Written by Minister Dominique Brunson; NE NY District
Greetings, My Dear Sisters!
I pray that this note finds you and yours all doing well. Spring is finally here and I hope that you're enjoying the beautiful weather and the time spent with family and friends. Also, congratulations to those of you are graduating or getting married and moving on to that next stage of life. God has truly been good to us all!
Briefly, I want to share with you all a revelation that God shared with me and I pray that it blesses you all...
My major in undergrad was biology and I'm aspiring to be a pediatrician, so as you can imagine, anything scientific tends to catch my attention, especially where children are concerned. :) I came across a picture one day of a tumor that had grown completely out of control and as a result, had taken over the face of a little girl. My heart went out to her, but as I looked at the picture, the Lord began to speak. Now, a TUMOR is defined as "an abnormal growth of tissue resulting from uncontrolled, progressive multiplication of cells and serving no physiological function." Tumors can be classified as benign (harmless) or malignant (detrimental). Speaking very generally, no matter where on the body it may appear, a tumor grows without caring who sees it, where it is, or knowing what its end result will be. The word "tumor" in itself tends to have a negative connotation, but I want to introduce you to a different perspective.
Our main objective here is to bloom wherever we are planted. We never know where life will take us or where we will end up at any given point and time. But wherever we happen to be, no matter how "rocky" the soil may be, we're supposed to be GROWING. That is why the Apostle Paul told us in Philippians 4:11 to learn to be content in WHATEVER state we may find ourselves in. We ought to make up in our minds that we will always seek for the best and the positive, no matter how bad it may seem. Yes, it gets rough sometimes and may even be uncomfortable at times, but that's when God can step in and carry us through so that we continue to grow in Him. Don't be afraid!
Sometimes, He just wants to use us to break new ground so that we can witness to others who will follow us. You have to LIVE your testimony before you can TELL it! We don't know how we're going to look at the end of that season, but we do know that it will work for our good! (Romans 8:28) And when we grow, we begin to produce fruit. This is the point at which we have to be aware of the "tumors" our fruits are developing.
Benign tumors can include grace, compassion, love, patience, understanding, joy, faith, temperance, peace, etc. The good thing about these tumors is that you can allow them to grow out of your control because eventually the Holy Spirit will take over. Unlike in the natural where they may still have to be removed because they are taking up room, the more these spiritual tumors grow, the more room for them there is! The fruit then tastes better and better.
Malignant tumors can include condemnation, destructive thoughts, sexual immorality, envy, vengefulness, depression, discouragement, doubt, discontent, selfishness, etc. These particular tumors cannot, I repeat CANNOT, be allowed to grow much because they will eat your fruit alive and cause the fruit to be of ill effect or no effect at all (just like worms in an apple.)They must be removed ASAP or they can lead to problems in other areas in our lives. Just as in the natural, if these tumors are allowed to grow out of control, they will lead to certain spiritual death. This is why we must take regular self-inventory and make sure that if any of them are trying to take root, we do not allow them to! We should cut them off EARLY and catch them AT THE ROOT!
In this sense, "tumors" are just uncontrollable growths. They only become malignant when those growths do not produce fruit that make evident the work of the Holy Spirit in us. If that evidence IS there, allow those benign tumors to grow without worry and watch how you flourish in whatever situation in life you may be placed in. Not only will YOU flourish, but those around you will, too! Be encouraged :)
Your Sis-N-Christ,
Domonique Brunson
COGBF, Northeastern New York District