Trust Triumphs Through Trying Times

Like the constant drip of a leaky faucet, is the reminder of human frailty when facing a chronic health condition, disability, or terminal illness. In situations like these, the definition of healing seems to change as time moves on.  Our perspective of God is key to moving our natural reactions of fear,  to supernatural responses of faith.  Refuge and healing of more than the natural body are found in God and are of eternal value.  

This past week we attended a clebration of life service for a good friend Carol Witmer.  Her death followed a five year illness from a rare cancer.  I am so impressed by her perspective in what she wrote before her heath that I include it here.  

“One morning while listening to God and praying for the healing of my body it seemed God was saying, “I have a bigger picture than simply healing your earthly body—trust me." So, I trusted God in his bewildering, puzzling, troubling but perfect plan even though I was not able to see it fully at that moment. During the past year and a half I had a deep sense that God's larger, grand, more complete plan was unfolding.

The key for me was to trust! Whether I received answers to why things happened the way they did or not, I knew I needed Jesus far more than I needed understanding. I didn't understand, so I trusted!

God sees and knows the bigger, more comprehensive plan for your life, too. Trust Him!

When I got the news that my lungs were cluttered with masses that didn't belong there, my first thought was friends that do not have a relationship with Jesus. Is that you? My immediate silent prayer was, “Lord, let this journey with suffering that I am about to embrace lead them to you!"

I hope that my brief time on this earth inspired you to find your way back to relationship with God. Because Jesus' suffering on the cross gave me such life, it didn't seem too much if my suffering helped you find Christ!

Each of us are created to be in relationship with God, and that is what he longs for. He searches for ways to reach your soul.

Now I’m celebrating my new life with Jesus in Heaven! I’m finally seeing God, my Father, face to face! And now I am able to understand truths that, while on Earth, I could only believe in faith!

My earthly choices are now finished.

I chose Jesus, and I chose to trust.

You are still making your choices.

Choose Jesus!

Love,

Carol” 

Choosing Jesus in the midst of a difficult physical condition is similar to choosing Jesus with a mental or emotional struggle as well.  We have a choice. We can choose to trust God and surrender to him the rights to be Judge in a situation that seems unjust, unfair, or unloving.  Or we can allow ourselves to be overcome by bitterness, resentment, and hatred.   Understanding does not bring freedom, but trusting God does.  Trusting God to be big enough to make right even the greatest wrong that has been done to us, gives release to  unwarrrented demands for justice.  

Forgiveness is God’s way of making wrongs right.  We have a choice to trust and cooperate with God’s ways, or continue to rely on our own understanding in working things out (Proverbs 3:5-6).  Even as a follower of Jesus, our choices to trust must continue beyond an initial born-again experience.  Choosing Jesus is believing and trusting that He has accomplished all the forgiveness that is ever needed to take care of our offenses, and the offenses of others against us.  Trusting and practicing forgiveness determines the condition of our core inner being.  Refuge, healing, peace, and calm are truly known by choosing Jesus.   Choose Jesus, each moment of each day!

A song that has helped me through many of my own trying times is "Yet I Will Praise."  Here is a link to listen to a version by Andy Park:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL7LycA4y3Y

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

How a Searchlight Helps to Cure Cancer

According to Barna Group survey results published on their web site November 3rd, seventy million Americans "are dealing with unresolved emotional pain or conflict in life." Three out of ten people (30%) perceive their behaviors, dreams, goals, ideals, values, or relationships to be affected by cancerous feelings such as bitterness and resentment.

Dr. Michael Barry published a book earlier this year called The Forgiveness Project. His medical, theological, and sociological research at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America  in Philadelphia, PA finds that 61 percent of cancer patients have struggles with forgiveness of past hurts and wounds, and 34 percent have very severe struggles with things like hatred and revenge. The disease of unforgiveness causes immune deficiency in the body which causes physical health problems including the formation of cancer. Barry's book shares personal stories of patients healed from cancer primarily through their discovery of, and willingness to release, offenses they hadn't fully dealt with from their past. 

If the psychological, physical, and spiritual health problems related to unforgiveness are so obviously apparent, why do so many people remain trapped by their offenses?   The answer to this question is not a simple one and could be tackled from many angles, but I believe looking at the human heart and how it responds to emotional pain is a key. The inability or unwillingness to release offenses is the number one dream-killer of all time.

There are two major categories of fencing (or walls) which result by not properly dealing with offenses. One type of wall is very visible, easily recognized, and distance is maintained whenever possible. The other type of wall is often invisible, hard to recognize, and therefore hinders many activities in life because it pops up at unforeseen moments. The corresponding responses to these types of walls travel in two extreme directions; one is revenge and the other is apathy. Since outward aggression is less socially acceptable, most responses steer away from revenge (at least overtly) and tend toward apathy. This is often a learned pattern in human development from childhood into adulthood. Invisible walls of self-protection develop because repeated failure to find adequate resolution to offenses creates increased distrust of others and increased vulnerability to harm. Negative thoughts form inaccurate beliefs (lies about self and others), which create actions (behaviors), which create habits, which create lifestyle patterns of denying the pain in order to cope. The cycle of offense discussed in my previous blog post shows how this happens in every person alive to some degree at least.

The two types of walls translate into two types of unforgiveness: when your conscious awareness tells you, and when it doesn't. Emotional pain is often minimized or ignored, as explained by the apathetic response described above. The subconscious type of bitterness, hatred, resentment, or blame is much more common and becomes likes a hidden cancer destroying a person. Some of the symptoms that often reveal this are: chronic stress, anxiety, depression, self-condemnation, perpetual conflict, and lack of trust and love for others. In Part Two of my book, Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive from the Heart, I cover this in much detail.

Failure to deal with offenses, even long forgotten ones, can derail your success in achieving goals and steal your dreams like nothing else. You may not develop cancer cells in your body, but unforgiveness could be eating at your emotions like a cancer that consumes your strength and weakens your ability to be effective in key areas of your life.

True forgiveness is not possible without recognizing, acknowledging, and dealing with root sources of offense. If you are a God-follower, you can take heart in the example of David in Psalms 139. He starts out with verse one saying, "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me." The past tense indicates a relationship and "walk" of habitual transparency of his inner person. The Psalm continues with an intimate description of God's creative ability in forming each individual person with unique traits purposes for being. The last two verses come back to the soul searching theme with David requesting,

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my anxious thoughts.
 See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting."  (Psalm 139:23-24)

This indicates intentionality on David's part for God to expose his "anxious thoughts" and "offensive way." In this manner he permits God to deal with the heart of the matter and remove any fences (walls) that his offense had erected. Whether the offense is intentional or unintentional (sin of comission or omission), the crippling, deafening, blinding, and imprisoning effects are the same.

God has a searchlight bright enough to pinpoint your problem "cancer" cells. The "treatment" may not seem pleasant, but healing comes through no other means. Yielding to His love and mercy reaps eternal rewards. The way to break free is to surrender to God the rights of final judgment of the matter that offended you. The mystery of forgiveness frees you from the grasp of either extreme; revenge or apathy. Then you can beat the disease and be on your way to success and significance!

            Note:  The book Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive from the Heart discusses themes of dealing with offense and finding freedom in forgiveness.  I pray that you will find this book a helpful tool in discovering Refuge in Christ.  http://bluerockbnb.com/healing/book_main.htm

         

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry