyone else’s opinion…they would have said “no” instantly.
God sure loved Zeke’s trust/faith/hope in Him. So…the conversation continues…
Verses 4-10
4
Then he said to me, "Speak to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to
the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to breathe into you and make you live
again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on
you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to
life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" 7 So I spoke these words, just as he told me.
Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The
bones of each body came together and attached themselves as they had been
before. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and
flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they
still had no breath in them. 9 Then he
said to me, "Speak to the winds and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD
says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so
that they may live again.'" 10 So I
spoke as he commanded me, and the wind entered the bodies, and they began to
breathe. They all came to life and stood up on their feet -- a great army of
them.
Notice:
·
God
didn’t just work a miracle (could have) but instead He worked it through
Ezekiel’s faith. He didn’t leave him unsure of what to do, but did require his
faith/words/hope to make it happen
·
God
showed him what to speak; but only when he was willing to trust rather than
doubt. In the Bible we have Promises from God...find these promises and speak those to your "dry bones"/situation.
·
He
was told to speak directly to the dead issues! If you know of a specific area you need to speak to then speak directly to that issue.
·
He
called each dead issue by name and followed it with “listen to the word of the
Lord”
·
He
spoke then he watched. He anticipated/had hopeful expectation that God’s Word
would happen
·
He
did not get discouraged, give up, or even doubt when no breath came. God said
it would and it didn’t happen when he spoke. However…look at what he does. He
doesn’t get a second opinion, get help from elsewhere, or give up. He doesn’t
even speak doubt. He simply speaks to the breath again. He repeats God’s
command to it and doesn’t doubt God’s word will work.
Order of events:
1.
‘Zeke
spoke
2.
Then ‘Zeke watched
3.
Then came muscles and flesh
4.
Then came skin
5.
Lastly,
then came breath
6.
Then they were alive! Lots of “thens”
after you speak. It was a process of coming
to full like again
