CHAOS IN THE KITCHEN But VICTORY IN ONE SMOOTH STONE OF FAITH!

By: Hanny Lynn Stearns

Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.

“Multiplying God’s Word Around the Globe”

Sunday November 13, 2016 Hanny Personal Journal 

Yesterday I felt like some illness was trying to get on me. I resisted it and asked the Lord to show me what I may have done to open a door to the enemy. What He showed me at the gym yesterday is that He had told me to get up at 4:00 every day. But this past week I heard the voice of the enemy tell me it was OK to get up at 5:00. The enemy was trying to get me into disobedience. I had to repent. This morning I got up at 4:00 even though I did not get to bed until very late last night. The Lord has shown me today that it is very important to get to bed on time so I do not get over tired, because when we do, we get irritable, and lose our peace. 

Like He showed me yesterday, He wants me to stay in peace at all times. He told me this last week too. I should always stay in peace. If I run out of day before I run out of tasks, the tasks will have to wait. My job is to seek first the kingdom and know that everything I need will be added to us.

I had errands to run. I thought Denny would be working late and I would have to run them on my own. I was able to get our Christmas letter draft done. I needed paper for that. It ended up that the Lord made a way for Denny to meet me at Outback for dinner and then he and I could run errands together. I needed a keyboard so we went to Best Buy where the Lord showed me the one to get and I am using it for the first time right now and it is working gloriously! Thank You, Lord!

Then we started looking at a Bluetooth for me to use while exercising. We ended up spending $50 on a set that, once home, I discovered immediately would not work. Then there was that voice again saying, “You gotta get the best.” That would be about $150. that we really do not have allotted in the budget to spend right now. All the while I am thinking it was God but it wasn’t. It seems the enemy has been disguising himself all week (As an angel of light) saying all kinds of things that sound like God, but were off the mark. He has been trying to trip us up because our breakthrough is so close. I felt led to just return the blue tooth to the store and not replace it. The Lord later showed me today that it isn’t that He does not want me to have this equipment. It just isn’t time.

There has been a barrage of attempts of the enemy even today to throw me off. When I got home I was very hungry (and very tired) and it was late after dropping Marge off from church. By the time I got home I was very tired and short on patience and time. I went ahead and made a smoothie before taking the dogs out. Then I was led, (not by God!) to go ahead and eat my dinner portion of salmon right then and get it over with. When I put it into the microwave, it blew up and made a terrible mess.

Next, I put some food down for Jesse since he has not eaten for two days. I got distracted and turned my back for two minutes and the next thing I knew, Solomon went right over and ate all of Jesse’s food. It came to me. That’s the way it is with the enemy. If we are not paying attention, the minute we turn our back the enemy will come and devour our things. To top this off, I went to make a cup of coffee and didn’t think to put the cup under the dripper, so the coffee ran all over the counter and made a big mess. All of this happened within a few short minutes. I could see that I needed to get out of the kitchen and head for the office where I could spend time with the Lord in His word.

I was not supposed to eat all that food right then. I even made a salad and some broccoli. Now I am over full. Jesse was refusing to eat because I needed to just have a smoothie and then leave the kitchen until later. The Lord is always using him to lead me and show me what to do. Today I was robbed of my peace and joy in just a few moments of time because I was too tired, and too hungry. The Lord reminded me that I cannot let myself get so tired that I am not able to pay attention. Had I been watching at the “the door” the enemy could not have gotten in to steal, kill and destroy like he did this afternoon.

Before I left for church I opened to this…

1 Timothy 6:6

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

I didn’t need those headphones. What I am using for my workouts now is working just fine.

I also opened to the parable of the talents before heading off to church…

Matthew 25:14-30

¹⁴ For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

¹⁵ And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

¹⁶ Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

¹⁷ And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.

¹⁸ But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

²⁰ And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

²¹ His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

²² He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

²³ His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

²⁴ Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

²⁶ His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

²⁷ Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

²⁸ Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

²⁹ For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

³⁰ And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When I got to church and flipped open my Bible I came to the exact same verses, only one page off. I knew immediately that the Lord wanted to show me something. And what did Keith preach on? Here we go…

We are in a series called “According to Your Faith.” I was fighting drowsiness by stating the word of God out loud ever so softly so I would not close my eyes and dose off, missing the important word that I needed to hear today. All of a sudden, he said something that caused me to sit bolt upright like a rod just shot up my spine.

If we want to have more of something, we need to give it. Like being a good friend if we want good friends, or giving money if we need money. We have to give God something to work with. He can’t multiply nothing. We must plant in order to get a harvest, and the motive for our planting should not be just so we can get. There should be no strings attached. 

Sowing and planting is our whole life – every area, all the time. It is not going around looking to get something in return.

We have what we say. If we have faith, our faith will speak.

“No speaky, no faithy!” LOL!

I heard from the Lord just then. He said to quit focusing on receiving and just focus on the giving.

Then we went to Luke 17:5-6

⁵ And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

⁶ And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

The disciples had faith but wanted more. The Lord was telling them that they had enough to do this to the tree the same thing that he had done. (Tree with roots represents things that have been fruitless in our lives but have taken root. My revelation from the Lord.) He told them they could tell the fig tree to wither and it would with the faith they currently had. We have to use what we have. We have to exercise a little muscle if we want it to become a big muscle. We have to use the faith we have if we want it to grow bigger.

Say it  – I am a giver!

Look at this…

Mark 11:22-24

²² And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

²³ For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

²⁴ Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Remember that faith is real. It is the evidence of things hoped for. God had faith when He spoke the world into existence.

See this also…

Matthew 21:20-21

²⁰ And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

²¹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Mountains (my note) represent the obstacles in our lives.

Jesus made it plain to us that we can cause the fruitless trees in our lives to wither and the obstacles to be cast into the sea of forgetfulness. (my notes here)

Go to 1 Samuel 17 and read all about David and Goliath. David had faith in His God and did not focus on the size of the giant. But the revelation that I received on the way home from church while talking with Marge is that David’s flesh had grabbed 5 stones, but God only needed him to get one and back it with his faith. God would take it from there and give him the victory. 

We have to go to God with something and it must be backed with an action of faith. Picking up the stone was the action. What David believed Go would do was faith. In David’s case, the Lord showed up on the first throw. He didn’t need the second, third, fourth or fifth stone. He only needed the first one backed by faith. Hallelujah!

We have to give God something to work with.

Dave (assistant pastor) said at the end of the service that he is still waiting to be able to take a pill rather than go on a diet or exercise. Everyone laughed naturally. But that’s not happenin! God wants us to do our part. And when we do, He can multiply it. It will always take a faith backed action on our part to move the hand of God in our circumstances. If we won’t move, God can’t.

We gotta follow the healthy eating plan. We have to get on the treadmill. We have to exercise our faith muscle. When we do our part, He will do His bigger part – end of discussion. That’s all there is to it. Like David when he approached the giant who came against him with javelin and sword, I can say to the devil who has been on my tail all week long trying to get me into disobedience to block the blessings of God from coming into my life:

“The Lord who delivered me from sin and addiction, out of the “paw” of the lion (devil), yes, the Lord who called me to preach the gospel around the world is the same One true God who can deliver me (Denny and me) from all debts and cause wealth and riches to come into our house so we can be a blessing to millions around the world – hallelujah!”

Faith says this out loud. Faith does not magnify the enemy (giant/problems) but faith magnifies the Lord at all times and His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Hallelujah!

I can say to the enemy;

“You come at me with a sword of lies and deceptions and trickery, to separate me from my family, my wealth and prosperity and from being a fruitful tree (person), but I come against you in the name of Jesus Christ who is able to deliver me to the land that is flowing with milk and honey, yes, for Denny and me, our house, our family and our ministry assignment and anything else that concerns us. 

Then all the earth will know that the Lord God Jehovah – the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He is the Lord. Satan, you come against me with your lies and deception, but I come against you in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names. He is the way, the truth and the life. Then I will know the truth and truth will set me free. Hallelujah! So, go back to the pit of hell where you belong. I give you no place in my life! In Jesus name!”

I opened to this after all the chaos in the kitchen this afternoon…

Joel 3:10b

let the weak say, I am strong.

I asked the Lord what word I needed to face the battle I was dealing with at the moment this afternoon. I could feel the enemy like a spider on my spine. Then I came into my office and opened to this verse in my little scripture book. Then I pulled this from my scripture card box…

1 Chronicles 22:19

¹⁹ Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.

So, I sat down feeling tired, but I said it out loud, “Lord, I am coming to seek You right here and right now.”

Here I sit about a half hour later after typing all this and I feel like a new woman - Glory to God! I came in to the office to hear the word of the Lord – to seek His face and now here I am being used to build His house, not mine! There is power in His presence and there is power in His word. There is power in the name of Jesus. I am a woman of faith and I decree and declare it before all heaven and earth that I have faith in God, and in His word. I have a spirit of faith. God’s word is active and alive in me and it is working in my life. I am a fruitful tree and the devil has no place in me. I will not give in to his temptations, lies or deceitful tricks. I am a child of God. I only hear my Shepherd’s voice. Glory to God!

I hope this encourages you friend. I share my experience, strength and hope in Christ with you that you too may be edified and built up on your most holy faith in Jesus name. Amen!