Twin Lakes Ranch Ministries

Wanda | November 21, 2008

My husband, Dave and I own a custom hay hauling business. This summer, we experienced a miracle of God while Dave was on the job. He has operated our self-loading, unloading round bale truck for the past eight seasons. This business has been in our lives for many reasons. One reason being, to bring us to a place of learning to trust God.

The day this particular situation happened was like any other day. He was near home, hauling for a neighbor who has rough terrain. The ride height valves on the air suspension weren’t working properly that day. Dave was traveling down a bladed trail through hilly pasture land (fully loaded). He stopped and backed up, turning crosswise on a hillside to shift the weight from the driver’s side to the passengers’ side to help the driver’s side ‘air up’. BUT, he had forgotten about the dirt ridge that the grader had left and as he backed up, the rear drivers’ tires came up on the ridge and the load flopped to the downhill side. Dave stopped the truck immediately when he felt the load shift. He got out to survey the situation, realizing that the deck frame was not sitting on the truck frame and the unit was sitting in a twisted position. This was not good! This was a disaster waiting to happen. He went to the passenger side and saw that the weight was almost pulling the tires off the rims and he couldn’t possibly see how the bale deck could be sitting there, not twisting off the truck frame. He got back in the truck, and lowered the picking arm to try to counterbalance the load. He tried to gingerly move the truck ahead and could not get any traction on the driver’s side. Dave could see that this was near an impossible situation without the assistance of a tractor.

Then Dave decided to phone me just to tell me what was happening. (Probably knowing full well that I would pray for him.) He proceeded to try to phone the customer to ask him to come with his tractor to help out. But the phone line was busy. After receiving news of this very dangerous and possible business-ending situation, I prayed in the Spirit for a very short minute or so and then declared that Dave would be delivered from all his troubles.

After trying for several minutes to contact the owner of the bales, Dave decided to get back out of the truck and overlooked the situation again. He felt that if he let the air out of the air ride, it may make things worse. So, he thought that he’d get a wrench to manually adjust the air to lower the driver’s side. As he was walking to the back of the truck, he heard something that sounded like a hammer-blow on iron, and the whole one side of the load and the top row fell off on the down side of the truck. Wow! Just then, the truck righted itself and all was well. The truck had just been sitting there, nothing moving and Dave could hardly believe his eyes. It was as if someone pulled a trip and released one side of the load. We believe it was an angel sent to deliver Dave from all his troubles!!! Dave drove away and reloaded the bales and carried on to the yard.

I prayed just like I’ve prayed many times before. It was simply this: I was obedient to pray when I didn’t even feel like praying. I took the time to lift Dave to the throne room of grace and he found mercy in his time of need. If the deck would’ve twisted off the truck frame, the cost to repair would’ve probably put us out of business. We also would’ve lost business for the season ahead.

The Lord will certainly deliver and draw me to Himself from every assault of evil. He will preserve and bring me safe unto His heavenly kingdom. 2 Timothy 4:18

This situation was an assault of evil on our business and finances. Our Deliverer heard my cry and delivered us from all the troubles of that day. He preserved Dave and the truck and brought them home safely! 

We give God all the praise and glory for seeing us through in this situation and countless others during this season of growth! We do serve a God who hears and answers prayer!

Be encouraged today of the deliverance of God in this situation. Whatever you are going through, God can and will deliver you from every assault of evil! He will preserve you and bring you safe into His heavenly kingdom right here, right now on this earth!

Our testimonies give way to victory! Share your miracles and stories with me so that we can encourage the Body of Christ!

We overcome … him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! Revelation 12:11

Serving Jesus together,
Wanda

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Wanda | November 7, 2008

Good day, friend! As I was reading this morning, I came across a verse that spoke to me. Maybe it will speak to you as well.

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Romans 15:1

There are a few people in my life that I could count ‘unlovely’ and difficult to deal with. Do you have any people in your life like that? I realize from this verse that I, being mature enough to diagnose the problem and trying to deal with the problem in my heart towards these people, may have to continue to bear with their weakness, their cold-heartedness and their “unloveliness”. Infirmity, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means the state of being infirm, frail, having a physical or moral weakness or defect. There are many people who surround us everyday who have infirmities. The morality of our society is eroding. However, this verse says that we who are strong cannot please ourselves. This means to me that I cannot avoid these people. I cannot speak ill of them and make myself feel better. I cannot pat myself on the back for ‘living a godly life’. I need to bear them up.

How do I bear up these hurting and weak people? Sometimes it means giving our lives by spending time in prayer for someone. Other times it means giving ourselves with love and understanding. It may also mean laying down our own selfish desires in order to meet the needs of another. Extending mercy to these people will bring mercy to us.

There are times when I feel I just CAN’T love. Those times, I have gritted my teeth and asked Jesus to love through me. Galatians 5:22 & 23 speaks of the fruit of the Spirit who dwells in us. We have the fruit of love inside of us that we need to call forth in those times.

Jesus was willing to lay His life down for us. We have His Spirit within us. We are made in the image of God. We must begin to walk in maturity and extend the love of Jesus to hurt and dying world.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

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Wanda | November 7, 2008

Take hold of the anointing today by beginning to expect. Start expecting something good to happen to you. Lay hold of the hope that’s set before you in the promises of God.

When you start expecting something to happen, you begin to plan for it. Just as I am expecting (news to some of you!!), I am preparing to mother another child and all that goes along with it. We have prepared a room, bought some supplies and are planning our life around the delivery of our second child due on August 23rd!!

Just as I so many times need to pinch myself of the upcoming blessing to our family, we need to remind ourselves of what God has promised us through His Word and personal promises.

We need to think about the promises of God. Meditate on them. Let them build an image inside of you until you can see yourself well… until you can see yourself with your bills paid… until you can see yourself blessed and prosperous in every way. It you’ll do that, you’ll eventually get bigger on the inside than you are on the outside. Your hope will grow so strong that the devil himself won’t be able to beat it out of you.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The stronger your faith is the less you will struggle. The stronger your faith is, the easier it is. Hebrews 11:2

We serve a big God. We shouldn’t live small. We must think bigger!

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

We must surround ourselves with the Word of God, having it go in our ears and in our eyes on a daily basis. Romans 10:17

Just as Les Schlosser said, she feeds on the Word through CDs playing as she goes down the road. This is how we can feed our spirit. We can tell our faith is growing when things begin to look smaller. What used to look impossible now looks possible.

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. “Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.” Mark 11:22-24

Don’t look at the past or present with regard to what has worked or hasn’t worked for you. We need to think prophetic future not present reality. We need to talk prophetic future not present reality. Faith words ‘call things that be not as though they were’. Romans 4:17-21 (paraphrased) God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. (Abraham) contrary to hope, in hope believed… and NOT being weak in faith, DID NOT CONSIDER his own body, already dead…. He DID NOT waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform

We must live by faith and not by sight. Faith is the one attitude that is exactly the opposite of trusting ourselves. Let’s lay hold of the hope that’s set before us in the promises of God!! Let’s begin to expect good will come and that the promises of God will become manifest in your life!!

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Wanda | November 7, 2008

I guess I can’t bear the title of “Queen of the Double-Wide Trailer” anymore… technically; it wasn’t a double-wide trailer. It was a 14 x 64 foot two bedroom house trailer that my husband, daughter and I lived in for six years. Yes, we had mice and hot summer days. We also had times of uncertainty when bad storms or winds came. These were the ‘perks’ that go along with living in a mobile home.

This spring we changed our situation and took on the arduous task of moving our house trailer away from its present location, digging a hole for a basement, building a basement and moving a 3 bedroom bungalow on to our farm. We knew this was going to be a lot of work ahead of us and yet we knew that we would reap the rewards when all was said and done.

This brings me to think of the parable in the Bible of the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man built his house upon a rock and the foolish man built his house on the sand.

…whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. Matthew 7:24-27

So many times, we know the right thing to do but we turn a deaf ear and ignore the consequences to our actions. I think of our marriages and the difference that it makes when it is built on commitment and trust. So many marriages are built on looks, money, convenience or even sexual relationships. These foundations are shaky and will not stand when tough times come. Marriages that have a solid foundation can have many obstacles stand in their way, but when it comes right down to it, they will make it through.

A solid foundation for our relationships is built brick upon brick. These ‘bricks’ are necessary to maintain a healthy relationship.

R- reaching out to others

E- enjoying each other

L- loyal to each other

A- available to each other

T- trusting each other

I- interested in each other

O- open with each other

N- needing each other

S- supporting each other

H- helping each other

I- investing in each other

P- praying for each other

S- strengthening each other

Our relationships should be a priority in our lives. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that two are stronger than one and that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. The three strands stand for me, you and God. We cannot find true fulfillment in our relationships if God is not involved in them.

We must build our relationships on a solid foundation. We must take the time to foster good and open relationships built on the building blocks of friendship. We must listen and obey these principles in order to find great success in our lives. The long arduous task of building a good foundation whether it is a physical house or a friendship or marriage is worth the work. Just keep that in mind the next time a storm comes along.

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Wanda | November 7, 2008

How many of us have experienced life as we had planned… Plan A?

I’ve come to see that life is not always about Plan A. Life is about how do we adapt to Plan B or Plan C and so on.

I am nearing my mid-thirties and as I reflect on my life and the plans that I had, I can see that not many of my Plan A’s came to pass. That’s not to say that some good things can’t come my way and I am continuing to believe that they will.

The question is how do we handle the pitfalls, the disappointments in life, and the let downs?

The Book of Psalms gives many wise principles in life as well as promises that we can hold on to. It says to cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. (Psalm 55:22) This verse was written for anyone who will take it and believe it.

Our bodies were not meant to worry and take on the ‘cares of life’. Our Plan A has turned into Plan Z because of detours and failures in our life but we can recover and our Plan B or Z can become Plan A.
The first step is to give our worries, concerns and stress to God. He didn’t ever create our bodies to carry that stress. Our health has been deteriorating and more and more illnesses have been touching our families. Could some of the side effects of worry, fear and unforgiveness by rooted in our health problems?

If we will give our burdens to God, He will sustain us. Sustain means to give support or relief, to support, to carry or withstand, to bear up under. God wants to be our Source of peace, support and relief.

He said that He will never let the righteous fall. The righteous are those in right-standing with God; those who have come to Him with open hearts and believe that He is and confess Him as Lord and Savior. Our Plan A may have gone ‘down the tubes’ but God has a wonderful Plan B or Plan Z.

God will give us a fresh start. Those of us in the agricultural world have had many plans go out to pasture. Our plans have gone up in smoke. There are real tough issues we all have had to face. But God wants to bear us up. He wants to give us support, relief. He wants to carry us. He wants to be our peace. Peace means ‘nothing missing, nothing broken.’

We need to humble ourselves to ask, to acknowledge that God is and that He wants to be divinely connected with our everyday lives.

I have heard the phrase that “we can either become bitter or better”. We have a choice to make. Will we let the cares of our life dominate our minds and families? Or are we willing to let our Creator, the God of the universe bear us up, relieve us and carry us?

It boils down to where we will put our trust… in ourselves or in our God. As we release our plans into God’s hands, He is given the opportunity to pour into us what we need and make Plan B become a wonderful plan for our life!!

It starts with each one of us

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