Donna's Sharebook 

As I change my beliefs about God and healing, my body is still responding with more healing.  I am sometimes stunned and amazed beyond words.  I've had numerous health problems all my life and had learned to adapt and keep moving on.  Now I realize that I was only accommodating the work of the devil.

© Donna L. Watkins - Squirrel Eating Watermelon According to the medical reports and doctors' reports I would probably be dead by now since I refused the open heart surgery to replace a diseased and destroyed heart valve.  I also refused medication to regulate my wild heart arrhythmia. 

My heart had already enlarged so much to accommodate the overflow of the blood from the valve that wasn't working which created a real concern for stroke, and my lungs were 1/3 full of fluid so that I was in the process of drowning.  We were told to call Hospice and have a living will in order.  [The whole story can be read here: The Heart of the Matter.]

I didn't know how much fluid I was retaining until it began coming off, but I weighed 141 in the Emergency Room visit and 4 months later I was able to eat anything I wanted without thought of the sodium content. I continued to weigh for another month excited as I saw my weight remain low even with the extra sodium.  I knew I still had some stores of fluid in my right thigh and a bit in my abdomen, but I had the thought that I shouldn't be focusing so much on the scale, so I took it out of my bathroom on the 23rd of this month.

Was I ever surprised yesterday when I weighed in at 117.8 yesterday.  And I had eaten a huge bowl of popcorn for dinner with Real Salt and nutritional yeast the night before.  It was like laughing in the devil's face!  Even with the pounds I've added to regain some "meat" between bone and skin (as my Daddy called it), I'm continuing to lose every ounce of what does not belong in me.  That's more than 25 pounds of fluid I had stored up.  How great God is and what an awesome provision He has given us through Jesus.

At the end of February, I couldn't turn over in bed without extreme effort and breathing difficulties even with the oxygen on.  I so enjoyed taking back the oxygen machine on July 12th!

Now at the end of five (5) months I'm still adding tasks onto my long list of what I am able to accomplish around the house and garden.  There really isn't anything I can't do, but I don't have the muscle built back to have the endurance I need yet.  Praise GOD!  

So I've been applying the same Word to all of my health issues and have focused on allergies since I had them from the day I was born.  In my 20's I was diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MC, had 54 food allergies, reaction to pollen anywhere in the world, and cat dander result of 10+ on a scale of 1 to 10.  [Exciting news on allergies below!]

I tried all kinds of restrictions and rotation diets during those early years and had to remove every chemical in the house and garage which included makeup and many personal care items.  It was quite a nightmare experience and I was pretty much confined to the house with signs on the door.  It didn't take away all symptoms so I was still being deceived by the devil.  He loves to play games with us.

Eventually I decided that God was bigger than all of that and I was going to beat this and eat what I wanted and not be ruled by a diet that didn't allow me to freely fellowship.  That's where I remained but anytime I would eat wheat and many other things, my nose and eyes would run.  It was like a scheduled event, but it just became part of life.

As each health problem was added, it was like the devil had put one more chain around my neck.  When I was on the oxygen with those tubes following me everywhere, I really got a picture of feeling yanked around by the devil and it got me into a position of having some righteous indignation against all that he had stolen from me.

© Donna L. Watkins - Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly When Jesus died to set us free from sickness and disease because He took the curse on His own body, we were totally healed in the spiritual realm.  But we have not been taught that and some of us have even been taught that healing is not for today and that God uses it for good in our lives and to teach us things.

Deuteronomy 28 makes it clear that disease is a curse and if Jesus redeemed us from the curses of the law (Galations 3:13), then we are already healed, but we're just not receiving it. It's the same with salvation, Jesus has already died for everyone's sins but not everybody receives salvation, even though the Bible tells us that God wants all to be saved (I Timothy 2:3-4).

The Father has provided healing through His Son, Jesus, but we don't believe in our hearts that it is so.  We have a lot of head knowledge and we can read a Scripture and say, "Okay, I can change my mind on that - that makes sense."  But that doesn't change your belief system which has had so many years of disbelief and possibly wrong teaching on this subject.

If you look up the Greek word for salvation, the word used is "solo" which means salvation, healing and deliverance all in one package. Sozo appears 120 times in the New Testament. So if we're saved, but not walking in deliverance and healing, we've left a lot on the table, but as for me, I'm in the process of eating it all up.

The most recent thing I have noticed in the healing department is that I can eat wheat and other foods without my nose running.  I'm not saying all my allergies are gone, but I am seeing things turn around.

I guess my faith is a slow one since I can hardly believe it any time another problem goes away.  My mind is still being renewed that God loves me, isn't mad at me for anything, and wants to be a part of my every thought and action all day long.  WOW!  The God that holds the universe in the span of His hand wants to spend time with me!  It's exciting to be on the path to wholeness and total health.

Yesterday we went letterboxing and on the first 1/4 mile walk there was a 40 foot rise in elevation.  Randal has a watch that tells you that.  Each step was exciting as I thought about God's goodness to us.  With each step I realized that I am strong by the power of His Spirit! (Ephesians 6:10 "brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.").  I was a bit out of breath since I don't walk a lot of inclines ... but I'm going to work on that by adding some stair walking to my exercise routine.