Coffee with Jesus this morning.

I’m sipping Legendary Aviation Coffee Company brew again while reading and writing.
This devotional is hitting some tender spots in my heart so I’m going to just shoot straight like I always do.

God knows I ain’t made for walking on eggshells – about the same way He knows I prefer my eggs blended into batter!

☕️☕️❤️ Community: God’s Answer to Defeat

Who’s watching out for you?
💪❤️ well, right off the bat it hits hard.
Who’s watching out for me?
I found out real quick when I my central nervous system was attacked by Covid just what a great family I have. My kids carried me, fed me, took me to doctor appointments and watched out for me constantly since Greg on the road for long periods of time- weeks and weeks because without me working, he had to cover my business expenses,too.
❤️
You need people who will defend you, stand up for you and protect you, help you stay on track, and warn you. We all need this, because we all have blind spot🩷

Right here is when people stepped in- like Phu Lam did when I showed up with a walker and determination and not much else. It’s what Laura Bjeles did when a woman dared to question my ability to work and do what I love. It’s what my client/friend, James, did when he saw me trying to push myself for just one more, it’s the words from another one, Steve, that whispers “One day at a time.”❤️

Philippians 2:4 says, “Look out for one another’s interest, not just your own” (TEV). If you want a counter-culture verse, that’s it! In America, the general idea is it’s all about “me” — my needs, my interests, my wants, and my ambitions.

But the Bible says we should care about each other. We’re family! As brothers and sisters in God’s family, we should defend each other and help each other stay on track.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, we’ve all been more vigilant in watching out for each other. But did you know that you have an enemy far more destructive than terrorists? Oh, yes! You have a personal enemy, and he hates your guts. His name is Satan. He wants to mess up your life. He wants to ruin your relationships. He wants to defeat you.

Why would he do that? Because he can’t hurt God. When you can’t hurt somebody, what do you do? You go after their children. Satan can’t hurt God, so he tries to hurt God’s children.

When Satan attacks you, he doesn’t come in a little red costume with a pitchfork and say, “Boo!” How does Satan mess up your life? Through habits you can’t break, through hurts that you won’t let go of, through problems and circumstances, through relationships that break your heart.
❤️🩷
Oh, damn, here we go- relationships that break my heart. I’ve struggled with this and realize some of it is my own making- my self centered focus while building my business caused some deep pain, and my choices that went against others views closed some doors that I had always thought would be open.
Years ago I had asked God to break my heart with the things that broke His and damn if He didn’t do that.
Broken hearts, though, are soft and ready to be shaped.
It has taught me not to take anything for granted but to continue to walk with love and pursue healing.❤️
Most Christians are defeated, because we try to fight Satan on our own. That’s stupid! You’re never going to win against the devil on your own. You need other people who will watch out for you and help you.

Community is God’s answer to defeat. You need to find the people who will stand with you in tough times and say, “We’re not going to let you get discouraged. We’re not going to let you get depressed. We’re not going to let you worry. We’re going to stay here with you.”

❤️☕️ “Stay here with me”. The first time I got into the hyperbaric chamber, I was on the verge of tears and had to fight all my demons at once. Greg promised he wouldn’t leave me and so did Shawn Jordan.
For a hour they took turns peeking into the clear window to assure me that I wasn’t trapped, wasn’t forgotten, wasn’t ‘too much trouble’ and then they did it again and again, for weeks.

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT)

❤️💪”Conquer”.
Well, ain’t that what I’m doing? Conquering this central nervous system injury, conquering other people’s doubts, conquering my own bull headed, stubborn mind sometimes.

Shawn called me out one day and I had to laugh so hard because he really does shoot straight,too. He told me that I was being “bullheaded” and he is right.

Bullheaded serves me well in many ways. I don’t give up. I stick to things even when it’s hard, even when it breaks my heart, even when other people think that maybe I should take it easier, do less, accept what happened.

I pull on my boots or in reality my shoes that Hunter Mead bought me and I keep going, I keep working and creating and making clients feel the magic of massage, I keep on writing my heart out, I keep on praying boldly for my vision to be completely restored so I can drive myself again.

But I’m learning to have some grace along with that stubbornness and to listen to the ones that know me well enough to stay with me and call me out on my bull.

❤️ I gotta look at it this way- God is placing people in my life for a good reason- His reason- and all things work together for good.

He’s made it clear that it’s high time for me to let go of the past because He’s making a way in the wilderness. He’s making this new thing and I’ve got to drop the weight of the past “should’ve, could’ve” and go where I’m meant to be.