Believing for a Miracle from God was my only option

Part Three

By babs kincaid

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a

harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

When I decided to fix up my condo to sell it I had no idea I had signed up for major spiritual warfare! I was vulnerable enough to think that my project would be a simple process of several months of deep cleaning, minor repairs, decluttering and staging. What a shocker when my shower flooded my second bedroom ruining my flooring! The entire shower also had to be redone! As if that wasn’t enough, several water pipes busted and more water flooded into my living room and bedroom and utility room. Now three more rooms had to have new flooring! At this point, I was ready to build an Ark! Yikes!!!! The plumber had to cut through the drywall to find the leaky pipes so now the living room was in need of a new paint job! The list kept growing! The spiral downward culminated when the washing machine broke down and the plumber told me the air conditioner was on its last leg! Such an overload of good news was trying my faith and wearing me out. One of my friends quoted me this scripture: “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrew 10:36 I hated the word persevere! Really! That was not the scripture that brought me comfort and encouragement! I felt beat up and wiped out with the dust and primitive décor that had rocked my peaceful sanctuary! My flooring was now a patchwork quilt of concrete and laminate flooring and my belongings were stacked in corners of every room with no order or design! My once peaceful refuge looked like a war zone! I wanted to run away and go on a long, long vacation! I wondered if I could wake up from my nightmare! The forecast looked really grim but the truth was “God is on my side, I will not fear.” Psalm 118:6 Now that brought me great comfort!

“The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 4:14

I wasn’t going to admit defeat or give up on my dream to live debt free by selling my condo for more money and buying another condo for less money! I hired a Public Adjuster to advocate for me and praised God for turning the tables on my behalf! The more obstacles I faced the more determined I was to sell my condo! The God who spoke the stars into being, who “gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command” Proverb 8:29, who made lightning for the rain (Psalm 135:7b) was fighting my battle for me! In my research I learned: “Lightning benefits the earth, keeping its electrical charge in balance and generating protective ozone.” C. Claiborne Ray from the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Yea God!

Praying to God became my persistent anchor to navigate through the treacherous waters of my storm! I realized I needed courage and strength to endure the trial! After the death of Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 Knowing God is on my side was so reassuring and inspiring! I took peace from this verse: “…Be not dismayed,...I will strengthen you…For I, the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, Fear not, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:10b,13 My disastrous situation need God’s dazzling miracles! My anxiety level was sky high, so I needed to turn it over to my Heavenly Father! I found encouragement in this verse: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 The fight to restore my home to a peaceful sanctuary was bigger than I could handle! Only God could stand in the gap for me and make it happen! So I rejoiced in God’s lovingkindness and claimed this verse to increase my faith: “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14 The next chapter of this great adventure was with me continuing to wait upon God. As my Master project manager, I believed he had surprise moves to dazzle and amaze me!!!

…to be continued

Believing for a Miracle from God was my only option

Part Two

By babs kincaid

“It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect” Psalm 18:32

            This photo is me plunging into the deep waters of the unknown for a dive into faith!

       “All hard work brings a profit,” Proverbs 14:23 I kept telling myself as I diligently prepared my condo ready for resale. I would go to work and then come home and work on my condo, trusting God to renew my strength! The intensive project required painting walls and deep cleaning everything, purging belongings, repairing and decluttering my condo. My anchor of hope in all my labor was trusting God! This scripture motivated me: “And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” Proverbs 16:20b According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance the Hebrew word trusts #H982 “be confident or sure, be bold (secure), put confidence, and (make to) hope.” According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word “happy” #H835 means “blessed.” I had to face reality, truly my plans were bold and required me to step out of my comfort zone! Check out the truth:  Jesus said “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 That was my anchor of hope by remaining in a relationship with Christ and following Him in my venture, I would be productive and fruitful!

God armed me with strength with a winning team! Teamwork is what God used to make my condo dream makeover work! God provided an electrician who wishes to remain unanimous, Diana Phelps with God-given decorator/organization skills, and a resourceful realtor Ethel with God-given wisdom and unique skills, to help me succeed! Diana organized my closet and utility room and helped me to shop and decorate my condo with key design elements. Listen to God’s concept of working together: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil.” Ecclesiastics 4:9a Another verse shows the blessing of teamwork: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,” 1 Peter 4:10 When you trust God to provide for your needs, be prepared to be exceedingly blessed by the best!

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see

the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

Taking a leap of faith is a decision and commitment with God navigating, but crossing the finish line is hundreds of individual steps. Picture a puzzle with 1000 pieces and you have just visualized my project to get my shabby chic condo ready for selling. One piece at a time seems caterpillar slow, but that is how faith works in real life! I feel like Nehemiah rebuilding the wall in Israel one brick at a time! Growing in faith is being stretched in trusting God to provide all the necessary ingredients for a successful outcome! “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and … I praise him.” Psalm 28:7

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God, must believe that He is and that he is a rewarded to those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

My earnest prayer was that God would repair and set up my condo! I realized God’s help is crucial: “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;” Psalm 127:1a According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance the Hebrew word “build” #1129 means “to build literally and figuratively, begin to build, make, repair and set (up). Consider these verses: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11a “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.” Psalm 37:5 Crystal clear was my decision to turn over my house makeover to God!

With God’s help, I wanted potential buyers to see my home as a sanctuary to personalize as their own. When you lean on God  you have no idea what your incredible future will look like…

to be continued…