FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

by Don Phillips

"You are seen as bright lights, shinning out clearly in the dark world,

holding out to and offering it the Word of Life.” (Phil. 2: 15 AMP)

God faithfully provides His light to encourage and lead us out of the darkness into His marvelous light. It is in times of darkness that we can experience some of our greatest victories and growth. I am convinced that when Jesus is our Savior and Lord, we have the Light of the world (Jesus) residing within us. No strategy from Satan can extinguish that Light. Satan cannot hold us hostage because he was defeated by Jesus on the cross. May God help us to not let fear rule over us and cause us to doubt in the darkness what God has promised. God will continue to shine in our darkness until it is overcome.

As we observe what is happening in our World today, we could conclude that these are dark times. We are entering into what many believe to be the end times when Jesus will return. What the prophets said would be the signs of the return of Christ are being fulfilled daily.

 As we face dark times we must remember who we are and Who He is. We, through faith in Jesus Christ, are the children of God and we must believe that He has everything under control. We must not allow doubt and confusion to minimize our faith in a loving, providing and all sufficient God. It is true that God wants us to use what we learn in our dark seasons to bless others. "What I say to you in the dark, speak in the light;and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetop." Matthew 10: 27

Are you going through a dark season?

Perhaps you are experiencing a dark season emotionally, in your physical body, marriage, family or finances. I encourage you to let God use your dark times to bring you closer to Him. I encourage you to let His light shine brightly in you for His glory and for the benefit of others.

God enables and empowers us to overcome the darkness. May God help us to let the stress and pain  draw us closer to Him and each other. Satan, the prince of darkness, wants to cause you to fear and doubt, which will ultimately lead  to unbelief. We must decide who we will follow during our dark times. Prayer, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word will help us overcome those dark seasons in our lives.

We who have experienced or are experiencing a dark season can discover an overwhelming sense of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit serving as a light guiding us through our dark times. As Ruthanne and I are going through a current personal challenge, we are greatly encouraged as we read Psalm 119: 105 in The Message Bible: “By Your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path."

Our Journey from darkness to light

Several months ago I was diagnosed with Stage two Lung Cancer. Ruthanne and I met with the surgeon who specializes in lung cancer surgery. He recommended immediate surgery. He said even with surgery he could not give us a positive prognosis. He described the surgery procedure. He would have to go in and spread my rib cage and collapse my left lung. He would then remove the lower left lobe where the cancerous tumor was located. He said recovery would be long and require Chemo therapy and Radiation. He said we could get a second opinion if we wanted to.

As we drove home from the Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara, we both were silent for a while and a feeling of darkness began to come over us. After several minutes we began to pray and talk. We both recognized that this was another dark season for us but we knew that God would shine His light in the midst of our darkness as He has done through previous dark experiences.

A promise from God

God reminded me of a message He gave me a few days before. “Don, you will be going through another storm but the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.” We both were encouraged to trust God more than the doctors. After I received that word from the Lord, Ruthanne reminded me that it was from Malachi 4: 2. We read verses 1-3 in several versions and were greatly encouraged. May you be encouraged as you read these words of light and hope in the midst of your dark season.

“Count on it: — a black day. But for you, sunrise! The sun (Son) of righteousness will dawn on those who honor my name, healing radiating from its wings. You will be bursting with energy, like colts frisky and frolicking. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.”  (Malachi 4: 1-3 The Message) (Emphasis mine)

God gave us a “second opinion”

We rejoiced that God had given us a “second” opinion through this and other promises. We were overwhelmed with the assurance that we could go through another dark season without doubting or wavering. After prayer we felt God didn’t want me to have surgery, Chemo therapy or radiation. We were convinced that God wanted us to use the natural path for healing. God led us to a great Naturopathic doctor who has treated me for the past several months. Even though I have periodic pain, in many ways I feel better now than I have in years. I still have my Oncologist and he informed me that my last test showed the cancer has not grown or spread. Praise God!

We talked about the other dark times in our lives and how God was always faithful to let His light shine on our pathway and give us light and hope for our future. God always proved Himself to be so very faithful. The more we talked and prayed the light got brighter and our faith began to rise and the darkness began to flee.

The darkest season of all

We talked about the darkest season of all when we had to watch our daughter Donna die a slow painful death, what a dark night of the soul that was for her family and friends. She was 36 and the wife of our wonderful son-in-law Richard and the mother of our awesome grandchildren, Abby, Jeremy, Rachel and Ruth. We were so grateful for the love and prayers from so many in the body of Christ. Through it all God’s light broke forth and gave all our family and friends the power to let Him use that dark season for our good and His glory.

We are so grateful for the way God has blessed Donna’s family. Here is a current update: Richard is still a man of the Word and prayer and has organized some of the men in our family who live in the area to meet with me on a regular basis. I appreciate my "stretcher bearers," Richard, Jeremy, who recently returned from Marine duty in Iraq; Danny, Abby's husband who is on the pastoral staff at Calvary Chapel in San Jose;  Pete, Rachel's husband, who assists Danny with the youth at Calvary, and Solomon (11), Abby’s oldest child, who is becoming quit a prayer warrior and Bible scholar. 

I am so blessed as we come together and share God’s Word together. They all fervently pray for me as I deal with cancer.

Abby and Rachel  bless us as we observe how they love and serve God and their husbands and children. They both are married to dedicated men of God. Jeremy is a committed follower of Christ and is married to Rachel who is a dedicated woman of God. Ruthie, Donna's youngest, is single and is growing in her faith. Donna would be so proud of her family and grateful for the way God has answered her prayers concerning each of them. Donna was a godly wife and mother and would be an awesome grandmother to Solomon, Naomi, Michal Donna, Judah, Jonah and the others who will come in the future.

We are in the process of making a DVD of Donna’s memorial service and a pictorial DVD review of her life. We want her powerful Christ-centered legacy to live on and influence her children and grandchildren and others to give their all to Jesus as she did.

Another dark season

About one and one half years ago Ruthanne received a call from the Trauma Department at Valley Medical Center in San Jose. They told her that out 50 yr old son Rodney was involved in a serious motorcycle accident and had been taken by helicopter to their facility. They said we should come immediately but they couldn’t give any more details over the phone. As we drove to the hospital we felt we were experiencing another season of darkness. As we made our way to the hospital we prayed for Rod and called others to pray. There came to us a sence of God’s light shining through the darkness and giving us faith for his recovery. God marvelously answered prayers and Rod has fully recovered. Praise God!

God’s light conquers cancer

Ruthanne and I are still in facing some unknowns as we continue to do battle with this “giant” called Cancer. We are daily being lifted by the prayers of our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the World. We deeply appreciate the outpouring of love and faith. As His light continues to shine upon us we experience great hope and faith that I will have many more years to love and serve Him on this earth as long as Jesus tarries.

We are praying that God will use what is happening to us to bless and encourage others who are going through their own dark season. We strongly believe that what Satan intended for evil, God is turning around for good. We want the message God is writing on our heart to be used by Him to help others have hope and embrace His light to lead them from darkness into His marvelous light

Let the light of His Word lead you out of the darkness!

I pray the following Scriptures will encourage and bless you, as they have us, and light up your pathway as you deal with your own season of darkness.

“Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining, that you may show yourselves to be blameless in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation among whom you are seen as bright lights, shinning out clearly in the dark world, holding out to and offering it the Word of Life.” (Phil. 2: 14-16 AMP) (Emphasis mine) Paul encourages us to let His light shine in our darkest hours. Remember, he was writing this from a dark prison cell.

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8: 12 NLT) (Emphasis mine) Don’t curse the darkness but follow the “Light” above all lights.

“We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1: 3-7 NLT) (Emphasis mine)

“We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy! This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him. If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin”  ( I John 1: 3-7 The Message) (Emphasis mine)

“The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.” (Prov. 4: 18-19 NLT) (Emphasis mine)

The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine. But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker— travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces. (Prov. 4: 18-19 The Message) (Emphasis mine)

“My dear friends, I am not writing a new command to you but an old command you have had from the beginning. It is the teaching you have already heard. But also I am writing a new command to you, and you can see its truth in Jesus and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. “(1 John 2: 7,8 NCV) (Emphasis mine)

“Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.” (I John 2: 7-8 NLT) (Emphasis mine)

“My dear friends, I’m not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you’ve known it from day one. It’s always been implicit in the Message you’ve heard. On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you—the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing!” (I John 2: 7-8 The Message) (Emphasis mine)

 “Daniel said, ‘He (God) gives wisdom to the wise. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light.’ ” (Daniel 2: 20-22 NLT) (Emphasis mine)

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If you would like to respond, please do so. LifeCoachDon@att.net   http://www.drdonphillips.com/



DON’S MOST RECENT UPDATE ON HIS BATTLE WITH CANCER

November 15, 2010

Thank you for praying for Ruthanne and me as we battle this giant called cancer. Your love and prayers help us to keep our gaze and focus on Jesus as our ultimate source for healing and strength during this time of testing.

Here is the most recent update regarding what the doctors call Stage 2 Lung cancer located in the lower left lobe of my lungs.

The cancer has shrunk slightly but the tumor has moved closer to the lining of my lungs and my Oncologist is concerned the cancer cells will get in the blood stream and spread. I will go back for more testing in a few months.

I praise God that I don’t cough as much now and rarely do I feel pain. My strength is gradually coming back and I feel better most of the time.

Many of you have phoned us, emailed or spoken words of great comfort and encouragement as you assured us of you love and prayers. I regret that I am not able to respond to each of you but be assured that we love and appreciate each of you standing with us in faith. One of our dear friends and sister, in the Lord, Mary Bishop, sends us “Holy Spirit” selected Scriptures each morning. This morning, November 15, 2010 she sent; "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." From Romans 12:12.

Before I opened her email this morning, I had my devotional time in the Word and prayer and I wrote this in my prayer Journal:

“Thank you Father for the joy and peace you give me as I see the cancerous tumor in my lungs shrinking and going away. Thank you for what you have been teaching Ruthanne and me as we battle this giant of cancer. Help me, Father to be patient and trusting so You get all the glory and praise for all you are doing in my life. Thank you Father, when my Oncologist and primary physician discover that You have healed me, and all of us will give You the glory, praise and worship You deserve.” (My primary physician and Oncologist are Christians)

Some of you have faced, or now facing, your own “giants.” You have inspired us by the way you have let God work in your life and situations.

God is teaching me that Faith is the gaze of my soul upon my loving, saving and healing God. I am learning to keep my spiritual eyes more on Jesus than my problems.

The Word of God has inspired and encouraged us during this time of testing. I especially appreciate Hebrews 12: 1-15 in the Message Bible

1. Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.


2. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.


3. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!


4. In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed!


5. So don’t feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either.


6. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.


7. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training,


8. the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God?


9. We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live?


10. While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best.


11. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.


12. So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet!


13. Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!


14. Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God.


15. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.

                                                                                                                                                               

I would appreciate your email response, even though I may not be able to respond to each of you.

Please use this email address: LifeCoachDon@msn.com. My phone number is (408) 363-9547 and my web site is www.drdonphillips.com

If you wish to see the video, “If this were my last sermon” I shared at Christian Community Church In San Jose, last June. Click on this address or copy and paste to your browser: http://www.blip.tv/file/3943817/

IF THIS WERE MY LAST SERMON

DON’S LAST WILL AND TESTIMONY

GIVEN AT CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH, SAN JOSE, CA JUNE 27, 2010

(The full  sermon will be available soon via You-Tube and/or other streaming services)

Ruthanne and I are so blessed to have you here today. Your love and prayers for us mean more to us than you know. There is nothing like family, especially when our blood family is a part of the larger family of God. If this were the last opportunity I have to share with you, which I don’t believe it is, here are some things I believe God wants me to share with you and the body of Christ at large.

Before I do that I want to make a few comments. Thank you for your love and support for Ruthanne and me as we face this battle with cancer. As most of you know I have been diagnosed with stage 2 Lung Cancer and the medical team’s prognoses is not encouraging. After much prayer and research we have decided to trust God for healing through the alternative medicine approach rather than surgery. We feel at peace with this decision.

As I prayed about what to share today the Lord has led me to personalize many of Paul’s writings to express what is on my heart. Through the years I have done this with Scriptures. In my devotional times, I will journal the Scriptures into personal prayers and declarations.

First I will express my personal feelings and convictions by using some of Paul’s writings from Philippians, starting with the first chapter verse 3.

 “Every time I think of you I give thanks to my God.” So many of you have had such a significant part of my life. Time would not be sufficient for me to express to each of you who are here today, my heart-felt gratitude to God for bringing you into my life.

 I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. We receive Christ’s strength to do everything that needs to be done. We have deeply appreciated the phone calls, emails, cards and other expressions of love.

 Whenever I pray I make my request for all of you with joyful anticipation. As I pray for you I am full of faith that what God began in you a long time ago, He will complete. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind, in spite of what you may show me, I am convinced that God will keep after you and bring His work in you to a flourishing finish.

 So it is right that I should feel at I do about all of you, for you have a very special place in my heart. You have been there for Ruthanne and I as we have faced our trials and you are here again as we face this challenge.

 So this is my prayer for you: That your love will overflow more and more and that your will keep growing closer to God and in your knowledge and understanding.

 I pray you will understand what matters the most to God, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns.

 I know that as you pray for me, and the Spirit of Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance. I am confident that I am healed, it just a matter of convincing my body of this fact.

 I trust that your lives will bring honor to Christ, whether we live or die. For me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live I can do more fruitful work for Christ. I am torn between two desires, I long to be with Christ, which is far better for me. BUT FOR YOUR SAKE IT IS BETTER I CONTINUE TO LIVE.

 I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. Through the years God has blessed me to let the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit flow through me to touch many lives for His sake, and I praise him for it.

 Above all you must live as citizens of Heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the good news about Christ. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him. May God help us all to trust Him when suffering comes so we will bring glory to Him.

 Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, and working together with one mind and purpose. I believe the Holy Spirit is breaking down dividing wall among God’s people. The prayer of Jesus, “that they may be one,” is being fulfilled today as God’s people are coming together like no other time in history so we can complete the great commission to God into all the world and preach the gospel.

 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others better than yourselves. Don’t look to your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. The more we know and love Jesus the more we know we are loved and accepted my Him. The more we allow God’s unconditional love to saturate us the more we are able to let that same unconditional love flow through us to touch the broken hearted and the disenfranchised.

 You must have the same attitude that Jesus had. When He appeared In human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminals death on a cross. We must take up our cross daily and follow Him. God gave me prophetic picture, years ago, of people coming into my office on crosses, they hopped in and leaned against the wall, in pain and grieve. In my love and compassion, I saw myself taking the nails out and lowering them onto the carpet, cleaning their wounds, comforting, encouraging them. The Lord rebuked me and said, “Don you are prolonging the inevitable. They will be of no real use to me until the die and my resurrection life can flow through them.” Now I encourage the hurting to “hang on there, let death of self be complete so God’s resurrection power will flow through you.”

 For God is working in you to give you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. One of my mission statements is from I Cor. 2: 1-5. “As I come to you my brothers and sisters, declaring to the testimony of God, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom. My passion and desire is to present Christ and Him crucified. I come with much, weakness, timidity and trembling. I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I DID THIS SO YOU WOULD NOT TRUST IN HUMAN WISDOM BUT IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

 We have received God’s spirit, (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

 Each of us did ( and are doing ) the work God gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Appollos watered it, BUT IT WAS GOD WHO MADE IT GROW. Through the years I have ministered partnership with so many who have sown into the lives of those to whom I am ministering. I get to make whatever contribution the Holy Spirits leads me. BUT IT IS GOD WHO DOES THE WORK.

 “My determined purpose is that I may know Him ( that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and more clearly), and that I may in the same way come to know the power out-flowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers. And that I may share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness, even to his death.” (Amplified)

 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to posses that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing; forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ, is calling us.”

 “Let all of you who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. BUT WE MUST HOLD ON TO THE PROGRESS WE HAVE ALREADY MADE.”

 We are citizens of heaven and we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power in which He will bring everything under His control.

 Chapter 4:

 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord, I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my and the crown I receive for my work.

 Always be full of the joy in the Lord. Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything.

 I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. We receive Christ’s strength to do everything that needs to be done. We have deeply appreciated the phone calls, emails, cards and other expressions of love.

DON'S UPDATE REGARDING HIS BATTLE AGAINST CANCER

We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and prayers from our many brothers and sister from various parts of the World. Your demonstrations of love and faith mean more to Ruthanne and me than we can express.


I would like to respond to each of you personally but that is not possible at the present time, so I must use my blog and other ways to communicate with you.

My surgeon called to tell us that the cancer is still contained in the lower left lobe of my lungs and has not spread to the brain or other parts of my body as he suspected. Praise God for answered prayer! He wants to schedule me for surgery next week. I told him that we were Christians and believe in a God who heals and will trust Him for healing. Surgery is not an option for us at this time.

Please continue to pray that God will give Ruthanne and me wisdom as we seek God’s will. We are researching and exploring all our options and are seriously considering alternative medicine. Through this battle, God is giving us peace and a deeper intimacy with Himself and each other that is so precious.

We recognize that this is a spiritual battle. Often when I am counseling those who are going through serious challenges, I will read and quote Ephesians 6: 10-18 from The Message Bible and the NLT. These words are of great encouragement to us as we face the giant called “Cancer.”

I want to personalize this passage and put into a prayer.

“My dear loving, awesome and faithful Father, help us to be strong and faithful during the warfare against the forces of darkness. We appropriate everything you make available to us to win this battle against Satan’s strategies. We understand that this is no afternoon athletic contest that we will walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. We understand that this is a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil and his angels.


Father, help us to be prepared, knowing that we are up against far more than we can handle on our own. We gratefully receive every weapon you give us, so that when it all over but the shouting we will still be standing on our feet shouting praises to the God who heals.


Your Word and our praying in the Spirit are indispensable weapons in this ongoing warfare. Help us to encourage one another to stay in the battle to the finish so no one falls behind or drops out. Pray that, in the midst of the battle, God will continue to use us to be a healing agent for many and through the power of the Holy Spirit set captives free. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we pray, Amen.”

LifeCoachDon@att.net    http://www.drdonphillips.com/

DEFEATING THE GIANT CALLED "CANCER"

Recently God spoke to my heart in a dramatic way and said, “Don you are going to go through another storm, but be at peace, I will be with you and The Son of righteousness will arise in your heart.” That “storm” has arrived through a confirmed diagnosis. I have stage 2 lung cancer and they say it will require major surgery.

It is not my intention to be heroic, philosophical or preachy. I just want to be obedient to God and share with you how God is helping us face this giant called Cancer. He is doing this through His Word, the power of the Holy Spirit and the faithful prayers of many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.

The Holy Spirit is leading me to share with you often as Ruthanne and I go through this part of our journey. I want to keep you informed as to where I am and how Ruthanne and I are dealing with this challenge.

Shortly after we received this unwelcomed message that I had cancer, the Holy Spirit gave me 2 Samuel 21: 15-17 as a promise that others would be willing to fight for me to help slay this giant called Cancer. Many of you are aggressively fighting this giant and I know we are going to win. What peace and confidence Ruthanne and I have as we are being uplifted by your prayers of faith.

King David was facing another giant who had threatened to kill him. David was tired and exhausted and unable to defeat the giant. One of his faithful mighty men named Abishai, took on the giant and defeated him. I thank God for the many Abishai’s God is rising up to fight this battle against our enemy.

I am writing this on Monday evening May 31, 2010. Tomorrow I will have an MRI. Wednesday we meet with my Oncologist and Friday I will have a PET scan. After that they will schedule me for surgery. We are praying that the PET Scan will show that God has performed a healing miracle and surgery will not be necessary. If I do have to have major surgery we are trusting God that they will get all the cancer and I will not have to have Chemotherapy or Radiation.

Early this morning in my devotional time the Holy Spirit led me to Philippians 1: 19-26. I will paraphrase it for you in my word and make it personal and put it in present tense.

“I know that as you pray for me and the Holy Spirit helps me, this will lead to my healing. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Holy Spirit, He will accomplish everything He wants to do in and through me.


For I fully expect and hope that I will continue to live and be bold for Christ, as I have tried to be in the past sixty seven years as a follower of Christ. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better because I will get to see my loving Savior face to face and will see our precious daughter Donna and all our other loved one’s who have preceded me.


But most days, because of what many of you are going through and how God may use me to help you grow in your love and faith in our loving Father, I plan to be around awhile.


And when I get through this part of my journey, we will have even more reason to rejoice in Christ Jesus because of what He is doing through us. We’ll be praising Christ, enjoying each other and

Love and Peace in Christ,
Don
Note: If you want to learn how we have fought other “giants” in our lives, you may want to get my book; “HEALING BROKEN LIVES AND RELATIONSHIPS”  It can be purchased on line at www.drdonphillips.com

TURNING PROBLEMS INTO OPPORTUNITIES

TURNING PROBLEMS INTO OPPORTUNITIES

By Don Phillips

Life is full of problems and challenges and we do have options as to how we deal with them. The issue is not whether we will have problems or not, but how we choose to think about and deal with the problems. God wants to help us to turn every problem and challenge into an opportunity for our good, His glory and our emotional and spiritual growth.

The Marriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines PROBLEM: as a “dilemma... obstacle, a question raised for inquiry, considerations, or solution. An intricate, unsettled question. A source of perplexity, distress or vexation.”

Problems often presents themselves as a crisis. Crisis means to decide. In medical terms it means the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever. A crisis can be an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is about to take place and that change may have a positive or negative outcome.

When we face problems we can try to cope, endure, tolerate, or deny them. Or we can accept them as a challenging opportunity for growth.

The Chinese character for crisis is translated into two words in English: danger and opportunity. When pressures and stresses come our way, we have some choices. Some stressors can be eliminated. We can make a radical decision to totally eliminate and remove the stressor. Other stressors cannot be eliminated but can be modified or adjusted so they are not creating as much stress.

Some stressors cannot be eliminated or modified but we can adjust and modify our responses to the stressors. We can change our attitude toward what is happening to us. Our attitude, or the way we think, will set the stage for how we feel. The way we feel will set the stage for how we behave. The way we feel and behave will have a great influence on our mental and physical health and our relationships.

Surveys conclude that most of the beds in general hospitals are occupied by people who do not think in a healthy, balanced way. They are still operating with a mind and belief system that has been programmed erroneously and negatively. One of the many reasons I enjoy my ministry as a professional psychotherapist, is that I get to help people change their minds. It is a life-changing revelation when people recognize that they do not have to continue to be victims of wrong thinking.

Jesus came to set the captives free and to heal the broken hearted. It is such good news that we can change our whole personality and life-style by letting Jesus help us renew our minds on His truth that will set us free. Paul admonishes us:

1.“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12: 2 NAS). Paul further helps us here in Philippians 4: 6- 19 (from several versions and paraphrases).

“Rejoice in the Lord, Celebrate God every day. I mean revel in Him! Be anxious for nothing, don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, PRAY. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers. Letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Not that I speak in regard to need, actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I have learned to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. I am just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am ready for anything through the strength of the one who lives within me. I can do anything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. I want you to experience the blessings that come from generosity. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus. You met my need, and God is going to meet your need. You met ONE need that I have, but God will meet ALL your needs. You gave out of your poverty, but God will supply your needs out of His riches in Glory!”

King David provides helpful insight in Psalm 91: 14-16, 19 (Various versions but mostly THE MESSAGE)

“If you will hold on to me for dear life, says God, I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you will only get to know me and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. With a long life will satisfy you and give you a long drink of my salvation.” “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul. You calmed me down and cheered me up.”

I will use acrostics for PROBLEMS & OPPORTUNITY to help us learn how to turn problems into opportunities.

PROBLEMS:

P. --Persist with pessimistic outlook

R. --Resist change

O. --Overlook opportunity

B. --Block the Holy Spirit

L. --Lack courage

E. --Entangle yourself in the problem.

M.--Misinterpret the facts

S. --Seek answers from man rather than God.

OPPORTUNITY:

O.--Open your heart to God

P.-- Pray with power

P.-- Practice the Presence of God

O.--Old and new brought together

R.--Rejoice always

T.--Tune into the Holy Spirit

U.--Unleash your faith

N.--Nurture and encourage others

I. --Investigate your options

T.--Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Y.--Yoke up with other believers


WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? Your problems will never be turned into opportunities as long as these following attitudes continue to be a part of your belief system and life-style.

P. PERSIST WITH PESSIMISTIC OUTLOOK. We can choose how we want to think about our problems. We can allow our minds to dwell on the negative aspects and think with a pessimistic out-look. It is not just a matter of trying to think more positively or optimistically. True positive thinking is a result of dwelling in the presence God. The more time we spend in His presence, in His word and communing with Him, the more we think like He thinks.

It is time for us to seek the Lord and renew our minds and obey His instructions. It is time to aggressively pursue the enemy through prayer and spiritual warfare and take back what he has stolen from us. We must be convinced that God promises to contend with the one who contends with us. “Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? Surely says the Lord, even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, and the prey of the tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you and I will save your children” (Isaiah 49: 24-25 NAS).

The problem is not with God but with us. We are not “contending” with the enemy and overcoming him in our personal lives and that incapacitates us to wage successful spiritual warfare. We are still thinking negatively and fearfully and, as a result, we allow the enemy to take advantage of us, our family, our health, our finances and our possessions.

Rise up and declare in the face of the enemy: “I renew my mind on the truth and refuse to allow Satan and his demons to continue to rob and steal from me and my family. In the name of Jesus I resist you Satan and your negative, pessimistic attacks on my mind. I take authority over you, the authority that God has given me as a believer, and declare that I am free from your lies and deception. I break your stronghold over my life, my family, my finances and my possessions. I take back everything you have stolen from me, and I take them back with dividends. I submit to God and resist you, Satan, and your demons. You must flee now. I claim the blood of Jesus to protect me and my family from your deception and strategy.”

R. RESIST CHANGE: Your problems will persist if you resist change. Often I face the challenge of people who refuse to change. They will say, “This is the way I am and you will just have to learn to live with it.” “You cannot teach old dogs new tricks." This is not true and besides we are not dealing with old dogs but human beings who are capable of adjusting and changing. King Saul resisted change and paid for it with great loss.

0. OVERLOOK OPPORTUNITY: If we focus more on the problem than on God then we will miss the opportunity to see God do a miracle. King Agrippa heard the truth from the mouth of the Apostle Paul but overlooked his opportunity and told Paul that he almost persuaded him to become a Christian.

If we do not keep our focus on God and pray to see things and people the way He sees them, then we will overlook opportunities. We may also miss opportunities to be a vessel that God can pour into so we can then pour out to those in need. Let us be alert for opportunities to grow in His grace.

B. BLOCK THE HOLY SPIRIT: We block and hinder the Holy Spirit when we become so absorbed in the problem that we fail to look to the problem solver, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit desires to do so very much for us and through us. We can quench or obstruct the Holy Spirit by our lack of spiritual zeal and dedication.) “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT” (I Thess. 5: 16-19 NAS). (My emphasis)

L. LACK COURAGE: If we lack courage then we are a prime target for Satan to attack us with fear. Satan uses fear more than anything else to defeat us. He knows it works. Jesus told his disciples “Fear not.” God is pouring out His love today as never before and people who receive Him have less fear. God’s love does cast out all fear. Let us allow Him to give us the boldness and courage to do great exploits for Him. “Fear has torment but God’s perfect love casts out all fear” (I John 4: 18 NAS).

E. ENTANGLE YOURSELF IN THE PROBLEM: People can become so analytical, trying to figure out their problem that they suffer from the PARALYSIS OF ANALYSIS.

“And do not be conformed to this world, don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Fix your attention on God. And you will be transformed, and changed from the inside out” (Romans 12: 2 Several versions).

M. MISINTERPRET THE FACTS: Problems are more intensified and defeating when we do not interpret the facts correctly. This can be dangerous and extremely costly. Battles and wars are lost because the one’s in charge misinterprets the facts. Too many people rely more on their feelings than the facts. And even when they get the facts they have a tendency to misinterpret them.

S. SEEK ANSWERS FROM MAN RATHER THAN FROM GOD: Many today are frantically seeking answers from every other source than from God. New Age and occult practices are offering answers and solutions but are, in reality, bringing people into deeper and more complicated problems. It seems that even Christians are exhausting all other sources before they seek God. “I have tried everything else so now I will try God.” “There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is a way of death” (Proverbs 14: 12 NAS).

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Cooperate with God so He can help us turn those problems into opportunities?

PROBLEMS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY for you to cooperate with God so He can turn every problem into something for His glory and for your benefit. YOU CAN OVERCOME PROBLEMS WHEN YOU:

O. OPEN YOUR HEART TO GOD: - When you allow God to love you, it’s easier to open your heart and let Him help you overcome your problems. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me” (Rev. 3:20 NAS).

P. PRAY WITH POWER: - The Holy Spirit is emphasizing prayer today throughout the world. He is wooing and challenging us to pray, not passively, but with the unction and power of the Holy Spirit. We need power in prayer to successfully overcome our problems and engage in spiritual warfare. The early church prayed with power after the day of Pentecost and so can we after our personal Pentecost.

P. PRACTICE THE PRESENCE OF GOD: - The little booklet called PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE, by Brother Lawrence, has inspired many to wait on God and enjoy His presence all the time. When we practice His presence we can think more clearly and can hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit giving us direction.

O. OLD AND NEW BROUGHT TOGETHER: - “The Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old” (Matt. 13: 52 NAS). Eugene Peterson translates it this way. “God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.” God is truly doing a new thing but what He has done in the past is to be joined with what He is doing now. We are not to remove the “Old Landmarks” of our faith.

R. RUN FROM TEMPTATIONS: “Flee youthful lust that war against the soul.” Through God’s power we can run from sexual temptation. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10: 12-13 NAS).

T. TUNE INTO THE HOLY SPIRIT:  It is sad and somewhat ironic that, as the Holy Spirit is being poured out today, we can miss “what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” It’s imperative that we adjust and change our thinking and life-style to spend time in His presence so our spirit is in harmony with the Holy Spirit.

U.  UNLEASH YOUR FAITH:    We become powerless when we fail to understand and accept the fact that, “FAITH COMES TO US BECAUSE WE HEAR AND OBEY GOD’S WORD.” Our problems are turned into opportunities when the Word and the Spirit empower our faith to be released.

N. NURTURE AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS:  “If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday sun. The lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in draught, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isaiah 58: 10:11 AMP). Do not miss the opportunity God is giving you to nurture and encourage others. God sets up “divine appointments” for us to speak life into a discouraged, defeated soul. We can also do as David did, we can encourage ourselves in the Lord.

I. INVESTIGATE YOUR OPTION:. When we practice the presence of God we are able to see the BIG picture with more options. When we face problems, it's important to pray, seek counsel and brainstorm or Spirit “storm” the options.

T. TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace.” Peter was able to walk on water as long as he kept His eyes upon Jesus. Don’t be distracted by anything that would cause you to turn your eyes away from Jesus. In a world clamoring for your attention, you must pro-actively make time to meet with God.

Y. YOKE UP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS:  The Holy Spirit is breaking down the walls that divide the Body of Christ. Denominational walls. Theological walls. Philosophical walls. Racial and Ethnic walls. The prayer of Jesus is being answered, “That they become one!” We are admonished in Hebrews 10: 24-25 (NKJ). “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day approaching.”

Assembling means more than meeting together, it carries with it the idea of an assembly line where things are being put together. In this current outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God is healing, beautifying and assembling His bride, the church. He is healing our fragmented lives and relationships and “fitting” us together as a healthy body of believers.

In June of 2000 Ruthanne and I took three of our grandchildren to Celebrate Jesus 2000. It was conducted at the TWA Dome in St. Louis Missouri. We enjoyed celebrating and worshiping Jesus with over 10,000 other precious saints who loved Jesus as we did.

I was deeply touched in my spirit to see Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Baptist, Methodist and many others from various doctrinal persuasions coming together to love and worship Jesus.

The prayer of Jesus, “That they may be one,” is truly being answered throughout the world today as walls between God’s people are coming down.

I pray that you, the reader, will allow the Holy Spirit to remove every prejudice and wall between you and God and between your brother and sister in the body of Christ. I also pray that God will help you to turn every problem or crisis and challenge into an opportunity for your growth and your good and for His glory.

“That’s why we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (Romans 8: 28 THE MESSAGE)

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Excerpted from the book: “Healing Broken Lives and Relationships”  You may order book on line: http://www.drdonphillips.com/

Donald L. Phillips Ph.D.    LifeCoachDon@msn.com   or   LifeCoachDon@att.net 
  

Remembering Donna - To God be the glory!

REMEMBERING DONNA RUELAYNE PHILLIPS REYNAGA

February 21, 1956 ---March 26, 1992

By her father, Don Phillips        October 31, 2009

Recently I was studying in Philippians and was doing some research in my Pulpit Commentaries. I was reading the commentary on Philippians 2: 14-24 page 69. I was reminded of our Daughter Donna when she was one year old. She made some scribbling marks on page 69. I copied that page to make it available to our family because it seemed to be prophetic.

I think it is more prophetic than coincidental that she marked on this particular page. You can read the page for yourself and see how it fit Donna and her love for God. Donna was cheerful, never complained and she was a humble person but very deep in her Christian life. She set a good example for others. She loved to minister to others and encouraged them to go all out for God. These qualities continued to be her life style even as she had to endure sever discomfort and pain in the last three years of her life.

The Pulpit Commentary on Philippians Chapter 2 verses 19-24 further relate to Donna.

“Martyrdom may come soon; if it comes the apostle will welcome it with joy. He refers all things to the Lord and trusts in the Lord. He submits his hopes and desires, even where the spiritual welfare of his converts seemed to be concerned, wholly to the higher will of God. He hopes in the Lord, and is in conscious communion with the Lord. His hopes are guided and quickened by the indwelling Savior. His own happiness and joy are bound up in the spiritual welfare of his converts; like St. John, HE HAD NO GREATER JOY THAN TO SEE HIS CHILDREN WALKING IN THE TRUTH.” This was true of Donna!

The Commentary gives these, ‘Lessons to be learned’ from Philippians 2: 19-21 on page 70. “1. The great aim of the Christian life should be to live wholly in the Lord, in His presence, in the constant effort to please him in all things. 2. Communion of Christians with Christians is one of the greatest helps and comforts in the Christian life. 3. Pray to be absolutely truthful and real; to be, not to seem. 4. A true saint of God can endure isolations. “Who hath the Father and the Son, may be left, but not alone.’”

Donna included these words in a song she wrote; “Now I am a woman, now I am a wife, now I am a mother, giving my life.” What an awesome life she lived and gave away. It has been 18 years since Donna went home to be with Jesus. Her oldest child Abigail is now a pastor’s wife and they have two children. Jeremy recently completed a tour of duty as a Marine in Iraq, he is married and he and his wife Rachel are the Young Adult leaders in their church. Rachel Mejia ( Donna’s third child) is married to Pete. They have a 2 year old, and they are both active in their church. Donna’s youngest Ruth is a college student in San Francisco. God is Faithful to answer Donna’s prayer for her children.


Don Phillips –(408) 363-9547 LifeCoachDon@att.net www.drdonphillips.com