Well, it's Tuesday night and I am updating my blog as promised so that the results of my visit to the hospital are made known.
The Dr did end up cutting part of my shoulder out to remove the BCC. How do I feel about that? Well, it aches for starters, and I know that over the next few days it will probably give me a hard time, but I know that nothing has changed as far as I am concerned. I still believe in miracles of healing, and I am still wondering in my heart why God did not heal me miraculously, but I know that nothing changes the truth of the scripture that says "by His stripes I am healed". I know that Jesus didn't only die to give me eternal life, but that this earthly life would be full of blessing and fulfillment. That includes good health. The prophet Isaiah states it plain and clear. He was wounded for our sicknesses and diseases.
So how do I rationalise away all of the sicknesses in Christians? Joseph Prince from the "New Creation Church" in Singapore tells the story of how Kenneth Hagan said that he gave thanks to God for doctors, because they kept him alive long enough for him to learn about God's miraculous healing. There is a lot of truth in that. My own knee got trashed in a skiing accident, but then God healed me right before (literally a half hour) I was to climb several hundred steps at a temple in Laos whilst doing a prayer and warfare walk on a missions trip. But this was one year after the accident. Why not be healed straight away, or why did the accident happen in the first place? I know several people (personally) who have been miraculously healed of cancer, and not just a BCC, but serious life threatening stuff. Why them and not me, or others I know who are struggling with sickness.
I believe the answer lies in my determination to know more of God, and to know Him more. I have experienced miracles in my life, so I know from experience that He does them ... even today ... but in this case I suspect that He has a higher purpose for this event. Even now, I am believing for a complete recovery from the operation, and I know that God has me in the palm of His hands ... safe ... secure ... I am a child of the King.
I remember when my wife Karen was talking with me about the vision God gave her of me being healed in Laos (provided I was obedient and went on the missions trip) - I asked her why did God allow it in the first place - and she said she felt that God had told her it is was so that I could identify with the sick and suffering people who were in need of healing. And so I am believing for a ministry of teaching the truth about healing, and being able to identify with those who desperately need a touch from God.
Yes, God does still heal today. No, He didn't miraculously remove the tumour from my shoulder. That doesn't change the truth of His word, and I will continue to believe Him for the impossible, because if I don't, then I may never see another miracle. Every day I believe Him for the impossible in some area of my life.
So I will lift my hands and my eyes to the heavens, for that is where my help comes from. God is still ruling and reigning over creation, and as long as I let Him rule and reign in my life, I know there are exciting times ahead.
I guess I will be preaching on Sunday that His grace is sufficient for me in every situation. I would love to see someone get miraculously healed during the service. Let's see some shackles broken, some captives set free, some lives restored! Who knows what will happen. One thing I know for sure - I will be worshipping and praising God with all of my heart, for He is good, and His mercies endure forever.
Hallelujah - for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad, and give the glory unto Him!
Steve
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Friday, May 06, 2005
Thank God it's Friday ...
Well, it's the end of a hard working week!
It's been a tough one, with long hours, and lot's of frustration. People seem to have an uncanny propensity to make life hard for you when you least need it. Like the people who undid a whole days work by deleting some crucial files off of a compact flash memory card. The problem was that we had to work all day through till 4.30am the next morning to rectify the problem. It didn't have to be that way, but someone's thoughtlessness caused it. It's been a week of fighting to make schedules, and to keep promises and commitments to clients and other people.
I managed to shoehorn in a visit to my skin cancer clinic today to find out what the verdict is. They want to operate next Tuesday. I'm still working through how I feel about it. I used the Aldara cream treatment and it seemed to work well, with lots of improvement on the outside of the skin, but my Dr says that the BCC is still under the skin, and must be cut out to remove it completely. I guess I'm wondering why God hasn't answered my prayers for healing YET!. I know that it's only Friday evening, and so God still has 3.5 days left to do a miracle, but there is always that thought that maybe He won't. Or maybe it's an exercise of faith. What would be awesome would be if on Tuesday I rockup for surgery and the Dr looks and sees that the BCC is completely gone. Then, what an awesome opportunity to share Christ with him, and to avoid the pain of going under the scalpel.
My experience has been that in every hard test of faith that we enter into, there is always a desire on our part to see a quick and painless solution. This is not always what God has in mind. He wants what is best for us, but He wants us to grow in faith and intimacy with Him first and foremost. Does this mean I give up on praying for and believing for a miracle of healing. Definately NOT! It makes me more determined to seek the miracle that I believe Jesus died on the cross to secure for me.
The hecticness of this past week ( and quite a few before it) has helped me to realize that our enemy wants to squeeze the life out of us. And he does this by making us so busy that we become inwardly focussed - in survival mode sometimes. He attacks us on every front - financially, time with our family, health, and material possessions that break or are taken away from us.
Sometimes we become convinced that we have to fight - and this is true - we do have to fight, because the scriptures state that we are in a war against the enemy and his minions. But the truth is that we don't have to fight the enemy - Jesus has already done this and won. The person who we have to contend with is ourselves. The biggest battle or fight is waged within - to maintain relationship with God such that the will and purposes of God take place in our lives every moment of every day. His will is that I should be healed. How do I know for sure? Because the scriptures say that Jesus died not just to give me eternal life, but to heal me of my sickness and diseases. By His stripes I AM healed. Sickness will come and try to attack us, but we don't have to let it conquer us or rule us. We have the victory because Jesus won it on the Cross of Calvary.
Well, next Tuesday is C-Day. I guess my theology will be tested, but the funny thing is, it doesn't worry me. Whatever happens, God is still AWESOME. He still healed my knee in Laos on the missions trip. He still saved our home and our business. He still has done countless awesome miracles in every area of my life.
Whether I stand in the pulpit to preach on Sunday 15th May nursing a sore shoulder - proclaiming that God's grace is sufficient to see me through every challenge that I face - or whether I stand in that puplit to preach and declare the miracle working power of God is still at work in my life - nothing changes the fact that I owe my life to God and it is His to deal with as He pleases, because He loves me, and He would never harm me. He has promised to remember the thoughts that He has towards me. And they are thoughts to give me a hope and a future - to prosper me and not to harm me.
God does not change His thoughts towards us. Can we afford to change our thoughts towards Him? My post next Tuesday night on this blog will reflect what my attitude towards God is at that time, and I declare now that I will still be praising and worshipping Him no matter what happens. It may just affect the way YOU see God though. I pray that the end result will not cause you to lose faith in God's ability and desire to still perform miracles of healing today. I pray that whatever happens you will be challenged to seek His face, and to cry out "Glory to the King"!
Safe in the arms of Jesus.
Steve
It's been a tough one, with long hours, and lot's of frustration. People seem to have an uncanny propensity to make life hard for you when you least need it. Like the people who undid a whole days work by deleting some crucial files off of a compact flash memory card. The problem was that we had to work all day through till 4.30am the next morning to rectify the problem. It didn't have to be that way, but someone's thoughtlessness caused it. It's been a week of fighting to make schedules, and to keep promises and commitments to clients and other people.
I managed to shoehorn in a visit to my skin cancer clinic today to find out what the verdict is. They want to operate next Tuesday. I'm still working through how I feel about it. I used the Aldara cream treatment and it seemed to work well, with lots of improvement on the outside of the skin, but my Dr says that the BCC is still under the skin, and must be cut out to remove it completely. I guess I'm wondering why God hasn't answered my prayers for healing YET!. I know that it's only Friday evening, and so God still has 3.5 days left to do a miracle, but there is always that thought that maybe He won't. Or maybe it's an exercise of faith. What would be awesome would be if on Tuesday I rockup for surgery and the Dr looks and sees that the BCC is completely gone. Then, what an awesome opportunity to share Christ with him, and to avoid the pain of going under the scalpel.
My experience has been that in every hard test of faith that we enter into, there is always a desire on our part to see a quick and painless solution. This is not always what God has in mind. He wants what is best for us, but He wants us to grow in faith and intimacy with Him first and foremost. Does this mean I give up on praying for and believing for a miracle of healing. Definately NOT! It makes me more determined to seek the miracle that I believe Jesus died on the cross to secure for me.
The hecticness of this past week ( and quite a few before it) has helped me to realize that our enemy wants to squeeze the life out of us. And he does this by making us so busy that we become inwardly focussed - in survival mode sometimes. He attacks us on every front - financially, time with our family, health, and material possessions that break or are taken away from us.
Sometimes we become convinced that we have to fight - and this is true - we do have to fight, because the scriptures state that we are in a war against the enemy and his minions. But the truth is that we don't have to fight the enemy - Jesus has already done this and won. The person who we have to contend with is ourselves. The biggest battle or fight is waged within - to maintain relationship with God such that the will and purposes of God take place in our lives every moment of every day. His will is that I should be healed. How do I know for sure? Because the scriptures say that Jesus died not just to give me eternal life, but to heal me of my sickness and diseases. By His stripes I AM healed. Sickness will come and try to attack us, but we don't have to let it conquer us or rule us. We have the victory because Jesus won it on the Cross of Calvary.
Well, next Tuesday is C-Day. I guess my theology will be tested, but the funny thing is, it doesn't worry me. Whatever happens, God is still AWESOME. He still healed my knee in Laos on the missions trip. He still saved our home and our business. He still has done countless awesome miracles in every area of my life.
Whether I stand in the pulpit to preach on Sunday 15th May nursing a sore shoulder - proclaiming that God's grace is sufficient to see me through every challenge that I face - or whether I stand in that puplit to preach and declare the miracle working power of God is still at work in my life - nothing changes the fact that I owe my life to God and it is His to deal with as He pleases, because He loves me, and He would never harm me. He has promised to remember the thoughts that He has towards me. And they are thoughts to give me a hope and a future - to prosper me and not to harm me.
God does not change His thoughts towards us. Can we afford to change our thoughts towards Him? My post next Tuesday night on this blog will reflect what my attitude towards God is at that time, and I declare now that I will still be praising and worshipping Him no matter what happens. It may just affect the way YOU see God though. I pray that the end result will not cause you to lose faith in God's ability and desire to still perform miracles of healing today. I pray that whatever happens you will be challenged to seek His face, and to cry out "Glory to the King"!
Safe in the arms of Jesus.
Steve
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