Good news, physical health is God’s default desire for us throughout biblical history! Matthew 8:16-17 is clear that Jesus’ miraculous healings were promised in Isaiah 53. And God devoted over one-third of the Gospels to Jesus’ physical healing ministry. In 3 John 1:2, it is clear God’s default desire for our physical health remains in full force. “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” There is, thankfully, zero sickness in heaven – forever and ever! (Rev. 21:4) So the ultimate question is, “How do we get to heaven?“
More details in our blog post on this FAQ!

If God uses sickness to punish sin, we’d always be sick, because we all sin (Romans 3)! He often uses sickness to show off His glory, not to punish sin! (Job 2:3). Jesus healed the blind man, “That the works of God might be displayed in him,” not because he or his parents sinned (John 9:3). God also used sickness as a “wake-up call” in His dealings with Israel (Exodus 15:26) as well as in 1 Cor. 11:32-33 in the New Testament. God used my battle with Stage IV metastatic melanoma to wake me up in order to set me free from my ego-driven path of achievement (more in my book in our free gift to cancer patients here). More Biblical reasons God allows sickness in future FAQs. Check out more details in our blog post on this FAQ.

1) We don’t ask! – James 4:2
2) We only seek human physicians and not The Great Physician! – 2 Chronicles 16:12. We must invite “The Perfect Gentleman” into our affairs.
3) We do not believe He can or will heal! – Mark 6:5-6, “He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. He wondered at their unbelief.”
4) We don’t follow His simple instructions on how to be physically healed. James 5:14-15
Check out more here on our blog post on this FAQ!

1) Miraculous healings were not just reserved for times of new revelation! Miracles abounded during the Prophet’s time, and their message was not new, they simply restated and applied the Law.
2) Jesus said the gift of physical healing would be given to the Apostles’ converts throughout the world, indicating supernatural gifts and miracles would continue after them! (Mark 16:17-18).
3) Peter proclaimed in Acts 2:17-21 that the Holy Spirit’s wonders on Pentecost would carry on “until the great and glorious day of the Lord” – Jesus’ return!
4) Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that sign gifts would function “until the perfect comes,” the state of complete knowledge in heaven. Even though he wrote much of the New Testament, Paul admitted knowing only partially what he would know in heaven! Dig deeper on this FAQ here in our blog post.

No, if God promises healing, He must want to get our hopes up! Consider James 5:14-18, Mark 16:17-18, 3 John 1:2, and Matthew 8:16-17. Surely God knows many will be totally disappointed if not healed, but we should not explain away these promises to help manage His reputation. “We don’t need to take care of God!”

When I first started sharing my miraculous Stage IV melanoma cancer healing, a cancer radiologist told me I should not give cancer patients hope for healing, I should prepare them for heaven. I said, “Can’t I do both?” I would rather die with hope, than live without it! Hope clearly plays a role in healing as even the “placebo effect” accounts for approximately 15% of people getting well – with fake medicine! “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13. Hope on! More in our blog post on this topic.

God does not hide behind a cloud waiting for us to have enough faith! John the Baptist totally doubted Jesus when he was imprisoned (Luke 7:22-23, 28); Sarah laughed that God could give her a child so late in life (Genesis 18:10-15); The disciples refused to believe God had sprung Peter from prison while Peter was knocking on their prayer room door (Acts 12:6-14)!

This reminds me of a time my oncologist and my wife Terri and I were despairing over a scan we thought showed cancer all over my body. The nurse walked in with the radiologist report – the cancer was gone! I was certainly not healed because of my strong faith! I felt so weak and guilty, yet He was my Stronghold, holding on to me when I could not hold on to Him! Jesus said with faith the size of a mustard seed, we could move mountains (Matthew 17:20), He does not wait for perfect faith! So let’s pray Mark 9:22-24: Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!

Dive deeper in our blog post about this topic here.

My heart goes out to the loved ones of thousands of cancer patients for whom I have prayed “the prayer of faith” believing God would heal (James 5:13-16), yet the Lord still took them home. Many of these believers had an amazing confidence that God not only would them, but that He had already healed them.

We never “lose” a battle with cancer, and there are several verses that explain the why of an “early” death of one of God’s righteous ones.

• Isaiah 57:1-2 – “The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil. He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, each one who walked in his upright way.” 
• Psalm 116:3-15 – “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones.” The Psalmist proclaims deliverance from death in this same Psalm in verse 3, 4, 8 & 9. Still, he acknowledges God delights to have His kids with Him… in-person! Perhaps we see the passing of our loved ones too much from our vantage point and not enough from God’s.
• Hebrews 11:13 & 11:39-40 – “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” Clearly, God considers earthly promises fulfilled even if their fulfillment comes after a person’s death, even the healing promises of Jesus in Isaiah 53 which are fulfilled in Matthew 8:16-17.
• Romans 8:36-39 – “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, … is able to separate us from the love of God.” His love and conquering power in our lives extends to all circumstances, even our deaths!

These verses are why we can say we ALWAYS win through Christ. Consider the “Win-Win-Win” of the Believer: God either 1) Heals us here, 2) Heals us there, or 3) Gives us more than enough grace until He heals us!

Dive deeper in our blog post about this topic here.

It’s easy to sense God’s mastery of circumstances during “mountaintop” seasons. Is He God of both the mountaintops and the valleys? In 1 Kings 20, Israel’s very existence was threatened by a huge army led by the King of Aram, including 32 other kings and 127,000 soldiers. yet Israel destroyed this massive army with just 7000 men! The Arameans reasoned Israel’s God must have special powers in mountainous terrain, but not in the valleys (1 Kings 20:23). So they raised up a second army of 127,000 and God empowered Israel to rout this huge army too, but this time in the valley!

When you have cancer or another serious disease, you “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23). During my Stage IV metastatic melanoma cancer battle, I walked through that dark valley. In 2003, my cancer doctor gave me “days to live,” with 0% chance of survival. At first I boldly fought that prediction, but soon fear and doubts crept in. Eventually I abandoned myself to the Lord and began to feel His presence, comfort, and power more than any other time in my life! My tears switched from self-pity to joy. And then, demonstrating He truly has the final say over everything, He gave me a 100% healing of the “terminal” cancer, and I praise Him that I’ve been cancer free since 2003!

Paul the Apostle insisted in 2 Corinthians 2:14 that the God of the mountains and valleys “always leads us in victory in Christ.” (Find out how to become “in Christ” here). Human statistics and predictions do not have mastery over us! The God of all spaces and places fights our battles victoriously, so let’s lean on Him together!

Five Keys to Overcoming Anxiety

By far the most frequently asked question! I learned during my own rough battle with Stage IV metastatic melanoma how difficult, yet possible it is to overcome anxiety. Psalm 46 was written for exceedingly hard times!

1) Spiritual Key – Cling to the Lord!

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. – Psalm 46:1

2) Volitional Key – Refuse to spin!

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth is transformed, and the mountains are toppled into the depths of the seas… – Psalm 46:2

3) Emotional Key – Drink from His life!

There is a river whose streams delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her; she will not be moved. – Psalm 46:4-5

4) Mental Key – Set your mind on The Problem Solver, not the problem!

Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth. He makes wars to cease throughout the earth. – Psalm 46:8-9

5) Physical Key – Practice relaxing your entire body.

Be still and know that I am God – Psalm 46:10

Read more on each key to overcoming anxiety on our blog post here!

One of our cancer patients wrote:  “Where is God? Why has He permitted over 3 million lives to be lost to this virus? Why am I still struggling with this crack cocaine addiction? Why did He bring me thru Stage 2 Colorectal Cancer to get hit with Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease? Where is God?” – D. S. (sharing with permission).

It has been a rough time, D, but some have even more to deal with. So sorry you’re facing kidney disease too. Praying for 100% health including freedom from the addiction. In My Stronghold, I talk about the physical-emotional complications I had after I was healed from Stage IV cancer, including withdraws from opioid pain pills. So I can relate – a little.

God obviously allows hardships, Jesus guaranteed them (John 16:33). Job, David, and even Jesus felt abandoned by the Father at times. Yet God promises to never leave or forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5). He promises supernatural strength and comfort to handle all troubles, including addictions. He must allow hardships for good reason, as He already gave us His very best, His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us! It’s been rightly said, “When we can’t understand His mind, we can trust His heart.” He is never against us! (Romans 8:31).

If He didn’t allow hardships, we would drift from dependence on Him! Trials cause us to turn to Him for help, power, and  contentment. He uses trials to bring about greater good for us and greater glory to Him, which are the best of all scenarios! (Romans 8:28).

Read more on each key to overcoming anxiety on our blog post here!

As the mother of the Messiah, Mary may have thought her life would be full of honors and privileges. Yet she faced many heartbreaks during the next 33 years:

She was forced to travel 60 miles to Bethlehem to deliver the Messiah in a “manger,” an animal’s food trough! King Herod wanted to kill her baby, so she fled to Egypt to hide for 4 years. Religious leaders doubted Jesus was miraculously conceived, mocking Him for being born “out of wedlock” (John 8:4). Her husband Joseph passed away between Jesus’ 12th and 30th birthday, after she had 7 or more children! (Matthew 13:55-56). She stood by helplessly as her Son was falsely accused, tortured, and crucified on a cross.

What does this all mean for us? Why IS life so hard? My takeaways:

1.    I should forever rid myself of the notion that I might have an easy life!  Simeon warned Mary, “A sword will pierce your soul as well” (Luke 2:35). During my Stage IV cancer battle, I fought God consistently, but Jesus prepared me too, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Peace doesn’t come in no tribulations, but in trusting Jesus with all concerns!

2.    I need a higher, eternal purpose, not earthly goals of wealth, pleasure and comfort, etc.  “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

3.    My main focus should be on Jesus’ life flowing in me and through me to others.  As Paul said, “When Christ, Who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). He IS the answer to every human’s spiritual and emotional needs.

Read more on overcoming life’s difficulties on our full blog post article here!

During a cancer battle when the stakes are so high, many cancer patients have told us friends, family, and medical professionals have really let them down. These letdowns come in many forms:

• Misdiagnosis by a doctor – I was misdiagnosed for a couple months the start of my cancer battle in 2002, and I almost died as a result.
• Misunderstanding by friends and family – A very common comment is, “Your cancer can’t be too bad, you look so good.”
• Misrepresentation by insurers and health care providers – I discovered the major medical insurance I had for 20 years had an annual deductible of $100,000, it was not per illness! I felt the salesperson misrepresented.

I’m not suggesting we become doormats, as the scriptures are full of appeals; boundaries; even “godly separations” by faithful people. I learned the hard way to forgive, and that unforgiveness hurts me more than the hurt itself! “Do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26). A “foothold” is a base of operation in our territory from which an enemy can inflict damage upon us. God wants us to treat others with grace, just as He treats us. (Ephesians 4:31-32). Find out more about His grace here.

How do we forgive? Like David in Psalm 44, we shouldn’t sweep our hurts under the rug, but rather… Acknowledge the hurts. Assess the damages. Affirm God’s dislike of the hurts. Assign any vengeance to the Lord. Ask a blessing on the people who hurt us – sincerely wish them well in your heart! This is Jesus’ major addition to the forgiveness process (Luke 6:27-28).

Find out more about Biblical forgiveness in our online Bible Study on forgiveness here. Help your burden be lighter during your cancer battle, forgive those who let you down!

Read more on forgiveness on our full blog post article here!

Since forgiveness requires a wrong done, we would never need to forgive God, as He has never done us wrong! He is not wrong to allow troubles, and He promises to “work them to the good” (Rom. 8:28). Jesus said to expect trouble, as well as His overcoming power (John 17.3).

To forgive God, we would have to first “blame” Him. Job never blamed God after losing fortunes, health, and all 10 children (Job 1:22). He sure fussed, but God said Job “spoke accurately about Him” (Job 42:7). I fussed and tried not to blame Him during my cancer battle.

John the Baptist, the great prophet, struggled with God’s plans while imprisoned (Luke 7:18-31). He knew Jesus was performing miracles, yet sent to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah. Clearly he was pinging Jesus to spring him out of prison! Jesus did not grant his request and said, “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me” (Luke 7:23).

Paul and Silas did not “take offense” at God while imprisoned (Acts 16:22-35). They praised Him all night long! They didn’t even escape when God broke down the prison walls to save the lives of the guards who immediately received Jesus as Savior. Paul said his sufferings led to the salvations of others, an eternal purpose (Phil. 1:12-26).

We can have a strong belief in God’s willingness to heal and deliver, yet joyfully submit to His timetables and eternal purposes. As Job said in 2:10, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

Read more on our full blog post on this topic here.