Facing Any Giants? Part 4

 
The following days I noticed a peace I hadn’t had for a very long time.

My husband and I went in, as scheduled for my fifth chemo treatment ready to tell the doctor I didn’t want another treatment. The doctor came in with the test results of the PET scan. He sat down and said I was all clear of any cancer after only four treatments.

We cried and thanked the Lord Jesus Christ for healing me. We praised Him for a few minutes before we gained our composure. There was no necessity to have that fifth treatment, but the doctor wanted me to have it for “good measure”. I did, but praised God the whole time.

We thanked the church and all our friends for praying.  We have people in our church dealing with cancer and other illnesses and I struggle when others are not healed. I'm embarrassed to talk about my healing. But I praise and thank God that He healed me. 

I do not have any answers why some are healed and some are not. I do not have any formulas. God is not a respecter of persons! I am not special!!

I just know, in my particular case, the giant I was focusing on had a lot to do with my cancer and slaying him and focusing back on Jesus, had everything to do with healing my cancer. 

The peace and joy I have is from keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus who has the power to slay giants. I do not want to allow anything to become a giant in my life again. We allow our feelings and situations to become giants when we take our eyes off Jesus and His power.

What are the giants in your life?

They come in many forms: fear, worry, anxiety, stress, depression, loss, alienation, relationships, finances, our habits, habits of others with whom we live. Any little or big thing can become a giant “if we” let it.

When Goliath and the other Philistines lined up, they cast a shadow of fear over the Israelites. Remember, “On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified”.

Doesn’t that describe a lot of us in many situations? The enemy will use anything to keep our eyes off the Lord. He knows God is the only one with the power to fix the situation.

Remember also, Goliath threatened them for forty days. The enemy is relentless. Every day things happen that want to throw us for a loop. And, sometimes they do. But, we simply need to choose day to day, moment by moment to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus instead of the situation.

We do not need to remain afraid or stay discouraged for long. Two things we can do. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ we can:

1) Slay the giants we face.
2) Refuse any new giants.

It is important that we remember:
“...we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NLT).

Isaiah 26:3 says, “He will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in You”.

This is God’s promise. We believe. We trust. We have God’s peace that passes all understanding.

Blessings, Pat 

Facing Any Giants? Part 3

 
I went to 1 Samuel 17 and read the story. Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches tall. He was quite intimating and that is exactly what he wanted to be to the Israelites. Many of you might be familiar with this story.

“Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified” .

Verse 16 said, “For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand”. But then came David, who said to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (verse 45)

All David had was a slingshot and five stones. He slung one stone and it took Goliath down. It wasn’t the stone that killed the giant, it was the power of the Lord.

So, I told that giant in my life, “in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Heaven, you are coming down!” I threw a spiritual stone at him—The Word of God and he came down.  Praise the Lord!

Part 4, the conclusion continues tomorrow.
Blessings,
Pat

Facing Any Giants? Part 2

Before the fourth treatment I was looking at the schedule for my chemo and realized they hadn’t given me a date for the fifth treatment. I asked the scheduling nurse and she said, she didn’t know why they hadn’t scheduled it and that it was an oversight. She would have to check into it. I needed to know, because before each treatment I needed to have a blood work done to make sure I could handle the chemo.

When she didn’t have it, I started thinking maybe the Lord had healed me. So, during the fourth treatment, the nurses and I were kidding around and I said something about not needing anymore treatments because they weren’t scheduled. Of course they laughed and disagreed. I didn’t know why, but seriously something (someone) was telling me that I wouldn’t need any more.

After the treatment, I went home to let it do its thing. I just kept wondering about the “coincidence” that they had not scheduled more. I called and asked them if they could schedule a PET scan before the next treatment. They agreed that was a reasonable request.

So, a week before they scheduled my “fifth” treatment, I went in for a PET scan. The results should be in the day of my fifth treatment and I would get them then.

That same week, during my regular quiet time with the Lord, He showed me something that changed my life.

He brought the story of David and Goliath to mind. I didn’t have to wonder why for long. I had been struggling with a situation for nine years with no resolve. I had become anxious and angry and it was eating me up inside because I couldn’t fix it.

Lovingly, God said, “You have allowed the situation to become a giant and when you did that, you diminished my power in the situation.”

Ouch! He was absolutely right! Of course God is always right. Why hadn’t I realized that truth? I felt horrible. I had grieved the Holy Spirit for focusing on the situation, instead of letting Jesus deal with it. I diminished the Lord’s power.

I repented for three days. Not because of condemnation, but because I felt so bad I had allowed it. Then the Lord showed me what to do.

Part 3 continues tomorrow.

God is faithful,
Pat

Facing Any Giants? Part 1

 
May, 2010 I was diagnosed with stage 3, follicular lymphoma. I was tired, and had lost ten pounds (which I was ecstatic about) but I didn’t have any reason to think anything was the matter. Then I found a lump on the back of my neck that would not go away. The biopsy confirmed it was indeed cancer but appeared to be slow growing.

So, my husband and I decided to not do anything until school started. I just didn’t want to deal with it during the summer. The doctor told me to get another PET scan in August and we would start treatment in September. After the scan, the oncologist office called me and wanted me in right away. The cancer had become aggressive and they wanted to start treatment the next day. Wow! I didn’t see that coming either.

The doctor decided on an aggressive “recipe” of chemo and how many I needed, which were eight, 8-hour treatments. I was scheduled for one every twenty one days. I got my “port” put in and started treatment the next day.

After the first treatment, my hair started falling out. I know it sounds vain, but the chemo didn’t make me sick, losing my hair made me sick to my stomach. At times I would withdraw to my room and cry. I even screamed into my pillow one time, “I hate this!”.

Then I settled down. I never looked in the mirror at my bald head and never let my husband or anyone see me without a hat or a wig, even while sleeping. Call it vanity, but I just couldn’t deal with it. I really admire women who are brave enough to go out in public with no wig or hat. I just didn’t have that courage.

After losing all my hair during that first month, I was a little fearful of what else the chemo was going to do to my body. The Lord knew my heart and anxieties. He gave me a scripture verse to hang on to and I did – Romans 8:11. The way it came to my mind, through the Holy Spirit, was in the King James version, which in itself was amazing to me.

It said, “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

My personal paraphrase was, “The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you. And that same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead, will quicken your mortal body.”

I wasn’t sure what the “quicken” process meant, but I hung onto it. I thought maybe He would hurry the process of healing, but, I really didn’t know.

The story continues tomorrow – Part 2

Blessings,  
Pat

Facing Any Giants?

Beginning Wednesday, March 1st, I want to share the story of the slaying of my giant in a four-part series called, Facing  Any Giants?

In sharing what the Lord has shown me through the journey of my particular trials, I hope you will glean some important insights to help you. 

This isn’t a story of cancer, but one of giants. Please don’t stop reading because you do not have cancer.  The giant in my life was not the cancer, but God used the cancer to help me focus on other issues He wanted to deal with in me. Once I dealt with that, the cancer was healed.

What the Lord showed me can be applied to your life and give you the peace you may be looking for in the midst of your trial.

This is a unique story and I know not all cancers are caused by giants, or lack of faith. Nor that they are all healed by getting rid of the giants.  But, some are.  Mine was and I praise God for it.

In His Hands,
Pat