3 Ways to “Keep the Faith” during a family Crisis

1. Pray Persistently – The Lord knows our hearts and feels our pain. When the world I knew was crumbling, I found “praying on my knees” to be my sanctuary. Also, I found praying for others (finding someone else in another crisis that needs prayer) allowed me to not focus on my own pain, but gave me an escape for a few minutes. You can also set up a prayer line (voicemail) that people can call for updates who are praying for you. It helped me tremendously when I knew other people were praying specific prayers for Morgan as intercessors. (Luke 18:1-8)
2. Stay in the scriptures – I love the Psalms. It seems that King David went through many of the same emotions that I did. My favorite “Psalm 91” I would insert Morgan’s name into the scripture. Example. In Psalm 91:3 “Surly he will save Morgan from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.”
3. Look for Gems of joy (something to laugh about) – Chances are you don’t feel like laughing. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones”. Try to focus on something good that happened today. I looked for a little change (my daily bread) that I could hold onto for Hope. (Proverbs 17:22)

4 Tactics of Spiritual Warfare
What you need to know before Battle

1. Know the Battle is real – We read about the battle all the time in the Bible. Angels fighting demons, Jesus and the Apostles driving out demons. Does it really happen to people these days? Yes, Morgan’s illness opened our eyes to the battle that is all around us. We cannot see it but it is there (2 Kings 6:15-17) . Scriptures say that Satan seeks to “Kill and destroy”. Satan hates what God loves.
2. Put on your armor (Ephesians 6) each day – Now that we know the battle is real, what do we do? Paul tells us to Pray and to “put on the armor of God”. To put on the “Spiritual weapons” to fight against what our eyes cannot see. Morgan could see good (Angels) fighting against darkness (demons) all around us. Did you put on your armor today?
3. Anoint “Place a Shield” – This may be one of the weirdest (to the world) things that we do but it is one of the most powerful acts we do to defend against evil. Cathy and I anoint our home. Not just once, but often. We use oil and ask the Holy Spirit to fill each room. We bind in the name of Jesus what is not from the Lord. It is powerful. Your family will sleep better and there will be a peace beyond understanding in your home. (1 Sam 10:1, 1 Sam 16:13, Exodus 31:22-29)
4. POWER in the name of “Jesus” – Jesus is the most powerful word in the world. It makes the demons “shudder and flee”. Jesus tells us “Ask in my name and it will be given to you”. Can you imagine the joy that God feels when He hears His Son’s name used in Glory. Think about your own child, how proud you are when his/her name is lifted up. (Acts 4:12)
   
   4 Reasons and ways to get off the “Treadmill of life”

1. The uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring - Your family may not be there tomorrow. As we get caught up in the “treadmill of life”, close your eyes for a moment and imagine receiving a call that a loved one is ill or hurt in an accident. Suddenly, nothing matters except your family. Whatever you were doing for work becomes irrelevant. Time stops. Why is this the case? We all fall into this trap. We loose sight of Jesus and what is important. We need to focus on the Lord just like Peter did as we walked to Jesus on the water. When we look at the waves and the storm around us we begin to sink. Only when we stay focused on Jesus can we rise.
2. You may not be here tomorrow – We are all dying. It is just a matter of time. Who do we need to forgive, tell that we love, or just give a hug? Often I tell myself that it can wait until tomorrow. But what if tomorrow never comes? We all know that we would live differently if we knew today was our last. But the world tells us to plan, save, and work hard for the future. Jesus gave a great parable to help us understand the importance of living for today. (Luke 12:16-21)
3. Simplify your life – This is much easier said than done. With work, kids, school, family, church, etc. time flies by and suddenly we forget what matters. We climb the ladder of success just to find out the ladder is leaning against the wrong building. We tell ourselves that it will get better “next year will be better”. But the cycle continues. Faster and faster our lives spin until something breaks and everything stops and goes into slow motion. All of those things that we thought we needed pass away and the fog clears. Jesus said “I have come that you may have life, and have it in full” (John 10:10)
4. Focus on what is eternal, not temporary – If we focus on the world (what is temporary), we find ourselves looking at our problems and things we need or want. We work harder and harder to change this. We become dismayed at what has happened around us. It is only when we focus on the Lord (what is eternal), that we can begin to have the peace that Christ tells us we will have. (2 Cor 4:18)