Week 7 on week 6-
When Satan tries your patience-
Sometimes when you do good work for God the flames will rise and the tests will begin in our own lives. This can be scary. How can we hold strong and still keep our eyes focused on others when we are in the fire ourselves?

Some of you may have noticed that the frequency of the Front Porch posting has dwindled by about half. Our weekly Sunday posts have turned into every other week. Well, for this very reason I decided that we would change the order of the last two weeks of this series, bc Satan has certainly been trying the patience of the ladies on the Porch over the past month especially.

I don't know if it is this way for you or not...maybe as you read this you will think "Man, that is exactly what I have been feeling," or maybe you know someone that has been and can use this to encourage them.

Over the past month, the Front Porch sisters have been faced with illness for themselves, children and spouses. We have faced serious financial struggles, including lost jobs and very uncertain futures. We have been faced with burdens so great that our initial reaction was to pull within and forget the very blessing that we are to one another. God's gift to us as his people is his love...and how does he show that love in our daily lives?

He shows by providing us each other. Maybe you have a supportive friend or colleague, or you are the friend in need of support. Maybe God has provided you with abundant family that sometimes drives you nuts, but no matter what loves and supports you. Maybe God provided you with a "stranger" on a very low day who provided you something. All I know is that Satan wants us to turn inward. He wants us to turn away. He wants us to isolate...bc it is there he can whisper his lies and there is no one there to protect us from our own thoughts.

Fear is abundant right now... jobs are being lost left and right, friends and loved ones are loosing homes and health care on top of our "normal" struggles. Our country is divided and frustrated. People are hurting.

When going through my illness I learned one thing very well...when something in your life is of frustration it usually comes from Satan. Look around, what do you see? People scared and hurting and uncertain about life. We need God and we need each other to remind each other how much we need God.

The Front Porch Sisters were brought together for a very special reason...we are starting to see some of that come into play. We knew from the start that it was all a very "bizarre" coincidence. The whole table and the similarities and the instant connection between so many women seemed of God, but Satan has certainly been trying to convince us that maybe we are just silly women who just met and nothing more. Let me tell you what we are about to show Satan who we believe and it isn't him!

Maybe you have had that experience. An instant connection with a friend or a Bible study or maybe even your spouse, and then life takes hold and you withdraw and before you know it you can't remember the last day that held real joy for you. Real joy- I mean the kind that transcends all understanding and circumstances as scripture says.

Last week one of our Front Porch sisters emailed all the rest and stated clearly that she felt God was "rallying the troops" so to speak. Make no mistake there is a fight to be won. There is an enemy at work and there are huge stakes. Look around; Satan is dividing us in so many ways. He is hardening our hearts and telling us lies on political levels, emotional levels, financial levels and more. He wants us angry, unaccecting and confused.He wants us in pain and bitter.

He is telling us to forget everyone and focus on ourselves. He knows divided we are nothing, but together working for God, lifting each other up, we are unstoppable.

We each have unique and God-given talents and blessings. He wants us all. Each person is powerful and necessary, but unless we share those things with others they can not be fully realized in God's kingdom.

This sister felt we had grown complacent in our prayer life for one another, in our posting on the Porch and she is right, we had. With such love and concern she let the rest know how we were valued and not forgotten and that we needed to revive our commitment to honor why God brought us together.

This is why God brought us together. For you, for each other- Back in June(actually lot sooner than that) He knew what we would be facing in October. He was preparing us and providing spiritual provision for us. In order for that to be fully realized for the purpose it was intended we have to each understand that no matter what Satan is trying to whisper to us...no matter what tricks he is trying in our life to frustrate us, God has a very real purpose for why he placed every single one of us in the lives of the other and also into your path.

Our sweet sister reminded us of how important we were to God and to each other and felt led to ask for a prayer commitment. We each agreed to Monday morning at 8:30am. We would stop where ever we were at that time and knowing the prayer requests of each we would lift up the concerns of all at the same time. We would petition God as a group(an army) ready to break down Satan's walls and see the truth. What a powerful moment that was this morning.

How lucky are we that one stood up to hold the rest accountable! Will you be that one?
One of God's sweetest gifts to each of us is the gift of each other. When Satan starts his tricks and lies, when he goes after you to your very core of self-esteem, or need for approval, or feelings or worth, or via your greatest fears don't let him have one second of your heart.

Protect that heart you have given to the Lord. Show Satan that, try and try as he might, you wont turn inward. You won't isolate. Instead, you will turn towards the people you know will see and speak the truth to you and hold you accountable. When the flames rise the more people are needed to put them out. Ask God to discern for you who he wants you to rally with and for.

There are a lot of hurting people right now. Our Christian friends may not be able to "fix" our problems or make it alright, but they are God's gift to us to be honored and seen as the treasures that they are intended to be. Even though they can't always fix the problem they can love you through it, circle around you and lift you up to the one who can, and does, make everything alright. They can offer you encouragement and show you the lies when Satan has you blinded.

I am one of the guilty ones. I am an isolator! When times are tough I run and hide and while I do pray, I turn inward. I am a shell. I am there, in the church, in the pew, in the study's, but hollow and numb and hurting. There is a smile on my face and most of the time you would never know. I don't wan't to be the burden. I don't let myself invest because I am too busy feeling sorry for myself and listening to Satan's lies. In a crazy, unpredictable world it is easy to do. But what I am promising you is that you are never a burden to God and your worries and pains are his. He loves you more than his own life and he gave it for you. He doesnt want you smiles when you are hurting. Let him provide you the love and support and comfort through the people that love him and you and also be that person for someone else.

I am not the one who rallied the troops.

I am the one who was inspired by the faithfulness of one sister and what that one heart was able to do in the lives of 7 sisters and then some.

This morning we prayed and God was at work. It felt like he just came into my heart and from the emails I am gonna go out on a limb here and say the hearts of others and seemed to breath into us that this is what he intended for us. Not the fear,not the isolation, not the lies- the love, the support, the central focus, which is him to be the answer to all of our problems and together we are stronger than we are alone.

When Satan starts trying your patience and working to divide it usually means he has something to loose and God something to gain.

Thank you God for these sweet sisters and for all those reading this. We ask that you bless us and provide us with the comfort and peace that only you can give. We know that so many people are hurting right now. They are feeling lost and afraid. Maybe they don't know you or maybe they are hearing Satan's lies right now and we ask that you will strengthen us so that we may be able to lift them up and help them see your truth.

Thank you for always providing us a place to seek the truth, be protected and be loved abundantly through you.
Amen

I am going to put an email off to the right sidebar. It was written by our sister Sharon. She sent this after our prayer time this morning and I thought it was so amazing!
Sweet Blessings,
Laurie