Month: February 2018

The Depths of Despair Are No Place For a Christian

~ Pat Vick ~ 4 Comments
Photo by Daniel Jensen on Unsplash

Just this week when things in my world were going splendidly (which should always give us pause), there was a glitch. A wrench in the gears. A leak in the boat…You get the idea. Something unexpected and potentially catastrophic occurred. In a moment, I went from being emotionally on top of the world to the backside of the desert. I received news that made my heart turn to lead in my chest.

My first reaction was disbelief. Immediately after I realized this new turn of events was really happening, I was engulfed by a wave of negative thoughts:

I should have known it was too good to be true. I was foolish to think it would go smoothly. We’ll probably never be truly peaceful. I’ll never let myself hope like that again.

Wait. What?

Those weren’t even my thoughts. An enemy had done this. Planted tares of negativity and hopelessness into my mind, and disguised them as my own thoughts. The Holy Ghost immediately rose up in me and helped me to think Truth. He helped me to remember how the Lord had recently turned this same horrible situation into a masterpiece. He had just given us beauty for ashes, and it only took one bump in the road for us to forget. I had gone from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair that easily.

In the beloved children’s book, Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Anne asks Marilla, “Can’t you even IMAGINE you are in the depths of despair?”  To which Marilla abruptly replies, “No. I cannot. To despair is to turn your back on God.”

According to God’s Word, I must agree with Marilla.

 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6)

If we allow ourselves to sink into despair, we definitely are not manifesting faith. Instead, we are letting negative emotions take over our thinking. When people are consumed with doubt, fear and unbelief, they cannot pray in faith. They cannot say to this mountain, be removed and cast into the sea.

This is the woeful condition that satan wants to trap us in. He knows that for every second he can get us to think negatively, it is  more probable that we will speak negatively. Once we speak negatively, we set an alternate set of circumstances in motion. What blessing the Lord wanted to bring, is derailed by our careless words.

Once we speak negatively, we set an alternate set of circumstances in motion. What blessing the Lord wanted to bring, is derailed by our careless words. Click To Tweet

How do we stop this landslide of negative consequences?

RECOGNIZE
First, we must recognize the attack for what it is. A trap of the enemy. We must know enough of God’s Word to recognize the devil’s work.

REMEMBER
Second, we must remember how God has worked on our behalf in the past. When was the last prayer that God answered for us? When did we feel defeated, and yet He intervened?

REMIND
Third, we must remind ourselves of all the wonders that God has specifically done for us. We must remind ourselves that we are children of the Great King.

RESIST
Fourth, we must resist the devil, submit ourselves to God, and he will flee from us. We must resist his influence in our lives and his impression in our minds.

RETURN
Fifth, we must return to the path of faith in God. We must begin to pray with power. Begging is not mountain-moving prayer. We must pray with the spiritual authority that Jesus name permits us.

REFUSE
Sixth, we must be aware of how the enemy works, and refuse to be deceived again. We must refuse to be emotionally corralled into a trap of despair.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;”(2 Cor. 4:7-8)

Within just a few minutes of giving in to the feelings of despair, I remembered the goodness of God toward me. I stopped feeling sorry for myself, and started praying. I spoke faith-filled words in Jesus’ name until I felt them. I repented to the Lord of losing faith so quickly, and asked Him to forgive me. I committed to trust Him. After all, He has proven time and again to me that He is able to turn any situation around in a moment of time for His glory.

In case you doubted, He did it again, and He’ll do it for you! Praise God!

Warm Regards, -Pat

INVITATION TO SHARE

-Have you ever found yourself in the depths of despair even when you know God has been so good to you?

-What steps did you take to get out of that negative frame of mind?

-What scriptures would you share with someone who is struggling with despair?

As always, feel free to leave a comment, subscribe to my newsletter, and email me: Pat@PATVICK.COM.

 

Early Morning Angel Visit

~ Pat Vick ~ 14 Comments

Several years ago the Lord began waking me up at 4:30 a.m. to spend time with Him. He desires to spend quality time with His people. His bride.

Once the day gets started, there is rarely a stopping place to break away and spend time basking in His Presence. The Word tells us to pray without ceasing. We should have a prayer in our hearts and on our lips at any given time throughout the day. Yet, to sit at His feet requires pulling away from other things. Hence the reason God likes to wake us up to spend that quality time before our days begin.

Since those 4:30 a.m. training sessions, the Lord and I have reached a mutually agreeable time that we like to meet. That is at 6:00 a.m. I have become very serious about this spiritual discipline…most of the time. Winter seems to be more difficult, especially when it is cold and wet outside, or when I am extra fatigued from a busy schedule or sickness. This morning was all of the above.

I woke up, rolled over and looked at the clock. 5:30 a.m. I mentally calculated how much time I still had to sleep. Thirty more minutes. On the heels of that thought came the nudge of the Holy Ghost that assured me if I went back to sleep, I would likely sleep past my 6:00 wake up time. These were my thoughts as I sunk back down into the hazy mist of slumber.

That’s when the angel came. In that fuzzy place between awake and asleep. The visit was neither imagination, nor a dream. My eyes were closed, yet I saw it come rapidly face to face with me. I’m not sure if it flew, as I saw no wings, but only knew that it rushed up to my face. I also say “it” because the face seemed neither male nor female. This could be due to its close proximity to my face.

The angel said clearly, “You know you should get up. Come on!,” and motioned urgently with its hand to follow. Just as fast, it was gone. It was as real as a breath expelled from my body.

In the two seconds that I took to consider these instructions, I slipped back into slumber. When I woke up again, it was almost 7:00 a.m., and time to get up to get ready for Church.

I knew I had missed a great opportunity to be with the Lord. He had desired so much to spend time with me, that He sent His angel messenger to wake me. Two seconds of hesitation robbed me of something precious.

Don’t let anything rob you of time alone with God. Click To Tweet

In the few moments I had, I knelt and repented that I hadn’t come earlier. When I got to prayer meeting at church, I spent more time repenting. I know absolutely that I’m forgiven, but whatever the Lord wanted to share with me is either forfeited, or at least delayed.

The Spirit of the Lord was so precious during worship service, for which I’m thankful. I just wonder what might have happened if I had met with the Lord when He first shook me awake that morning. What blessing might He still be waiting to pour out when intercession has built a wall of petitions high enough to reach His Throne? What healing? What deliverance? What victory?

In my prayer of repentance, I asked the Lord to help me have the withal to recognize and respond immediately at the unction of the Holy Ghost. The Word says to be instant in season and out of season. This morning was definitely a cold, wet winter season that I needed to be instant in. I’m sure there will be upcoming opportunities to see if I learned the lesson.

May you be blessed by Sis. Mickey Mangun (The Pentecostals Of Alexandria) singing, “I Miss My Time With You.”

INVITATION TO SHARE YOUR STORY:

– Do you and God have a mutually agreed upon meeting time and place?

– Have you ever missed a special time or blessing with God because you hesitated to act?

-What spiritual discipline do you have the most trouble mastering?

As always, please feel free to leave a comment, share to social media, SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER, and email me: Pat@PATVICK.COM.

A Lesson On Living (Not Dying)

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
(Psalm 118:17)

Death is inevitable. This reality strikes fear into most people’s hearts, but when you learn the lesson of this thing called life, it will bring you comfort. The truth is you cannot live to the fullest until you acknowledge your mortality. Then, and only then, can you start truly living.

God’s Word instructs us to number our days. When you consider the brevity of twenty-four hours, then you can begin to appreciate a week, a year, a decade and a generation. You must then ask yourself, what can I do with this allotment of time that God has granted me?

I visited in the hospital today with a friend who is on a heart transplant waiting list. Even though his body is weakened and frail, he is possibly more alive than he has ever been. His senses were heightened. Every word was chosen meticulously for the meaning he wanted to convey. No trivial conversation polluted his speech.

He’s living for today. This minute. This hour. This breath. And it’s enough, because he knows it’s all he’s promised. He doesn’t feel cheated, as it’s all any of us are promised. Right now. He has simply learned to appreciate the gift of now.

How can I make now worthwhile? What can I talk about that will bring value to this moment? What can I think about that will proliferate goodness into the gift of now? What eye contact can I make that will infuse depth into this conversation? Will they feel the gratitude that I am willing my flesh to convey in this embrace? These are the questions he is asking himself, and we should ask ourselves, while we are living.

His eyes follow his wife around the small hospital room with admiration as she organizes their lives. Forty years of til death do us part, and all they know for sure is they have this moment. They’ve said all the things, and tied up all the loose ends. All that’s left to do is love deeply and hope, “and hope maketh not ashamed…” (Romans 5:5)

My friend was surrounded with lines, and probes, and beeping things. He was also surrounded with books. Two stacks within touching distance, and one under his hand. Lifelines. Why does a man who isn’t promised tomorrow read books? Why does he give himself to learning and growing? Because he isn’t dying. He’s living.

Also within reach were prayer cloths. A multicolored stack, as varied as the people who sent them. Flimsy little scraps of material that shouted, “YOU ARE NOT ALONE! WE AGREE TOGETHER IN JESUS’ NAME THAT YOU ARE VICTORIOUS! YOU ARE NOT DYING! YOU ARE LIVING!” I could tell by the way he pulled them close and gave them a squeeze that he believes their message.

I knew he had figured it out, this thing called living, as he spoke about people. Family members, grandchildren, Church family, visiting ministers. This one called. That one said. Lord Jesus, bless them. The law of kindness was in his mouth, and thankfulness was in his eyes, as he spoke about the people. He’s learned that stuff and flesh are temporal, but souls are eternal.

The final way I knew he had decided to live, wasn’t in what I saw, but what I felt and heard. The witness of God’s Holy Spirit declared to everyone in the room, and spilled into the corridor with utterances assuring,

“LIFE is here!”

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.“ (Ezekiel 36:26)