In His Grip is a weekly e-mail intended to provide inspiration and hope to those fighting cancer.
A ministry of Stronghold Ministry.          Subscribe here.

*If you’re fighting cancer, please write and let us know how we can pray and support you.

(Third in a series on journeying through desert places in our lives).

O God, when You went forth before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, Selah. The earth quaked; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel. You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched. -Psalm 68:7-9

The Lord reigns everywhere; deserts are no match for Him! Psalm 68 is David’s reminder that God was faithful to Israel in the wilderness, so He would be faithful to him, and us as well. In Part 1 of this mini-series, we dispelled the fear of going the wrong direction in the desert. Part 2 focused on God’s ability to march us victoriously; we are not overwhelmed in Him; we are stable and assured, even if our physical body or our circumstances are falling apart.

Another common desert fear:

• Will there be sufficient provisions, like water and food?

In other words, what if I don’t have enough resources to handle my wilderness journey? Desert travelers are often loaded down with worries. “What-if” questions tend to focus on resources.

1) Spiritual Resources – “What if I come to the end of my strength – will I be able to cope?”

2) Material Resources – “Will I/we/they have enough money?”

3) Relational “Resources” – “What will happen if my kids grow up without a mother/father?”

Psalm 68:9 reveals that God “confirms His inheritance when it was parched.” No matter how horrible our conditions, His inheritance, or resources will be sufficient. Don’t let pain, stress, or bad news cause you to panic. Simply rest in Him and trust Him for ALL resources you or your loved one(s) need. He is committed to take care of ANY concerns you have. Twice this passage stresses His “Presence” provides a “rain” or even “plentiful rain.” He provides. During my brutal cancer fight with Stage IV metastatic melanoma, there were several times I feared running out of strength, but my anxiety was  unnecessary. When I needed something, He was there. I’m not saying it was easy to cope; it was really hard. But His presence and inheritance made the journey so much more manageable. Many times, He even made my journey pleasant. Drink the rain.

(Second in a series on journeying through life’s desert places).

O God, when You went forth before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness, Selah. The earth quaked; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel. You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched. -Psalm 68:7-9

The Lord reigns everywhere, including the desert! Psalm 68 is David’s remembrance that God provides riches for Israel even in the wilderness. Since God was faithful to Israel, He would be faithful to him and us as well!

In Part 1, we dispelled the fear of going the wrong direction in the desert. Especially when the stakes are so high, we want His guidance to be all the more certain. We can rest assured that He is leading. He promises to lead, so no fear (James 1:5-8).

Another common fear in the desert and God’s provision:

• Will the conditions totally overwhelm and overcome me?

In Psalm 68, God “marched through the wilderness.” This march is that of a Victorious King. Paul “saw” this too: “He always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Do you see it? Meditate on these verses. Keep in mind, Paul endured vast stretches of desert places, in the form of cruel persecutions and constant sufferings. He was whipped, beaten, betrayed, stoned and imprisoned. Like Paul, our bodies and emotions may be banged and bruised because of illness or trials. Yet he rose above all of his circumstances. His secret: “I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). We are spiritual beings who overcome through His supernatural strengthening of our spirits. “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Even if your body is weakening, let Him strengthen your inner person. Ask Him to open your eyes to the reality of His victory in the wilderness. God is our Stronghold.

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;  we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. -2 Corinthians 4:7-9

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

In His Grip is a weekly e-mail intended to provide inspiration and hope to those fighting cancer.
A ministry of Stronghold Ministry. Subscribe here.

*If you’re fighting cancer, please write and let us know how we can pray and support you.

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There is an “aha” moment in the life of every young eagle. The revelation comes at the most opportune time, during the worst crisis of its life, while it is plummeting towards the earth. Forces of gravity yank it faster and faster toward the ground. Utter panic sets in as it desperately scrambles to break its fall. It instinctively tries to lighten itself. As it attempts to push off the two “weights” that have dangled at its side, it discovers their true purpose. The weights catch air, giving the bird lift. It soars; visiting heights it could have never attained, if not for its mortifying freefall to earth. No wonder its mother pushed it out of the nest, catching it before impact over and over, until it learned a central truth of its existence, that those weights are wings.

The greatest crisis in my 50 years of life was an appointment with the ground during my battle with Stage IV metastatic melanoma. He had pushed me out of the nest to learn that my weaknesses are my true strengths. My education continues. He catches me each time I fall; each time I fail to flap. So be patient with yourself and others, until we all grasp a central truth of our existence, those weights are wings that lift us to God.

Paul said his weights were wings in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Isaiah had an aha moment too, though it appears his readers hadn’t yet:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary. And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:28-31).

What is weighing you down today? Only what can lift you up tomorrow.

In His Grip is a weekly e-mail intended to provide inspiration and hope to those fighting cancer.
A ministry of Stronghold Ministry.    Subscribe here.
*If you’re fighting cancer, please write and let us know how we can pray and support you.
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In His Grip is a weekly e-mail intended to provide inspiration and hope to those fighting cancer.
Subscribe here.
*If you’re fighting cancer, please write and let us know how we can pray for you and support you.

Many trials are marathons, not sprints. Fighting cancer can be lengthy and extremely draining; it was for me. During the marathon journeys of Elijah the prophet, you might say he was “all over the map,” both physically and emotionally (1 Kings 17-19). He visited many places including Mt. Carmel, Jezreel, Beersheba, Mt. Sinai (Mt. Horeb) and somewhere in an Israeli desert. Emotionally, he “visited” many places as well. From supreme confidence, he moved to sheer panic; from exhilaration, he flopped at utter exhaustion; from incredible boldness, he slinked off to cowardly surrender. No wonder James said in his epistle that Elijah was just like us (James 5:17). The Greek word he used of us and Elijah is a compound word from “like” and “feelings.” In other words, Elijah rode the same emotional roller coaster that we ride today. Yet the Lord “followed” Elijah everywhere he went, to all of these physical and emotional places. At one point, Elijah received supernatural strength from the Lord for a long journey (1 Kings 18:46). God’s strengthening hand was so heavy upon him that he was able to outrun Ahab’s chariot over a distance of 25 miles during a torrential rainstorm! Later, after Elijah had exhausted his own strength running from Jezebel, the Lord gave him food that strengthened him for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness! So what is the point for us? James is simply encouraging us that God grants extraordinary answers to prayer. He wants to work great endurance and miraculous energy into our lives. So during the long grind of an up and down battle with cancer, we can continually ask for that supernatural infusion of His mighty strength. God’s strength will meet us at every place we find ourselves.

In His Grip,
Joe Fornear, Stronghold Ministry
Toll free – 877-230-7674

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In His Grip, is a weekly e-mail intended to provide inspiration and hope to those fighting cancer.
Subscribe here.
*If you’re fighting cancer, please write and let us know how we can pray and support you.

January 8, 2010
During Joe’s chemo treatments, I remember asking nurses, “Has this chemo worked for others?”  They would answer, “Take it a day at a time.”  Or, “Just enjoy every day you’re together.”  And, “We are all dying.” Somehow at the time, those words weren’t very comforting. How do I focus each day when my life is filled with sickness and fear of losing him? Living with his pain, and thinking of him as dying rattled my world. I often felt guilty thinking of myself, after all, I wasn’t the one who was “suffering.”

Jesus is so cool. He allowed me to ask the hard questions. He let me struggle with those true, but pat answers. He allowed me to hurt and be myself without having to pretend to be okay. Actually, He was waiting for me to see my helplessness, because He is “the God of the valleys.” This valley was surrounded by mountains of cancer which seemed immovable. They cast shadows; shadows of death; shadows that seemed like prison walls… no way out. They told me there was less than a 6% chance of getting out. In Hosea 14:5, Jesus Christ is likened to a lily that springs up in dark valleys. “The Lily of the Valley” springs up wherever He pleases.

Jesus was to me a beautiful flower. He was tall, strong and bright white. How did He get there? He was there in that place all along. He whispered in my ear as if He had a secret. This Lily is in you! This Lily is My Son, who is the way out of the valley. He sprung up in you long ago when you first believed. Look to Him, He is the Mystery that brings Life in helpless places. I looked to Him, learned to behold Him and hope started rising in my spirit. How this works I can’t really say, but I know that the Lily, JESUS, pulls me through and triumphs over the valley. This Lily is still IN ME TODAY… seven years later. Now I “BEHOLD” Him as I walk through new valleys. In the midst of your valleys, behold, the beauty of the Lord.

Stronghold Ministry

In His Grip, is a weekly e-mail intended to provide inspiration and hope to those fighting cancer.
Subscribe here.
*If you’re fighting cancer, please write and let us know how we can pray and support you.

Blue Christmases happen. I don’t have raw statistics to prove it, but for those battling cancer, the sense of isolation is usually greater during the holiday season. Cancer takes no holidays. It’s impossible to forget the Christmas that I was diagnosed. On the day before Christmas Eve in 2002, I had a biopsy on a large mass under my arm. The surgeon called to give me the results on Christmas Day. He was heading out of town; I was heading down the road with Stage III metastatic melanoma cancer. So much for peace on my little chunk of earth. There were lots of caring family and friends surrounded me, but I still felt alone.

If you haven’t received your Creator’s indwelling Presence, just receive Him right now. Ask Him to forgive your sins through Christ’s death on the cross. Ask Him to come into your life and live inside of you and be your life source. He will truly answer with His Presence. He is not some distant, smug royal, who sits passively indifferent to our situation. He wants to be involved in your life. In fact, He wants to live inside of you and ride everywhere with you!

When you are being flooded with bad news, how does one focus on good things? Let’s be honest, sometimes in our lives, the “good news” of Christmas is totally overshadowed by personal news feeds. Perhaps an employer gave you a pink slip, or a potential employer said no. Maybe you received a news flash that a relationship is going deep south. Is your doctor continually giving reports of serious new problems? How do you stay positive in these cases? I can’t say that I’ve mastered this ability, since I’ve been known to wig out because of a traffic jam. I do confidently proclaim, however, that in my own life and in the lives of many others, I have seen the power of God lift a spirit, even in the bleakest circumstances. You see, God is not just a nice idea, HE IS A LIVING GOD! He delights to show up when we are at the bottom. He allows humbling trials and chronic weaknesses to show us how strong He can be on our behalf. Consider and take Him up on these offers:

1) He promises a “peace that surpasses all understanding” in Philippians 4:7. What does that mean? This is the type of peace where you marvel at how in the world someone can be so calm. But this peace is not of this world, it is supernaturally provided.

2) He offers in Ephesians 3:9, that we can know or experience a “love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” This means the love of God will literally saturate every fiber of our being. We can actually be filled with warm, uplifting love, not just intellectually aware of the fact that He loves us.

3) And joy, that elusive joy. Everyone wants it. God provides it free. Jesus said in John 15:11,  “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” This joy is not only from God, it is His joy. I don’t think God gets down in the dumps. I’ll take His joy any day.

This Christmas, no matter what circumstances you are in, look for His supernaturally supplied resources. The gift of Jesus Christ at Christmas keeps on giving. That is always good news, all year round. My sincerest prayers and thoughts go out to all of those who are in crisis during this Christmas season. We are thinking about you! You are not alone.

Sometimes in action movies, the lead character experiences such pain and obstacles, you wonder how he could possibly survive. Yet, you know he will, because he is the lead character. The movie, Deep Blue Sea, about killer sharks, is unusual, as story lines go. Just as Samuel Jackson’s character was giving “the speech”, providing everyone hope against incredible odds, he was swallowed by a shark. Granted, Samuel was not the movie’s only key character, but to me, the scene is one of the most shocking movie moments.

On Friday of that first Holy Week, I imagine Jesus’ followers felt similarly shocked, stunned and hopeless. By Sunday, history’s lead character had overcome His own death in the ultimate plot twist. In the great drama of God coming to earth, you didn’t think death would prevail, did you? Fortunately for us, a central reason He died and rose was to extend the Resurrection benefit to those who follow Him. This is some really great news and cause for great rejoicing on Easter and every day.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 – For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.*

No matter how bleak things get, and even if the ultimate bad break occurs, remember the drama is not over until the credits roll on that final Resurrection Day. Then we will receive sickness free bodies, and be reunited with our loves ones and our Lord. The sequel is all about wonderful bliss, eternal bliss. So Happy Resurrection Day!

*Scripture quotation taken from the NASB(c).