A Woman's Heart - Living Above The Suffering
I recently ran across a newspaper clipping from the July 1953, San Antonio newspaper, of my father Sidney's stabbing. He was driving his automobile to Sinton, Texas and he picked up hitch-hikers in San Antonio,Texas. The hitch-hikers took advantage of my father's generosity and robbed him. He was stabbed multiple times with a knife, but somehow survived. The thing that I realized was if my father had died I would not have lived. My sister Cheryl and I were conceived sometime later. But if our father had died we would not have been born, and our children and grandchildren would not exist either. God sent an angel to protect my father's life. And, my father decided to live above the mess and suffering that the men had made of his life. Maybe, he decided to live because of my mother and his 3 other children. Whatever was the case, he survived and I was conceived and born. 7 years later he died from congestion heart failure, both his aortic and mitral valves failed. He was only 33 years old. He lived long enough to create Cheryl and I. So I know and believe that Satan did not want me to live, because He knew that my mother and father would birth a daughter who will eventually give her life to telling others about Jesus!
Satan has caused a lot of suffering in my life, yet I still praise God. I have faced many diseases, illness that the physicians said I would not live, ill-treatment, and poverty. Yet, I live and Christ lives within me. I have had victory in my life for all the suffering that Satan has tried to cause. I believe my family is marked by Christ to be messengers to others about His amazing grace.
I cannot help relate the incident of my father to my Lord. My Lord and Savior who suffered on the cross was stabbed in the heart. He was beaten to unrecognized form. Psalm 22 is a prophetic Psalm of the Lord's Suffering. Psalm 22:16-18, "For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Wicked men caused suffering to our Lord and they tried everything before and at the cross to kill him. However, Christ gave up His life on that cross and the Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead. Today He lives, and because He lives I can face tomorrow and I have victory in every area of my life.
I know that if you have been a Christian long enough you will see down times, but the upswing is on the way! Because Christ rose to defeat evil and Satan is defeated. So why do you still see evil and suffering still comes? Because it is only the aftermath of the enemy's defeat. So strong at times I know. But it is truly only the aftermath of his defeat. It is like thunder, lightning, floods, and earthquakes. You can see the destruction of the flood, you feel the earthquake, and you can hear the thunder roar. However, the earth is still the Lord's and it is still in His Hands. Satan cannot destroy the earth. Satan cannot destroy your soul, unless you give it to him. Satan and evil has entered the mind of men, it is only when Satan enters the heart of men that destruction begins.
I know some of you don't believe that there is any gain in doing good. But, I am here to tell you if you will continue to follow God, you will see victory! Even when your heart is right, if another is evil you will be in a battle. The saving grace is that you have the Stronger One (Jesus) on your side and He will and has defeated the enemy. Yes, Satan is slippery and is not so easily shaken. He is a deceiver. Even when you are good, and you do all the right things. Satan can come, but he will not win. He makes you think you are doing the right thing, when in fact, he leads you down a path of darkness and despair.
The only way you know if you doing what is right is to measure what you are doing with the Holy Scriptures. The greatest bait of Satan is to deceive you and trap you in a space where you lose all hope. Then he will try to stab the life out of you. But, God will send an Angel of help to come to your rescue and protect you. He will never leave you or forsake you, if you only believe. The LORD is strong and mighty. The LORD is mighty in battle. Lift up your hands and live above the suffering for the victory is near. When you live fully through God, others are saved around you!
In His Name and For Him Only,
Pastor Tricia
Satan has caused a lot of suffering in my life, yet I still praise God. I have faced many diseases, illness that the physicians said I would not live, ill-treatment, and poverty. Yet, I live and Christ lives within me. I have had victory in my life for all the suffering that Satan has tried to cause. I believe my family is marked by Christ to be messengers to others about His amazing grace.
I cannot help relate the incident of my father to my Lord. My Lord and Savior who suffered on the cross was stabbed in the heart. He was beaten to unrecognized form. Psalm 22 is a prophetic Psalm of the Lord's Suffering. Psalm 22:16-18, "For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots." Wicked men caused suffering to our Lord and they tried everything before and at the cross to kill him. However, Christ gave up His life on that cross and the Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead. Today He lives, and because He lives I can face tomorrow and I have victory in every area of my life.
I know that if you have been a Christian long enough you will see down times, but the upswing is on the way! Because Christ rose to defeat evil and Satan is defeated. So why do you still see evil and suffering still comes? Because it is only the aftermath of the enemy's defeat. So strong at times I know. But it is truly only the aftermath of his defeat. It is like thunder, lightning, floods, and earthquakes. You can see the destruction of the flood, you feel the earthquake, and you can hear the thunder roar. However, the earth is still the Lord's and it is still in His Hands. Satan cannot destroy the earth. Satan cannot destroy your soul, unless you give it to him. Satan and evil has entered the mind of men, it is only when Satan enters the heart of men that destruction begins.
I know some of you don't believe that there is any gain in doing good. But, I am here to tell you if you will continue to follow God, you will see victory! Even when your heart is right, if another is evil you will be in a battle. The saving grace is that you have the Stronger One (Jesus) on your side and He will and has defeated the enemy. Yes, Satan is slippery and is not so easily shaken. He is a deceiver. Even when you are good, and you do all the right things. Satan can come, but he will not win. He makes you think you are doing the right thing, when in fact, he leads you down a path of darkness and despair.
The only way you know if you doing what is right is to measure what you are doing with the Holy Scriptures. The greatest bait of Satan is to deceive you and trap you in a space where you lose all hope. Then he will try to stab the life out of you. But, God will send an Angel of help to come to your rescue and protect you. He will never leave you or forsake you, if you only believe. The LORD is strong and mighty. The LORD is mighty in battle. Lift up your hands and live above the suffering for the victory is near. When you live fully through God, others are saved around you!
In His Name and For Him Only,
Pastor Tricia
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