Everything that the enemy tried to put in my way, I Trusted God to deliver me from it and to lead me through.  Faith is a powerful word.  Faith is the beginning of things.  If I have little faith or none at all, I have now handicapped God.  Putting a limitation on my faith is the same as putting a limitation on God.  He can’t move on my behalf if I don’t believe that he can. Without Faith it is impossible to please God.  Is it not my duty as a Christian to please my Father, God?  Is it not true that I was created to Worship Him?  Is it not true that God loved me so much that He gave His only Son to die for my sins?  Is it not true that I am a true heir of Christ Jesus and my Father is rich?  Is it not true that God has given me the power to overcome?  Is it not true that whatsoever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven?  Is it not true that I have authority over the enemy?  Is it not true that God has already put inside of me everything that I need to be successful in life?  Yes, it is true.  Then why do I or we not believe.  It’s because of our mindset.  This is where a mindset change has to come into play. Romans 12:2 MSG reads: Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Wow, that says a lot.  When your mind changes, things begin to change.  Now I’ve stepped into the realm of Faith that begins to operate for me in every aspect of my life.  Now Faith!!!!!! Not I think faith, but NOW faith.

I will wait on the Lord and He will come through. Sometimes waiting is the hardest thing for us as believers to do.  You have to develop patience if you want your faith to work for you.  Romans 12:12 AMP reads: Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer. 

Who’s’ report do You believe?  I believe the report of the Lord.  There is nothing impossible for him to do.  I believe that He will take any situation that I am going through and turn it around for my benefit.  I feel that I’ve reached a major turning point in my life.  I feel the spirit of God in me more than ever before.  It is almost like because of what has happened to me it quickened something in my spirit.  I am anxious.  The Holy Spirit in me has been awakened.  My Faith level has reached an unknown and unexplored realm that few have the opportunity to experience.  It is a great feeling when you know that you are on the right track and what you hear is directly from the Lord. 

Everything that the Spirit of the Lord had told me is being confirmed.   I COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN IGO THROUGH.  THE TEARS I SHED ARE NOT TEARS OF SORROW BUT TEARS OF JOY.  THIS MEANS THAT SOMETHING IS ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!!!!   I say Hallelujah!!!!!!!  God is still God and I Praise Him even the more.  The baby in my belly has begun to leap. Labor pains are being felt.  I am beginning to have contractions to birth the baby that has been placed inside of me.  This is the point in my life that the enemy has been trying to keep me from.  The joke is on him because little did he know that the harder that he pushed the more I trusted God.  There is no turning back.  I have reached a place in faith where I can’t turn back.  I now know who I am.  I now know what God have given me the power to do.  I now know the power of my tongue.  I now know that I can speak things into existence.  Therefore I choose to speak goodness over my life.  

I DECREE AND DECLARE THAT MY DAYS OF LACK ARE NO MORE.  I DECREE AND DECLARE THAT THE LEVEL OF FAITH THAT HAS BEEN BIRTHED INSIDE OF ME SHALL WORK FOR ME FULLY IN EVERY AREA OF MY PERSONAL LIFE BUT THERE SHALL BE SUCH AN OVERFLOW THAT IT WILL CORPORATELY BE ABLE TO MOVE FOR OTHERS ON THEIR BEHALF.  My life and my story will be a true example of what it means to have faith for this is my purpose.  This is my testimony and it is still in the process of completion.  But I know that when it is all over it will help many that are going through the same thing.  Because of my FAITH God brought me through.   I LEARNED HOW TO STAND!!

At one point in my life I was doing pretty well.  I had 3 cars, owned my own home, 2 vacation homes, 2 great paying jobs myself, kids were well taken care of, my daughter was on a full ride scholarship away at college, things seemed to be going pretty well.  Then things started to take a turn.  My daughter informed me that she was pregnant and she was going to lose her scholarship.  To make things worse, she was in an abusive relationship.  I had to sit by and witness my child get beaten repeatedly with not much that I could do.  She had to make up her own mind that she had enough.  I did what I knew to do and that was pray. My father’s health all of a sudden began to decline.  If that wasn’t bad enough I lost both my jobs, 1 vacation home, 1 car, bills began to pile up and I eventually had to file bankruptcy. Never would I’ve thought that I would be in this place.  Trying to hold on I thought that if I could just keep my car and home I would be okay.  Although things were not going well I made sure that I didn’t let it affect me going to church and worshipping God.  I was worshipping God not for what he had done but just because He was God.

One Sunday evening after praising God there was a knock on my door.  When I opened the door it was the repo company to take my car away.  No, this was not happening.  I was so hurt.  The enemy said what are going to do now?  Now your car is gone.  I cried but I didn’t let it detour me.  I kept praising and worshipping God.  I walked to church not letting it stop me and not really letting anyone know what I was going through.  There was only one person who knew some of my situation.  I kept on praising God.  It rained, I walked.  Sometimes I would be very tired after standing and singing in 3 services but I walked.  I knew that God would take care of me. He had to move on my behalf.  I just needed to wait.  This was when I learned patience.   It was 1 day before the finance company was going to auction my car off.  The spirit of the Lord told me to go to the mail box.  When I opened the mail it was a letter from the bankruptcy court demanding that the car company return my car to me at NO EXPENSE TO ME.  Not only did they have to return my car but $3,000 was taken off the loan, all past due was forgiven, my interest rate was dropped 10%, 6 months was taken off the life of the loan and it was serviced when I picked it up. Hallelujah!!!  Then my daughter informed me that she was no longer in her abusive relationship.  He finally got caught and the courts were prosecuting him and I didn’t have to. Then I received a call for a job that I didn’t apply or interview for.  God brought the job to me.  It was in a field that I had NO EXPERIENCE IN.  It had to be God.  I know the God I serve.

Things seemed like they were starting to look up.  But it wasn’t over.  I got a letter from my mortgage company that my home was in default status and pre-foreclosure proceedings had begun.  Here I was again dealing with a possible loss of my home of 14 years.  I did what I knew to do.  I kept praising God without fainting.  My father’s health continued to decline.  He required around the clock care.  This was hard to see because my father was always a very independent and strong man.  Then I got a call from my mother stating that my father’s health insurance was not going to pay for his care any longer and he would have to be discharged.  For the 2 time in my entire life I heard my mother cry.  The only other time I heard her cry was when my newborn daughter died.  Yes, I’ve dealt with that as well, but the peace of God brought me through.  Hearing my mother cry was a hurt that was hard for me to handle.  If the hurt of our loved ones is hard for us as human beings to deal with what do you think God’s feels when He sees us go through hurt and pain?   I just began to cry and fall on my knees.  Lord I need you.  I don’t know what to do. 

During times like these you must know that your relationship with God is genuine.  This why Jesus Christ died and rose again, He left us a comforter known as the Holy Ghost.  The Holy Spirit within me began to lead and instruct me on what to do.  I was told to go to my computer and I was lead to a website that handled long term nursing care for people involved in the very situation that my parents were going through.  I called and spoke to them and was immediately helped.  Little did I know that I would have to go to their office which was located in southern California.  At this time I had no means to get there. But God provided.  My family was blessed with a week vacation at a diamond resort that was located near their office.  This was at little cost to us.  God is good.  Through the Grace of God I was able to get my father approved for long term medi-cal which was known to be impossible for someone in his condition.  Not only that the Lord made a way for him to be able to stay in the hospital until everything was approved.  I had put everything in the hands of the Lord and He worked it out.  Through this situation I didn’t stop pressing, praying and praising.

Then the enemy spoke to me and said I still have your home.  I didn’t care or worry about it.  God had been so good to me that my faith had entered a new realm.  I continued to trust God.  I prayed and asked God what would HE have me to do.  Should I fight to hold on to my home or should I let it go.  He said, Trust Me.  So this is what I did.  By this time I’ve learned that if you listen to what God has for you to do, you won’t go wrong.  I said I won’t move until you say move.  The Holy Spirit began to speak to me and tell me that God had something else for me.  That’s when I began to let go.  I informed my family that it was time for us to move on.  They asked, “Where are we going?”  I said, “I don’t know all I know is that I need to start packing.”  I went and found moving boxes and began to pack my house.  My husband looked at me like I was crazy.  He kept asking me, “where are we going?”  “Our credit is messed up, we just filed bankruptcy and this house is all we have.”  I said, “No it is not, I have Jesus and he said get ready to move.”   I began to look on the internet for homes.  I didn’t know which way He was leading me if it was for home ownership or for rental.  I was just packing.  I knew that I didn’t want to move far from where I was currently located.  I looked and looked and nothing seemed to be available in our price range.  I just kept trusting and packing.  All the while I kept praising and not letting it affect my lifestyle of worship.  Nobody knew what I was going through.  I remained faithful.  Then one evening after praise and worship rehearsal I was looking for a home again on the internet.  The computer suddenly froze.  I had to power the computer down and restart it.  When I got back on the internet and typed in my usual search a new website came up.  It showed me homes in my area that I had not seen before.  One home stood out.  I wrote down the address and I and my kids drove by to see it.  The first thing I noticed was that it was in the neighborhood I always wanted to live in.  The home was beautiful at least what I could see at night.  My youngest son said, “Well mom, you said that we were moving to a bigger and better house with 2 stories I think this is it.”  “I’ll take it.”  My oldest son said, “This is really nice but I need to know where will I be able to play my basketball?”  “It’s on a hill.”  I told him we’ll figure that out.  Then we went home.  After we returned home I got ready for bed and prayed and asked the Lord If that house was for me to make it an easy transition and to confirm His word.  Let me know that it is you because I don’t want to move outside of your will.  Then I went to sleep.

At 6am the next morning my eyes opened.  The Lord woke me up.  I said okay Lord what do you have to tell me.  He said go and look at the address and tell me what you see.  I got up and pulled up the listing again.  I had not really noticed the address before but this time it stuck out like a sore thumb.  The address was 19 ZION Ave.  WOW!!!!  19 deals with the perfection of divine order that is in relation to judgment. Zion was the name that God gave His people. Then I realized that the home sat on the side of the mountain looking over the land.  God’s spiritual Kingdom Psalms 125: 1-2NIV reads:

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.  As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

WOW!!!!  Okay Lord I hear you.  The house had been on the market for 3 weeks.  I said if this is for me it will still be available. I decided to call and leave a message for the realtor because it was 6 in the am.  So I called the number. I real person answered.  I was shocked. I apologized for calling so early.  I told him I was just going to just leave a message.  He was very understanding.  I asked if the house was still available and he said, “Yes, would you like to see it today at 1pm?”   Excited I said yes!!!  After I got off the phone I realized that my husband was at work and I didn’t know what time he was going to get home.  I called him and asked what time did he expect to get home, he told me 1pm.  Wow look at God.  I was so excited.  I got in my car and went to look at the home in the daylight before meeting with the realtor.  When I pulled up I began to laugh.  There was an in ground basketball court in the backyard.  I guess that answered my oldest son’s question.  The home was perfect. 

It was time to meet with the realtor.  We all got in the car and drove over.  My family could not believe what they were seeing.  I could because I know the God I serve and trust.  When we arrived the door was open and the realtor was inside.  We walked up to the door and said hello.  The realtor met us at the door.  I was in shock. The realtor was the same person that was just introduced to me the day before at my job.  You know that job I didn’t apply for or interview for.  Yeah, that one.  I said, “I know you.”  He said, “I know you too.  How are you Karen?” How funny was this?  He showed us the home and asked if we liked it.  I told him yes but I have to be honest we are moving from our home and we have just been discharged from bankruptcy.  He said, “Don’t worry about that, I just want to know if you want it.”   Yes of course.  To make a long story short, we were approved for the house within 1 week.  The home I was trying to hold on to was a 1 level 3 bedrooms and 2 baths 1,400sq ft.  The home God had for me was tri-level 4 bedroom 3 bath with an office,  formal living room, formal dining room, family room, 2300sq ft. and sitting on ¼ acre land for less than what I was paying for on the other home.  I know what my God can do. My faith didn’t stop there.  I had to believe God for the finances to move. 

I continued in faith and kept packing.  I didn’t have the money for my deposit, 1 month’s rent or moving expenses but I knew that God would come through.  I know that the God I serve is not an incomplete God.  He does not operate in confusion and incompleteness.  Just because of the fact that He already started it means that it is already done.  I kept packing.  I signed the rental agreement and kept packing.  I found and purchased things I needed for my new home because the Lord told me not to bring old and battered things into my new blessing.  He would supply me with what I needed if I trusted Him.  So I did.  I just kept packing.  The Lord began to bless me with furniture and things for my home for ridiculous prices.  For example how do you get a beautiful executive desk for your new in home office (which God told you that you needed) for $25.00.  Only by the grace of God. 

Well things were moving right along.  It was almost time to move into our new home.  I had three days before I was to move.  I scheduled things to be turned on at the new house and things to be turned off at the old home but I still didn’t have the money to move or the deposit.  My husband looked at me in disbelief.  I told him I was trusting God.  I didn’t know how He was going to do it, but I knew that He would.  It may not come when we expect it to but God’s timing is perfect.  I told him I was going to lie down because I was tired and I’d to go to church that night. So I went to lie down.  Before I did so, I said, “God it is in your hands and I will trust you.”  Not 2 minutes later my husband came in the bedroom and told me that he was picking up $4000 the next day for us to move.  An individual had just blessed us with the money as a gift not a loan.  God moved on our behalf.  Wow, my faith is rising!!!  We moved into our new blessing without a glitch.  God is so good.  I give Him all the Glory.  I’ll keep praising and worshipping Him.

Finally, for a moment in my life it seemed things were pretty calm.  Then I got word that my father’s health was failing. I watched Him go through pain and suffering not being able to do anything.  I had to be strong.  I just kept worshipping for this had become my lifestyle.  This was my release.  We were down to 2 cars and 1 of them was having problems. My car was the only car really running.  Because of this my husband took my car to go to work.  Then I received a call that my father had passed away.  I was alone, no way to get there, no one to talk to.  I just wrapped myself in my heavenly Father’s arms.  Lord I need You.  I need your peace.  I need your comfort. In an instant he was there.  After my husband came home I went to see about my mother.  She is a strong woman of God and her faith and trust in God is just as strong as mine.  We stood in agreement that we would get through this with God’s peace.  How many know that this made the enemy mad?  After driving to Oakland to help out, my brakes went out on my car without warning.  I was able to get is safely to my mother’s home.  I rebuked the enemy and said I will not be defeated.  Now both of our cars were down.  I couldn’t drive my car anywhere.  I went ahead with my mother in her car and took care of arrangements for my father.  I told my brother what had happened on the way over.  By the end of the day my brakes were fixed and my car was waiting for me in the driveway.  Not only that the next day my husband’s car was fixed as well.  All this was done at NO EXTRA expense to me.  God Blessed us all through this situation and His PEACE was with us.  I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!!  My faith and trust in Him will never falter. 

I continued to worship and praise God.  Not for what He had done but just for who He is.  My worship and praise had entered another dimension.  I had truly developed a lifestyle of worship.  Every day was dedicated to honor Him.  Not looking at the things that are around me but looking unto Him asking what I can do to honor you today.  Things were not always great.  I had some hard days.  But I kept trusting Him.  There were times that I had to trust in Him for my needs.  The sickness and death of my father caused me to not work for 1 month.  I had just moved and couldn’t get behind.  Lord I trust you.  My kids were growing so fast they were outgrowing all their clothes.  Lord I trust you.  My hours at my job had been cut down and it was only part time to begin with.  Lord I trust you!!!  I kept pressing, praying and praising.  There was no turning back.

We had put our home on the market and had offers on top of offers.  It was up to the mortgage company to accept the offers.  They sat on the offers, played games, made us jump through all kinds of hoops.  All of the offers were at market value although we were trying to do a short sale.  I thought that everything would be okay.  Then I found out this week that the mortgage company foreclosed on my home of 14 years without any recourse.  How many know that this is the time that the enemy chooses to jump in and place the spirit of doubt, depression and anger on many?  I chose to opt out!!!  I count it ALL JOY!!!  I began to praise God.  I began to shout. My praise and worship moved to another level in Him.  I did just the opposite of what the enemy wanted me to do.  Do you know that your praise in the time of test and trials confuses the enemy?  Do you know that your praise is your weapon?  Do you know that God is still God despite of all you’re going through?  Do you know that He is a Faithful God?  I do.  This is why I choose to PRESS, PRAY, PRAISE AND SHOUT NOW!!!  This testimony is to be continued.  But I know that at the end, I will be victorious!!!. I WILL BE AND DO WHAT HE HAS CALLED ME TO DO.  I TRUST HIM!!!!

Why do I write when I don’t even consider myself a writer? Why do I share my personal life with others when I am usually a very private person? I do it because God told me to.  I need to share my revelation of faith with others because of my experiences, test and trials. Through this I will be able to show people how to STAND.

What is faith? We all know the scripture Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  What are you hoping for?  What are you looking for?  Is it aligned with the word of God?  Is it aligned with the will of God for your life?  Do you say what you believe? Do you believe what you say?  If the answer to these questions is yes then your faith will work for you.  What are doing to act in faith?  Are acting as if it is so? Or are you acting like you don’t know?  You have to learn not to look at your circumstance but to look unto God.  Learn not to look with your physical eyes but with your spiritual eyes.  What does your heart say?  Proverbs 3: 1-6 NIV reads: 

  My son, do not forget my teaching,
   but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
   and bring you peace and prosperity.

  Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
   bind them around your neck,
   write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
   in the sight of God and man.

  Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight

With a pure heart and unwavering faith you are unstoppable.  The enemy knows this.  Why do you think he injects fear and doubt into your life?  If he can distract you with the circumstances in life and get your mind off of what you were created to do which is worship God then he has you.   Don’t’ give place to the enemy.  Stand strong, don’t waver.  Don’t turn back.  Keep the faith in God to know that all is well. God gave this to me and it sits on my desk at home for me to see and read every day. It states:

I DECREE AND I DECLARE THAT GOD CAN AND IS ABLE TO DO ALL THAT I CAN ASK OR THINK.  I MUST SPEAK IN FAITH ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD AND BELIEVE THAT HE WILL.  LITTLE FAITH, LITTLE POWER, MUCH FAITH, MUCH POWER.  I DECLARE THAT PROSPERITY IS THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS.  EVERYTHING THAT I PUT MY HANDS TO WILL PROSPER AND NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER.  I AM DECLARED THE RIGHTEOUS OF GOD AND I SHALL NOT LACK.

To confirm his word he gave me Psalms 112NIV

  Praise the LORD.

   Blessed are those who fear the LORD,
   who find great delight in his commands.

  Their children will be mighty in the land;
   the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
   and their righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
   for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
   who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
   they will be remembered forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
   their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
   in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
   their righteousness endures forever;
   their horn will be lifted high in honor.

  The wicked will see and be vexed,
   they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
   the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Rest in God’s word regarding faith read   Hebrews the 11 chapter.

Believe that it is so.  You Can Stand.

God Bless You.