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Beyond the Natural

The tapestries of our lives as Believers are threaded by journeys through valleys and moments upon mountaintops. Some would have you to believe that the experiences upon mountaintops are the best parts of our walk, but actually it can be in the valley of death that we grow closest to our Lord. It is during stormy and difficult times where grounded faith and unbreakable growth occurs. To eliminate the need for overcoming or enduring hardships would be doing a disservice to ourselves and remove a very important step in our growth process that we are able to share with others. The common teachings in our Christian society that we as Believers are exempt from enduring difficult times has sadly stolen the available power and victories in overcoming. Teaching that our lives should exhibit temporal perfection has brought lies of hopelessness and condemnation upon many believers because they have not been taught to rest in the arms of our Lord and that strength to endure comes through adversity.

Much has happened over the past few months in my own life and I am not ashamed to share it. Because it is through the comfort and consolation that we receive from Father in our own overcoming that others are given hope. What we overcome is for us to share and not hide. To feel that we have somehow fallen short of grasping hold of a man created faith message or that our spiritual nature and strength is based upon our temporally manifested victory is a condemnation teaching. All things happen in our lives with the ultimate approval of the Lord and if we allow it to be, for HIS Glory.

Let me explain by going back about a 1 1/2 years ago. I heard a word in my spirit that I originally rebuked as a word from the enemy. I continued to serve the Lord faithfully but the word I had heard never left my spirit. I now know without a doubt that I was given information that would help me hold fast to the Anchor of my faith during what has proven to be a very difficult storm. The difficulty has not been in the ability to see beyond the temporal storm, but just in the physical enduring. Had I not listened to the whispers of the Spirit this time of sifting could have created great doubts and confusion in my mind. Not only did Father share with me the details of the test but the final purpose. It would be that I may share the comfort and consolation that I received from heaven with others. This has proven to be truer than I could imagine.

The exact words spoken to me by Father was, "There would be a test with my health, but not to worry because He had healed me once of great affliction, HE would heal me again." He also said, " The test would take me to the edge of death but not to worry because I would live and not die." You could imagine the thoughts that went through my mind to hear such a message so contrary to the traditional "perfection teachings". I have known for some time that the way that faith is being taught is missing a few vital pieces, faith is essential to Kingdom living but it must be properly tempered. We have failed to tell even the newest of Believers that there will be trials, rejections and persecutions. And that through these tests great grace and faith would grow.

Over the past year or so I began to have chest pains and have felt increasingly weaker. I went to physicians and they were unable to find why they were occurring. We continued to stand of faith and prayer that they would stop but they never did. We rebuked the sickness, we cast it out, we ignored it walking by faith but the situation continued to worsen. Never loosing my faith and trust in the Lord I continued to walk close to Him, allowing Him to guide my path. On January 6^th I went to the emergency room with the chest pains that had increased in intensity. Again, they were unable to immediately find the cause. Because I am young and look even younger they really did not want to take the time to pursue testing to see if it could be something serious. If my younger brother had not recently had cardiovascular problems of his own they would have once again just thought of me as another young anxious woman. This in itself is a sad injustice done to women that Father will deal with. Taking my family medical history into consideration and since it had been continuing over a year they decided to admit me to the hospital and run a heart catherization.

Generally when they run this test you are in and out of the hospital within a day or so. This was not the case for me. Even before the test was performed they began to see just how unstable my whole cardiac and sympathetic nervous systems were. Father had positioned me in a place where immediate intervention was possible. Even before any tests were begun my muscles throughout my entire body began to spasm. Not knowing the cause of the intense spasms I was sent to the intensive care unit. Though my flesh was exhibiting bizarre symptoms, my spirit man stood strong and firm. Even when visitors came a wellspring of life was beginning to bubble up from the depth of my trial. I had been given a promise and was ordered to focus on the eyes of my Savior. I did this to the best of my ability, which at times was even hard for me. I learned that I could not hold on by my own faith, but I had to learn to fall into HIS arms and allow HIS faith to carry me.

When I went for the cardiac test more surprises manifested that only the Lord knew about beforehand. My right coronary artery closed and I began to have the beginning of a heart attack. Just as Father had spoken, I would touch death but I would live and not die. Unlike common protocol my husband Tony who is a registered nurse was in the room to watch the procedure and my friend and intercessor was in the viewing room. Father had staged the power of agreement close at hand to fight for my life that day. As they prayed my body responded to the medications to open the artery and there was no damage to my heart. Another interesting thing about the whole situation is that they had given me medications so that I would be unconscious or at the very least groggy but I wasn’t. Father knew I needed to be alert to speak to the doctor or they would not have been able to know that the hidden chest pain I had been having was from the same source. My spirit man was alert, so it did not matter how much medication they gave me I could communicate with the physician. Because of this they were able to find a very hidden physical problem that they could treat. The prayer we had prayed that all things that were hidden would be revealed was answered. This condition was so hidden the enemy may have attempted to use it against me in the future.

Now that was not the end of the situations that happened. After the test the reactions in my autoimmune and sympathetic nervous system increased. I could no longer walk. At first I could not even move. Each time I attempted to walk every muscle in my body would spasm and I was having convulsions. This went on for about 10 days as I stayed in the hospital. Though my flesh was manifesting great pain and behaving beyond my control, my faith was becoming stronger. I spoke life to all those who visited and shared the love and hope of the Lord with all. The sifting and tests that I was overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony was serving a purpose.

Now I knew the meaning of the vision given by the Spirit that showed me a person who was totally paralyzed lying in a bed. Father asked me if I felt that this person who had faith in their heart was any less powerful in the Spirit because of their physical limitations. I thought about it and answered, "NO". Father continued to tell me that we have been so temporally focused that we believe we are spiritually strong because we can do this or that. We have lost sight of the Kingdom because of our own perception of spiritual strength. With this in mind I kept my mind stayed upon the Lord and throughout it all I ministered to those who Father brought to visit me. I had a special peace in the midst of the storm and the manifestations did not worry me. Father told me from the beginning that He had healed me once and He would heal me again. That is the promise I continue to stand upon!

Now as I spent time before the throne during this test, I was given a whole new focus on healings or manifestations of prayers that we pray. We as a Body spend too much time praying for our own personal agenda and watching and waiting until we see what we believe is an answer to occur. The healing of our body, finances, ministries or relationships become a gods to us, taking our focus off the Lord. Instead of just believing that the outcome will be the Lords we focus upon the temporal manifestation and become consumed by the storms of life.

Now the miracle and focus of what I am sharing is not that I was sick and that Father is healing me, but upon a few things. If we will listen to the Spirit He will give us wisdom and revelation about even difficult situations that we may have to endure. All situations will always come with a promise of victory, even if that victory is not manifested in the natural as we may hope. Over the past year the Lord had me study Paul in great depth. He took me on journeys that showed me how growth comes through adversity, as well as focusing upon the parable where Jesus told the disciples to enter into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. In this story the Lord was sending them on a mission and had a purpose set by Him that would be fulfilled. Jesus himself entered the boat and proceeded to the back of the boat to rest. He knew the conditions that would occur as they traveled over the sea and did not allow the natural manifestations to bother him as He rested upon His pillow.

When the storm raged and the waves tossed the boat about Jesus slept at peace, nestled upon the pillow of promise. The disciples chose a very different path, they stood in the bow of the boat and became filled with fear, doubt and unbelief. They looked upon the sea as the water rose and tossed their boat about and thought they were to die. The manifestations of the natural situations caused them to loose sight of the promise. The promise that they were on a mission and that Jesus himself was in the boat with them. They had taken their mind off of what Jesus had spoken and chose to look at the natural manifestations of possible defeat. The measure of their victory was based upon what they were seeing in the temporal realm. Had they kept their eyes focused upon the promise they would have gone to rest by the side of Jesus. They would have grasped hold of the promise that He was sending them on a journey to be completed on the other side of the sea. They would have seen that even the storm had a purpose in their lives and should not have been a concern or worry. Instead they ran to Jesus with their petitions to help them and save them, for surely they were to die. Of course Jesus calmed the raging sea and this is where most believers stop. They delight in HIS ability to calm our raging seas but they don’t see that He actually rebuked His disciples for their fearful doubt and unbelief. Had they truly believed His promise that they were to cross the sea they would not have become consumed with the difficulty of the temporal manifestations. The storm would not have even concerned them because their eyes would have been fixed upon HIM.

As I am continuing to cross this very difficult sea, I have chosen to keep my eyes firmly focused upon the eyes of the Lord. He has made promises to me and I know that I have work that must be done on the other side of this very stormy sea. Each day I have become stronger and can at least walk now, thought I am still very weak. I have a cane to steady myself and have even begun to dance again in worship of my King! Though I may not yet have the ability to worship with the stamina I held a few months ago, but I know that in due season that will change. This storm has created a deeper knowledge that our spiritual condition is not based upon our fleshly ability to do anything. And the power of the Kingdom does not lie in works done with our temporal bodies but in our ability to worship Him in spirit and in truth. What is happening is another miracle in progress! Just another chapter to my life, so that I may comfort others with the same comfort that I am comforted with! Because I am overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony and I am dedicated to His purpose unto death.

There are so many teachings and revelations that have come from touching death. Father had shown me a gift that is prepared at the end of this long and hard test. It is a gift of many teachings and revelations that I may share concerning the spiritual near-sightedness that we possess and much more. It is time to look beyond what is temporally seen and trust in HIS promises. And as we begin to look beyond we will be able to proceed to the other side of the sea and help more and more people to freedom! Speaking words of life back to them that would not be there had we not crossed over the storms of life.

In HIS Service,
Teresa M. Daly-Crews
17 February 2001
www.jesusrministries.org
JahShalom@msn.com