Moses answered the people, do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today – you will never see again.  God will fight the battle for you.  And you?  You keep your mouths shut. Exodus 14:13-14a (MES)

Last week I had the honor of serving on a prophetic ministry team at the North Richland Hills campus.  For several days, I sought God for a word of encouragement for specific individuals.  My process of preparing looks something like this:

• get still (Gather every single thing I might possibly want or need for the next hour – coffee, blanket, bible, journal, pen, glasses, computer…you get the idea.)
• pray (Talk to God about how desperate I am to hear what He has to say.)
• listen (Try to stop talking and wait to see if something comes to mind.)
• pray again (Talk, talk, talk – tell God what will happen if He doesn’t speak.)
• listen, listen, listen (Make a decision to cut it out, be quiet, put the pressure on God to speak and on me to be still.)
• journal (Write down any and everything I hear, see or sense.)
• repeat

It isn’t a very smooth process for me.  It’s a bit fraught with my own anxiety and need to “do well”.  Once I begin to calm myself, put the expectation on God rather than on me, it’s like a slip stream.  I step into a flow I can’t explain and I become aware of impressions, words, scriptures, and images that “speak to me” of God’s heart.

On Tuesday morning as I finalized my preparations , I felt God had a personal word for me.  I turned the page in my journal and started writing.  Here’s what God said:

“The restoration has begun.  The rebuilding is underway.

The pain lessons.

The meds decrease.

The rest is sweeter.

The hair reappears.

The nails transform.

I am faithful, Jan.  I don’t just heal or rescue.  I restore.”

Restore: 

to bring back, reinstate, reestablish, repair, renovate, fix, rehabilitate, reconstruct, redevelop, overhaul, resurrection, regeneration, the end of one thing, the beginning of another, born again, new beginning

As soon as I recorded these thoughts, I was reminded of the four stages of healing that I shared with you in my blog called Resurrection.  Here’s a quote from that blog about this phase of healing.

You appear healthy and you are healthy.

This is the goal and dream of every person who contends with sickness (or trauma or loss) – the ultimate resurrection of sorts.  It’s wonderful when you reach the stage where others don’t instantly know the battle you are in.  You truly rise again, becoming a symbol of hope and encouragement to others who are in the midst of their own fights.  In this phase, you recognize the price of the victory and work to defend and retain all the territory you have recovered. It’s marked by gratitude and a quiet confidence.  Now your testimony becomes more powerful than the test.

I also remembered the verse from Exodus quoted at the opening of this blog.  The Israelites were standing with their back at the Red Sea and their faces toward an overwhelming enemy.  There was no escape for them.  They could find no battle plan of their own.  They began to panic, complain and believe that they should have stayed in bondage.  They said it was better to be bound than to be dead.

I love how Moses responded.

He didn’t try to break them up into units for battle.  He didn’t lie to them.  He didn’t try to figure it out on his own.  He didn’t succumb to their own conclusion.  Rather, he boldly declared that God alone would be enough to deliver them.

“God will fight for you.”

Especially if they would shut their mouths.

It’s true for you, too.  If your back is up against the wall, close your mouth and stop agreeing with the enemy.  No matter how hopeless your situation appears; no matter how large the army that is advancing against you; no matter how much you second guess the steps that led you to this place…

God will fight for you.

God has indeed fought for me.  While I stand still (resolute) and wait (quite), He is delivering me, fighting for me.

When the red sea parts, we escape and our enemies are crushed.

Then it is the time to speak.

Now is the time for our testimony to begin a good work.

I am teaching a three week Equip class at Gateway Church that begins this Wednesday night, August 31st at 7:00 pm, at the Southlake Campus.  My class is called “Square Up.”

#SquareUp
Jan Greenwood
It is time to square up, put away fear, and face the enemy head on. It will be a battle, but if you are willing to fight, find out how to move to victory and watch the God of peace crush the enemy under your feet. Join us as Jan Greenwood shares how God called her to “square up” and fight the good fight.

Weeks #1 and #2, I will be sharing about how God has been teaching me to square up in the face of adversity and to cooperate with His heart and commands to navigate situations and circumstances that are impossible for man.

In week #3 I am gathering a team to lead us in a night of ministry.  We won’t just talk about my story or my breakthrough, but we’re going to lean into what God is saying about your need and your breakthrough.  Then we’re going to collectively believe for miracles.

Register Now – To view a list of all classes and to register, visit equip.gatewaypeople.com. Classes are free and children’s ministry is available, birth through sixth grade.

If you can’t attend in person, the class will be live streamed from the Gateway Church website.  Click on “watch live” to join us.

For more information, contact Karen Darwin at 817.552.7462 or email equip@gatewaypeople.com.

This week Mark and I both lost good friends to health battles which have threatened our own lives this year.  We are deeply saddened by the outcome.  We don’t understand why one person lives and another dies.  Yet I cannot help but consider that both of these men faced death boldly and that surely Christ has healed them, fought for them and delivered them safely into the hands of our Heavenly Father.  They will never again face the enemies that were set before them and they have forever been resurrected.

Let us not put our hope in the outcome of our circumstances, but rather in the overwhelming faithfulness of our God.