Thursday, May 17, 2012

What has He done for you?


I was posed this question while reading a book by Anne Graham Lotz today and it really struck me.  It was prefaced by the question of Who is seeking to meet Jesus because of what He’s done in your life and followed up by the questions of Where were the people He had healed, restored and raised from the dead to testify on His behalf when He was placed on trial.
Both the preface and follow up to this question has struck a chord for me and made me search my heart as to how I would answer.  When was the last time I shared my testimony with someone? When was the last time I stepped up to testify against those speaking against Christ and spoke of what He’s done in my life?  When was the last time I simply spoke the truth of my complete restoration, mind, body and spirit from one encounter with the Lord?  When was the last time I refreshed my spirit just by recalling the amazing miracles the Lord has done in my life?
It’s been awhile, so let’s go back….
I was weighed down by depression and anxiety that kept me in a dark, ugly place.
I turned to drinking and drugs, anything to numb how much I hated myself.
I had pinched nerves in my lower back that made sitting, standing and lying down unbearable. I cried all day and then cried in my sleep.  
I had three discs out of place in my neck.
I had migraines since I was a teenager that would keep me out of school for weeks at a time and put me in the hospital. 
I had constant knee pain from a past injury.  
I had insomnia that would torture me day and night. 
I had been anorexic and bulimic since I was a child and it tormented every waking, and even sleeping, moment of my life.  It is the closest thing I can compare to living hell on earth.
I had digestive issues stemming from the eating disorder that made the simple and necessary act of eating a dreadful experience. 
I had TMJ, or lockjaw, that would get very painful because I clenched my teeth Extremely hard while I slept and at times it could take up to 20 minutes to get my mouth open.
I had female issues ever since I hit puberty that made me extremely sick and plagued my life as a young women.  From this I was told that getting pregnant could be rather hard.
I had a drawer full of medication for every single ailment, pain meds, sleeping meds, migraine meds, muscle relaxers, meds to help with digestion, meds to help with my female issues, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, and none of them were working.
BUT in One encounter with the Lord, He healed it all.  Depression and anxiety no longer have a hold in my life and I can live with joy and love.  Addictions lost their enticement because the Lord showed me He was my place of refuge and comfort and helped me see myself as He created me.  My back and neck were completely healed and I’m able to live an active life without pain.  I’ve maybe had one or two migraines in the last 4 years, but nothing that I can’t get through and that pass in a short time.  I don’t have knee issues and have actually found a great passion for running.  I now sleep like a baby and don’t dread getting into bed.  I am 100% free from the eating disorder and have learned to see myself through God’s eyes, the way He sees me and enjoy this body and life He’s given me.  I have zero digestive issues, my entire system has been restored and I can fully enjoy the simple act of eating.  I have never had another issue of lockjaw nor do I clench or grind my teeth.  And my reproductive system was completely healed, working as it should for the first time since I was 16.  And I got pregnant. 
From that time on I hadn’t taken so much as a Tylenol in the last almost 4 years (until I got pregnant) because I had grown to Know Jesus personally as my Healer. Rather than turning to medication when I got sick, I turned to prayer.  Sometimes He healed instantly, sometimes not. But until I got pregnant I hadn’t found one time that I Had to take something to get by. 
He had not only physically healed my body, but healed my mind to be free of wrong mindsets, to be able to see myself as He created me, healed me so that I could help set others free.  This is what He has done for me.  But ultimately, if He never healed me from any ailment, or answered another prayer, He has already done More than enough by sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins and giving me eternal life.  And sometimes we just need to simply remind our spirits of what He has done for us, to not be so caught up on what we still need, but Remember where He has brought us from, brought us through.  And then we need to share it. There is power in your testimony.  People can say they simply don’t believe in God, or they have a ‘different’ god, but you can’t deny that I once was a depraved, lost, ailed girl headed down a path of death who is now free. It’s as simple as that.
So what’s your testimony? What road do you need to walk back down to stir your spirit to praise the Lord for what He has done for you?  Go back, visit those altars, remember, and then share it with someone who needs hope. Share it with those who don’t know Him.  Watch your spirit come alive. Watch your attitude change.  Watch God move.

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