For My Friend "L"

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Corinthians 15.57]

For my friend "L" who was recently diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.

Life is uncertain at best. 

Because of the sin of Adam, every human being is conceived and born into sin. This sin "qualifies" every person then to experience a plethora of bad things - curses. It was all "part of the deal" in the garden of Eden, even though Adam and Eve weren't given full disclosure by Satan. And, if the seemingly endless buffet of curses were not enough, death, at its highest form (total and eternal separation from God), is tagged on the end.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, knew from the very beginning that in order to have a genuine relationship with His newly-created man-species, it would require that man have a choice in the relationship (otherwise, it would be one-sided). Jesus was, is, and always will be that choice.

Jesus is the very Word of God. And, the Word of God, right after creating man said, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” (Genesis 3.16). Adam and Eve had the choice to choose Jesus (the Word) or not. They chose "not" and every stage of death, starting with hardships, progressing downward to sickness, disease, and every physical and material loss, and finally culminating in eternal separation from God (again, the highest form of death) ensued.

The difference between Adam and Eve and us is that Adam and Eve were not born into sin and death. We were. Because of this, every "damned" condition of being cursed is our default condition.

However... The Word of God, that remains forever, remains our hope. Instead of, from a position of perfection, choosing to stay sinless, we, from a position of inherent sinfulness, must choose to become sinless through Jesus Christ. This is done through acknowledgement of our sinful condition (repentance) and believing in Him. It's an "easy fix" really, but history has proven that Satan's relentless deception even complicates and confuses the simplest forms of obedience to God.

And thus, curses abound even today. Everything from a common cold to aggressive brain cancer. And, not only that, but, just as the ground became "hard" for Adam to till, our own sustenance and provision remains "work" and vulnerable to all manner of cursed conditions.

The solution however was, and always will be the same: Jesus, God's Word. It all starts with obedience. For all mankind after Adam, this obedience is repentance. And then, continuing the obedience, man is tasked with the obedience of faith - the obedience to believe what God said (His Word - Jesus) - in spite of circumstances. God even provided every man with faith, but it still comes down to whether or not man will choose to believe or not. Circumstances, if not willfully and purposefully addressed, are an ongoing deception of Satan that are sure to put a cloud over faith...

The passage above says it all:

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Corinthians 15.57]

Some will succeed (and have succeeded) in realizing victory over sin and death in this life to varying degrees. God has challenged us all to live by faith - and, it is a challenge! However, ALL, who truly believe in Jesus Christ, even though they may succumb to the curse of physical death, will realize ultimate victory over spiritual death when they rise again unscathed into eternal life with the One in Whom they believed! This is not meant to discourage faith for redemption from curses while on earth, but to assure us that, if we repent and believe, we have nothing to fear and nothing to dread either way! It truly is a win-win situation! Paul said it like this:

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. [Philippians 1.21]

So, to my friend, "L," let's fight this thing tooth and nail in total surrender to Jesus Christ with all the faith He asks of us. This is true faith - this is pleasing to God. This is where it is REAL! We win no matter the outcome if we believe!

Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy and may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In "L's" case, this means I declare Your curse-less condition of health as it is in heaven over him here on earth! This means I align myself with not only with eternal life for "L," but physical life for him as well. May "L" be encouraged and grow in faith. May he know Your Word, Jesus, better every day than the day before. May he rely on Jesus and nothing else. May he seek relief in Jesus and nothing else. May he find his faith strong and unrelenting in the face of every circumstance! So be it!