The Word This Week is Faith

Well, it’s good to be back. I want to thank Elder JJ for stepping in to fill the gap. This is what’s meant to be prepared in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:1-2).

As you know, our family has been going through a series of crises that had behind them, some evil, and some good.

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph said to his brothers, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (NKJV).

Satan was working in his brothers that day when they sold him into slavery, but through the next thirteen years, God took an intolerable situation, and turned into a good one.

We, as a family, we’re beset with one situation after another.

My son-in-law was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He’s a young man with a wonderful wife and two great boys in college. This shook their family, and ours, to the core.

My stepdaughter broke her foot and ankle in a freak accident, rendering her unable to walk. Now everyone, including her husband and her five kids need to pitch in and help.

My sister-in-law lost her husband to a brain tumor. It was an aggressive cancer, and we knew that physical death was probably certain, but we still prayed fervently for physical healing. God can pull this off, and we prayed.

Then in another freak accident, I had another fall. Jeannie messed up her wrist and arm, and I messed up my foot.

Yeah, this has been a nasty couple of weeks. Satan has been attacking with a vengeance. Our Heb10 Church is being noticed. These messages are being read, and I’m hoping and praying that these messages survive the rapture, and that others see them, repent and come to salvation.

Time is close. Prophecy is being fulfilled right before your eyes.

Our family is being attacked, Elder JJ’s family too. Satan does not want us to be successful.

But follow Jesus we will, whatever the cost – that’s what we – and you signed up for when you repented and surrendered your life to Jesus as your savior.

Oh yes, we prayed. We were on our knees daily – more than once a day – in fervent prayer, for my son-in-law, his wife (my stepdaughter) and our grandsons, that all would go well, that Satan would not win.

We were in deep prayer for my other stepdaughter and her family, for her healing, and for the resources that her family would need.

For my sister-in-law, for peace and calm; and celebrating my brother-in-law’s healing and graduation to heaven. He’s now totally healed.

For other family members who are hurting physically for healing – there are a few I didn’t mention earlier.

And for Jeannie and I for healing and restoration of our physical challenges.

Yes, there were family members whose faith was immensely tested. This is to be expected.

Over the past several weeks, my son-in-law had surgery, 98% of the tumor was removed successfully, and the remaining tissue looks normal.

PRAISE JESUS! Satan didn’t win!

He will have radiation treatment to deal with anything that may be residual. This is normal.

What also came out of this is that we’ve seen a complete one-eighty in the faith of our son-in-law and his wife. Jeannie and I are ecstatic over this. We spent the better part of these weeks trying to build faith – and to see this, another prayer answered.

Jeannie’s other daughter just had her cast changed over to a long boot-like cast. She’s still having trouble getting around but it’s getting easier and the bones are healing.

Again, PRAISE JESUS! She’s on the mend!

This daughter has always been a praying woman, and she too, was praying for her sister and family.

Both of these girls lost their father to cancer over twenty five years ago, so this tumor diagnosis hit home really hard.

My sister-in-law is still grieving, and approximately so. We continue to pray for her.

As for Jeannie and I – we’re hoping to get hold of a specialist for Jeannie on Monday, and as for me, well, between Parkinson’s and the multiple concussions, let’s face it, losing my balance and falling is more common than I care for. I just have to take things a lot more slowly now, and to stop being so stubborn and use the souped-up walker my doctor ordered.

Some people ask why I write instead of preach orally. I used to preach, but Parkinson’s has my voice very low now, and the concussion has my speech that doesn’t coordinate with my thoughts. Let’s face it, I sound like an idiot 🤣.

It takes me a week or two to write these, just to get my thoughts coherent – that, a ton of prayer. The “study candy” (believe it or not, circus peanuts) help too.

I think, as I said earlier, that God has me writing these, so that others see them, hopefully before the rapture, but definitely after. If you’ve seen the movie “Left Behind,” – you’ll see clips of Jack Van Impe being watched by those left behind. I won’t be here to preach the Word, therefore God has me doing this.

The word this week is Faith. Jesus said in Matthew 19, and verse 20,

“Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

You need just that much faith. A mustard seed is very small, but if you have the faith of a mustard seed – great things happen.

And with faith, the devil cannot win. I wrote about Job a month ago. His wife said to curse God and die. Job had different plans. First, he exerted his authority over his wife and told her to knock off her foolish talk, then he acknowledged that God was in control of everything, and praised God for their misfortune.

We could all learn a lesson from Job. Like Joseph, God turns what is meant for evil, into good. Job’s fortunes were restored twofold.

James said in chapter 1 that trials WILL come, not that they might – expect them. Your faith is like a muscle, and like any muscle, it needs exercise to get stronger.

Faith is the muscle, and trials are the exercise.

All true believers in Jesus will get through the trials if they give the situation to God to handle – if they have faith that God will see them through…in His way.

People have to know to stay out of God’s way.

And if you’re not a believer, well my friend, God’s trying to get your attention. You need to repent of your sin, and surrender your life to Christ right now. God’s not going to do a darned thing until you do.

We’re all sinners and deserve to die and suffer eternity in Hell, but those of us who are saved by the blood of Jesus, we are seen by the Father through the lens of Christ, and through that lens, we’re clean and justified.

Come – repent of of your sin, be truly sorry before a Holy God, and then surrender your life – turn it over to Him.

Watch how you’ll change from your old sinful ways.

He’ll be with you through your trials and temptations too.

Faith – it’s a wonderful thing.