Archive for the ‘cancer’ Category
Cancer update-Complete remission-The Lord has delivered me!
Posted by appolus on June 25, 2024
Posted in cancer, Christian, christian blog, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, Jesus, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant | 13 Comments »
The strength that takes me through.
Posted by appolus on June 19, 2024
In every storm, the saint has an anchor and His name is Jesus. We are out there in the roiling seas and He is the forerunner. He goes before us into the harbor and draws us in. In ancient times when the sea was too stormy to enter the harbor and giant waves would crash against the harbor walls and the ships would drag their anchors and be in danger of overturning and being swamped, they would lower a skiff, a forerunner. The anchor would be placed on the small boat and the boat would make its way into the harbor and the anchor would be dropped in calmer waters ,then the boat would be pulled into the harbor.
Jesus is our forerunner, Jesus is our anchor and He has went before us and prepared a place for us. A place of peace and stillness, His very presence speaks to the storms, be still! When you flee to Jesus He shall be our Rock, our strong high tower. Come to Me, He says, and I will give your weary souls rest. God and His Word are immutable, that is to say unchanging over time, any time, eternity even. God is unchanging and the Words that He speaks are unchanging. He never lies and this immutability, the Word says, is so that we “might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” There it is, its right there, take a hold of it, grab onto to it, never let it go, let it take you into the still calm harbor of His presence so that you might survive the storm. Take hold of this brothers and sisters, and you shall not drown.
I wrote this poem yesterday after the report that the cancer in my colon was gone. It reflects upon the storm my family and I have navigated in the last several months with a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. It was not my first storm and I am sure it will not be my last but the one ever present help has been Jesus. I have lived as a Christian long enough to know that Jesus is the anchor of my soul. I still have a pet scan next week to determine if the cancer is still in the rest of my body, but the same God who rules and reigns this week, shall be ruling and reigning next week and I will be careful to give Him all the honor and all the praise. Peace, in the midst of the storm, is among the most valuable treasures from the vaults of heaven. If you are in the midst of a storm today, come to Jesus and He will give you peace and rest for your weary soul.
The strength that takes me through.
The anchor of my soul
When I was on my knees
Is the harbor of my life
Amidst the stormy seas
You are my strong high-tower
You're the one I run into
When I'm weak you are the power
The strength that takes me through
The waters shall not overwhelm
The fires shall not consume
When Christ my Lord is at the helm
When His presence fills the room
You were there from the very start
You are there when I'm all alone
You dwell in the very depths of my heart
You are there upon your throne
So I'll praise you lord forevermore
You're my life, my breath, my all
When you knock I'll open up the door
I will answer when I hear you call.
Posted in battle against cancer, bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, healing, Jesus, poetry, praise, revival, spiritual growth, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
A cancer update-the peace of God.
Posted by appolus on June 17, 2024
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, faith, God's love, healing, healing ministry, hope, Jesus, revival, spiritual gifts, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, The Psalms, the remnant | 7 Comments »
Cancer update-post chemo
Posted by appolus on June 4, 2024
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, God's love, Jesus, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant | 1 Comment »
Shall the wheel keep turning.
Posted by appolus on May 24, 2024
I shall arise and go down to the Potters house. And there I shall hear the word of the Lord. I shall see a work upon the wheel. And the clay is marred in the hand of the Lord. And the wheel keeps turning. Brothers and sisters, have you put yourself upon the potters wheel? Have you put yourself into His hands? As it seems good to the Potter, will you allow yourself to be remade? Can I suggest the obvious? We are the clay, He is the potter and the turning wheel is life with all its circumstances.
Shall we yield to it all? Shall we allow ourselves to be broken to be remade? Or, shall we cry out to God night and day for a change in our circumstances? Shall we demand that the Lord heal us, that He deliver us, that He, in effect, serve us? If we ask for the wheel to stop turning then we shall cease to grow. When the fire comes, and it shall come, what shall we cry out? If we cry out that “even if our God does not deliver us, we shall never bow down to the gods of this world,” then the wheel keeps turning.
When we are faced with great loss and we cry out “The Lord gives and the lord takes away,blessed be the name of the Lord” then the wheel keeps turning. If we find ourselves in the depths of a dungeon with the skin torn from our backs and we begin to praise the Lord in the midnight hour, then the wheel keeps turning. Whatever is upon the wheel shall be either a vessel for honor or a vessel of dishonor. If the wheel stops turning then whatever exists upon the wheel is the finished vessel.
Jesus told us in Luke 14 that unless we love Him more than father or mother, wife and children, brothers ans sisters then we cannot be His disciples. And in Matt 10:38, in the same context as Luke 14 we see that if one refuses to take up his cross, that one “is not worthy of Me.” Is there a line in your sand? Is there a bridge too far? The day will tell that story. For when that day comes, and is surely comes for all who name His name, what cry shall we hear? “Lord please stop the wheel?” Or shall we hear the cry of the disciple “whatever it takes Lord, blessed be Your name.” For one, the wheel stops and for the other, they go on from glory to glory as they glorify Him. The choice belongs to us.
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's voice, Jesus, manifest presence, revival, scripture, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant | 5 Comments »
Embracing the possibility of death.
Posted by appolus on May 7, 2024
By embracing the possibility of death, this has released within me an abundance of life. Life and that more abundantly flows from the one who dies to himself. We know this. We learn this from the Scriptures. We are schooled by the Holy Spirit to take up our cross and die daily. In the midst of death to self, comes pouring forth life in Christ. There is an ocean that lies within us and in order for it to well up inside of us and come rushing forth like a mighty tsunami, there has to be an earthquake. There has to be a mighty shaking that sweeps away everything that is is not firmly rooted on the solid foundation of Christ my King.What an honor for me to be shaken in such a way that demonstrates to the world the immovable force that lies within me. Christ and Him crucified. The Holy Spirit and the baptism of fire. My Father in heaven who sits upon the throne.
Death may come barreling towards us like a freight train sometimes, but life in Christ falls upon us like a ateroid. Events of such magnitude threatens everything that we know and is the catalyst to change everything we have ever known. For out of death to this world springs forth life. Out of the gross darkness of our circumstances God commands light to shine forth in all its celestial glory. Not just any light, rather light that emenates from the fires of heaven. The same fires that a coal was taken from and touched the lips of Isaiah. In this light everything is on the line. Death where is your sting in the light of Christ my King? Oh grave where is your victory in the glory of His majesty? There is a love vast as the ocean and it dwells inside of me, there is victory over all my flesh for my Lord has set me free. There is a peace that surpasses understanding when to this world we surely die, one day at a time, anxious for nothing, tis our eternal hearts cry.
Posted in bible, cancer, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, End Times Eschatology, Fresh Fire, Jesus, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
A cancer update-last chemo session coming up.
Posted by appolus on May 6, 2024
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, faith, God's love, healing, Jesus, revival, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant | 1 Comment »
A cancer update-the glory of God!
Posted by appolus on April 18, 2024
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, healing, Jesus, manifest presence, revival, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant | 7 Comments »
If I ever have to leave you.
Posted by appolus on April 6, 2024
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, Jesus, poetry, spiritual poetry, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, worship, worship music | 4 Comments »
The latest cancer update.
Posted by appolus on March 26, 2024
Posted in cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, faith, healing, Jesus, revival, spiritual poetry, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant | 2 Comments »
Thy grace is not exhausted.
Posted by appolus on March 25, 2024
The grace that I've found is not exhausted
It rises still like the incoming tide
And my heart is flooded to overflowing
From the fountain that comes from deep inside
There is a fountain in the depths of me
The Father, the Son and the Spirit three
Who came to forever set me free
All glory to my King.
Our fountain-head of blessing here is grace
And is our strength, and strength alone to run the race
For on no other hand I can rely
but the hand that stretches down from up on high
I fall into His arms that are surely everlasting
And to never leave this place is all I'm ever asking
Even the sparrow and the swallow are found within this place
My prayer is that I am found in your glorious warm embrace.
Posted in bible, cancer, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, healing, Jesus, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Feeding upon His faithfulness.
Posted by appolus on March 18, 2024
Cancer update.
I wanted to address something. Many people have messaged me and told me how strong I am in the midst of this cancer and how they admire my faith. I do not want to give the impression that going through cancer is easy and “all you have to do is,”……….fill in the blanks. A test is a test, a trial is a trial, not because it is easy but because it is not. Jesus is the star of this story of mine. He is strong, He is faithful, He is my high tower. I run into Him. I cry out to Him, I rely upon Him for the little strength and faith I do have. It is an honor and a privilege to represent Him no matter what my circumstances are. Consider these verses from Psalm 37. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:
In this portion of Scripture we are instructed how to walk in the power and strength of the Lord. We are to trust Him and do good. We are to delight ourselves in the Lord. We are to commit all our ways unto Him. We are also told (NKJ) to ” feed upon His faithfulness.” I left that to last because this has been my primary source of strength. I feed upon His faithfulness. It edifies my very soul and gives strength to me physically.I have been through enough trials in my life that I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that He is faithful. He has never left me nor forsaken me. It is His faithfulness I celebrate, it is His strength in me that makes this weak vessel strong. I am nothing without the Lord and would have crumbled and fallen into the sea of life a long time ago without Jesus. I feed upon the faithfulness of my heavenly Father and I am well fed. It is well with my soul because of His residency there. In and of myself I am weak, yet, His strength is only highlighted in my weakness.
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, faith, God's love, revival, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, The Psalms, the remnant, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
An update on my cancer journey.
Posted by appolus on February 15, 2024
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, faith, God's love, healing, Jesus, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant | 2 Comments »
When hope gives way to presence.
Posted by appolus on January 27, 2024
I wrote this poem yesterday while I was having chemo. It was a long day but I very much sensed the presence of the Lord, in divine appointments and also a message from a dear friend who had just recorded the message in the middle of their prayer meeting in Estonia. He prayed for me and then his dear wife prayed for me and I could hear the other saints praying in the background. I was quite overcome to think how honored and how privileged I was. I was humbled, shed a few tears, then wrote this poem. You will notice that I use the word infused a couple of time 🙂
When hope gives way to presence.
When the desire comes, it's a tree of life to me.
And the tree nourishes the parts you cannot see
Hope deferred causes my aching heart to long
And in the longing creates in me a song.
Sing my heart, sing of all His glory
Create in me the desire to tell Your story.
To scale the highest mountain, just to shout your name
Consumed by your majesty, ignited by your flame.
Come to me, draw me to your throne
To that place I know that I am truly known
And the tree of life infuses me with peace
And your glory, from the depths of me, released.
Beyond the falling leaf there lies the pastures green
And a heavenly river infused by glorious streams.
Beyond the troubled waters you have surely come to me
And you take my spirit over, to that place beyond the sea.
Posted in cancer, Christian, christian blog, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, God's love, God's voice, healing, Jesus, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
The crosses that He designs.
Posted by appolus on January 24, 2024
Sorrow leaves it's mark upon the soul
As the Lord shapes us and takes
back what the enemy stole
With an iron pen and
lead in the rock, it is written
The genuine work of God, His composition
He has written His word upon the heart
that He has given
And with many a blow, sin
from our soul is driven
Shall we not welcome the rod that can never miss?
And with a warm embrace, direct it with a kiss
We can count the cost, then embrace the cross
or lay it down and suffer the loss
Remember each one is crafted by His hand
And are designed so that no man can still stand
It's by His Blood and sorrow they were crafted
And they seal the wounds whereby we are grafted.
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Daily devotional, Devotions, healing, Jesus, poetry, revival, spiritual growth, spiritual poetry, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
An abundance of His glory.
Posted by appolus on January 21, 2024
2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
This word weight is used both times in the scriptures with the context being very different obviously. It can mean abundance or burden or load. Now clearly sin is a burden to the soul, a load not easily carried. It slows us down, much like if we were attached to an anchor and had to drag it behind us. We have all felt it. Yet Heb 121:1 is compelling us, with a vision, to lay that burden down. Look up with spiritual eyes and see that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Those who have gone before us, the angels of heaven, the Kingdom of God. See the things that are eternal. See the Lord Jesus Christ high and lifted up. When we look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith then sin loses it’s power and its hold on us.
When we look not at the things that are seen, but rather the things which are not seen then there is a power released in us. The light of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ begins to shine forth from the depths of our very beings. This treasure that dwells in the depths of our hearts pours forth like the rising of the sun after the long night. What a welcome sight for all those who dwell in darkness to see the rising sun shine forth from us, and it draws men to God. Rather than our afflictions causing us to look down and to fall into sorrow, let our light afflictions cause us to look up and to be encompassed with the eternal abundance of His glory. With eyes to see, we peer into the glories of the world to come. We are overcome with His majesty, with His glory, with His holiness, with His joy. This power truly comes to pass in the midst of our afflictions for it is then that God has commanded His light to shine forth from the darkness.
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, faith, God's voice, healing, revival, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church | 3 Comments »
A poem from a soldier.
Posted by appolus on January 16, 2024
It seems to me that an old soldier’s life would be marked by the battles in which he fought. He could look back and remember the wars in which he participated. He would remember certain foxholes. He would remember the comradery with his fellow soldiers. He would certainly remember the ones he fought back to back with. In many ways he would acknowledge that he had been shaped by each battle. Little by little, precept upon precept, he would become the soldier he is. And even when his wars are all fought, he will always be a soldier. I know that the battles I have fought have shaped me. The seasons that I have walked through have molded me. I remember well the foxholes I have been in at particular times with saints, brothers and sisters, that I have loved as David loved Jonathon.
The seasons of loss, the seasons of victories, the seasons of crying out to God. There are secret times when I have despaired. Times when only the Lord would see the tears upon my pillow, many a sleepless night I have walked where it was just me, all alone, with my Lord. Yet I can say that while all of those battles and seasons have shaped and molded me, none of them has identified me. I am not the guy from the broken childhood, not the guy who lost a son, not the guy who has a special need son. Not the guy whose son went to prison, not the guy who fought for his grandson. And now, not the guy who has cancer. My sole identity is the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. No neighbor or friend would know my background, unless at certain times I could share small portions of my life to comfort them with the very same comfort I have known. Each poem I write I write is either from the battle-field or from the memories of a battle fought. They are forged in the fires of battle or spring to life from from heaven’s throne-room. I wrote this one yesterday. A soldiers poem from a present battle.
THE THORN THAT PIERCES
Shall I shrink back from the crown of thorns
Shall I fall away when I’m battered and torn
Shall I not rise though broken and wasted
And declare heavenly treasures that I have tasted.
This earth is neither my portion nor my rest
And these thorns are but my heavenly test
Pierced and broken but never defeated
I look to heaven where soon I’ll be seated
I cast my eyes upon dark Calvary’s hill
And from the valley floor seek to go higher still
Closer and closer and closer to thee
Where chains are broken and from fetters set free
The night is far spent and the day is at hand
And with Your help alone I will surely stand
The storm may rise and the waves grow higher
Yet to be where you are is my one desire
Nearness to God is the source of it all
Whether we walk or run, or stumble and fall
Through the storms, through the rain, the day or the night
He is there upon the waters, what a glorious sight.
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, healing, Jesus, poetry, revival, spiritual poetry, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, the state of the church, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
An update on the cancer situation.
Posted by appolus on January 15, 2024
Posted in bible, cancer, christian living, Christian poetry, Christian quotes, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, healing, Jesus, revival, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church | 4 Comments »
The cup that overflows!
Posted by appolus on December 25, 2023
George Matheson, the great old, blind Scottish preacher once said, “The hour of thy loneliness will crown thee. The day of thy depression will regale thee. It is thy desert that will break forth into singing. It is the trees of thy silent forest that will clap their hands .. the thorns will be roses. The valleys will be hills. The crooked will be straight lines, the ruts will be level. The shadows will be shining. The losses will be promotions, and the tears will be tracks of gold. The cup of suffering you prayed would pass from you will be your constant royal crown in the sweet by and by.”
The Lord sees us. He knows us. He comforts us. His comfort is strength and joy where there should be none. And though darkness may press in on us from every side, His light triumphs over it. Even the darkness is light to Him, and then, of course, to us. When the landscapes of our lives seem to stretch out before us in endless deserts, suddenly even the sand cries out, and the very rocks cry out, glory, glory, glory to the Living God! When the silence floods in and we struggle to hear anything above its noise, suddenly, glory to God the silence is broken. Just one word from our Lord shatters the deafening silence and our hearts and spirits are filled with His majesty.
Sometimes the thorns of life invade our lives yet from these thorns come magnificent roses. I am reminded of the Lord’s crown, and yet truly, He was crowned in a higher place. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Crown Him with many crowns, but first the crown of this life which was overcome. And now we overcome in Him. Paul once said that he considered the loss of all things as nothing, as less than nothing, for he only wanted to be found in Him. If our losses in this world lead us into the depths of Him, then we should surely be found praising Him in the midst of every situation. I praise Jesus today.
There is a cup in this life, and we are asked to take it, to take it all. Jesus led the way in the garden, and if He could take that cup, the cup that was filled with all the sin of this world and would lead to the death of the cross, then surely, in His power, and in His might, we can drink down the cup given to us. And in just one of the countless paradoxes in the Scriptures, we see that as we willingly drink this cup, there is another cup that simultaneously begins to fill and overflow………..Psa 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian quotes, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, faith, God's voice, healing, Jesus, revival, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
My situation with cancer.
Posted by appolus on December 23, 2023
This is the word from the Lord that led to my last poem. This video is an update of my current sitution, may the Lord be praised through all of it………………..bro Frank
“And in the silence there is peace. It dwells above the noise and the din. Above the begging and the pleadings and the raging storm, there sleeps Jesus in the boat. Shall we too arrive at the place where sleep is not dependent upon the storm being stilled? Where trust lies down among the lions. Where perfect love casts out all fear. This is the Kingdom of God, this is the rarified air of heaven. This is the shaft of light that pierces the darkness and guides us home.”
Posted in bible, cancer, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, healing, intimacy, Jesus, revival, scripture, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, The Psalms, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church | 6 Comments »
A Call To The Remnant 