That was so wonderful to read lbj to be honest I'm at a loss for words now.
Thanks so much for sharing.

Several times in this thread I have posted about having a hard time asking for things for myself through prayer.
I have also posted about how easy it is to pray for others.

In some ways I have always thought I was being humble by not asking for things for myself through Christ.

And now things have changed.
I can be humble yet still ask God for redemption, which I have been given.
I asked for the Holy Ghost to fill my body and spirit with the love of Christ.
I asked that my spirit be healed.

And now, when I pray, I found out that Christ expects me to be humble yet ask for physical healing of my body.

Before, I felt selfish asking God for something very important to me, like healing both physical and spiritually.
Not anymore. I am supposed to ask as long as it is something good.
What a difference in mindset.
By not asking for physical healing, I was denying God.

All of this fell into place when Pastor Dieter talked about all these gifts God wants us to have if we would only ask. But I couldn't.
He likened it this way:
Have you ever offered a gift to a small child?
Did the child say no, I don't want a gift.
That never happens.

That's what I was doing, refusing gifts from God. That was wrong.

Lots of good things still happening late in my life.

There's never any shame in asking for help.
We all need a little assistance sometimes.

I honor God when I accept His gifts.
I dishonor Him when I don't accept.

I hurt loved ones and others when I don't want them to give me a gift they really want to give me like at Christmas.

Changes afoot.

I've said it before earlier in the thread and I'll say it again: The journey your are on and your willingness to share your emotions and life's lessons truly humble me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts such as these, lbj. I am learning and re-learning important truths because of your willingness to write them for us.

Blessings to you and your family.

quote:

Before, I felt selfish asking God for something very important to me, like healing both physical and spiritually.
Not anymore. I am supposed to ask as long as it is something good.
What a difference in mindset.
By not asking for physical healing, I was denying God.

All of this fell into place when Pastor Dieter talked about all these gifts God wants us to have if we would only ask. But I couldn't.
He likened it this way:
Have you ever offered a gift to a small child?
Did the child say no, I don't want a gift.
That never happens.

That's what I was doing, refusing gifts from God. That was wrong.

lbj, let me add my testimony of healing...a minor thing, but I can't deny that it happened. About 10 years ago I heard about a healing prayer teaching and prayer service, in which a friend of a friend was immediately healed of lifelong congenital foot deformities and polio. He was literally able to throw away his braces and dance. I met with him personally, I knew his story to be true. The following year my wife and I went to the same session at the annual Hawaiian Islands Ministries conference. Not for ourselves but to see if prayer might cure our two children of severe diseases that were shrinking their once-bright futures.

At the end of the session the teacher asked if anyone would know right away if they were healed. I was planned to have surgery on my left shoulder for impingement syndrome the following Tuesday. Not a big deal, but I couldn't raise my L arm fully. So I raised it up as much as I could, and people came to pray over me for about 20 minutes. It was a very giddy sensation. At the end of that time I was able to extend my left arm completely, and it has remained that way ever since.
At the same time my wife was going to need surgery for tendinitis in a thumb. She was praying over it while others were praying over me. After that time she could flex her thumb, which she couldn't do before, and she also never needed surgery.

Now for us these were not curing cancer; but they happened; and we believe now from our own experience that God can heal through prayer. We do know of others who have been cured of cancer by prayer. God is sovereign, so He can choose to answer one prayer or another, often not as we see fit.

As you know, I'm a cardiologist, so all my training is to treat my conventional scientific medicine. Yet I can't deny the experience of what happened to us that day.

God bless, lbj

I believe you without doubt.

I kinda survive on limited food intake the last 1.5 years. I drink a lot of Ensure Plus.

I don't want to alarm anyone but for the last several days, I have been hungry for actual food.
Imagine that?

I mean I have eaten 2 normal real food meals a day all week.
Incredible.

Talk about energy today, it's like my old self.
I have also been walking a lot around my neighborhood for about a month and last night, I did the circuit 3 times.
My legs have always been sticks, but with my disease, there has been nothing but losing muscle everywhere even with exercise.
Even Mrs. LBJ says I have gained thigh muscle recently.
Oh man, this is the first positive physical news I have had since this whole ordeal began.
Praise God!

quote:

Oh man, this is the first positive physical news I have had since this whole ordeal began.
Praise God!

Hallelujah!

Excellent news!!

I think I am going to make a Boars Head smoked turkey sandwich with American cheese and mayo for lunch, maybe even some potato chips and milk.

I am really looking forward to this today.

Miles and me.

Gee, my skin condition really shows these days.
It literally is dissolving right before my eyes.

That photo is adorable. Look at those smiles!

I am telling you all, I am happy these days and for the rest of my life.

It is certain that one of the gifts Christ is giving me is the chance to know him better and there is an even better way for me to live.

My faith got me to this point well enough and it will only grow both in knowledge and strength.
These new gifts will get me through what lies ahead and more importantly if the answer is no to sticking around on the planet for a few more years to take care of my family.

That picture is fantastic!

quote:

Originally posted by lbj:
I am telling you all, I am happy these days and for the rest of my life.

It is certain that one of the gifts Christ is giving me is the chance to know him better and there is an even better way for me to live.

My faith got me to this point well enough and it will only grow both in knowledge and strength.
These new gifts will get me through what lies ahead and more importantly if the answer is no to sticking around on the planet for a few more years to take care of my family.

Lovely, and well said.

Yes, we do look happy in that photo because we are really happy in that photo.

Some didn't want this child in this world.
Just look at him, they were wrong.

That said, my youngest daughter followed the courage of her convictions and brought him into this world with no support then and no support currently from his dad or dad's side of the family.

I pray that they change and see the gift that is Miles.

Looking back to about 3 weeks ago and maybe a little further, I remember emailing para that the time was fast approaching that I would be alive yet not living.
That is rock bottom folks.
My faith was still intact, I wasn't depressed, but what was happening is that I figured I had done everything I could do in this world and began to wait for the inevitable.
Not a great place to be even for the strong at heart, like me.

As strong as I had been the last 19 months, this ordeal was finally beating me down.
Little did I know that just a week later God was coming to my rescue and here I am...
new and improved super concentrated me, facing the challenges that lie ahead.

For the first time ever, I truly feel God's intervention in my life.

Yes, there is purpose to my illness that I do not fully understand yet.