Friday, April 18, 2008

Where did that cloud come from??


The past couple weeks I have been dealing with something that I'm VERY not used to.... I know that God has really given me such joy in life and I love to laugh constantly so what happened? Well the light seemed to dim.... I had NO clue what was going on! All I knew was that I couldn't hear from God clearly! There was so much confusion everytime I would try and listen for him! Just plain static! I got really upset about it which then got me into this depressed state! "What the heck!!!! THIS is NOT me!" I would think so many times!

Sometimes I felt God was leading me one way but then at the same time the other way! It was craziness! I finally met up with one of my friends and found out that she was dealing with the exact same thing and that a couple nights earlier we were dealing with the same kind of depression! I didn't want to do anything!
Finally, last week I broke down to my dad and was like "DAD! I don't know what to do! I can't hear God's voice clearly and I feel like I'm just hearing everything under the sun to distract me!" It was amazing too because that morning it was just getting pretty rough and finally I cried out to God asking Him for a clear word from Him! Well I went to church that morning and my dad was talking all about distractions and that when you are on your way to victory so many times the enemy will try and stop it with confusion and distractions! To combat it we have to get pumped up with the word!! The higher the word "level" we have in our hearts the harder it is for the enemy to lie to us! That afternoon when I was sharing everything with my dad finally he is like "Sarah, just go up into your room and start confessing the word!" He was like do it even if you have to for 3 days! Don't let the enemy get a foothold! I went right up and started praying, reading the bible and worshipping!! Then I wrote a little prayer out to keep my mind on track and I just said it over and over and over again until I felt this thing lift and guess what?? It did!!!! Thank God!!

It's interesting too because during that time I was looking back in my journal at the different scriptures that God had given me and one was from Isaiah 60:1- Arise from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you-rise to a new life! Shine be radiant with the glory of the Lord, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
When I first got that verse I was like, God I'm not depressed!! He was just preparing me though and giving me weapons against the enemy!

He also showed me Luke 4 which basically in there it talks about right before Jesus came into his REAL calling that he had to go through a time of testing so he was led out into the desert and was tested and tempted by the enemy there for 40 days!! Wow!! Mine only lasted a couple days he was MUCH more enduring that I am! ha! After the devil took him to all these places and even tempted him with scripture Jesus still said no because he knew why He was there and what His calling truly was! So it was easy for him to say no!! And to say no WITH the scripture!! Just like I was doing! After that whole time he was then indued with power and then was released into His full calling!! Even though the path was mighty rough getting there I'm SURE it was worth it! Especially since he passed that test of temptation!!
I know this is something that a lot of you deal with!! You CAN pass it!!! Say NO to the enemy now with the word! And watch that cloud disperse!! I love you all so much!! :)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sarah!! Thank you sooo much for that post!! I really needed to read all that, because I'm going through something like what you just went through! Right now! It's weighing me down!! I would so appreciate your prayers!! God bless!!

Katrina said...

:) Thank you so much. Your post was beautiful and uplifting

Mounir Belhaj said...

really nice photo, really nice.

Mounir.

Marietta said...

Hi Natalie, just wanted to tell you that your post was what I needed to hear.

Diandra said...

Thanks so much for the encouragement!

KK said...

I think writing a book could be in your future--you are so gifted with words--and are sooo inspirational :) hope you're doing great :)

jamiedelaine said...

Hey!! Is the new header picture you as a youngin' holding Natalie? that's adorable!

Sarah Barlow said...

Hey Jamie!! YEPPER! That's me and Nat!! I remember I did that for about 3 hours right when she was born!! So sweet:)

Anonymous said...

WOW!! Thank you so much for this Sarah! I often find myself struggling with feeling down and not knowing why and this has helped me because now I know what to do in those times. Thank you again! :)

Anonymous said...

I just stumbled across your blog (photography one, too!) and it is awesome! I can already tell I'm going to learn alot and be very encouraged by reading. Thank you! I'm off to read all of the older posts, now! :)

McPherson said...

Sarah - I love this post because it reminds me of how real life is and how faithful God is. Many times when I have been drawn into the worries and cares of this life and feel that my joy is being choked I return to not just the Word but specifically the Word that Daddy God spoke to my heart - the times of intimate encounter with Him. The condition of our heart is so much more important than what we do or what influence we have. If our heart is not alive, neither are we. Never lose sight of that.

I know you are in Love with Jesus and will always run back to Him. His hold on you is strong!

Love ya Sarah!

Anonymous said...

o my! God led me straight to this! He showed me my calling about a year ago and it was a dream come true, but pretty rough at the same time for a kid my age. Im glad hes gifted me with persistance! Satan has been pressing me with my past mistakes and dragging me back into them, tempting me with cutting and eating problems. I almost had a break down, but i thought "maybe i can finaly pray through this grime thats eating at my self-esteem!" but no matter how hard i tried, my insecurity got the best of me. Music is where he usualy lifts my heart(thats where my future is :]) so i ran to that as a last resort. I could feel my pain overtaking me. NONE of the songs i clicked were helping! Till "never alone" came on! The piano broke me and i cried with everything from within me! I said "Lord, can i not feel your presence??!" and almost immediately, i felt him fill up the room and comfort me! Thankyou for adding that "when you are on your way to victory so many times the enemy will try and stop it with confusion and distractions"...i think my day of light is drawing nearer with every passing day :) who knows- tomorow he could fulfill his promise and show america his love through my hands!
Thankyou, sarah! I dont know you, but i know God is moving through your small acts of kindness. Its as if you already know what im dealing with everytime i click a new label.