No, I am not misspelling the word NEED! N.E.A.D. is an abbreviation that has become very significant to Cyndy and me since she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer (MBC) last September.

It stands for “No Evidence of Active Disease”. It is what they used to call “complete remission” but they don’t anymore because the word “remission” has been interpreted to mean “cured”. Medically, there is no “cure” for stage 4 MBC. Medically, our best hope is to hear the words “no evidence of active disease!” And last week, Cyndy and I were blessed to hear those words from her oncologist following her latest PET scan. It means that the cancer has not only stopped growing, it has stopped living, in the sense that cancer lives to spread. It means that Cyndy now has a new lease on life!

I said that “medically” stage 4 MBC cannot be “cured.” But, of course, we know One who is able to cure all of our diseases! Jesus Christ can heal Cyndy, and He can heal you, too. We continue to pray for and hope for a total healing. God is able! But we have been around long enough to have experienced multiple times in the lives of people we know and love that sometimes God does not heal in the way that we hope for. So, we are not claiming a healing; rather we are trusting in an all-powerful God to do what He will do for us. And if He should tell us that Cyndy is healed, we will believe it and claim it. Until then, we receive this good news and rejoice that healing is in process and that no matter what, God is good (all the time)!

I think we should coin a phrase, “No Evidence of Active Sin (NEAS). Wesley would call that “Sanctification” and it is the goal of every Christian. Working with the Holy Spirit, we must all be about the business of getting to the point that there is “no evidence of active sin!” But it requires work, to cooperate with God in putting to death the flesh that wants to rebel against our Holy God. It means we need to acknowledge our sin, confess it, repent of it and allow God to do His work in us to rid our lives of sin. Too often, we resort to “sin management”, trying to manage our little “slip ups” and reducing their negative impact. But until we surrender this misguided “management” model and accept the grace that comes to those who surrender, we will not be “cured” of sin. Yes, Jesus has provided the antidote to our sin nature, but we have to apply it and open ourselves to all that God wants to do in our lives in order for it to be, finally, effective.

Our Life Groups (class meetings) and Discipleship Groups (band meetings) are excellent ways to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in sanctifying our souls. If you aren’t involved yet, I encourage you to get involved first in a Life Group, and then in a Discipleship Group. We need physical healing, but we also need spiritual healing!

Amen!

In Christ,