Last October my husband and I were heading out to ride a bike trail in sunny San Diego when Jerry had some unbearable stomach pain and he immediately went to urgent care where after some tests they discovered a growth on his pancreas. The news was scary and hard to hear. Just a few weeks later he had a six-hour major surgery removing the growth and part of his pancreas. After the surgery, the doctor confirmed there was no cancer in his physical body. We were extremely thankful to God for healing and all of you for praying. We believed we received a miracle. Isaiah 38:16 …You restored me to health and let me live.

Because the growth showed early signs of cancer, our faith-based doctor strongly urged Jerry to undergo chemotherapy treatments asap to ensure Jerry’s future health.  Because this type of cancer can hide in your cells. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill any disease cells that might be hidden. 

Currently, Jerry has done five chemotherapy treatments to kill any hidden diseased cells. He has seven more to do over the next three months. Chemotherapy is very harsh on your health and has debilitating side effects. Jerry has been fighting these horrific and adverse repercussions from the treatment. Chemotherapy is awful causing nausea, numbness in hands and feet, bad taste and smell, fatigue, sleeplessness, pain, digestion issues, weight loss, headaches, brain fog, mouth sores, and jaw pain.  Each chemotherapy treatment lasts 56 hours with 6 hours of infusion at the hospital and he comes home with a pump for 50 more hours of the treatment. It’s upsetting that this treatment meant to heal has had many difficult and painful moments. But we are thankful Jerry has been healed from cancer. We are asking God to prevent and stop all the adverse side effects. We know you are praying and we feel God’s presence with us. 

4 Things I’ve Learned from Moments of Difficulties and Suffering

1. I’ve learned the devil is trying to stop our destiny.

When we go through painful moments we wonder why this is happening to us, we feel that we are doing our best and obeying God in everything.  And yet this bad thing happens to me. Bad things happen to godly people because the forces of darkness are against us. The devil sees our destiny and he is trying to stop it. 

Eph 6:17 … fight against the evil strategies of the accuser!  Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage.   …You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get. 

Evil and sickness are not from God. He doesn’t have sickness so he can’t give it to us. No good parents would put sickness on their children. Our good heavenly father does not give us sickness or disease. God is good and can only do good. He gives us health and healing. The devil is evil and does evil. He is the author of all sickness and disease. The Bible says in John 10:10 The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy and God comes to bring life and life more abundantly. Remember the scripture in Luke 6:19, Jesus went about healing all that the devil oppressed with sickness and disease. 

The devil knows God has a great purpose for our lives and he wants to stop our destiny. 

2. I have learned nothing is impervious to God’s Word. 

No sickness or no person is strong enough to be unaffected by God’s Word. This gives me great hope because I can keep speaking and praying his word and things must move and change. The side effects of chemotherapy can be stopped by God’s word. Because it is impossible to be unmoved, resistant, or impervious to God’s Word. 

In Hebrews 4:12-13, MSG  says… God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.

We know it is God’s will to heal us because the Bible says so. We see it in all the stories about Jesus … he healed everyone who asked him for healing. Jesus never said, no I will not heal you, or you need to be sick just a little longer. The Bible says in Acts 10:38  Jesus went about doing good healing all...     Fourteen times in the NT we are told stories of Jesus healing everyone.  Jesus had the power and ability to heal every kind of disease and sickness, nothing was too hard for him. When Jesus walked the earth He healed everyone, at once, immediately and instantly. He never turned a sick person away because they were not good enough. In Luke 6:19 it says people eagerly came …to Jesus because a tangible supernatural power emanated from him, healing all… 

If I keep speaking the Word, I know things will change because nothing is unaffected by God’s Word. 

3. I am learning to pray hard and long. 

I was asking The Holy Spirit what he was saying to me during this season of fighting sickness and pain. I felt he told me Jerry would be healed, to keep trusting, be confident, and pray long and hard.  The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Bible, here are three of the scriptures that he used to speak those thoughts to me. You will love them… and I am holding on to these scriptures tightly…  the Bible is the most powerful thing in the universe. 

Eph 6:18 God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. …Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

Matt 9:29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith [your trust and confidence in My power and My ability to heal] it will be done to you.

Luke 8:50 When Jesus heard this, he responded, Don’t be afraid; just keep trusting, and (he) will be healed.

Have faith, believe God and trust what he has said in his word. When I pray, I say… Lord, I know it is your will to heal Jerry and I thank you for healing him. Then I pray the promises of healing and health back to God. Healing is received through speaking the word of God and then it permeates your physical body. 

It is God’s will to heal you. When we need healing we should ask Jesus who heals all.

4. I am learning that I really have some deep friends who love and value us.

I have never felt so loved and supported by family and friends. They have prayed hundreds of hours for health and healing. During Jerry’s surgery a group of women came to the house to sit, pray and wait with me for eight hours. They filled Jerry’s hospital room after surgery with balloons, flowers and cards and the hospital staff kept telling Jerry you must be really loved.  The day Jerry was coming home from the hospital a group stood outside his room with banners, balloons and prayed for him. That day he received a miracle in his body. Several nurses from our church came to our home for weeks to help us with his massive medical needs. The pastors of our church prayed once a week with Jerry until he was healed of diabetes symptoms and no longer needed insulin. We have experienced so many blessings from our church family. Phil 2:2 says… love each other, be deep-spirited friends.

We declare Jerry is strong and healed. Please continue praying for him while he is facing more treatments: Pray, Jerry will have a strong appetite, no adverse effects from the chemotherapy, sleep 7 hours every night, gain 20 pounds and have lots of energy to walk daily and preach on Sundays.  

Please let me know you are praying for Jerry, we would love to know.  

PS. Our happiest thought during this time is that the chemotherapy treatments will all be over soon. Praise Jesus!