(Only select installments of this series are still available for view on this blog. However, if you like this series I have great news! It has now been made into a book, “A Spiritual Famine: The Testing of Your Faith”. The book is now in production and will be ready for publishing just in time for the new year [2008]! Place your pre-order now for 1/2 off the regular retail price. Also, you have to get the amazing preaching CD that goes with this series. The revelation on how to end your own spiritual famine is on this CD called “Spiritual Famine: Free Your Faith!” I believe this message will truly change your life and your walk with God! Order both the book and the CD now on my website at  http://www.victoriouslyfree.org/Product_Catalog.html) 

 

This is a continuation from Yesterday’s article: “A Spiritual Famine: Part XXV (25)”

…Funny enough, as horrible as it sounds to have to go through this fight with my doctors when I already had so much else to deal with, this is the thing that finally started to heal my faith. Well, I probably shouldn’t say “heal” my faith. Faith doesn’t get sick, it becomes corrupted with doubt when we stop trusting God. So let me say that it was this that finally began to “purge” my faith. The doctor had been telling me from early on in the pregnancy that I would not be able to deliver vaginally. I never wanted a C-section, but I didn’t even care about what he was saying at first because back then I was still expecting to have a miscarriage. But after Daddy gave me His Word that I would not lose the baby, and I got closer to delivery time, a fight really rose up in me.

A huge factor in why I went through the spiritual drought that I went through is that I just gave up the good fight of faith and The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. However, when a few weeks after the car accident that my husband and I had gotten in, I realized that I was still pregnant – I really started to feel very hopeful about delivering a healthy baby. I felt the fight rising back up in me. I thought to myself, “If God has promised me that I am going to delivery a healthy baby, then why can’t I deliver it the way that I want to?” I saw this pregnancy as the beginning of a restoration in our lives, especially when I found out that we were having a girl. I had delivered three boys in a row before this baby, so I really felt that this baby girl was a blessing and bonus. Something stood up in me after one doctor’s visit in particular when my very cocky and arrogant homosexual obstetrician informed me that if I was not willing to sign consent for a C-section that I would have to find another doctor.

I went home that day and put a petition out before the Lord. I knew that there were legitimate risk factors in doing a vaginal delivery after a C-section, but I didn’t want anything to steal the joy of that moment of delivery. I needed this delivery to go perfectly. I needed this delivery to wipe away all of the painful memories of the past. I so needed it – it was my appointed time for restoration. None the less, labor and delivery is a stressful enough time as it is. I could not imagine myself in the delivery room fighting with my doctor and him walking out refusing to deliver my baby. I began to inquire of the Lord for peace in my heart. I wanted to know what His will was for me concerning this matter. It was too much for me to handle, I had to give it over to Him. I needed a word from God.

Yahweh our Father, is such a wise and awesome God. He knew that this fight would rise up in me as I got closer to delivery. He knew how I would respond. When I was very weak a few months prior, He simply gave me a promise of living baby. But on this issue of the delivery, now that He had strengthened me, he gave me a choice. You see, God did not tell me yes or no concerning whether or not I should go for a vaginal delivery. He said to me, “Laneen, if you have the faith to believe me for a successful vaginal delivery, I will back you up. If you don’t have the faith, then get the C-section. It is your choice. I’ve got your back either way.” I never expected Him to present it to me that way. I thought he would just give me a straight answer, but He challenged me to make a mature faith decision.

OK, the devil may be a great adversary, BUT HE IS NO MATCH FOR OUR GOD! Daddy knew what I would say to that, He knew how I would respond – once I knew God had my back, I was going for that vaginal delivery no matter what any doctor said. If I had to deliver in the hospital lobby, I was going to have my vaginal delivery! I would be lying if I said it was an easy decision. It wasn’t by any means, but that was the beauty in God’s plan. Nothing easy will ever build strength in you. It takes a challenging situation to really teach you how to be “strong in your faith” as Peter talked about in the scripture I quoted earlier in this story. The more difficult the test, the greater the reward for passing it.  As for me in this test, I still had about 3 months to go before my due date and so each day I had to exercise my faith to continue to stand against the enemy’s visions of death and mayhem if I went forward with a vaginal delivery. And each day I stood, my faith became stronger and more pure. I was purged of doubt day by day. It was an ingenious plan that God had formulated. I still didn’t even realize that I was being rebuilt though. My focus was only on my baby and me.

The more I think about it, the more my soul rejoices. You see, the very thing that I had allowed to almost destroy my faith, was now the very thing that was strengthening my faith beyond what it had ever been before. What I mean is that believing for a positive outcome for this pregnancy and delivery would not have been nearly so challenging if not for the three horrible experiences before this. Yet it was the memories of those experiences that really produced the fire of this trial and it is the fire that purges. What the devil meant for evil, God turned it around for good – AMAZING!

Well, I won’t drag the story out – all went well! First of all, I found a clinic that was willing to assist me in a vaginal delivery, so God had gave me the peace I desired on that end. I didn’t have to worry about a delivery room showdown (laugh) when it was time to give birth. I did end up having the baby prematurely at only 35 weeks, but even that turned out to be a testimony of victory. When I arrived at the hospital, the delivery was quick and smooth. It was the fastest delivery I’ve ever had and the doctors and nurses were lovely! My Little five weeks early Momma was only 4lbs and 13oz when she was born on August 7, 2006. Here’s the kicker though, she had none of the deficiencies or setbacks of an average premature baby. When the nurse saw her, she asked me was I going to breast or bottle feed. I told her I wanted to breastfeed her. The nurses usually want you to try and nurse your newborn right in the delivery room, but the nurse looked at the size of my little princess and said “I can tell you right now there is no way she is going to be able to nurse.”

That silly devil never gives up. I think the look I gave that nurse said to her, “Just shut up and give me my baby.” And that is just what she did. Now let me tell you, I have nursed each one of my six children and they were all full term, healthy babies. None of them have ever nursed successfully right after delivery. That is common in infants and is not necessarily an indication of anything. But just to shut up the enemy spirit that was still trying to steal my joy, my little 4 pound baby broke a Haniah baby record and nursed right there in the delivery room! She latched on immediately and went to work (he-he-he). She was the first of my babies ever to do that. I was so proud of her and I was so proud of myself and the God in me. You see, by then my faith was so strong to believe that God was going to restore everything to me that I had lost in my previous pregnancies that I never doubted that she would be just fine, even though she was so very tiny. And believe it or not, 1500 miles away in New York, my husband’s best friend’s wife, whose due date was only days away from mine, delivered her baby prematurely too just two days after me. But hear this; her baby was also born at 35 weeks, weighing over 7 pounds. By sight, it would seem that he was much healthier than my baby. Nonetheless, he had all of the symptoms and setbacks of a premature baby. He was having problems eating and breathing and had to stay in the hospital for two weeks. Yet, my little 4 pound Momma came home with me when I left the hospital with just a normal length stay. Isn’t God amazing? Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!!!

And speaking of “home”, I know you must be wondering where we were living by then because I had mentioned how we were facing eviction just back in May. That’s another testimony too. I’ll tell you about it on Monday…

Read Part 27 on Monday.

Shabbat Shalom, have a lovely weekend!

In His Power,
Minister Laneen A. Haniah
Anavah – the blog owner and author of
The Spirits of Sexual Perversion Handbook
www.victoriouslyfree.org 

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