A Miraculous Healing and the Faith to Press On – Purity 1499
Purity 1499 11/09/2024 Purity 1499 Audio Podcast
Purity 1499 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Well, It’s Saturday and when you see views like this in God’s creation something inside us is supposed to spring up and cause us to rejoice with the conviction that “There is a God and He is good!” The first evidence for God is His creative works – the miracle of existence itself. I remember reading an R.C. Sproul book in which he explained that for anything to exist, it logically necessitates a self-existent being – a being outside of time and space who has always existed who put things into motion – the unmoved mover – the One True God who reveals Himself with His created order, the “law of good and evil” written on our hearts, and in those who bear witness of His miraculous works and life transformation.
While it may be easy to explain away someone like me, someone who has been set free from addictions and negative mind states, as someone who finally wised up and started doing what was right, and is using God as a crutch, placebo, or some excuse to rely on for what really only amounts to “making good choices” – it’s a lot harder to explain away those who experienced medically verified physical miracles and are pointing to prayers to God as the sole catalysts to their healing.
Yesterday, one of those miracles was reported to me as someone I know was faced with a diagnosis of cancer in the lungs and was prepared to undergo surgery to remove what was called a “malignant tumor”.
“Malignant tumors have cells that grow uncontrollably and spread locally and/or to distant sites. Malignant tumors are cancerous (i.e., they invade other sites). They spread to distant sites via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Malignant tumors can spread rapidly and require treatment to avoid spread.” (Benign vs. Malignant Tumors)
When you get a diagnosis of a malignant tumor you want to act fast because it means that not only do you have cancer, but it means the cancer can spread locally or to other parts of the body causing further damage and possibly death.
The person who I know who received this diagnosis of a malignant tumor in their lungs knew this and wasn’t slow in deciding to “cut it out” and was initially so gung ho to get rid of the cancer that they were pressing for surgery immediately. However, the medical procedure required a biopsy to confirm what the scan told them.
So yesterday with a good deal of fear and trepidation, this person went to the hospital with their spouse and concerned family members accompanying them, to undergo the biopsy procedure and to begin their battle with cancer – with the
But a funny thing happened, before going in this person and their family began praying for healing, and yesterday when they went to scan for the tumor that they were to do a biopsy of – the doctors couldn’t find anything – the tumor was gone. Our friend reported that the doctors were perplexed and ran them in and out of the scanner 4 or 5 times before they had to admit that what this person and what their family prayed for had been answered. The doctors confirmed that the tumor was gone and that this person’s lungs were clear. They didn’t perform the biopsy because there was nothing to do a biopsy on.
You can dismiss this as a misdiagnosis of course but the people involved in this true story are Christians and I believe that this cancer scare was a legitimate diagnosis, a warning about the dangers of smoking and the brevity of this life, and a test of their faith. Would they repent and pray for the impossible? They did. And for reasons we don’t understand, in this instance, God was gracious and took away the disease that was threatening to destroy this person’s health and end this person’s life.
This person is not perfect, but they are a Christian and serve their family and community with good works. I believe they were given this miracle out of God’s mercy and received this scare to cause them to cherish their health and their life and to cause them to be a stronger witness of the power of God in their life.
The hard truth of life is that we will all one day die and how that comes to pass has a lot to do with the choices we make, the relationship we have with God, and the part we decide to play in His kingdom.
When we face trials and the eventuality of our own mortality, those things still come into play. When the chips are down and it looks like this is the end, will we still trust in the Lord? Will we have the faith to press on?
Well, although my friend’s story is a good one to remind us of the goodness of God, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley for today addresses this topic and I am sharing it on the blog today to further encourage us to press on. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“The Faith to Press On
Persevere and honor God through hardship—reward is on the other side.
When difficult times come into your life, what is your response? It may seem tempting to look for a way out of the discomfort, but that’s not the attitude God desires from us. He wants His children to press on and trust Him, even though that may not end the affliction.
This comes as a shock to many new believers. They are often surprised when a hardship appears. However, it’s a misconception to expect an easy life once we trust God’s Son as Lord. In fact, Jesus Himself said that the world will give us great trouble (John 16:33).
In James 1:2, we are instructed to consider our struggles as a source of “pure joy” (NIV). This makes sense only when we see our difficulties through God’s eyes, as opportunities for growth. When we face trials with wisdom and endure them with godly perseverance, we will find blessings we never thought possible.
At the end of the struggle, we will see God and receive our reward: the crown of life (v. 12). And this glorious end result is so much more than a mere object; it is eternal, perfect, and imperishable. Do you want the Lord’s recognition of your spiritual victory? Then press on through the hardship and discover what lies just beyond the trial.” – Charles Stanley
Amen. When trials come, we should trust in the Lord and ask Him for help. When the trial is over, in this life or in eternity, we will receive our reward. In heaven, we will receive the reward of the “crown of life” and the unending blessing of eternal life in the Lord’s presence. And if we survive the trials we face on earth, we are given the reward of being able to be a witness to others of God’s mercy, grace, power, and love.
So keep on walking and talking with God. Enjoy the miracle of His creation, the work He has done in you and in others, and share the never-ending story of the One True Living God who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and how He is faithful and true to move all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Giving.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (NIV2011) 1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
Today’s verses fall under the fourth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Giving.
4. Each Christian must give as the Lord has blessed.
Today’s Bible verses clearly establish the early tradition of making regular offerings to the cause of the church. The Apostle Paul instructs the early churches of the Christian faith to make generous giving a habit – to make it something you do every week. Our tithes and offerings should be something we do joyfully and dutifully. The good works of the church, missions, and other charitable institutions should be supported and if we make the practice of giving a normal part of our lives we can help to continue their ministries.
So give weekly, and give on special occasions, to the people and institutions that do good works that reflect the glory of God. Amen.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.
EVENING READING: REVELATION 20
“I saw a great white throne.” – Revelation 20:11
What a vision for the Apostle John to see! What a vision it will be when both small and great will one day have to stand before this “Great White Throne” to be judged according to their works! It will be such an awe-inspiring sight that earth and heaven will flee away from the face of the One who shall sit upon the throne.
Great – because of the Person who will be enthroned upon this throne – He whom God has ordained to judge the world.
White – because of the purity of the One who shall sit upon the throne. He is the Holy One.
Throne – because of the power of the One who shall occupy the throne.
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory,
and all the holy angels with Him, then He will
sit on the throne of His glory.”
– Matthew 25:31[1]
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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