Life Changing Christian Testimony | Finding Purpose in Pain | Sis. Susan Joshua

good morning everyone let me start with this I'm a person who's never spoken in my school college church or even in front of my mother-in-law but I get to speak here on this leaf talks platform before all you brilliant and educated minds don't you love God's sense of humor the stage has seen many talented and educated people but God is here to prove that he can use even a nobody like me for his glory so I'm so nervous to be on the set of sage and speaking standing before you all but I'm glad that I have this podium I'm hiding behind it so that you can't see my arms are like shaking I'm so humbled and privileged you know to God for giving me this opportunity this platform to share the goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ and to share with you my life journey god-given story of how I found my purpose through pain I grew up in a good Christian family you know great parents who taught me the love of God I did my school and in college er my college days every parent want aware kid to study engineering so like everybody else I also did engineering in electrical engineering not really knowing what it was and I'm still trying to figure out how to fix an electric bulb at home so in the beginning of the year 2000 even as you welcome the new millennium we as a family met with a major road accident our taxi driver had dozed off it would have been a head-on collision and we got a wall being smashed to death on the spot had it not been for my older brother who was sitting next to the driver immediately steer the wheel to a sharp left God given the presence of mind to do what he did on that day a car just rolled down the road hit a tree which got uprooted we were all thrown out of the windshield and we landed on its branches but we were all alive but unconscious by God's grace The Villages who took us to the hospital I remember what they said they said that many accidents had happened in that zone and it's an accident-prone zone and no one has ever survived there glory to God for keeping his alive and this incident got me thinking that God has kept me alive for a reason and my work on earth is still unfinished yes you and I are alive to finish the mission the work of God that he has started in us then I grew up in my own small corner not having a clue of what was to come in my life when I was in my teens fellowship my my teacher encouraged us to pray for our future partner so around my 10th 11th grade I started asking God to give me a god-fearing man who would marry me just for me my friend and I even wonder if you'll ever get married you know years later God answered my prayers and I got married to a fabulous man a man of visions and tasks and God has blessed us with two wonderful children I'm so blessed to marry a person who didn't expect anything from my parents and who just married me for me I would like to encourage all the single men and women sitting here to stop praying for your spouse it's never too late and to take a stand against outi life was going so smooth and comfortable God's purpose was at the back of my mind my husband and I were involved in few ministries together but I felt my life was going nowhere I was living my life randomly he convinced me saying that his purpose was my purpose and I know ever supportive of his work but I was trying to fit myself somewhere you know some ministry or some work but I couldn't so I was asking God for my specific calling so we took this mission of finding out my purpose so the beginning of the year 2017 we did a 21-day fasting in prayer as a couple for the first time asking God for my purpose I asked God what his plan for my life was but I never expected to find the answer through pain you might never know how the answer might come packaged and I believe that this is how God put me onto this journey in the first few months of 2017 I felt a few lumps on my throat I ignored it never took it seriously I thought it to be a common cold infection and later in April till April 2017 I developed another one and this time my husband and my sister-in-law dr. James Lapita you know you they wanted me to go to the hospital immediately for a checkup so I went to CMC Bello for the checkup they took some blood tests scan and biopsy you know I was praying that the biopsy report would be negative but from the looks of the doctors and my sister Louie you that something was serious my life came to a standstill when I was diagnosed with stage 2 thyroid cancer I did not know what to do have a soft shocked I felt everything was crumbling down and I was just holding back my tears there you know we just came back home that night and I remember in the prayer time I remember holding my husband's hands and crying and I don't want to die at this stage not so soon not without finding my purpose but I looked at my two children and wondered how they'll ever grow up without a mother and then you know the procedures for the surgery continued and the road less traveled to well know became very familiar because we were going up and down for the test you know God directed us to one of the best surgeons in town dr. Paul MJ he advises to go through a surgery and a radioactive treatment he and esteemed it a wonderful surgery praise be to God for the successful church surgery without any complications it could have damaged my ocol cards or my voice or parathyroid glands but praise God for the successful surgery but only during the surgery whether doctors able to realize the spirit of cancer throughout the neck and many clusters of lymph nodes had already been invaded post-surgery I would have to go through a radioactive therapy for which I have to be quarantined isolated in a separate room to restrict the radiation exposure to people especially children and pregnant women we were all ready I would be like a power bank I'd see they were already away from the kids for many weeks during the surgery and the procedures the thought of staying alone in a hospital room during the treatment was not a pleasant idea but I made up my mind to stay there a month after the surgery I was ready for my therapy I packed my bags and floors for Allen to stay there in the hospital for that a full body scan had to be taken to find out if there's any trace of the cancer of the disease spread to the body or any residual cells on my neck the time taken for the scan was getting longer and longer and I was getting anxious but I was still praising God at that moment after the long scan the doctors from the medical the nuclear medicine department called me and my family and they informed me in a very surprising tone that they took a longer time to scan because they couldn't find even a single cancerous cell in my body or in my neck not even a trace Jesus had done already he's done a miracle already in my life praise be to God it's only because of him and in doctors own words they said it's a very rare case and it's only the hand of God it's a miracle less than 1% of all the cancer patients go out without a trach therapy and just with the surgery I was one of them I didn't have to go through any therapy I went back home rejoicing that the same day what a relief and and enjoy filled our hearts and and he felt gratitude in our hearts for what we witness that day through our God yes Jesus bought all my sicknesses on the cross I'm now completely healed by His stripes and I am now hundred percent cancer clean for close to two years now praise be to God [Music] in His mercy and grace I not just survived cancer but I thrived in it you might be sitting here with a physical ailment or might not you might be going through emotional sickness or some kind of obstacles in life I would like to encourage you that when you get rooted in him and in his words you will not just survive in any situation but thrive in it in Japan they say broken objects are repaired with gold the flaw is seen as a unique piece of the objects is history which adds to its beauty yes the flaws and the scars that you may carry in life will be made beautiful in God's own time every time I look at my physical scar on the neck thanks to the surgery I know for a fact that I am made unique and priceless in God's sight the day I was diagnosed with cancer was filled with fear and doubts the very word shook me up and gave me jitters but that night as I mentioned when we came back home we prayed there were no words to express in prayer only tears would come down as the psalmist says tears are prayers too they traveled to God when we can't speak God keeps tracks of all your sorrows and he is collected for every tear in his body but you know what at the end of the prayer God reminded me of the specific purpose that I've always been praying for and that's it there were no more tears there were no more fear we could see God's bigger picture in this situation and as to why he would have loved this in my life remember the song which says though the sorrow may last for the night but joy comes in the morning yes I traded all my sorrows for the joy of the Lord the next day God prophetically revealed the name Christ can has a name of the organization I should start the word can from the word cancer and the Bible was I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me yes in Christ we are more than conquerors sitting in the hospital my heart went out to the cancer patients who were in the last stages you know what their biggest concern and what he was it is not even about their deteriorating health but about the future of their children what will happen to the children after their death the mission of Christ can is to answer this pain of a dying parent by giving holistic approach to the children whose parents one of either of the parents died out of cancer through this organization we support the education of the kids and also I journeyed along with young women cancer patients through emotional and prayer support I would like to share with you a few examples from Christ can life is so full of uncertainties there's this billion little boy whose father was diagnosed with colon cancer he was a committed missionary and it just with two months of diagnosis he passed away leaving behind his young son a little son and his young wife they did not know what to do but now God is helping this little boy to continue his education through Christ can our goal is to see this little boy to grow up to be a talented boy and to follow his father's footsteps for the glory of God there is another story of a girl whose father also was diagnosed with cancer he was the only earning member of the family after his death his mother her mother did not know what to do because he was the only earning member of the family so out of sheer desperation she became an egg donor for infertile couples there was a lot of complications and risk to her health and there was even a higher chance of developing cancer herself but she earned money through this because it's substantially more than what she at the vise can earn she did this to run her family she even got loans to educate her kids and this is when Christ can was introduced to her and we now help single parent know to help educate their children and we also are also able to share the love of Christ to these people who have been hurt by tragedies and now we today in Christ can we have about a dozen children who will be helped the kids who have lost either of their parents to cancer and we celebrated our first cry scan Christmas celebration in December 2018 to celebrate God's faithfulness and goodness it was so satisfying and such a joy to be around to see these lives transformed I would not be doing what I'm doing if I had not gone through this but God chose to work in me work in me this way it might be different in your place and through Christ care we want to stand and we stand for integrity with the funds that we use in the right way and we want to give excellent care to all the kids who are part of our family I want you to watch a short video of my not just to run through my life journey [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] as Romans 8:28 says we know that all things work together for good for those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose each of us here have a different calling and a purpose and we go through different difficulties in life suffering can be stressful and painful but if you're sitting here and you're worried about your promotion or when a rumor is damaging your reputation or when you feeling there are obstacles before you or when you feel that God is not with you in during your trials and temptations but just remember this do not regret the paths the hills and the valleys that you've crossed in life Jesus has promised to be with you as the Word of God says those who trust in the Lord will find new strength yes you will find new strength to help you pass through the storm to climb to leap over a wall and to climb all your obstacles remember this you're not alone in this journey the process might be painful but at the end of it there is purification there is purpose and peace so the next time you're going through any obstacles in life don't ask why me God why do I have to go through this just try asking what through me Lord what can I do through this situation like I said earlier if we are alive we still have the unfinished work of God in our lives it's not over that God says it's over till then we all have a mandate a mission to accomplish while we here we are here on earth God has blessed all of you here with a courier and a calling your workplace is a mission place what you do with your care your matters a purpose is not about a designation or even our paycheck but it's about him it's to reflect and to serve Him through this journey God taught me from Isaiah 58 that we are called to rebuild repair and restore the lives of people with god-given man did you are called to lay the foundation we are called to rebuild the walls that are broken down we are called to repair the bridge that has been brought on your friend by your by the enemy and we are called to restore the lives of the people who've been hurt by tragedies so I'd like to encourage all of you here live out your god-given mandate with the purpose of rebuilding repairing and restoring the lives of people with integrity and excellence so I would like to close out with this if you're sitting here and asking God to help you find your purpose just remember this God hears your prayers and you could be the next leap talk speaker thank you you know for me it's a fascinating incident how you know God works in our life through adversity and pain you know as you were speaking I was so reminded of second Corinthians chapter one and verse four which says this right so with the comfort that you we have received from God comfort those who are in trouble with that same kind of comfort and it's amazing to see what you are achieving

Channel: Godwin Ebenezar

Views: 61,026

Rating: 4.938838 out of 5

Keywords: Lord, Jesus, Christ, is, coming, soon

Id: YkcCarnr_oc

Length: 20min 36sec (1236 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 07 2019