Participants: John & Angie Lomacang (Host), Helen Heavirland
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY015034A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:13 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, friends. 01:09 Welcome to another 3ABN today program. 01:12 My name is John Lomacang and thank you so much 01:15 for taking the time to tune in today to join us 01:18 for what I believe is going to be 01:19 a faith building encouraging program 01:23 as our guest today is going to walk you 01:25 through the experiences of her life 01:27 letting you know that God 01:28 has been there with her in the beginning, 01:30 He is with her today 01:31 and He promises never to leave and never to forsake. 01:36 Many of us face trials and challenges, 01:39 some of them are more than just natural. 01:42 Some of them are spiritualistic and you will find out 01:45 from our guest today how you handle those moments 01:47 when those attacks come into your life. 01:51 She is an author and encourager 01:53 and you will get a chance to meet her in just a few moments. 01:55 But if you are part of our 3ABN family 01:57 we thank you for your prayers 01:59 and also for your financial support 02:01 which makes it possible for this ministry 02:04 to continue going and growing 02:05 as we prepare for the soon coming of our Savior. 02:09 Today, just before you meet our guest we have a song 02:12 by young man that's gonna be playing Johan Sentana 02:15 and he is gonna be playing a song on piano entitled 02:18 "Abide With Me." 07:45 Thank you so much for that song 07:47 "Abide With Me." 07:48 You know it sets the stage to segue from the thoughts 07:52 that the song brings to our mind 07:54 to the meaning of this program 07:56 how God chooses to abide with His people 07:59 every moment of every day through the good times 08:02 and through the bad times. 08:05 And so allow us at this time to introduce you to our guest. 08:09 Helen Heavirland, good to have you here today. 08:12 Thank you. 08:13 I'm so close I'll reach out and shake your hand. 08:15 And you are very interesting person. 08:19 We had a chance to talk before the interview 08:23 to find out a little bit about your life how-- 08:26 and so those who are watching and listening to the program 08:29 I'm gonna give you the opportunity now 08:30 to tell them who you are, where you are from, 08:32 and a little bit more on what you do right now. 08:36 Well, I grew up in a home that read stories. 08:40 Okay. 08:41 Christian stories, inspirational stories, 08:43 nature stories. 08:45 And I really believe that the beginnings 08:48 of my training for what God has called me to do 08:52 started before I could even understand the words 08:55 of the stories as my dad would read to our whole family, 09:00 to my older brothers and sisters who understood. 09:03 But I was too young at first but yet the cadence of story 09:06 just began to be in my mind and it was a Christian home 09:10 for which I'm very thankful 09:12 and through the years 09:14 I grew up, went to-- became a nurse, 09:19 grew up on a farm 09:21 and then married 09:27 and my husband had-- has a business 09:30 and I became his bookkeeper and secretary 09:34 and but for the small family business 09:36 and life was going along fine. 09:41 And then-- then I've always enjoyed words 09:45 and I have always would kind of write a lot of things 09:49 but I never published anything at least not much. 09:52 And then on my 40th birthday 09:56 I remember thinking about the number of candles 09:59 and thinking, you know, there is a verse 10:03 that talks about three score and ten. 10:06 If we have 70 years I am more than halfway there. 10:10 And if I was ever going to write, 10:13 maybe I ought to get started. 10:15 Okay. 10:17 I started writing. 10:18 So diving into the cadence of life saying okay, 10:21 if there is ever a good time 10:22 to begin what I'm enjoying this is a good time. 10:25 Where is home for you though? Where is it? 10:26 I live in the Walla Walla Valley 10:28 right out on the Oregon and Washington State borders. 10:32 Okay. 10:33 Now was that you were raised in that area? 10:36 I was raised first in the coastal mountains of Oregon 10:39 and then in the around Tri-Cities 10:42 in Washington in the eastern desert 10:45 there and my family was among the very first farmers 10:50 that went into the Columbia Basin Irrigation District 10:53 which is the area below the Grand Coulee Dam. 10:56 We went in when it was desert and broke sod. 10:59 I feel like kind of belong with people-- 11:01 Like a pioneer. Yes. 11:02 Like a-- we were pioneers. Wow. 11:05 You know, when I think of the north west 11:07 I look at so much of the green trees 11:09 and the beautifully landscaped mountains 11:12 and its hard to think of desert being up west. 11:15 But I know, I know where the Grand Coulee Dam is. 11:18 So there was some desert at the 11:20 or is it a still desert out there? 11:22 There is still some desert 11:23 but now there is miles and miles of fields, 11:28 vineyards, orchids, farmers fields of all kinds of crops. 11:33 Wheat, of just all kinds of crops, potatoes et cetera. 11:37 And such a peaceful setting allows you 11:39 to really commune with God and growing up on that farm. 11:42 How many siblings are there? 11:45 Well, there are six of us 11:47 but we are very far spread apart so-- 11:52 so I kind of-- it's like some of us 11:54 grew up almost as only children 11:56 because our older siblings were quite a bit older 11:58 and now younger siblings quite a bit younger. 12:00 And I had no brothers my age 12:02 so I was chief tractor driver. 12:04 Oh, so you, you really know 12:06 how to use farm equipment if you have to. 12:08 Yep. Wow. 12:09 And you talked about being a nurse, 12:11 that was when you decided to start writing 12:14 that was already a part of your profession? 12:16 Yes. Yeah. 12:17 I had already worked for nursing 12:18 for a number of years and then had gone on to being 12:22 a homemaker and the bookkeeper 12:24 and secretary. 12:25 We talked about being raised in a Christian family, 12:28 when did your Christian relationship 12:30 become more personal with the Lord? 12:31 You know, lot of times 12:32 we are raised in Christian home 12:33 but we don't inherit Christ. 12:35 Right. Talk about your conversion. 12:38 It was a slow thing for me 12:41 and step by step I came closer to Jesus 12:45 and I think one of the early times was, 12:48 early in high school when I just realized 12:53 that God really cared about me 12:55 as a young person and began to recognize 13:00 God's love for me on a personal basis. 13:04 He did and absolutely amazing miracle for me 13:07 when I was a sophomore and in high school and then, 13:12 and then in college as I took the class 13:15 Life and Teachings of Jesus. 13:18 And one day in my own devotions 13:21 read the statement about how God or how Jesus 13:25 would have died, you know, come to this earth, 13:28 gone through everything 13:29 He went through, gone to the cross 13:32 if only one person had sinned. 13:35 Wow. 13:36 And God just touched my heart that could have been me 13:40 that Jesus did that for me personally 13:44 and that was a very much 13:46 a deepening of the relationship with Him. 13:48 Wow. 13:49 You know, that is true when you think about well, 13:51 it is so easy to say, for God so loved the word 13:54 but its something all together different to say, 13:56 for God so loved me. 13:58 And that personal connection has not only value 14:01 but also helps us understand His intense love for us. 14:06 And then those phrases like 14:07 I will never leave You, never forsake You, 14:09 I'll be with You till the end always you think well, 14:12 who else will He be with, it's just Him and me. 14:15 And that's really, that's really wonderful. 14:16 And everyone else too but He is with each of us 14:20 as if we were the only one. 14:22 That's right. 14:24 That's wonderful. 14:25 Now, the desire to write, 14:30 talk about that because a lot of us, 14:32 you know, we wheedle, we've heard of young people, 14:35 most young girls being raised with a diary. 14:38 I don't know if you had a diary 14:40 but where did the desire to even start writing 14:42 or start penning your thoughts begin? 14:47 Well, probably on the tractor. Okay. 14:51 I mean, you have a lot of hours out there driving tractor, 14:54 moving the hay or bailing it or whatever you are doing 14:59 and my mind was always going doing something 15:03 and I would write poetry and in my mind 15:07 and you know and write stories in my mind. 15:10 And again that came from hearing stories all the time. 15:13 Mission stories and you know, but anyway I would in my mind 15:18 I wrote even though I was on the tractor 15:21 and I never had pen in hand. 15:23 But then when I went to school, academy and college 15:28 if I had a writing assignment 15:31 that was a major part of my grade 15:32 I do pretty good in that class because the writing classes 15:37 I just almost always did really well in those. 15:40 As long I had a term paper 15:41 that was a major part of my grade 15:43 got a good grade in that class. 15:45 And so I think God blessed with an ability to write 15:49 and you know, I recognized it but I-- 15:53 until then I had never kept a diary. 15:55 It wasn't until years later that I started journaling 15:58 and writing my thoughts down that way. 16:02 You know, I knew a young man from the country of Norway 16:06 and he was just an amazing young man from Jan. 16:11 From his young days he would write an entry 16:15 into a journal every single day and he never stopped. 16:17 He is still doing that today. 16:19 He has I would say volumes of his life. 16:23 I was asking, I said to him, what's the purpose? 16:26 That he said, I'm chronicling my life so one day 16:28 it will be a benefit to someone. 16:29 But every morning he wakes up he writes something down 16:32 what he did today and I traveled with him 16:33 for two years and saw him do that. 16:35 What are you writing? 16:36 I'm writing what I did yesterday. 16:37 What are you writing? 16:39 I'm writing what I did yesterday 16:40 and what my day was like in my devotions. 16:41 And so that's that kind of personal chronological 16:44 walk through our lives. 16:47 And at this point a lot of my journaling 16:50 is its almost like a prayer journal, 16:51 a devotional journal 16:53 and it has been a real encouragement to me myself 16:57 as I look back sometimes at how, you know, 17:01 how God taught me in my devotions that morning. 17:04 And I will think about what was that 17:07 that was so inspiring to me and I look back 17:09 and it has been a real blessing to me to journal. 17:14 And as you are thinking God's thoughts and you speak them 17:19 or you write them they are just-- 17:23 they go more deeply into your brain and somehow 17:27 I need Him, you know, with me and I need that 17:32 His presence in me into me that's a help. 17:35 And the journal and actually becomes a part of our journey. 17:38 Absolutely. 17:39 If you go back and you look 17:40 and like a prayer journal. 17:42 My wife and I have-- we go back and we look in it 17:45 and we look at the dates because whenever 17:46 we write a prayer we remember the dates 17:48 and we go back couple of years and remember wow, 17:51 remember that and just all of the sudden 17:53 the thought comes back to our mind and reminds us 17:56 with that personal connection with God. 17:58 Now in the journaling part of your life 17:59 and in the writing part and thinking your thoughts 18:02 and eventually penning those thoughts 18:04 one day your life was catapulted into this call 18:08 on your life to go ahead and being to be an offer. 18:12 There was a young man that you heard his testimony. 18:16 Matter of fact when I say young man 18:18 I do that respectfully. 18:19 My wife's manager she works over 3ABN radio Jay Christian, 18:26 you heard him tell us testimony one day about his entrance 18:30 into the occult world and you were in that crowd. 18:33 Tell us what it was like that particular day 18:35 when you were listening to that testimony? 18:39 I was moved by his testimony and moved 18:42 about how God had reached out to him and drawn him. 18:47 About the things that caught him up 18:51 and into a direction that was not towards God 18:57 but how God never gave upon him, 18:59 kept reaching and drawing him to Himself. 19:02 And I just was somehow it just fascinated me 19:06 and-- you know, 19:11 I was thinking more of it 19:12 except on the way out of the building that day. 19:17 I had an impression 19:18 you ought to offer to write Jay story. 19:23 And I just put that out of my mind 19:26 and it came back again as we were going through 19:28 the four year I just laughed. 19:30 And my husband said, what are you laughing about? 19:35 And I said, oh, nothing. 19:37 Anyway the impression just kept coming back 19:39 and I pushed it off and pushed it off. 19:41 I couldn't-- at first I didn't-- 19:44 I just thought it was funny idea but I came to realize 19:47 that it probably was God calling 19:49 but I did not feel adequate to write a book. 19:52 I had written by this time a number of short things 19:54 and had a number of things published but never a book. 19:58 And I didn't feel adequate to write a book. 20:01 And I kind of-- I related very well to Gideon 20:07 who-- oh, when he was called, you know, 20:10 I'm from the smallest clan 20:12 and my family is the smallest 20:14 and I'm the weakest in my family. 20:15 I can't do this, you know, or Jeremiah. 20:18 Oh, you know, I'm just a kid, I can't do that. 20:21 Right. Or Moses, not me. 20:25 Not me, yeah. Yeah. 20:27 You know, let me just-- 20:29 I thought about that in the context 20:31 of what you just said, the Lord often calls 20:33 those who understand their deficiencies 20:35 to reveal His strength. 20:36 Yes. 20:38 That's just a very fascinating thought 20:39 because people are not necessarily 20:41 most everyone that God called wasn't pre-qualified. 20:46 But He qualified them 20:48 because they had these interpretations 20:49 in their own lives, these apprehensions, 20:51 these hesitations, these moments 20:53 of their inadequacies recognize 20:55 and you are calling me to go 20:57 and when I go to talk to Pharaoh 20:59 whom I'm gonna send me, see this feeling of, 21:04 I'm just not up to the task 21:06 and that was the kind of experience he was having-- 21:08 you were having when God 21:09 lay that impression on your heart. 21:11 Absolutely. 21:14 But I-- to me when it became clear 21:19 that it was God speaking 21:21 it looked like this mountain to climb. 21:24 I had no idea that God was opening a door of opportunity. 21:30 There is the mountain, begin to climb it 21:32 and you didn't have any climbing gear at all 21:34 but the Lord kept putting 21:35 that mountain in front of your path. 21:36 In different ways. 21:37 When did you decided to stop running and accept the project? 21:42 Well, actually Jay at one point then called me 21:45 and we had never met before. 21:47 That was a long series of event 21:51 that helped him know 21:56 that I was writer and he called me. 21:59 And first I just gave him some ideas 22:01 about how to write it and then he tried 22:04 and called me back one day and said, 22:08 "You gave me good ideas but I'm just not a writer. 22:10 Would you write it?" 22:12 At which God and I spent some major time 22:18 discussing this project and He made it so clear 22:21 that He had called me 22:23 that I could not call myself 22:27 a Christ follower and not do it. 22:30 Now you are about to enter into a journey 22:32 of doing something that you had not done before 22:35 but this was actually bigger than you thought 22:37 what it would have been because you not only 22:38 are entering into a task of writing a book 22:42 and conveying someone's else's thoughts 22:43 and putting it, packaging it 22:45 for a reading market. 22:47 But you are entering into some 22:48 of the same experiences that you talked about 22:50 in his entrance into the occult. 22:53 And now you not only conveying words 22:56 but now you have this encounter that seems 22:58 to come along with the story. 23:00 Just to make the story very, very real talk about that. 23:04 From the time I started on writing his book 23:07 and first let me say that it's his story 23:10 of coming out of the occult 23:12 and New Age and spiritualism 23:15 and becoming a Christian. 23:16 Right. 23:17 And the story as I sight 23:22 was telling clearly about the character of Satan 23:27 and about the character of God. 23:32 Satan doesn't like to be unmasked. 23:34 No. 23:36 And so it appeared after a while 23:39 it became pretty evident to me 23:42 that he was fighting having this book come out. 23:46 And so-- I began having health challenges, 23:51 just there were all kinds of interruptions, 23:54 it was just a major-- became a major fight. 23:58 Eventually my husband fell and... 24:06 and I got the telephone call at the time 24:10 when I couldn't talk because of the health challenges 24:13 I was having, because of one of them 24:15 and there were several. 24:18 And the telephone rang, 24:20 I let the answering machine take it 24:22 and my husband's pained voice take it 24:24 and I wasn't even sure it was him at first. 24:26 But said, "Please answer, I need the doctor's number." 24:31 Wow. 24:32 And I grabbed the phone and said, 24:36 what's going on? 24:37 And he said, I fell. I think I broke both legs. 24:42 And the pain in his voice was just so evident 24:45 I knew something was really, really bad 24:47 and anyway he had indeed fractured a bone in one foot 24:53 and crushed the other ankle very severely. 24:59 It was-- there was a lot of waiting time 25:02 throughout this whole process. 25:04 They were waiting for the doctor's test. 25:07 It was waiting for surgery for him. 25:09 Waiting for doctor's tests for me 25:12 with the tumor in, on my pituitary gland. 25:18 Having to be very silent 25:19 because of nodules on my vocal chords 25:23 and told to have total vocal rest 25:26 and it's really hard to not talk at all 25:29 ever for anything. 25:32 But anyway, anyway there were a lot 25:36 of waiting times and some of the things 25:41 we did as he lay in the hospital bed 25:43 waiting for surgery and then after surgery 25:46 we talked about the way God had led in the past. 25:50 And talked about the miracles God had done. 25:52 We talked about like, you know, knowing that, 25:56 that he just lost his ability to make an income for us 26:00 and I worked for his business up. 26:02 So our total family income had disappeared. 26:05 Wow. 26:06 And we talked about 26:09 how God had prepared manna 26:13 for the Israelites and we didn't know 26:16 how we were gonna eat, may we get to figure out 26:19 what manna really was. 26:20 Maybe God have to make manna again. 26:23 That's quite a thought. 26:24 We talked about the time when he had-- 26:31 he is industrial painting contractor 26:33 and at one point we were working 26:35 in the oil fields in North Dakota 26:38 and then the boom busted as oil fields tend to do 26:42 and one year there were nine painting contractors 26:44 and all of them just busy. 26:47 And the next year there had been the burst 26:51 and there were three contractors barely eking out, 26:54 the rest had gone bankrupt. 26:59 Our income that year was two percent 27:02 of what it had been the year before. 27:05 The total business income 27:07 was less than two house payments. 27:10 Wow. 27:11 And yet somehow 27:16 we made it through that year. 27:18 When our accountant who always double checked 27:21 the business books and did the taxes, 27:23 when she looked as it she shook her head and said, 27:26 this doesn't figure out. 27:28 You couldn't have made it. 27:31 And I said, but we did. 27:33 That's right. 27:34 And God just brought us through. 27:36 So during these waiting times 27:38 we talked about how God had led, 27:39 we talked about the Bible stories, 27:40 about how God had provided. 27:43 And you know, one of the things 27:46 that is interesting to me 27:49 I think its Revelation 12:11 27:51 where it talks about the devil 27:53 and it says I'm talking about the saints. 27:56 They overcame him by the blood of the lamb. 27:59 Number one, that it's the blood of the lamb 28:02 that overcomes the devil. 28:05 But there is a secondary thing there. 28:07 They overcame him by the blood of the lamb 28:10 and by the word of their testimony. 28:11 That's right. That's right. 28:12 And as we remember and speak or write 28:17 those things that God has done 28:20 it encourages us, it strengthens us 28:23 as well as the people who hear it. 28:25 And so as we waited these are some of the things 28:27 that we did during those times. 28:30 You know, a lot of time Christians serve God 28:33 when the sun is out, when the finances are strong, 28:37 when everybody's health is intact, 28:39 when the children are behaving well. 28:42 We have a sunny day Christianity 28:45 but as you are saying Christianity is not really-- 28:49 let me use the word here, not verified 28:53 unless we can be a Christian when the sun doesn't shine, 28:57 and the finances are not showing up 28:59 and the health that-- 29:01 I think you mentioned that your husband's income 29:05 therefore the whole family's income dries up 29:07 going down to two percent. 29:09 How do you make it in the times 29:11 when it doesn't even seem logical, 29:14 the figures don't add up but the God we serve says, 29:18 "I will supply all of your need 29:20 according to My riches in glory." 29:21 Amen. 29:23 And you are experiencing that as you said earlier, 29:25 the manna is showing up in ways 29:28 that people cannot explain. 29:29 And that's where Christianity become verified, 29:32 it becomes what's the word 29:34 I could use here, it becomes tried and true 29:38 than you could say, 29:40 God has been with us in the trenches, 29:43 not just on the sunny days. 29:45 I know God is real. 29:46 How I could not have made it? 29:48 We could not have made it if God was not real. 29:51 And so that's the kind of experience that you 29:53 and your family going through. 29:56 And it seemed like a long time. 29:58 It was only a couple of years 30:00 but it seemed like a very, very long time. 30:02 But God walked through it, just every moment with us 30:06 and even when we couldn't see Him, 30:10 He was there and through the promises of His word 30:12 and the one you just mentioned, 30:14 I remember one night 30:16 when my husband in the hospital, 30:17 going home in that night 30:19 I went to bed and I was starting to worry 30:23 and I thought no, I can't go there. 30:27 And I started going through word by word. 30:33 "But my God shall supply all" you know, now I can't say it. 30:38 All my need. 30:39 "All my need according to His riches in glory." 30:41 But I started going through it word by word 30:44 but there is a contrast. 30:47 You know, this is what the situation looks like 30:50 but something is different. 30:53 But my God, Paul wasn't just talking about 30:57 some God he had heard about. 30:59 This was his personal God. 31:01 He had a personal relationship with this God. 31:04 This is my God. 31:05 But my God shall supply, not may supply. 31:10 Not, oh, you know, He will think about it. 31:13 He shall supply a word of surety 31:17 and not just a part of your need but all your need. 31:20 And I went to bed, you know, 31:22 I lay there word by word going through there 31:25 and went off to sleep thinking about 31:28 how God was going to supply for all of our need 31:31 no matter what the circumstances look like. 31:34 And you know, He did because two months of income 31:38 but 12 months of mortgage 31:39 and you made it through Praise God for that. 31:41 Amen. 31:42 So He is not a God that just makes promises 31:44 and say well, you know, I thought I could help you out. 31:47 But He is the God who honors His word. 31:49 He is the God who-- that fulfills His promises. 31:52 You know, Helen, you brought out that word but, 31:54 you know, when you use that, 31:58 when you look for that singular word in the Bible 32:00 there are so many places that it's often put into, 32:03 it changes the prior 32:06 and shows you the beauty of the-- it changes the former 32:09 and shows you the beauty of the God 32:11 that you serve in the present. 32:12 You know, the one-- no temptation has overtaken you 32:16 but such as this common read but God is faithful. 32:20 Yes. 32:21 And when you think about that 32:22 you think of the temptation, the trial, 32:24 the tribulation, the difficulty 32:25 but there is a God factor. 32:28 And so many Christians forget the God factor 32:30 when difficulties come their way. 32:32 and that's why I'm encouraged 32:34 because we are gonna talk about your book in a moment 32:35 and why you titled it the way you did 32:37 I don't want to say that yet 32:38 but I believe that the God factor 32:40 is so much a part of your story. 32:42 Absolutely. 32:43 And there are, there are several places in the Bible 32:47 where the words "but God" come very, 32:50 very close, you know, just they are right there. 32:53 And those "but God" stories were really, really 32:57 need to me for that very reason. 32:59 You know, this is what the circumstance but God. 33:02 And if God is in the center the outcome is different. 33:07 There is a circumstance and then there is God. 33:11 And if I go and try to do it on my own 33:14 the outcome is gonna be very different. 33:17 But if God is in the center the outcome will be different. 33:21 You know, you said if and I like that 33:23 and I like that a moment ago 33:25 there is another text in Romans 8, 33:27 "If God be for us, who can be against us? 33:31 You know if he spared not his own Son, 33:32 but delivered him up for us all, 33:35 how well he not with him 33:37 also freely give us all things?" 33:41 Those are promises that lot of Christians 33:42 don't remember when difficulty come 33:44 and the reason I'm spending little time on this 33:46 is because there are those that are watching 33:47 and listening to the program 33:49 that maybe in the middle of a trial right now 33:51 and saying well, what do I do and Helen, 33:53 the author is also the encourager 33:55 which leads to the reason for the title of your book 33:57 and the title of your book is? 33:59 "My God is Bigger." I like that. 34:02 That's the but God, you see. 34:05 I know my trials are big but my God is bigger. 34:08 I know that the income is small but my God is bigger. 34:11 I know the burdens are huge but my God is bigger. 34:14 So now talk about that book because this is a book that, 34:18 that's kind of a coming out of the trial book. 34:21 Absolutely. 34:22 But may I go one that sells first? 34:23 sure. 34:24 And that is with "My God is Bigger" 34:27 I think so much about David and Goliath. 34:32 In-- as we see them there 34:37 to Goliath he was the giant. 34:41 To the Philistines Goliath was the giant. 34:45 To the Israelite soldiers Goliath was a giant. 34:49 To Saul, Goliath was a giant. 34:55 But who was the giant in David's eyes? 34:57 God. 34:58 God was the giant. That's right. 35:01 And so any giant, any trouble that just seems 35:04 to be overwhelming if we look at it beside God, 35:09 God is the giant. 35:10 Wow, that's huge. 35:12 And so my God is bigger. 35:14 Actually I couldn't come up with a title and friend of my 35:17 who had read the manuscript, a writer friend 35:20 came up with the title and I thought that's it. 35:22 That's right. 35:24 My God is bigger because He is bigger 35:27 than any situation. 35:28 He is bigger than any challenge, 35:31 any trial that comes along. 35:33 Any health challenge, any financial challenge, 35:37 any business challenge, 35:39 any challenge that comes God is bigger. 35:43 You know, Helen, you could actually walk 35:45 through the New Testament the life of Christ 35:47 and the four gospels 35:48 and with that title tell every story. 35:51 You know the man by the Pool of Bethesda 35:53 but my God is bigger. 35:54 You kept but my God is-- the widow of Nain 35:57 but my God is bigger. 35:59 The, you know, Lazarus being dead for four days 36:01 but my God is bigger. 36:02 Mary and Martha will say but my God is bigger. 36:05 And the theme just goes 36:06 on and on and on and on it's just huge. 36:08 If I, you know, I just got this little vision in my head, 36:12 if you just put a tent up for one week 36:14 and the title of the, the title of the whole week was 36:16 "My God is Bigger" 36:17 one story after another after another 36:19 of Jesus in our lives pulling us through 36:23 and show the world that my God is bigger 36:25 because there are lot of problems in the world today. 36:27 Absolutely. 36:28 In a political, financial relationship problems, 36:30 marriage problems, children problems, 36:32 health issues, economy, storms, 36:35 you know, the list goes on and on 36:37 but now we come back down to the real factor, 36:39 "My God is Bigger." 36:40 Tell us about some of the-- okay. 36:42 God is continuing those stories. 36:46 The stories of the New Testament, wonderful. 36:50 But they didn't stop 36:52 when the Bible was finished being written. 36:55 And so these stories go on and there are stories 36:59 every day in our lives today. 37:01 If we choose to look at those stories 37:03 and choose to focus on our God 37:07 instead of on the challenge. 37:08 Yeah, we have to see the challenges 37:10 and know what to-- and deal with them 37:13 but focus on our God. 37:16 You know, the Bible testifies as Jesus said John 5:39, 37:19 these are they that testify Me. 37:21 But now we are the living testimony. 37:25 They overcame by the blood of the lamb 37:27 and by the word of their testimony. 37:29 So the New Testimony stories continue 37:31 and isn't it wonderful to think that throughout eternity 37:34 these are the stories that are gonna be told 37:36 how big our God is to share with un-fallen worlds. 37:41 Give us some of the tastes because this book 37:43 we are gonna talk about how those 37:44 who are listening and watching this program 37:46 can get access to the book but give us some of the titles 37:49 of some of the chapters 37:50 and maybe some of the experiences 37:52 that are contained in that book. 37:55 Okay, chapters are there. 37:58 I remember one of them is called, 38:00 "Sleeping in the boat." 38:01 Okay. 38:03 I this one called tests-- 38:07 I don't remember the chapter titles right off. 38:09 Okay. 38:10 But still it's chronicling how God is much bigger. 38:13 It's chronicling our experience through the trials 38:18 how God brought us through 38:20 and it's more than just a story. 38:22 Because in the back there is also a study guide 38:25 to help people think through, 38:27 how do these apply to my life? 38:29 Wonderful. 38:30 Or our study and discussion guide 38:32 it will work for like a study group. 38:36 There is also tips for memorizing scripture 38:41 because the Bible promises 38:42 and I have a little packet of promises here. 38:45 I found it just so valuable to put those promises 38:49 in my mind so that no matter 38:52 where I was I could be focusing on them. 38:55 And one of the things I like to do 38:58 to make the promises real to me 39:01 is I must be a little bit of a visual person 39:04 because if I can get a visual 39:06 to go along with the text. 39:07 It helps it, it helps me remember it. 39:11 But not only does it help me remember it, 39:14 it makes it more real to me. 39:15 That's right. 39:17 And for instance one I think of is Psalms 55:22, 39:23 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, 39:26 and he shall sustain thee." 39:28 Okay, cast thy burden upon the Lord, 39:31 what does that really mean? 39:33 You know, when I was throwing the ball 39:36 for my dog Ucon one day and all of a sudden 39:40 that came to mind, I cast my burden. 39:44 I cast that ball for my dog 39:48 and she chase it and bring it back to me. 39:52 When you throw something you have to let it go. 39:56 And you know, sometimes we are given 40:00 the image of bring your burdens to Jesus 40:02 and lay them at the cross. 40:03 Well, I don't have any problem with that. 40:06 The only problem I have is that I'm very human 40:10 and I'm tempted since I'm right there 40:12 and I'm tempted to pick it back up 40:14 and carry it away with me. 40:16 I could see that, yeah. 40:17 But if I cast my burdens to the Lord, 40:21 if I throw them I have to let go off them 40:26 and they are off away. 40:27 I can't just pick it up. That's right. 40:29 And that to me that helps me cast at Him, 40:32 leave it with Him, throw them to Him. 40:35 Matter a fact, in the Greek a word there is another text 40:37 "Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you." 40:40 The Greek is emphasizing throw it as far as you can 40:43 to the point where it's unreachable. 40:45 And its the Olympic, is the Olympic language 40:48 that is being used here. 40:49 Cast it so far that you can't reach it 40:51 therefore, you know you are not gonna go back and get it 40:54 and that's so real to me, you know. 40:55 And when you think about that that's a beautiful illustration 40:58 because when we say lay your burdens at the cross, 41:00 people tend to lay their burdens, 41:02 kneel next to their burdens and kind of scoot them back 41:04 in their pockets when they leave. 41:06 Isn't that true? Yeah. 41:07 But when we cast them we can't get them. 41:10 We see them leaving our hands, 41:12 we have expressively let them go 41:16 and we know that they are, they are in flight to Jesus 41:20 and He is not gonna send them back to us. 41:22 Amen. That's just wonderful. 41:24 And the Bible promises talk about that 41:26 because you have a little stack of cards here. 41:28 Lot of times you talk about the memorization of scripture, 41:31 how that really helps you and you carry that with you. 41:33 I do. 41:35 Like when I go for a walk this is with me 41:37 and I'm memorizing Bible passages. 41:39 I could be thinking about all kinds of other things. 41:41 I could be thinking about my problems 41:43 or whatever and, you know, we all have them. 41:47 But I can choose to focus on my God 41:51 and David and the dwarf. 41:57 That's Goliath is the dwarf when he compared to God, 42:00 you know, and my problems are dwarfs 42:05 when I am looking at the giant of God. 42:09 That's right. 42:10 Anyway it just-- I, as I memorize God's word 42:15 and then put it in my heart 42:17 it just make such a difference to me. 42:19 And another one during the waiting times 42:25 I wasn't quite sure what to do with all these 42:28 Bible texts that said, wait on the Lord. 42:30 I was tired of waiting. 42:32 I was tired of waiting for lab results 42:35 and you know, all these things take time. 42:37 And for my husband's leg deal and so forth 42:39 and I didn't really like those texts that said, 42:42 wait on the Lord. 42:44 And then I thought well, what does it really mean 42:46 and I looked it up in strong concordance 42:49 and one of the definitions 42:51 is to bind together perhaps by twisting. 42:59 And I thought what does that mean? 43:02 And then I got this picture 43:06 in my mind of a rope 43:11 and a rope is a number of threads wound together. 43:15 Right. 43:17 And I began to see myself as a tiny thread 43:24 and God as a steel cable. 43:28 And I-- I wasn't when it says wait on the Lord 43:33 it doesn't mean sit down and twiddle your thumbs. 43:36 Right, exactly. 43:37 It means for me to wind my little thread, 43:42 my fragile, tiny little thread that's me 43:47 in with the huge steel cable that is God. 43:52 And then wait on the Lord and He will strength you. 43:57 I become strong because for somebody 44:01 to pull on me, you know, for the devil to pull on me 44:04 he has to pull on God because my mind, 44:07 my life is wound with through His word, 44:13 and through the thoughts I choose to think is wound 44:17 in with my God who is ultimately strong. 44:21 Well, you know what, Isaiah 26:3, 44:23 "You will keep him in perfect peace, 44:25 whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in You." 44:29 And if you are stayed you are focused. 44:33 And I thought about that text 44:35 when you talked about carrying your cards with you. 44:38 You know there are people that are in their car 44:40 listening to this program right now 44:42 and they maybe looking at the roadway, 44:44 they may have the music on in the background. 44:48 Actually if they are listening to us 44:49 they are not listening to music 44:51 but they maybe thinking about problems 44:53 that are waiting for them at home, 44:55 they maybe thinking about a tragic experience 44:58 that happened during their day 44:59 or they maybe thinking about sickness 45:01 in the hospital or somebody they just came to visit 45:03 or they may just be in their own personal trial 45:06 and I want to say to them that this is a same God 45:09 that we are talking about today, 45:10 the God that wants us to bind ourselves to Him. 45:14 The One that wants us to take 45:15 our little fragile self, include ourselves 45:19 in the binding of the rope 45:20 and the steel cable of this experience 45:24 called divine assurance. 45:27 And then I want them to also know 45:29 that God will not allow them to break. 45:31 He will not allow them to be pulled apart 45:33 because God is able. 45:34 And 2 Peter 1:4, "Whereby are given unto us 45:39 exceeding great and precious promises, 45:43 that by these ye might be partakers 45:46 of the divine nature." 45:48 Wow. 45:49 You are not human any longer, failed human. 45:53 You know, we talked about something here 45:54 and the interesting time 45:55 I want to go and dive into this. 45:57 You put an acronym together "God is Able." 45:59 Yes. I want you to communicate that. 46:01 That is so beautiful. 46:02 It is a good way to remember 46:04 how God is able but you broke it down. 46:06 Okay. 46:07 The "A" you know A-B-L-E, 46:11 the "A" stands for assurances. 46:14 God uses many different ways to assure us. 46:17 He may assure us through a friend saying 46:21 I'm praying for you. 46:22 He may assure us through hymns, 46:26 through songs like "He is able," 46:28 "My God is able to carry me through." 46:31 "The Lord in Zion Reigneth" I mean, you know, or... 46:36 "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." 46:37 That's the one I was just thinking of. 46:39 "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" 46:40 how can you be discouraged 46:42 when you are singing or thinking the words of 46:45 "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." 46:47 Right. 46:49 There is just all kinds of different little assurances 46:53 that God gives us. 46:55 Okay, so the "A" stands for assurances. 46:58 The "B" stands for Bible. 47:00 The Bible promises which we've just been talking about. 47:03 Yes. 47:04 The Bible promises that can strengthen us. 47:08 And Bible stories which we've also talked about 47:11 as we keep those in our mind and remember 47:15 that God didn't love the widow 47:20 who lost her son, the Widow of Nain. 47:22 He didn't love her any more 47:24 than He loves you today, you and me. 47:28 He loves us and those Bible stories 47:31 He wants reach into our heart 47:33 and make a difference in our lives. 47:37 So the "B" stands for 47:39 the Bible promises, the Bible stories. 47:42 The "L" stands for the lives of others. 47:49 When we are talking to someone 47:51 we can talk about the weather and we can talk about 47:54 all kinds of different things. 47:57 But I'm finding a good thing to do is to say, 48:00 what has God done for you? 48:02 That's right. 48:03 And get them talking about and sharing 48:06 their testimony and I am encouraged 48:09 when they share their testimony. 48:11 I can read books about the lives of others. 48:13 "Corrie ten Boom" 48:14 is one that just comes to my mind immediately. 48:18 The book, "A Thousand Shall Fall" 48:20 which you know God led in this man's life in amazing ways. 48:27 The book "One Miracle After Another" 48:31 just there are so many good Christian books, 48:35 uplifting books that tells us about the lives of others 48:39 and how God has led 48:40 in their life that encourages us. 48:44 And then the "E" is experience. 48:47 Our own experiences remember and testify 48:53 to ourselves and to others 48:55 how God has led us in the past. 48:57 That's right. 48:58 And as we remember those things and I think 49:01 so often about quote, 49:02 "We have nothing to fear for the future, 49:05 except as we forget how God has led us, 49:09 and His teaching in our past history." 49:12 That's right. 49:13 If we remember how He has led us in the past 49:17 and we trust that He will do it for the future 49:21 what do we have to worry about? 49:22 That's right. That's right. 49:23 And I-- faith it has come to me, 49:28 I just I am amazed that how significant faith is 49:31 because I think in Ephesians, 49:34 of The Armor of God and he has talked about truth 49:39 and righteousness and the preparation 49:41 and the gospel of peace and then-- 49:44 I mean, those are pretty important things 49:45 we need to say but then he says 49:48 above all taking the shield of faith. 49:54 Faith is a pretty significant part of that armor. 49:58 When he is gonna say above all, 50:02 and I come to realize that faith 50:07 I have a new definition for it. 50:10 Faith is facing every situation 50:14 as if God is who He really says He is. 50:19 And if God-- God has said He is our refuge, 50:24 He is our strength, He is our light, 50:27 He is our sufficiency. 50:30 He is our strong tower. 50:32 Yes. Wow. 50:34 Faith is looking at today 50:40 and seeing that God is who He says He is. 50:43 That's right. 50:44 In my today and if, you know, 50:50 another thing I realized is 50:54 the things I worry about are the things 50:57 that are bigger than my God. 50:59 Wow. 51:02 That really caught me by surprise, 51:04 the moment that came across my mind. 51:08 And is my God really who I say He is? 51:14 Only if He is that part of my life. 51:17 That's right. 51:18 The things we worry about is bigger than our God 51:20 but when we focus on our God 51:23 He is bigger than the things we worry about. 51:25 If He, if He isn't we don't know the Creator God 51:30 and we need to spend some more time 51:32 getting to know Him. 51:33 Now God did miracles in our life. 51:35 He did a number of miracles. 51:38 There were some healings, there were absolute times 51:41 when He said, go to the house 51:43 and the house was filled with smoke. 51:45 There were and I was able to remove 51:47 and we didn't lose our house, remove that thing 51:50 that was causing the smoke. 51:52 I mean, God did amazing miracles just to keep us alive. 51:57 But the biggest miracle if you can quantify miracles 52:01 was giving us peace in the midst of the storm 52:05 and that, that was something 52:09 that I hang on to and I have to remind myself 52:11 every now and then because we still have problems. 52:14 That's right. 52:15 You know, Helen, as our time is winding up 52:16 I want our audience to know that the book that Helen wrote 52:19 "My God is Bigger" 52:22 is available through the 3ABN store. 52:24 If you go to 3abn.org and click on store 52:28 you will see the book "My God is Bigger." 52:30 And Helen is also available for invitations 52:33 but as you are listening to the story 52:35 I also want to give you the information 52:37 that you need to be able to contact Helen 52:39 and invite her to come and share in a broader sense 52:42 to a larger audience how much her God 52:45 is much bigger than our problems. 52:47 Here's the information that you need. 52:53 If you would like to know 52:54 how to obtain a copy of the book 52:56 "My God is Bigger" 52:58 you may write to 3ABN, PO Box 220, 53:02 West Frankfort, Illinois 62896. 53:06 That's 3ABN, PO Box 220, 53:09 West Frankfort, Illinois 62896. 53:13 You may call us at area code 618-627-4651 53:19 or order the book online at 3abn.org. 53:24 Visit Helen's webpage for events, books, 53:27 or how to contact her at HelenHeavirland.com. 53:32 That's HelenHeavirland.com. |
Revised 2015-07-30