VL-Issue 44- July 22

STEPPING FORWARD
Know the
Season
You’re in
I WAS ENJOYING MY FIRST CUP OF COFFEE ONE MORNING,
when I read Proverbs 10:5, which is about living life wisely. Suddenly,
I found myself in deep reflection about the seasons of life.
I decided that I’m in a season of preparation.
Some would say I’m in the “twilight years,” the time when
people look back on their lives as a whole with the recognition
that their journey, at some point, must end. Everyone dies—no
matter how closely we walk with the Savior and how faithfully we
serve Him, we will still pass through the valley of death before
we reach our eternal home.
What stirred me to this revelation? I had recently stood at
the bedside of a friend who was nearing death. It had been a
while since I’d seen him last, and he had withered dramatically
in stature.
The murderous effects of cancer had turned his skin and eyes
a pale yellow. The doctor had just brought him his biopsy results
and informed him that he had somewhere between 30 and 90
days to live.
He looked at me through those jaundiced eyes and said, “I’m
not buying it. God can still heal me. But if He chooses to take
me, I’m ready to go.”
BY KENNY MUNDS
This was a man who had lived and breathed Jesus. I
had learned so much from him throughout our years of
friendship. He could hardly talk about anything other
than his most recent revelations from God. He was a
faithful Christ-follower, and his faith and wisdom profoundly
affected me. It was tough to see him in such a
reduced physical state.
I had my guitar with me, and I sang a couple of his
favorite songs. Tears filled his eyes as he listened to
the words of “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and “I Can Only
Imagine.” Then, as if God had spoken to him, he turned
to me and said, “We’ll be praying for you in heaven.”
This man had seemed invincible to me. He was a
solid, passionate disciple of the Lord Jesus who loved
prison ministry and the men he had discipled behind
prison walls. I had witnessed miraculous changes in
countless lives through his teaching and training in
the Word of God.
Before I left, I kissed his forehead and told him I loved
him. The tears flowed again. As I turned to leave, he
said, “Tell our friends in prison I love them.” He went
on to meet Jesus shortly after this visit.
My friend was a wise man who recognized the importance
of the last season of his life. He knew where he
would spend eternity, but his heart remained burdened
for souls that needed to hear the Good News of Jesus
until his last breath. He understood that many people
still needed to know the love of their Savior, Jesus Christ,
who had died for them. He also wanted them to know
He loved them.
Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “strip off every weight that
slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us
up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set
before us” (NLT). My friend’s life was the embodiment
of this verse.
I’m 74 now. I’m in the later years, I know, but God still
has a race for me to run. To do so, I must continually
shed my earthly desires and pleasures. Thankfully, God
offers His divine strength to help me shift my focus
from satisfying my flesh to pleasing my Lord and loving
His people.
I pray that I will remain courageous in my faith and,
like my friend, continue to fight the good fight to finish
the race God has set before me (2 Timothy 4:7). I will remind
people they are loved to the very end. I hope you’ll
do the same, no matter what season of life you’re in.
KENNY MUNDS takes the good news of God’s love and
forgiveness into prisons across America. To learn more about his
ministry, go to kennymundsministry.org.
8 Issue 03 / 2022 VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM