I know a chunk of you are dealing with major health concerns. Our faith and emotions can be dramatically affected by how we feel physically. If you’re struggling to keep your head up, or even if you lack the energy to keep treading, may you find encouragement in today’s devotion, written by multi-published author and brain tumor survivor, Lillian Duncan.
Note: Lillian is giving away an ecopy of her novel, Betrayed. Winner will be chosen randomly from the comments left on this post.
For those of you dealing with chronic illness, after you read Lillian’s devotion on triumphing in Christ, I encourage you to read my post on Pushing Through.
What a Day That Will Be! by Lillian Duncan
2nd Corinthians 2: 14
Now thanks be to God who always leads in triumph in Christ.
Do you believe the Bible to be true, holy, and God’s words? I’m going to assume your answer is yes, then what about the above verse? It says God always leads us in triumph.
Really? That doesn’t always seem to be the case to my human way of seeing things.
I was diagnosed with bilateral brain tumors not quite two years ago. Since then I’ve had treatments and side effects that have left me completely deaf in one ear, partially deaf in the other with the possibility of still losing it completely. I also have permanent balance issues unless God chooses to heal me supernaturally. In the last 14 months, I’ve been on a strong steroid for 7 of them. I don’t have time to tell you what kind of havoc they’ve wreaked on my body.
Doesn’t sound much like triumph, does it?
And yet through Christ I have triumphed.
I haven’t lost my faith. I’ve grown closer to God. And in spite of my health issues, I managed to write 2 full-length novels and 3 novellas, received 2 new contracts, and just had a book released.
Not bad if I say so myself. But all the glory and credit goes to God. Without Him I couldn’t have accomplished any of that. 
Each day, I depend more and more on Him in all things.
But that’s not the triumph, I want to talk about today.
Life happens, tragedies happen, people get sick, people die. God never promised us a life without difficulties, and yet the promise that we will always triumph through Christ remains true.
Our triumph may come in this world, but it may not. Most of us are too attached to this world we live in. We become short-sighted and think that if God doesn’t answer our prayers here and now, He doesn’t love us. That His words and promises aren’t true.
But this world is not our home!
People don’t like to think about it, but our triumph may not come in this life, we may have to wait until we get to the Promised Land—to heaven.
But oh what a joy! What a triumph it will be when we see Jesus! What a day that will be!
Betrayed:
Witness Protection Program claims they can keep anyone safe if only they follow the rules so Maria follows the rules–every rule. She’s given up everything–her friends, her family, her past, even her name to ensure her daughter has a future.
Reborn as Veronica Minor in the sleepy little town of Sunberry, Ohio, she struggles to rebuild their life amid the beauty of her flower shop. A life where her daughter can have a happy normal childhood. A life where her daughter will never know that her father was a monster.
When a child disappears, Veronica prays it has nothing to do with her past, but what if she’s wrong? Not knowing who to trust, she trusts no one…and that’s her first mistake.
Lillian Duncan…Stories of faith mingled… with murder & mayhem.
Lillian is a multi-published writer who writes the type of books she loves to read—suspense with a touch of romance. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.
To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. She also has a devotional blog at: www.PowerUpWithGod.com as well as her personal blog, Tiaras & Tennis Shoes at www.lillian-duncan.com
Let’s talk about this. Sickness, betrayal, financial upsets, and tragedies can rock us to our core. They can thrust into isolation and despair or into ever-deepening surrender. The choice is ours. Despair is a nasty, dark spiral to fall into, but surrender… there’s no better place to be.
What about you? How do you find and maintain surrender and a Christ-centered focus when your world shifts out of control? For me, I do best if I spend less time venting to man and more time praising God. I don’t praise Him for my illness, but rather, I praise Him for His presence and deep understanding. When I do that, something amazingly surene happens–He draws me close and fills me with peace, a peace that truly does surpass my circumstances (Phil. 4:6-7)
Additional resources you may find helpful:
If God is in Control, Why Do I Have a Headache? by Debbie Taylor Williams