Several days ago, after having been at the State Fair which happens to take place in our little town of Puyallup. My wife, daughter Ashley and myself had the adventure of watching the thrilling rides, many exhibits of housewares, crafts, 4H and DECA, etc. Although it was very crowded and people had “Fair Fever” I challenged myself to participate in this annual event. My wife and daughter made sure to grab a scone and a carmel apple which are a few of the traditions associated with with Fair Food.  It was a sunny afternoon and always seems to close out the events of summer for us.

Later that evening, I fell backward in our living room while playing “footsie” with my other daughter’s dog, Rudy. Falling is dangerous enough but without having the strength in my arms to break my fall things went from a bad-to-worse senario. At the moment I knew I was going down, everything seemed to play out in my mind in slow motion. Obviously, I know how to break a fall using my hands, but in my present condition this typical reflex could not happen. I had to just trust God (Ps 94:18) and allow my body to fall where it may. Even my wife who saw me from the kitchen and ran to help, could not reach me fast enough. Amazingly, I landed on my bottom and the back of the brace protected my head from serious injury. Ps 91:9-12 assures “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. For He will give His angels [a special] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.” If we make the Lord our refuge and the Most High our dwelling place then God promises to take care of us and keep us from evil. He will send angels to look after us; to defend, preserve and bear us up. As we go forward walking “in Christ” we are faced with many trials, adversities and set backs. We may fall at times, we may get bruised, battered or beaten by life, but we do not have to live in that pain and we don’t have to stay down. We gird ourselves up, press on and take comfort knowing that God is looking out for us and always causing us to triumpth. We especially need this assurance for our worst situations. God calls the weak, the lame, and the downtrodden to Himself, those that recognize their need for a Saviour. They may be the ones who cannot defend, protect or save themselves, but they are the ones that God will use to confound the world so that no flesh can glory in His presence (1Co 1:29).

Last night at 1:30 in the morning my lungs began to fill with phlegm that I was not able to clear. Usually my bi-pap ventilator is strong enough to force air into my lungs so that I can breathe without the mucus interference. When I realized that I could not clear my lungs and my breathing was becoming more labored I knew that it was time to get my wife’s attention. Since I have a mask that goes directly over my mouth, I cannot talk and express my needs to Glennis, so we have developed another means of communication through my foot. I first get her attention by kicking over an object on a night stand, and then I spell out words in the air with my foot. Well, I needed attention right now, so I spelled OFF with my foot and Glennis removed the mask. By then I could barely breathe or talk but managed to let her know that I needed to lean forward to cough. This didn’t work so I choked out, “get my brace” which she did. The custom neck brace allows me to stand and walk without assistance. It also helps me to clear my lungs of mucus by allowing me to lean forward and let gravity help drain the mucus.

After about 5 minutes of very shallow breathing and being unable to drain my lungs even with my brace, I couldn’t inhale to get a breath. The mucus had plugged my airway and I started to black out. Right then Glennis put her hand on my chest and declared a bible promise that God had given to me in Psalms 118:17 “I shall not die, but live and declare the works of God.” And immediately my airway opened. I slowly was able to wheeze into my lungs air and began to breathe again. I walked around the house with my wife speaking words of life over me. When I sat down the mucus had worked its way out from blockage and into my throat where I was able to cough it up to where Glennis could suction it out of my mouth.  I was now free again to breathe! To make sure everything had been completely cleared we used the “Cough Assist” machine along with intermittent suctioning for a continued 10-15 minutes  Over an hour had elapsed before we settled back to sleep. I hadn’t been dealing with a cold and hadn’t changed my diet or the time I ate; this episode came out of nowhere, simply because of my being in a relaxed state and the pooling of mucus. Here in the peacefulness of the night, things turned critical, to the point of not being able to respirate.

I thank God He rescued me in the night, watching over me with His great care and that He continues to give me His mercies every morning. He gives me strength each day (and night); He hears our cry and delivers us from destruction. Invest the Word of God into your life and God will refresh His Word back to your remembrance for you to apply to your situation with HIS authority. You can depend on his promises even in your worst estate, when it seems like all hope is gone and you cannot possibly persevere. These are times that God will demonstrate His great love to you.   “…for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”  2 COR 1:20 All the promises of God are given to us but remain with Him because He has to fulfill them. God’s promises are the links that reveal His thoughts toward us through His actions. When we begin to discover God’s promises to us and the authority that is behind them, we will, without hesitation, confess them in our darkest hour, because He is The One who keeps us and never sleeps or slumbers. 

My daughter Jessica and new son-in-law, Jerry, had a beautiful wedding on the 20th of July. Jessica’s smile was contagious and her outward beauty seemed to capture her spirit’s true expression. I could not help but think of the bride of Christ being adorned for her husband and what a glorious day that will be. A good friend of ours was at the wedding and brought his five year old son with him. Everyone calls him “miracle boy” because when he was almost one year old he drowned in a backyard pond and was brought back to life after being unconscious for 40 minutes. Samuel (miracle boy), said, 5 big angels carried him to heaven where he entered a gate and met Jesus and God. He said heaven was much shinier than any pictures he saw. He said Jesus stroked his head and he sat on Gods lap. He said he was shown tiny babies that were the size of his hand, and he played and talked to them. He said he played sword fight with the boys, and the girls played other games. He said the angels took him on a camping trip in a forest for 10 months (Samuel’s concept of eternal time) where he saw a nice tiger, many other animals including dogs and many birds who talked to him. The birds wanted to bring him back to earth but the angel that was holding him said that he would take him back to his mommy because she was crying. Samuel had a supernatural encounter with God which brought him into His presence. When Miracle boy saw me at the wedding he immediately held my hands which were in my pockets (Glennis usually puts my hands in my pockets because my arms dangle by my side). No one outside of a few family members feel close enough to me to touch my hands, Miracle boy was not timid to touch me!! He thinks with God and has no fear of man. Gods’ Glory was revealed at the wedding when He used a little boy to hold my hands! I almost missed God’s personal touch because I was looking for something else. I was looking for a manifestation of a physical healing. But instead He would reveal Himself a different way that day. Jessica’s betrothed, Jerry, came to the wedding to take his new bride by the hand. And Jesus was saying to me that He is coming to the earth again very soon to take His Bride, the Church, by the hand!! He wants us to be ready for Him when He comes. Will we be ready to go with Him to be part of His heavenly kingdom? Or will we miss Him because we are looking for something else?

“But while they were going away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.” Mt 25:10

With only 3 days left until my daughter, Jessica’s wedding, it seems like the enemy has stepped up his attacks on me. Six days ago I came down with a nasty cold, which drained me of what little energy I had. Then last night an oppressive  presence tried three times to kill me through suffocation while I was trying to sleep. God prevailed in both circumstances, and continues to encourage me to believe Him for a very powerful supernatural breakthrough in the physical realm by the wedding date.

I’ve been reading Erlo Stegens’ missionary account in 1966 to the Zulus in So. Africa. What struck me was that before the amazing revival of 1966 took place, Erlo discovered that he needed to repent and be transparent before the Zulus. The Apostle Paul says, “I die daily” (1Corinthians 15:31). What does he mean by that? How can we die daily? The Lord Jesus experienced death in Gethsemane, so to say, before He physically died on the Cross. There His sweat became like great drops of blood and He was close to despair, until He was finally able to say to His Father, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” He died to Himself. If we can pray in this way, then we no longer seek our own will; we humble ourselves under God’s will and deny ourselves. To die to one’s self-will is extremely difficult, It is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

God is bringing me through a valley, and has provided everything I needed there. Man is not able to supply our insatiable needs in the valley, man’s methods or ways are often inadequate and lead to death. God’s plan is always leading us to the Cross, where we lose our life and gain spiritual life. When Christ is released to work in our lives; we exchange His life for ours. God initiates His plan by leading us to the Cross (Mt 16:24), we then have a choice to cooperate with His plan or not. Carnal death is where God wants to take us to, death to self life,  when we die to our ways, we become weak and rest in God’s Word, then the power of God is released and miracles can take place.

Everything has already been provided, He finished the work on the Cross it was a perfect sacrifice for us. His Word says we believe those things (promises) which are not as though they are (Rm. 4:17). We believe with our mind and confess with our mouth, and act as though it’s already accomplished, by faith. Hope says it will happen, faith says it already has. Healing comes by grace not self effort. I can do nothing to obtain salvation or healing, its unmerited favor. I rest from my works as God did from His.

When I rest from my works I enter into His rest (Heb 4:10). Entering to rest is done by faith in what the promise says. We enter into works that have already been finished from the foundation of the world  (Heb 4:3). These works are past tense, He’s already healed us, delivered us, saved us, provided for us (Ps 91). I’m to continually cease from my works by believing I have received. I am in the kingdom of God, God does the works, He provides the power and I enter in by my faith. And my faith believes that I have received, not that I’m going to receive, because then it would be by my works. God’s work has already been accomplished; He chose the things that be not as though they were. Gods promises are not perceived by sight or reason, you don’t see it by sight and can only obtain it by faith. 

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, had a vision from God in 1865 about the lost and his indifference towards them that changed his life and gave him the passion from God he needed to begin his life’s work.

He said, “After spending years of trying to preserve my life through pursuing a quest of healing, I finally gave up, and gave my life to Christ. Now I was a professing Christian, I was one who was active in religious activities. In fact, I considered myself to be quite a shining light. I always attended church on Sunday and I taught in the Sunday School. Now and then, though not very often, I visited the sick. And in addition to these good deeds I gave a little money to support Christian work. In all this I was quite sincere. I had no idea of playing the hypocrite. It’s true that I didn’t stop to consider what Christianity really was, although I talked freely enough about it at times, and pitied people who didn’t profess to be Christians. I seldom, if ever, considered what Jesus Christ required. Jn 12:25 “Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever.”] Disquieting thoughts kept crossing my mind – because I couldn’t keep out questions that kept arising as to whether I had truly followed Jesus Christ and laid down my life for a perishing world with my time and influence, and money and family.”

Many of these same questions came to my mind as I pondered my time on the earth. What am I holding onto that is blinding me to the cries of a lost and dying world? Am I truly following Jesus and forsaking all for Him?  O Lord, help me! O Lord, destroy everything in me that interferes with the prosperity, growth, and fruitfulness of this precious, divine, and everlasting fruit that comes through sickness. God, peel away the cloak of pride, unforgiveness, lust, self preservation and ego. Keep drawing me with cords of love to the altar of self sacrifice.

Thoughts on why God allows adversity in our lives:

1) To expose the wickedness of our hearts that we are not seeking God. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?” Jer 17:9. “No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God” Ro 3:11.

2) To reduce us to weakness and total dependence on Christ. “So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength)” 2 Cor 12:10.   “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing” Jn 15:5.

3) So we can learn to trust Him and His word above our circumstances. “But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” Mt 4:4 “For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance” 2 Co 5:7.

4) To give us peace in knowing that Jesus overcame the world and we also can be overcomers over our circumstances and adversities. “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] Jn 16:33. “I write to you, fathers, because you have come to know (recognize, be conscious of, and understand) Him Who [has existed] from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and vigorous, and the Word of God is [always] abiding in you (in your hearts), and you have been victorious over the wicked one” 1 Jn 2:14.

“For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith”  1Jn 5:4.

 After attending two funerals this week, my soul started to become downcast but God didn’t allow me to stay in that place long. He reminded me to be strong and courageous, to continue to walk by faith and to not lose sight of His victory. What was His victory? Jesus was found worthy, because of His great love and sacrifice for His Bride, to open the book, and loose the seals, so He could receive from His Father the Kingdom of Heaven for us.

"And [now] they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth! vs12 Saying in a loud voice, Deserving is the Lamb, Who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty (glory, splendor) and blessing!"  
Rev 5:9-10,12.  

He already had the kingdom with His Father but He wanted to share it with His bride!

“And now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honor in Your presence as I had with You before the world existed” Jn 17:5.

“[Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor and extol) Your [own] name! Then there came a voice out of heaven saying, I have already glorified it, and I will glorify it again” Co 1:13.

“The Father has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” Jn 12:28.  “And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory” Ro 8:17.

When we can personalize the length and extent Jesus went through to have fellowship with mankind, we can begin to comprehend His great love for us, His Bride. The attraction to this world doesn't have the same pull or temptation. It is not until the eyes of our understanding begin to comprehend all that our King was willing to do for us that we surrender our hearts to be won for Christ. We come to believe with all our heart  soul, mind and body that we are truly the objects of all of the Savior’s affection. 

As a new creation in Christ, we begin to discover that through His love and great power, we have been delivered and redeemed, we were healed, forgiven and changed forever, old things are past away, all things become new! Our Savior has come to rescue us from death through His Finished Work on the Cross. He has come to give us the Kingdom that he has won for us. We, as the Bride of Christ, eagerly await for our King to come and deliver us from this world.  

“Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights” James 1:17

How can I not thank and praise my Savior for His perfect gift of allowing me to see my need and His sufficiency through this illness. The untold spiritual treasures that I have been freely given far outweigh any temporary light affliction I may have to endure. He even gives me the gift of resting faith, where He has confidently assured me of my healing. I do not have to worry about my body, He always provides (Mt 6:25)! He has paid the perfect price for my spirit, soul and body on the cross.

My salvation was by grace and not by works, it was not because of any goodness in my character that I was saved, but it was by the goodness of the character of the Father and the death of his Son that I was saved. 1Jn 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus died in my stead; When I should have been punished for a life of selfish sins, Jesus bore my sin instead (1Pt 2:24); when I should have been forsaken by God, Jesus cried to his Father, Mk 15:34 “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me;” When God’s justice could not look upon sin, He laid “on Him (on Jesus) the iniquity of us all (Is 53:4-6). Jesus died, a righteous man, for me the unrighteous, “The just for the unjust” (1Pt 3:18). My sins had to be punished, therefore God punished Jesus. Jesus came to save sinners, since I was one, He therefore saved me (1Tm 1:15).    

“Jesus came to save the lost (Lk 19:10) I was lost, therefore He rescued me. Because Jesus was my substitute, my sins passed over on Him. When He died, He died as a sinner, and I was that sinner. When He was buried, I was buried. When He arose from the dead, I arose from the dead. When He ascended above all principalities and powers of evil, I ascended. His resurrected life became my life. My selfish life was taken upon Jesus. His unselfish life was reckoned to me. Once I worked for God to save me, now I work because He has saved me. Once I worked to earn a gift, I now work because I have been given a gift. I once worked for some thing I selfishly wanted, but I now work because of something I have undeservedly received. I once worked to earn eternal life; I now work because I have it. I expected to be saved by works; I was saved by grace. I thought salvation was to be earned by goodness of character; I found it was a free gift, independent of character. and because I identify with Him by dying with Him Rm 6:6, He freely gives me eternal life (Jn 3:15).” Author Unknown 

My life is no longer about me, because I am dead. Nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ that lives in me (Gal 2:20). 

I had a lot of time to think today. My wife were at a volleyball tourney supporting Kylee. I thought how if I didn’t have my neck brace that allows me to sit upright and also lean over to drool and spit phlegm into my spittoon throughout the day;  I would probably be gagging and choking most of the time (If someone was around they could also help by using my suction machine to clear my mouth).  Also, if I didn’t use a bi-pap at night, I could never sleep (because of the mucus rising up in my throat.) Surely, if I didn’t have a feeding tube, I would have perished already from starvation.

What has become increasingly clear to me is that God has used these interventive tools to sustain my life, because He is not finished with me yet (Heb 12:2). He is the one that is sustaining me (Is 27:2-3; Ps 55:22).Sometimes I feel defeated and cast down (2 Cor 4:8-9; Ps 42:5, 43:5) but like Joshua, God keeps telling me to get up and go forward into the promised land (Js 7:10). I simply cannot quit, Gods plans for me don’t include me quitting my race. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in 1 Samuel 30. David and 600 men had just returned to Ziglag after fighting a battle somewhere else. While away, the Amalekites burned Ziglag and took the women and children of David and his men. Upon return from battle, David and his 600 men found Ziglag burning and their families gone. These men were bitterly grieved over this apparent loss, blaming David and wanting to stone him to death. David was greatly distressed over the matter and encouraged himself by seeking the Lord and asking God if he should pursue. God told David to pursue the Amalekites, and that he would recover ALL (everything that was stolen). David chose to act in faith and to pursue a promise made to him by God. He believed God before he received the promise. God tells us to pursue Him and we will recover ALL!