Look at the child in this photo!! Take a good look, what do you see? This is my daughter JOY, she has lived up to her name! She is full of life and Joy and always believes the best! I have taught all of my kids to believe God for the impossible! When they ask me for things that our budget does not allow I simply say, "ask God, He has all the money we need!"
My children have acquired an array of things through this little truth! Over three years ago we moved to Kansas City, Mo. to be part of World Revival Church. We had been looking for a church that had passion and fire for a living God for over 10 years! When we watched one of the services, we knew we needed come, I wrote about that experience in my blog called: Why Revival.
During the course of making the preparations to move we had to make a lot of decisions that effected more than just us. It was easy for me but, when considering others it became more of a challenge. What do I mean, you ask? I was ready to throw everything away, (material things), or give everything away, but my husband and children did not have that attitude. Moving also meant, we would have to be replaced on our jobs and we would leave behind family and friends!
My daughter Joy was very attached to all of our animals!! Honestly we all were but, she was just young enough to contend for what her heart really wanted. We had 3 dogs, 3 cats and 2 horses. One horse I had since he was 2, the other one I had since he was one. The kids had been in 4H for years with the dogs. The cats were hilarious, we had mousers extra extraordinaire! Joy loved all of the animals and hugged them everyday. She spent at least 4 hrs. per day with her dog Sparkles. When making decisions about the move, it seemed like taking animals was too overwhelming to think about. Trailering horses would cost $1,000 minimum. The complications in traveling with animals kept piling up!! We had decided to leave all, except for Sparkles, behind.
One of the most heartbreaking things was when Joshua and I drove away with the cats, Joy came running after us screaming, "don't take my cats!!!!" We stopped the van, I took Joy into the house and explained to her that they would be fine! She loved the cats, they were family to her! She alone left behind a Hannah Montana room, her horse, a room full of toys, and 3 cats! We left too many items to write about, we only took 1/4 of our belongings. We could only afford one truck of a minimal size and my desire to move was greater than bringing anything.
Of all the animals, whom I loved so dearly, one had huge significance to me. That would be Joy's horse, Rainmaker! He was a grey version of black beauty and he and I have been together for 29 years! I had him before my marriage, before any children, before my relationship with God! He had been through the highs, the low's and was all I had left of anything, that reminded me of a better time.
So what were we to do???? When we went to Kansas City to look for jobs, we stopped each day at the House of Hope and Healing. We wanted as much prayer as possible to make this move a success! The woman who was praying for us on day one, asked each of us what we wanted from God when we moved here. When she came to Joy what do you think she asked for?? Joy asked for prayer to bring the dogs here!! As soon as the words came out of her mouth, I just sat in the chair and cried!!! I knew somehow, someway, they had to come!
After we arrived, she started praying for cats and horses! About 9 months after moving here Joy said to me, " mom I love it here, I love our church, but can't they just all move to Michigan so we can have our horses?!" That hit me like a ton of bricks.....it stopped me in my tracks....I have been altered to a degree I never imagined! From that moment on I contended for her to have a horse. God has provided her with one at almost no fee!
Here is a photo of Joy riding a horse at a birthday party! I wished that I could say she stopped praying for cats but, she didn't! I wrote a blog about the cats too, it is called: If It Is In Your Power To Do Something, Do It!
Here is the real lesson, this is what I have learned through the heart of my daughter! She believed what I taught her! She believed that if I could not pay for something, God could!! For the last year and 1/2 we haven't purchased any dog food! I want you to stop and think on that for just one moment!!
Someone called us up at a time when we did not have $ to buy us food. Instead of having people deliver us food, we received a call and was asked if we would like food for ......the dogs!!! It has been over one year that God has provided dog food, bones, biscuits, and other goodies! The person who called did not know that my husband was out of work! God knew and because of the heart of a little girl who believed, her dogs got to eat like Kings!
Last November God gave us 2 cats!! After we got the cats at NO FEE, from an adoption agency who normally charges people, we got a call and we were asked if we needed cat food and kitty litter??!! The private agency also gave us all of the vet work and many kitty accessories as well! I had not told our friend that we had any cats!!! We have not paid for anything for the cats since February of this year 2013. We just got them in the end of November!
One day I realized something, when my daughter prays for things, she does not put herself in the equation as a prerequisite in order to receive. She believes God will provide because of who He is, not because of who she is! So many times we don't even ask for things because we can't see how it can work!
Galatians 3:7 says: Understand then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.
My daughter has faith! Without faith it is impossible to please God! I had to realize and come to the understanding that what we left behind was because of lack of faith! Jeusus never told me I had to loose what was important to our family to gain Him. He did say I had to loose my life, in order to gain life! The animals were not my life, they were part of our family! He is into families, He is not into leaving any family member behind! It took me loosing mine to understand this, I hope you can acquire faith without loosing anything else!
I would like to add, sometimes we loose things and it is completely out of our control. So please understand this is not meant to make you feel like you have done something wrong! I am just trying to encourage you through the faith of my daughter that anything is possible and God can restore all that you have lost!
Lord help us have the faith as a child, so we can be children of Abraham. We need to go forward in restoring ALL that we gave up and lost due to lack of faith! Restore Jesus, Restore, all that we have lost, all that it has cost.....RESTORE!
Why Revival?? We need restoration in the body of Christ!
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