Just a note to greet you and thank you for your love and prayers. We know we

would not be able to serve the Lord effectively without your prayers. This has

been a very difficult and outwardly discouraging month. We want you to be aware

of what we are facing daily so that you can pray with knowledge. The muscle

spasms have actually put my right ankle, foot and toes out of joint and the

growth from the infection is still very bad. My heart races so that even

routine hygiene leaves me breathless and exhausted. It is so easy to get down

because I am alone so much and often in great discomfort.

It is hard to live by faith, when sight and feelings overwhelm us. Even though

the Lord has put so much of His Word in us, we are amazed at the struggle

involved in standing on it. But God, Who knows the way that we take, has called

us to do just that. One very important thing I am beginning to recognize is

that a lot of the bad thoughts and feelings I experience are not really "mine".

There have been days I have been bowed down with all sorts of wrong thoughts

against God's Word and revealed plan. I've wept, repented and agonized with

very little results. But in my darkest hour, it seems the Holy Spirit whispers

to me, "Those are not your thoughts. Don't even own them or repent of them;

just reject them." How important to realize the difference between temptation

and actual sin in our thought life. As long as I "owned" the thoughts I was in

a cycle of repentance and defeat. As soon as I recognized their real source and

disowned them and put up my shield of faith they disintegrated under the power

of the Holy Spirit.

The Word God puts in our heart is alive and cannot return void. It must produce

exactly what it was sent to do. But it is a seed and takes time to bring forth

its fruit. The only way it can be unproductive is if it is taken out of our

heart. The parable of the sower tells us that the devil comes to take the Word

by force. One way he does it is with his words, distorting the Word of God and

using our feelings and emotions to confuse us. When received, the words of the

deceiver also produce a harvest, but not the kind we want to reap. How we must

guard our hearts for it is the implanted Word that has the power to save

according to James 1:21.

And so we really need your prayers as we stand on all God promised for us and

for the Body of Christ. Although my spirit is on the Solid Rock, my soul often

flounders as I continue to experience physical loss. But I know I must not get

discouraged and give up for there is a harvest of blessings just around the

corner. This is the work of God. He started it and He will finish it. But

meanwhile, I want to be found faithful and standing as a good soldier of Jesus

Christ. I know the time is drawing near. The turtle doves continue to come and

have had a baby! Please pray for an abundance of grace and wisdom for us all.

We love you and close by asking God to bless you and help you to stand, giving

you boldness and strength to hold His Word in your heart. I am unable to write

personally this month, but I would greatly appreciate any correspondence. Know

that we are praying for you and that you are very important to us.