Ephesians 6:10–12 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This text teaches some crucial truths: we can only stand strong in the Lord’s power, it is God’s armor that protects us, and our battle is ultimately against spiritual forces of evil in the world.

I was recently on vacation at the beach and as I spent my mornings drinking coffee, doing my daily devotions and praying, I had this overwhelming feeling that God was about to do something amazing.  As I looked out over the vast ocean, I couldn’t help but to think of how small I am in the grand scheme of things and how GREAT God is, I was also reminded of how far I have come and how many battles I have been through.  One morning as I was praying for a family member that had suffered a stroke and was in the hospital I looked up and God gave me the most beautiful rainbow and as I cried and thanked him for his promise he gave me a double rainbow. I was so overwhelmed with gratefulness.  Later in the day we were sitting on the beach and were talking about how Great God was for sending that confirmation when we were visited by a dragonfly. We were speaking of how a certain family member who had gone on to be with Jesus, loved dragonflies. I immediately said, that is her telling us everything is going to be ok. No sooner than I got that statement out of my mouth, about 15 dragonflies came from what seemed like right over the ocean and were swarming all around us. We began to weep and thank God for His blessings. I began to thank Him for all the things I have been through because they have made me who I am today. I also began to thank Him for my enemies and I felt that I needed to let them know how thankful I am for their part in my life so I decided to write them a letter.

Jeremiah 30:16 says,  For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD, `Because they have called you an outcast, saying: “It is Zion; no one cares for her.” 

Dear “You Know Who You Are”,

I am writing this letter to let you know how grateful I am for your part in my life. You have helped make me a better person. I want to thank you for hating me so much that you have done everything in your power to try to destroy me. Thank you for telling me how unlovable I am and how unworthy I am. Thank you for trying to make me feel so useless and ugly. Thank you for telling me how fat I am. Thank you for telling me that I will never amount to anything. Thank you for trying to steal my joy and my faith. Thank you for pretending to be my friend. Thank you for betraying me. Thank you for trying to steal my success. Thank you for laughing at me. Thank you for degrading me. Thank you for trying to determine my worth. Thank you for talking about me behind my back. Thank you for spending so much time of your life worrying about mine. You have given me the strength to be better, to work harder, to trust people less and God more, to have more compassion for others, to love myself the way I am, to change the things I can, to realize that God’s opinion of me is the only one that matters. My worth is determined by who God says I am.  For He has created me in His own image. He formed me in the womb and He loved me before He knew me. He chose me. I am the apple of His eye. I am His beloved. I am no longer a slave, but a child and an heir. I am chosen, holy, and blameless before God. I have been predestined by God to obtain an inheritance. I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. I have been justified and redeemed. In Christ Jesus, I have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The peace of God guards my heart and mind. God supplies all my needs. I have been made complete in Christ. I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. I am a child of God. The power of God is on my side. If He is for me, who can be against me? None, no not one. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed am I when people insult me, persecute me and falsely speak all kinds of evil against me. I will rejoice and be glad, because great is my reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before me.

I pray that whatever it is in your life that controls you and your thoughts will be loosed. I pray that you can come to an understanding of forgiveness for the ones who have hurt you. I pray that you will find peace in your life so that you can put all your thoughts and efforts into helping others instead of  trying to destroy them. I pray you can forgive yourself for whatever it is that binds you. Thank you for being a part of my journey in this life. I forgive you. I am blessed.

In His love,

Me

I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I don’t believe there are any accidents. I have been guilty of saying, “I wish I had never met them”, “I wish I could go back and change that day”. But I have had to realize that they were a part of my journey, put in my life to teach me life lessons. I may never understand why but I do trust God and I do trust that He loves me and will always fight for me. Sometimes the most meaningful lessons are the hard ones. I am reminded of raising my children and letting them learn lessons by making mistakes and bad choices. Our heavenly Father allows the same in our lives. And I am not saying it is easy because it is not. I would much rather hate them and feel sorry for myself. I could spend all of my  time wishing for bad things to happen to them but that would be a total waste of my time and energy. They are going to get what is coming to them no doubt. I would rather spend my time enjoying life and being happy and I choose to release them from my thoughts so that I can think on good things. Lord don’t let me fill my thoughts with their poison. I am done. I am blessed. I am loved. God’s blessings are all around us. Take time look and to listen.

Hugs and Kisses Peaches! Blessings to you all.