It was late in the year when I was diagnosed with colon cancer. The doctors did their duty and told me what stage I was in and what percentage I had of living or dying. Then I was told whether to expect it back if I did get through it this time. It made me so angry; I didn’t want those words ringing in my ears. Yet they continued to occupy my mind. I finally went to our assistant pastor for prayer. After breaking the power of those words off my life through prayer, they finally disappeared from circulating in my mind.
I knew the name of Jesus was greater than the name of any disease. I knew my God created my body and could heal whatever came against it. I exercised my faith; believing God for total healing. Even though I spent a month in the hospital going thru 2 major operations, later followed by months of chemo, I knew God was there with me.
I would like to insert here that I believe God has given doctors and nurses special talents and abilities for their noble professions. Even Luke, who went with the Apostle Paul on many of his mission trips, was a physician by profession. Luke was also chosen by God as a writer of the New Testament. The wonderful doctors I had were a tool in God’s hand to help bring restoration to my body. Both the doctors and the nurses were an enormous encouragement to me.
I also want to mention how I appreciated the young students that volunteered their time at the hospital and stopped by to add a bit of cheer. One young lady came in with her paint set and canvas paper, making a picture for me out of colors of my choosing. A young man came in with his instrument to serenade me with a special song. Such selfless acts meant so much. Then there was the hospital Chaplin who stopped by and visited and prayed for me. I’m sure God gives special blessings to each one. The love and support of my family and friends meant the world to me. How could you ask for more? During that time, my hope was entrenched in knowing God needed me here a little while longer. When I felt too weak to go on, I looked to him for strength to see me through. I pictured myself reaching my hand up to hold his, and when I felt too weak to even envision lifting my hand - I knew he was reaching down to hold mine. He was my rock and my strength.
"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13)
Many times I would envision friends from all over praying for me when I felt too weak to pray. I’d see myself resting behind their shields of faith. This was a vision my pastor told me to hold onto, and I took advantage of that vision on many occasions; how comforting it was.
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)
If anyone you know ever hears those words, know that cancer doesn’t mean they have to die, or from any other disease for that matter. Believe with them for complete healing. Let your words encourage and promote life. Let your prayers flow on their behalf to the throne of God. That’s when miracles happen. And we all want to see miracles. And - in order to receive a miracle there has to be a problem. That’s something to think about. 1 Peter 2:24 says of Jesus, “He personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died on the cross, so that we can be finished with sin and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have healed ours!” Isaiah 53:5 prophesied about Jesus: “He was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace; he was lashed-and we were healed!” There are times God intercedes in a person’s life and performs a miracle healing and the physical problem disappears without intervention. To be balanced we also have to realize we all have to die sometime. If a person has decided it is their personal time to go home with the Lord or the Lord decides it is their time to go home to him, then we’ll need to let them go. As much as we want them to stay and will grieve mightily because of missing them so, joy can be found in knowing they are now with the Lord.
My bout with cancer was not a fun experience but it was a wake up call. My heart was drawn more to the people in my life rather than to the busyness that before had filled it. It led me to do a lot of research on nutrition and the affect different foods, as well as stress, have on our bodies.
I found: * Cancer feeds on sugar. Sugar is also detrimental to many of our organs. Sugar as well as food colorings may even be a leading cause of hyperactivity in children. * Cancer can't survive in an alkaline body. The foods we eat can make our bodies too alkaline or too acidic. If your body is too acidic, you will also open the door for other illnesses to come in. Concentrate on those fruits and veggies. * Fruits and vegetables fight cancer, especially: grapes, watermelon, tomatoes, broccoli, yellow squash, onion, and garlic. The closer you can eat vegetables and fruit to their natural state, the healthier they will be for you. For example, an apple is healthier than apple pie. * Processed foods contain additives that are toxic to our bodies and can cause illness and cancer - especially processed luncheon meats and hot dogs. * Drinking lots of filtered water washes out toxins. * Inflammation in the body due to a low immune system can also be a culprit. * Stress and a negative environment can cause a weakened immune system leading to many types of illness including cancer.
In addition to surgery, treatments and improving my diet: * I spoke to my cells to function normally and told any cancer cells to die. Jesus said to speak to our mountains (problems). * Most importantly my trust was in God as my healer and in His purpose for my life. Christ suffered physically to pay the price for our healing. It’s His desire for us to be healthy. He said every good gift comes from Him.
