P: Patience, persistance, perception, perspective...

Trying to come up with a title for this post...Anyway, I'm in the midst of my fasting.  And while fasting and really drawing in closer to God, the devil will throw more stuff at you to shake you up.  I led the Women's meeting for our church Friday night. I prayed and studied for two weeks trying to come up with a lesson. To no avail. I had a couple of devotions I printed off to read. We never got to them. I prayed God would just lead me by His Holy Spirit and He did. We sat and fellowshipped (is that a word?). And each woman got to give a little of the "lesson". I enjoyed it. It was different than our usual meetings, but good at the same time.
I'm still trying to get "through" my mully-grub. Hate that my situation is bothering me, while I look at what others are going through and my stuff is so trivial. Yet at the same time I am still waiting for God to move. I know He will. I have faith. I believe. In the midst of the battle is where I am. And you know we win, everytime, with God on our side. 
While I'm waiting I'm learning about perspective. And Perception. My perspective on things is not always the same as someone else's. And the way I perceive something is most always not perceived the way someone else sees it. I find that even though I don't intend something to be taken wrong, sometimes it is. Even without me knowing it.
I'm learning that the closer I get to God, the harder the devil tries to take your focus off God. He tries to get you to focus on your problems instead. So, I stand firm and keep my eyes on God and not my problem. I get weary, weepy, and emotional. But, I keep turning to God. I keep turning it over to Him. I keep going back to Him. Trying (really hard) to give it to Him. And trying (really hard) not to pick it back up. 
So, I'm gonna praise Him everyday, all day. I 'm gonna continue to wait. Be persistent. And patient.

He has a hundred different messages to give you during a hundred different dungeon experiences. He knows just the right message at just the right time, and all it takes to receive it is a sensitive, obedient, trusting heart. A heart that says, "Lord God, help me now. Right at this moment. Deliver me from my own prison. Help me to see beyond the darkness, to see Your hand. As I am being crushed, remold me. Help me to see You in this abandonment, this rejection." Pray that prayer. Turn your trial into trust as you look to God to tenderly use that affliction, that dungeon, that abandonment for His purpose.

May He give you the grace to endure.
From Day by Day by Charles Swindoll