“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” ~ 2Timothy 1:7

To be a Christian is to accept Jesus into your life.  To tell God that you know that you are a sinner, and that you know that you have failed Him.  To tell God that you know and believe that God sent His Son Jesus to earth to die for our sins, to pay the ultimate penalty for our sinful nature.  To be a Christian is to believe and acknowledge how far we have fallen, and to ask God to forgive us.

Once you do that, you are saved — you are a Christian, and you have eternal life when you die your earthly body.  More than that, though, Scripture tells us that when we Believe, God sends the Holy Spirit into our heart to guide us, to allow us to have Him near, to be our counsel when we need Him.  Once you do that, your life is different, changed, 180 degrees different from how you lived your life before.  To be a Christian is to accept responsibility for your actions, but to know that someone’s got your back.  To be a Christian is knowing that despite how many mistakes you make, God will forgive you — if you ask Him for forgiveness.  However, to be a Christian is to know that you are special, that you are now a Child of God. Knowing this fact sets you apart from everyone else that has not accepted Jesus into their lives.  Knowing this makes you realize that your life has a plan now — you aren’t just going through the motions of life one day after another.  Knowing you are a Child of God puts things in perspective.  After you accept all that God has given you because of your decision, 2Timothy 1:7 makes a whole lot of sense.

When you are a Christian, you do not need to be timid, you do not need to be questioning, you do not need to be scared.  When you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is there for you, waiting for you to ask.  I hope that this makes sense to you and that I’ve made my point clear.  When you are a Christian, God empowers you to ask for the things you need by praying — and the Holy Spirit is your counselor and will approach God for you.  Now, please use the Holy Spirit that lives within you to lift up these prayer requests and praises to God.  Thank you everyone!

Prayer Requests and Praises…

• Continued prayers for my friend Amanda and her husband Daniel. Here is what Amanda wrote:Ok, settle in – this is going to be a long one! Daniel had his 4th round of chemo on schedule on 6/16. A CT of the liver was done this past Monday. We met with the surgeon yesterday and the oncologist today. The surgeon said the tumor had not shrunk but also did not grow or spread based on the CT – so not exactly what we wanted but not bad either. The healthy liver only grew slightly putting Daniel just over the line needed to move forward with the resection. So the liver resection will be scheduled in 3 weeks. YAY!
  But, because of the healthy liver growth just taking him over the line his resection moves from risky to highly risky due to the increased risk of intraoperative hemorrhage or post operative liver failure. Based on my very, very brief research at 1 am last night, the mortality rate is 11% when only leaving 20% liver volume. So, I’m pretty much scared out of my wits! But God gave us a fighting chance by answering our prayers to move forward with surgery and we will continue to trust in Him to get us through.
  We have to have a PET/CT prior to surgery to make sure the cancer hasn’t shown up any place else. Daniel does have another mass that showed up a few weeks ago on his side but both doctors think it is not a cancerous mass – but they will check to be sure. If the cancer is anywhere else, it is likely the surgery will be canceled. His healthy liver will continue to grow during these 3 weeks but it is unlikely it will grow enough to move us out of the high risk category. But every extra % we can get is a good thing. And God can do anything He wants so if He wants it to grow, it will.
  The surgery will be 5-8 hours and can’t be done laparoscopically. He will spend at least the first 48 hours in ICU and we can expect a total inpatient stay of 10-12 days if there are no complications. To make it even more fun, the end of the stay will coincide with the first day of school for Cate! But God never gives you more than you can handle, right! After surgery, they will give his liver time to regenerate before we meet with the oncologist to determine next steps in treatment to work to prevent or prolong recurrence. This could mean the same chemo regimen he’s been on for a few months, a different treatment or nothing. I will tell you I’m not rooting for nothing – I want to do everything we can to keep this away. Now, the man dealing with being poisoned every 2 weeks might have a different opinion!
  You all have been such awesome prayer warriors, I hate to ask you to kick it up a notch but that’s what I’m going to do! We need prayers that Daniel is healthy and has his energy back prior to surgery so he can fight with every ounce of his being. We need prayers that that healthy liver grows like crazy – maybe even 10% or more extra volume – and that the tumor doesn’t grow or the cancer doesn’t spread. We need prayers that God’s plan is for Daniel to make it through and be cured and able to live on this earth with us for many, many years to come. We need prayers for God to guide the clinicians hands, eyes and minds to a successful outcome. And, finally, we need prayers that Daniel, Cate and I have the strength to get through this and the grace and peace to handle whatever God’s plan for us may be. Feel free to put us on whatever prayer lists you have available to you. We fully believe in the power of prayer.
  Thank you all so much for your love, support and prayers! Please everyone have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend!
• At our church, our friends Sarah and Eric are expecting a baby!  Please give Praise to God for their child, and also pray to God for Sarah’s comfort during the heat of the summer!  Thank you!
• My cousin Michelle and her daughter Julia have been going through some stress.  Julia had a leg problem that they had surgery on this past Thursday.  Everything seems to be going well, so please keep praying for her recovery and give Praise to God for the successful surgery.  Thanks!
• My friend Rosanne and her husband Tom are expecting a baby!  Please give Praise to God for their child, and pray for Rosanne’s health and that of the baby during their term.  Thanks!
• Lastly, continue to pray for Stephanie and her recovery from surgery, and for Leslie and her pregnancy.  Thanks!

Thank you everyone for praying for all of our requests throughout the week!  It means a great deal to me, and I know it does to those that you are praying for!  If you have any requests you need us to pray over, please leave them in the comments!

Now, please pray with me the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done,
On Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into Temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory,
Forever and ever. Amen.