Testimony Tuesday. Call In The Experts.

If one is in any kind of trouble he wants someone who can help.  If your car breaks down you call a mechanic.  If you have a burst pipe in the house you call an expert, the plumber.  If the electric wires are not working you call an electrician.  You don’t call a plumber to fix the electrics.  If you need a house built you call a builder.  If you need to sell your house you call someone who can market your house.  If you need legal advice you call a lawyer.

If one’s body is the trouble he calls the doctor.  The doctors can help by diagnosing his disease.  He will give his professional advice and prescribe drugs or advise surgery if necessary. It is marvellous the advances in medical care in the 21st century in the west and we get to benefit from it.

I discovered in my research, that people who have cancer in Russia do not have the expertise we can avail of here in the United Kingdom. What can they do?

God gives experts in the Church who have different gifts to help the people.  Some people have the gift of healing.  So if one is sick call the experts in healing.  Call those who believe in God, who know how to pray, and help spiritually to bring healing to the mind and body.

Call people who believe God answers prayer, people who believe that God heals.  People who already have experienced healing.  One wants to be around those who have faith and who love and help one through the days of loneliness, fear, and sickness.

For one day I had the symptoms of sickness and wretching, side effects from having treatment from chemotherapy and radiotherapy.  Wretching alone made me feel weak and fearful.  My body and mind could not take any more pain.  I passed out.  During that morning two people rang me.  One lady felt The Lord prompted her to ring me and pray for me.  

Knowing God alerted someone who knew how to pray comforted me.  She prayed for me and she brought me peace.  My niece rang me and said God told her to ring me and pray for me.  He told her to remind me it was God who taught me to pray.  Again I was overwhelmed with God’s love for me.  He sent help.  I am so thankful God preserved me from pain, burning and sickness.  

Fear of death can overwhelm the cancer sufferer.  It can leave one with no courage to fight.  So one lies down under the sickness and loses the will to live.  I had been bleeding for three years from my colon but I thought it would go away.  I thought the blood could be coming from heamoroids or colitis.  I believed that God can heal and have prayed for others who have been healed.  At no time did I think of cancer.

I eventually came to realise my condition was not improving, but getting worse, I told my husband.  I needed others to help me.  We went to the hospital.  The doctor examined me and referred me on to the oncology specialist.  It seemed I had cancer.  I was numb and was relieved that my condition was discovered.  I now knew the truth.  I was too weak to care.  I had no fight left.  I was not in control any more.  I was now dependant on the help of experts, the doctors to diagnose the condition and those who believe that God heals.

The news hit my husband and children hard.  They were sad but not hopeless or overwhelmed.  They loved Mum and didn’t want me to die.  They believed God would come to our aid in my time of despair.  They gathered around me the first night and prayed for my healing.  My family arose as an army to fight fear, cancer and death.  The war was on.  

We were in a spiritual battle.  When someone comes into your house to steal your property will you stand by and let them steal it?   No you will put up a fight to put the robber out or call the police for help.  So it was with my family.  The devil was bringing cancer and death to their mum to steal her away from them.  They believed God and spoke God’s promise over my life that I shall not die and by the stripes of Jesus I am healed

Scriptures say the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ NIV)

Jesus was referring to the evil one,  the Devil who comes to kill.   The Devil is a spiritual being and one cannot fight him physically.  But we can fight him and defeat him with Gods spiritual weapons of war.  Jesus came on earth to destroy the works of the Devil.  He preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God, for people to turn to God away from sin and He would forgive their sins and heal their diseases.  He died on the cross and shed his Blood.  If we accept his sacrifice we will be healed.  By his stripes we are healed.  

The weapons to defeat Satan are faith in God, speaking out the Name of Jesus, and saying the Blood of Jesus is against you Satan and walking in peace, forgiving others as Jesus has forgiven us our sins.

If I am in trouble I want to call someone who knows how to pray to God and get results.  I needed prayer warriors who were not afraid of the enemy and had the right weapons and armour to win the battle.  As news of my trouble spread people prayed for me.

After my family prayed for me, the bleeding stopped within a week.  The battle was on and my family was winning.  The healing from Cancer began.  

God promises to be with us in trouble.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. (‭Psalm‬ ‭91‬:‭14-15‬ NIV)

Jesus Cried Out, ” If You Are Thirsty Come To Me.”

Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, celebrated by Christians all over the world.  We remember when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples in the upper room, in the form of tongues.  The Holy Spirit gave them power to go out into the streets to speak boldly about Jesus being the Messiah who had been crucified only days before.  The Holy Spirit  is the Living Water that I am referring to in the following passages.

Isaiah says 
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! 
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭1-2‬ NIV)

I believed this word in the bible.  I came to Jesus without money and without hope and he has provided for me down through the years.

In Jeremiah 17 The Lord is referred as “The Living water.”

Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.

When Jesus was nearing the time when he was going to leave this earth, he spoke these words.

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds,
“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. (John 7:37-39 NLT)

Jesus, when he was talking to the woman at the well said,
People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water ( from the well).
But the water I give them takes away thirst all together. It becomes a perpetual spring within them giving them eternal life. (John 4 v 13, 14.)

Jesus is still appealing to us loudly, “Come to me to receive living water and you will not thirst again.”  

In my Spirit I want to shout out, Come to Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit.  He will lead you into all truth.  I went to church today.  The numbers of people there are dwindling.  They don’t know that Jesus can give them refreshing.  He is alive.

It is by the power of the Holy Spirit I am rearing fourteen children.  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit I am healed of Malignant Cancer.  It is by this power lives are changed and people get second, third and even more chances.  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit my children have been saved from danger.

Many people know what it is like to be drunk with beer or wine. They know the joy the drink gives. Their worries are forgotten and they feel free. They love their friends and the world looks happy. But next day where are the friends? Who can help with the hangover? Do I remember what I said or did last night. Fear and dread come in. The next weekend a friend rings and invites one out for another drink. One is thirsty again. The same cycle occurs. I have been there, done that.

Jesus gives us The Holy Spirit. We will not be thirsty again. No guilt, no regret, no hangover, no damage done, no death to relationships, no lies to cover up. Jesus is the Living water. He brings life, healing, forgiveness, no hangover, good friends who build you up, restores love and relationships.

Jesus cried out “Come to Me”. Let THE PERPETUAL SPRING flow out of your heart today. The joy of The Lord will return to replace the sorrow, sadness and sighing. That living water is within all of you.  Let there be water on your tongue instead of ashes.

The gift of tongues is to build you up, and who doesn’t need built up. Pray in the Holy Spirit at all times and you will not thirst again.

The locust has eaten enough years. The Lord is pouring his spirit out on all flesh. Flow again. Don’t be robbed of any more years.  In Joel, God promises to pour out his spirit on all flesh.  

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. 
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. (‭Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭28‬ NIV)
God promises to touch every generation.  He is moving in the next generation right now.

Family Friday. Good Food Helps the Body Keep Healthy

I remember having the flu.  I was weak lying in bed. A Swiss friend made me some soup.  It was the most fresh soup I had ever tasted. It helped me feel better. I wanted to get her recipe.  I call this soup “Healing soup.”

She said it was quite simple.  Onions, carrots, celery, leek and parsnips chopped and fried in a big saucepan.  A stock cube of Knorr is added in water to the mix and left to simmer for a while till the vegetables are soft.  That didn’t sound too complicated.   The ingredients weren’t expensive either.  After that I made this soup regularly for my family, especially if anyone wasn’t feeling well.  They all loved it too.  

When I was suffering from cancer and undergoing chemo-radiotherapy I wanted someone to make me the healing soup.  I imagined the smell and greeness of the fresh vegetables.  I grew leeks, celery and parsley in my herb garden.   I often used them.  My son made me the soup.  

I read that some people with cancer believe their diet is important.  If one has cancer the ph of his body fluids are usually acidic.  In a healthy person the ph is over 5 on a scale of 0 to 10.  Under 5 is acidic.  One’s immune system fights infections and keeps one’s body healthy and works well in ph over 5. If one wants to help the immune system operate better, one should eat food that will boost the ph value.   All the ingredients in the healing soup have a high ph value.  That is why I felt better after having it.  Continuing on a diet of foods that are alkaline can strengthen the body to fight the cancer, I believe.  

Recently when I was in Slovakia, someone told me about a dream he had.  In the dream he saw a lady making soup.  She prepared vegetables and went on to make a soup.  The vegetables were the same as the ones I used.  So the dream was showing him that this food is good to eat.  

In a dream I had,  I was mixing a stew.  It was made from meat and vegetables.  I saw an extra ingredient in the soup. It looked like yellow strands through the mix.  A voice said to me in my dream “The extra ingredient is stands of love you have put in as you prepare the stew.”  I believe God is interested in what we eat and he can show us what is good for us.

I believe a healthy diet helped keep my children from being sick.  I did not use sugar, fizzy drinks, sweet goods or processed foods.  I made soups, stews, homemade wheaten bread often.  Love also kept them healthy.

Sanguine Sunday. An Earthquake hit our Family in 2010

When I received the news that I had Malignant Fourth Stage Bowel Cancer it was like an earthquake hitting our family. We were shaken and the after effects nearly overwhelmed us.

“Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them.”psalm 32 v 6

In our generation because of good communications we hear news of worldwide events very soon after they happen.  There are wars, persecutions, earthquakes, tsunamis and signs in the sun and moon.  Many people have died in these disasters.  Jesus predicted these events would happen.

 “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things.”
“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars.  And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.  People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. (‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭10-11, 25-26‬ NLT)

People feel helpless and  experience fear and distress as they watch these events unfold on their television screens.  Jesus gave us an antidote in a few verses later, by advising us to keep alert and pray.

“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware,
Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” (‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭34, 36‬ NLT)

I faced death myself in 2010 when I was diagnosed with Malignant Bowel Cancer, fourth stage.  A different Earthquake hit our home.  Death came to our door.  I faced death.  My family faced death of a loved one.  We all experienced the feelings that come along with helplessness, fear, distress and looming death.  We were weak.  Unless something changed the prognosis for me was death.  Man has no power over death.  I realised I was dying.  I had no desire for anything in this world.  I was prepared to leave my husband and family behind.  

But there is one who has the power over death.  It is Jesus.  He died on the cross and took the keys of death and hell off Satan.  

In the previous years of my life I had tried to pray and read the Word of God each day.  We prayed together as a family.  I tried to obey him God as far I knew how to.  In my hour of need God turned up.  God made my husband and family strong.  They prayed for me.  My husband and I had taught our children how to pray. God heard their prayer. Psalm 102 describes what happened.

“LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you.

My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning, I am reduced to skin and bones.

My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass. But you, O LORD, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation. You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem — and now is the time to pity her, now is the time you promised to help.
He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. 
Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the LORD. 
Tell them the LORD looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die. 
And so the LORD’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the LORD. 
He broke my strength in midlife, cutting short my days. But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever, don’t take my life while I am so young! 
Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. 
You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever. 
The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.” (‭Psalms‬ ‭102‬:‭1-2, 4-5, 11-13, 17-28‬ NLT)

I am recording this today to tell you and the children yet unborn that God in heaven, who made the earth and heavens reached down from his throne and delivered me from death.  He did not turn away from me as it says in verse one. “Don’t turn away in my hour of distress.”

You may be at home reading this, you may have never heard that God answers prayer today.  He does.  He is interested in you.  He loves you.  Are you distressed about what you see coming on the earth, troubles within and without.  Begin to pray and and talk to God as you would a friend.  Begin to read the scriptures.  I am telling you this is the best medicine you could take.  It will make you strong.  It is guaranteed to bring healing.  What God did for me he will do for you.

It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.  Revelation 22 v 2

May the words I share with you today bring healing from fear, distress and anxiety.   As Jesus said “Look up.” 

So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” (‭Luke‬ ‭21‬:‭28‬ NLT)

Testimony Tuesday. Norming and Storming Brings Unity.

In earlier years some children left home for university and others were still at home.  At holiday times those at university would return home to Ireland with their luggage.  They would have to find a spare bed or share with others for the duration of the holidays.  We all had to adjust to being in close proximity again.

When children leave they have more space in their new surroundings.  So returning to a confined space stretched their patience and they had to sacrifice their own comfort.  They usually were stressed out after exams at university and tired after all the activity student life demands.  They would crash in bed and sleep late.

I had other expectations.   I looked forward to their company and some help to give me a break from working in the home.  Instead I had more work to do, more cooking and shopping.  Home was somewhere for them to get their batteries recharged.  My batteries were running out.

In my dilemma I would get frustrated with the children and made demands they were not able to meet.  Children would get frustrated with each other and disputes would have to be settled.  All this was too much for me.  I would call on my husband to talk to any child  who was misbehaving and settle disputes between me and the children, or between each other.

Brendan had his work cut out.  He called these times “Norming and Storming.”  The children were disciplined and reconciled.  Often I felt disciplined when I had to be reconciled to my own children.  The father has the ability to do this for his family.  He can bring unity.  While living together as a big family we had to get on with each other and forgive each other.  We had to go through the process each time we were together.

Despite all the Norming and Storming at the beginning, holidays always turned out to be refreshing times when we could spend time together at meals and at play.  My husband and I were stretched at these times.  When everyone left we needed to take a break ourselves to forget about our troubles and spend time together.

When any group of people get together to do a task, they have to take time to know one another.  Each one’s skills and gifts are needed in the Christian life to help each other.  I needed others to help me get healed.  Someone with the gift of healing helped, another with the gift of prophecy encouraged, a deliverer, the doctors, nurses, family and friends were all needed to love me back to health.  God works through people.  We are his hands and feet.  That is why it is important to get on with each other and forgive each other.

We make up the Body of Christ.  Where brothers dwell together in unity The Lord commands a blessing.

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (‭Psalm‬ ‭133‬:‭1, 3‬ NIV)

Sentimental Saturday. Left Behind.

Ten thousand visitors took to the country to Castle Ward, a National Trust property near where I live, on Easter Monday and Tuesday.  There were two ferries operating between Strangford and Portaferry to cope with the traffic.  I often wandered why there was an ice cream shop in Strangford.  Now I realise it is there to provide for the children who are waiting for the next ferry.  My own grandchildren had the extra delight of getting ice cream slushies as they waited for the ferry.  Delicious.

In an article in a Belfast newspaper there is a story about an one arm teddy bear that got left behind at Castle Ward.  Some little child would be missing his cuddly toy that night.  I hope teddy and child will be reunited.

Over the past week some of my own children and grandchildren came to visit to celebrate Easter and my fifth year anniversary free from cancer.  Bedrooms were overflowing with people, like the luggage hanging out of suitcases.  I had to make sure there was plenty of hot water for all the showers going.  Hair dryers were buzzing.
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The fridges were full, the range at full heat, logs were gathered in, plenty of supply of toilet roll and tissue, the boiler timed for heat and hot water, and the dishwasher was spinning. The kitchen was full of activity as meals were prepared and ate. For a few nights it was like the old days when we would gather around the fire with Brendan telling stories, then prayers and bedtime, for old and young.

In the mornings I heard voices from the bedrooms. Sisters were talking and laughing as they caught up with each other’s news. Three of them did a workout in the morning sun. Four children were tempted to take a swim in lough below. In the afternoon some collapsed on the lawn with heads together chatting and enjoying the warmth of the sun.

One of my girls had the flu when she returned.  With love, rest and prayer she recovered and headed off to Kenya for work on Tuesday.  Some of my grandchildren had tummy upsets and chills.  One of them went to the doctor.  He could find no infection.  Praise The Lord it was a demonstration of God healing her.  She had a smile on her face when she returned.  Mum and child had no need to worry.  Grand Da’s home is a place of refuge and healing from the storms of life.

All the grandchildren left today.  The house is silent.  The fridges are empty, only ashes in the fireplace, the dishwasher and hair dryers are quiet.  The bin is full of empty Easter egg packages and drink bottles. Bedcovers are tossled on empty beds.  Damp towels are left on the floors.

I had a relaxing bath and went to bed early trying to cope with the emotion of it all.  I awoke in the middle of the night to get a cup of tea.  Brendan joined me.  We are together again, just the two of us.
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A children’s I Pad, some Easter eggs and vases of colorful tulips are left behind.  On the floor a toy donkey was lying with its leg over his head.  Perhaps it was wiping away his tears at missing the children.  A toy bird lay on the table.  There was no more screaming laughter from Grand Da’s antics with the puppet bird.  A bunny rabbit sat forlorn with a toenail broken.  I can understand where the inspiration for Toy Story came from.

But I have lots of love and memories in our hearts.  And I have clean carpets and a new Hoover.  My daughter could see the dust.  The dust and the grandchildren have gone.  They will return.

Testimony Tuesday, Do All You Can to Get Healed

A friend of my husband called him when he heard I had cancer.  He told him “Do all you can to get your wife healed.”

I was doing what the doctor’s were telling me.  People were praying for me.  I was confessing my sins as God showed me my heart condition of bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, independence, selfish ambition and rebellion.  My husband layed his hands on me as the scriptures and they will get well. Was there anything else I could do?
In James In the bible there is a verse which says.

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭14-16‬ NIV)

My neighbour came to visit me one day many years before I was sick.  She told me a bit of her life story.  Her mother died when she was fifteen leaving her the eldest child, to help her father with the rest of her family.  When she was eighteen she contracted TB.  She had to lie in hospital for months.  A minister came to her bedside one day.  He said,”I am going to anoint you with Oil.  In the Church there is a prayer said for the dying called the Anointing with Chrism.”
The minister continued “This prayer is said for the dying but I am going to pray for you to live.”  He prayed for her according to James.  She recovered from TB and was restored to her father and family.  She continued dutifully to help at home.  Some years later she fell ill again with TB and was confined to hospital.

One night an angel appeared to her and reminded her of her previous healing.  He told her to believe God can heal her again.  God had compassion on this girl who looked after her motherless siblings.   She was healed a second time.  She later got married and had children of her own.

My sister came to see me and offered to take me to a healing service being held in Clonard Monastery during a retreat.  I went along with her.  Ministers moved among the crowd and anointed each one with oil, according to the passage in James 5.  I received all the help I could get to be healed.  I believe the word of God and choose to obey it.  I received the blessing from this minister.

After I was healed of cancer others in my local town heard about it.  One lady in her seventies came up to me after church on Sunday and told me her story.  When she was thirty six she had cancer.  The doctors could do nothing for her.  She was sent home from hospital.  She prayed to God and asked him to let her live to rear her children.  God answered her prayer.  She has lived to see her children’s children.

As I tell my story of God’s healing, it gives others courage to speak up and tell what God has done for them.  Tell others what The Lord has done for you.

The Power of the Cross.

The words of the hymn called “The Old Rugged Cross.” are going through my mind this afternoon, Good Friday 2015.  Today we remember Jesus death on the cross.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

I was on that hill far away where one can see the outline of a skull.  The hill was called Golgotha, in Jerusalem.
I remember today, Good Friday, Jesus death, when he was crucified and shed his blood.  He died a horrible death.  His face and body was covered in blood till he was not recognised.
Isaiah describes his death,

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:
and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

I know Jesus was rejected for me to take away my rejection.  I know he is acquainted with my sorrow, pain and grief.  I know he took all my sickness on the cross.  I gave it all to Jesus and I am free, healed and restored.  I know Satan is defeated by Jesus and I do not have to listen to Satan’s lies. The power of God was released when Jesus died that day on the cross.

Believe and receive from Jesus today. Give him all your sorrows and pain. He will give you healing instead. He took my cancer and gave me restoration. I love him because of what he has done for me.

Testimony Tuesday. Five Years Clear from Cancer

On Easter Monday five years ago I discovered I had bowel cancer, which later was found to be in the fourth stage.  The Colonoscopy Nurse told me I had Malignant Bowel Cancer.   Malignant means,  very serious and dangerous : tending or likely to grow and spread in a rapid and uncontrolled way that can cause death.

The scans showed I had a nine centimetre tumour in my lower bowel.  I had been bleeding for three years and hadn’t told anyone.  Because the tumour was at an advanced stage the nurse looked at me with concern in her eyes.  She treats patients everyday and she would have known people who had died.

I know I have been totally healed by God.  He delivered me from cancer and I believe it will not come back.  I know the Scripture from Nahum 1 v 9 “Trouble will not come a second time.”  I did not have an operation to remove the tumour.  It disappeared.  I have not been to the Oncologist since, or taken any medication, or have not had any further chemotherapy or radiotherapy.  I know God did a complete job!

Around Christmas time family were visiting.  Two of my children suggested I go for a check up to the Oncologist. If one survives for five years after having had cancer the doctors take note.  I agreed to do that for my children’s peace of mind.  My local GP arranged an appointment to have a Colonoscopy.

Today I have been for a Colonoscopy.  I had no fear of going because I am confident I am healed from cancer.  I was familiar with the procedure.  The doctor carried out the test.  Again I could see my bowel walls clear and healthy like a baby’s skin.  The doctor said there is no recurrence of the cancer tumour. Praise The Lord.  I have another certificate from the doctor to show there is no tumour.

Each day I try to keep up daily readings from the bible.  I read the Old Testament part and did not get it finished with all the rush to get out this morning.  My daughter in law text me this afternoon after I arrived home.  She told me to read today’s New Testament and Psalm readings.

The first reading speaks about the woman with an issue of blood.

A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure.
Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”
But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.”
When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him.
The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” (‭Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭43-48‬ NLT)

This confirmed to me today that I was like the woman who was bleeding but Jesus has healed me as well.

The Psalm 71 v 15 says,
“I will tell everyone how good you are and of your constant daily care.  I will tell everyone that you alone are just and good.
Give me time to tell this generation and the next about your mighty miracles, your power and your goodness.”

Through writing I tell others what God has done for me.  He is good.  He does care.  What he has done for me he will do for you.

Testimony Tuesday. Enduring When Suffering many Trials

It was my grand daughter Eilish’s birthday on the thirteenth of March.  She was five years old.  She is an inquisitive little girl.  She asked me “Why is your hair white?  It is dark in the photographs.”  She lives in Slovakia and calls our home “The Irish House”.
I remember well the day she was born.

I had just come back from visiting one of our sons in hospital in Glasgow.  He had contacted a infection while playing football.  He grazed his shin and thought nothing of it.   But he developed a fever and was rushed to hospital and needed intensive care to combat an infection he had.  I flew over to see him.  I wanted to pray for him for God to heal him.
When I visited him he was quite happy and oblivious to any danger he may have been in.  Some friends, the Bowers, let me stay with them and they encouraged and prayed with me for my son.

When I got back to Belfast I stopped off at my daughter’s home for a cup of coffee and let her know how my trip had been.  She shared with me a dream she had the previous night.  She dreamt I had died.  She was upset and I reassured her I was okay.  But I wasn’t okay.  I was bleeding and I was getting worse.  My son being sick upset me as well.

Then the phone rang.  It was another son to tell me his wife had started in labour and was on her way to the hospital.   We prayed for a safe delivery for mum and baby.  We got news later that the new mum was rushed into theatre when she arrived at the hospital and had a Caesarian Section to deliver the baby.  Something serious had gone wrong and mother and baby’s life were in danger.  But Praise to God he preserved their lives.  They were traumatised but mum and baby were alive.

I began to realise we were under attack from our enemy Satan.  He was trying to take my son’s life, my daughter in law’s and my grandchild’s life and I wasn’t feeling too well myself.  But he didn’t succeed.  Six weeks later I was diagnosed with cancer.  More suffering.  How much more could I endure?  I was weak and feeling hopeless.  I couldn’t fight any longer.  It is when we are helpless God moves.

We came through many trials in the springtime of 2010.

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.”

People often ask why they have to suffer.  Will we just believe in God when times are good, when he is blessing us?   Going through trials makes our faith strong.  When we see Jesus, who went through horrible suffering when he was whipped, pierced, bruised, and crucified for us, it will give us courage to continue to believe and hope in his help to bring us through our suffering and heal us on the other side.

“So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭6-7‬ NLT)

God preserved my life and my children’s life from death.   I am able to say God is good and merciful.  He is faithful to care for us as we obey him.  I have joy instead of sorrow and crying.  I now don’t look at the suffering but I hope in the joy after we suffer a little while, until God brings the answers to our prayers.

Psalm 91 says God will be with us in trouble and deliver us out of it.

Are you going through pain or despair at the moment? Are you hoping for God’s promise to you being fulfilled and it looks impossible for that promise to come about. Be patient in your trials. Your faith is being tested. Will you still believe God or give up and doubt and have unbelief?  He will give you strength to go through and come through to the other side. May your hope in God’s help be renewed.