On 2012 Mike Dils suffered a terrible stroke that left him on a ventilator, unable to move, breathe or speak on his own. He was totally paralyzed. Mike's family was told by the doctors that there was nothing they could do. His family struggled with whether to sign a "do not resuscitate order."
Amazingly, Mike could hear the discussion his family had with the doctors; that his diagnosis seemed as if he were brain dead. He was a prisoner of his own body; he had no physical strength.
His family noticed tears in his eyes and instantly his daughter tried communicating with her dad by spelling out the alphabet and asked her dad to blink on certain letters. Mike spelled out "no hope."
They realized Mike suffered from Locked-in Syndrome. After six months of intense therapy in the hospital, which started with training his brain for hours and hours to just move a toe, eventually Mike could talk and get around on his own.
What a terrible condition to endure! As I thought about Mike's situation I was reminded that there is a far worse condition that we are all inflicted with. We ALL have locked-in syndrome! The greatest preacher that ever lived, shared his problem in Romans 7:15, "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."
The ability to sin, that we have inside of us; we got from our parents and our parents got their sin nature from their parents (see Romans 5:12). This evil, selfish nature originates to the first two people on planet earth-Adam and Eve. Genesis chapter 3 tells us about how sin began. But we can't blame Adam and Eve, and we can't blame our parents, because we choose to sin, we choose to disobey God; which makes us guilty and deserving of judgment!
The Bible says the payment for sin is death and we are without strength to save ourselves (see Romans 5:6). It seems as if there is "no hope," just as Mike Dils thought.
But wait! God is seeking to communicate with us! Just as Mike's daughter broke through the barrier that separated Mike from communicating with His family, God has given us His Word to communicate with us! God's Word tells us of the salvation He has provided through Jesus Christ (see
1 Timothy 1:15).
Are you determined as Mike was to get healed? To know God and to escape your judgment sentence? Would you like to be set free?
God sent Jesus Christ to take your place at the cross so that your sin nature does not have to control you and so that you can be set free from the judgment of hell forever. Do you believe this for yourself? Jesus can make you into a new creation when you put your faith in Him; He erases your record of sins against God and gives you new desires to live for Him instead of living in your sins. If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36)! Thanks be unto God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord
(1 Corinthians 15:57)!
Becky Kew shares Good News at Sandy Bay
First Nation, Manitoba, Canada. BeckyKew@outlook.com
