Hey everyone!

Great to have you reading my blog.  I wish to thank all of you who care enough for me or a loved one—feel free to read and share this blog with anyone you know that could use the HOPE of Jesus Christ in their life no matter what’s going on in their life.  

The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me.  Why? You might ask.  Because once in awhile I drop my guard and let the evil one get into my head.   (Unintentionally) My wife has a cousin who is dying in a nursing home.  Terry and I went to visit the cousin to share the Gospel of Christ with him to ensure that he too can have the gift of eternal life.  While we were there I let thoughts of him dying in the bed get to me.  Basically, I thought about the fact I could easily be in that situation given the scope of the disease in my body.  It truly depressed me.   Forgive me Lord for allowing this to happen by not taking charge of my thoughts.   In the Bible your word tells us, “For I know the plans you have for me Lord. Plans to prosper me, and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a FUTURE.  (Paraphrase of Jeremiah 29:11). Yet there are times we allow Satan to sneak up on us with lies that tell us we are not good enough.  Or, that God really doesn’t care because we are not seeing immediate results of our prayers.  Whatever the issue is I can tell you that God does care and his promises are written all over the Bible for us to read and to take to heart.  Additionally, I learned that another one of my family members was diagnosed with bladder cancer and another recently had prostate cancer surgery.   Instead of getting emboldened by this crises knowing the power of the Almighty, I let these things get me down once again.  

So, I have decided that I need to strengthen my resolve by being more consistent in my prayer and devotional life.  I need to  “up my game” in talking to the Lord in prayer, to listen to his soft voice, to be more intentional in reading his word so that I put on the “full Armor of God” from Ephesians which tells us, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full Armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness inplace, and with your feet fitted with the steadiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

By doing so I know that I can be victorious against the evil one in this lifetime.  

So, you ask, “how are things Craig?”  Well, honestly other than an occasional mental lapse as explained above I can’t complain about my life.  I had 3 Cyberknife treatments on the Occipital lesion back in August and will know more about how that is progressing after my MRI’s and CT Scans come Tuesday November 15th.  So, once I know the results I will be sharing them with you via another blog report.  My energy is good.  I now golf and work out on a regular basis.  Obviously, not to the extent that I did in the past, but I do what I can.  

For those of you that are struggling with a life threatening disease I urge you to place your trust in Jesus.  According to the Bible which is the greatest book ever written and represents the word of God himself, he is the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father in Heaven but thru him.  (Not Allah, not Buddha, not any other supposed God). The following are wonderful verses to memorize.  They will give you hope, peace, strength, and assurance:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:17. (Don’t let your thoughts control you, take your negative thoughts captive, always think the best possible scenario in your life.  It’s never good to think negatively)

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you.  Deuteronomy 31:8

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  2 Corinthians 12:9

I can do All things in Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13. (This is a favorite of mine as I tell myself this multiple times per day). 

My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

Lastly, if you or a loved one is diagnosed with cancer let me remind you that it is not a “death sentence”.  It is a renewed opportunity to live a life more real and purposeful. Shuck off all the negative people in your life and spend time with those people that will lift you up, laugh with you, cry with you, and care about you.  Our Lord thru his healing or thru medicine can cure you!  But, you must do your part-pray for healing and wisdom, clean up your eating, reduce your stress greatly, get rid of bitterness and resentment in your life, forgive and give grace whenever at all times, and love people always.  

Blessed be your days ahead…..

Craig aka Papa G

P.S. You can reach me at tcgiles@hotmail.com or 612.804.5630.