~ To The King And To The Restoration! ~

Before jumping into things I need to let you know that my hope has always been Jesus, not what Jesus could do for me, but Jesus himself – Yeshua ha'Mashiach, my gentle Lord and Savior. He has used the health challenges I face to teach me many things, but mostly to show me how much He loves me, which has made me fall in love with Him even more. However, it would be silly to say I never ask or desire healing.

Many nights I have watched my husband peacefully slumbering away, while I have sat up in bed with tears in my eyes from the pain in my head. Sometimes I have looked at my husband and have envied his peaceful slumber. So often, I have wanted to shake him awake to share in the misery I was feeling. More often, are the nights when my sweet husband has woken up and let Christ’s love shine through him, giving up his sleep to keep watch through the night with me.

I wish I could say that I have never been frustrated, irritated, or just plain tired of not feeling good. I wish I could say that I never voiced a complaint. Nevertheless, I cannot. What I can say though is that in spite of my weaknesses, my hearts desire is to never deny the words or the love of the Lord. That one thing has brought me such joy during these challenges and has turned any bitterness to something sweet and wonderful. Though my flesh so often has complained and wanted to give up, my spirit has soared.

My Abba has brought me to another level in my life. He is showing me that I do not have to be captive to pain, sickness, and disease. Does that mean He has given me a magic formula to healing? No. It does not even mean that I will not continue to have the same problems to some degree that I have now. What it does mean is that I can be free from unnecessary shackles locked on one by one’s own ignorance or the ignorance of others.

He has been calling us to a simpler lifestyle for years. This is one more step. No more food that is polluting our system. No more chemicals that poison and make problems of their own. Even medicine can be misused or over used. Some days the medicine I have been taking has made me feel worse than the problem itself. I have had years of treating symptoms, its time to treat the cause. It is requiring some sacrifice and a life change. The final step of restoration will be a long one. For 43 years, my body has been abused not only by me, but also by the good intentions of others. Even if it is a lifetime, I will know that I have stopped abusing this physical temple of the Holy Spirit. I will also have the joy of knowing that I have taught Roxanne how to live healthier and she in turn can affect another generation, hopefully keeping herself and others from unnecessary suffering.

~Captivity~

…And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons…

Chronicles 36: 19-20

When did the destruction of this temple begin? How long have I been captive to pain, nausea, fatigue? Living in darkness and shackled with medications and surgeries. Treating symptoms, but never the cause. A slave to pain relievers, steroids, antibiotics…

How many years have I abused this physical temple of the Holy Spirit with medicine, pollutants and anemic fuel? The shackles of my own ignorance weigh heavy on my wrist; those of the ignorance of others weigh on my ankles.

~Hope~

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia… The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Ezra 1: 1-2

A friend, acquaintance, chance (no such thing with God) meeting, an article, a word spoken at the right time…

Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1: 5

A glimmer of hope shines as the rubble of ignorance is removed.

~Revival~

And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon… And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening… From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid.

Ezra 3: 1-6

…Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2: 5

Lord I lay on the altar my will, my wisdom (ignorance), and fears. All that is self I lay on the altar to be burned. I seek You. Protect me from harm as I approach in faith and obedience.

They kept also the feast of tabernacles…

Ezra 3: 4

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

Lord you are my desire. I am filled with praise and thanksgiving! The glimmer of hope has grown and has burst forth in the form of praise. My heart overflows with the excitement of change. I am ready and seek Your ways.

~Reform~

They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa…

Ezra 3: 7

A new way of thinking. Rebuild this body, this temple of the Holy Spirit! We will need rich, fresh, unpolluted supplies of nourishment. A place free from chemicals which serve to poison and only make the job harder.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6: 19

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel… But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:

Ezra 3: 10-12

Lord my tears are a mixture of relief and joy!

~Restoration~

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

Ezra 4: 1-2

Some will attempt to infiltrate and disrupt the rebuilding of the temple. They may be well intentioned, but they are not here to advance the work God wants to do. What god are they worshipping? Medicine? Surgery? Do they want to see the temple rebuilt or just temporarily repaired. One does need support, unity, but support and unity based on sincere faith, righteousness, and loyalty to God’s truth.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

Ezra 4: 3

One must pray for discernment. Be strong and choose

wisely!

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra 4: 4-5

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3: 12-15

For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

Jeremiah 17: 6-7

There will be skeptics, doubters, and discouragers; those who faith rests on man instead of God.

…Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra 4: 23-24

There may be interruptions, obstacles and setbacks. However, I must continue to pursue this task with diligence, and give myself fully to God’s purpose.

…And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel…

Ezra 6: 14

Will this temple ever be completely restored? How long will the restoration take? Possibly a lifetime!

Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands…

Ezra 9: 1-2

The changes made must be for a lifetime. Those things that we have separated from must be kept separate. Compromise can cause a rippling of consequences and the possibility of apostasy to God’s desire.

Over time, I hope to share the alternatives, which have worked for us. What we are dealing with is severe allergies to grasses, trees, weeds, dogs, cats, birds, horses, fungus, molds, dust mites, cockroaches, and everything else I have ever been tested for, plus much that I haven’t. I have had nine+ surgeries in a four and a half year period. Symptoms include severe headaches, vomiting, sleeplessness, sinus infections, pressure, pain… I have taken steroids and antibiotics like candy, at my own ignorance and the direction of my doctors.

I also have trouble around chemicals and found that clearing our house of cleaners, toiletries, perfumes, and pretty much anything with a scent has been the biggest help. I can now breath most the time. Do I regret that we didn’t make these changes earlier? No. It wasn’t the right time. We weren’t yet ready. We had other lessons to learn. Our lives have been made up of seasons, and within those seasons God’s purpose and cause. The time is right and my wonderful family has taken on the cause. We can all say:

~ To the King and to the Restoration! ~