Be Devoted

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

The times we are are capable of shaking a person to the core. Things that many assumed they would never see in their lifetime have come to pass in the last few years. There has been an increase of violence and a decrease in moral standards. 

Many try to make our differences a source of division rather than our strength. Being different from one another is actually an asset rather than a liability if we are unified just like body parts being different yet working together. 

What our families, friends and coworkers need to see is people who are consistent, dedicated and firm in their faith. The above scripture reminds us that we are to let nothing move us. Only the Holy Spirit should move us and that is for the glory of God. 

The most important things we will do here on this Earth are eternal things. Everything invested in temporal gains will come to an end. But the things we did for eternity will last for eternity. So we labor for the Lord with devotion and commitment knowing that eternity is the goal. Whatever we do for the Lord is never wasted. 

This coming week I will enter the hospital again for what I'm praying is my last procedure. God has answered the prayers of many people and I am excited to be only the second person in the Seattle area that my surgeon has decommissioned the lvad pump for. Dr Youssef (see Krista Forseth FB) has done this many times at Duke University and over in England. 

It has been a challenging and remarkable year for all of us and our family went through my hospitalization for 104 days and several of us came down with covid in the fall. But God is faithful and He is the Great Physician. 

This past week I visited with my surgeon and had some pre-op tests run which were required for the upcoming procedure. During one of my tests a technician named Victoria said to herself "God is good." I immediately said yes He is and told her that I was a pastor and begin to tell her the short version of my story. She began to cry and started praising Jesus and then a Holy Spirit inspired prayer meeting broke out in that hospital room. She prayed for me to be healed from head to toe and for joy and peace to be over my family through the blood of Jesus. She prayed that I would be able to speak to multitudes of people about the goodness of God. I prayed for her mother who was hit by a drunk driver and suffered internal organ damage. We also prayed for peace and joy for her family. God places people in our lives at just the right time to encourage us and strengthen us along the journey. 

It is my prayer that God will continue to use the testimony of my healing and near death experience for His glory and honor. May God use your story for His glory and honor. Stay committed to prayer, to His word and to fellowship as scripture says in Hebrews 10:25

May God use you to encourage others in their faith. May God use you to encourage others to come to Faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord.



God has the final say!!
Pastor Derek Forseth