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Words Hold Power of Life and Death
In the last year I have not written as many posts on this blog as I did before, because I was determined to write only things that would give hope and encouragement. And to be honest with you, Steve’s condition was regressing and there wasn’t much positive or uplifting news to share, so I said nothing at all.
This really saddened me, because I knew that things would turn around for Steve if he would only change his pessimistic attitude from despair to one of hope. He believes that his life is over, and he often talks about how useless he is.
The Bible teaches us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he, and that our words hold the power of life and death. Steve is determining his own future by his own negative words and thinking. He sees no light in his future and remains focused on what he has lost. I do what I can to encourage him, but that isn’t enough because he just doesn’t believe me. His self-loathing and feelings of uselessness are overpowering him, so I have taken matters into my own hands.
The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12 that I do not battle against flesh and blood (not against Steve), but against principalities and powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness. This spiritual enemy must be fought using my spiritual weapons of prayer, praise and fasting to beat down their influence upon my husband. In his weakened physical condition, he needs someone to stand in the gap for him, and the more people who are willing to do that, the better. I am confident of victory, because the battle is the Lord’s and it is God who fights for us.
If you believe this, will you pray along with me using the sword of God’s Word to obtain Steve’s deliverance from the deception he is being attacked with?
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:17-18
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12
In prayer… “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.” Leviticus 26:8
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Kathy,
October 7th, 2010 at 12:24 pmI will pray with you for Steve.
Barb
Thank you. I appreciate it so much.
October 7th, 2010 at 1:56 pmHi Kathy, I’m still here 2.30am reading all your articles, thank you for being so honest in sharing all of the journey. My prayers are with you both. Vonny
October 12th, 2010 at 10:28 amI will keep Steve in my prayers. I too am a stroke survivor, almost a year ago(Nov. 25,2009). I have my moments and yes I admit and agree that words are very powerful and so are our thoughts. Thank you for your blog as God speaks through you and in times of need.
October 30th, 2010 at 1:29 pmThank you Sara. I pray that God will strengthen and encourage you on your stroke recovery journey.
October 30th, 2010 at 1:39 pmPlease never stop posting Kathy, Steve’s struggle is my struggle, you see, I had a massive right hemispheric stroke in Feb, 2008, its been quite a challenge and I too fight depression and hopelessness, but intermixed are great successes: leaving my wheelchair, getting my drivers license back (I could fill a web blog with the details of that adventure), any way, seeing you and Steve through your posts gives me great perspective on my own life
November 28th, 2010 at 6:03 pmWondered if you got my last blog. Could you please let me know
April 2nd, 2011 at 5:41 amThanks. Margaret Scherer
Hi Maggy,
Yes, I did get your post and I apologize for my delay in answering.
Perhaps Botox would help the tone in your foot. Steve is scheduled for a Botox injection on Apr. 7 for spasticity in his big toe, and he also has claw toes. For the other issues it will take continual repetition of your exercises. Success is guaranteed unless you put a deadline on it. Make short term goals for yourself. When you meet them, they will lead to the long term goals. If you put a deadline on your recovery, you will be discouraged if you don’t meet it. So continue to do the exercises faithfully everyday, and you will slowly see improvement. Persistence is the key.
April 2nd, 2011 at 9:16 pmThanks so much. Will consider the Botox but have concerns about it for overall recovery. There is a downside also so have been a bit cautious. Sorry to hear Steve is so depressed. For a man it must be even worse. Can he walk alone?
January 2nd, 2012 at 7:25 amWill keep him in my prayers. With hope
Maggy
Thanks for your prayers Maggy. Steve didn’t like the Botox, although it did help his spastic toe. He started taking the anti-depressant Lexipro a couple of months ago and he is doing so much better. Even though his physical condition has not changed, at least he smiles now and is generally a good mood. He can walk short distances (50 ft) by himself with a quad cane but has a lot of pain in his shoulder, ankle and big toe which makes it difficult. He’s always afraid of falling, so to compensate his center of gravity, he hunches over to counter balance. Not very pretty
January 2nd, 2012 at 9:52 am