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Family Forum
Caring Community - Family Forum
Welcome to our online caring community. This is a forum where families can receive emotional and spiritual support from the EKF Care Ministry Team, as well as other families across the country who may be traveling a similar path with a child who has a heart condition. It is our desire to offer love, support and encouragement to you as we all walk through good times and hard times.
May 7 - Doubt, Discouragement, Delay, Difficulty, Depression
Hello, Dear Friends.
I'm not certain where you are in your heart journey, with your child,
or for that matter, with God, but I can't imagine anyone dealing with
a child who has a heart condition and not having faith in God. So,
I'm going to be bold and say that God wants to pull you closer to
himself through your child's illness. That sounds crazy, but it's
true. It happened for me and it can happen for you if you are open to
receiving God's love and all He wants to show you through the days and
difficulties ahead.
I couldn't wait another minute to pass this along to you. The
following message came to me this morning, and now I'm passing it
along to you. I hope you are reminded that God is more powerful then
our circumstances, and you are never alone, you are cared for and God
loves you.
Blessings all around,
Traci, Mom to Emma, Evan, Ella and Erika Kate
Erika Kate Foundation Care Ministry
“At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to
put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.” (Ephesians 6:16
GNT)
As a follower of Jesus, you have fiery darts coming at you all the
time. So what kind of fiery darts are coming your way? Satan implants
the following thoughts into your mind:
•Doubt. You start asking yourself, “Did God really say? Can I really
trust God? Isn’t that just your interpretation?”
•Discouragement. Satan tells you, “You’re never going to get any
better. Your life won’t change. Don’t even try.
•Delay. You ask yourself, “Why is this taking so long?” Something you
want to happen hasn’t happened by now.
•Difficulty. You ask yourself, “Why is this so hard? Why is it so hard
to make my marriage work? Why is it so hard to get a job?”
•Depression. You tell yourself, “It’s not worth it.” You don’t even
feel like making an effort.
All these darts come your way on a regular basis. They create
uncertainty in your life. In times of great uncertainty — like when
you're out of work or going through a major family transition — these
fiery darts will fly at you even faster. You better be ready for them.
Paul gives us the only proper antidote to these fiery darts: the
Shield of Faith. The Bible says, “At all times carry faith as a
shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows
shot by the Evil One” (Ephesians 6:16 GNT).
How do you handle these darts? Put on the Shield of Faith. It’s the
only protection you have against doubt, discouragement, delay,
difficulty, and depression. Trust God, no matter what you see, hear,
or feel about the world around you. You need the certainty of God when
you face the uncertainty of Satan’s fiery darts.
In short, you’ll need to doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs.
Most people do just the opposite. They doubt their beliefs and believe
their doubts. That’s just dumb. Believe what God tells you in his
Word.
With the Shield of Faith, you have certainty that God’s promises are
true even when they don’t appear to be true in your life.
Whenever you start believing your doubts and doubting your beliefs,
Satan cracks a door open in your life, and he’ll use that door to
attack you on many levels.
You can’t ever take off the Shield of Faith, either. Paul tells us to
wear it “at all times.” Satan will never stop throwing his fiery darts
at you. Stay on your guard. Trust God and his Word, no matter what’s
going on in your life.
Talk It Over
- Which fiery dart is causing you the most uncertainty — doubt,
discouragement, delay, difficulty, or depression?
- What do you know from God’s Word that should provide certainty as
Satan attacks with that fiery dart?
This devotional ©2013 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by
permission.
Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more
than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in
Southern California and author of several books, including “The
Purpose Driven Church” and “The Purpose Driven Life,” read by more
than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan
(plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the
poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used
by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional,
Daily Hope, is offered across America.
This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at
www.rickwarren.org
Caring Community: May 3 - Help Us
Caring Community: April 20 - Why is Life So Hard?
Caring Community: March 30 - Instead of Trying Harder, Trust More