All of us have experienced some disappointments in life. And some of us have experienced greater levels of disappointments when we’ve been involved in a natural or personal form of disaster. In every instance, it’s up to us how we will respond—it’s our choice. The Bible says, I have set before you life and death…choose life (Deuteronomy 30:19).
You may be thinking, How can I choose when these things just happen? People don’t ask to be disappointed or involved in disasters. And yes, it’s true that most of the time people don’t choose to be involved in hurtful circumstances. However, they do occur and these experiences bring death into our lives—physical, spiritual or emotional. And if we sit on the sidelines thinking we have no choice, we may lose even more than we realize. If you and I don’t purposefully choose life, death can continue to spread in our lives until it affects our spiritual life, health and personal relationships.
When Life Takes a Detour
Several years ago, I suddenly found myself in a situation that required me to make a decision between life and death. It was time for my yearly physical, and I resisted going because I’d rather spend my time doing something else. However, Dave was adamant that I go, and my visit included a mammogram.
The day after the examination, I was notified that my doctor had seen something on the test that looked suspicious. He wanted me to return for a biopsy. But I didn’t want to do that either, and once again, my husband insisted I have it checked out. So with full expectation that everything was fine, I went for the biopsy. We prayed, believed God, and asked several others to pray with us. I continued my daily routines and believed there would be a good report from the doctor. But when I returned home one day from an outing, I found a note telling me to call the doctor immediately. When I called, he told me that I had a tumor of a very fast-growing type of cancer and advised me to have surgery as soon as possible to remove my breast. Now, this report was not good, and it was not what I had been expecting.
Dave and I sought God and prayed. For me, the easiest thing to do would have been to trust God and not have the recommended surgery. But that wasn’t the way God was leading me or my entire family. My husband, all four of my children, and a handful of close friends all agreed that I should have the surgery. It was definitely not the route I wanted to take.
Be Grounded in the Word
During this situation, fear started to grip me so strong at times that it almost knocked me down, and my mind started to battle negative thoughts. I was tempted to doubt God’s love for me, to doubt His integrity, and to doubt my own self-worth. The devil tried to convince me that I had to try and figure out the situation by myself. He put questions in my mind like, What have I done wrong? Why has God let this happen? Did God let it happen, or did I open a door for the devil?
These bombarding thoughts were attacks from hell and each one was designed to weaken my faith in God. The devil was trying to get me to be in conflict with God. Gratefully, I was rooted and grounded in Christ, His Word, and in His love for me. It’s important for you and me to be established in Christ, especially when we go through times like these. And that means being prepared ahead of time because usually, we have no warning as to when these challenges will come into our lives.
And when I say “established in Christ,” I don’t mean “established in ministry.” Unfortunately, I believe there are many who minister to others, yet are not rooted and grounded themselves in the very principles they teach. It is easy to tell someone else what to do during a difficult time, but it is another thing entirely to do it yourself in your own distresses.
Do What You Say
Throughout this time God told me, “Joyce, do what you would tell someone else to do in the same situation.” So I had to stop and ask myself, “What would I tell someone else to do in this exact same situation?” And I knew what I would tell them to do. I would say, “Trust God! Don’t try to figure it out. Ask God to reveal to you anything He may want you to see, but if He shows you nothing, remain at peace and walk it out.” I would also say, “It will all work out for good in the end if you don’t give up. Be positive, give praise and continue to be a blessing to others.”
I taught the evening before I went into the hospital. And as recommended by my doctor, family and friends, I did have the surgery and recovered much faster than my doctor had expected. I even stopped at the shopping mall on the way home from the hospital to buy clothing suitable for my recovery. Two weeks after surgery I ministered at an all-day Christmas banquet where I taught twice.
Because I chose life, I kept my joy. My family and I walked it out step-by-step and trusted that God was in charge. When all the test results came back, the report stated, “No more cancer. No problem with lymph nodes. No radiation or chemotherapy needed.” And even though I spent the next year preparing for reconstructive surgery, I didn’t miss any of my scheduled meetings, my routine stayed normal, and God was able to work mightily through my situation.
He provided born-again, Spirit-filled doctors and nurses at every phase of my surgery. I also experienced a tremendous display of love from the body of Christ and learned a new dependence on God that I wouldn’t have learned without going through this difficult circumstance.
Resist Conflict
Still, I can’t answer why God allowed me to go through this experience because I don’t know why. First Corinthians 13:12 tells us that we can only know in part. But I’m grateful that it’s not up to me to figure it out. The cancer in my body was a portion of death, but I didn’t have to let it spread more death in my life by becoming angry with God. His grace was there for me to choose life and resist strife, and as a result, my life moved forward in God.
And cancer isn’t the only death that can try to take hold of our lives. There’s also bitterness about adultery, divorce, death, lack, childlessness, miscarriage, abuse and more. If circumstances have opened the doorway to more death in your life, run to God—not away from Him. Trust Him and He will give you His peace that can carry you through any situation.
What a wonderful privilege it is to trust God! And when unfortunate things come into our lives, even though we don’t have control over every circumstance, we can control our reactions to them. We can resist conflict with God and choose life.
Source: Joyce Meyer Magz
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