This Warrior Says - Just Have Faith; Fight the Good Fight to God's Glory

Two brothers in Christ received emails from me with an urgent prayer request regarding my health. One wrote back promising to pray and the other actually prayed publicly for me, which I didn't expect. I just thought it would be private prayer. Now, I did not know the brother prayed publicly until I woke up after a long sleep (maybe 6-8 hrs later).

When I awoke, I felt so good. The heaviness was lifted from my chest, breathing seemed normal, chills and fever seemed to have dissipated.  So great was my gratitude that I immediately wrote a praise report; however, it was premature.

A sister wrote to me to explain how she went through similar symptoms and mentioned a psalm which speaks of chastening. She did not directly state that it was chastening, but indirectly, it was suggested as a possibility. Sister, if you read this, I do believe your heart was in the right place and I love you. Be assured that I did inquire of the Lord.

JFS is common amongst believers. JFS is what I invented and call the 'Job's Friends Syndrome'.  "Confess your sin and you will be healed..."  Not every single thing that happens to us comes from the hand of God.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.  [Jn 9:2,3]

There is a correlation between sickness and sin because we know the wages of sin is death. So there are times an illness or other event is definitely the chastening of the Lord, and other times, it is an attack of the adversary. 

It also could be from living in a fallen, polluted world. This is an entire topic in itself, but we truly should seek God and inquire about our situation. He grants wisdom, discernment, direction. If we are to repent of something, He will let us know - and in all things, He is worthy of praise (in good and bad times).

When a child gets sick, no one ever says that it is something the child has done or has not done, but when we are adults, it seems to be one of the first things we wonder. The Lord led me to Matthew 8. There in that chapter are two people that were sick. Let's take a look at it, even though most of you are likely familiar with the two events.

And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him, And saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him.

The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 

But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go your way; and as you have believed, so be it done unto you. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
 

And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.  [Mat 8:5-13]

Jesus/Y'shua did not tell the centurion that his servant did something that put him in that sickly condition. Instead, He was amazed (marveled) at the faith of the centurion. Some might argue that the centurion was not saved, so neither would his servant be and that God only chastens His own.

Well, nothing was said to Peter's mother-in-law by Christ either. He simply healed her and she got up and began to take care of their needs.  We have become a people who lay everything in God's lap...whatever happens to us or someone else, if it happens, it must be God's will (fault) because after all, God is Sovereign.  

We live in a world where our food, water, soil and air have been corrupted from their pure state. A majority of products, including fresh vegetables and fruit, contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms), cereals with mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium (Natural News), meat with steroids and antibiotics (cattle, chicken, pigs) and fish contaminated
by both the oil spills and radiation (not just from Fukushima, but from the countless testing of nuclear missiles into the ocean).

Town/city water is tainted with fluoride, and bleach, and lakes, rivers etc. contaminated by the toxins from chemtrails (geo-engineering), industry spillage and polluting, plastic throwaways and other garbage.  We are affected by all of these things, no matter how much caution we take. Even growing our own crops is becoming increasingly challenging due to the Monsanto seeds, depleted soil and contaminated water. Yet, we do have a Sovereign God that provides.  

Before we eat or drink, we bless Him and give thanks to Him who has provided, and ask Him to bless the meal. He takes care of the rest.  Jesus first blessed the Father and gave thanks, then He passed out food (bread, fish).  Give God the glory with thanksgiving first...

The Crusades, the Dark Ages, the Holocaust, murders, suicides, accidents, sicknesses, diseases - people lay it all in God's lap. Why?  He is Sovereign, so people immediately say that no matter what "He allowed it".  Yes, He is Sovereign, but did He stop Abraham from lying about who Sarah was, or Moses from striking the rock twice in anger?

Did He stop Joseph's brothers from selling him into slavery or Potiphar's wife from falsely accusing Joseph of trying to seduce her (attempted rape)?  Did He stop David with Bathsheba or stop David from successfully having Uriah (her husband) killed?

Did He stop the killing of the prophets or the apostles and multitudes of other believers?  Timothy had a stomach problem which Paul suggested he take a little wine for. Was Timothy being chastened by the Lord or was he doing something wrong to bring stomach issues upon himself?

My point is that God is indeed Sovereign, but we live in a fallen world and we have sinful, carnal [fallen] natures. Everything has been defiled. Our Great Spirit Chief has been and always is there for us, even when we are in the midst of our worst times.

As I write this, I am weak and weary because I am truly not well. Constantly I seem to get flues or breathing issues. Yet, today as I lay in bed, I thanked God - for all He has done, for all He brought me through. There was a moment, before I went into thanksgiving that the pain and struggle to get my breath made me voice a statement that shocked me.

I said, "Why am I so cursed?"  No sooner had the words come out of my mouth than I rebuked them. Whether they came from flesh or whether the devil spoke through my own mouth, I know not (remember Peter), but I immediately rebuked any enemy, and in case it was my flesh having a pity party, I also asked the Lord to forgive me. THEN, I went into thanksgiving and I meant it.  

When we are sick, it is easy to fall into the trap of murmuring or complaining. I do not believe there is one person alive who at some time has not fallen into that very trap themselves; I speak of the trap of self-pity, or murmuring - even if it is brief and private (no one else hears or knows - except Jesus). Without our health, all seems dismal and we acknowledge our vulnerabilities.

The Lord has stuck it out with me thru many, many trials and incredulous, dramatic times. He has been forever faithful and I truly have so much to thank Him for. 

Remember - it was July 2001 that I died and He allowed me to come back. If it was now my time to go, should I dare complain? No. The Great Spirit Chief IS a good God, no matter what comes our way - He IS good and His mercy does endure forever.  Bless the Lord. 

Thank You

What would I want to say if this were my last post? What if this time is my appointed time to leave the earth? None of us knows for sure, yet we all hope (at least these days) to see the Lord return with His heavenly hosts, His armies of departed saints and holy angels.  What would I really want to say, if this was the last time? ...

I would say, hold fast to faith and hope (trust) in Jesus/Y'shua, and walk in love! Never give up.

FAITH

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) 

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. [Heb10:23;11:6]

HOPE

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. 
Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me? hope you in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. 

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.  [Ps 31:24 - 42:11; 130:5]

LOVE

And you shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, You shall love thy neighbour as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.  [Mat 12:30,31]

And now abides faith, hope, love (charity), these three; but the greatest of these is love (charity).  [1Cor 13:13]

First I would want to say thank you, to all of you, for being part of my life. To my friends, thank you so much for your emails, your encouragements, your exhortations and rebukes (lol oh yeah), your prayers, your support.  

To my foes, thank you for taking me to my cross and for teaching me invaluable lessons. It hurt. It was hard, but... You also helped me in ways to discover my strengths, as well as my weaknesses. 

My prayers have covered both - friends and foes. I actually learned that from someone named David Eells. He wrote an article about the benefit of enemies somewhere on his website at Unleavened Bread Ministries that someone gave me a link to at some point.  

Thank you for the valuable lesson, Mr. David. But it was through the Word of God that I learned to pray for my enemies or foes (those that come against me). The Holy Spirit continually helped (and helps) me.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Jesus' words) [Mat 5:44]

Another brother, David Wilkerson, whom I always highly respected, was killed in a tragic accident in 2011. I remember being utterly shocked when someone said that if he had truly been in God's will, he would not have died such a death; that God would have protected him. How tragic that someone would even consider to speak such words. 

Some Christians are always so quick to cut down a saint further. They are instruments in the hands of our adversary.

He was a man with shortcomings and imperfections, the same as all of us, I am sure. Yet, I respected him so much. I think I looked to him like the father I never had, or wished I had. I don't know. 

Unfortunately, I only became familiar with his sermons and work shortly before he passed, even though I had read a book of his decades earlier (The Cross and the Switchblade). I was unsaved and would remain so for over a decade, but that book did make an impact upon me.  

From all I ever read about the man, he walked the walk. He loved the Lord God first with all his heart. He practiced what he preached; he had good fruit. He also stayed loyal to his wife all his life, loved his family. (That meant a lot to me and gained great respect from me as a result.)

For as long as I can remember, I've prayed for marriages. To me, it typifies the Body of Christ and Y'shua/Jesus (the Bride and the King united). It is how it is meant to be, but nowadays, everything seems so disposable, doesn't it? - marriages, pregnancies, friendships, equipment, cars - everything.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [Heb 9:27]

How the Lord sees fit to have us leave this earth is up to Him and there is no right or wrong way to die (I do not include murder or suicide in that statement; I speak of natural deaths). 

Most of us would like to go peacefully in our sleep, but that is not typically the way. It wasn't that way for the prophets, or the apostles, or for Jesus the Messiah, or for countless others. This world is not our home and these bodies are only temporal...

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [1Cor 15:54]

Faith Sees Us Through

Some Christians seem to go thru more than others, but does that make one more or less holy than another? Perish the thought! Who can explain it? God knows what will perfect us, and for all of it, we ought to give thanks. David Wilkerson's wife, Gwen, suffered much before she went home to be with the Lord in 2012 (a little over a year after her dear, beloved David passed).

An article from July, 2012 wrote the following:

Mrs. Wilkerson's death comes just over a year after a car crash claimed the life of her husband. The April 2011 accident left her temporarily wheelchair-bound.

The devastating crash and resulting death of her husband was latest of several challenges Mrs. Wilkerson faced in her life, including several battles with cancer. Her family said she faced each tragedy with steadfast faith.

"She had an amazing resolve and unshakeable faith, exemplified throughout her life in her numerous battles with cancer," they said.  Source: CBN

Numerous battles with cancer, which would indicate many years and trials and much suffering; a tragic head-on car crash which killed her beloved husband and being bound temporarily to a wheelchair.  

I am sure there were many tears, many prayers, even struggles, yet faith remained strong. Was Gwen Wilkerson out of God's will or being chastened for some reason? No; we all face our own hardships and trials in this life, some to a greater extent than others, but we all suffer nonetheless in this lifetime. If there were seasons of chastening, He would let her know and it would be between her and God - but all of us ought to pray one for another!

Yet, what saw her through each battle? Faith! She trusted in God! 

 I Shall Not Die, but Live

Since I was about 14, I have had chronic bronchitis/asthma (I guess being surrounded by smokers once I came out of the orphanage), so I've always had a cough. It became worse naturally when I myself took up smoking. There were several bouts of bronchitis, pneumonia three times and double-pneumonia twice - the last time being early 2007, where it was not known if I would make it or not, as it was so serious there was blood in my urine, stools and sputum. But God! He saw me through.

It was during a spell of difficult breathing today that the words came out about being cursed, as explained above, but immediately that got turned around. Glory to the Lord for His precious and Holy Spirit. Jesus did and does so much for us. I do believe that it is not the flu I have, but pneumonia. 

If I could go to a doctor, I would, but I can neither afford a doctor or transportation. Then even if I could, I could not afford medicine. It's not a complaint, just a reality. I am in a foreign country. Some believers say we don't need doctors; we are to just have faith. Yes, we are to have faith, but God does use doctors also. How many would so quickly believe someone has been healed of a deadly disease, such as cancer, if there are no doctors' reports?

How do we know whether or not the Lord wants us to go to a doctor, so that the doctor himself might not witness a miracle? Or perhaps we are to be an example of faith and trust in God, or maybe we are just to plant seeds. What if there is a lesson we must learn? We don't know, but God will lead us. He helps me again, not to mention coming back from the dead, even if I was dead only for a very short time. God is good, no matter what trials come our way.

So, yes, in weak moments, I weep because of pain and being weary physically. It is also frightening when you can barely breathe. Our instincts are to survive. Yet, I find myself saying over and over again, "I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the LORD."  That is Psalms 118, verse 17.

If any reader is so led, please pray for me. We all need prayers and I don't think any of us should ever be too proud to ask. Ending this segment of the post, I say that this warrior is one who was taught by the Lord. In the physical realm, I may be a wimp when it comes to fighting - but in the spiritual realm, you don't wanna mess with me. Why?  Because I learned from the best!  All glory to the Creator!


Blessed be the LORD my strength, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: [Ps 144:1]

When I was looking up the date that Gwen Wilkerson died, I feel as if the Lord led me to an article written by her son, Gary Wilkerson.  

It fits perfectly with what I've been trying to express.  It is also where the title of this post came from.  No, his article is not called "This Warrior Says -Just Have Faith...etc", that's the title I chose, however, it was inspired by brother Wilkerson's article.  

I can only post part of the article here because the copyright notice requests that it is not posted in its entirety on another website and I must respect that request. Please go to the link posted underneath the excerpt to read the entire article. May it bless each of you as much as it did me. To God the glory alone!

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Gary Wilkerson
April 14, 2014

Jesus Can Still Do This

Are you facing a crisis that has driven you to your knees? Maybe you need physical healing. Perhaps you’re in financial turmoil. Your marriage might be on the brink. Has your trial continued for so long that your spirit has sunk into despondency? 

Multitudes of Christians face excruciating situations beyond their control and now things seem hopeless. They’ve exhausted all their resources and emotions trying to remedy their crisis to no avail. They’ve pressed forward believing God will meet their need, but their situation has gone from bad to worse. The more they pray, the further away God seems. Now they no longer think he cares.

If this describes you, I want to encourage you: Do not give up — Jesus is near to you. He desires not only to meet your need but to give you a breakthrough of faith. No matter how desperate your circumstance, he wants to infuse your spirit with this truth: “Jesus can still do this.”

A scene in Mark’s gospel addresses four types of fires that can confront our faith. The first is when sudden calamity falls on us. The second is when our trial has lasted a long time with no end in sight. The third is when our circumstances grow continually worse. And the fourth is when we stop believing altogether.

To read more:  

http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/newsletters/gary-wilkerson/jesus-can-still-do-this

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I'm exhausted now, so I will be resting.  Lord bless you all.

for His glory

Bonita            dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com