No Fear of Bad News
The neurosurgeon said he would sever my facial nerve, permanently disfiguring my face. But I was able to make fearless decisions and say “no” to this doctor because Holy Spirit had given me a Rhema – a living, spoken word from the Word of God – from Psalm 112:7:
“Those who trust the Lord will not fear when bad news comes.”
The Power of God’s Word
What would you do if God gave you a Rhema word that said BAD NEWS IS COMING? That Rhema came to me clearly as I was praying at church one evening, so I tucked it away in my heart, not thinking about it again… until five months later when my face was paralyzed. When the tumor diagnosis came, that Rhema rose up from inside me and immediately pushed out fear before it could take hold. I looked up to heaven and said to God, “Oh, so this is what You meant when You gave me this Rhema, so I have nothing to fear.” I had total peace and never feared the brain tumor. God is Faithful.
One Word is Enough
That one Rhema from God was all I needed to stand strong and fearless.
The Hidden Tumor
Before the tumor in my brain was discovered, it had already destroyed the nerve in my left ear, resulting in deafness. One morning five years later, I awoke to a paralyzed lower face and a headache that felt like a vice grip around my head, trying to squeeze out my brain. An MRI revealed a huge tumor. I immediately gathered healing Scriptures from God’s Word, personalized them and spoke them out loud daily as I sought the Lord for His guidance and healing. I had no idea another two years would pass before the tumor would be removed. During that time, my entire life was assaulted with violation, loss, trauma and paralysis [see “BUT GOD” section].
The Doctor Gave Me Six Weeks to Live
At the two-year mark, another MRI revealed the tumor had moved to my brain stem, seriously jeopardizing my life. The doctor gave me six weeks to live saying, “the tumor would now spread out and cut off the blood flow,” and he insisted I must have immediate surgery. Without fear, I replied to the doctor, “I’ll tell God what you said.” So I went home and thanked God for saving me when I was 18. I thanked Him for allowing me to lead my family to Him within 30 days of my salvation. I thanked Him for His goodness, His love, His faithfulness to us throughout the years. And I thanked God that because of Jesus, I am ready to go to Heaven. Death has no sting (I Corinthians 15:55), and “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8). As I was winding down my praises to God, He spoke into my Spirit and said to me, “You’ve got books in you.” I knew then somehow some way, I would LIVE.