Offended Into Faith
It has been super rare in my life that someone has been offended by me. It has happened but not frequently because I love people, and I have a heart of peace-making.
One person whom I have walked with God for many years with just got offended by me once again. This person is the only one that I seem to offend regularly with what I share or what I respond to. It’s weird.
I had just worked on encouraging this fellow Child of God by checking in on how they were and then responding with some spiritual ideas on how to help. Those who know me know that’s what I do for most people. Nothing new.
And I don’t usually give up unless I feel something that says that work through me is done and God wants to take the person in new directions with new people to continue the work. This release is peaceful because it’s about what God is doing and how He wants it done. It’s not about me.
This person that I love is going through some health trials and some other life situations that bring up much fear. I’m guessing most of us can relate to this.
Lately, this person is in a new habit of misunderstanding my love and encouragement. I have had to reorient the person to look back and see where, in our many years of history, I have put people down, tried to ridicule them and their pain, or viciously attacked them. Of course, after looking at myself first and not finding much, this person could not find anything either. It’s just not in my nature because I don’t see the point of kicking someone when they are down. I have lived with kick after kick myself in life, and it never helped me, so I figure it won’t help anyone else either.
After some thought, I decided to try once again to encourage and exhort this person on to good works. It seems to me that what I wrote might encourage many people by hearing some of my current testimonies of facing fear issues and how I fight them to come under subjection to faith.
I will give you the raw line of text I wrote this person in hopes that it does help you in your own wars of faith.
You will see that I give many scriptures to back up what I am saying. I am intentionally not writing them out for you because it is so very good for you to go look them up yourself. Somehow, by doing that work, a person tends to own the information for themselves better. And owning Godly information sets you freer and freer! That is my hope for each of you! Look them up. It’s worth the time❣️🥰
Spring of living water near where I live. It is located in a place to pause and consider God’s goodness.
As if you were looking over my shoulder, here is the line of texts I made to encourage someone I love and now all of you who I love too:
November 10, 2023
2 Timothy 1:7… Because I love you and believe in you, I’m going to try again just as I have all these years of knowing you…
The only way to not be afraid is to choose to not be afraid. God has said it many times, and Jesus, too- “do not be afraid.” They would not say that if it was not possible. What makes us afraid is our choices of what we believe and trust. Definitely be afraid if you choose to believe that pain and death can be avoided in this life because that is not what Jesus says. John 16:33…
And trying never to have pain and never die is futile. God has numbered your days for this life. They are numbered by your Creator- Exodus 23:26.
I am not someone who is talking to you, having no experience of things to be afraid of and having to face fears and overcome. I’m not just telling you to do something I have not had to do and still have to focus on. I’m not giving you advice that is not attainable. I wrote a book on the subject of turning fear into faith on purpose to share the habits one can put into place to start eroding away at the habit of being afraid. It is a habit that comes from beliefs you have that do not serve you spiritually. And they give you no hope physically or spiritually…
God gives you the armor and already the victory even before the fight is finished in every category of life through Jesus’ example in life and His death for you personally- Ephesians 6:10-18…
AND you still have to fight. Yep. God does not wave a magic wand like some dark magician and ‘make it all go away’ in an instant without any work and practice on your part. His goal for you is development into Christ-like character, and that takes facing one scary situation after another and practicing what you are going to directly choose to believe and act from each time. It’s a repetitive process that never ends until your last breath is exhaled from your lips…
Taken a couple days after my birthday in September 2023 when I became super sick the first time in the line of sicknesses over the last two months straight. And I was on a trip!
My life has always been with something drastic to face and deal with. Always…
Even right now, I have not told too many people the line of things I have faced in these last two months alone. I don’t tell because it’s just normal that I have to focus on choosing faith over fear every day…
You complain about health issues. I hear you and have a ton of compassion.
For the last two months, I went from a urinary infection with a female infection that went feverish and left me weak straight into a cold right on the day I finally felt better from that first sickness. Then, as I was feeling better from that cold, I bent over, even using my legs properly, and my back went out. Just as this painful back situation was working its way back to health, I got another cold and diarrhea that I can’t get to stop…
On top of still having a special needs adult son, Zachary, to still take care of, who also had diarrhea for part of that time and a cold. And I thank God I have my partner, York, who lovingly supports us through this mess (Btw-he got a cold, too). But it is still a mess where I am out of control even though I have actively done everything I know how to do to take care of myself and my health properly…
I have faced embarrassment and guilt for being sick so much. I have faced fear of being out of control of getting older, and my body has just been through so much that it is not totally strong all the time.
I have faced Zachary and continued to believe that he and I are already healed through what Jesus has done over and over and over, even if no one else believes it and I have no proof. I believe it anyway, even through this spiritual hurricane I’m in…
Just yesterday, I came to a point of having to ‘give up’ and realize that even with prayer, I have run out of options and need an answer from God on where to go from here on my health. I faced once again that this life is temporary and it comes with sickness and healthy times, but I always need God. If He does not show up, then my life quality or even my life is at stake…
What did I do?! I exercised my faith OVER my fear. I did not let my fear overcome my faith. I chose that. I worked that out in my head and heart with God’s strength. What is God’s strength?
He makes all things work for my good- Romans 8:28
My Partner, York, and Zachary having a special moment as we are waiting for food to be served. The love of God oozes through York.
God showed His power is already active, and His mind is already for our good through Christ, who had the same mind as God toward us…
I kept directly praying this to God over and over when I started feeling down, “God, thank you that Zachary and I are already healed, delivered, and set free. Thank you that all that has been stolen from us will be paid back with interest. Thank you that You won’t let anything stop us from reaching our full potential that You gave each of us to have in this life. I trust You with my life and death.”…
I’m not lying, I prayed this over and over these past few months with this storm I am in…
I also told our bodies over and over to listen and do as The Word says, “by Jesus’ stripes we were already healed.” Isaiah 53:5. And I prayed that believing it even if what I see and feel does not look like it…
My life is NOT mine. I gave it back to God by my own choice. Whatever happens is whatever He allows. But He will allow only what will work for my good in the scheme of eternity. His vision of us looks at us from our beginning into eternity! I can’t see that well! He has to be my eyes, my wisdom, my strength, my sustainer, and my protection. I’m toast without Him…
Any strength from youth is GONE. That strength was used up by having to be strong for everyone, including myself, having a FALSE faith where it looked like I was Godly and had true faith, but actually, I was still working from my own puny strength because I had undealt with trust issues with God…
God has slowly led me to understand what true faith is versus a faith that looks genuine but is a crappy helper and does not work…
With love, personal wisdom, and clarity, I have been saying to you for years that you can do it. You have to fight your fears. No one can do that job for you. No one. I can only encourage you to do it and show you by example and instructions on how to do it. But you have to do the work to get the results…
I give up on my own strength to save me. Fear won’t save me or heal me or Zachary. Believe me, I tried it, and even trying to save us, I have literally almost lost my life!
Zachary looking at a Dr. Seuss book. It’s hard work to try and help him speak better. We have read this book hundreds of times to practice speaking. He gets better very slowly. Still no full sentences and very few words, but at least better.
I have come to a point of giving up to then breakthrough- when I give up and have been 100 percent convinced that I have no way to succeed, then I realize I need miracles from God, or I’m up a creek with no paddle, and a waterfall will be my demise…
I might as well believe in an invisible God and believe He knows me and loves me and Zachary. It has more opportunity than believing anything else, no matter what happens. At least if God allows us to die. I have faced pain and death, believing I was not alone in the midst of it because at least God was there. I also get to hold on to believing that all these crappy experiences will amount to something good for eternity. These beliefs give me hope and more peace to face pain and death. Even if I am wrong and there is no loving God, believing there is one makes my awareness of my difficult existence feel better. Nothing else has been able to make me feel better for an extended period of time than these beliefs that God is, He is a rewarder of those who DILIGENTLY seek Him, and He is direct love toward me and everyone. Hebrews 11:6, 1 John 4:16…
And if that wasn’t enough, God is so close to me and you that He is IN us! You can’t get God closer to you when He is IN you! I am NEVER alone or abandoned. John 14:20, 1 John 4:17-19, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 1:27, Romans 10:9-13, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Hebrews 13:5, John 14:23…
So. If you are offended by my testimony and the words of encouragement and instruction, I totally can’t help you because it is God’s love and His ways that I am sharing with you that make you free only if you decide to believe them yourself. You have to choose it. I cannot do it for you or anyone else. And I admit that the only way to believe anything I have mentioned here is by FAITH. I can’t prove any of it fully to you or anyone else…
But I know for sure God loves you because He is love.
I know for sure I love you to the amount that God is in me, no matter what you decide to believe or do. I know you can overcome fear, but you’re gonna have to work for it, and God already said you win before you have even started to fight.
And yes- I am going to take all of what I just wrote and turn it into an article where no one will ever know except you and me that it was you who inspired this testimony out of me and these instructions. And I do suggest reading the totally free ebook that has been there for two years now to help people just like you start on your personal responsibility to fight fear into faith directly here.
I love you. I am not putting you down or telling you something you cannot do but instead are called to do.
Thank you for taking the time to help others by sharing 🥰.
We Are Owned By Love,
Katrina
P.S. A request of my faithful readers- please share this article with those you know are struggling right now. They need encouragement, instruction, and love. You can give them a direct link to this article, and you can even share this on your social media pages. There are simple buttons right at the bottom of this page to help you share on social media.