Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4/9/2021
Pastor Dale Cancer Update and Direction on how to Wait on God.
Radiation is continuing until this coming Monday for Pastor. They thought the last one was this week, but two more were added. He had chemo last Monday, now on an every other month schedule, so the next one will be in June. The doctor is waiting 12 weeks and will do a Pet Scan to check everything. They want to say, it’s all gone, but until that day, they are still believing and still standing on Matthew 19:26.
Isaiah 40:31 -“but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
How fun is that? Who likes waiting, especially when fear of life is beating at your door? Sometimes the actual word ‘waiting’ or the phrase ‘waiting on God’ is used in a scriptural passage. The truth is Waiting is one of the hardest things in our walk with Christ. Yet the Bible is clear, just because you are waiting on your breakthrough, it does not mean that you are doing nothing.
Can I share with you some truths Pastor Dale taught me?
Step #1 Keep Trusting God, DAILY.
We either believe his love or doubt it. If we believe he is indifferent or is too busy and doesn’t care it carries us on the road to despair and bitterness. That is an ugly road. It MUST begin by trusting God in the morning so I have trust deposited in my bucket at the end of the day or during that unperfect visit to the Cardiologist or Oncologist.
2. Did I say Pray? How can you trust God without talking to God? Praying to God. And isn’t prayer believing in God? Don’t fall into the trap of talking to everyone about your problems and not God.
3. Believe and expect God to move; Is God able to do all he has promised? Is He God? You choose!
4. The Bridge: The Holy Spirit
This whole ordeal, sickness, breakup, hardship cannot succeed God’s way without the Holy Spirit. He is the helper Jesus spoke of. He is the wisdom maker. Nothing happens here on earth without God the Holy Spirits’ direction. He is your strength and He is your conduit for power to wait upon the Lord until He and His plans have achieved their end. Which is a new beginning for you. The truth is he is changing us along the way. We enter into the peace of God daily. This is not about arriving and finding relief at the end of our journey.
5. Time with God: Have you ever fermented a steak and let it saturate in a special sauce? The flavor permeates the meat. It enhances the overall enjoyment of the meals. Even the aroma is distinct and wonderful to the senses. That is what time with God is like. Jesus prayed all night. Paul and Silas sang until midnight God’s praises.
How much time does that take? Ask an intercessor. Maybe an hour, a day, a month, and maybe what seems to be a lifetime. But when I just hang with my family… I just enjoy the company. The love and companionship. We must spend enough time with God that we feel the same way about God. Anything less is… sorry… lip service. Convenience.
6. Your crucible is not a license to be ugly or unkind. Loving God. Trusting God. Reverencing God invokes genuine love, warmth, and joy and will brighten any dreary day.
Ruth questioned the favor she received from Boaz and his response was this: “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband….May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” ~ Ruth 2:11-12
Ruth has lost it all but continued to serve and God saw her heart and her walk and blessed her.
7. Let go of self-defeating thoughts and beliefs. Paul said to take every thought captive to Christ. Do not allow anything but God’s faith-filled words and thoughts to pass through your filter. Don’t be self-defeating in playing with depression and unhappiness. Choose you this day to trust in God and his promises. The Joy of the Lord is our strength. If you are lacking there, go and ferment a little longer…They will come. Be that light for Christ in the midst of your challenges and let the world see who the light of your life is. Let them see that in your walk and in your word and actions.
That is how Pastor Dale spends his time. Praising God!
Guy Penrod – Then Came the Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Q2-sYAo-M&list=RDVhrxRccU3Lw&index=28
