Month: November 2018

Courage

Posted in Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie KeplerLeave a comment

Part of learning to live with a chronic illness understands how to be strong and courageous in the Lord.

Facing a chronic illness is a scary daily challenge for both the person with the disease and the person’s family. Through Jesus Christ, we can be strong and courageous.

How can we do this?

We cannot do this in our own strength by ourselves. Daily the Lord Jesus our God goes with the Christian. We need to remember he goes with us.

Today’s Scripture tells us the Lord will not leave or forsake the Believer in Jesus Christ.

Today’s Bible Verse:

Deuteronomy 31:6 (KJV), “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

What the Verse Means:        

Because Christians have God with them, they should be of good courage. The courage comes from their confident assurance in God which faith gives. This sure faith in Christ allows us to bravely face each day knowing through him we shall have the ultimate victory.

Personalized Prayer Using Today’s Scripture:

  • Heavenly Father, please help me and my family to continue to be strong and courageous in the face this illness.
  • Holy Spirit, I ask for your comfort. Help me to not fear or be in dread of the challenges I am living through. Help me to not grow weary.
  • Thank you for letting me know it is the Lord our God who goes with me and that he will not leave me or forsake me.
  • I pray my family and loved ones would confess faith in Jesus Christ where they too can experience the comfort available to Christians.

Photo Source: Pixabay

Thy Will Be Done

Today’s blog post is from the book “Thy Will Be Done: 60 Prayers for the Chronically Ill” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler. It is available in print and on Kindle for Amazon at Amazon Print or Amazon Kindle.

If you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member the book is available to read for free in Kindle format. Over the next two months, I will publish each chapter as a blog post

Praise

Posted in Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie KeplerLeave a comment

Part of learning to live with a chronic illness is learning to praise God.

As you care for yourselves or for a loved one with a chronic illness, often you grow tired and weary. As you tire, you should focus on our Heavenly Father.

The Lord God will strengthen and renew you as you praise him.

Today’s Bible Verse:

Exodus 15:2 (KJV), “The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”

What the Verse Means:

We get our strength from the Lord. We should praise God.

Why should we praise him? We praise him to the honor of God. We praise him to exalt his name. We celebrate his praise.

Praise is the Lord God’s only. The tribute isn’t to magnify man but to praise the Lord.

Personalized Prayer Using Today’s Scripture:

  • I confess that the Lord is my strength and my song;
  • The Lord is my salvation.
  • TheLord is my God.
  • I praise Him and will exalt the Lord God.
  • Lord God, teach me to praise you and give God the glory.

Photo Source: Pixabay

Thy Will Be Done

Today’s blog post is from the book “Thy Will Be Done: 60 Prayers for the Chronically Ill” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler. It is available in print and on Kindle for Amazon at Amazon Print or Amazon Kindle.

If you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member the book is available to read for free in Kindle format. Over the next two months, I will publish each chapter as a blog post

Worry

Posted in Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie KeplerLeave a comment

Part of learning to live with a chronic illness is managing worry.

Within the last five years, my wife was diagnosed with neuroendocrine carcinoid and Melanoma cancers. We were told if the Melanoma cancer doesn’t kill her the neuroendocrine carcinoid will. The Melanoma cancer killed her in April 2018.

While I won’t get into her sickness or her chronic illness’s medical details, I will share how I am dealt with the challenges. While she was under a medical team of physician’s care and treatment, my focus was on the spiritual, not the therapeutic.

I am a Christian. My Christian faith is foundational for managing the emotional challenges. I find comfort from reading the Holy Bible, applying the Bible verses to daily life, and praying using the Bible verse(s) as my prayer.

This same comfort is available to you.

Today’s Bible Verse:

Matthew 6:34 (KJV), “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

What the Verse Means:

What the verse is saying in today’s English is give your entire attention to God. Look for what He is doing in your life today. With the focus in the here and now you are able to not get worried or worked up over what may or may not happen tomorrow.

There’s a reason why we shouldn’t get worked up.

The reason? God will help you. I dealt with whatever came our way, no matter how challenging or difficult the trials were. I can testify God walked with me through every step of this hard, heartbreaking process.

Personalized Prayer Using Today’s Scripture:

  • Father in Heaven, help me to focus on today. Help me see you and your activity in my life.
  • Lord Jesus, help me not to get too worried or concerned about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
  • Almighty Father, teach me how to trust in you and let you take control of my life.
  • I thank you for the promise that you will help me deal with whatever hard things are in my future where I will be as prepared as possible when the time comes.
  • I ask for the grace to handle today.
  • I trust tomorrow to the Lord.

Photo Source: Pixabay

Thy Will Be Done

Today’s blog post is from the book “Thy Will Be Done: 60 Prayers for the Chronically Ill” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler. It is available in print and on Kindle for Amazon at Amazon Print or Amazon Kindle.

If you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member the book is available to read for free in Kindle format. Over the next two months, I will publish each chapter as a blog post

 

Is It Okay to Cry?

Posted in Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie KeplerLeave a comment

Part of learning to live with a chronic illness realizes it is okay to cry.

Daily living with a chronic illness or caring for a loved one with a persistent disease will bring tears.

The Heavenly Father cares about our tears. Today’s Bible verse tells what God’s word says about crying.

Today’s Bible Verses:

Psalm 56:8-9 (KJV), “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.”

What the Verses Mean:

Why would God keep tears in a bottle? The idea behind the keeping of “tears in a bottle” is a remembrance. King David, the writer of these verses, is expressing a deep trust in God. He knows that God remembers his sorrow. He knows God remembers his tears. King David also is sure the God will never forget about him. David is confident that God is on his side.

Personalized Prayer Using Today’s Scripture:

  • Heavenly Father, thank you for crying and the resulting tears. Teach me to understand and accept that my tears help me identify and help me deal with my feelings.
  • Lord Jesus, thank you for letting me know crying is okay.
  • Almighty God, it is comforting to know that you notice and keep track of my tears.
  • I turn the sorrow concerning the chronic illness over to Yahweh-Rapha (God that heals).
  • I pray that my family and I would feel the freedom to cry out to God and let the tears flow when the release is needed.
  • I pray that my family and friends would be supportive, loving, and understanding during the times the tears flow.
  • I pray I would just hold on to God during these times without questioning and accept God’s comfort.
  • Help me to have the confidence of King David, the author of these verses, and say with him – for God is for me.

Photo Source: Pixabay

Thy Will Be Done

Today’s blog post is from the book “Thy Will Be Done: 60 Prayers for the Chronically Ill” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler. It is available in print and on Kindle for Amazon at Amazon Print or Amazon Kindle.

If you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member the book is available to read for free in Kindle format. Over the next two months, I will publish each chapter as a blog post

 

Accepting God’s Love

Posted in Blog, Caregiver, Caregiving, Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Jimmie Kepler2 Comments

Part of learning to live with a chronic illness is accepting God’s love.

What do you do when the lab results or physician’s diagnosis erase the future you or your loved one had planned?

As you or your loved one confronts a chronic illness, you may feel uncertain about tomorrow. Your hopes and dreams at best are placed on hold. At worst, you face an alternative future to the one you had charted. Feelings of hopelessness, despair, and helplessness may engulf you.

When you are uncertain about the future, you need a perfect love which casts out all fear. You need the love of Jesus Christ.

If you are a caregiver, you may ask, “What is a chronic illness or disease?”

A chronic disease is one lasting three months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic illnesses generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear. Examples of chronic diseases are:

  • Alzheimer disease
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • COPD
  • Crohn disease
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Diabetes
  • Dementia
  • Epilepsy
  • Glaucoma
  • Heart Disease
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Oral lichen planus
  • Parkinson disease
  • Sickle cell disease

Today’s Bible Verse:

1 John 4:18 King James Version of the Holy Bible (KJV), “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

What the Verse Means:

John says that perfect love produces courage in the day of judgment. It casts out fear.

How does the perfect love of Jesus Christ accomplish casting out fear? Perfect love casts out fear because it produces a likeness to Christ and Jesus Christ is the Judge.

There is another way in which love produces boldness. It does this by its casting out fear. The entrance of perfect love through Jesus Christ is for fear a cease and desist letter. It is an order to quit.

When love arrives, it brings hand in hand with itself courage. Boldness is the companion of love, only when love is perfect. Just professing Christians can experience this perfect love of God, a love that casts out fear. AsBeliever’s in Jesus Christ, we can face the future, including chronic illness, and even death with the peace that only comes from Christ’s perfect love.

If you are not a Christian accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior is a prerequisite to obtaining God’s peace. The last section of today’s blog explains how to become a Christian. You can accept Jesus Christ today. 

Personalized Prayer Using Today’s Scripture:

  • Lord Jesus, thank you that there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.
  • Heavenly Father, help me to keep my mind focused on you and your love for me.
  • Remove any fears I may have as I look to the future.
  • Provide your grace to meet the challenges I encounter daily. I cannot travel this journey alone but can with you.
  • Help me to know without any doubt that as a Believer in Jesus Christ my ultimate future is in Heaven.

HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN

Being a good person doesn’t get you to heaven. Being “saved or born-again” does. Here’s my story of how I accepted Jesus Christ and became a Christian.

On July 11, 1977, my life changed. If you look up that date in history, you will find nothing historically significant happened on that Sunday. It was a remarkable day for me. Sunday, July 11, 1977, was the watershed event in my life.

While attending First Baptist Church of Lakewood in Tacoma, Washington, I noticed a group of men that seemed to have what I was missing. I attended a Bible study with them.

Here I found that God has given us an essential manual for life — the Bible. God has the answers to the problems and emptiness we may face. I found out I was here for a purpose, and not by accident. I learned Jesus loves me and desires to have a personal relationship with me. However, sin separated me from Him.

I realized I had a sin problem.

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 (KJV), “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

But no one is perfect! We have all sinned and therefore cannot save ourselves by just living a good life.

Why not?

I learned there was a penalty to be paid for my sin.

The Bible says in Romans 6:23 (KJV), “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I learned God gives us a promise.

The Bible says in John 3:16 (KJV), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

I learned that God made a provision for me.

The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10, 13 (KJV), “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. … For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

I prayed to accept the gift of eternal life through Jesus.

I prayed, “Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that You died for my sins and rose from the grave so that I might have eternal life in Heaven with You. I willingly repent of my sins and ask you to come into my heart and life. Take control of my words, thoughts, and actions. I place all of my trust in You for my salvation. I accept You as my Lord and Savior, and this free gift of eternal life. Amen.”

Since then my life has not been perfect. It’s been far from it. I’ve messed up from time to time, sometimes failing miserably in my decisions and choices. However, I have had direction and purpose in my life. I know where I am headed. I have the Bible to give me the principles for daily living. I am never alone. I have had real peace for the last 40 years.

How about you? Have you ever been “saved”?

You can do like I did.

Romans 10:9-10, 13 tells us, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. … For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Why not pray this simple prayer and accept Jesus Christ today?

If you prayed the prayer you can leave a simple “I prayed the prayer” in the comments section. It will encourage me and others. May God bless you.

Photo Source: Pixabay

Thy Will Be Done

Today’s blog post is from the book “Thy Will Be Done: 60 Prayers for the Chronically Ill” by Jimmie Aaron Kepler. It is available in print and on Kindle for Amazon at Amazon Print or Amazon Kindle.

If you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member the book is available to read for free in Kindle format. Over the next two months, I will publish each chapter as a blog post