War Room

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote the song Warrior for the movie "War Room."

The Lion of Judah is on our side!

October 6, 2015
Tuesday

Good Morning, Readers! It's a glorious day to be alive and kicking!

I've been struggling with severe head pain for it seems like months now and writing has been difficult. When my head feels like it is going to explode and my hands are in tremor, I just want to pull the covers over my head and try to survive the day. My Daily Walk Bible reading has suffered because everything I was reading wasn't making sense in my wacky brain. Yesterday, this little voice inside of me said, "Do it anyway!" When God speaks, I am obedient!

Praise God! I must be on a roll, 2 blogs in 2 days!!

It's sort of strange, when the good Lord has something to say through me or my blogs, He nags me until I drag out my computer, pray, and wait for my fingers to move. That being said, sit over there in my gold chair and let's have a heart to heart chat.

On Sunday, I saw the movie, WAR ROOM. It's a fabulous movie and I recommend it highly. As I sat in my seat and watched the movie unfold, it reminded me of a time when I facilitated the class on the book, THE POWER OF A PRAYING WIFE, written by Stormie O'Martian. I wondered if the screen writer had read Stormie's book because the book and movie were so similar regarding prayer.

The POAPW book did not come with a teacher's guide so, with God's help, I wrote our study sheets ~ a miracle in and of itself. A test group was formed and I invited women to give of their time towards prayer. The first night we met, a woman by the name of Norma came huffing and puffing into the room. She said, "I was laying on the couch and God wouldn't let me alone and I knew I needed to come." We all laughed and with those words began a time of soul searching, letting go, and praying.

Women began to find their own prayer closets aka war rooms. They began to do battle for their marriages and husbands. The one rule was that there was to be no partner or husband bashing. As sisters in Christ, they held each other accountable and focused on their own faith and trust in Jesus who worked mightily behind the scenes. One woman who attended the class went through a divorce and created a war room out of her former husband's closet (it looked much like Miss Clara's in the movie). As for me, I have had prayer gardens, closets, and rooms for years and still do.

At the end of the class, the women did an assessment ~ how it affected their lives and relationships with their husbands and also me as a facilitator. Let me tell you, the Lord Jesus moved in ways that we never expected. Some husbands never changed and got worse, other relationships flourished and came together with Christ in the center. One thing was for certain: every woman grew in her faith and saw Jesus working in her life. The test group was a huge success and the class was opened to women in the church and Norma became my assistant facilitator.

For me, it was the first time I had ever stepped back in faith and allowed God to take control. I walked the road along with my class members journaling and working with my own mentors who bathed the class in prayer each week. Unfortunately, God moved me out of my marriage in a way that was totally out of my own hands and He saved my life.

In October of 2002, I entered Hope's Door in shock and despair. My husband had put a gun to my head and told me he was going to shoot me or he knew people who would. I was fortunate because I had a counseling session scheduled and somehow found the courage to walk out the door. 

My counselor gave me the telephone number of Hope's Door (ironically that was the shelter that I sat on the Board of years before and helped found). I called and was told to leave immediately. I was frozen and couldn't move. I did call two friends and they came to my house and we all sat on the floor of my war room and we prayed. The next few hours are a blurr.

My angels found emergency homes for my beloved pups. They helped me pack a few things and escorted me out of the house. My husband showed up drunk and half dressed as we left. All I could do was stare blankly into the dark night and whisper, "Help me."

I took my Bible and my fractured mind into a place of refuge and found total peace. Yes, I found serenity and purpose in a women's shelter.  In the midst of my despair, God redeemed me and took me in a totally new direction. My friend, Marti, told me that the Lord would restore me and would take my life and make all the years count for something. I have stories about that time in my life and how God truly took control doing miracles that I could see and touch. I have written about them in previous October blogs.

Today is the anniversary of that day I escaped with my life and found freedom and hope!! God is good, He's so good to me ... yeah!

The cottage is now my War Room. I wrote scriptures on the wood before the rooms were sheet rocked. I do not allow evil to enter my sacred space. It is a safe place for me and for those who join me there. It's not fancy like some of my prayer rooms but it's where the Lord and I have our "come to Jesus" meetings.

Father God, I thank you for movies like WAR ROOM that remind us that You are in control when we give up our ranting, raving, tantrums, and come to the end of ourselves. I thank you for women like Miss Clara in the movie (in my own life, Janene) who mentor and speak truth no matter how much it stings. I thank you, Jesus, for the hope you brought to a fallen world and I pray that you would use me and my Readers to spread that good news! I pray specifically for men and women who are in pain, frustrated, and sad about the state of their relationships and marriages. Build them up as sons and daughters of the Almighty, instilling in them a love for You first. Help them to let go and look to You for power and miracles. Take off our blinders that we may recognize that your ways may not be our ways and we need to trust You with ALL outcomes. I thank you for all the women that attended all of the Power of A Praying Wife classes and the light they have carried to others. I also lift up the men and women who are being convicted when they watch WAR ROOM. Let your light shine, Holy One. It is You we worship and come to for shelter from the storm. Amen, dear Jesus, it is so!

Miss Dottie reporting for duty ... let this new day begin!

`

PS  October happens to be National Awareness Month for Domestic Violence. Every year on my anniversary I remember and encourage others who are caught in that ugly web to break the silence and speak out. There are shelters and help available for women wanting to make a change. It is very difficult for women to leave their partners because of the brainwashing (similar to Stockholm Syndrome which is a psychological phenomenon in which men, women, children express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their abusers/captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with them). How do I know? I've been there and thank God I'm free!!

Extending Grace

Monday

October 5, 2015

Good Morning, Readers! It's Miss Dottie coming to you from my comfy bed. I was sitting here gazing out the patio doors and felt such a peace. The colors of Autumn surround me indoors and outside elevating my spirits and reminding me that this is the season of harvest and giving thanks.

I am now reading in the New Testament (after struggling through the Old Testament for 9 months). We are no longer under the law but saved by the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. I devour every word and am hungry to learn!

Today, I was reading Matthew 20-23 and Jesus told a story (Matthew 21:28-32) that really hit me:

A man with two sons told the older boy, "Son, go out and work on the farm today." 'I won't,' he answered but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father told the youngest, 'You go!' and he said, "Yes sir, I will." But he didn't. Which of the two was obeying his father?"

They replied, "The first, of course."

Then Jesus explained his meaning : "Surely evil men and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom before you do. For John the Baptist told you to repent and turn to God and you wouldn't, while very evil men and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to repent, and so you couldn't believe."

I guess this parable hit me because there has been so much on the news about Kim Davis who refused to issue a marriage license to a same sex couple based on her beliefs. Guilty as charged. She has been crucified over and over because of her past and because people have said she is playing this up for attention.To add fuel to the fire of judgement, the Pope came to the United States and chose to meet with her. How could he, a Pope, meet with such a flawed woman?

So many have lost respect for the Pope for being so stupid for meeting with her saying he was duped and blessed a woman for her beliefs who should have been fired from her job. The media has a way of hyping up stories to sensationalize them and cause so much agitation depending on the cause they are trying to substantiate.

All that being said, what do I think? Well, first of all, I have no idea what Kim's heart is full of ~ nor do I know if she truly loves Jesus as much as she says. I have no right to judge her because of media hype. Period, end of story for me. If I met her and talked with her, I would have more to say.

Secondly, the Pope is a very smart man. I am not Catholic; however, I have relatives who are who believe deeply in Jesus. Who did Jesus meet with on earth? He met with sick people (mentally, physically, spiritually). He met the woman at the well who had been married several times. He did not judge her, He told her to and sin no more." Maybe the Pope wanted to look into her eyes and make his own decision. Who are we to criticize how he spent his time here.

You see, Jesus did not come to save the saint ~ He came to save the sinner. Some of the most wonderful people I know have been saved from horrible lives and are so grateful for deliverance. When I hit a bottom in my own life and was set free from the demons that ran rampant in my subconscious, you have no idea how grateful I was.

My blogs have reflected my faith and my willingness to put Christ first in my life. There are some who hate me and have refused to forgive. That makes me sad but not sad enough to allow that to pull me back into the dark hole.

I have learned that people are who they are ~ some are good, some are evil. That's the way it's always been. Life's not fair. Once I accepted those truths, I could move on not expecting my life to make sense.

Our country has been divided ~ violently and with lots of hatred and strong opinions. News of another mass murder in Oregon opened the way for more controversy on gun control. When do we stop blaming the gun and looking at the real reason this happened ~ the dark heart of the shooter who I choose not to name to give him any more press than he already has gotten. Nuclear bombs ~ the murder of Christians just because they are Christian ~ the changing of what Jesus says in the Bible to fit our own agendas ~ is it not the men and women who are guilty choosing their own weapons of which the tongue is the worst?

I am praying for my country to become unified under God. I am praying that political parties and their followers would stop lying and reporting news as "they see fit" not being truthful. There's always a slant ~ both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of this. I am so tired of the "I am offended" card being played over and over. I may be offended when someone tells me that because I have been married before I must not believe in the sanctity of marriage. I can shrug it off knowing that is not how my Lord sees me. With God's help, my skin has become thicker.

Miss Dottie is choosing to follow Christ and take the high road. I choose forgiveness over bitterness and obedience to God's way. I am pro-life yet I have friends who have had abortions and I love them anyway. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman yet I have friends who are gay and I love them anyway. Addiction has run rampant in my family causing so much pain and I have friends who have been addicts and I love them anyway. I hold out my hand as I walk this pathway of life for anyone who wants to walk with me. If you don't, that's ok too. I'm gonna keep on walking!!

In my times of deep prayer the following verses came to me over and over:  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight..."  AND, Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that appears to be right but in the end it leads to death."

Holy God in Heaven, you sent your only Son to die for sinners including me who have come to you as a safe haven and redeemer. I glorify your name and kneel in your presence. I pray for those who are struggling today with all sorts of issues and ask that you send your mighty army to protect and provide. I want to especially lift up Stacy ~ grant her that extra measure of strength and courage to face her tomorrows.  I know that if our relationship with You is solid, our relationships with others will be as well. Heal our nation as we fall down before You and rise up a man or woman that would create unity ~ not as a comic, an actor, a blow hard but as a man/woman after your own heart ~ a leader who is able to unify. We are either in your army or we are not. Miss Dottie reporting for duty in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen

PS Join me today in being an encourager ... an uplifter ... a light to a dark world!

We all need encouragement to
keep on running!!