How I Benefit(Ed) from Growing Closer to God

By Kat Bair

This book is God inspired. Written based on a life of needing to do things on my own with no help from others, since I was raised that way. After many years of falling from bad choices I started seeking God when I was invited to church through a few acquaintances. Through the seeking process things started to improve. Then through hard times I drew closer to God and God gave me dreams and talked to me in different ways, one time being audible. I felt led to share these awesome blessings with others because people do not realize that God does have time for them. He actually wants to spend time with them and help them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796097443

Kat Bair

Kat Blair was born and raised in Indiana. She married 3 times and had three children by birth. Upon marrying for the third time she adopted in her heart two more boys of her husband. Though life challenged her she grew closer to God relying on the Holy Spirit daily. She loves the Lord Jesus and her family with her whole heart and considers this book to be a miracle from God.

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Copyright © 2020 by Kat Bair.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Rev. date: 04/16/2020

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CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 In My Early Years

Chapter 2 Early Teenage Life

Chapter 3 Entering Into Adulthood

Chapter 4 Making Adult Decisions

Chapter 5 Twenty One And Still Making Bad Decisions

Chapter 6 A Different Path to Follow

Chapter 7 Desires of My Heart

Chapter 8 The Beginning of Years Of Exhaustion

Chapter 9 Draw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to You

Chapter 10 Wrestling with The Devil

Chapter11 Heading West Then Back Again

Chapter 12 Looking to Move Again

Chapter 13 Family Challenges

Chapter 14 Empty Nesting Years

Chapter 15 My Talent

Prayer

Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and His righteousness; and all these things

shall be added unto you.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him (the devil)

By the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their

Testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Preface

Around 2012 the Lord laid a heavy burden on my heart to write a book about my life and how He has been there for me even before I sought Him. How he was always there waiting for me to seek Him, I should say. Many people ‘know’ that God is real. They say they believe in Him. But they think He is so far out in space somewhere and there is so much worldly things going on that He doesn’t have time for their issues in life.

This is the farthest from the truth and my life is a perfect example of how He is there and waiting patiently, sending little signs or people in our paths to draw us closer to Him so we will seek Him and He will be there to help in any and all situations.

He wants to show us how He works in our lives so we will share our testimonies to those around us and draw them into His presence. The tree of life.

This book is just that. My life as a child, in the beginning, will show you how I lived my life ‘knowing’ of His existence and just lived my life as I wanted. Just like everyone else does. First half of this book will probably be pretty boring to read. We all have life issues. But these chapters explain my life and how as young adult I lived based on how I was raised. This is how we all start out. We were all raised a certain way. When we reach the age of accountability, which in Biblical times and Jewish heritage says around 13 years old. In America, I think everyone believes that is at 18. When we all magically become an adult.

We all are given many examples in life learned day after day situations. When we become parents we don’t realize the very small things we do or say that influences others…. Or our children. So by my starting from my early years in life I set up the pages to flow into my journey of growing closer to God. With my learning to seeking Him with my whole heart, I am in hopes that it will encourage you to see a clearer picture of how God also guides you at an early age. He talks to us. We just for the most part aren’t taught that He is there guiding us from as early as toddler stage. But then again so is the devil.

We all experience heartache in life. Jesus said we would experience troubles.

John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Troubles, however, can come in many different packages. I believe they all can be overcome with God’s help… He sent Jesus to die on the cross to save us and send us the comforter that lives inside of us. Think of it as a piece of Jesus in all of us.

These troubles can come from our own paths we led without seeking Jesus’ way at first. But once we come to Jesus those troubles are still there and the devil wants to use them against you in hopes to wear you down. Then there are troubles that come your way where jobs are concerned, kids, financial. Any way the devil can throw havoc at you he will.

It is my hope and prayer that my testimony will give every reader a new hope and a fire burning in their hearts to search to know Jesus like I have. Maybe by reading this readers will seek before tragedies happen in their lives. So they will seek Him through them instead of others. Friends and families are helpful and counselors as well. But no one can heal a broken heart like Jesus. He is there waiting to uplift you. And every tribulation you walk through is short lived compared to your life time.

Obstacles are road blocks that the devil puts in everyone’s way to get them off the path of God.

I am here to tell you that I know I went off the path God had for me. But he created a new path and the outcome he wanted for my life is still being played out. And will for you too.

Introduction

When I was a little girl I don’t remember my parents around much. I believe this has multiplied greatly in the homes in America since the 60’s when I was a child. As I grew it didn’t change. There were rules in the house, and I think my Mom tried to give us the best she could. Her idea of best, though consisted of material things that in the Bible says will rot or rust and you throw away. God wants us to teach our children the true meaning of love and family.

I started this book as early in life as I could remember because it will lead every reader to have flash backs in their own life. Waking the reader up to an understanding that will guide them to the One that will set them free. God always is with us, we just don’t always see Him or listen for Him.

Even those that are Christian, have need to heal from something in their lives. We have all, at one point or another, had situations come up along the way in our life to draw us closer to God, His son and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is what they do. God sent his Son to walk in this earth to set an example to follow. He said it himself to his disciples. And whoever reads the Bible those words are for them as well. We that became Christian are God’s hands, feet and mouth. He uses us to plant seeds along the way to direct those to Him.

Isaiah 55:8,9 For My thoughts are not your thought, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts

The only way to get to understand God’s thoughts… is to read them that are written in the Bible. And it really helps to read books like what I have written that has testimonies showing that He is still here today talking to us and guiding us in way we thought impossible.

This book is full of information about how real God is and Jesus and the Holy Spirit, being three in one in our lives when we accept Him in our lives. How real the Bible is and literal! If you read in it that Jesus said you can lay hands on the sick and they will be healed. You can believe it. He also said we can quote his words and the devil will flee.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

We are given power to overcome the wiles of the devil by standing in authority using God’s spoken word. We can bind the devil from using others to trip up our lives. We can use words of healing peace, patience, love, gentleness, kindness, joy, longsuffering, self-control and faith. The fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22

I have used my personal life situations to show you these things actually working in my life once I turned to Jesus as the only one that could really help me out of the situations I had caused by myself. It was then that I saw all along where God had been helping me, even when I wasn’t wanting or thought I needed His help.

This is, in a nutshell… The essence of this book. I turned to Jesus – sought him—believed in Him and the power of his word. Stood on the Word and Jesus showed me that His word doesn’t lie. It will do the same for you all you need to do is seek Him with your whole heart and He will guide you right where you are and stop the devil in His tracks as you learn and grow in the Kingdom of God.

Chapter One

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In My Early Years

The earliest I remember of my life, I lived in a little home with my sister, Dad and Mom in a small town. In the 60’s that was a normal family life.

We played with the kids a couple of homes down from us. Games like Red Rover Red Rover… send…. Over, Hide and Seek and would swing on the swing set. We would also get jars and have our Dad poke holes in the lids and then we would put grass and a stick in it, sit it down and chase after lightening bugs to put into their new home. Only to find them dead in the morning. Recently, I read an article about Dolly Parton and her very poor life as a child. She didn’t have electricity! In the summer they would catch lightening bugs to put in the jars and have light in their bedrooms! Just think about all the wonderful things we now have even in the poorest of situations. Our country is still blessed compared to a lot of third world countries where their children drink dirty water that cows walk around and use the bathroom in.

This first home was where I learned to ride a two wheeler bike in the back yard. And where I fell on some grass shears and had to go to the doctor’s office to have my shin sewed up while I sang ‘Roll-Roll-Roll the boat’. You see for some reason when I was born I had no feeling. I would go to the doctor for my shots and I wouldn’t cry. That day that the doctor sewed up my leg, my Mommy cried for me, because I watched the doctor sew up my leg and did not feel a thing. It wasn’t until I had a childhood disease chickenpox –German measles… or 3 day measles (I can’t seem to remember which one) that my feeling miraculously came into my body. It might have been the combination of all three childhood diseases because I had them very close together. We will never really know. But since this happened to me…I remember vaguely the sewing up the shin incident and I watched in amazement while he sewed it up.

It wasn’t until I went for more shots that I cried and everyone in the room realized I was healed. I have never heard of this before, and neither has any doctor I have ever had. Matter of fact, I was informed by one doctor that I was misinformed because there had been no documentations of such a thing in all of medical history. Since it happened to me and for the most part I remember at least the sewing up of my leg and I have the scar to prove it, I know it was true.

When I turned 5 years old my Mom and Dad had a house built and that summer we moved in. A two story house with a garage attached setting up on a hill in a little wooded community.

The town was even smaller and out in the country. The school system hadn’t started kindergarten there, yet. In the 60’s Kindergarten was just beginning to be in some schools. So I stayed at home with a babysitter.

She was an older lady, a grandma type. She liked a cup of tea daily, and one day after she removed the tea kettle from the electric stove, I stood there and watched the red hot coils turn black again. I remember thinking, I wonder if it is still hot. So how do you find things out, but to place your hand on the burner!

I felt that pain! For about a week. I had coil imprints on my hand to show me that this is not something you should do. And I had the pain. This was new to me to experience and I wasn’t a fan of it. Over the course of the rest of that day I would go to the bathroom and run cold water over my hand trying to put out the fire.

While we lived in this new two story home in the country, my sister, that was 3.5 years older than me, and I would go biking all over the place, swing on grape vines, build forts with small branches in the woods. And even walk down to the little church on Sundays. The simple country life where you can always find something do explore as a kid. It was a time when leaving your children at home while you worked was ok and I can only assume many new working moms and dads did this.

Our parents worked and when they weren’t working, I don’t really remember much family time. My sister and I would be upstairs playing in our playroom or in her room. Maybe this is true with every child.

Our Christmas’ were big, we always had loads of things under the tree. Baby beds, dolls, kitchen sets, Barbies, games and bikes. Just like things are today. Things to give your children because either you didn’t get those kinds of things at Christmas or they ‘needed’ to keep us occupied.

As a family I remember a couple fishing trips and a couple family reunions as well as Sunday dinners with family coming to visit or we would go to their homes. The biggest thing I remember is going to my grandmother’s for the adults to play cards and the cousins going into the TV room and watching TV and playing together.

Sometime in my 7th or 8th year of life I must have been watching ice skating on TV, because I remember making a statement. I confessed (not aware that was what I doing) that by the time I was 9 years old I was going to learn how to ice skate.

Then a chain of events took place to make that confession come true.

I vaguely remember my sister and I talking about Dad and Mom maybe getting a divorce in the beginning of my third grade year.

Then right after Christmas, I think in January or February my Dad moved out and into a nearby apartment that was over a restaurant.

When they had bought this house, I can only assume it was a bit pricey for them and Mom went back to work. There she met a man and that old saying, the grass is greener on the other side of the road, seemed to play out in their lives.

For those of you that are young and wanting to find that perfect man to marry. No one marriage is perfect. There will always be hills and valleys in it. A marriage is a two way street that you both walk down side by side. Communication is always the answer. Life isn’t always going to be easy, but the storms that come also leave and they leave the marriage even stronger. Forgiveness is the number one thing to always give and receive. Leave the past in the past and don’t rehearse past mistakes each time there is an issue. (which is hard to do!)

The Bible says Matthew 18:21-22 Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven"

My Dad as far as I can remember was a ‘County Mounty’ for the county sheriff’s office. He was only a volunteer at first…. Or maybe always. His day time job was at a telephone company. Either way he had a county officer’s uniform and gun and siren to go on his white 1967 Road Runner car. And I think he would have loved to be a full-fledged sheriff, but the pay wasn’t as good as his full time job for raising a family.

I think with all that said, since he had the credentials of being like a detective to search out truth, which he possibly decided to follow her and found out that his wife was seeing her boss or fellow employee. This is only speculation of much gathered information over the years of my life as their daughter. Neither of them confessed to their daughters, but the hate between them lingered throughout the rest of our childhood lives. As well as my Mom remarried shortly after the divorce was finalized and my Dad didn’t remarry for a few years.

My mom would later tell us that Dad always wanted a boy. Possibly my Mom didn’t want to have any more children, but Dad wanted to try for a boy.

Once they separated Dad would pick us up for short little visits to his apartment.

When Easter came around Dad had bought us Easter Baskets. And even though I was just about to turn 9 years old, I remember thinking to myself that Dad remembered that I liked white chocolate, because he got me a white chocolate Easter bunny.

I don’t remember Dad being home much whether in the first house or the house in the country. But I do remember fun times with him. He taught me how to ride the two wheeled bike in the back yard, and he used a hammer to get the pincher bug off my big toe when I was little.

Then when we moved to the big house in the country, he decorated it with the manger scene and Santa in his sleigh and reindeer on the roof of our two story home.

When the well in the new home had issues, Dad and I went to the bottom of the hill to work on it. Whether I was really helping or not, I thought I was. And whether Dad wanted me there to help or not I don’t know.

Then there was another occasion that my Dad was working on the lawnmower and my sister and I were walking to the elementary school to throw a basketball in the hoops. Some big kid decided to tease us and take the ball away from us. My sister and I informed him that our dad was a police officer and we were going to tell him and he was going to get into trouble. So the mean boy threw the ball and it hit me square in the face chipping my middle lower tooth.

Dad didn’t seem to be as concerned with my