Facing the Giants

I'm going to be very real here. This journey in the past three years has been difficult.  I have been Facing a Giant.  It is not pretty and it has a lot to do with my sweet husband, who is in the midst of facing his Giant. He was laid off once again in June and is having difficulty trying to find work.  I watch him day after day, as he receives initial phone interviews with recruiters and maybe gets another interview, but then nothing. He works everyday, most of the day looking for work.  It is difficult for me to watch him. He hurts and I can't fix it. Though I know Papa God is with both of us.

  

We are forging ahead in some unknown territory in our walk with God.  This walk is like a jungle.  A mass of foliage, briars, hedges that prick you, and then the devil’s club.  With a loss like a job, for my husband it has brought on more despair and despondency. Those are his giants and we are facing those Giants together. They may not be exactly like this clip, but this is how we feel… yet, my husband isn’t quite there where Grant is at the end of the clip - not yet anyway, but he is getting there.

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“My eyes are weak from crying Lord, I have prayed to you every day; I have lifted my hands in prayer to you.”

 “I lift my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of  Heaven and Earth”

 In Revelation 3: 7-13 it says:

“This is what the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David, says. When he opens a door, no one can close it. And when he closes it, no one can open it.  I know what you do. I have put an open door before you, which no one can close. I know you have little strength, but you have obeyed my teaching and were not afraid to speak my name.”

 Those in the synagogue that belongs to Satan say they are Jews, but they are not true Jews; they are liars. I will make them come before you and bow at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.  You have obeyed my teaching about not giving up your faith. So I will keep you from the time of trouble that will come to the whole world to test those who live on earth.

 “I am coming soon. Continue strong in your faith so no one will take away your crown.  I will make those who win the victory pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,[a] that comes down out of heaven from my God. I will also write on them my new name.  Everyone who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

 Remember, my husband has been dealing with a spirit of  Despondency and Despair, as well as rejection. Then this past Sunday evening while having wonderful BBQ and fellowship with a lot of old and new friends, we received a breakthrough. One so profound that the look on my husband's face was extraordinary. A few folks prayed over my husband and there was deliverance from the despondency and despair (depression).  Joy was now in him.  Wow, in fact a Joy that has been pushed down for many years came out, like a child.  Powerful Joy. Those around him were laughing and enjoying that Joy that he seemed to be throwing at them.

Since Sunday, he has slept so much better.  Peaceful sleep. I could feel the Shalom covering him. That peace and rest in God that hadn't been there for quite some time. So, I think he will begin to bloom where God places him. We are trusting God and thank Him everyday that he has a job, even before he has one!  We are preparing the field for harvest.

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“I have resolved to give all that I have to God and leave the results to Him. I want to know if you'll join me.” Grant, Facing the Giants

The movie - "Facing the Giants"

The World Lost a Laughing Genie

The entertainment world lost a very talented man on August 11, 2014.  He was only 5 years older than me.  I remember watching the TV show, Mork and Mindy and thinking, this guy is NUTS!  He was crazy, crazy good.  I mourned when that show went off the air.  It was so entertaining and he was so fascinating.

Then, we saw him in movies. Movies with heart and soul. “Good Morning, Vietnam!”, “Garp”, Dead Poet’s Society”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Hook”, “Good Will Hunting”, “Alladin” and many, many more.  I could be transfixed with a character that he played so beautifully that I’d forget where I was. He made me laugh until I had tears rolling down my face and cry just as hard. 

In so many of the characters he played, he gave to us a glimpse from the very depths of his soul.

This man, who had struggled for years with depression, succumbed to it.  This makes me angry.  Depression is not the person’s fault.  It is not necessarily societies fault.  It can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and it can be caused by demons or both.   Either way, it is heart wrenching.

My own husband suffers with depression.  I have found that prayer helps. Actually, prayer helps him more often than not.  We’ve had breakthroughs oft and on in this journey.  I celebrate the breakthroughs and war on when standing before God on behalf of my sweet husband while the enemy attacks.  To be honest, those are hard battles.  The enemy loves to whisper in the subconscious of the one suffering.  The spirit of depression is subtle. It can go in hiding for a while, then BAM! It will strike when no one is looking. 

I quit my job last year because I didn’t want to leave my husband alone.  He cried a lot.  He had been out of work for two years prior and he was emotionally beaten down.  He wanted to work. He wanted to participate in our income.  He finally got a job April 2013. We saw that it was straight from God. It was amazing.  However, he still cried every morning before going to work.  I cried after he left as I prayed for healing for him.  In the 14 months since that time, there were emotional breakthroughs.  I have such a wonderful prayer support group. We keep kept pounding the courts of heaven on behalf of my husband.  He’s worth it. He’s a child of the Almighty God.

My husband was laid off again the end of June this year, 2014.  He was handling the layoff quite well.  I was skeptical, so I kept praying a hedge of protection over his mind and thoughts.  He’s done alright.  Once the job rejections began again, his self-worth started to deteriorate and the whispers of the enemy began once again. How could I tell?  Because of the type of statements he would say that weren’t from himself. 

I have rebuked the spirit of depression more times than I’d like to say here.  I’m still in a battle for my husband. I will not quit.  I may be fatigued and a bit worn, but I have a loving Heavenly Father that loves me and my husband.  He is giving me the strength and hope that I need each day.  I have a wonderful group of Praying Warriors that I know I can count on for support. You can’t deal with it by yourself. After a while, one gets to feeling isolated, so the support I have is wonderful.

I only wonder, if Robin Williams had had a support system that would have prayed and contended for him in the courts of Heaven what would have happened.  God loves Robin. I know in my heart that God is saddened that Robin felt he couldn’t keep going.  God created him for a purpose; a purpose higher than what we could even imagine.  To make people laugh.  He gave Robin the gift to make us laugh. I thank you Robin for using that gift. I will celebrate your life and the purpose God gave you. 
Nanu, Nanu.