Happy encounters

Many divine encounters have been happening. They are stirring up my spirit to cause me to have desire to know God more. God is calling me to spend more time reading His word and listen to Him and just hang around with him more, I believe, because I was feeling down last week. I was not happy because when I had a chance to give a testimony unexpectedly, I felt like I was not giving glory to God. Does my heart really depend on God or chemotherapy and other vitamins? Cancer shrunk but why not total healing? Is it because I don't know God's word enough yet? I want to know God's way more!!

Those happy encounters were divine ones to stir up my spirit.
Yesterday I saw one of my friends' husband at a parking lot and he prayed for me.
 Last night at my friend's farewell dinner, one friend was simply sharing how she has been reading one chapter a day since the spring time and I commended her for that. It stirred up my spirit again to read the Bible and keep on reading. Today someone who wrote me an encouraging letter after he heard about me came by to drop off some CD's of healing teaching. We had never met before. He was a delight and the CD's are amazing. Godly people are around!!

Dodie Osteen said to read the Bible diligently in her testimony. She was healed of her cancer 28 years ago after she was told she had two weeks to live.

No time to waste!
I will stand firmly on the word of God!
Father, I will meet you in my closet now.

In His Presence

Last Sunday I met someone who has been healed from his stage 3 esophagus cancer. He prayed for me. He said that he did not know how to pray in a fancy way but he just prays for people. How wonderful! He said he never doubted that Jesus would heal him. Hmmm.... have I doubted? I have to say that I wondered if He would do that for me even though I believe firmly that Jesus can heal people miraculously. But I will keep believing and will not doubt.

He also said that he stays in the presence of the LORD. I need to be reminded of that. It is amazing that even when I am diagnosed with a devastating disease, I need to be reminded of that! But I took it as reality. I need to realize that spending time and tarrying with Jesus is not  just a relaxing time. It is the most important time. So I am tarrying more.

A lady at church told me several weeks ago that I should not wait until I am healed before I start praying for other people. I have been looking for an opportunity to come. Then last Thursday on my way home from another chemotherapy I saw a lady in a wheelchair with a cap on. She had lost her hair. Her husband was pushing her wheelchair. I had no time to hesitate because my heart went out to this young lady and I had compassion for her. I wanted her to know Jesus wanted to heal her. I am usually a shy person, but I introduced myself to her at the parking lot and gave her a copy of the list of healing scriptures I got form the Bethel church in Redding. I prayed one sentence in Jesus' name and left. (They were kind of in a hurry to get to the pharmacy before it closed.)

Jesus, we need you!

Praise God. Thank you God. I continue to do well through chemotherapy. Jesus is the center of the gospel. When I seek the kingdom of God first, other things will be also given to me and all who believe.


"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."  Mark 16:17-18

Jesus healed all who came to him

Pastor Bill Johnson in Redding, Ca., said that Jesus did not say, "I cannot pray for healing because I think God is teaching you a lesson through this sickness." It is an incredible truth. I have been reminding myself that Jesus healed "all." God is not teaching me something in this sickness. God did not send this to me. That is why I can fight and keep going to God in prayer. I also keep asking for prayer. It is perfectly OK with God.

Jesus also healed Peter's mother-in-law and she got up and started serving. I told God that I would like to serve and love my family. I have been given the energy to work in the kitchen more and more. I didn't cook for awhile but now I am cooking again for my family.

If I believe that I am saved because of what the Lord has done for me, then, why not believing in healing because of what the Lord has done?

The truth is setting me free.

I enjoyed the movie Yentl.

I loved the movie Yentl.

Since I was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in September and the purpose of the treatment is to keep me alive longer (medically speaking), my focus has been Jesus, first of all, then the Scripture, eating (to stop loosing weight), and working and living. By God's grace and many people's prayer I am doing well. Last night I happened to watch Yentl and I was drawn to it. I loved it. It is a little strange story but I understand Yentl who wanted to be free to be herself. God designed us to be us. It brought back my passion to study the Bible more! Praise God. I am also happy that I am doing fun things like enjoying a movie.

I had a healing dream last night. Jesus, I trust in YOU.

ステージ４の癌（＝末期）と診断され、しかも治療の目的は治すためではなく私の体を少しでも長く地上に生かしておくためということになｔってから、私の生活の目的は　まずイエス様、そして聖書、食事（体重がこれ以上減るのを防ぐため)、仕事、そして生きるという風になりました。大変そうに聞こえて、事実大変なんだけど、毎日仕事にいってて見た目は普通の生活なんだけど、中身は”生きる”ために生きています。そして神様のめぐみと、多くの人たちのお祈りのおかげで私は元気にしています。　昨夜たまたまYentlという映画を見てとても惹かれてしまいました。生きるために一生懸命だったし、そういう風にテレビを見て楽しむということをしていなかった私にとってはめずらしくテレビをみて楽しみました。大好きになりました。ちょっとおかしなストーリで主人は私を変人あつかいするけれど、すばらしいと思いました。心に聖書を読む喜びをまた求める心が強まったように思います。ふたたび心にちょっと余裕がでてきてうれしいです。

Healing Prayer

Suddenly I am walking as closely to God as I know how. I am hiding under his wings like a little child would go under her parents' presence and hold onto whatever she can hold onto.
I was diagnosed with stage IV primary lung cancer which has spread to several parts of my organ and to my brain. I was a healthy person until I was diagnosed with it.

This is the beginning of my healing blog.

In July I went to an urgent care because of my lingering cough. It was not a big deal because I wasn't coughing much but I kept coughing since March. The x-ray showed a mass in my right lung. The urgent care treated me as pneumonia and told me to find a doctor for a follow-up.

My primary doctor referred me to a surgeon right away and said that this base-ball-sized mass should not be in my lung, and I did a scan.

The surgeon said I was inoperable and told me it was a cancer, but to be sure, I had a PET scan and a biopsy. The PET showed that the cancer had already spread to several parts of the body. He referred me to an oncologist, and ordered an MRI because the lung cancer tends to spread to the brain.

9/1/2010  Saw an oncologist. He said it was a stage 4 primary lung cancer and the prognosis was from 6 months to 2 years. He recommended 6 session of chemo, then one medicine via IV after that indefinitely. I cannot remember when, but sometime before the first appointment I had a dream. In my dream I was walking down an alley which looked like something I saw in a Vietnam War movie. The buildings were gray, and dark. I looked in those houses and saw some people were helplessly lying on the floor and they were dying. Then I shouted, "This is a death house!" and ran. On the way out form the oncologist's office, as I was looking into the treatment room, the image of the dream came back to me because it was just like walking down the narrow alley...

The surgeon called from his cell phone and said that the MRI showed the cancer had already spread to the brain and I needed to talk to my oncologist right away. I was devastated. That night I decided I would just forget chemo and live peacefully until the end, but my husband convinced me that I should start chemo because the medical help was available, and he said I should try. I decided to go along with that for my husband and our children.


Am I going into the room which may be a "death house?" I asked myself as I was entering the oncologist's office. In spite of my expectation, people looked cheerful there. I was at ease. I felt better. We were all trying to get better.

I did one chemo, one more MRI, then CyberKnife radiation therapy in September. I was fine. CyberKnife was a type of a brain surgery but I walked to the hospital, had it done, then walked back to work. I worked a few hours and drove myself home after the procedure. God was strengthening me all this time. My vision was somewhat blurry but I was fine.


I am thankful for all my family and friends and even the people I never met for praying for me.

I believe it is His will for all to be healed.

"Sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about?

I believe God heals miraculously. (..like something that shows in the x-ray will disappear..) It hasn't happened to me but that doesn't mean God doesn't do it.


"Why did I get this condition in my body?"
I usually stand in my closet and look back my life and repent of things I can think of when I get sick. I don't know if it is right, but it is just the way I am. Always there is something to repent from even though I don't know if it is related to my physical condition or not.

There is one scripture I found some time ago from Judges.

"Sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they say, `The LORD brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites."(Judges 6:13 NLT)

I was told there was a tumor in my right lung. Will I have a surgery?
 

When we ask the Lord "why" our God answers in various ways according to the situation, I believe, because He knows who we are and where our heart is. He doesn't seem to say "because" thought. God answered Gideon in a very unique way. I almost asked God "why" but my heart seemed to know the answer already.



New Living Translation (©2007)
3“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. (John 9:3)


May God be glorified!

But I wondered.


"Will you heal me?"

I know it is God's will to heal all of us, but will he heal me? Yet I ask him to heal me. I would definitely keep praying and praying for my family.

12In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”

13Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. (Luke 5 NLT)

12While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy.^a And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13And Jesus^b stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. (ESV)


In NLT Jesus said to be healed. Other translations says to be cleansed. My own understanding is if our whole body was cleansed then naturally diseased part of the body would be healed! Either way, it is Jesus' will to heal us.



"How will it happen?"
Not by eating certain herbs or drinks or food. Not by doing exercises and train body. Those things are beneficial, but healing happens only by the grace of God - by His mighty hand. I still try to eat healthy, but not focus on it too much (at least I will try not to ). I read the scripture somewhere the other day that spoke to me but I can't remember where it was. Should have written it down..

Finally, if whatever I have is not departing from me, I would cling to God and walk one step at a time, asking Him to let me not loose my sight of Him. If not our God, where else could I go?

English Standard Version (©2001)
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 
(John 6:68)

Lord, to whom shall I go? Only you have the words of eternal life.

Deuteronomy

The word Deuteronomy derived from Greek and Latin. It is "Devarim" in Hebrew and it means "words."

I see in this book that people's hearts are so stubborn. Mine is like that, too.

God "Go and conquer the land I am giving you."
People "Let us send spies and study the land first."

After the spies came back they didn't want to go.


God "Turn around and go back."
People  "We repent. Let us go forward to the land."

God "Stop."
People went any way.

They cried after they were defeated but it was too late, but God is still gracious and compassionate. He loves them anyway.

Many situations like this happen in our lives, I think. Then we cry and think to ourselves (or to the Christians) "where is God when we need him?"

Please forgive me for being selfish and self-centered...

misunderstood words in the Old Testament

The word satan.
I am reviewing one of Kay Arthur's "Lord..." series and got curious about the original word for Satan.
The word "satan" is a Hebrew word and that means "adversary."  The one who opposes is "an adversary" and the word for that is "satan." It is not his name. Then I googled. See 

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H7854&t=NLT

and

http://www.bibletopics.com/biblestudy/164.htm

The word Lucifer
A couple months ago I learned that the infamous name "Lucifer" is not in the original text when I was curious to see this part in the original language. Did anyone know that? We just assume that one of the fallen angels or the demon's name is Lucifer, but it is not true.See this.

http://www.echoofeden.com/bias/lucifer/

She conceives (Tazria)

(This is not according to the reading schedule.)

Leviticus 12:1-13:59

The instruction regarding a woman who conceives and gives birth to a child. The Scriptures say that the woman is unclean for certain days. I didn't know what to think of this. She becomes a mom and is 'unclean'. But the "Walk! Leviticus" commentary says something interesting. It gave me a different point of view.

"Women do not sin by giving birth to children (Gen. 1:28). Nor do their subsequent rites of purification require laying on of hands, confession, an asham, or a different offering for the birth of a boy or a girl. But the loss of blood diminishes a mother's wholeness, rendering her incomplete and thus tam'ah (cf. Lev. 12:4, 5, 7). Only the passage of time restores her wholeness."

(Walk! Leviticus)

(The word "tam'ah" means defiled.)

I feel God's thoughtfulness towards our wholeness.

Mr. Shigehara

This youtube is about Mr. Shigehara who wrote many visas to the Jewish people during the WW ll.
I was very touched by his life. I saw a movie based on his life, too. I believe he was a Christian.