Christ, obedience and a sword - 20 September 2024

Skip Heitzig, senior pastor at Calvary Church, is a gifted preacher who insightfully expounds the Word of God.

A few years ago, he described how he landed up on a gurney in an emergency room, only to discover that blood was collecting in his brain, engulfing him in worry. Understanding that seizures could possibly follow, he had extremely dark thoughts.

It was then that his wife, Lenya, reminded him to take his thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, imploring him to focus on the above-mentioned passage of Scripture. It turned him around – and led to a decision to entrust himself to Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals – to Jesus, the Great Physician. Skip proved that there is nothing like walking the talk.

When I heard it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdRcG2RKng&t=1461s), I was facing my own personal problems, and I just thought that if Skip could put the Bible into practice in a gut-wrenching time in his life, so could I. His candid admission inspired many others as the comment section showed, but it also demonstrated that something amazing happens when we trust God, and allow our thoughts to be shaped by his Word.

So when the trio of anxiety, fearful thoughts and self-doubt all pitch up, working hard to get us to quit having faith in and trusting God, we can take a stand against it.

One of his statements was particularly encouraging to me personally. He said, “I don’t know my future. I only know the One who knows my future and who controls my future.” It echoes the sentiment once expressed by Corrie ten Boom, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” I have shared Skip’s story not only with you but also with some others who have been feeling down and it has brought tremendous comfort.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

May the Word ever be in our hearts no matter the circumstance. We never know who needs to see our faith in action. It may just embolden another believer to truly trust God when the going gets tough.

Prayer: Thank you, God, that we live in faith communities where our faith is lived out and practised. Thank you that we can be there for each other and be a blessing when others need us most. We give you the glory, Lord, as you are the One who makes it all possible. Amen