Keeping it
Real and Transparent
by Taffie Furr
Normally,
the Lord wouldn't ask me to release a testimony/teaching while it's yet still
fresh in my life, nevertheless, in this particular situation, He has. With that
being said, here it goes;
A
few years ago, the Lord brought my family and me from the state we had been
born and raised in and relocated us into this beautiful state of Oregon. Prior to uprooting and relocating us, He
began to speak wonderful promises into our lives, of what we could expect from
this repositioning. From among the list, He told us of the joy we would have in
the new homeland He was placing us into, and also told us that Oregon was the
land of our inheritance! Wow!! Those are incredible promises in themselves, let
alone all of the other powerful words He spoke prior to, during and after our
move.
Just
prior to our move, I began to have an incredibly strong draw in my spirit to
another state as well. Sometimes it would become so intensely powerful that I
would become confused between the two states of where exactly He wanted us to
move to...so I would inquire of Him over and over several times of exactly
where He wanted us to be....and He would so patiently reconfirm to me that
indeed it was Oregon, but there was also something for a later time with the
other state as well. Over the course of
time, prophets and prophetic people began to speak to me about this other
state. They began to speak of a
relocation to this other state that would take place at a later date.
For
the first year after we relocated, it was wonderful. It was as if we most
assuredly had front row seats to witnessing the fulfillment of all the promises
God had given us, being made manifest in our lives!! I was so extremely blessed
and overflowing with joy for what the Lord was doing, that almost daily I would
have to restrain myself from crying tears of joy. Then, it felt like it came just as suddenly
and as surprisingly as a blow to the head, everything around me began to
collapse and explode and just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any
worse, it did. Have you ever watched one
of those movies about a catastrophe hitting a city? The main actors are always
in the center of the chaos and destruction and buildings are falling to the ground
all around them, so they are barely escaping being crushed, on the right and on
the left, seems like everywhere they look things are falling down! Will they
make it out alive??? OK, a little
dramatic effect, but that's truly how it felt to me and to be totally
transparent the biggest buildings may have already come down around me (or so I
think), but the small ones are still crumbling a little bit here and little bit
there.
Is this the Land of my
Inheritance?
Alright,
what's up with this, God?? This doesn't
look like the land of my inheritance anymore, it looks more like the land of my
destruction. What's up with that? Was I tricked, was I mislead, did I
misunderstand what You were saying when I thought You said to move to
Oregon? If you truly said to move here,
wouldn't it all be good and wonderful and I wouldn't be going through such
chaos and destruction of so many different areas in my life? Those are the types of questions that tend to
arise within us when things no longer seem to meet our expectations of how our
promises should be brought into tangible existence for us. Any of those sound
familiar to anyone else??
Suddenly,
almost EVERYTHING in my life appeared to be the opposite of all what I expected
it to be and the opposite of what God told me it would be. God wants me to be
totally forthright and transparent, exposing the thoughts of my heart....I got
to the point where a measure of doubt and discouragement began to intrude, and
when that happens emotions begin to shout out to us. And perspective begins to shift into thinking
that this present circumstance is the way it will always be. The land that I
had loved so dearly and saw as such a blessing as well as, an answer to a
long-time prayer, was now becoming a land that I despised. My focus changed to
where I was no longer looking at the promises about to emerge from the other
side of this time of tribulation, and
the hidden victories taking place, but all I could see for a short time was all
this bad stuff taking place to the right and to the left of me. I sincerely was not sure if I could withstand
one more disappointment and/or hurt into my life. I had moments where I
thought, if anything else bad happens, surely I'm going to lose my sanity!! Seriously,
I wondered at times, if I could emotionally handle anything else...and then,
the next thing would happen and I survived it too...and then I wondered, if I
could possibly handle anything else. Then
yep you got it, the next thing would happen. Obviously, I have survived,
although some may argue my sanity level. :)
As much as I'd like to say to you, I walked all of this out without
wavering, I can't say that. Shortly after the last big explosion, through all
the discouragement and battle weariness, I decided that the prophecies about
the other state were looking pretty good to me, and I would like nothing more
to abort this season and all it has carried for me, and quickly move into the
next season with all the great and wonderful promises it surely holds. Sound
good? Not good.
Flower Garden
In
every season of our life, something is being tilled up, planted, weeds are
being pulled up, and new is growing. New growth takes place even before we can
actually see that it's happening...because it begins underground, or in other
words, within the hidden place of the soul.
Let's
use the example of a flower garden. If we have had the same type of flowers and
various plants in our garden for awhile, and desire to change it's contents in
order to give a fresh new appearance...before planting the new, it's first
necessary to remove the former bulbs from the ground, or else you'll end up
with a mixture of the old and the new. We all know what has to be done to get
those bulbs out...it requires a digging into the ground, you must go below the
surface to get to them, or else when the new is springing up, the old will
spring up along with it, thus not ending in the desired outcome of what was
suppose to be a total transformation from the old garden into the new. If we transfer this concept into what takes
place beneath our surface during a time of transformation...digging deep into
our hearts and our souls to remove the old.
That is; what has been growing for awhile and become deeply
rooted...there's pain involved, possibly some due to resistance of allowing
roots to be pulled up and out, in order to make room for the new to be planted
and grown in purity, without anything of the old springing up with it.
Ouch! If we abort the process before
it's finished, then we either keep the old intact, having merely a tilled up
soil that then must wait until the next planting season to finish out what has
been started, or if we aborted in the beginning of the planting process, most
likely we'll have only a sparse garden,
lacking of it's full potential. Enduring through the entirety can be a painful
process, but one that's necessary, and when the fruit of it's harvest springs
up, the process proves having been worthwhile, confirmed through it's beauty
and fragrance. There's truly a priceless treasure to be found on the other side
of enduring the tribulation. Which is only for a time.
Although
this past year for me has appeared to be the total opposite of the promise of
an inheritance, the Lord has brought me to understand, that in the fulfillment
of His promises to us, the greatest blessings are also paralleled with some of
the greatest warfare. When Jesus gained victory over the grave, He first had to
die, and then, He overcame death itself, for an everlasting victory!!! "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat
falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces
much grain.'" John 12:24
The Journey was not
Without Battle
When
the Lord took His people into the promised land, the journey was not without
battle. Nevertheless, He fully equipped them to overcome each and every battle
and was truly preparing them all along the way, to enter into a land that was
flowing with milk and honey. Truly it was the Promised Land...that God
delighted in taking them to, it was theirs, He was giving it to them...oh did I
mention...there were giants dwelling there, that they had to first overcome in
order to take possession of the land???
Then they told him, and said: We went to the land where you sent us.
It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is it's fruit. Nevertheless the
people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very
large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak (giants) there. The Amalekites
dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites
dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks
of the Jordan. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go
up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. Numbers 13: 27-30
So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the
people wept that night. (Numbers
14:1) Why
has the Lord brought us to this land to
fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it
not be better for us to return to Egypt? (Numbers 14:3)
But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were
among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to
all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: The land we passed
through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us,
then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with
milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the
land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the
Lord is with us. Do not fear them. (Numbers 14: 6-9)
There
will always be two choices of perspectives; the promise or the negative report.
Focusing on the promise, empowers us with faith unto receiving, whereas,
focusing on the negative report, ensnares us with hopelessness unto being
defeated. By faith in God's word\promises, we war when strong enough to, and
simply stand when unable to do anything else. I'd like to point out, that not
all warfare is difficult, at times we warfare and not even realize that's what
we're doing. At other times, we must be intentional about it. In my case,
through a temporary wrong focus, I was tempted to flee, instead of standing
and/or fighting for the promises and season to be brought to a fullness and
completion. Now, with intention to receive ALL of what the Lord has for me in
the here and now, I stand and when need-be, will fight, wielding the word of
God with deadly blows, with intention to take off the heads of the giants. As I get my perspective back onto the
original promise and word from God; hope, faith, strength, and even love for
the land He has brought me to, returns...with even greater appreciation than
before...b/c now there is an awareness of the willful intent of activating
faith. That's called overcoming. Please don't misunderstand, I"m not
tooting my own horn...actually a far cry from it. I quite humbly share this
portion of my journey with you. I was
nearly overcome, because of a short, but powerfully destructive wrong
perspective. God gets ALL of the glory for every victory, that through Him we
are made Overcomers!!
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His
might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up
the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with
truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your
feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield
of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in
the Spirit. (Ephesians
6:10-18a)
Taffie Furr
Revelation of Jesus Christ Ministries
