The last couple of mornings have been very difficult for me
as my wife has hardly been eating anything.
With the attack of Alzheimer’s on her body over these last twelve or so
years, she has been slowly losing many of her intellectual and physical
capabilities. From the early beginnings
when I began to notice some small but subtle changes in her physical appearance
and then having a difficult time finding that “right word” in order to complete her thoughts, it was increasingly
apparent that something was going on with her although at that time most
attributed it to the onset of menopause.
Piper had a complete and thorough physical in the summer of 2006, just before we left for Oklahoma and Bible School, and even with that,
the doctor reported her to be in great health and sound physical condition. About a year later things began to get more
pronounced and we started off the investigation in earnest with multiple brain
scans and other tests with a variety of specialists. The changes came at a rapid pace once we
returned home to California in 2009 and the deterioration of her well-being
progressed from a seemingly innocent stumble in the hallway to the point today
where she can no longer carry her own weight and requires 24-hour care for all
of her needs.
One would think that I would be acclimated to changes in her by
this point! But as you can expect, each
and every change has been very difficult for me to witness. The swallowing yesterday and today caused me to step back and look deep inside to see where my faith really stood. On both days I found myself at the completion
of her breakfast, sitting on the floor in the hallway in prayer to the Lord.
At times like these it is easy to question your beliefs,
and I must admit that there were a great multiplicity of questions going
through my mind. But as I finally
quieted down those voices in my head, I recalled John 6:63 where Jesus said that His words are "spirit and life" (KJV) and I began to ask myself if I REALLY
believe all those healing scriptures that I’ve been pumping into Piper and I
for years now. I needed to know if His Word was only in my head… or is it firmly
planted within my heart?
Well, with a quick shake of my head and a rub to my eyes, I
reaffirmed my belief in God’s Word as well as to my commitment to Him and to
Piper that I would NEVER give up! So, with
a steading arm on the dog standing next to me (it’s nice to have a big dog!), I pushed myself up to my feet and
walked back into the dining room, praising the Lord and thanking Him for His
Word that is working inside my wife and perfecting a healing and a cure in her.
I think it is times like my experience this morning when
you really learn if your faith has gone beyond the realm of “Mental Assent” and is a faith that
actively “ACTS” on the Word… whether you see the end result of your faith
or not! I read a good explanation of
“Mental Assent” the other day that
stated:
“With mental assent you
believe something in your head, you approve it and confirm it is right, proper
and godly. It carries your endorsement
without qualm. You may not speak of it,
but it carries your seal of approval.
However, the problem is that you don’t realize that you are not
fulfilling it. You think it, but you don’t actually do it. Why?
Because you believe it in your head, not in your heart: Mental
Assent. If you truly believed it in your
heart, you would put it into practice.
You only believe God’s Word as far as you obey and act on it.”*
As I mentioned in our last post (7/6/18 – “Swooning…”), I have seen this on different occasions as
we have interacted with others concerning our stand for Piper’s healing over
the years. The above definitions brought
a peace to a part of me that has been extremely frustrated and confused with
some folks who I know believe the
same way Piper and I do, but yet continue to give us that blank and dazed look when
it comes to actively agreeing with us.
I’ve also mentioned before of how I questioned just about
everything I have ever believed and stood for when we returned home from Bible
College to face the greatest battle in our lives. The more I questioned, the more it came down to the
point of exactly where my supposed faith was located… in my head or in my
heart! The answer to those questions
is what helped me to begin making the many decisions we’ve had to make over the
years that favored following God’s promises over what medical science and even
some good-meaning family and friends were suggesting.
How
about you? How would YOU
answer those same questions about where YOUR faith is located? Is it stuck in your head or has it moved down
deep into your heart?
Have a great new week!
And as you do, keep asking yourself… “Where
am I expecting to find my faith in time of need today?”
*
https://born-again-christian.info/believe.it.or.not.mental.assent.htm
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