According to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus

Philippians 4:19 says..."And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Almost 3 years ago I received a diagnosis that was extremely troubling for me and my family. It was Stage 4 Indolent Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, not a curable cancer, but treatable. After over 2 and a half years of a very harsh treatment, I can declare to you that "My God has kept His Word!" I received the results of the most recent PET/CT Scan that was done late last week and the "IMPRESSION" states "Stable PET/CT examination with no evidence for metabolically active lymphadenopathy." (In layman's terms...I'm in remission!) My wife and family and I could not be more happy but I must admit that I left the total outcome in God's capable hands and have tried not to be too concerned about it knowing how much He loves me. He has obviously considered the options and is certainly not finished with me here so all I can say is HALLELUJAH! If for no other reason than my testimony, I suggest that if you are concerned about your "plight" in life, turn it over to Him. He has placed the stars in the sky; He can care for you. Remember the verse above and use it, if you need to, as a crutch to lean on because He "shall supply ALL your NEEDS according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

Because of Him

Reflecting on my thankfulness!

"Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark..." (John 20:1). Tonight as I think about what is significant about Easter Sunday, I am thankful for so many things in my life. I know, we as Americans usually reserve "Thanksgiving" as the time to reflect on our thankfulness, but this is such an important event in the life of a Christian (or a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ) and I thought I would just Praise our Lord and give thanks. Some of the most difficult times of my life have come to me in the past 5 years. Having a back injury, losing my job, getting Hepatitis C and Diabetes. Ongoing stomach problems; and, oh yeah, cancer (in fact, I just had a lesion removed from my back last week that turned out to be cancerous as well, but fortunately, they got it all so all seems well with that). Wow, that's a lot of stuff and that's just one side of the dynamic duo of Dave & Barb Stallings. My precious Barb suffers daily from fibromyalgia, Asthma, Migraines, Chronic Fatigue and a host of other physical limitations that make it difficult to get out of bed each morning. I must be missing something; seems the list is much longer. Anyway, we have, without a doubt, encountered some difficulties that really exercise the emotions daily.

But I wanted to talk about thankfulness. In the verse above, Mary came to the tomb that Sunday morning for the purpose of caring for a "dead man". Someone she was sure was dead, had been buried and she fully expected to find Him in His place, unmoved and without any disruption. When she arrived, she noticed that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb and that alone was enough to arouse her suspicions and cause her to run back to tell her friends about the situation. How many thoughts crossed her mind as she ran back to tell the news. Is it possible that she was thankful that "something" was up at the gravesite that would cause an investigation? Perhaps! Of course when the complete discovery was made, everyone who knew of the Christ became thankful that His words became "fact" that beautiful Sunday morning.

As it turns into Easter Sunday morning here in my home, I am so thankful. I am thankful that we have a God who cared enough about our eternity to send Jesus, to do what no one else could have ever done, so that we might live forever. Something is wrong with all of us; our bodies, that is. They were not created to sustain life forever (well maybe originally). But our spirit was. And I am thankful that God breathed life into the first Adam and gave him the spirit that dwells in us tonight. Thankful for the trials that have allowed me to speak to others in a way that could have never been possible otherwise. Just getting time to share Christ with a Catholic friend last weekend from Mexico was such a thrill and it would have never been possible without God's actions in my life. In his broken English he explained to me that I "Wide his thoughts". How precious was his response. I am thankful that God has put people in front of me that would never have crossed my path had some of these medical conditions not existed. But mostly, I am thankful that we have a savior who was powerful enough to cross the barrier from death into life and today, intercedes for you and me.

Today is Easter Sunday 2008 and I am very thankful. Too thankful to not mention it and too thankful to take the time and space to list all of the blessings, except to say. I hope you are considering your thankfulness on this special day in our lives.
Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday 2008!

The Pope and his crew?

I got out of bed about 1AM this morning to give a response to the going's on with the Catholic Church and some of the Pope's men and having had a PET Scan today, I was just too tired so I paid a couple of bills and went back to bed. It is now 2:20AM and my heart would not allow me rest without making some comment about it. It is too important to just sweep under the rug. So, last night I watched the O'Reilly Factor and was shocked by the Bishops and others who had come together to create additional sins and this was not the worst part. I listened to the Catholic Advocate who had been placed in front of Bill O'Reilly for purposes of this interview. Bill asked a very pointed question to her. "You mean to tell me that NOW, if I am a big corporation and I am polluting the air, because of that pollution, I am going to hell?" My shock came at her unrehearsed response to this question. One word; "Absolutely!" According to this spokesperson, this is one of the new sins created by the "New Sins" crew of the Catholic faith. Do you understand the ramifications of this one word response? If you refuse to "car pool" or you drive an older vehicle that is NOT required to have the current "emission" equipment on it, that you are GOING TO HELL (according to the Pope)!" http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3517050.ece

Another thing, while we are on the subject is that your "excessive wealth" will send you straight to hell as well. Now, my new friend I just met over this past weekend from Mexico City and I had a serious discussion about the Pope and the Saints and the Virgin Mary. Of course I told him the truth. I explained to him that the bible teaches us that because of Jesus' death on the cross, we have been made free to go directly to Christ Himself (Hebrews teaches about the "Priesthood of the Believer") with our prayers and petitions and there was no reason to ask another man to see that our sins are forgiven. He naturally was shocked to hear my response but not offended because of respect and wanted to know more. So he asked about the Saints and then about the Virgin Mary. I said, Juan, the Virgin Mary is a very important woman worthy of ultimate respect as she was chosen by God to be the woman who would carry the baby Jesus in her womb. She would certainly be blessed beyond measure. However, Juan, as with any other person on this earth, she is just another woman, not to be elevated above another. She is Christ's mother and nothing more. She has just as much need for a savior as you do.

At the end of our conversation, and because I was very sensitive to his heart, I placed my hand on his shoulder and said, "Juan, I mean no disrespect at all, but I would have failed you (and God) miserably if I had not told you the truth. I love the new friendship we have established here and want to make sure it is nurtured with the truth of God and not a ""watered down"" version of what man thinks." Juan immediately hugged me and said to me, "You do not offend me, in fact you WIDE MY THOUGHTS!" In his humble broken English, he was telling me that our discussion has caused him to think more seriously about God, Jesus and his faith. We are getting him a real bible and I am confident that he will have a thousand questions which I will spend the remainder of my life answering if necessary.

Here's the bottom line, Pope or no Pope! Jesus Christ died ONCE in order to cover ALL the sins of the world (along with anything that someone can dream up as sin). This is a biblical fact. To establish a committee to review the possibility of creating more ways to sin, does little more than place Jesus Christ, our Lord, BACK ON THAT CROSS AGAIN, and requires Him to go through the same motions all over again. When will the world learn that Jesus said, from the cross, "IT IS FINISHED" and that meant that it was ALL covered from the beginning and throughout eternity.

In the book of Revelation, we received "THE LAST REVELATION" from God as He presented it to the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos and this was truly the LAST revelation. No others required, even if they are "New ways to sin". The end of the book says "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book; if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book." (Rev. 22:18,19)

Do yourself a favor. Don't get caught trying to correct God. He loves you too much to have made a mistake in the first place.

An E-mail to Mr. Hannity

Mr. Sean Hannity,

I am a 56 year-old white male, diagnosed with a non-curable cancer 3 years ago and I listen to you in Phoenix at KFYI and watch your television show as much as I possibly can. I do NOT want Social Healthcare to take care of me. I want the pleasure of caring for myself. Using my God given gifts and talents to seek out and find the answers for my own problems. I do NOT want these burdens of mind placed on the shoulders of the American public. Everyone has enough problems of their own.

I have only considered myself a Christian since April of 1975 when I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. Since then I have graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, held different positions within the church, including Senior Pastor, and currently minister via website (www.nowwhut.org) to several hundred hurting people who suffer from various chronic diseases, some of which will die someday soon. Recently I stopped considering myself a Christian and began to clarify my position as a “fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ”. We have created too much confusion in the world over religious issues, many of which I am sure God did not plan that way. Christianity is “almost” embarrassing these days because people from the pulpit (who I cannot even respect by calling pastors) have picked up some kind of political or emotional mantel (which usually has little to do with the teaching of the Bible) and decided that the best way to grow their congregations is to stand for this “something”. And they usually attempt to stand for something completely contrary to God Himself. Whether it be terrorism, economics, health coverage (or the lack thereof), candidates, In God we “cannot” trust and the list goes on and on, they begin to present their stance, with either strong misguided conviction or complete uneducated stupidity and before you know it, people like Jeremiah Wright are exposed for the foolish people that they are.

God gave us His word as a “road map” to the peace of God that He wants all of us to eventually experience, but it comes with particular rules and convictions, none of which, I see flowing from today’s Christianity as a whole. And at 9:00 O’clock tonight, 20 million or so people got a chance to see what one of these “false prophets” ( Jeremiah Wright) looks and acts like. My biggest concern is that the “lost” of this world cannot tell the difference. I watched all of it and have reviewed all the videos to date and cannot remember hearing about Jesus Christ in any of it. AND THAT IS MR. WRIGHTS JOB AS A “PRESENTER OF THE WORD”. TO INTRODUCE CHRIST. NOT BARACK OBAMA!

Even the mega churches are drawing their congregations by using the “easy believism” theology that is running so rampant in “Post-Modern Theology” today. John Mac Arthur begins his book “Hard To Believe” by saying “Do you want to be forgiven of all your sins; freed from judgment and eternal punishment; to be rescued from Satan’s power to become a beloved child of God and to be lavishly enriched forever with wonders and astonishing experiences in the limitless joys of heaven? That’s the question! If your answer is “No” then give this book to someone else. If you answer “Yes”, know this! You can want God’s love, grace, forgiveness, blessing and the inconceivable bliss of heaven; you can want it badly and never get it. Why so? Because you are misinformed about how. Does that make sense? The world is filled with millions of people who think they are headed for heaven, but they are deadly wrong. Probably most people think that heaven awaits them; but it doesn’t! But what is especially sad is that many of those people sit in evangelical churches, misinformed. If you are still with me and you want the truth for yourself and others, keep reading.” (Quoted directly from audio book by John Mac Arthur, Hard To Believe).

That’s what I see today. Many, many pulpiteers who have “taken up their OWN cross (or agenda)” and headed off to follow the yellow brick road to public ministry without bothering to invite Jesus along at all. Mr. Jeremiah Wright is one of them and I feel confident in saying that he didn’t just suddenly change directions and head down this path when Barack Obama began his campaign for President of the United States.

So you do well in your fight against this power. For this is a power driven by Satan himself, with his aspirations of greater leadership by using the tools left on this earth for him to use. That’s right. The Bible says that the “Prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2) is none other than Satan himself and he rules in the spiritual realm here on earth. None of us have heard yet, of the agenda of Mr. Obama and we may not be surprised when we finally do. I just hope and pray that his agenda is not introduced while standing in front of the Seal of the President of the United States of America!

Just my thoughts.

About the Author

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Dave Stallings lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife of 36 years, Barbara, Who also suffers a serious chronic illness, and their dog, Captain Jack…along with their kids and grand kids ! Dave is a semi-retired pastor and loves to blog on his personal web page since being diagnosed with Stage IV incurable non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma two and a half years ago..his motto is “It is what it is and God is not surprised”….his blog is http://www.nowwhataz.blogspot.com/, his personal testimony can be read at http://www.nowwhut.org/ and he can be reached by email at mailto:dstallings2@qwest.net.

A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE!

“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1, 2).

It’s 5:15 in the morning and I am still awake from the pain in my back from the cancer lesion that was removed from my back yesterday morning. They said that I would experience some pain after the local numbing medication wore off and they were right. I am, indeed, wide awake, and unable to sleep from that experience, however it seems to be yet another opportunity in my life to allow God to be glorified. I cannot, on my own, endure the difficulties that go on in my defective “tent” so I sit here at my laptop, attempting to “present my body, as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God…” and allow Him to minister to my needs even now at another inconvenient time. And as the scripture says, Paul reminds us to NOT be “…conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds”.

I have seen that over the past 3 years now, nothing outshines God in my life, nothing is more important and nothing is capable of “calming” my mind and spirit the way that just thinking of God is able to do. So I think of God a lot in these times. “…being transformed” and “…renewing my mind” makes me think that I am, daily getting closer to God and farther from the securities (or perhaps insecurities) of this world. I seem to be reminded every day, by something that this world is not our home and I am simply just passing through. This is the thought process that helps us shake off the fears of life and know that our God is preparing us for an eternity in the presence of His Glory. Makes me wonder how it is that others can endure some of life’s hardships without His Spirit residing in them.

The passage of scripture goes on to say “…so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT.” It is words from God like that which take me all the way back to the beginning when God created this world for us and He said, upon completion of each event that “it was good” (Genesis 1). Can you look at a “thorn in your flesh” this morning and see that it is good? If you can, then perhaps you are being transformed and renewed in mind and spirit by the only force that can give you true peace. After all, isn’t true peace what we are all looking for in this life? Paul says earlier in Romans that he is “…not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Ro. 1:16).

Are you listening close enough to God to have the power to be transformed and renewed, in spite of the difficult and sometimes, near impossible situations in this life? Next Thursday I get the opportunity to have another PET SCAN for the Lymphoma and I really expect the cancer to still be sleeping. I believe that God has done that for me. He can do that for you, too. Take the time, each day to be transformed and renewed, and know that God is the only tool you need.