God Can Heal: It ain’t Planter’s peanuts!

God Can Heal: It ain’t Planter’s peanuts!  

I’m somewhat of an introvert by nature and like to think of myself as someone who doesn’t complain about or share my personal problems with the world at large.   (I like to think that but who knows, depending on who you are maybe I have complained about my burdens to you. Feel privileged you’re in the inner circle!)   

As a Christian, the rule is to bear our burdens with patience and to trust in the Lord.  Our attitudes are to be of gratitude and the Old Testament example of the complaining Israelites, condemned to the dessert for 40 years never to see the promise land, teaches us to try to keep a positive outlook on life knowing that the Lord is in control. 

So about a year ago, I noticed me right big toe was swollen in the lower “knuckle?” area.  I thought that maybe it was just a callous at first but after examining it I realized that there was something inside the flesh that didn’t go away no matter how much dead skin I filed off with a pumice stone or massaged it.  I had lost some weight so I surmised maybe it was fat?  You know the old saying “a moment on the lips. a life time on the….big toe?   I know. It didn’t make sense to me either.  Then I thought that I had run a bunch of 5k’s in 2015, so maybe it was damage caused by running?   Wouldn’t that just be the way!  That’s what you get for exercising!     

But it didn’t hurt…really… not too much anyway.  So not wanting to complain or to burden others with my problems, like most people, I think, I ignored it.  I had a couple of other weird hard bumps in my feet that I had been ignoring so I would just ignore the toe as well. 

Like I said that was over a year ago.  I am good at ignoring things.  I ignored my alcoholism for 25 years or so what’s a year, right?  

Anyway, I decide to go for a run one day a few months ago and noticed my running shoe on the right foot was really uncomfortable.  Also I started to notice that after working all day, as a lineman, the big toe and those other bumps were giving me occasional pain.  It was harder to ignore. So I showed my wife and she told me to get it checked out because it obviously wasn’t normal. 

So I made an appointment and I was diagnosed with plantar fibromatosis, which is the more advanced form of plantar fibroma.    

What is plantar fibroma? 

         A plantar fibroma is a benign nodule that grows on the bottom of the foot and usually appears in the second through sixth decade of life. It is usually slow growing and measures less than an inch in size. More invasive, rapid-growing and multi-planar fibromas are considered plantar fibromatosis. Both of them are benign tumors made up of cells found in ligaments.

    The good news is that my doctor, Dr. Daniel Longo, of Hudson Valley Foot Associates had me in surgery in Monday April 3^rd to remove these invasive tumors.  If you have feet issues, go see Dr. Longo.  He has done right by me.  So now I am recovering and something that goes beyond medicine has happened to me overnight. 

     With sickness and injury, Christians are encouraged to pray for healing. And I know from my own and others testimony that healing can come.  I prayed over my lumps to just melt away miraculously but that didn’t happen.  So I saw a doctor. Good idea.  Dr. Longo took out the tumors. 

       After surgery I was in a great deal of pain, and couldn’t get around without crutches because every time I moved my foot or put weight on it I felt like I stepped on a nail.  This was the state I was in last night when I dragged myself to Celebrate Freedom, my Christian Recovery ministry at Rock Solid Church.  

At the end of the night, the guys in my group prayed over me, and before I went to bed last night I said a prayer for healing to take the pain away.  I prayed specifically for the pain to subside, for the blood to flow in a manner to relieve the pressure, and for whatever was causing the pain to be healed.  I prayed over it my foot in the name of Jesus. 

I went to bed with throbbing pain but upon awakening I noticed it was gone. I stepped on it and the sharp shooting pain was gone. I rose and walked around the house praising the name of Jesus.  I ‘m telling you God can heal and He will heal.  You have to trust Him. You may have to be persistent in your prayers but if it is according to His will you will receive healing. I testified to my daughter, Haley, that I had prayed for healing and I have received it.  I’m not 100% and won’t be for some time but I don’t need the crutches anymore and the sharp shooting pain is gone. 

           My mentor, sponsor, and friend Bob has called God “the midnight surgeon”, that we can pray for an issue or struggle with a hard heart for a long time but if we are faithful to pray and trust in God, He can and will come and heal us, literally, overnight.  

I have experienced this “phenomenon” time and time again.  

God answers prayers according to His will.  In order to have God in your life you have to be in relationship with Him. 

Say a prayer of repentance, tell God that you are sorry for your sins and that you are going to go forward and live your life according to His Will. 

You have to surrender yourself to Him. 

You have to show Him you’re for real. 

That means you worship Him.

That means church.  Go to a church that teaches the Bible as the word of God. 

That means you read the Bible daily, as a form of worship and a way to learn about and grow closer to God. If your starting out for the first time reading the Bible,  \focus on the New Testament and the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

That means you talk to God through prayer.  You can use traditional prayers, and make requests for His intercession, but you also should talk to Him like you would talk to a best friend or a trusted counselor. 

Don’t do too much at once.  God will work with whatever you bring Him but you need to give it to Him voluntarily and willingly. 

Search your heart and the Holy Spirit will show you what needs to change. It’s not rocket science. We know what’s wrong in our lives. 

Find help.  Find community.  Invest yourself in your local church to build heathy friendships of trust and common purpose in Christ.  Join a “celebrate recovery” type of group where Christ is the center where you can learn what it means to live a life that is in relationship with God.  

It’s not about being good, nobody’s good.  It’s about being His and following Him.   

That means trying to be holy.  Don’t go nuts. 

If you need a church, in New York State in:  these are churches of whom I am familiar with the Pastor and know that they can be trusted to teach Biblical truth. 

 Columbia County:   Rock Solid Church 334 Union Street, Hudson NY 12534. 

 Greene County:  Light House Church, 18 North Franklin St, Athens, NY 12015  

Albany County:   City Harvest Church, 585 Central Ave, Albany NY 12206

Delaware County: Catskill Mountain Christian Center 629 Main St, Margaretville NY 12445

Ulster County: King’s Fire Church 865 Neighborhood Rd, Lake Katrine, NY 12449

Where you go to church doesn’t matter (It should be a Bible believing, Bible teaching church), what matters is that you are seeking a relationship with God. 

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Psalm 37:3-6 (NKJV)
³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

Will you receiving healing?  I don't know. That's for God to decide.  However, I do know that if you give your self to seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and make Jesus your Lord and Savior, you will not regret it.   Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you will be set free from sin and death.  If you invest in your relationship with God, you will know a peace that goes beyond understanding and will receive His blessings.