June 17th, 2018

Good Sunday evening everyone…and a big welcome tonight, to the Heart to Heart Blog! I am so happy to be back with you this evening and my prayer; is that God would truly work…through the time we spend together tonight!
 
As we begin our time together, I would just like to share my heart with you. You know…the past 6 years, I have learned so much more; then I ever thought I ever would. I have learned that I don’t always need the things that I always felt I needed in life and more importantly…I have come to gain a heart that sees life in a much different light. I have also come to see that even though I don’t live like a queen…I am still living so much better than others I know.
 
How is it that we have become so caught up in material things? Seems like we need food and other things to bring happiness into our lives…or even to cover up the pain we’re experiencing deep within.
 
The other day, I talked to someone on the phone that we have been supporting overseas, for the past 6 years. He’s a Christian that will never experience the blessings that I have come to see within my own life because as a persecuted Christian, he never will receive the very best…only the second best. He’s also a person who suffers greatly, for the cause of Christ…and probably in a way that we may never have to face.
 
Anyways…as I began my conversation with him, I noticed that he wasn’t his old happy self; so I asked him what was wrong. He hesitated for a moment and then said that his electricity meter…along with the meters of 6 other apartment complexes had blown up and quit working. Two things you must understand; is that in his country, they don’t have the same electricity set up as we do…and second, if a meter quits working; then he has to purchase another one, which costs $350…with labor. He also works 6 long days a week in the heat and only gets paid $100 a month…so I would say about now; that we all are truly feeling blessed, in comparison to what he is continually experiencing within his own life.
 
What amazes me about this person; is that he will get on the phone and talk about his “big God” and pray for Keith and I all the time. No matter what he is experiencing; it appears as though my husband and I become more important, than anything he is experiencing at the moment…and I would say that this is truly a person, who chooses to rise above despair.
 
Now, as he is waiting to see what can be done to restore a meter that he cannot afford…he is living with temperatures that are going into the low to mid 100’s. He can’t get water for a shower or to wash his closes because his water pump runs by electricity…and, there is no electricity for a fan, to keep him cool. He also is struggling to stay in contact with Keith and me because he doesn’t have the electricity to charge his phone…which is our only means of communication.
 
As I sit here this evening…the problems that used to feel so big within my own life are now nothing. You know…it’s not always easy for me to understand why God allows some to suffer more than others; but one thing I have come to see; is that these hard and steep mountains we have to climb at times truly does point us in God’s direction…for each step that seems almost impossible to take; gives us a reason to call out to God and lean on Him for help.
 
No matter how overwhelming a circumstance can seem and no matter how impossible it appears to be; there is a God who is much stronger than any weakness we face. Satan definitely has a way of making these moments of affliction seem far worse than what they really are…so that’s why we should never get caught up in these moments…because focusing deeply on what Satan longs for us to perceive, will only take us to a place of more discouragement.
 
Today, we need to stand strong, in the knowledge; that our God will never leave us or forsake us…at a time, when we need help the most. No matter how dark and dismal these moments may seem; there is a light that can illuminate the darkness and replace anxiety with peace…hopelessness for hope and most of all cause the darkness to leave for good.
 
No matter what you face or are facing at this time…don’t focus on what the problem is attempting to convey to you; but rather focus on a God who is much greater than the so called strength of a weak moment.
 
Well…time for me to prepare for another new week of ministry work. I pray that our time together has truly blessed your heart, as it has mine! May you truly find the peaceful presence of God surrounding you this evening, as you rest and I pray that your Monday be truly blessed from above! Take care and I will hope to be back with you tomorrow evening, as I share thoughts from the day, along with the goodness of a great, loving and powerful God…heart to heart!
Blessings on your night…and this brand new week!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
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