I wrote yesterday about going back today to the district I was with on Tuesday. I know that the “water runs deep” in this area I’m stepping into. I know how I’d want to handle this if I were the one in charge, but God is making it very clear that my role today is to be present. He is the One who wants to lead this work. He reminded me this morning that I am to be present and He will nudge as I am to respond. I’m grateful for this reminder too. My passion wants to delve into this head first. But, God has awakened in me a passion much deeper than my own. This is His Own passion. I don’t want to lose sight of it within me through HIs Holy Spirit.

Through the night last night I keep awakening to thoughts of this journey I’m on–the journey of recovery. God seems to be awakening more and more the journey of “living for Him”. So much of the journey of recovery needed to focus on my past. Now, the journey of living for Jesus focuses on today without the bondage of my past screaming messages to me inside my head. I’m so grateful for this miracle for which I now get to live. Our God is a Loving, Healing God! I use to long for this kind of living. Little did I know God was waiting for me to take the necessary steps addressing my fears so He could then be the VICTOR He already is. The voices still try to enter, but, the armor of God is so much more in place today addressing these lies of Satan. Praise be to God my Father!

Yesterday I went into a half day meeting wondering how God would work and what I was to do other than listen. This meeting went seemingly well. I contributed where it seemed appropriate and as I left I offered to give assistance in an area that seemed void of expertise needed. Before I got home and onto the rest of the day I had an email from the superintendent asking for me to step into this area of need. I responded thinking after Thanksgiving we could tackle it. However, after a couple of email exchanges, I’m going back tomorrow to get started. I’ve now been with this district for two years and this is the first time the door seems to be open.

It is amazing to watch how God works. Relationships and trust are always needed in order to do the best we can do. I am reminded that this is exactly the way God is with us. He waits for us to build our relationship with Him so we Trust Him enough to give our areas of void over to Him. It is then that He can shed Light where only darkness prevailed.

Today’s journey, I want to say has me on my knees, but in reality, it has me standing with arms upstretched towards heaven. I asked Jesus what He wanted me to know from Him for today as I do each morning at the end of my journaling. His response was to pray His Light would penetrate the darkness so many have surrounding them and within them. Instantly I wrote down the names of several for whom I know this to be true. It seemed I was not to pray on my knees but with my arms raised to the heaven, to God my Father. His Light is the penetrating Light to all darkness. I could call by name, the darkness–evil for which each person faces and I did this. I recognized the darkness, I rebuked it and I asked God to replace it with His Light of Truth which is the POWER to annihilate this present darkness!

We men are so prideful that we believe we have the power within the flesh to overcome and defeat whatever is before us. This is true all over the world. There are those who know this lie and we know it well. God is asking us to declare this lie of Satan and to rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ! Then, the truth of God’s Powerful Light can penetrate this present darkness. GOD is the answer not only for each one of us but to the community of us. I stand with my arms raised towards heaven declaring this truth to God my Father for HE alone is THE GREAT HEALER of all darkness!

As I begin today I am reading some horrible events in Judges. The behaviors of man are pitiful when man is left on his own. It seems we are so easily swayed when there is no moral compass in front of us. The people of Israel were told to keep their eyes on God and obey the commands they were given. However, if they didn’t have another man telling them to do this, they quickly lost their way. I don’t think we are any different. Our leaders today are telling man to look to man to find their answers and look where we are. This is a history repeating itself.

I don’t know how many readers there are to this blog, but I do want to be known as someone who points man to Jesus. He is man’s answer to every trial we encounter: personal or in community. Lets all join forces and point man to Jesus Christ our one and only Lord and Savior.

Today’s journey starts as all others, in the den with my two devotionals, my bible and my prayer list. My bible reading had me reading the account of Samson in the book of Judges. In spite of Samson’s lifestyle, he was a man got anointed from conception. As long as he was obedient of God’s leadership in his life, God was Mightily at work using him to overcome the oppression of the Philistines. This message resonated and aligned so well with my devotional which was all about our obedience to God.

Within the past couple days I’ve found out about 4 of my greater family members who have this virus. Along with that, there are others battling their own grief. I was notified yesterday afternoon so I could pray. I was told that God hears my prayers and those of my wife Kathy. I’m always troubled when I hear this message because the weight of it seems too daunting. Yet, the title of today’s devotion is: “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” A short excerpt from it says, “Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people?” It goes on to say, “Our sufficiency is from God…” and God alone.” II Corinthians 3:5.

I’ve always struggled with that sense of worthiness to carry someone else’s burden to God. The weight of my sin’s filth had me believing I was too unworthy. I would pray hoping God would hear the prayer in spite of me. Today, I realize that all of this is true. God hears my prayers in spite of sin done to me and those of my own choosing. My sufficiency or lack thereof does not make my prayers meaningful. It is God’s sufficiency in me which makes them meaningful. So, today I prayed for so many who are hurting. God seeks our obedience and sees us through HIs Sufficiency. Thanks be to God! Our God is Mighty to Heal and Save and I praise His Name for this!

My journey continues down this path I’ve written about yesterday and before. The beauty however, began to show forth yesterday with a phone call. The call said the issue is done. The source of the evil I cannot mention here is recognized and will be dealt with as such. Someday I’d like to tell this entire story but today is not the right day for telling. However, it is the day of thanksgiving for seeing God’s Almighty Power at work. There is something magnificent about our Father! I want to and will praise His Name for the rest of my days.

The journey of yesterday and today has me facing some things which I despise. Yesterday revealed some ugly situations taking place with some people very close to me. It is the kind of circumstances which leave me saying, “WHAT? How can this even happen?” The ugliness of human behavior and choices does leave us breathless at some moments in life.

As I have been having my devotional time this morning I have recognized the evil present in these situations. Evil not only wants to win, but he also wants to destroy as much peace as possible which God our Father gives His kids through their relationship with His Son Jesus. I rebuked these spirits by their evil names and replaced them with Christ’s peace that passeth all understanding, Philippians 4:7.

Jesus Christ is abundantly waiting for us to draw upon the authority He has given to us. I never want to abuse this authority, but I do want to use it as The Holy Spirit nudges me to do so. I sense myself being challenged to step out of my comfort zone and enter into an area of darkness with The Only Light that penetrates this darkness. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. I will proclaim His Name!

This morning as I began to pray I reread a scripture which I’ve written on a card and keep with my prayer list. It is one God led me to a few months ago. It is Habakkuk 3:19–“The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery and my invincible army. He makes my feet like hind’s feet and will make me to walk and make progress upon my high places.”

After the last couple of days when God has been addressing some high places with lessons of Trust and Belief I couldn’t help but take an additional moment to thank Him ahead of time for His Faithfulness. The reason this was so important this morning was due to getting up with a spirit of unbelief. As I was continuing to read in Judges I knew in my head I believed but my spirit was momentarily weak. I recognized this spirit of unbelief and rebuked it. I then replaced it with the spirit of Belief which I said I have in Jesus Christ. I felt this evil spirit ask me who I am? This caught me off guard, but I said out loud that I am Earnie Lewis, the adopted brother of Jesus Christ and God the Father is my Father and it is in the authority Jesus Christ gave me when I accepted Him into my life that I rebuke you and replace you. All was peaceful after that.

Our God is such an AMAZING GOD! Today’s lesson is real. I am 70 years old and learning for the first time what Habakkuk 3:19 is promising when it says, “…He will make me to walk and make progress upon my high places.”

Yesterday’s lesson continued into this morning’s devotional time. Yesterday’s question was asking if I see God in the present darkness? Today, from a totally different source the question was asked if I have thanked God for His work in the darkness for which I see? Yesterday’s question came from one of my devotional books. Today’s question came from my bible reading and a comment Joyce Meyer added. My bible reading is into Judges and Gideon’s visit from the Angel of God.

I have heard Gideon’s story all my life. Most of the time Gideon is criticized for being cowardly and requiring God to give him abundant assurance that he should do what God is asking of him. However, Joyce brought out a point in today’s reading which was what I needed to hear in response to yesterday’s devotional question about the present darkness.

All of us believers know that God is ultimately in control. If you are like me, you have momentary times when we forget this truth and our fear, worry, anxiety takes over wondering what in the world is next? The point in my bible reading which stood out to me was that when Gideon was shown by God that He was with him, Gideon praised God for not only being with him, but for the victory God was promising.

At a personal level I have character defects I deal with everyday. But, I’ve never thanked God for removing them ahead of time. I thank God for working with me on them and for removing ones which are gone, but God is wanting me in my faith to believe His Work will complete itself in me. This morning for the first time I thanked God for the the outcome of the work He is doing knowing I have failed all the time, but He has never failed! This is true of personal items as well as world-wide ones. Thanking God ahead of time demonstrates our Trust! I want to get much better in this lesson of life.

“Is your ability to see God blinded?” This was the opening question of my devotional this morning. My immediate answer was, “yes”. Where does God fit in all of the happenings of our present world, country, community? The devotional went on to ask where I’ve been looking? If I am looking at the events and not beyond them I will be troubled. If I look at man and his behaviors I will be troubled. If I look to man to address these troubled situations I will be troubled. The bigger question then became, “Who is my god?” If I only look to man I have made my god out to be quite small and he certainly isn’t the God for Whom I accepted as my Lord and Savior. What a good reminder it was to look beyond the issues of today and see GOD. In all of what is taking place, God is still very much in control. It is here I place my trust.

I have such a habit to seeing a problem and quickly diverting my attention away from it avoiding its reality. However, the lesson God is staying firm with is the lesson of learning to look only to HIM for my action rather than diverting my attention away from it. If I wait patiently until I do see God I can either relax in the time of waiting or I can clearly see any action God is wanting me to take. This is a big lesson for me–I’m going to be here for a while, but I stay here to better learn how to see God in all things.