Job 23:10, Psalm 34:18-20, 54:7; Matthew 11:28-30; Revelation 21:1-7

Summary: I want to share my story of how the Lord is healing and using me for His purpose, even amid dealing with kidney failure and other issues.

“But He knows the way I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

It is obvious that in reading the book of Job, suffering is the central theme. Untold volumes of sermons, studies, and debates have sprung forth over the centuries on why we go through troublesome times and why God allows it. The blunt answer is that we brought it on ourselves when our ancestors Adam and Eve decided they knew better than the Creator on how to run the creation. This rebellion is ingrained into every human being since then (Genesis 3:1-15; Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-20, 5:12). Let me present the proof.

A lot of you reading this are telling yourselves that you are not as “bad” as ———— (fill in the blank with your favorite despot or villain). That thought itself shows that you and I both have the same rebellious attitude. Isaiah 64:6 describes us perfectly when we defend or redeem ourselves through our own efforts.

However, Job is not merely a testimony of tough times, pain, and questions. It is also a moving testimony of unshakable faith in a coming Redeemer who will bring everlasting righteousness and restitution to His people and the creation (Romans 8:23-25; Revelation 21:5). Job knew that deep within his heart, he would be rewarded either in this world or in the beauty of eternity (Job, Chapters 38-42). Almighty God still saves, delivers, and heals people today. He does the possible when there seems to be no answer. The entirety of Holy Scripture is a written testimony of the work of God amid trouble.

God Almighty is the Absolute Sovereign of all things. He has the power and authority to do whatever He wants for His grace and glory. For example, He can choose to deliver us from sickness all at once, or in His own time to receive glory and open the eyes of those looking for light. The testimony of brethren who have had prayers quickly answered, met the biblically miraculous, saw the most deviant of people redeemed by the Lord, and received instant healing is both inspiring and powerful.

Let me pose another question that might help someone praying for a healing, a loved one to give their lives to Jesus, or another issue. Do we have a testimony to share, even if we do not receive our answers in a prompt fashion as some do? Can we share with a skeptical world the truth of God’s power and authority in terms of perseverance through our trials? My own story is, I believe, a living demonstration of thanking God while undergoing a medical procedure that I would not wish on anyone. At the same time, I pray that my testimony will inspire someone else who is going through a similar valley.

Since 2023, I have been dealing with stage 5 kidney failure and have gone through a long and difficult series of medical tests, surgeries, and adjusting to life with a tube in my abdomen as part of my daily procedure. I look at the table of bandages, antiseptics, and supplies that I use each day, along with the boxes of dialysis fluid that, quite frankly, keep me alive in the hopes that I will inevitably receive a new kidney. I have a monthly schedule of doctor’s appointments and blood tests that must be followed. I must keep records of my treatments and supplies. There is a lot to do every day. It gets wearisome, and sometimes I want to call everyone involved, have them get everything, take out the tube, put me on hospice, and allow Philippians 3:20 to happen. I could have taken that route with the first diagnosis.

When I was first diagnosed, I was not in the best of shape. Over the years, I had allowed myself to gain weight and, unfortunately, become slovenly in all areas of my life. That included my spiritual life as well. At my heaviest, I weighed in at around or over 330 pounds, wore size 4x clothing, had a 54” waist that was expanding, and figured that any kind of ministry-related work was not going to come my way. I grew spiritually indifferent and played a good game of piety that everyone, including my beloved wife, could see through like glass. Other problems were bringing our marriage to the brink of extinction.

The report of my kidney failure could have given me an “easy out” of the world and the personal difficulties that I had. I could have stayed where I was and, in the end, left behind a testimony of failure and skepticism about the goodness and mercy of God. What would I have left in terms of encouragement and compassion toward others going through the same process? I had to make a choice.

I decided to go in the opposite direction, and in turn, the Lord gave me the opportunity to be a source of inspiration and strength as well as show that even if He chose to take His time in answering my prayers for healing, I still had a testimony to share. I decided to fight the good fight of faith as well as fight the skeptics around me who said that I could talk a great game but not follow through with my decision. I want to give you the specifics on what I have done so far. I decided not to throw a “pity party.” No one bothers to show up for them, and it does not make things better. I decided to get up off my fat Baptist backside and do something to start getting the excess weight off. I began walking each day for about thirty minutes and increased the time over a period of weeks.

I downloaded an exercise channel on my ROKU TV and started following the instructor, who was an old man like me. I also learned how to play golf. I got a cheap set of clubs and started practicing with foam balls every day in my backyard. I watched YouTube videos of the late golf champion Ben Hogan and a guy in California named Jimmy Tropicana (Yes, I know, he sounds like he is from the mob), who gives the best lessons in golf swings and procedures today. I highly recommend both men if you are serious about the game. I taught myself how to play and made myself exercise each day, whether I felt like it or not.

Forget all the pills, diets, programs, or “miracle spring water” promoted on late-night TV. The key, brethren, is to make the choice of allowing your body to be the temple of God. As of this writing, I have lost 100 pounds, wear 2x clothing, have a size 38 waist, and I give God the glory for seeing me through this journey.

Second, I followed the guidance and instructions of my doctors. They were the experts in how my kidneys work and what foods, vitamins, and protein supplements I need each day to lower my blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and other factors. They helped me set a specific weight loss goal to be placed on the transplant list at the local hospital. Good doctors are a blessing from the Lord, and not all of them are “on the take” with “Big Pharma.” I trust their work, and I ask the Lord to give them the wisdom and guidance to do their job. I am also blessed to have nurses who are sisters in Christ. My progress has been a source of inspiration and faith for them, and they are more open than ever to the testimony of God’s grace.

Third, and most important, my journey through this valley allowed me to grow closer to the Lord, to be more honest and open with Him about how I feel, to ask forgiveness for my lack of commitment to Him, and how to talk with Him, not to Him. He has shown me that because I obeyed His orders and followed the plan of diet and exercise that was given to me, I also show others that if I can get through this process and still place my trust in Christ, then they can do the same.

Because I decided to yield to God’s plan, He has graciously allowed me to have an online ministry of working with pastors and churches over in countries where the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is often a death sentence. In talking with friends and family, I have learned that my attitude and actions concerning my kidney disease have strengthened their own faith and walk with the Lord.

All of this could have never happened had I decided to remain in my initial condition and die, which would have allowed me to be home with the Lord, but at the same time, have the smell of smoke with nothing to show for the life I led (1 Corinthians 3:12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

We can choose to let the Lord lead us through the valleys of life and emerge from them with a testimony of His grace, or we can adopt the attitude of the world and its reactions to pain and suffering. We can choose to shake our fists in defiance of God’s mercy and sovereignty, or we can lower them, clasp them in prayer, and earnestly seek Him. I made my choice. Now, it is your turn (Romans 10:9-10, 13). Do not throw it away.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

If you would like to know more about my story and ministry, contact me at the email address above.

The Daily Wire has decided to put out a four-part documentary on the great things Pope Pius XII was doing during the reign of Hitler.

After reviewing Part One, they are off to a bad start.

For decades, the pope was accused of being in bed with Hitler.  The reason he was accused of this is because he was in bed with Hitler.

Michael Knowles, of the Daily Wire, attempts to make the case that Pope Pius XII has been misunderstood for decades.  He claims that the pope is the victim of lies and historical revisionism by the Communists and the left.

Looks like we are in store for some propaganda and historical revisionism from the right.

Knowles has dug into the Vatican archives and found that Pope Pius XII and the Vatican were actually great defenders of the Jews.

And bitter enemies of Hitler.

Unfortunately for Knowles and the Daily Wire, rehabilitation does not work on criminals, and it won’t work on the pope’s well-earned reputation either.

It is claimed that the reason Hitler’s pope was so misunderstood is because, although he publicly supported Hitler, allegedly, he silently worked to undermine his regime.

Hmmm.  That sounds a little hinky to me.

I suppose when the Antichrist comes on the scene, we Christians should publicly support him while quietly working to undermine his administration.  I’m not sure I want to stand before the Lord with that on my resume.

A brief overview of the job of the church is as follows:

1. Testify that Christ died for our sins.
2. Call sinners (publicly) to repent and be forgiven in the name of Jesus.
3. Make disciples of all nations through baptism.
4. Teach everyone to obey everything that Christ has commanded.

Publicly complying with evil while, allegedly, trying to subvert it from within is not on the list.

Paul said to put on the full armor of God and take a stand (publicly) against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11).  He didn’t recommend trying to ‘out-scheme’ the Prince of Darkness behind the scenes.

Michael Knowles defends his position that Pope Pius XII was not ‘Hitler’s pope’ with the following justifications:

• Hitler once wrote that he was an enemy of the Roman Catholic church (RCC).
• The (RCC) allegedly saved a lot of lives and did a lot of good (gave false Catholic baptism certificates, collaborated with charities to help Jews, etc.).
• The silence (of the papacy) during this time does not mean ‘inaction.’
• The RCC had secret documentation that it protected Christians and Jews.
• “Activists” gave Pius a bad name.
• In 1929, anyone who flew a Nazi flag would be excommunicated.
• The RCC secretly considered the Nazi movement pagan and criticized Hitler as a demagogue.
• The RCC needed to maintain neutrality and had to compromise with Hitler to avoid persecution of Catholics.
• The RCC was being spied on by Mussolini, so they had to be careful what they said publicly and in private.
• There were many pro-Nazi, Antisemitic Catholics in the Vatican and among the people, who had to be patronized.

On the last point, it could be asserted that the pope’s silence on the rise of Naziism contributed to the popularity of Hitler.  The pope’s secret statements and private conversations did nothing to restrain the ambitions of this madman.

Despite the above ‘proofs’ that the Vatican stood against Hitler, in 1933, Pope Pius XI signed a Concordat with him.

A ‘concordat’ is an agreement between the Vatican and a government. As far as the Vatican is concerned, any government that signs a concordat immediately becomes a part of the government of God.  This document means that the Vatican fully intends to stabilize that government, give it divine protection, and give it international security.

I guess light and darkness can find common ground (II Corinthians 6:14-19).

As we all know, the ‘Holy Father’ is infallible when he speaks ‘Ex Cathedra.’ We can therefore rest assured that when the pope signs a concordat with an antichrist, that antichrist has the pope’s blessing as well as the blessing of God.

At least in the eyes of the Vatican.

Hitler was still consolidating his power in 1933, which would have been the perfect opportunity to speak out, publicly, against his rise to leadership.  That would have been a great time for the ‘Holy Father’ to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Instead, the Vatican helped to stabilize his rule, gave his administration divine protection, and helped provide the Nazi regime international security.

There is little question that the Vatican aligned with Hitler because the papacy feared the Communists.  Hitler hated the Communists also. The papacy saw Communism as a greater threat than the Nazis and joined with the lesser of two evils.

Jumping in bed with the lesser of two evils is still jumping in bed with evil, which is kind of a ‘no no’ for those of us called by the name of Christ.

Apparently, Pope Pius XI forgot Jesus’s admonition:

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Looks to me like there was an awful lot of fear of man rather than fear of God in the justifications listed by Knowles.  The pope acted like a weak politician rather than a ‘Holy Father’ who stood firm in the power of God.

Italy, which is the home of the Vatican, was extremely Antisemitic in the 1930s.  There is no evidence that the Vatican or the pope ever attempted to change that.

Besides, Hitler got some of his best ideas regarding how to deal with the Jews from the RCC.

For instance, at the Council of Zamora (1313) in Spain, Jews were excluded from State functions, edicts enforcing the wearing of distinctive badges were instituted, and other oppressive measures were inaugurated.

At the Council of Basel (1434), Jews and ‘Christians’ were to be separated in terms of marriage, celebrations and employment.  Jews were not permitted to hold public office, were excluded from higher education, and were forced to wear garments that distinguished them from Christians.

These are just some of the mandates from RCC ‘Holy Councils’ that resulted in extreme and lasting Antisemitism in many European countries.

This brings us to Kristallnacht in 1938.  The Vatican, according to Knowles, was silent on this Nazi atrocity as well.  Knowles claims that its silence did not mean this event had the pope’s assent.

However, there was no open denunciation of this incident, which is crucial to standing against evil.

Pius XI decided to stay neutral and ambiguous regarding his position on the rise of Nazism.  As a politician, he was allegedly concerned that, by criticizing this event, it could create a diplomatic incident, and that would have been a mortal sin (sarcasm intended).

Let’s hope we never have to rely on the Vatican to stand up for Christians when we in the West start getting persecuted by a powerful, evil person.  The sad fact is, as true Christians are being persecuted around the world (Africa, Asia, Middle East), the Vatican is even now in bed with the persecutors.

Christian persecution is worse than it has ever been, and the silence, except in a few circumstances, of the Vatican mirrors its silence during the holocaust.  After all, they don’t want to cause a diplomatic incident by publicly calling evil to account.

Pope Pius XI died suddenly under suspicious circumstances in 1939.  It is possible he was given too much heart medication.  Popes dying under suspicious circumstances are not all that unusual in the land of the ‘Holy See.’

Pope Pius XII, in March of 1939, was quickly elected Pope.  He took on the name of Pius because he wanted to show the world that he intended to continue the policies of the previous pope.

That means he can be held responsible for his predecessors’ positions.

The previous policies that he would continue were:

• silence in the face of evil,
• ensuring that no diplomatic incident occurred that would upset Hitler,
• allowing Antisemitism to continue to fester,
• and not denouncing any atrocities (like Kristallnacht or the Holocaust).

I can only imagine how the documentarians at the Daily Wire will deal with the Vatican ‘Ratlines’ that allowed numerous Nazis to escape justice after they lost the war.  There is way too much testimony about that little scheme.

And this was done with the blessing of Pius XII.

The reason this is important is because the Protestant Churches are dying, and the RCC is presenting itself as an alternative.  The RCC is an enemy of the Gospel and cannot be allowed to supplant the true faith that was once delivered to the Saints.

Any attempt at rehabilitation of any of the papal villains of the Nazi era, or any era, should be resisted, especially when it is easily proven false.

If there is a great falling away from the faith in the near future, which is possible since we are approaching the end of the church age, the RCC will be leading it.

There is no way to rehabilitate this church or the papacy.  This prostitute is about to become extremely popular but will lead many into the pits of hell.

It is the job of the evangelist to thwart this to the greatest extent possible.

This review is a shame because I like the guys at the Daily Wire.  They seem so clear-thinking on so many other issues.  A lot of credibility is lost trying to rehabilitate this villain.

They really are embarrassing themselves.

Spiritual blindness makes fools of us all.

www.gospelist.net