Was Given A Homework Assignment, What Is Your Life Scripture Verse For The Season You Are In. Can You Guess Mine, Take A Peek & See For There Is An Older Testimony Attached To This Also.

I was a participant at a conference on deliverance recently. The power and presence of God was mighty throughout the conference. An assignment was given to us in one of the sessions. Good thing I tend to take notes. Do you know I have many journal books where I record pertinent things pertaining to my life journey? Some are tucked away and I pull them out as Holy Spirit shows me to search for a writing He gave to me. I have some for dreams I record and then I have a few for taking notes. Currently I have 1 in my church bag; 2 in my living room; 1 in my bedroom and I keep a smaller one in my purse. Good thing I jotted down this assignment: the life verse for this season. I did not even have to think about this it dropped so quickly inside of me "The joy of the Lord is my strength." That was the easy part. I had to wait until I got back home to look this verse up so I could see it in my bible. I am not a bible scholar but I do know where a story in the bible is located, meaning Old Testament or New Testament. I do look things up too.
So, it is Nehemiah 8:10 my bible translation reads like this "Don't be sad because the joy you have in the Lord is your strength." If you know me at all that is so me isn't it. This incredible joy overcomes me and I would burst if I do not share it. Let's move onto the testimony connected with this if I may. This goes back many years but I can say this,this is a life verse that is pretty constant in my life. I may have high peaks at times and not so high peaks flowing in this at other times but it is always constant, JOY.
My dad died in 1999 and as you all know by reading my blog we had to contest my fathers will. We did and only received a small portion each of his estate. At the time his estate was valued at 1.98 million dollars. I was in the hospital room when my fathers attorney asked him if everything was to stay the same in his will he responded that the girls were taken care of. We had no clue what was in my fathers will. We had liberty to go and make the preparations for the funeral, pick out the casket, flowers, comfort meal etc. and we did so. It was like in the movies when you see the family going into the attorney's office to share what the will contained. As it is being read to you, utter shock and disbelief? We waited until the very end of time that the law allows for us to contest it thinking one or more of the uncles/cousin would reach out to us and share some of my fathers estate. My father was very generous to Catholic religious organizations and leaving money to the church. Oddly enough, not the Ursuline nuns that we went to school at an Ursuline high school reached out to me even. It was the Carmelite nuns that reached out to me.
All organizations that were to receive funds from my fathers estate received a copy of the will. It was a Carmelite nun that called me when she saw how out of proportion the will distribution was and asked if there was anything they could do to help us. I got the Holy Spirit idea what about a trust or something like that for our children maybe(that never went any farther for it was in this that started  the search about contesting the will.) I then did research and it was through connection of one that connected me to another that told us we needed to contest this will. That is how we began the journey on that road. We did not even have the opportunity to go into our fathers home and select mementos. We put in a request of items we would like. Guess what, it amounted for me a small box of old cards that we sent to my dad and some doll figurine we made in grade school that I think hung on the refrigerator. This was an odd item and a pair of cowboy boots, my son wears them on occasion. The case is before a judge now and we had to be available for when they were negotiating and for some reason we wanted $5,000.00 more and we did get it but to this day the organization that gave up a portion of their inheritance wanted it kept that we did not know who they were.
I forgave all the players in this will many years ago. Let me show you what the love of God shed in your heart can do. So about a year later we have to attend a family funeral. I think I still had my van or maybe I had the Chrysler 300M car (I did love that car) and guess who is pulling in the parking lot behind me in one of my fathers luxury cars (I think it was a Lincoln prior to the later part of his years he always drove Cadillacs)? My uncle. Holy Spirit places this upon my heart to go and hug him and I think I told him I loved him too. That is love beyond like supernatural love. From what we understand he was not happy that we contested my fathers will throughout the years.
When my mother and I  lived at a certain location I happened to see his wife (my aunt) in a local grocery store and I think it was New Years Eve maybe and I went up to her and hugged her. She said my uncle was waiting in the car. Well, it comes to be that they were friends with neighbors of ours. I think this neighbor had a hand in this healing. One day they went to visit our neighbors and then they came to our apartment and visited with us. It was a little uncomfortable at first but then it was like old times, you know the old time stories and laughing too. My mother is very hospitable and welcoming and she probably served them some sort of dessert I do not recall the details. I think I was out walking and they arrived and were visiting prior to me coming in the apartment.
Lets take this a step further down the line ok. It was maybe a year or two ago that one day I woke up and I knew to fast that day and I was getting a bit agitated because I kept praying salvation and praying in tongues and interceding. I kept thinking to myself which one of my children are doing something wrong and I needed to pray for their salvation. I was almost at the point of calling them and leaving a message on their phones to get it right. Good thing Holy Spirit restrained me in that because I come to find out I was interceding for that very uncle. He dropped and died in the backyard of their property. I do believe he is in heaven today because the prayers of the saints do not fall to the ground and die. God honors those prayers. Do you see how Holy Spirit moved upon my heart in a way with urgency to pray? Next step, choosing to attend the funeral and we did. We were allowed to attend his funeral mass as long as we did not bring up the "will" subject and we did not.
On my past birthday a cousin was visiting with my aunt and she felt led to send back with her a portrait of my father and a professional picture that was taken of him. I chose the portrait and it hangs in my residence now. Months ago I found some unclaimed funds in a state where we resided and began the process of claiming them. Guess what was in the mail yesterday? The check from the unclaimed funds. We will split it. It was not a huge amount of money but it was our fathers and now his daughters will receive it and this goes back slightly over 20 years ago.
Now wait it gets even better. Throughout the years I stood and still stand on this scripture verse in Numbers 27 my bible entitles it "A Request From Zelophehad's Daughters." My brothers were dead when our father died and it was just us sisters left, in the bible these daughters went to Moses with a request. It clearly states the order in which an estate is to be distributed when there are no male sons in the family. Moses brought this to the Lord. I still stand on this scripture verse today because Holy Spirit is most creative and He can bring back this estate to us even via other means yes He can. So maybe not quite 2 years ago I was in a meeting and Charlie Shamp is asking someone connected to (it was actually my birth date) a certain date to come forward. A very powerful word was spoken over my life and the lives of my children. He specifically asks who is _____ and the name he mentions is the uncle of mine. As the prophecy goes the inheritance that was stolen from us will be given back to us. Do you see where I am going with this? It is already coming back to us and it started with a kind gesture of returning my father's portrait/picture to his daughters. While the waiting period was taking place in regard to the unclaimed funds Holy Spirit already spoke to my heart to take my portion and tithe the first fruit of it back to Charlie Shamp's ministry. I will do so.
Ok back to the joy story if I may. When we were going through the settling of my fathers estate there was one request I had and I was adamant about it. My father had license plates for one of his cars that said "JOY." I wanted the right to be able to purchase them and I did just that. I know I had my Chrysler 300m car then. I told you I flow in the joy of the Lord. Listen to this the church I attended back then they knew my name. People began calling me Joy because that is what my license plate stated, isn't that silly it annoyed me at times because they knew my name and they were calling me Joy. I have them for about a year and it is coming up upon license plate renewal time and Holy Spirit convicts me. Would you like to know how/why? He speaks to my heart who do you get your joy from? A license plate or from Him. I knew what He was speaking to me to release the license plates and continue to receive my joy from Him. I did. That is my story and I am sticking with it because it is truly a God story about restoration and hope. Stand strong and stand on the scripture verse that speaks the loudest to you. Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved."