WEARING A "LOP-SIDED" YOKE

Have you ever felt as if you were:

WEARING A "LOP-SIDED " YOKE

I have spent some of my time doing so. But, at the time I was doing it. I thought I had all of God in my life that He had to give me.

I learned there was MORE, MUCH, MUCH, MORE!

And I guess that would be my first over-all statement, that through all I have been through I have first and foremost come to know my MAKER in a much deeper way.
I have learned that He is more than I ever dreamed or imagined He could be to me. I have been taught how to forgive, and how to live with joy and peace even in the midst of great pain. I thought this was so wonderful -it put a song in my heart that I had not even experienced before. To hurt worse than you ever thought you could, and to come out of it with more joy and more peace than all that pain -what could be better than having "peace that passes all understanding" that you actually can take your worst nightmare and "count it all joy." When I got there, I found I could do nothing else but give my life to tell others about HIM.

Well, my dear and precious ones to me, I found out what could be better. He taught me that He was able to take away all that great pain of the past. "By His stripes we are healed!" -that means all kinds and types of healing. "With God nothing is impossible!" "Is My arm too short?" -The Creator asks to prove His point. He really is our "Great Physician" in every respect! Oh, when I was released of the pain of the past, I could hardly believe it! He really does "give beauty for ashes!" I thought to myself: "This must be the pinacle of faith and trust and closeness to the Father!"

But there was MORE...

I had fears, mostly I had a deep abiding fear of the future. It scared me sick -literally. I had a growth on my right ovary that they thought was cancerous. And the day that God showed me how to trust Him with the future -I sighed in the worship service a great release!

But there was STILL MORE...

As my sigh went up, a supernatural hand went into my abdomen and began to pull and just so I would know what and WHO it was there were three distinct tugs from the same exact angle. I could literally feel the tumor being pulled free from my right ovary. First I felt a grab and a deep tug loosen the top of the tumor from my ovary. Then the second tug almost pulled it free, but there was a deep root and also a sheaf on the left side still attached. The third and final tug pulled the sheaf free and pulled out the root of the tumor. I knew right there that I was healed both emotionally and physically because I had trusted HIM spiritually -which was the key.
Still the restoration, though promised had not come. The promise verse given to me was:

COME, LET US RETURN TO THE LORD,

FOR HE HAS TORN US,
BUT HE WILL HEAL US;

HE HAS WOUNDED US,
BUT HE WILL BANDAGE US.

HE WILL REVIVE US
AFTER TWO DAYS;

HE WILL RAISE US UP
ON THE THIRD DAY
THAT WE MIGHT LIVE BEFORE HIM.

SO, LET US KONW,
LET US PRESS ON TO KNOW THE LORD.

HIS GOING FORTH
IS AS CERTAIN AS
THE DAWN;

-HOSEA 6:1-3b NASB

Therefore, despite the facts:

I waited... and I believed!

And I waited... and I believed!

And I waited... and I believed!

I may the the subbornest person in nine counties, I don't know, but all I can say is:

"I KNOW THAT I KNOW
WHEN MY MASTER IS SPEAKING TO ME."

Now, I may take what HE is saying and "dress it up" the way I want it to go. But, the basics of what GOD has said remain the same -I don't loose them. He doesn't let me.

While Dan was still with me, I had a strong relationship with our LORD. Well, when Dan left, it grew closer -GOD became "the husband to the husbandless" -just like He promised in the Scripture.

What I mean by this is: when both husband and wife are strong believers, then you know which way the LORD is showing you to go, by the simple fact that you both are shown (through the Spirit) the same path at the same time.

Well, when Dan left me, I did not have that strong confirmation of a husband being led the same way, because my husband decided to "run away" from the marriage relationship. So, when I realized that, I cried out to my Heavenly Father with all that was within me. And this was my heart's cry:

"You have alowed my husband to leave me just at a time when now, more than ever, I need to know Your will. Therefore, YOU be my husband! Like You said in Your Word! Make me know what it is You are saying to me, like a husband, so that I can understand Your will. And no matter what You say to me, I will do it!"

So, GOD became my husband. Maybe that sounds simple, but it is true. And if I did not understand clearly, I kept on asking:

-RESPECTFULLY

like: Abraham dealing with GOD over the potential distruction of SODOM and asking lives to be spared. Daring to approach again and again, but always in deference to WHOM he was speaking.

-PRESISTENTLY

like: The man who knocked and knocked at his friends door until the man got up out of his bed and gave him what he needed.
and like: The widow woman who kept on coming to the ungodly judge, who finally gave in to her demands "lest she keep coming and wear me out!"

-FERVENTLY

like: Jacob who wrestled with the angel of God and would not let go until he was blessed!

and remembering: "The fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much."

-EXPECTANTLY

remebering: "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

HIS WILL FOR MY LIFE

And I kept on praying for things in my life to square up with what the Word said and promised. I tired my best to pray in GOD's will -not just my own. I set my face like flint to this, because I firmly decided:

"If ANY disobeidence on my part has caused us to get into this kind of a mess; I may not could change anyone elses choices, but I could surely do HIS WILL FOR MY LIFE from now on!"

Now, did I do HIS "perfect" will from then on? NO. But, I most honestly tell you, God judging my heart, my heart has heard HIS will, and He set my face like flint. And although I may stumble a bit, and fall down at times, He has caused me to get right back up, He dusts the dirt off. And He sets going again, back down that same path.

Is the path easy, well, He said: "My yoke is easy, My burden is light." I have found it only gets heavy when I try to carry it "lop-sided! "

WEARING A "LOP-SIDED " YOKE

What I mean by this is better understood if you know what a "yoke" is. A yoke is a two wooden peices placed over and under the necks of two animals that are going to pull a load together. Everybody that has ever used yokes knows that if you put a yoke on unequal partners, the bigger, stronger one will wind up carrying all the load.

Well, our Father wants to partner with us in our lives so closely, He refered to it as "taking His yoke upon us." If we are willing to do so; He, being infinitely bigger and infinitely stronger, will carry the full weight of the load. But, you know what the crazy thing is that I do, I forget about that sometimes when the load seems insirmoutnable, and can you believe it, I take the yoke off, or let it ride on me "lop-sided " making it heavier on my end because of my choice to do so -not HIS.
This causes me to carry around much more of a burden than than I was created to carry. And I call it:

WEARING A "LOP-SIDED " YOKE

Well, can you believe it. After all these years of praying and trusting and believing in HIM. GOD answered one of my biggest most fervent prayers. He brought my husband back to me! And not only did GOD bring Dan back to me, HE even went so far as to tell me the month and the day He would do so. And not only that, but God was faithful to that promise. So, on September 24, 2004 sometime between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. Dan physically came and got me and took me to his home -where I have remained to this day!

But, this is real life not a Cinderella story. There are real and very live issues to be worked through. And really in my heart of hearts I was rebelling in a way, and dis-trusting God because everything was not automatically totally restored unto me in the manner in which I always believed they would be.
You see, it was that hope that kept me going on. And now things, in reality, were not like I had planned they would be. So, I became discoraged because I was ready for my times of struggling to be over and done with.
But God wasn't done with my refining yet. He wanted me to learn to trust Him even more, in a situation not as I thought, not as I wanted, not as I dreamed. It was like a half-way answer to my prayers of years and years. So, I started...

WEARING A "LOP-SIDED " YOKE

That's not a happy way to live you know, carrying around much more of a burden than you need to. Then I reread the promise to me, and He is answering it, just like he said. He promised me that He would "REVIVE US," first. Then later "RESTORE US" more fully. And just like trusted Him thus far, He will give me all I need to go on trusting Him further.

The LORD replied,
"My Presence will go with you,
and I will give you
rest."

-TORAH: Shemot or Exodus 33:14

And so, I have decided that I need to
"REST."

Therefore, I decided to STOP:
WEARING A "LOP-SIDED " YOKE

and instead:
cast ALL of my cares upon HIM!

-Trusting More Fully In Him

-Sandy Lynn

COPYRIGHT: WWJD MEDIA
AUTHOR: Sandy Lynn Patton
DATE: February 23, 2005/15 ADAR I 5765
RIGHTS RESERVED: May be reprinted and distributed for NON-PROFIT use
only with credit given
ALL OTHER RIGHTS RESERVED

RUN!

Our lives are effected by stress that comes through experiencing various unwanted and unexpected circumstances. These circumstantial pressures, whether smaller, but numerous; or huge, therefore crushing; can play havoc with our well-being and happiness.

"Into every life the rain must fall."

"It rains on the good and the bad."

"It could be worse!"

Immediately such things as the above come to mind, those things that people say to you trying to comfort you at such times. I don't know about you, but these sayings, do not comfort me much.

What do you do when stresses come thru, not only circumstances; but, also thru the, shall we say: "unwise," at-the-least, if not: "wrong" choices of another?

Usually, these bad choices have an effect on, not just the person who made the bad choice, but the entire family?

What do you do? How do you respond when both the circumstances, and the others you love so dearly, do not live up to your plans for your family's life?

How do you deal or cope with what YOU DON'T WANT and YOU NEVER EXPECTED to have to deal with?

Out of what resource can you respond, when you feel you have NO RESOURCE to deal with these occurrences?

Of course, as believers, we run to "The ROCK", our "Strong Tower," "The GOD That Is Higher Than I."

But, what does that mean? And moreover, how do I go about doing that since these are VERY REAL, VERY HANDS ON PROBLEMS, and God is Spirit?



Well, when these types of things occur in our lives there will be a response we make to them. It don't know about you, but I follow a cycle that goes something like this:

BLAME IN ANGER

I guess, for me, unfortunately, this is usually my first response. I get mad, and scream on the inside (usually at the Almighty):

LORD,

Do I have to have EVERYTHING!

that I do NOT WANT?

Usually, I can catch myself before I start taking my anger out on anything or anyone else. And this is good that I can, because the Scriptures says:

Be angry, and sin not.

I found that as a woman, the amount of effect bad things have on me is somewhat dependant upon where I am in my cycle-of-life. It is just a fact of life that certain times for women are more emotionally charged than others. So, I try to be more careful of my emotional responses during those periods of time. I often think this is what the Scriptures had in mind when he charged men to be kind and gentle with women who are weaker vessels.

RUN

The next process I go through is that something within me wants to RUN! I think to myself:



If I could just run away, or somehow pretend this is all not really happening.



I don't know what you do when you feel this way, but I go for a very brisk walk. It always seems to help to clear my head. Then, after I have argued it all out with my Maker, I can be civil with those around me.

This sounds very good and reasonable, the only thing is that how I communicate both verbally and nonverbally are usually very hateful as I go out the door, if I do not leave for my brisk walk rather immediately.

REST IN GOD-GIVEN PEACE

My next step on my journey to deal with life's stresses, is I begin to REST IN GOD-GIVEN PEACE. The only way I know to have a peaceful heart in the midst of life's storm is thru knowing and clinging to the promises of

THE PRINCE OF PEACE!

My peace I give you.

My peace I leave with you,

not as the world gives

do I give you.



Come unto Me

all you who are heavy laden

and I will give you rest.

For My yoke is easy

and My burden is light.



With God all things are possible!

You may ask me:

But how can I know and cling to these promises?



I can tell you how I go about it, the same way I have gone about it for years and years. First, I get out my journal, and then I write and I write. I write letters to God. I don't play games with God. I don't hide any thought or feeling -because think of it: HE ALREADY KNOWS ALL OUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ANYWAY!

Cast all your cares on HIM

for HE cares for you.

So, in a sense what I do is, I pour myself empty. Then I can receive in. If I try to listen when my emotions are bulging to the point of rupture, I cannot hear. So, I spill out myself before the feet of my Master. Then, still, I wait:

Be still and know that

I AM GOD



In calmness and quietness

is your strength

I cannot answer for anyone else, but I just know myself. If I do not pour it all out before the LORD, I CAN'T BE STILL and I CAN'T LISTEN, and I CAN'T WAIT! But, after I feel confident that my entire problem lay open before HIM, The Master and Maker of Us All; then I can rest. Then I can quietly wait.

Usually, during "the waiting time," if the stresses are looming large and somewhat over-whelming or crushing, I am somewhat numb -if not exhausted. The reason for this is that all the energy of the stress, I just directed into an appeal to my Maker.

I like to write down my appeals and the responses to them. This concrete action helps me greatly. Then when the next crisis time comes, I can review what God did for me in the past. It really is an effective faith builder because you begin to see the Character of the Almighty as He works in your own life.

The other thing that I do that greatly helps me is this. I not only write letters to God, I read the letters that He wrote to me! I view the Scripture as love letters God wrote -not just to the world, or to the Jews, but to me, personally. Readind the Scripture helps me learn God's character.

Often I encourage others to wrestle with God, like Scripture says Jacob wrestled with The Angel of God. Jacob wrestled with The Angel of God all night saying:

"I will not let you go

until you bless me!"

I guess, in a sense, that is what I do, I have a wrestling time with The Father. Of course, He always wins -in the end. I get out my journal and pour out my heart to HIM. I wait.

You will hear a voice behind you saying:

"This is the way, walk in it."

You may wonder what I mean here:

I have known only 3 persons in my entire life that actually heard with their ears God's voice, in answer to their prayer during a time of desperate need.

However, I have met many hundreds who have heard voices telling them to do evil things, or encouraging them to have evil thoughts.

Also, I, my own self have had many evil thoughts enter into my mind that were not of my own in my life. Moreover, I would challenge ANYONE who denies it and says that this type of thing has never happened to them.


Make no mistake about it,

evil is: REAL, ACTIVE and SUPERNATURALLY EMPOWERED!



The way you experience God's "still small voice" is: in your mind I hear it, not generally with your ears. There is a gentle and kind and loving peace that comes at the same time with this message, so that you will know that it is not evil placing these thoughts into your mind, but GOD:

My sheep hear My voice.

This statement was made by Yeshua (Jesus in English) and indicates that if you are one of His, you will hear what He is communicating with you. Therefore, if you are not hearing Him maybe it is because you are NOT one of HIS?

I "LISTEN," with my spirit.

Often after a period of waiting, I read His Words to me. Then I wait. I am wait expectantly for Him to enliven His Words (The Scripture) and apply them into my situation.

Thy Word

is a lamp unto my feet

and a light unto my path

Sometimes I get so excited about the answer I just received from God while reading His Word that I just make a note right there in the margin (I have certain Bibles that I do this to, and others that I don't write in at all). Usually I use my journal. I write down the verse that God is using to speak to my mind which is bringing answers and peace (along with the day and time) so I can refer to it later. I even use codes ( Q=my question, A=HIS answer, R=my response to HIS answer) in my journal.

This all sounds well and good, but the problem with me is that sometimes: I DON'T LIKE HIS ANSWER!

If this occurs, I just wrestle with HIM. I read and continue to question and get confirmation of the answer, and then I respond to it. I always pray when I am doing this for The Creator to please be patient and kind to me as He was with Father Abraham, when they were wrestling over the number of persons that had to be righteous in Sodom for God not destroy it.

I will give you this example from my life:



I had asked GOD that if I had to go through this great pain (of being without husband and children)I wanted to know "THE DAY" they would come back to me.

One night in August 1995, I was praying and pouring out my heart to My Father about Dan in particular. I began to read in Haggai (Haggai is a prophet of God that God used to write some of the Scripture).

ANSWER: "Now is not the time"

-seemed to leap off the page at me from chapter 1.

RESPONSE: WHEN IS THE TIME FOR DAN?

-was my heart's cry in response. I read on expecting an answer, and I got one, in chapter 2:

ANSWER: "the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month"

- verse 10 chapter two of Haggai

Even though I had asked God very boldly about one year before this to: "TELL ME THE DAY;" I was shocked when this leaped out of the BIBLE so strongly at me when I read it. I questioned my senses and thought perhaps my emotions were running away with me. I was unsure because I wanted so badly to be done with this terrible time in my life and go on to the next. So, I questioned God some more about this time:

QUESTION: LORD, if Dan really is going to return to me on the ninth month and the twenty-fourth day, would YOU please tell me that just once more, and right where I am reading?

ANSWER: "the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month"

-verse 18 of chapter 2 of Haggai

Even though this greatly encouraged me, my emotions were so strong that I was afraid to believe it was true. I was afraid because if I put all my trust in this time of Dan's return and it did not happen...? So, I begged God again, to please be patient with me as he was with Abraham. And I asked:

QUESTION: Would you please tell me that one more time, and right where I am reading, just so I can know it is YOU speaking to me and not my own emotions?

ANSWER: "on the twenty-fourth day of the month"

-verse 20 (and it was the same month God was speaking of, if you read all of verse 18)

RESPONSE: I believe. No matter what, I believe.

Just in case any of you wonder if God is true to HIS WORD delivered in this manner:

DAN RETURNED TO ME: September 24, 2004!

COUNT IT ALL JOY

There is one more step I go thru during times of crisis: when I come to the place where I can actually bless God for the process I have been going thru knowing that the purpose of the pain is greater than the pain itself.

This is the place I want to live: in joy and thanksgiving!

Joy despite life's stresses, be they small and numerous, or huge and crushing. I want to live in JOY.

Let me help you to understand that joy is never a false-fake-mask of: "everything-is-okay." Rather true JOY is a deep abiding peaceful blessing from me back to My Creator God.

JOY "springs-up" from the well-spring of my spirit back to the Spirit of the Living God Who holds the whole world in HIS hands! It is A KNOWING, a deep sense of calm and peace that sprouts out into joy -because you are so full of it !

Something inside you that wants to SHOUT! and tell the world -because God is so wonderful to give you such great peace in such a great storm!



I would urge you my friend, if you are without HIS peace, go to HIM:

THE PRINCE OF PEACE!

And don't walk to HIM...

RUN!

My prayer for you and yours is simply this:

May HIS true JOY rest on you and yours this day and always!

And now you know WHY, I always declare that I am...



-Trusting In HIM

-Sandy Lynn

COPYRIGHT: WWJD MEDIA
AUTHOR: Sandy Lynn Patton
DATE: February 2, 2005/Sh'vat 23 5765
RIGHTS RESERVED: May be reprinted and distributed for non-profit use only with credit given
ALL OTHER RIGHTS RESERVED