I spoke to a woman today who shared with me that the doctors found a polyp in her daughter’s colon that is 5cm in diameter. Anything 1cm or greater has a good chance of being cancerous. As she talked about what she has been through thinking about her daughter in the past few days, I teared up. It’s scary to think your child has a serious issue.
When my son was young, he had a lymph node in his throat die. As it was decaying, it was swelling, hence cutting off his airway. The doctors in the small town decided to have him moved to the children’s hospital in Chicago for the surgery to correct the problem.
I went home to get a change of clothes to spend the night with him in the hospital. While driving, I broke down and cried out to God. That is when I heard the Holy Spirit whisper into my spirit, “What are you worried about? He’s mine, and he is in my hands.” It was at that moment that I realized our children are Gods and that we are simply entrusted to raise them the best we can.
That night, my son told me he was too scared to have the surgery. I told him I understood and would leave the decision to him. Okay, I might have lied. I told him he would not feel anything during the surgery, and a few days later, he would be as good as new. But I went on to tell him, if you don’t have the surgery, you’re going to die in a few days. He looked around the room and said, “Dad, I’ll have the surgery.”
Why are we so afraid of death? I mean, I’m not because, as Paul said, “To die is gain.”
21 For me to live is Christ [His life in me], and to die is gain [the gain of the glory of eternity]. Phi. 1:21 (AMPC)
If you know God and have accepted Jesus, then there is nothing to be afraid of concerning death.
I told the woman I would join her and others in praying for her daughter. We would hope for the best outcome, but either way, she should trust her daughter to God.
My name isn’t important. His name is! You see, I was sick. Very sick! I had been bleeding for eleven years. Most women bleed once a month for only a few days, but mine was all the time. It wouldn’t stop flowing.
Yes, I have been to the doctor! Several different doctors! I would see another doctor when one’s treatment didn’t work. Second opinion? I got third, fourth, and fifth opinions! No matter how ridiculous it seemed, I did everything they told me to do. I just wanted what I began to call a plague to stop.
My friends, what few I still had, accused me of all kinds of things. From being cursed to possessed! They kept thinking that I must have done something wrong to deserve this calamity that had fallen upon me.
I don’t understand that kind of thinking because we all live where bad things happen, even to good people. After all, sin has entered the world. The worst thing about having this condition is that in my culture, a woman is considered “unclean” when experiencing that time of the month! I hated that title more than anything! Being called “unclean” hurt me so badly. It wasn’t fair!
I wasn’t dirty, but when word got out from the doctors and began spreading throughout my community, people started avoiding me. I understood the expression “avoid like the plague!” I lived it! It was also challenging to be the recipient of their stares and their mean whispers. They probably thought I couldn’t hear them, but I could.
I wanted nothing more than to be healed! I just needed to find the right physician. I would do anything pay anything. Although I had already spent all that I had seeking a cure. I had cried out to God more than I can count for healing, a touch. I wanted out of my misery. Year after year, I was misunderstood, suffering, and being rejected for a total of eleven.
I don’t know how, but I managed to maintain a sliver of hope. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I never blamed God for my despair. No matter what I faced, I knew that healing was somewhere. I just had to find it or him.
Then, one day, I heard about this man coming to town. Rumor had it he was able to perform miracles, even healings. That sounded too good to believe, but what if? What if it was true? What if this man was a great physician? Could the end of my plague be days away? My faith began to grow.
The day he was supposed to arrive finally got here. I figured the crowd would be great to see such a great man, but I had no idea it would be that large. I decided to put on a cloak that had a hood. I used it to cover my head and to help hide my presence in such a crowd. According to my culture, it was wrong for me to even be there with my condition. I didn’t care. I needed to see this great physician who could help people with illnesses worse than mine.
Allegedly, he brought a man back to life from death. I would say death is a pretty severe illness! Another thing people were saying about him is that he forgave people of their sins if they believed in him. How can a man forgive sin? Forgiveness requires the spilling of blood. I don’t know about that, but if he can heal me of my affliction, I will be willing to listen to what he teaches.
I heard a great commotion coming my way. Everyone around me was getting excited and, thankfully, looking for their chance to get a glimpse of him. I just wanted to touch his robe. I thought that if this individual had the kind of power that others claim he does, then that should be all I need. Just one touch! He was heading in my direction. I pressed in, as did the others. My cover was working. No one had even noticed me in the crowd. As he got near me, I forced my way to the point where, at the moment he passed me, I could reach out and touch him. I didn’t like being pushy, but I had no choice, no more money, and no one else to turn to.
As he passed by and I realized this was it, I reached out. I felt my heart pound with excitement, with anticipation, but mainly with hope! The ones who were his followers were directing him, and I almost missed my opportunity, but at the last second, I touched the hem of his garment. Instantly, I felt a heat go through my body! Oh my goodness! It was like nothing I had ever experienced before in my life! At that moment, I knew! I knew without having to check that I was healed. I knew that my plague was over!
I was so overwhelmed. I was beginning to plan my exit when Jesus stopped. He turned around and asked, “Who touched me?” His followers said, “Master, there are so many pushing against you! Everyone is touching you!” I wanted to hide, for if the people saw me, they would be so mad, for I had broken the law, but I just had to turn and kneel before the man who healed me. I told him the whole story of my ailment. He listened, and then he said, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, and live blessed! Be healed of your plague.” He not only healed my plague but even more importantly, he healed my heart! I told you in the beginning that his name is important. His name was Jesus.
(The actual account can be found in the Bible. Luke 8:43-48)
If you have never had your own encounter with Jesus Christ, know that you can. He is waiting for you to accept his offer of forgiveness for your sins. With that begins a relationship that brings hope, encouragement, comfort, and guidance with the added bonus of eternal life. Along the way, you can ask for help with anything. Problems in life, relationships, and healing. Having a relationship with Jesus is the best thing you will ever do with your life. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are real. So are heaven and hell. There are no other alternatives. Encounter Jesus and change your life.
Most of us probably played the 1960 version of the game “LIFE” by Milton Bradley, which first came out in 1860. While in a car, you spun a wheel to travel down a path and decide, when you reached a fork, which was the better way to go. You also had to draw cards; sometimes, like in real life, good things happened to you, and at other times bad things happened. It was a game of “chance’ and “luck.”
I recently got a front-row seat to someone living “real” life. Their version is certainly no game, and you live as if you are holding a lit stick of dynamite. The only problem is you have no idea how short the fuse is. I understand this person has a sickness, but I also know there is a way out. I also know there are programs that help people like this, and the ones that truly work are “faith-based.” Meaning they are grounded in God’s word and promote a personal relationship with God.
From what I have witnessed, there have been many opportunities for this person to get help, and they have before. But they eventually pick up another stick of dynamite. It will go off, and the individual holding it will again get hurt severely, but so will the ones closest to them. Their parents, spouse, children, friends, and those they work with.
Oh, they become professionals at saying the right things and telling people what they want to hear. “I’m done with this!” “I don’t want to keep repeating the pattern.” “I need help.” “I want help.” Then they decide to go with satan’s substitutes for life, and they once again pick up another stick of dynamite. They seem to struggle to believe there is a higher power. They fail to keep their sight on God, who no doubt has a beautiful plan for their life. They stop living the lifestyle it takes to overcome, heal, and renew their mind.
It hurts to sit at the table and watch them live what they assume is “LIFE.” But it isn’t life at all, and if continued, it will lead to death on earth and eternal death, more than likely. The only thing I know to do is to continue to feed them words of real “LIFE” from the Bible. To continue to pray for them, but honestly, they are the only ones who can stop the pattern and choose “LIFE.”
Life is not a game! As April said to me tonight, “There is no such thing as luck.” I think she is right. There are only blessings and curses. As my church’s motto states, “Whoever finds God, finds life!”
“I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deu. 30:19-20 (MSG)
One of the hardest things on this journey we call, “life” is overcoming. It seems as if it will never happen. Either the hole of debt we have dug is too deep, or the struggle with the one we once loved hurts too much. Perhaps the sickness seems as if it will never get better. You know, all too well, what I am talking about, and so do I.
When Jesus taught the multitudes he would often direct their attention to nature to emphasize the point he was trying to make. He didn’t have a “whiteboard” or a “PowerPoint” presentation. He used what he had, and it worked!
To borrow this method from the great Teacher, let me show you some illustrations from nature about overcoming. Notice this Ferris wheel will someday be totally overcome by this growth in nature. It has probably taken a few years to get this to this point, but what one might of once thought was impossible, has become possible.
Consider this pile of rubble. One may make the comparison that this mess is similar to their own life. I know I once did, after making, what I thought, was a mistake that would end my service to God forever. Turns out, I was wrong on that point. In the midst of my personal, broken pile of a mess life, He slowly began to rebuild me and make me useable to him and others once again.
Then there is this tree. It found life close to disaster. It lives on the edge. Some may consider that exciting, while others would find it nerve-racking realizing that at any moment, a strong storm could come and it would lose its grip. The tree seems confident trusting the hold it has on the unmovable rock.
One can learn from this tree that finds itself so close to falling, so close to going over the edge, from becoming firewood. Burnt up and consumed, yet today, it stands tall. If we trust our “Rock and salvation” we too could stand tall no matter what storms may come.
Admire this flower. It bloomed and grew despite not being in a beautiful garden. It has no dedicated gardener to provide daily watering, plant food, or bend down and remove any weeds that may try to enter its territory. Yet it survives and fragrances the environment around it with a sweet smell.
Maybe you’re not currently living in a garden, and maybe you struggle to have your basic needs met. Take a lesson from this flower; bloom, grow and be a pleasant odor in your world.
With God’s help, you can grow and survive despite your past, or present situation. Regardless if you have a lot or a little. Make it part of your mind to be an overcomer. Set it in your heart and mind despite what may be today.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4 (MSG)
I have a friend who got severely injured at the end of last year. Satan most likely tried to take her out! Why? Because he attacks those who do what they see their heavenly Father do. Like he took out Jesus, who always said, “I only do as I see my Father in heaven do.” (John 5:19) Satan doesn’t need to bother, or attack those who are content just “going to church”!
I was praying for my friend’s recovery the other day, and the thought came to me, “Perhaps there are other types of recovery?”
The recovery of lost items.
The recovery of forgotten things.
The recovery of time to do the things that got laid aside in the past.
The recovery of an old friendship.
I’m sure there could be many more. Healing is a funny thing. I know, and believe God can heal instantly, but there are times He chooses not to. God always knows what He is doing, and what He wants to accomplish in our lives. That’s why trusting him is so important! Maybe He wants us to slow down, or perhaps know what it is to ultimately trust him on a minute by minute basis? To taste and see that He is God, and blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalms 34:8)
It would be a good practice to ask God what is his desire for us while we are “recovering”? You may just see a side of your loving, heavenly Father that you have never been able to before. You most likely still won’t like what has happened to you, but you will know when you get to the other side of it, you will be better off.
Unfortunately, death has been all around me lately. Not in my personal family, but in the families of others and some people I know. My mother-in-law informed us on the street she lives, there is one person, or more who die every day. She lives in the Philippines. Covid is a thief of life!
But yet others have passed away from illnesses and diseases we are more acquainted with, like cancer. Losing a family member, friend, neighbor, or a coworker hurts. We mourn, grieve, and cry, because we will miss them, and that’s understood. Although the pain can be great, when one we know passes but has first accepted Jesus Christ as God’s son, and has made a public confession of their faith in him, then we can be assured we will see them again. Our grief is temporary as the sting of death first hits us. That statement is only true if we too have accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts, asking him to forgive us of every wrong thing we have ever done. I sense I need to write that there is nothing you have done that God will not forgive, nothing!
I had a coworker several years back that believed in reincarnation. I learned that as we talked about life after death while riding the commuter train out of Chicago, IL. We respected each other’s views and opinions. You might say he believed that life offered up “Round Trip” tickets. My view was it’s a “One Way” ticket. Meaning, you only get one opportunity to make that important decision to accept Jesus.
27 Every human being is appointed to die once, and then to face God’s judgment. 28 But when we die we will be face-to-face with Christ, the One who experienced death once for all to bear the sins of many! Heb. 9:27-28 (TPT)
As my friend and I debarked the train, I turned to him and said, “If you are right, and I am wrong, then I have nothing to be concerned about. But if I am right, and you are wrong, then you will find yourself standing before God explaining to him why you didn’t accept him in your one life.” I went on to explain that the wages of sin, unforgiven wrong deeds, is death. For eternity! As one of my cousins said, “Eternity is a very long time!”
So I ask you, before you die, “Would you like a one way ticket?” Oh, and by the way, no charge. Jesus paid the price for you when he died on the cross.
Your back is up against the wall. You have found yourself in a corner, or down an ally with no apparent way out. Your mind is limited on how to resolve your situation. You cannot see any reasonable way out. Your resources are gone. Your bank account, savings, or 401 has been depleted.
Now what?
Such was the story of a woman in the Bible. She is one of my favorite heroes, for she was a woman of great faith who despite what she saw with her natural eyes she believed, “My situation doesn’t have to be this way.” She knew when to tie a knot and hang on. She was hemmed in, her back was up against the wall.
Yes, I’m talking about the woman with the issue of blood. She suffered from a physical aliment that lasted for 12 whole years. She spent every dime she had visiting multiple doctors trying to find a cure. What’s even worse, those who knew her, called her, “Unclean”. I’m sure they assumed God was punishing her for some sin in her life. You think the thought, “I want to die!” never entered her mine? Or, how many times did she question God, “Why? Why God is this happening to me?”
People, who haven’t earned the right to put on a robe, judge anyway.
What are you facing? What challenges are you dealing with? Can you identify with this woman? I too am facing a situation today as I write these words that I honestly cannot see how the situation is going to end. My emotions got on a roller coaster today, and I did not enjoy the ride at all. Then I saw one of my friends, Jeff Lossau, posted a new blog. (https://jefflossau.com/) As I read God’s words, from Psalms 34, I cried.
4 Listen to my testimony: I cried to God in my distress and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears! 5 Gaze upon him, join your life with his, and joy will come. Your faces will glisten with glory. You’ll never wear that shame-face again. 6 When I had nothing, desperate and defeated, I cried out to the Lord and he heard me, bringing his miracle-deliverance when I needed it most. 7 The angel of the Lord stooped down to listen as I prayed, encircling me, empowering me, and showing me how to escape. He will do this for everyone who fears God. 8 Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God. Experience for yourself the joyous mercies he gives to all who turn to hide themselves in him. 9 Worship in awe and wonder, all you who’ve been made holy! For all who fear him will feast with plenty. 10 Even the strong and the wealthy grow weak and hungry, but those who passionately pursue the Lord will never lack any good thing. 11 Come, children of God, and listen to me. I’ll share the lesson I’ve learned of fearing the Lord. 12–13 Do you want to live a long, good life, enjoying the beauty that fills each day? Then never speak a lie or allow wicked words to come from your mouth. 14 Keep turning your back on every sin, and make “peace” your life motto. Practice being at peace with everyone. 15 The Lord sees all we do; he watches over his friends day and night. His godly ones receive the answers they seek whenever they cry out to him. 16 But the Lord has made up his mind to oppose evildoers and to wipe out even the memory of them from the face of the earth. 17 Yet when holy lovers of God cry out to him with all their hearts, the Lord will hear them and come to rescue them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to all whose hearts are crushed by pain, and he is always ready to restore the repentant one. 19 Even when bad things happen to the good and godly ones, the Lord will save them and not let them be defeated by what they face. 20 God will be your bodyguard to protect you when trouble is near. Not one bone will be broken. 21 But the wicked commit slow suicide. For they hate and persecute the lovers of God. Make no mistake about it, God will hold them guilty and punish them; they will pay the penalty! 22 But the Lord has paid for the freedom of his servants, and he will freely pardon those who love him. He will declare them free and innocent when they turn to hide themselves in him. (from, The Passion Translation)
The woman with the issue of blood risked everything, and went into a crowd. She pushed her way through it until she was where Jesus would pass by. She even violated her society’s rules, because she knew with what little faith she had left, if she could just touch the hem of his garment she would be healed. She no doubt had heard the testimonies of his healing power. She did, He passed by, and she bowed to touch the hem of his garment, and she was healed instantly. In a single moment, that she never could have foreseen, her issue went away, and so can yours! (Mark 5:25-34)
THEN, you can proclaim the first part of Psalms 34:
1 Lord! I’m bursting with joy over what you’ve done for me! My lips are full of perpetual praise. 2 I’m boasting of you and all your works, so let all who are discouraged take heart. 3 Join me, everyone! Let’s praise the Lord together. Let’s make him famous! Let’s make his name glorious to all.
The woman made God famous, and I’m willing to endure what my wife and I are going through, for someone else, so I can make God famous.
I love it that God spoke the world into existence, and it started with him saying, “Let there be light.” Before he said those words the earth was there, and it was dark and shapeless, but the Holy Spirit was hovering above.
I think a lot of people are going through a very difficult time right now. One might say, dark and shapeless, but know this, the Spirit of God is hovering above. Keeping an eye on you, so you are not alone in the darkness although it may feel like it.
What if, in your darkness, someone said, “Let there be light”?
Your healing could be separated from the darkness. Your employment situation could be brighter. Your long awaited spouse steps out of the shadows into full sight. Whatever it is, in the time it takes for God to say, “Let there be light”, your whole situation can change. So what is God waiting on? When the moment is right. When you are right, or when the other person is ready, or the employment connection is made.
In the meantime, we wait, as patiently as we can, knowing that while life is dark the Holy Spirit is hovering overhead. Remember, light dispels darkness immediately, in an instant. Light over powers darkness. It cast it aside.
After God spoke light into existence he looked at it said, “It is good.” When God speaks into your life, your situation, your darkness afterwards he will say, “It is good.” And it will be. Your darkness will be over. It will be gone, and you see your new day dawning. You will breathe in and out like you never have before for the weight of the darkness will have lifted. If you place your hope and trust in God I promise you will see the end of the doom and gloom.
God sent ONE angel to defeat the entire Assyrian army.
Whenever we are in a rough spot, and our backs are up against the wall, there is something innate within that forces us to want to find our own way out. We will do just about anything, and it seems the more desperate the situation the more radicle our action will be. Most people seem to have a fight mentality when we are in a corner.
In 2 Chronicles chapter 32, we read that Jerusalem was threatened by the Assyrian army, a horrible group of men, who had no respect for mankind, and they had no fear of God. This army would first send tablets into a town they were set on over taking. These tablets showed detail pictures of how they were planning on torturing their captives in savage ways, which struck ultimate fear in their hearts. The people of Jerusalem knew for sure life was all over. There was only one thing they could do,
pray.
King Hezekiah, joined by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, responded by praying, calling up to heaven. God answered by sending an angel who wiped out everyone in the Assyrian camp, both warriors and officers. Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace, tail between his legs. When he went into the temple of his god, his own sons killed him. 2 Chr. 32:20-21 (MSG)
You pray. You commit the situation to God and then you wait. That’s right. There are times when you have to trust God, like in Psalms 46:10a
“Be still, and know that I am God…”
It’s hard not to do anything. My wife has been stuck in the Philippines for several months now. She is done with the immigration process and only needs her interview at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. It’s difficult to be separated for so long. It hurts!. I have tried everything I could think of, but nothing has happened. I surrendered it to God, I’m being still. Another version of this verse says, “Stop striving…” That is what I have had to do.
In 2 Chr. 32 above, it says they prayed, and God answered, and sent one angel who wiped out the entire army. God may need to send more than one angel to deal with the U.S. government, (kidding) but I do know the answer to my prayer is on the way.
Whatever situation you may be facing, painful, dreadful, frightening, or whatever, pray. Give it to God and then be still and watch him answer as He sees fit to do so.
brady, mark a. 