Poisoned

Poisoned

L. Kathleen Cline

 

My father gave me the best advice when I was eighteen years old. I went to him concerning a problem I had, and he looked at me and said, "Your eighteen now, you will figure it out." I know in most people's minds, my father may have seemed cold, but to this day, I admire my father for setting me on a path to making my own decisions. It also helped me transition from seeking my earthly parent's knowledge to seeking my Heavenly Father's wisdom.

Matthew 7:7 is a verse that God gave me April of 2017 to set as a personal goal, and it is not till my church scheduled another 21-days of fasting for 2018 did I realize the journey I had with this verse. Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. We all know this verse. This time God had me look up the word seek, which can mean, call for, crave, desire, or require. I immediately honed in on the term required, which turned out to be ironic because little did I know, the beginning of June 2017 started me on a health crisis that I never saw coming, and soon I would require God to reveal the diagnosis to me.

At the same time, God gave me another verse from Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. When you look up the definition in the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Bible, another definition of desire is a petition. When you place that meaning "petition" in the place of the word desire, it brings to life that God was putting the request to require Him in my heart. I will prove my claim.

At the end of May, Rich and I made a fast trip to visit with his parents in Pennsylvania. We had connecting flights in Atlanta, and as usual, we had about ten minutes to change concourses. When we finally made it to our plane, I had a massive cramp in the back of my left leg. The entire trip, I found myself limping when I would rise out of a chair.  During the night, I would wake up continually stretching my leg, trying to relieve the muscle spasms. The weekend after we got home, I painted my French doors, which sent my leg into a tight fit as I have never felt before. It was common for me to ignore aches and pains, so I brushed it off as overuse and me just getting older.

It was not long before the tightness in my calf extended up to my knee. It felt like I had a tight band wrapped around my leg, and anytime I tried to walk, the spasms were almost unbearable. My husband called in a few favors, and the Ortho doctor saw me immediately. Unfortunately, my left knee was bone-on-bone. This diagnosis did not make sense to me because my knee did not hurt. I could bend my knee and go upstairs without any issue or pain. It was my muscles that were causing me problems, but once a diagnosis was found, the conversation pretty much ended.

A few weeks later, I went to my regular yearly checkup. As I sat to fill out the paperwork, I went past the line that asked about over-the-counter meds. I debated a moment on did my doctor need to know I take Excedrin migraine medicine twice a week. In the past, I have had two brain MRI's trying to figure out why I have migraines. I thought, why should I go there again? Thank goodness, I changed my mind and put it down. As my doctor looked over the information, she stopped and said, "Lori, do you mind if I check you for MTHFR, which is a genetic mutation that can cause migraines, early strokes, and Alzheimer's." I shrugged and said, "I trust you." Then came the phone call to tell me that at fifty-three years old, they found a genetic mutation, and I was a double-header.  C677T, which most likely caused my migraines, miscarriages and thyroid issues, and A1298C, which most likely caused my IBS, and chronic pain. The list of possible diseases from these two mutations is too long, but I will say MTHFR can cause toxins to build up from heavy metals that are ever-present in our society.

As I prayed for healing for my legs, I even had Miss Frances, and the other prayer ladies lay hands on my legs, I just knew God would heal me. As we know from the Bible, healing comes in many ways.

September 20, at Christian Women's Job Corp, my right leg buckled on me due to pain.  The ladies put a chair under me, and one of the ladies tried to rub out the pain of the spasms. Every time I tried to put weight on my leg, my legs would fold under me. I put my cane in front of me and dragged my legs. My friend Susan brought my car to me, and with all honesty, it was sheer determination to get home that helped me push down on the accelerator. As I dragged myself into the house, I pulled out of my drug drawer my narcotics I did not use after my thumb surgery. When I sat on the bed, I remember asking God if He was mad at me. I flat could not understand why God did not heal me or why I was getting worse. When I looked at the narcotic bottle, I heard God ask me, "Do you want to go down that road?" I said out loud, "Apparently not."

I sent texts out to my prayer partners requesting immediate prayers. I pulled the message I sent. One of my friends asked if she could do anything. Here is my reply: "Between us it is bad. Something biochemical with my body. My right leg went out yesterday. Muscles so tight I can't walk due to pain. Trying to figure it out. Rich wants to admit me. I am resisting because pain meds and traditional means are not the answers. Praying would help, but otherwise, I am good."

Bedridden, I began asking God for healing. Then I stopped. I teach my ladies that when you don't hear from God, often, it is because you need to change the question. So, I thought about the parable of the widow and the judge. To sum it up quickly, Jesus said, pray and do not lose heart. If a judge who did not care about God nor man did what is right, then how much more will God do for those who love Him, and He will bring about justice. So, I changed the question.

"God, will you please tell me what is wrong with me. The doctors don't know. My husband is panicked because my muscles feel like blocks and rope, and he has no idea what to do. I can't fix it if you don't tell me what it is. Your word says for me to seek You, and You will answer me. So please tell me what I need to know." I now know what “requirement” looked like concerning God. This conversation with God went on for 24-hours easy. Even in my dream, I sought God, asking Him to tell me what was wrong with me. It was for me absolutely, positively a requirement for God to diagnosis me, and I was seeking Him as I had never before in my life.

Now God answered me early, but I did not understand what He was saying. The vision was this pink tumbler that I had bought a year before and drank out of every single day. I even have a picture of my pink cup under a tiny umbrella beside my pool. Not quite sure what to do with this vision, I kept asking. I remembered reading about heavy metal poisoning, but that was for arsenic, mercury, iron, copper, lead, and uranium. My cup was stainless, or so I thought. It turned out to be aluminum, but we eat off aluminum every day in this country. Many of our time-released drugs have aluminum coatings; many foods have aluminum as a preservative, and we cook on food grade aluminum. So, I went to my computer and googled aluminum poisoning and found one British Ph.D. that has been warning society about the toxic nature of aluminum. Who knew? My next Google was how to detox.

After I gathered all the information and ordered the mineral that would bind to the aluminum, I went over to my husband and told him the news. "God revealed to me in a vision that I have aluminum poisoning, and I over-nighted the mineral to detox." Slowly my husband raised his head up from the computer, looked at me, and said very slowly, "Okay?" Being married thirty years, I knew the look on his face said, "My wife has lost her mind." I honestly did not care because I knew my Savior's voice and His voice was the only one I was going to listen to concerning my condition.

The very first evening of taking the detox, my husband felt my muscles change. The look on his face was of sheer surprise. "Lori, it is working" is all he said as he felt around my legs to press on each muscle. My reply was, "Of course."

There is a need to add one bit of information. When I was researching aluminum detox, one line stuck out in an article. "Aluminum detox is very painful." Most articles I could find on aluminum overload had to do with the brain. Most reports if they did mention bone issues, they were vague. For example, you would read a line that aluminum toxicity could affect a person's gait, with no real description or explanation. So, when I read the line that detox was very painful, there were no other details. My first night of detox was excruciating pain. It was as if all the nerves in my legs were turned on and angry.  The entire night, I made a conscious choice to thank God I read that line and that the pain meant the aluminum was leaving my legs. I purposed to sing praises to God because the temptation to curl up and cry was extreme. For me, this night was a determination of the heart moment. I could choose to focus on the praise, or I could choose to focus on the pain. We all have these moments, and I believe that these moments are a revelation on how we "see" God in our lives. I praised God for the warning and the indicator of how the detox was going to work. God was mentally preparing me for a rough night with this one obscurely placed line. Oh, and I was reminded of that one line when the pain started. I was requiring God, and He was not disappointing me.

Each evening my husband would examine my legs with great interest to see how the muscles were reacting. After about three weeks of detox, I started questioning God again about my healing. Please forgive my ignorance, but for some reason, I just assumed once the aluminum left that my legs would go back to normal. Every morning, I would wake up with the hope that today would be the day that when I put my feet on the floor that my legs would not buckle and whimper in pain. Once again, when I sought God, He answered me. Immediately I understood that I had to replace the minerals and vitamins removed from my body by the aluminum.

When I ordered the mineral for the detox, the company also shipped me two complimentary bottles of immune defense. The bottle consisted of trace minerals. My brother-in-law was about to have major surgery, so I sent one bottle to him and put the other bottle away on the shelf. One day I got a little curtly with God because I was having tremendous nerve pain, and I could not figure out what to do. Immediately, once again, I understood that God sent me the solution, I just put it away. I ran and got the bottle and began to read the ingredients. Every one of those trace minerals would have supported my nerves. God not only sent me a free full-size sample. He sent me two because He knew I would give one away. How is that for an answer?

Honest to goodness, I wish I could say that I finally understood that God had the answers, and all I had to do was ask, but that would be a big fat lie. I will say I am okay with that last statement because it taught me to stop asking people first before I ask God. It never dawned on me what I was doing in my life. Seriously, experts are there for us, but what I was doing was relying on the experts to play God. There is one statement that my husband said to me that reminds me why we seek God and not man. "Lori, no doctored would have ever diagnosed you, EVER!" "They would have diagnosed you with RSD and managed your pain."

I am five months from the moment I was sitting in my bed, unable to walk. My lifestyle has changed along with my view of natural God-given food. Healing for me was not a moment but instead a journey of moments guided by God. Every-single-time I sought God about nerve pain, my gait, leg tightness, and leg weakness, God has either had what I needed there, and I just ignored it or provided me the information. I love that verse in 2 Thessalonians 3:3, which teaches us, "The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." Just because we slip into dumb does not mean that God loses His steadfastness.

Please don't hear this story as God doing this to me. I was born with a genetic flaw, and I poisoned myself with a heavy metal present in our society. God placed in me a petition to require Him because He knew that I was going to face the most significant health challenge of my life. If I was not seeking God, this crisis could have taken me down for the count. Instead, with my new desire for God, my crisis just developed a sweeter, more intimate relationship with my Father.

I work with rescued ladies, and I would always question God why relapse was so prevalent. God has now answered me in a manner I understand entirely. God has taught me that healing cannot come to anyone that is continuing to poison themselves. Now, that statement may seem pretty obvious, but I am going to challenge every child of God. Please remember, my healing came with the removal of the poison, a painful detox period, and months of healthy Godly lifestyle changes and nutrition.

 

Whether you are seeking physical healing or spiritual healing, the lesson is the same. In fact, I will boldly proclaim, physical and spiritual are tied together because 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 teaches us that we are God's temple and not our own. God cannot heal us while we are poisoning ourselves. Seeking God is not asking for granted wishes. It is mandatory to always have praise on your lips for Who God is. There may be a period of painful dying to self and rejection of loved items or habits. Seeking God includes learning how to replace toxic or harmful components involved in your life with Godly behaviors and characteristics. Aluminum is in many of my favorite things, like baked goods. It is my choice, but I lose the right to whine to God when I digest something that will poison me. The same goes for all of us, whether it is a spiritual poisoning or physical poisoning. Make a choice but understand the consequences.

This lesson is not for the lazy or the complacent. Relapse is prevalent because no one can shove desire down anyone. Many bullies try, but all they get is a failure in the end.

Before anyone tries and uses this information for a particular lifestyle agenda, let me say, shame on you and respect God's gift of free will.  I discovered my lifestyle changes from God's guidance, and you should allow the same process for others. My job as a teacher is to deliver God's message and His word and let others accept or reject God. (Ezekiel 3:10-11) As God's children, we should live out God, teach and admonish in love and patients and never cease in intercessory prayer. Once again, this all requires discipline, hard work, perseverance, and eyes to see and ears to hear God. Whether you are seeking release or freedom from a substance or sinful behavior, the process is the same. I praise God that my detox was painful because I can sit eyeball to eyeball with anyone and, with all honesty, say you can do this if you have faith and determination. The process hurt, it was not fun, there were periods of discouragement and moments of despair, but I would not change a thing. Looking back at the process, I have learned so much and achieved the impossible by seeking God relentlessly. Every word of God that I proclaimed came to life for me during this unfortunate adventure. My experience confirms to me that God's word stands!

With that said, I am asking my Father, creator, preserver, governor of all men to guide those that are seeking You and that they may find you as I did. Your word says, Jesus came to set the captives free.  Many are held captive by all sorts of poisons placed in our environment by corrupt and greedy men. Many are held captive by all kinds of escapes society encourages to promote profit. Many are held captive by deceptions sold as truth to entrap and enslave to the elite's advantage. Please, dear God, give them the hunger to seek Your wisdom and Your guidance. Will You open the right door to experts, information, Bible verses, and prayer warriors?! Most of all, please silence the discouragers, enablers, and Satan's mouthpieces.  Do not allow Your seeker to invite Satan to have a conversation with them concerning their healing. Expose any temptation or plot immediately so Your child can reject it and turn back to You. You alone are God. Wisdom comes from the Lord, and we stand on Your word because You cannot deny Yourself. I love You and desire You to be the Almighty God in my life. In Jesus' name, Amen. L. Kathleen Cline