Cancer is an Evil Invader in the human body, working death and destruction to the healthy cells in the body. The Apostle Paul said that the human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies, then, become an essential part of our ability to be useful vessels that God can work through.

Cancer’s rapidly multiplying destructive cells are a great threat to God’s purposes for me. Why would God not want to defend me in this battle and help me to overcome this attacking enemy? Because I know God and His purposes for me, I am convinced it is not in my, or His, best interest to assume this cancer is God’s will for me, and surrender to His “perfect will”. It is God’s perfect will for me to declare war on this Evil Invader and fight aggressively with whatever tools He sets before me.

My faith is too great to rely on some human doctor’s skill to fix my problem. I must walk through the doors I believe God has set before me to overcome. I believe God has set before me this Da Vinci Laproscopic procedure (revealed through the divine appointment with the Florida pastor) as the tool to defend myself and cast out this invading cancer. Stand with me in this.

As a Christian, I have to see a spiritual dimension in everything around me. So I have to ask the question, what is cancer and where does it come from. Doctors and scientists can put a scientific answer to these questions, but I need to ask them from a spiritual perspective.

In the Old Testament, on occasion people sinned against God, and they were immediately judged with leprosy, an incurable physical disease. Healing could only occur when God reversed the curse through answered prayer. Any leper, then, became associated with sinners and uncleanness because of that pattern.

Somehow that imagery has became transferred to cancer in our modern day. Committed Christians have this perverted concept that anyone with cancer must be a sinner and is unclean to the Lord. There is absolutely no scriptural evidence this is true.

I believe cancer is the result of the fall of man. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Cancer is the result of Sin, not a person’s sins.  Cancer in any form is an Evil Invader bent on beginning the process of death in the human body. I believe we Christians should tackle this invader and cast him out of our bodies. Because he works rapidly, we must act rapidly.

Tags: cancer, leprosy, sin

As Paul was dealing with some adversities in his own life, he consoled himself with these words: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). As he kept his eyes on the prize it made the problems of this life minuscule. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus!

Since I’ve come “out of the closet” with this prostate cancer issue, I’ve heard from many others who have been a real help to me because they have been through this also, or something similar. One older gentleman had this surgery 10 years ago, others more recently, and others struggling, wishing they had had this surgery done earlier. One man has prostate cancer and needs this surgery, but is afraid to have any treatment done to him.

I believe I’m beginning to see a pattern develop that I am to motivate men to take fearless steps to identify and take aggressive steps against this kind of cancer. I believe this is war with Satan who wants to silence our voices and rob our joy.

Tags: adversity, glory, suffering

My old friend Ron Hege passed away.  Ron was the director of Youth for Christ when I first began ministry back in the 1970s.  When I was asked to serve as the treasurer of the Auburn Community Ministerial Association back in about 1982, Ron was just leaving that post.  I argued that I really didn’t know anything about being treasurer of anything.  Ron assured me that he would help me through the process and surely did.

In his soft-spoken voice he explained how to keep the books, and then met with me several times that first year until I had it down pat.  Over the years I have admired him for his selfless leadership of that program.  Upon his retirement several years ago, I knew that he would be missed, but Youth for Christ was in trained hands.

Ron struggled with health issues, as I am.  Ron waited too long to do something drastic.  I have decided I am not going to wait and see; I’m going to act.  What do you remember about Ron Hege?

Part of my job and my joy as a pastor has been to visit and connect with older people in the nursing homes. The majority of nursing home residents are females because they tend to live longer, and because men are often too stubborn to give up their independence until it is taken from them. So I try to connect with the men in those places especially. And I’ve been the only visitor for some of them.

Now that I’m where I am with this prostate cancer I am reminded of the many older men I have visited with serious limitations due to their enlarged prostates. I remember one older member of our church who couldn’t control his bladder and his pants were always wet. Another aged farmer I befriended spent his time suffering because he could not urinate (day after day).

As I recall those experiences, I’m thinking that it may not be such a horrifying thing to have my prostate removed after all. Perhaps those future problems I might have to face will not become a reality at all for me as a side effect of this cancer. Maybe more than one good thing will come out of this.

I’d like to know what good things have you seen in your own life that were a side effect of a bad thing.

Tags: aging, nursing home, side effect

Over the years as a pastor I’ve seen many people come to Christ when they were in trouble, only to walk away when God delivered them from that trouble. This past year that happened with at least three families I’m aware of. When health or marriage trouble struck in their lives, these three families began attending church and wanted special counseling times with me. I advised them, coached them, referred them, and prayed for them. When the problem went away, so did they.

That’s why I have decided to go public with this personal cancer process. I feel like I need to practice what I preach and be a role model of how a Christian should react when trouble comes. I intend to stay optimistic no matter what and expect good things to come out of bad. And, no matter what, I refuse to distance myself from God or His church (except for the 4-week sabbatical, of course). Expect me to return more committed and wound tighter than ever!

Tags: commitment, faithfulness, trouble