I believe God spoke to us last Sunday as I had prepared a message from the current teaching series and was unable to preach the sermon due to a moving of the Lord in our worship. Each Sunday as I stand before our church family I strive to be sensitive to the leading of the Lord and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Today I shared the message God laid upon my heart. It came from the current teaching series:
Imagine a group of believers that Jesus dictated a letter of COMFORT and ENCOURAGEMENT. Even the way in which He identified Himself must have uplifted these persecuted followers who daily faced the treat of death: “I am the first and last, who was dead, and has come to life.” This is the church in
These are the words
of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life
again. 9 I know your afflictions and your
poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they
are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do
not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put
some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten
days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you
life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all
by the second death.” Revelation 2:8-11
The name “
2 Corinthians 4:17 (The Message) “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”
Here is a testimony of a dear friend who is facing at time of suffering and has a wonderful testimony of the Lord's strength and of her faith.
Sharron and I met Crystal when she was a student at Indiana Wesleyan University. She married Matthew Blake and they serve as missionaries with the Wesleyan Church.
In November 2009 when began her Caringbridge journal with these words:
I'm not sure how to begin. How does one begin to share from the heart
the uncertainties that come from the diagnosis of cancer? Here is her story:
I believe God is a good
God. I believe that He is carrying me and my family through this
journey. This is so important to me because at only 35 years old, I
was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on November 20, 2009. My
husband and I live in the Czech Republic. We are here to share about the
hope we have in Christ Jesus. My hope continues to be in God who is much
greater than I can imagine. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.I found my first lump in my breast in the middle of January 2009. I had an ultrasound of it and the doctors said not to worry. It was normal for someone my age and fit the criteria for fibroadenoma. I went back to have another ultrasound in August to check on the size. It had grown from 6mm to 9mm. That's not much in 6 months, so the doctors again said that we would wait and see. I should come again next April or May 2010. It's a good thing I didn't wait! In October while my husband was traveling back to the States, I found a second lump and 3 weeks later when I made another appointment for the ultrasound, a third lump. I had an ultrasound and mammogram on November 10th. Two days later, I met with an oncologist who did another ultrasound, mammogram, ultrasound of the liver, chest x-ray, and a biopsy of the 1st and 2nd lumps. The first lump had grown to 16mm. It had almost doubled in three months!
The results came back on November 20th. I have breast cancer. It is aggressively growing.
Just before this last appointment, God gave me a verse to claim throughout this journey: Isaiah 41:13, "For I am the Lord your God who holds you in his right hand and says to you, "Do not fear, I will help you." First of all--God is God, second, he's already been holding me (before the doctors ever began examining me), and third, HE will help me.
We will stay here in Brno, Czech Republic to have all of our doctor visits and treatments. It is the best choice for us at this stage of life. I am the proud mom of three kids--ages 9, 7, and 4. Our kids will have fewer disruptions than if we headed back to live in the States. So, may God go with us.
Thank you for joining
our journey!
And the journey
continues on... on June 20, 2012, my cancer came back...this time in my
bones. I believe that God touched and healed me from breast cancer...and
while I am surprised that it came back...I know that God isn't. I look
forward to seeing how God is going to show his power and heal me again...while
at the same time revealing HIS plan for my life. I still believe that our
God is an awesome God and I am so thankful that HE directs, comforts, and cares
for me. My hope is that one day everyone will know that there is a God
and that through Jesus Christ; we can live in Heaven for all of eternity...if
we believe, and ask God to forgive the bad in our lives. He is merciful
and so amazing!
Let's continue on this
journey...
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