Our family has really been under fire from the enemy these last couple of months. Each of us has experienced various illnesses and other physical and emotional attacks against us personally. But I stand in the midst of trials to say that our God is triumphant through it all. I won’t spend time here explaining all the various events we’ve endured recently, but I would like to talk about HOW we’ve made it through. Hopefully this will bless someone today.

• Remember God is WITH us through this.
• Get up and FIGHT! So many days, I’ve wanted to just hide under the covers. And, in honesty, some days I HAVE! But overall, we have to continually remind ourselves to NOT PANIC, NOT HIDE, but to put on our Godly armor and STAND with Him.
• Let go and Let God! (yeah I hate clichés but this one fits) When we are praying and listening to God in the midst of trial, we have to HAVE FAITH that He will see us through in His own way. It may not look like the ideal in our minds, but we need to have faith that He knows what is best for us. I heard a really cool speech by Phil Vischer (the Veggie Tales dude) where he reminded us that we have to let go of OUR dreams and ideas and plans and give it all to God and let Him make what He wants out of them. Sometimes we have to kill our dreams to do what God really has planned for us.
• Lean on someone else! As Christians, we are called to bear one another’s burdens. Don’t try and go through this alone. We have found great help from the friends and family we’ve shared our struggles with and received so much help and love from them.
• Don’t get stuck in the mud… think ahead! Try to remind yourself that these struggles are temporary and that there will come an “end to the tunnel”. You WILL make it through this. We learn to endure things we never thought we could before. God strengthens us in ways we never expected. Remember that He can change our sadness into joy in His time.
• Keep laughing! Now I’m not saying to put on a phony smiley face and pretend like life’s OK when it’s not. BUT, for our family, laughter is a big part of who we are. Even in the midst of the most frightening situations, there are things you can laugh at. So work to find those and enjoy them for the fleeting moments that are possible. Laughter is healthy 😉
• Keep your eyes on Jesus! Remember Hebrews 12 and fix your eyes on Jesus.
• Guard yourself! The Bible tells us to always be on guard … to not give the enemy a foothold (Eph 4:27). How do we stay on guard? Stay spiritually READY! Don’t let things slide like prayer time, studying the Word, etc. Take it from ME … when we do let things slide, we are hit harder when things start going wrong.
• God is bigger! Back to Veggietales … I love the episode where they sing “God is bigger than the boogie man… He’s bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV… oh God is bigger than the boogie man and He’s watching out for YOU AND ME”Does it get any better than that? *giggle* God’s Word clearly states that all authority belongs to HIM. The enemy is NOT sovereign… he is NOT more powerful… GOD IS!

So if you find yourself in the midst of troubles and trials cling to these thoughts and keep on walking with God. Here are some verses that will help: James 1, 1 Corinthians 10, 1 Peter 4, Job.

Thank you for everyone who has been lifting up our family in prayer. Even though it’s been tough, we KNOW you are praying for us and we know that God is with us. It is evident that His hand is upon us when we see all the ministry doors He has opened for us just this year. (More about those below)

Blessings,

Tamitha, Bobby, Jonathan & Jordan

BTW… if you haven’t already, join our group on Facebook
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/252025