Abundant Life Strategy

Well, it’s been a while since I finished my Testimony page. August 2022 to be precise. Many of you who have read my testimony will know something of how God, in the middle of great suffering and in the high points of my journey through pancreatic cancer, has continued to make Himself incredibly real to me, has shaped and transformed those areas in my life that needed work done and has relentlessly persued me with the abundance of His love.

So what’s been happening since then? I embarked on a 6 month course of double treatment chemotherapy at the end of May last year. Despite the unknown quantity it presented, I was certain this was the right decision for me. An early 6 week scan showed a very encouraging response of visible shrinkage to all areas enabling things to continue until my scan in November. Once again, the results were so encouraging with all areas of cancer continuing to shrink. Things were continuing to move in the right direction, and we praise God for His goodness to me! The oncologist felt confident that I would be able to reduce to single treatment chemotherapy deliverable locally, instead of a 150 mile round trip. What a difference that has made! I had such joy to be given the opportunity to share my testimony at our local Ladies’ Conference in September, followed by an invitation to visit a friend’s church in England in November. Despite being in chemo, how I knew the joy of the Lord as my strength to drive that 500 mile round trip! If He calls us to step out, He will equip.

These are relatively quiet and unremarkable days now. No major side effects to deal with apart from some chemo fatigue on the day of chemo. What has God been up to? These are definitely faith building days. Days which continue to prepare me for whatever God has in store for me. Days that are building me, shaping me, and continuing to transform me.

What are the foundations to how this has come about? My days are characteristed by some key stepping stones. Things that the Lord wants in place to teach me how to walk a Kingdom walk. I can see how important it is to be developing a prayerful, listening heart to the Holy Spirit, every minute of every day and holding on to everything I have planned with an open hand, ready for any changes He will make. And that of course demands obedience too! I am learning more and more to keep in tune with how the Lord wants me to fight the every day battles that come along, everyday temptations, negative thinking, wrong attitudes etc. Those things that we are all troubled by when we seek to call Him Lord of our lives. There are many things scripture says about fighting battles but choosing the weapon, right attitudes, resisting the enemy, declaring scripture, offering praise, worship and thanks is all directed by the Lord in each circumstance. And I am learning what true rest looks like when it is simply The Lord’s battle to fight. When we walk as the Lord leads, we will surely be overcomers! Equally important, is the huge desire in me to keep as short accounts as possible with the Lord. He calls us to be holy, as He is holy. (1 Peter 1 v 16 NIV)

No matter where we are on that walk with God, faith grows as we put our exisiting faith into practice. It is put into practice every day with our decisions, attitudes, thought choices that we make as we walk in the Kingdom. We might not see any major shift at the time, but faith applied to the every day things, one day after another, will grow to be a persevering faith. And in time, a persevering faith will become an expectant faith, looking forward and expecting the amazing plans God has for each of us to unfold and become a reality.

God has great plans for me. He has great plans for you. Put your faith into practice in the every day, for ‘whoever can be trusted with the very little can also be trusted with much.. (Luke 16 v 10 NIV)

And never forget…….

‘Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.’

Smith Wigglesworth

Until next time……..

Jenny.