When Stephen was eleven years old, his mother, a crack addict, left him and his brother in a hotel and never returned. He and his brother found themselves in foster care. He felt unloved and worthless. At the age of seventeen, he was selling drugs to pay for college. He pulled a gun on a police officer investigating a crime in the neighbourhood. He was shot. While lying on the ground bleeding, he remembered one of his foster mothers who would read the Bible to him and made him feel wanted and told him that God wanted him. He told God that he was coming home. He asked Him to save his soul but not to allow him to live. God answered only one prayer. He saved his soul and He allowed him to live. 
    He lost forty percent of his right lung as well as two ribs. One bullet remained lodged in his spine. This left him confined to a wheelchair. He spent four years in prison where he read his Bible and spent time getting to know God. His past however plagued him and he had little hope of being healed. When he left prison, he got married and had two daughters. He was unable to work because of his disability and this left him depressed. His wife had to work to support them. He began writing and took care of his daughters. He began martial arts classes to strengthen his body and for self defence.
​    One day, his instructor prayed for him to be healed, something he had long given up on. When asked, he told him that he saw God as a harsh task master and that he was a tool in His tool kit but not a very well kept one. His instructor’s wife corrected him and told him how much God loved him. Her words registered with him. Suddenly, he was able to lift the cane in his hand high above his head and the pain was gone. He was able to walk upright and no longer needed the cane. When he became fully mobile he began working at the studio. He continued writing and his wife was finally able to stop working and stay at home to take care of her family.
    Three years later, he went to do x-rays. The x-rays revealed that his right lung which was forty percent removed was more robust; the two ribs that were supposedly removed were more robust than the others. The doctor explained to him that his spinal column had calcified around the bullet. It was as if it had been re-born and was now stronger because of the bullet.
​    Today he continues working as an author and prays for others to be healed. He and his wife encourage others to trust God’s love for them so that they can receive His miraculous touch.
    I was encouraged by Stephen’s story. He went through various challenges in his life and reached so far as to tell God to let him to die. It was interesting and encouraging that God chose not to answer his prayer and let him live. Sometimes we too can become so discouraged that giving up seems our only option. You can become so tired with the mess in your life that you just want it to be over. But, God still has the final say. If He wants you to live, you will live. If He wants you to get up and try again, He will give you the strength to do just that. 
    God does not give up because we do. I think that he likes when we reach the end of our rope and feel as if we can’t go on. That’s when He knows we are ready for Him to step in and do something miraculous that only He can do. Stephen was finally ready for God … only when he had reached the end of himself.
    What also catches my attention, is that bullet that was left lodged in his body. That same bullet was what made his spinal cord stronger than it was before. Many times in life, the very thing that seems so much like a negative, is what God uses to make us stronger and an even more useful tool in His hands. 
    We may not like the negative things that come our way, but, if God allows it, it will always be for a good reason. When He says that He will work all things together for our good, He means it. He will take both the good and the bad and use them together to bring about good in our lives. Our lives will become more fruitful, more valuable than we can ever imagine. After all, anything put in the Master’s hands, He will shape into something beautiful.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God knows how to take a mess and create something beautiful out of it. Even when you may want to give up, God knows how to take that hopeless situation and give you the hope and the future you never thought possible.

    Diana, a Christian oncologist, has been a source of hope to many of her patients. She chooses to never decree death over her patients or tell them how long they have to live. 
    She believes that words are alive. As a child, she wanted to become a doctor and a teacher and she decreed this over herself. She has fulfilled exactly what she said she would become. She is a doctor and as a doctor in oncology she teaches patients everyday. When she began practicing medicine, she saw it as a ministry, the opportunity to guide patients through the physical and spiritual aspects of healing. She trusts God to guide her in what to tell her patients. Her office is filled with framed Bible verses, an inspiration to her patients when they visit her. She believes that you must offer them hope to motivate them to want to live. 
    She prays with her patients and encourages them to put their hope in Jesus. She believes that prayer is the essential for life and it changes things. She has been practicing medicine for twenty-five years and treated thousands of patients and has one of the highest survival rates in the country. She attributes this to the power of prayer and a healing God. She believes that God never changes and to her it is an Ephesians 3:20 day everyday: “Now to Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us.”
    I was inspired as I listened to the story of this doctor. To hear her choose to allow God to have the final say and to speak His Word over her patients is truly inspiring. She could be practical and “real” but she chooses to motivate them to have hope and to trust in a God who can do the impossible.
    I am reminded of a song sung by singer Tobymac, “Speak Life.” One of the verses states: 
    It’s crazy, amazing,
    We can turn a heart through the words we say
    Mountains crumble with every syllable 
​    Hope can live or die
I believe that’s exactly what Dr Diana does for many of her patients. She chooses to speak words that destroy the negative, debilitating thoughts in their minds. In this way, she motivates them to want to live and to fight to live.
    We too can be like Dr Diana. The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. When we take this seriously, we can choose the words that can bring life to someone who is discouraged and wants to give up. We can even do like David and encourage ourselves in the Lord by speaking words to motivate ourselves to want to live, to want to get up and try again, to want to make it. We don’t even have to wait for someone to speak it over us. We can speak God’s Word over our lives for ourselves. We have the authority to do that. As children of God, we do have authority over all the power of the enemy. With that in mind, we can remind the devil and ourselves of what God’s Word says to us and about us. We can choose to speak in such a way so as to will ourselves to live and not die!
    I will insert here the story of Peter and John (Acts 3:2-8) and their encounter with the lame man at the temple gate, Beautiful. They had no money or medical help to offer him but they had the words of life. When Peter commanded him to walk in the name of Jesus, he did just that. Peter chose to speak the Word of life, in the name of Jesus, over his lame body and his body was healed and his life changed from that day forward. 
    Even Jesus’ words to Jairus when they were told that his daughter was dead were words that brought encouragement and hope. Jairus believed that it was over but Jesus told him: “Don’t be afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36b). When Jesus said that, it gave Jairus hope to believe for the impossible.
    Words are indeed alive as Dr Diana said. We have to be careful therefore with what we say. We can be the ones to either hinder or encourage our progress. We also have the power to cancel any negative word spoken over us or about us. People’s words don’t have the final say, God’s Word does and when we choose to let our words align with God’s Word, powerful things can happen.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God wants you to live an Ephesians 3:20 kind of life. He wants you to have hope when there seems to be none and to trust that if He says it, He Himself will bring it to pass.

    Jamie was a martial arts expert and a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) coach. He was in control of his life, or so he thought…
    When he was born, he was abandoned by his parents and his grandparents adopted him. Feeling extremely hurt by the sense of abandonment by his parents, especially his father, he found his identity and a sense of control in martial arts. He developed a successful career which led to coaching MMA fighters and his induction in the US martial arts Hall of Fame. Even though he achieved a lot, it was still not enough and he was always searching for more. Sadly, all of this became nothing when his wife, who had a long term heart condition, died in his arms. It did not help  that his daughter watched him trying to resuscitate her but without success.   In spite of all he had achieved and how much he had felt he was in control, it devastated him that he could not save his wife or protect his daughter from her pain. Over the next year, he began abusing alcohol and prescription drugs. He began leading a double life. On one hand, he was a mentor to his martial arts students and a coach to the men who fought for him. On the other hand, he was miserable, empty and self-destructive. He believed in God’s existence, but did not believe that God was good. 
    One day, while target shooting out on his property, his mind became flooded with guilt and thoughts of condemnation. He put the gun in his mouth deciding to end his life. When he pulled the trigger it clicked but nothing happened. With the click of the trigger, he realised he did not want to die. He dropped to his knees and had a serious conversation with God, giving his life to him and admitting that he did not want to live the way he had been living anymore. Something happened on the inside of him that he could not explain. He had experienced religion before but now he experienced the Holy Spirit. He was flooded with joy and peace. A moment later, while clearing the gun, the shot fired. He knew that God had miraculously spared his life. He finally found freedom and a new identity. He now has a new purpose and new desires and wants to follow God full time. He is remarried and involved in ministry encouraging others to find their peace, purpose and identity as a child of God through Jesus Christ. 
    It’s nice to feel a sense of control, to make every effort to protect yourself from hurt, pain and tragedy. Unfortunately, our efforts to protect ourselves don’t always quite work out the way we might expect. Jamie’s desperate need for control was born out of the hurt from his parents’ abandonment.  He needed to protect himself from the trauma that that had caused. Sadly, instead, he only made things worse. It was only when he allowed God to take control that he could experience peace and joy. It’s the same with us. When we relinquish control to God, the stress and frustration of trying to do it all on our own ceases and we can be at peace knowing that Someone bigger and more capable than we are, can and will handle it. 
    I recently spoke to some students about identity. I told them that as soon as they asked Jesus to come into their life, the Holy Spirit would come in and they would now have a new identity in Christ. They would belong to God and have the privilege of going to Him whenever they needed to. 
    It is indeed a privilege to belong to the One true and living God. According to  Ephesians Chapter One, being His child means that, among other things, we are forgiven and redeemed (v.7), adopted (v.5), sealed with His Holy Spirit (v. 13b) . In short, we are covered. 
    So, no matter what comes your way, you have a heavenly Daddy who will take care of you and protect you from all harm and evil. He may not stop negatives from coming your way, but He will certainly ensure that they do not have the final say in your life.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God wants you to belong to Him because He has such a beautiful plan and purpose for your life. He doesn’t want you to be stressed with trying to control it all but to leave the control to Him so that you can enjoy His very best for you. ​

    Phillip became a bodybuilder from the age of thirteen. He valued strength and was always trying to get bigger. He used many supplement drinks but these damaged his liver. On top of that, a tattoo needle made things worse. Doctors  did blood tests and discovered that the needle had Hepatitis C in it. He had liver cancer and would need a liver transplant. On hearing this news, he attempted to break up with his girlfriend. He did not want to drag her through his ordeal. But, she knew how to turn to God in prayer and did not give up on him. They finally exchanged vows. He had the prayer support he needed. 
    When a liver was found, he told God that if things went wrong, he would come to Him. He flatlined on the operating table because of complications. He had a supernatural experience with God and God told him that it was not his time, he had to go back, he was going to be okay. It took three and a half minutes to resuscitate him. The operation went on to be a success and he lived a normal life for thirteen years.              One day, however, he felt a shooting pain while playing basketball. It was discovered that his liver was failing. Doctors would have to remove and replace, however, not just his liver this time, but his kidney, his pancreas and his upper and lower intestines. He cried out to God wanting to know if this was it for him. God reminded him that he had died for three and a half minutes. He had not left him then, He was certainly not going to leave him now. He felt a calm come over him. He felt confident that God was going to do it for him again. 
    When a donor was found, his wife rallied prayer support for him. It took two surgeries over two days to transplant the five organs. After the surgeries, Phillip was up and about in a matter of days, something that was uncommon for patients who had undergone this type of surgery. He felt healthier and happier than ever before. He now takes opportunities to tell others how God and the power of prayer saved his life. 
    One of the encouraging things about this testimony is the fact that even when it seemed like it was over for Phillip, God stepped in and came through for him. When he died during the first operation, God came through for him and let him know that it was not over for him. Sometimes, as we go through challenges, we may feel as if it’s over. We may not feel motivated to get back up and go again but, that might be a good time to ask God His opinion on it. You see, what may seem like the end to us, may not be in God’s eyes. What looks like a full stop to us may in fact be a comma to God. God still has the final say.
    When Jairus’ daughter died, it looked like the end to everyone … except Jesus. He told her father: “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” That must not have made any sense since all could see that she had died. But Jesus still had the final say and He had decided that she should live … and she did (Mark 5:21-43).
    The other thing that caught my attention was the fact that after thirteen years of living a normal, healthy life, the problem returned but worse than before - it was no longer one organ in jeopardy but five! It can be discouraging when you think a problem is resolved only to have it return and to be worse than before. You wonder where God is in the midst of all of this. Yet, God never allows anything that He can’t handle. If we did not have to handle it ourselves the first time, we still don’t have to handle it a second time or thereafter. God is still and will still be God no matter what comes our way or how many times it comes our way! What I love about God is the reality that, if He did it before, He will do it again. God is not a one-time God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
    So, be encouraged today. No matter how challenging the problem may be, God is able. He just wants us to trust Him; to trust that He is able and that He is not intimidated by any problem. He is not intimidated even if it presents itself again. What He will prove to us is that if He brought us through before, He can and will certainly bring us through again. We serve a powerful God!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God will be God no matter what comes your way, no matter how many times it comes your way. If He fights for you once, He will fight for you again and again. He is faithful.​

    James was in jeopardy of losing the gift and talent the Lord had given him. He had developed and was enjoying a blossoming career as a voice actor when one day, he woke up and discovered that he had no voice. He and his wife found out that they had black mould in their new home. Blood tests revealed six different types of mould in his bloodstream, one of which was a very dangerous mould. He had been experiencing brain fog and memory loss along with a failing voice. He remembers the day he went to the doctor and was told he had to stop speaking. He prayed, “God please don’t let this be the worst day of my life.”
    James underwent extensive therapy to regain his voice. He went to different doctors who wanted to put him on various types of medication but warned him that his voice might not be as good as before. He decided to take a very pro-active and holistic approach. He changed his diet, his exercise and the way he lived, in an attempt to cleanse his system of the mould. He acknowledged that he had been given a wonderful gift from God but he had not been doing it right. God needed to correct that, even by using what was shocking to his system. However, he was able to retrain his voice to be stronger than it was before. 
    One day, while going through the paper work for the adoption, an interesting detail caught his attention. It turns out that the day he received the news from the doctor about his voice, was the exact same day the little girl they were adopting was born. God had turned things around. He turned the worst day of his life into his best day! God was showing Him that He was always listening and that the things we might think are our hardest journeys are really to build us up and make us stronger for the next journey. He is now enjoying using his voice to share the love of Jesus.
    I am encouraged by this story because we see a man in danger of losing the gift God has given him. Some of us can probably relate to this story. God has blessed you with the ability to do great things for Him and you know it. Yet, challenges, obstacles are coming your way to sabotage, even abort, God’s plan and purpose for your life. It can be discouraging as you wonder if you will ever make it through this season, if you will ever be able to accomplish God’s purpose for your life. 
    I always come back to David’s life. He had been anointed to be the new king of Israel, yet challenges and obstacles way bigger than him, consistently presented themselves, bent on preventing him from doing what he had been anointed to do. He faced rejection, betrayal and even death. He must have wondered many times if he would ever make it. But God…! David learned to lean heavily on God during his trying times and seasons. Sometimes I think God was His only true support and strength. James and his wife must have felt that way at times. They learned to lean on God heavily, relying on Him to get them through that season. God expects the same of us. When our backs are against the wall, God and God alone will help us to make it. 
    I like the fact that James admits that his voice became stronger than it was before. It’s an interesting thing when the trial that we go through makes us stronger than we were before the trial took place. God has an amazing way of bringing us out better than before. It’s as if the gift and talent God gave James, God refined and perfected in the fires of adversity. That’s the kind of thing God does. As James himself realised, tough journeys make us stronger for the next journey or battle that comes our way. I have realised that nothing that we go through is in vain. God uses it all, both good and bad to bring about good in our lives and to enhance this life He has given us. Only God! So, as you go through your challenge today, remember that God is able to and will use it for good!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is not in the habit of taking away the gifts and talents He has given us … even when challenges come our way. He is well able to perfect that which concerns us as He helps us fulfil His plan and purpose for our lives.