When Satan Beats You Like a Drum

When the body breaks, the soul gets tested. Our latest conversation pulls back the curtain on a relentless stretch of suffering—an unexpected shoulder surgery that revealed a total tear, a surprise foot operation that sidelined the holidays, and the quiet grief of plans undone. We trace the contours of spiritual warfare not as a concept but as something that stalks real homes, quoting Ephesians 6 and 1 Peter 5 while naming the enemy’s favorite plays: isolation, resentment, and the lie that we can fix ourselves.

We talk through the limits God places on every storm, drawing courage from Job and Isaiah 43. That framing changed how we endured the long nights and slow mornings. Prayer didn’t sound polished; it sounded like lament and honesty. Scripture didn’t remove pain; it re-ordered it, giving us language for perseverance in James 1 and hope that refuses to vanish. We also get practical about the habits that helped—praying when you don’t feel like it, opening your Bible when fog covers your mind, and letting the body of Christ carry you when pride says you’re fine.

Our church’s meal train became a lived parable of grace: meals at the door, brief prayers in the hallway, and the steady hands of friends who turned theology into warmth. We speak candidly about marriage under strain, helplessness that humbles, and the way gratitude arrived slowly through small mercies. If you’re facing chronic pain, caregiving fatigue, or the weight of spiritual attack, you’ll find a companionable path here: stand firm, resist the drift to bitterness, and choose dependence on God over self-reliance.

Listen to hear hard-won lessons, honest missteps, and the Scriptures that steadied our hearts: Job’s endurance, James’s call to let perseverance finish its work, Isaiah’s promise of presence in the flood and fire, and Peter’s assurance that after “a little while” God restores and makes us steadfast. If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review—your words might be the reminder someone else needs today.

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Transcript

Purpose, Welcome, And Prayer;

Mike 0:05

Brothers and sisters, God did not send his son to die on a cross so we could wander aimlessly through life. He had a purpose for us: to do his work, submit to his will, and glorify his name. Join us on this journey, a journey to eternity. So welcome to the show. I'm Luisa. And I'm Mike, and this is episode 58 of the Journey to Eternity Podcast.

Luisa 0:36

In every episode, we help Christians use God's word to navigate everyday life in a sinful, fallen world.

Mike 0:43

Well, hey, babe. I would say that it's good to be back behind the mic, but it's been four months since our last episode.

Luisa 0:49

And it's been a long four months, physically, spiritually, and emotionally challenging for both of us. Amen.

Mike 0:55

It has been a hard season for us, babe, pretty much since last spring, around April.

Luisa 1:00

Yes, and it's been a hard season, and I feel like I just gotten beat up in my body terribly.

Mike 1:05

I know it's been really, really rough. So to make a long story short, when you go through stuff like this, it's either one of two things. God can be testing you with a trial, or the devil can be beating you like a drum. Or both. And we'll talk about these things as we share our season and how the Lord is bringing us out of it. So before we get started, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your inspired word, which has the answer for everything we go through in our lives. I thank you, Lord, for talking us through this season for your purpose, that we may find a way to make a difference in the lives of others. We thank you for getting us back to the podcast table, giving you all the glory. In Jesus' name we pray.

Spiritual Warfare And Trials;

Luisa 1:50

Amen. So let's start off with some scripture, baby. You know I like to remind people that the devil is real. He sure is. In Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12, Clearly tells us 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.

Mike 2:13

Amen. Now, when you were a child of God, the enemy comes for you. Such is the way he's been coming for us. And one of the main things that the enemy wants to do is he wants to separate us from God. He wants to do anything he can to get us and God not on the same page.

Luisa 2:31

And a lot of times that happens when you go through trials like the trials that we've been through. A lot of people are so consumed with what's going on that they move away from God instead of closer to him.

Mike 2:42

That's so true. And the enemy just is relishing in that. One thing he wants you to do is he wants you to question God's faithfulness. He wants you to always look at God and say, Well, God, where are you? What are you doing? Yeah. He wants you to even get mad at God. It's always been such a challenge for us when we're in these trials to make sure that we go to God. He always is trying to take us away.

Luisa 3:04

And he's always trying to consume us, not to pray.

Mike 3:08

Well, yeah. Prayer is the one thing that we have to do, but when we're in these trials, a lot of times we don't pray.

Luisa 3:15

And listen, I can talk about that in a little while.

Mike 3:19

The basic tenets are praying, reading, and studying, going to church, and that's the one thing that the enemy always wants.

Luisa 3:27

But most important, I think, and I thought about this in my trial, is that the enemy is always trying to tell you to figure it out. Right. Make choices. You could do this, Louisa. Figure it out. Come on. You're strong. No.

Mike 3:41

We're not strong. We don't really do well when we try to figure it out on our own. So part of that thing about praying and part of the thing about reading and studying is it puts you back in communion with God. Right. And it keeps you closer to Him. So that through your prayer, through the reading and studying, you'll see what He wants from you, what He expects from you.

Luisa 4:01

And He gives you rest, okay? Because that's what you need at that time. You really need emotionally, physical, and spiritual rest.

Mike 4:09

Yeah, that's so true. And this is a form of persecution. And we don't really see it that way. And that's the danger. Yeah. So look at all the different ways that this persecution comes. So you're married, okay? You have a wife, and he can cause division between you and your wife.

Luisa 4:27

And you know what? He can attack your health.

Mike 4:29

Right. Like he's done to me. Right. That's been really what we've been going through. Right. He causes disruptions in your job or your business.

Luisa 4:36

And he may even take away your job.

Mike 4:38

Amen. Now, this has been a particularly hard lesson for us in these last eight to ten months, but it really started about 15 years ago. And it mainly has been in the area of Louisa's health.

Luisa 4:51

And it is ramped up about the time we started going to church.

Mike 4:54

Right.

Luisa 4:55

Think about that.

Mike 4:56

That was a coincidence, okay?

Luisa 4:58

I think about before I became a believer, I don't recall ever being sick.

Mike 5:03

No.

Luisa 5:03

And I mean that. Like I a cold here and there. Yes, you know, surgeries once in a blue moon. I think I had one or two surgeries before.

Health Battles And Marital Strain;

Mike 5:12

Yeah. But I I remember when I met you, I mean, we had a couple of things. Nothing really that was abnormal, but uh once we started going to church, boy, oh boy, it really started coming after us. And the enemy, he has no need to come after those who are worshiping him, as all of us have done as unbelievers. When we turn our worship towards the true and living God, that's when the enemy gets mad.

Luisa 5:37

And you know me, one of my lines is ooh, the devil is mad.

Mike 5:41

Well, he really must be mad at us because he's been afflicting us consistently for the whole time we've been Christians.

Luisa 5:48

And let's just think about it, babe. It's not I'm getting the body affliction, but you're being afflicted too.

Mike 5:53

Yes, I know. We're in this together. And again, he tries to separate us, tries to turn us one against the other, but we always have to guard against that. The stronger we get in the Lord, the more he intensifies the attacks.

Luisa 6:06

And that's a true reality.

Mike 6:08

Yes.

Luisa 6:08

Okay.

Mike 6:09

So where is a time when the first church we were in, we were in a false church. And God graciously moved us out of there, and he placed us in a strong Bible-based church where we are now. And that was about eight years ago. And boom, what happened? We both got cancer. Back to back. I got cancer first. I got prostate cancer. That lasted about a year with the treatment and everything. And as soon as I was pretty much out of the woods, boom, it was Louisa's turn. She got breast cancer. And over the years since then, Louisa has been through more surgeries than we care to count.

Luisa 6:46

And I don't want to count them, but they've been a lot. My poor body. I know, honey.

Mike 6:51

I know it's it's just been like one thing after another. And in the last eight to ten months, like we said before, the enemy is beating us like a drum. Yeah. The attacks have just been relentless. Yeah. Now, 1 Peter 5 in verse 8 confirms this. He says, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Luisa 7:15

And boy, he's been coming at us.

Mike 7:19

Now, while the devil has free will to dispense his evil, it does have its limitations. He cannot act independently of God's ultimate will, and he is restricted from attacking believers beyond what God allows. God always has the victory over the devil, he has the authority, and the devil only does what God allows him to do.

Luisa 7:41

Right. So if we look at the book of Job, Satan specifically asks us for and receives permission to afflict Job.

Mike 7:48

Yet he is told not to take his life, demonstrating both the requirement for permission and the imposition of limits. So think about that. The devil asked God to test Job, and God said, I have faith in Job. You go ahead and test him, but you're only going to do as much as I let you. You cannot touch his life. You could touch his money, you could touch his family, but you can't touch his life.

Luisa 8:12

You could touch his health? Think about that.

Leaving A False Church;

Mike 8:15

And he did. And he did. So I don't know what kind of conversation God and the devil are having about us, but based on our history, Satan is clearly attacking us through Louisa's health. Yeah. For years, one of the health issues that Louisa has had was chronic pain in her shoulders. Well, in April of last year, the pain was enough for us to go get it checked out. Two MRIs on both shoulders, and it was discovered that there was a partial tear in the rotator cuff on the right side. Babe, listen, you know how I hate surgery. Right. And he said you had to have surgery.

Luisa 8:48

He said I had to have surgery. And I remember in that time in that doctor's office, I just felt I felt really defeated. I was I was defeated, I was tired, and I just had to breathe.

Mike 9:00

Yeah, I I know, I know it was really harsh. And we were getting ready to go on vacation. It was July, and we had our vacation scheduled for August. And the plan was say, all right, we'll wait till we get back. But the pain got so bad that we had to do it in July.

Luisa 9:18

Because you know me, I'm extremely special. You know, I I'm I'm always, you know, the chosen one to go through whatever I go through. That's how I feel. It's just my feelings and my emotions. I'm not questioning anything God is doing. Right. It's just in my flesh, and my reality is like, ugh, I gotta go through this again.

Mike 9:38

Right. And our flesh was, well, God, let us get to go on our vacation, and then when we come back, we'll do it.

Luisa 9:43

Shame on us. Okay, because that was our flesh.

Mike 9:47

God, can we please go on vacation and enjoy ourselves?

Luisa 9:50

And you know what? What happened? I really didn't enjoy myself. Yeah. Because I was limited in what we could have done.

Mike 9:56

So the doctor goes in and does the surgery, and he discovers what the MRI didn't show. Of course. Of course. Because there was more, which was a total tear of the rotator cuff, not a partial tear. Then there was also a bone spur on the shoulder. And to top it all off, there was a hole in the muscle of Luisa's shoulder.

Luisa 10:17

And you know me, I don't do anything small, babe.

Mike 10:21

Were you shocked, babe?

Back‑To‑Back Cancer Shock;

Luisa 10:23

Yes, I was. I really was. I was like, oh, really?

Mike 10:27

I don't think we expected anything like that. I mean, it was really interesting when, after the surgery, you know, they take before and after pictures because they got to cover themselves. So he's showing us all these pictures. And the whole on the muscle was the size of a golf ball.

Luisa 10:41

Right.

Mike 10:42

It was just crazy.

Luisa 10:43

And I'm looking at this, you're looking at me, and I'm like, wow, I I can't believe this. This is like crazy to me.

Mike 10:49

Yeah. And painful. It was I know it was really awful for you. So what started out as a routine fix became quite complex and very painful. And he explained to us that the recovery was gonna be long.

Luisa 11:03

But I just didn't realize how long. Or how painful or how painful that recovery is gonna be, babe. You know me. My tolerance for pain is is high. Right. Because I've had a lot of pain in my life. But this shoulder killed me. I mean, it limited me in so many ways. You know that I couldn't even comb my hair.

Mike 11:23

I know. It was really rough. So they gave her a sling. So Luisa's got her arm on a sling now, and she's saying, Well, how are we gonna go on vacation? My arm's in a sling, and it's like you know what?

Luisa 11:31

It's summertime and it's hot.

Mike 11:33

Yes, I know it was really good. Well, we still go on vacation, okay? But yes, you were limited, and you were still in a lot of pain. But we did get to celebrate our birthdays and our anniversary, and God saw us through it because he is faithful. And we even recorded the first outdoor podcast in the history of the Journey to Eternity Podcast.

Luisa 11:53

So that was remote.

Mike 11:55

We were on remote and and we still did.

Luisa 11:58

Yeah, but it didn't feel like a vacation for me, babe. We really didn't.

Mike 12:01

You had to wear the sling, you had to be careful in the water.

God’s Limits On Satan;

Luisa 12:04

Right. I had to be careful where we were walking and all people around me and bumping into me, and I was in a lot of pain on this vacation.

Mike 12:12

There was a lot of places where we were in crowds.

Luisa 12:14

Right, and I was not a happy camper. I wasn't.

Mike 12:17

And this is not the first vacation where we've had sickness and doing that. Yeah. It was it the timing is always so interesting because even when we had cancer, when I had the cancer, we went on vacation. I was waiting for a diagnosis, but I already had it. When you came with your breast cancer, we already knew.

Luisa 12:35

And And I remember asking the doctor if I can go and shoot.

Mike 12:39

Well, remember we had we had the surgery. Right. Okay, you had the two surgeries. So you had the first surgery, and then I went on vacation. Yeah, because she came back and she says, Well, we missed a little. We have to go back in. Right. And we were devastated. Yeah. And we asked, can we go on our vacation? And she said, Yeah, you go on vacation. So sure, we went, we we did have a good time, but that weighing on our mind was tough. Right.

Luisa 13:03

And it's hard to go on vacation with stuff heavy on your mind like that. No kidding. Okay, no matter where we went, I mean, we we it was a beautiful time, the weather was beautiful, but my mind was my mind was consumed. I have to go back and have surgery again.

Mike 13:17

Right. So we got back on a Saturday and Monday morning Louisa was in the operating room. So that was. Once again, yeah.

Luisa 13:23

So that's why I'm special. Right.

Mike 13:28

So getting back to this surgery. Once the vacation ended, the physical therapy began. Uh-huh. And there was much labor and more pain. Now summer turned into fall, and in mid-November, Louisa started feeling a sharp pain in her left foot. This went on for over a week and it was getting worse, and we're looking at each other.

Shoulder Injury And Surgery;

Luisa 13:50

And again, I knew it wasn't good, baby. I know my body. You get to the point of when I get pains in my body, I know when it's serious and I know when it's not. And I was trying to convince myself that the foot pain was, ah, I twisted my foot, I did something in the gym, I stepped on something, put deep down inside, I knew that it was not good.

Mike 14:11

Right. And sure enough, we made an appointment with the foot doctor, and we weren't in there five minutes. He just took one look at it and he says, Oh, well, you're gonna need surgery.

Luisa 14:21

And me thinking I went in there, remember, I went in there saying, He'll give me a cortisone shot, he'll do something. I really thought you were gonna get a shot. Because you know, you were looking at me, and I was looking at you, and I turned around and looked at you when he said I need surgery, and I was just like, I was devastated.

Mike 14:35

I was you are just so special. Yeah.

Luisa 14:38

Thank you, babe.

Mike 14:39

You're welcome. So this would be the second operation in five months. Right. So they gave us a date of January 2nd, and we went home, and you know, Louisa's trying to walk around on this foot, and she the pain became so bad that we had to move it up. We couldn't wait. They gave us a date of December 19th, and this would have been about the time a new podcast episode would have come out, but there was just so much distress going on. Louisa was really in a lot of pain. I I was focused on taking care of her that we decided to take a break from the podcast. And that's why it's been four months.

Luisa 15:16

And I think we decided to take a break from a lot of things, because by the time, by this time, I was beat down, I was depleted, I was tired.

Mike 15:22

It was really, really hard.

Luisa 15:23

And what was coming up for me at that time was I have to get anesthesia again. You know I struggle with that. It was so hard for me with that.

Mike 15:31

So we got there, we did the surgery, the surgery went well, but Louisa was not allowed to put any weight on her foot for at least two weeks.

Luisa 15:40

And if you know me, you know that was hard for me because I don't stop.

Mike 15:45

It really wasn't two weeks, it wound up being like four. Yeah. But the bottom line is she had to stay in bed with her foot elevated. So this is Christmas week. All right. Surgery on the 19th. Christmas was next week. New Year's. We missed the caroling with the with our our congregation. We missed the Christmas Eve service.

Luisa 16:02

We missed going to our family for Christmas. They had to come here.

Mike 16:05

Well, that wasn't so bad. I know you know you were happy. I didn't mind the home game for Christmas, but Mike was really happy. Not for that reason. We usually travel Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but uh this time we we just couldn't. We had a home game. Right. Uh but it it was just so harsh that it came at this time. And you know, you were in bed, you had to keep your foot elevated.

Luisa 16:27

I had this big heavy cast that was so annoying.

Mike 16:30

Yes, it was really, really tough. But our church family was so cool. Gracious. And this is this has been one of the biggest lessons in my life about what it's like to be a Christian and to be in a a really godly church where where people care for and love each other. They created this thing called a meal train. And a meal train basically is when somebody is is kind of down for the count like we were, everybody cooks them a meal and brings it there or whatever they do, and and you get a little visit and everything. And we had meals for four weeks, and people like helped us and got our some of our costs covered.

Luisa 17:07

Because you know how we were, you know, I was like, we don't need a meal train, we don't need nothing, we'll be fine.

Mike 17:12

And we got commanded.

Luisa 17:13

And we yes, because I didn't realize that I really couldn't get out of bed, that I had to stay in bed with my foot elevated, and it didn't click on me until I realized that you had to go to work.

Mike 17:27

Yeah.

Luisa 17:28

After I had surgery, like he wasn't gonna stay home with me this whole time that I had my foot up. So the church just came around. It was so gracious to us, you know.

Mike 17:38

I mean, but I was supplying all of our needs.

Luisa 17:40

All our needs, and you know, I was in extreme pain, I had so much pain, and I just remember connecting with God and reading the book of Job.

Mike 17:48

And that was a big revelation for you. Yes, yes, because this is kind of the way the enemy comes, all right? And Job had to suffer through the affliction, he had to have a conversation with God, and connection with God was what really brought you through that.

Vacation In A Sling;

Luisa 18:03

Right, because I remember the first week, I was in so much pain, I was tired. Like I said, I was defeated. I didn't even think about opening God's word because I was so foggy, I wasn't clear, and I didn't I wasn't paying. And I just laid there and I slept a lot, but then all of a sudden, like I said to myself, laying there one day, I haven't connected with God. Right. Like I haven't opened God's word. I haven't really prayed. I've just been laying here frustrated. And that was my truth.

Mike 18:32

Yeah, I I believe it. So January moved into February, February into March. Your recovery's been pretty slow. Very slow. Much slower than you're gonna be able to do. Extremely slow.

Luisa 18:42

Absolutely, yes.

Mike 18:44

Luisa's foot is still swollen.

Luisa 18:46

And I still have a lot of pain.

Mike 18:47

Yeah, and you're able to walk, but your walking really is limited. You can't do the walks around the block like you used to. When we go out, we have to be mindful. We have to be mindful of where we park, right? We have to get back and forth. So I know that it's still a struggle. But like the storm clouds that pass, another storm is always on its way. And for me, the biggest issue in all of this is I feel helpless. And I think a lot of spouses go through this when your wife is sick or your husband is sick. There's really not much you could do for them.

Luisa 19:23

But you know what, babe, you're as special as I am because you've been helpless. You have been helpless in so many of my surgeries and so many of my afflictions. You have been helpless.

Mike 19:33

Well, men are as a rule like to fix things. Yeah. If we fix things, they'll go away. That's kind of our mindset.

Luisa 19:38

And this couldn't go away. It's not going away.

Mike 19:41

This season, there's really been nothing that I could do. I mean, my goal is always to take care of you the best I can without getting on your nerves. Right. Which I know I did at many times. And I know that this season is not over. Okay, so I know that there's probably gonna be times when I get on your nerves again. But your shoulder is not fully healed. Nope. Your foot will not be fully healed for another four to six months, and it's just really been gonna be rough.

Foot Pain And Second Surgery;

Luisa 20:07

Yeah, and I just have to know that God is in charge. Yes, and I'm not, yeah. Okay, and yes, this has been a hard season feeling. I felt really, really defeated. Like I had a lot of surgeries and I had defeat in them, but not like these last ones. For whatever reason, I don't know, maybe it's age, but I just know. I just know that these last couple of surgeries were really harsh. And it just gave me some time to really connect with God in a way that maybe I didn't before, and I am so grateful for this affliction. Now that I look back, I'm sitting here and I'm saying to myself, it just brought me closer to God. God has shown me a lot of things, and God has given me grace and mercy, and God, I don't deserve any of that, babe. You know? So all the doctor's appointments, all the crying, all the frustration, all the pain, all the snowstorms. You're right, two snowstorms. Okay, stuck in the house.

Mike 21:05

Yeah, you couldn't even go outside to get any air. It was the field here was pretty deep.

Luisa 21:09

Remember, you took me out one day before the snowstorm so I could just go around in that little scooter to get fresh air because I was crying to Mike. I need it. That's right.

Mike 21:17

You stole the scooter because I need air.

Luisa 21:19

I need air. I need to get out of this house. I felt like the walls were really closing in on me. It was rough.

Mike 21:24

I know, claustrophobia. You think because you work from home that you're used to that? No. But there's something about not being able to go outside that really was difficult for getting down the stairs. Let's talk about the stairs. The stairs. We're sitting here, we're staring at the stairs that come down from our apartment down to the street level. 13 steps. Okay. And at the beginning, the stairs were really a challenge for you. So I know that. And you know, you had to figure out how to get up and down without putting any weight on your foot. Oh, without falling down the stairs. Oh my goodness. Yes, I know, I know, I know, I know.

Luisa 22:00

I didn't need to put more pressure on you, baby.

Mike 22:02

Thank goodness though. No, there were no accidents here. There were no no Again God's grace. God's grace. So that brings us to what is next. And of course, we don't know. But God does know. And sometimes he uses trials as a form of judgment. But he also uses them to test our faith. So in a trial, will we move towards him or move away from him? Will we depend on him or will we depend on ourselves? Will we rejoice in the trial or will we be bitter and complain? The biggest question is Will we have faith? So James chapter 1 and verses 2 to 4 tells us how to respond and why.

Luisa 22:45

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish his work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Mike 23:02

Amen. That's the test of faith. God has us in this season, and it is a season of testing to see how we were going to answer those questions we just spoke about. Right. So will we move towards him or move away from him?

Luisa 23:17

Listen, I wasn't even thinking about this. I really wasn't. I was so consumed with pain that I wasn't thinking about moving or moving away.

Mike 23:25

So you weren't really either ones?

Luisa 23:27

No. Okay. Nope. That's my truth.

Mike 23:29

No, I I get that. And so that for me, when I was going through this with you, I said to myself, okay, she's struggling. She's really struggling. You knew I was struggling. So I have to be the one who tries to get you to move towards God. We have to pray a lot. We have to read and study. We have to do all those things. So I get moving you towards him what became a priority for me. And at the same time, that was keeping me in the game, moving me towards him, not getting frustrated, not getting excited.

Luisa 23:58

Because you could have easily moved away from him, too.

Mike 24:00

Sure, sure. I mean, will we depend on him or we will depend on ourselves?

Luisa 24:05

I couldn't depend on myself. I had to depend on Mike for the physical part. Right. So I just think that I just got really present to I needed God.

Mike 24:14

Yeah.

Luisa 24:15

I needed God for peace. I needed God for rest. I needed God to just do what God does.

Mike 24:20

And He would take care of the physical part. Right. So the physical part was going to go slow. Right. So I think that was part of the frustration.

Luisa 24:26

And I think I wanted the physical part to go away. Because the pain was just too much for me. I know.

Mike 24:31

So I know. Yeah. And the good thing for me is that at that time God kept me healthy. All right. So I was able to help you. I was able to take the burden of helping you physically, but God took the burden of you spiritually, emotionally, mentally.

Luisa 24:50

And giving me rest.

Mike 24:51

And that was that was the whole point.

Luisa 24:53

Yeah.

Mike 24:53

So will we rejoice in the trial or will we be bitter and complain?

Holidays From Bed;

Luisa 24:58

Listen, you know there was no rejoicing for me, and that is my honest truth. I did not rejoice. I was in too much pain. And you know what? I was like completely frustrated. And then I had to find some time to really repent and ask God to forgive me for the frustration, for the everything that I was going through that didn't honor God. And I just, instead of just being grateful that my husband is healthy and strong and he's helping me in this trial, I didn't even think about that. That's where I was. My mind was just so into my pain and not wanting to be in that space of that.

Mike 25:37

Well, the Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances. Right. And I know that there's times where that's really difficult to do. Right. But God gives us the opportunity to do that. Yes. That you can find Thanksgiving in a trial.

Luisa 25:50

And you know what? You know what? I thought about it after because that did come to my space at the time that I should have been grateful for all the things that God supplied for me. And I mean everything that you bought me to make me comfortable in this trial and after this surgery. There was things that you bought me that I needed. And instead of me equipment. Yes. Yes.

Mike 26:11

I mean, we we were very blessed by God. Yes. We had to give him thanks in that. And again, there were people in our church that supplied some things for us too. So it really, you can I think you can find Thanksgiving in any trial if you are present enough to set your mind to that.

Luisa 26:28

Right. So in the beginning I wasn't, and then later on I started realizing because I was already reading my word. Right. See, once I opened up God's word, I was able to see that I was in a space of that negativity and not being grateful. Right. So it just shifted for me.

Mike 26:43

Sure. So Psalm 66 in verse 10 acknowledges God's testing, and it also tells us the result we can expect if we're faithful. For you, God tested us, you refined us like silver. That's the perseverance that James speaks of. He may not take the trial away from us, but he will see us through it. But we can't do it on our own. It's only through God's power that we can persevere.

Luisa 27:10

Right. One of my favorite scripture verses is Isaiah 43 and verse 2. It is a true testament to the grace and mercy of God while we are in our trials.

Mike 27:19

This is a such a great scripture. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze.

Luisa 27:35

So God's faithfulness is sure in his word. But what about us? What are we to do in the season of a trial?

Mike 27:42

Well, this is this is elementary, my dear Watson. Okay. The first thing you do is pray, pray, pray. And pray some more. Amen. Right. So prayer is really everything.

Church Care And Meal Train;

Luisa 27:54

But I think that in the beginning in my trial, one thing I can say is I was praying. You were. I was. That's one thing that I know that I do. I pray a lot. And even while I lay there and I was here by myself, even if it was a prayer of calling out and crying to God, even if it was the prayer of telling God exactly how I was feeling and my frustration. So I did pray. I did.

Mike 28:17

So that's why it's important to develop a habit of prayer when times are good, so that when it's time to go through a trial and they will come, then you'll be able to be in the habit of praying already.

Luisa 28:29

Right. That's my default. Even though I wasn't praying in my regular way when I'm feeling good, I was really praying in under distress. Yeah. And people don't understand that when you're under distress, that's prayer to God. God wants to hear that. He wants you to cry out. Right, he wants you to cry out. So I went and I went to him, just broken to the core of what I was feeling, what I was going through. And it was prayer.

Mike 28:52

And God heard my prayer. He sure did. The next thing we have to do is read and study your Bible.

Luisa 28:58

In the first week, I did not open up the Bible. I was stuck in my me, I don't feel good again, blah, blah, blah. And the Bible was not open until a light bulb went off for me the second week, and I said to myself, I have not opened up God's word.

Mike 29:17

Right. So that goes back to when we talk about are we depending on God? Are we looking to God? When you're stuck in a trial, you might God might not ever come to your mind if you're not in the habit of doing that. Right. So, like we urge you to have a prayer life that is consistent so that it can it it it's available to you when you're going through the trial. If you're not reading and studying on a regular basis, it's really gonna be hard when you're in the midst of a trial because you're not gonna have God's word saturating you. You're not gonna be in that frame of mind that I have to look to Scripture for my help, I have to look to God for my help. And remembering God's promises and you're reading and studying, you're gonna come across many promises, many things that are gonna encourage you. Right. God's word can be a very big encouragement when you're in a trial. So having that habit is also really something that you want to develop beforehand so that when the trial does come, that you're you'll be able to bounce right into it.

Luisa 30:19

And then what I realized is that I did thank God for the trial that I was in. It took me those stages of that. And I just started rejoicing always, praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18. Amen. That came to my mind. Okay, so you start remembering who God is, what does he say in his word? And it I'm telling you, the shift just happened, and I was very aware of the shift, so that's why I was able to study the book of Job the way I studied it. So I am so grateful to it.

Mike 30:53

It's that connection to God that really enables us to have that shift. And he allows us to wallow in our stuff for a while, but then he brings us to the street. Reminds us.

Prayerlessness To Job-Like Faith;

Luisa 31:04

And again, I was still in pain when I opened up his word. I was still laying in the bed with my foot up. I was still the same way I was from the beginning, but the shift happened to me when I remembered that God is for me. Right. And God says that He will be with me through the storm, and all this stuff was coming to me. And I remember saying, I'm not telling you, Louisa, that you're not gonna go through trials. I'm telling you that I'm gonna be with you. I'm here. And it was just like the light bulb came off of me, and then I just started repenting. Oh Lord, I'm so sorry. Lord, please forgive me. And it's just it was just that for me. I know.

Mike 31:45

So earlier we read 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 8. So it's appropriate that we finish this out by repeating that and adding verses 9 and 10 to complete the passage and the episode. It says, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Now here it comes. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. Let's pray.

Luisa 32:33

Oh Heavenly Father, thank you for who you are in us and through us. Thank you for the insights and the truth we shared in this episode. Please help us all carry your teachings and your scriptures into our daily lives. May our hearts be open to your word and may we all continue to grow in our faith. Thank you for allowing Mike and I to use this platform to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we thank you for that in Jesus' name. Amen.

Mike 33:04

So that wraps up episode 58.

Luisa 33:07

We thank you for listening. We invite you to leave us a comment or a question by going to our website at jtepodcast.org.

Mike 33:16

That's jtepodcast.org.

Luisa 33:20

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Mike 33:31

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Luisa 33:54

And as always, please support us by sharing this podcast with a friend or on your social media page.

Mike 34:00

So till next time, we wish you God's blessings as you navigate everyday life in a sinful fallen world.

Luisa 34:07

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.