~Daily Devotion 8th~

Home, Doctor and Tick

Part 9

Tonight's story is a little long, but please read every word.

You will see that God is still in the miracle working business.

I told you to use your frontline... I use it every month... Don't people have frontline too...?

Grandma you did not listen to me and you got a tick bite....

Thank goodness we are home for a while, but I am still hurting at the back of my neck, just under the edge of my hair, and now a sore has come up where the tick was on my neck. You know, I think I better go to the doctor, because the head of the tick may still be in the place on my neck.

Bright and early on Wednesday I called and made an appointment to go to see my regular Family Physician, and of course they said come right on in, because you do not play with tick bites. So when I went in, the doctor looked at the place on my neck, and told me there was nothing in the sore, but he wanted to put me on an antibiotic anyway for precaution. He also did a complete blood workup on me to check for Lyme disease, and other infections that can be caused by a tick bite. They told me that they would call when the blood work was back, so I left the doctor's office and went to the drug store, and got my prescription filled, and started taking it immediately.

The next day, when I got up, I had two huge nodules that had appeared about an inch away from the bite, and they were really painful. So I decided to call my Surgeon, and let him look at the places, because if there was something still in the bite he would be the one to remove it.

I went to my iPhone where my contacts are stored, and called the number for my surgeon. Boy, was I surprised when he answered the phone. I said, "you have surprised me because I did not expect you to answer your phone." He replied, "this is my cell phone number." I apologized, and then remembered when I was sick a few years ago, he gave me his number to call him at home, if I had to go to the emergency room. He was the one who wanted to see me, because he knew about all of my surgeries, since he performed all but two of them that I had experienced in the 4 year span, and he did not want me to deal with just anyone. I went ahead and explained why I was calling, and he told me to call his office and tell them he wanted to see me today. So I did, and they gave me an appointment for 2:00 pm.

When I arrived, he looked at the place, and said it did not look like anything was still there, but it looked like I may have a bad infection, mostly because of the nodules that were swollen in the back of my neck. He agreed I needed to be put on an antibiotic, and I told him that my Family Physician from yesterday and already put me on one. He told me to continue to take it, and come back in a week for a recheck. He wanted to keep a close eye on it. He also told me that I had probably had the bite for about two weeks. Why I did not find the tick before then beats me. See, I wash my hair everyday. Anyway, everything is in God's timing.

Now remember, I just got home from a long trip, and now I have been to see two doctors in two days. I was so tired that when I left the surgeon's office I went straight home, instead of going by the grocery store, which I had planned to do. Around 3:10 my phone rang, and it was my Family Physician's office, calling me to tell me that my doctor wanted me to come back in the next day. I said, "okay, has my blood work come back?" She said, "he wants to recheck your tick bite, so can you come in at 10:20 am or 2:30 pm?" I told her I would be there for the 10:20 appointment.

So again, I get up the third day in a row to go to the doctor's office. When I arrived, I signed in, and the receptionist asked me what I was doing there. I told her it beats me, that they had called me to come back in to have my tick bite rechecked is all I know. Anyway, she checks me in, and then they call me back for the doctor to see me. When I got back, I had to sit in the hall, because all the rooms were full. Everyone around me was coughing, so I got up and walked away from them to the end of the row of chairs. I noticed that a lady kept staring at me, so to be polite, I said, "it is a beautiful day today." Bless her heart, she did not feel that way. She answered that she was tired of being sick. I told her that I had experienced a lot of surgeries in the last few years, and was bedridden for almost two years, but God touched and healed my body. Then I asked her if I could pray for her. She said, "oh yes," so I went over, laid my hand on her shoulder, and said a simple, short prayer, asking God to touch her and heal her body.

The second I said amen, the nurse called me into a room. When the doctor came in, he said, "why are you here?" I told him, "your office called me yesterday afternoon and told me you wanted to recheck my tick bite." His answer was, " I did not work yesterday afternoon." By then I am wondering what is going on. I said, "maybe my blood work is in and the lab saw something." He looked in my chart and informed me that the blood work was not back yet. Then he asked me to follow him to the lab, where he asked the lab technician if my blood work was back yet. They said they would look, so he told me to go wait in the lab waiting room, and he would come get me when they gave him the results.

I choose not to sit in that waiting room where everyone was coughing, but to sit around the corner on a bench. I picked up the book that I was reading, and all of a sudden I heard a voice say, "do you not know why you are here?" Oh my gracious! It was God talking to me!

He told me to take my book mark, which had Women of God written on it, and to write my phone number and name on it, and give it to the lady I had prayed for earlier. So I asked the receptionist for a permanent marker, and did exactly what God was telling me to do.

Then I walked around the corner, but did not see the lady, so I asked the nurse if the lady I prayed for was still in the building, and she said yes, so I asked her to give the lady the book mark as a prayer cloth. Then I went and sat back down and started reading my book again. I heard God say, "your time here today was appointed by me." I thought, "oh my gracious!" Then I looked up, and the lady I prayed for and her daughter-in-law were walking to where I was sitting. I looked at her and said, "God told me to tell you that today was appointed by Him just for you. I told her everything about being called to come back to the doctor, then getting here and no one knows why I am here, including the doctor. I laughed and said, "They offered a morning appointment at 10:20 am, or an afternoon appointment at 2:30 pm, but I chose the morning appointment, which was odd, because I usually always make appointments for the afternoon." Her daughter-in-law looked at me and said, "her appointment was for 2:30 this afternoon, but we called and changed it to 10:30 this morning.

I just sat there. God never ceases to amaze me. Again, God said, "tell her this time was appointed by Him."

I said sweetie, I do not know why I am here. The doctor does not know why I am here. I choose an early appointment over an afternoon appointment. You called and changed your appointment from the afternoon to morning, so all I can tell you is God said to tell you this time was appointed by Him, for you. So, I want you to accept your healing from God now, In Jesus Name. She cried, her daughter-in-law cried, I cried, and we all were amazed at how God had used a tick bite to get me to the doctor to pray for her.

I stressed to her over again how God had worked to get me back in the office to just pray for her.

My doctor came around the corner and told me my blood work was fine. No problems. I said well, all I know is your office called me to come back in for you to check my tick bite again, and here I am. He just shook his head, and said make an appointment for a recheck in two weeks, and walked away.

Now you ask, "how could all of this take place?" Only God knows. But for some reason, my chart got put in with the charts to call people back into the office. And when she called, I asked if my blood work back in, and all she could say is what she read on my chart that I had a tick bite. So I guess she figured that the doctor wanted to recheck the bite.

Yes, the doctor who did not even work the afternoon before.

Another note; I probably got the tick while in Georgia. And the friends that I stayed over night with in Georgia, his wife has been sick for some time now, and she has been to several doctors, and they cannot find out what is wrong with her. When the doctor told me symptoms of tick bites, it was the exact symptoms she is having. I called her and asked her if she had been bitten by a tick recently, she informed me that she had had several tick bites. So now she is hopefully seeing a doctor who can help her now, and see if it is a tick bite that is causing her problems. So this tick bite story is two-fold.

Now folks, tell me that God is not still in the miracle working business.

God still speaks to us, and all He wants is for us to be a willing vessel to do His work. So, I ask you today, "are you that vessel?"

Important information: If you are bitten by a tick, please see your doctor. I also would like to let you know that the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine is now doing research on tick bites and humans. So, if your doctor needs any new information about the research they may call the College of Veterinary Medicine, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their web site is: www.cvm.ncsu.edu

My local Veterinarian has informed me that that are more diseases from tick bites than just Lyme disease, and a lot of Physicians do not know this information.

Remember Folks, a good way to show us you love us is by making sure you treat us regularly with tick and flea preventative. Also, make sure we get our heart worm treatment as prescribed by your Veterinarian.

The End

What is Faith? The following Quotes and Scriptures will answer that question for you.

Faith is standing on the Word of God, and knowing everything is going to be all right, even when we are looking directly at a physical problem, and wondering how it can change. Faith is believing that God Promises to us are true, and believing by faith, seeing through our spiritual eyes, what we do not see in the physical. You need to look at your problems and situations as it is in God's eyes. Not there, taken care of. You need to say, "God even though my eyes, I see nothing but bad, I am going to stand on Your Word God; because You tell me in, Jeremiah 1:12, 'that You will watch over Your Word to perform it. So now, I see my problem taken care of today, In Jesus Name.

From now on: When I look at a child gone astray, I will see them saved. When I look at a failing marriage, I see it made whole. When I look at sickness, I will see the person healed. When I look at problem I feel cannot be fixed, I will see it worked out. Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.

One Small Apple Seed planted into the ground, grows into a large tree, that produces an abundance of fruit. I would say, "That is Faith" Rev. Pat Aman

Romans 12:1-2 1. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Mark 11:24 Therefore, I say to you, whatever things as ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Do not keep praying and begging God to fix a problem, if you do not have the faith to let Him handle it. Faith is saying, "God Here It Is, I Cannot Handle It Anymore, I Turn It Over To You. Now I Am Believing That It Is Taken Care Of God." Below are the Scriptures on Faith, from Hebrews. Read them at your convenience. there are 40 verses that speak of the Faith that stood the test of time.

Hebrews 11: 1-40 1. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

3. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

5. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

6. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8. By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

9. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 1

0. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.

12. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

14. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.

15. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.

16. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,

18. even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."

19. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

21. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22. By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

23.By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

24. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

25. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.

26. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

27. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

28. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29. By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

32. And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,

33. who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,

34. quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

35. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.

36. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.

37. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—

38. the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.

40. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.