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So now, some may want to know why the Lord has allowed me to be afflicted with Prostate Cancer. Has the one always crying “judgment” finally gotten his; proving to be just as guilty of sin and worthy of it as everyone else? Surely, only haters of biblical Christianity in and outside of churches who are also “enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their minds on earthly things” are thinking this way (Philippians 3:18-19, NKJV). However, they are right about me with everyone else being under divine judgment through trials in these last days and as a result, I righteously fear God (1 Peter 4:12-19)!
Without apology or regret in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit I have sought to be faithful to God’s calling upon my life from Ezekiel 33:1-9 formally begun in the spring of 1986. Not from a posture of self-perceived perfection have I been sounding the Lord’s trumpets of warning, alarm and preparation among professed Christians and their churches, but obedience and again fear, since woe is me according to Ezekiel 33:6-9 if I were not obedient! The messages are His and I have been humbly and joyfully pleased (since the Word is “like a burning fire” and “honey in sweetness” in my spirit--Jeremiah 20:9; Ezekiel 2:9-3:3, NKJV) to deliver them as His messenger boy!1
Thus, being afflicted with Prostate Cancer has nothing to do with any failure in ministry. It is not tied to any disobedience to or rebellion against God’s Word as it is written either since I keep very short accounts with Him as He has led me to teach others to do as well (Psalm 32:1-5; 1 John 1:9). For I most certainly have previously experienced affliction among other consequences the Lord has brought upon me for correction after disobedience and learned my lessons (Psalm 119:65-77)! I know all about that so, Job’s friends can back off this as a reason for having Prostate Cancer or the other serious afflictions I have spoken of too, Coronary Artery Disease and High Blood Pressure.2
Keeping it real, my Coronary Artery Disease is in part by my own hand through a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits that caused High Cholesterol. The High Blood Pressure is inherited. Humbled by the experience of having stints placed in two almost totally blocked arteries in 2015, with the Lord’s escape from death and help to adopt healthier eating, exercise and walking these conditions are now, under control--all praises and glory be to Him! No, the Lord has allowed me to be commonly afflicted with Prostate Cancer as a temporary war wound from Satan like Job for His glory and my good with all of His sons as chastening (Job 1-2:10; Hebrews 12:3-11; James 5:11).3
So caught up in the pursuits of their mortal lives, many Christians fail to grasp our spiritual family is in a state of war with the powers of darkness as enemies of our souls (Ephesians 6:10-18)! They marshal any of numerous ruinous works of sin and death to come against and oppress mankind Christ delivered from (Matthew 4:23-25; Acts 10:34-38). Being saved does not give us Christians any special privilege to avoid being touched at all by the trials, tribulations, hardships, persecutions and afflictions of illness Satan and his wicked hosts muster against us. Indeed, Satan is the originating source of persecution upon “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus,” (2 Timothy 3:10-12, NKJV)!
There is nowhere for born again believers to hide from the demonic hosts arrayed against us since we are distinctly marked out as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). We encounter them on the Master’s mission or they confront us and we take our stand (Luke 10:17-20; Acts 16:16-18). As an obvious war strategy they go after leaders. Even armored up fighting “the good fight of faith,” He allows some of us to be taken out or wounded in action since ‘“We through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God,’” (Acts 12:1-4, 14:19-22; 1 Timothy 6:12, NKJV). The wounded suffer permanent or temporary affliction of some kind. God is glorified and we rewarded by how we handle our business when afflicted (2 Corinthians 6:3-10, 12:1-10; 2 Timothy 4:6-8).
As part of God’s chastening in allowing my affliction, I am being stretched spiritually for my good in many ways. For example, perhaps like many of you reading this, I have struggled with faith failures during my journey in the Lord, some of which I have posted about in this Blog.4 Despite this, God in mercy has worked some mighty deliverances for me! While I wait for Him through this experience with Prostate Cancer, I see God at work continuing to grow my steadfast faith in Him; faith He will deliver me as He promised (Psalm 119:49-50)! His judgment as examination (testing) and chastening through trials is God’s standard conduct toward all of His sons not only for our good to share in His nature, but to prove our fitness for the glories to come (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12).5
1 Since the messages delivered by me in this Blog and every other means of communication are the Lord’s, they will serve as a witness against those that have refused to give heed to them (Ezekiel 33:1-5; Acts 18:4-6).
2 See footnote three in the July 17, 2022 post, Prostate Cancer Reflections, under the category, Glory To God!
3 Read about how mortal Christian males and females are ultimately viewed by God as eternal sons in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore.
4 See the March 2, 2014 post, The Testing Of Our Faith, and followed on March 9th by Praying For God’s Solutions, under the category, Instruction. Once again the Lord puts me on public display to be a humbled example as the man He had to write a book (beginning on page 122 for those who have it) presenting faith as the foundational char- acter trait of the aspiring strong man of God in the image of Christ!
5 For a more in-depth presentation of God’s glory and chastening as good ends in allowing His sons to be afflicted, watch the new and first Bible Instruction message He gave me to proclaim on our Strong Man Virtual Institute Channel, Afflicted For God’s Good Ends!
In this first of two follow-up posts I will make this month to my Prostate Cancer announcement last week, as the Lord leads, I want to briefly present a few reflections. First though, for the sake of those that may not know what a prostate is much less cancer in it, as I had to learn, the prostate gland is exclusively an organ of the male reproductive system. The prostate gland produces and adds supporting secretions of seminal fluid to sperm on its way up from the testes at the heart of each of two testicles and through the penis during ejaculation. It is the size of a chestnut. The prostate sits just below the bladder and surrounds the tube flowing down from it for urination.1
It is not known exactly why the prostate in men over fifty enlarges and squeezes the urination tube causing issues. Researchers are also not certain about why cancer develops in the prostate. Beyond heredity and genetic predisposition, one theory suggests the stimulation of increased production of testosterone due to a high fat diet. The testosterone in turn stimulates dormant cancer cells. Some men live well into old age with slow growing cancer and no major symptoms. Others like me and a high incidence of other black American males, experience the more aggressive forms of the cancer and medical science does not have definitive answers as to why on this either.2
Consequently, I urge all men age 50 and older, but especially black Americans to get screened for and remain engaged with your doctor watching out for signs of Prostate Cancer which left untreated, may lead to a premature death. I make the foregoing encouragement remembering and acknowledging with gratitude the urging from one of my former High School classmates some years back to give attention to the issue as one very important for men. However, my reply then, remains the same today even now, with the temporal affliction. The greater and most important need of men and my assignment from the Lord is to preach the Gospel for the eternal salvation of their souls!
Indeed, my first reflection from being diagnosed with Prostate Cancer is an offering of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for saving a wretched sinner like me as with all of humanity, destined to die from something because of sin (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:17-19; Ezekiel 18:4; Hebrews 9:27)! For in His grace and my repentance, I believed the Gospel on Easter Sunday 1977 I also preach that Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day after. At the same time I was also indwelt by and filled with the Holy Spirit who brought me to new birth and eternal spiritual life (John 1:11-13, 3:1-8, 14-18; Acts 2:36-40; Romans 6:23, 10:5-15; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Thus, while in accord with the Lord’s promise my body will not die from Prostate Cancer as one of many ways sin works ruin and death in mankind, it will eventually die from whatever cause. I am so glad for His salvation that assures not only my soul lives in and with Him forever, but also “through the Gospel” like Him, resurrection to immortal glory (John 11:23-27, 14:1-6, 17:24; 2 Timothy 1:8-10, NKJV)!3 A second reflection is inspired of the foregoing reality and has led to another praise offering to God for “fearfully and wonderfully” creating me a mortal man (Psalm 139:13-14, NKJV)! For I have been reminded again the whole human body is an amazing living machine God created.
The prostate in the mortal body of man the male as one part of our reproductive system is uniquely and purposely designed by God to facilitate the fathering of children within the context of marriage (Genesis 1:27-28, 2:21-25, 3:20, 4:1). This truth led me to a third related reflection and praise offering to God. After being presented and rejecting surgery to remove my prostate, I realized I could still live without all of my reproductive parts as man and was not ultimately defined by them! This affirmed again to me what God from His Word caused me to understand and teach concerning His design of our future immortal bodies. Since there will be no marriage or procreation in that day, bodily reproductive equipment will no longer be needed (Luke 20:27-40; 1 Corinthians 15:20-57).4
1 All of the general information I am writing about the prostate and cancer to it is readily available on the internet using your favorite search engine.
2 See the article on African American men and prostate cancer at the National Cancer Institute Web Site.
3 Barring any life ending accident or martyrdom, I already have Coronary Artery Disease and High Blood Pressure as the aging process adds more ways for my body to die. I am not taking my mortal life lightly, but keeping it real that my body will in time die from something. Until then, I am experiencing the truth as it is written: “Our God is the God of salvation; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death,” (Psalm 68:20, NKJV). I am also comforted to know when I go, I will go to Him who has saved my soul (2 Corinthians 5:1-8)!
4 Learn more about the immortal destiny of mankind in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics. It is available with the companion Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study in the Strong Man Store, at your favorite internet bookseller or brick and mortar bookstore. Also, read posts the Lord led me to make throughout the month of July 2016.
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