Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni and Friends. Where we sure do love “Wheels for the World”. It’s our program where we take refurbished wheelchairs and Bibles to very needy disabled children around the world who crawl in the dirt and cannot go to school for lack of a wheelchair. Our trained physical therapy volunteers do such a great job. They hand-fit each wheelchair to whatever disabled child or adult. These disabled people hear the good news, they receive a Bible in their own language, and their family is connected with a caring church who provides follow-up. It’s a great outreach and my husband Ken and I love participating on “Wheels” trips. I remember when Ken and I landed in Havana, Cuba on one of our “Wheels for the World” trips. My power wheelchair really threw the airport officials into a tizzy, and I they escorted me to an airport doctor's office. Uh, they looked at my chair and I think they thought I was "sick" and I needed supervision before boarding our connecting flight to Santiago de Cuba. This really irked me because I knew it was going to delay our team as well as our chartered flight. I shook my head, thinking, God, why now? Why this? Well, I was taken to a small office where I met two female doctors and a disabled woman who was also waiting (no one spoke English in this little room). And looking around, I realized, Lord, I think I see what you’re doing here; this is a unique opportunity, a chance to evangelistic-ly think outside the box. I got a feeling you want me to do an "outreach" right here with my high school Spanish. So, I began to sing out loud in Spanish (Joni singing in Spanish). It was the only Christian song I knew. And oh my goodness, did that get people's attention. I then asked in halting Spanish, (Joni speaking in Spanish). The two doctors stared at one another. One asked in Spanish, "We see you are an American. Why, why are you in our country?" And again I explained in my high school Spanish that we were bringing (Joni speaking in Spanish) wheelchairs and Bibles as gifts to the disabled people of Cuba. I went on to describe the mandate of our Savior to go into all the world and share the good news. "What is this good news?" she asked in a softer voice. And at that, her fellow doctor brightened, ran up back to her cubicle, and returned holding a battered, bent-paged Bible she had gotten from a Josh McDowell outreach like decades earlier. And before I knew it, this doctor began explaining the gospel in sixty-mile-an-hour Spanish to her coworker. It was clear that this Christian doctor had just been waiting, and she’d been praying for an opportunity to open up and share Christ with her friend, and suddenly it all happened with me and my song. This Christian doctor then found the courage to share her faith in Jesus! And I sat there and watched in amazement as the Christian doctor pointed to various passages in Romans and then back at the Gospels. Her fellow doctor, the unbeliever, was fascinated and she looked up and kept smiling at me… actually, both of them smiled at me. And I could tell there had been a real breakthrough. Who knows what you might get started once you take that first step of faith and share a word about your Savior! The challenge is to think outside the box, right? and go beyond the program, and reach the people God places in your path right then. So, would you please pray right now for our “Wheels for the World” team today as they head to the Dominican Republic with wheelchairs and Bibles, all to the end of leading Spanish-speaking people to Christ. Just like those two doctors in Cuba. Hey friend, at Joni and Friends we’d like to pray for you so share with us your thoughts and your prayer needs at joniandfriends.org. By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a fun follow-up to “Heart for the Disabled”. Back in January you heard me share those 5 stories of precious people and their disabled loved ones who needed encouragement. And oh my goodness, did you respond! I don’t know how we do it, but every year we seem to keep breaking records. Thank you for responding with your heart and writing such wonderful notes of encouragement laced with scripture and undergirded by prayer. Many of you sent wonderful gifts: handmade cards and homemade items, and yes, even gift cards to restaurants and Amazon and many more. And I cannot thank you enough. But rather than me thank you, let’s hear from one of the families. This is what they wrote: “Dear Joni, We are so humbled, and we want to thank you for blessing us immensely on Heart for the Disabled week for Valentine’s Day!!! We were so excited when we got our box! In your cover letter, Joni, you wrote that maybe our box of cards and gifts would come on just a day that we were needing a little boost of encouragement. Well, our box sure did! It was delayed in arriving and did not come until the week after Valentine’s Day. But that was great because that week we were actually having a really tough time; not in a pity party way, but without much outside help at all and we were feeling low, thinking that no one really understood what we’re go through and how much we really do need help. But then your box of Heart for the Disabled things arrived, and it was God’s way of saying, I know! I can see you! And the Lord really blessed us with that Valentine’s box on our doorstep!!! “We spent literally hours going through it all, reading all the beautiful notes and personal messages, as well as meditating on all the scriptures that were handpicked and written for us! We were beyond blessed (and shocked!!) at all the notes, and cards, and letters, and gift cards, and gifts!!! And then, lo and behold, a little over a week later when we had to rush to the ER, we came home exhausted and – oh my goodness – there was a second box of gifts and cards (I suppose it came from people whose cards and things were mailed a little late). We could not believe it. Once again, God encouraged us exactly when we needed it. And we love your second cover letter with that second box, as well, reminding us that God’s never going to abandon us. “Oh, how we were chosen by you, Joni to be honored in this way astounds us, and then to be blessed by so many of your people around the country. I just want you to know, and your listeners, that we felt so loved, so much a part of the huge family of God from around this nation. And we just want to thank you and thank all the many friends who took part in your Heart for the Disabled.” Wow! Oh my goodness! Friend, if you participated in Heart for the Disabled back in January, God bless you. God bless you for reminding all 5 families this year that God’s grace can sustain them through their hardships, no matter how difficult the disability in the family, and no matter how painful. Thank you for taking the time – not everyone takes time to be “kind to the needy,” as it says in Proverbs 19. But that kindness, it also says, honors God. So friend listening, let that be your reward. Your cards, notes, scriptures gifts brought honor to God. You were kind to the needy, and it reflected wonderfully on your Savior. So, from all of us at Joni and Friends, and all those 5 families who received all your encouragement, thank you! Thank you again for participating in Heart for the Disabled this year! God bless you, and we hope you will participate next year. Thanks for listening today on Joni and Friends. By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

“Jesus, I am Resting, Resting.” It’s a favorite hymn and I love the arrangement that my friend Buddy Green does on this particular hymn. Jesus, I am resting, resting, In the joy of what Thou art I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart. Thou had’st bid me gaze upon Thee and Thy beauty fills my soul For by Thy transforming power, Thou had’st made me whole. O, how great Thy loving kindness, vaster, broader than the sea, O, how marvelous Thy goodness, lavished all on me. I hope you love that arrangement as much as I do. And I have sung it in so many places, but never in so odd a place as the Country Buffet restaurant in Kirkland, Washington some time ago. I was to speak at a conference in the area that night and I’d gone to the restaurant for an early dinner. So instead of saying grace around the table, we sang a hymn – there weren’t a lot of people in the restaurant and we didn’t think it would disturb anyone. Little did we realize that the family who were sitting about four tables away in the corner from us, they heard us. And the mother came over to tell us that they were Christians. She said that her elderly parents were joining them for dinner and before we knew it, after dessert, we meandered over to their table, pulled up a few chairs, and we started singing hymns. It was wonderful! And a few Christians who came into the Country Buffet even joined us after eating. We had a real “hymn sing”; a great time! Not long ago I received an email from the woman who came up to our table. She said, “Dear Joni, I don’t know if you will ever realize how much our time together meant to my elderly parents, especially to my mother. She talked about singing hymns together till her dying day. And I thank you for doing that. I believe that Jesus was standing there in the midst and blessing all of us – for sure, singing praises to our Father in a restaurant was a first for me.” The Bible says, “Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” Friend, you can do that no matter where you are: in your car, around your dinner table, at a church on any given Sunday morning, at prayer meeting, and you can even sing hymns and spiritual songs at the Country Buffet restaurant in Kirkland, Washington. But there’s something else to learn here. And that is, learn to sing your way through suffering. One of the reasons that I always hum a hymn is because I need to—even if it’s in a restaurant. So today, not only sing to others, but speak Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to yourself, to your own heart. Contentment and peace and joy will be yours for the simple price of, well, nothing but a song, a song that uplifts the Lord Jesus. Singing hymns is a great way to keep your focus on Christ and His Word. So share your spiritual songs with me today on my Facebook page. And together, would you, let’s um, let’s sing our way through suffering. How about it? By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

This is Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to “Joni and Friends.” If there's one thing God has opened the eyes of my heart to, it is this: to live each day with an eye on eternity. Oh, my goodness… Live with the goal of investing in the heavenly kingdom. And there something else I might pray almost every morning, I’ll pray "Lord, I'm not satisfied with the Joni I was yesterday. Today, I want to partner with your Holy Spirit to be changed, be transformed. I want to become more like Jesus than I was yesterday." That's a great prayer, as well as a great perspective. And it’s why, every morning when I wheel into the Joni and Friends International Disability Center, our headquarters, I cannot help but sing. Coming through the front doors, it might be "Every Day with Jesus Is Sweeter Than the Day before” or going up the ramp to the 2nd floor it will be "Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away — he taught me how to watch and pray, and live rejoicing every day. Happy day, happy day when Jesus washed my sins away." Some people ask why I sing so much, and I tell them that I have to. With me in this wheelchair I don't trust my emotions one bit; I know I am way too prone to let pain and paralysis ambush my attitude for the day, and so I rule my emotions by not just talking to my soul (as did King David when he said to himself, 'Oh soul, why art thou so downcast?'). No, more than talking to myself, I’ll singing to myself. Sometimes we are only prone to praise God or singing worship songs when life is good, and we feel that the coast is clear, the bills are paid, and it's smooth sailing. When circumstances are delightful, when things are good, we feel that God is good. But then if the circumstances turn sour, it's another story, isn’t it? When things go haywire, it’s “Okay, okay, God, what’s going on here? What’s up with this? Like what’s happening? Have you forgotten me here?” The sun does not always shine, birds do not always sing, and the sky is not always clear of clouds. Life is hard — and most often, that is when we have a tough time singing praise to the Lord. We’re so influenced, we’re so prone to let our circumstances — whether good or bad — we’re so inclined to let the situation of the day dictate our view of God for the moment. But time and again, the Bible tells us that God is the same good, happy Father in bright times, as He is in devastatingly difficult times. He does not change, no matter what our circumstances. Deuteronomy Chapter 7, verse 9 says, “Know therefore that your Lord your God is God; He is faithful. He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” So friend, let that fact sink in and it’ll help you live each day with an eye on eternity. A fact like that will get you actively engaged in your own sanctification each morning, especially when you wake up, and who knows, you may be tone deaf, but He’ll put a song on your heart. The book of Hebrews describes God as the Father “with whom there is no shadow of turning.” Scripture alone should be our frame of reference for who the Lord is rather than our circumstances being that frame of reference. So today, whether it’s grand or gloomy, whether it’s happy or hard, sunshine or rainy, sunny or sour remember: Every Day with Jesus is Sweeter Than the Day Before.” By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and welcome to Joni and Friends. You know, um, I’m winding up this treatment for cancer and I have received so many letters and emails, posts on Facebook from you friends listening, and asking about some of the details of what it’s been like to go through this battle. And I wish I could answer every single letter, but, you know, I thought today it might be good to get my husband in here, into the studio in front of the microphone to help answer some of those questions. Our listeners know that 8 years ago I had my first bout against cancer, but we’re back in the boxing ring with this cancer again, coming up on the last few radiation treatments that I have to have. KEN: You know what Jon? If it wasn’t for the people who are out there praying for us, it would have made this journey an awfully lot more difficult. JONI: Absolutely. I have felt, and I think you have too, we’re like hydroplaning on people’s intercessions. KEN: Aw man. JONI: It’s amazing. And we need it because for me, going to radiation, it’s not like anybody else, who might change their clothes and get into a hospital gown, and hop up on the table. It’s a real feat of energy and effort, isn’t it? KEN: We need to rely on friends, as well as the technicians who are there. It’s interesting, with chemotherapy it’s different. You go in, and you get an infusion. But with radiation, you have to get up on the table, every day. We couldn’t do it by ourselves. JONI: I’ve got one x-ray technician, usually it’s Steve or Jason, on the other side of the table, he’s reaching over, and on one, two, three, you guys kind of like lift me up on this high table, and get me situated just perfectly, so that I’m in line with the machine. It’s not easy. But I’m kind of glad that it’s not, because it gives us a chance to involve more people in our journey. Not just the girlfriends who come with me to help me get undressed, but the x-ray technician, like Jason and Paul and Gene and others that we’ve met, who assist me in getting up on that table. They see our vulnerability. And when we enlist them to help us, it kind of like gives us a platform to share the Good News of Jesus. Doesn’t it? KEN: Oh, absolutely. It’s a team effort. JONI: Have you given Joni books to all of them? KEN: I start off with tracts… JONI: Okay. KEN: You know, the Joni tract, and then develop a little bit of relationship with them. And I say, “You know what? Joni’s written this great story, I’d like to share with you…” and then they take the books and are very thankful. And hopefully we get a chance to talk with them… JONI: Great! When I was going through chemotherapy 8 years ago, in the chemo lab, someone had put out a big bowl of these little rocks, with words like hope, and breathe, and faith, and also some scriptures written on these rocks. And it was so encouraging to know that somebody had prayed over all those rocks. And the people like me who take one. And I still have my rock from 8 years ago. And I thought I’d pass on the idea to these other people. And part of what has inspired us is Genesis chapter 50, verse 20. You know, the story of Joseph when he tells his wicked brothers, “You might have meant this for evil, but God intended it for good...” And I love this part, “… for the saving of many lives.” If anybody gets cancer, if anybody breaks their neck, if anybody gets the flu, has an injury or illness, or experiences brokenness, it should all be for the platform of showcasing your trust and confidence in God to others. KEN: People say isn’t it a shame that Joni’s gotten this cancer again, but if there are lives that are going to be changed, and will come to know Jesus because of it, then it was all well worth it. JONI: So it’s all an opportunity to spread the Good News of Jesus… which has made this radiation cancer battle, journey thing, so much more meaningful. KEN: And I think as we learned from the first bout, it’s brought us closer together. JONI: Yeah. KEN: Cause we can’t do it without each other. JONI: No we can’t. Well Ken we’re finishing up, as I said, this cancer, radiation treatment. It’s been 35 tough, difficult sessions but with your help, and with the help of the x-ray technicians and with the help of our friends listening, who are praying, it’s been an amazing journey of faith and a chance to share the Gospel. Right? KEN: Right! Onward and upward, cancer be gone! © Joni and Friends

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a confession about cancer. I’m sure you’ve heard that I’m back battling cancer again; for the second time. And this time it’s a little different. The cancer is a bit faster-growing and I’ve just about completed radiation. Now, as a quadriplegic, it has concerned me. After more than 50 years of total paralysis, my lungs are not in the best of shape, and the radiation is being focused on my chest wall where my mastectomy was done. So, my lungs have kind of been in danger. Thankfully, I had one of those newfangled, high-tech machines that target the radiation very specifically so as to not damage healthy tissue, but still, it’s a little scary. And I want to give you the Bible verse that I clung to (and I’m still clinging to) throughout the whole process. First Peter Chapter 1, verse 13 says, “Prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” You know, back in December, early January before I began radiation, even back in late November when I found out I had this cancer, I started preparing my mind for action. From the very onset, I had to be sober in spirit. I knew I had to be super-careful of private little thoughts that could undermine my confidence in Christ. Look, I remember when I went into respiratory failure a few years ago, and had to be trached for the second time. it was almost scarier and more panicky than the first time, some 20 years prior. My mind had to battle the, “Oh no, here we go again,” and fears of experiencing the same terrible claustrophobia. Like, I was thinking, I know I’m going to die sometime, is this the time? If so, how hard should I try to battle the illness? Even back then, I felt spiritually ready for heaven, with my “bucket list” pretty much complete. But, “giving up,” did not seem to be the answer, even back then, years ago. And you know what? It wasn’t the answer; it was not my time. I survived pneumonia and respiratory failure. I survived all those panicky scary feelings that did me no good at all. And so I learned back then, when awful things were happening – like right now, with this new cancer, and radiation – my mind is prepared for action. I tell you what, I am sober in spirit. I have fixed my hope completely on the grace God gives me. That’s what first Peter tells me to do, and it’s such wise advice. Because I simply cannot allow my thoughts to wander down that dark, ugly path to depression and despair. Believe me, I’ve been there; that’s where my feelings will take me. I know. And so, over these last few months, ever since November when doctors removed that tumor, I have been safeguarding and double checking my mind, my thoughts; as soon as I find myself thinking: “I know these side effects are going to do me in… I know my cancer is going to recur somewhere else”… well, I don’t know that, only God does. And it’s silly – actually it’s reckless – to allow my thoughts to pull my spirits down, causing more doubts about God and fears of the future. So, in this new cancer journey, I am fixing my hope completely on the grace of God. Now, you may not have cancer, maybe you do, but I encourage you to do the same. Is something scary looming ahead? Some bad medical condition? Well, prepare your mind for action. Safeguard your thoughts. Be sober in spirit. And ratchet your hope completely on the grace of God. That way, you never, ever lose. God bless you today, and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends. By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a great story about the power of prayer. I was at BWI Airport outside of Baltimore city and waiting to go home. Unfortunately, our flight was late, and the seats in the waiting area of gate D-7 were full. My traveling companions, Judy and Bunny gathered around me to pray, something we always do before flights. But this prayer was a little different. Bunny knew I needed a lift. She knew I was pretty down over a number of things, including the disappointing news that a certain foundation in Baltimore, my hometown of all things, had just turned down our funding request for a project to help disabled children overseas. I was discouraged. We were so hoping, we were so sure that the funding would come through, because without it the project just wasn’t going to happen. So, as we gather together to pray, Bunny reached for our hands, and, after a few words of praise and thanksgiving, she said, "Lord, would you please send forth the corn and the wine and the oil. Send forth the early rains, the late rains, and produce a wonderful crop of blessings." Her words were quietly spoken but laced with such power, conviction and confidence: God sending forth the corn and wine and oil, the early rains? I recognized these words in her prayer from Joel Chapter 2 verse, 19. That passage of Scripture is about Israel’s desperate plight, and the prayer is pretty much Joel’s earnest, last ditch, it-ain’t-gonna-happen-without-you, God, prayer. As we continue to huddle and quietly pray, I suddenly sensed the presence of a fourth and fifth person who joined our huddle. It was a husband and wife, we learned later, who had entered our circle right then and crowded close. Together they punctuated Bunny's prayer with quiet affirmations, saying, “Yes, Lord.” When Bunny said amen, I looked up and saw the husband folding a hundred dollar bill into Bunny’s hand. Then as suddenly as these two appeared they had to rush off to catch their flight. I didn’t even get their names to thank them. I tell you, when Bunny opened her hand, we kept staring at that $100 bill, but it didn't surprise us. When Bunny prays, things happen. "Joni," she said, tucking the bill into my coat pocket, "forget your disappointment, sweetheart. Have hope, for this gift is the first fruits of what God will supply." And she was right. Ultimately, God supplied our need and those disabled children were given wheelchairs and the message of salvation, along with their families. Yes, because Bunny prayed in faith, but she has also learned how to pray using God's own words, from the Bible, such as she did when she referenced in her prayer that passage from the book of Joel. When we use God’s word in our prayers, it’s like talking to Him in His own language, His dialect, so to speak. And that has to have power, right? It’s what gives confidence and conviction. Because the Bible tells us there are two things God honors and exalts above all else: His name and (you guessed it) His Word. Prayer that is spiced with His Word is exalted prayer. Its powerful prayer! First Thessalonians Chapter 2 says that we should accept the Word as it actually is, the Word, the very language of God which is “at work” in any of us who believe. So today, put Scripture to work in your prayers. As you read the Bible, underline portions that speak to your heart, make them personal, and then pray them right back to God. After all, the Lord sure loves to hear people speak in His language. By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to "Joni and Friends." I’d like to tell you about a friend of mine named Muni; he has the brightest, most contagious smile I’ve ever seen. Muni lives in India and his joy is a stark contrast to his circumstances. You see, Muni contracted polio at three years of age and has been crawling through the dirt ever since. Muni is the Client Services Director for ProVision Asia, a Joni and Friends partner in Bangalore, India. He met Jesus years ago and now he dedicates his life to securing housing, food and medication – even adapted 3-wheeled motorcycles—for his disabled clients. Now let me tell you how Muni finds his clients. He crawls up onto his three-wheeled motorcycle three times a week and goes out into the smog-infested streets of Bangalore, looking for the poor and destitute, the discarded and disabled. These are the people no one else is reaching; the people no one wants to reach. And recently, Muni came across a disabled beggar on the verge of death. His name was Mahesh, and he lived inside a dark, wet tunnel that links two highways. Mahesh's filthy bed of rags and towels, a bed he has not left in months, perhaps years, is his only comfort. Nobody stops to wish him well; no one cares. He is a low-life, a non-issue, on the bottom of the cast, and to others, he is a non-person, invisible and abandoned. But as Muni was driving through that tunnel, he spotted Mahesh; he stopped his motorcycle, crawled off of it and proceeded to make his way across the dirty, oil-stained asphalt pavement to reach this beggar. Mahesh was surprised to see someone care, and he greeted Muni as this caring individual approached him. Muni, on the other hand, was a little stunned when he heard Mahesh’s greeting—Mahesh spoke in beautiful English with a British accent. It revealed that this beggar had an educated background. It seemed incomprehensible that such a well-spoken man could live in such filth and starvation, among thousands who pass him every day. Mahesh told us that five years ago, he fell from the balcony of his home, breaking both his legs. Then he added, “My disability has disgraced my family and they have put me out. I have lost respect, they fear the same. It is the tradition of India.” But as Muni told this dear beggar, it’s not the tradition of our Lord Jesus. And it wasn’t the tradition of Christ’s representative, Muni. Grabbing Mahesh’s hand, completely blind to his filthy condition or the smell coming from his unwashed body, Muni began to share the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ. As he shared, tears fell down Mahesh’s face as the words of truth washed over the broken soul of his. Outcast no longer, Mahesh joined Muni in prayer. At that point, Mahesh beckoned Muni closer and said, “Your Jesus is Light and the Light is now within me, just as it is within you.” The next day, our Wheels for the World team member went with Muni to give Mahesh a new wheelchair. We worked hard to custom-fit the chair for Mahesh right there on the sidewalk; then he was taken back to the clinic for health care and to begin the process of restoring him to life, to society, to wholeness in Jesus’ name. It’s what happens all the time on a Wheels for the World trip. The least and the last are found. They are given dignity as they are lifted from the dirt and seated alongside others. It’s what happens when you touch the untouchable in Jesus’ name! By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada with a quotation that you are going to like. Well, maybe you won’t like it. We’ll see. The quote originates with one of the early church fathers, Saint Sebastian, who helped guide the fledgling church back in the early 200s. Yikes, that is going back a ways to a time when persecution against Christians was hot and heavy. Back then, our brothers and sisters in Christ were heaven-bent on standing strong in the midst of life-threatening suffering; they set their face like flint on the hope of heaven, committed to hold on until the end, until they saw their Savior and heard those wonderful words: “Well done.” But, as you’d guess, there were others. Others who collapsed under the weight, caved in, threw in the spiritual towel and recanted their faith. For them, suffering for Christ – that is suffering as a Christian – was just too hard. In the midst of all this, Sebastian spoke wise and stirring words to his congregation. He said, “When we get to heaven, we will not regret that we suffered; we will regret that we suffered so little, and that little, so badly.” His words were intended to shame those who were quietly intending to renounce or disavow the blood of Christ over their lives. With that brief sentence, Sebastian was inasmuch saying: “Don’t you dare forsake, don’t you dare abandon your Lord in these trying times. Yes, life is hard and our adversaries are vicious, but God's reputation is riding on the back of your response to these times and these trials. Don’t give your neighbors reason to think that your God isn’t worth it; isn’t worth staying the course. That His grace is insufficient; don’t let them think that He’s not strong enough to sustain you, because He is. He is your ever-present help in any and every trouble.” That was good advice for Christians many, many hundreds of years ago and its great advice for you and me today, because we, too, need to be heaven-bent on standing strong when trials hit us hard. We, too, need to set our face like flint as we set our minds and hearts on things above where Christ is seated, where Christ is watching and yes, even interceding for us to stay the course and remain faithful to His name. Can we believe, will we believe, that God's grace is indeed enough for our problems? I pray so. Because I do not – and I don’t think you – want to be numbered among those who shame the reputation of Jesus. Like Hebrews says, “None of us have suffered to the point of shedding blood.” I mean, no one in your American cul-de-sac is being martyred today, right? So stay strong. Live well. Hold fast to the One who is holding you fast. Because you don’t want to be known as less in the kingdom of God (that’s right, the Bible speaks clearly of those who will considered lesser in the kingdom, just as there are those who will be great). Friend, don’t diminish or jeopardize the richness of your eternal destiny by caving in, or by throwing in the spiritual towel. Suffer well. Suffer faithfully. If you need prayer, if you are faltering; if you think you need help, then let us know at Joni and Friends, because we get it. We understand how hard hardship can be. So, leave your prayer request on our Facebook page, connect with us through our website, send us a text, or post your request at joniradio.org. We care and we’re here to help those who hurt with words that have been encouraging Christians like you, since the ancient of times. Let me hear from you today on my Facebook page or you can always post a comment on my Blog at joniandfriends.org. By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I am a sinner. I don’t mind saying that one bit. I don’t just sin; I am a sinner. But I’m a redeemed sinner, thanks to Jesus, and He has saved me from the penalty of sin and the power of sin (there’s always grace to overcome sin), but He has not saved me from its presence. I live in a fallen world and you do too. We still wrestle against the flesh, the sinful nature, this body of sin and death as the book of Romans calls it, and it’s not easy. Because one of the most cunning aspects of sin is that it will try to deceive you. It wants to say to you: “Oh, you don’t lie; you only fudge the truth and that’s not so bad, everybody does that.” Sin will deceive you into thinking that you are not a prideful person when, in fact, you really do cherish inflated ideas of your own importance; you really do think you are a paragon of virtue. But sin really pulls the wool over our eyes when it convinces you it can be acceptable, that there are lots of gray areas, forget about things being black-and-white! You’re not so bad. In fact, you’re not bad at all. You’re pretty good, all things considered. I call that an effort to housebreak sin, to domesticate it. If there’s anything that proves we are all sinners, it’s that we are always trying to tame our transgressions and make them look respectable. And it’s fair to ask, what sins have you housebroken? What secret, small transgressions have you tamed to make your own? A private fantasy that you keep replaying, a daydream you've shielded from the scrutiny of the Spirit. I had a friend in college who enjoyed gossiping with one particular classmate. She wasn't loose with her tongue with anyone else, she was strict about that. But oh, did that classmate get an earful! My college friend thought she had housebroken her gossip, and made it respectable just because she only gossips with one person. The major problem with our minor offenses is that we tend to whitewash them. We think that they are not all that offensive to God. If you are harboring small sins in an attempt to housebreak them, tenderize your heart, would you, with this advice from one of my favorite theologians, JC Ryle. Bishop Ryle wisely says: “We are too apt to forget that temptation to sin will rarely present itself in its true colors. Never when we are tempted will we hear sin say to us, ‘I am your deadly enemy, I want to ruin your life.’ That's not how it works. Sin, instead, comes to us like Judas with a kiss. Sin is deceitful. It comes to us like Joab with outstretched hands and flattering words. Sin, in its beginnings, seems harmless enough—like David walking idly on his palace roof which just happened to overlook the bedroom of a woman. You and I may give wickedness smooth-sounding names, but we cannot alter its nature and character in the sight of God.” You know, we don’t like to talk about this sort of thing nowadays. And we hardly hear many pastors preach on sin. But the book of Hebrews is clear. Sin entangles us. It hinders, it trips us up. It’s why the Bible tells us to throw off today (not tomorrow) but today any sin that entangles, or deceives, or tries to appear housebroken and respectable. Do not minimize your sin by making excuses for it. Ask God to help you see your transgressions, great or small, as things that deeply offend the Lord Jesus. For the sake of Christ, let’s disentangle ourselves from it and never get entangled again. When you have a chance today, drop by joniandfriends.org. By: Joni Eareckson Tada © Joni and Friends