August 29, 2019 Show with Joe Jacowitz on “Joe Jacowitz’s Personal Bout with Aggressive Leukemia & His Trust in a God Who is Greater Than Cancer”

Iron Sharpens Iron Radio Opens and Scripture-Based Introduction

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Joe Jackowitz’s Leukemia Diagnosis and Hospital Treatment

Many of you have been hearing me every day. Most of the time towards the end of the program sometimes both in the beginning and the end of the program. You've been hearing me Request prayer from you if indeed you are a brother or sister in Jesus Christ for my friend Joe Jackowitz.

Joe Jackowitz who is founder and president of first love radio The live streaming network that airs iron sharpens iron radio over the internet every single day. He is also the pastor at large at Family Radio and Family Stations Incorporated and founder and president of first love missions and first love publications in addition to being pastor of Christ Bible Church of Pleasanton, California.

Well you if you've been listening every day you've been hearing me. Asking prayer for Joe asking for prayer for Joe. Because of the fact that Joe was very recently just about a week ago diagnosed With a very dangerous very aggressive and fatal form of leukemia and We have been asking you obviously to pray for his miraculous healing to pray that the Physicians are guided by the hand of God and that they perform the very best that they could possibly perform in all they do to care for Joe and that The chemotherapy is used whatever means God chooses to use to bring this brother to a full recovery and full Healing is what we are asking but also to pray for Joe's mental emotional and spiritual state.

During this crisis in his life. Well, you know I spoke to him Yesterday on the phone. I Called Joe in his hospital room. Thinking that I was going to be an encouragement and comfort to him. Well the reverse actually occurred because I was already depressed about matters in my own life and Joe wound up being the one that encouraged me and comforted me and He has really blown me away with his faith that he has demonstrated during this very frightening crisis in his life and He has agreed to be my guest today right from his hospital bed there in California.

To discuss his bouts his personal bout with aggressive leukemia and his trust in a God who is far greater than cancer. It's my honor and privilege to welcome you back to iron sharpens iron radio my friend pastor Joe Jackowitz.

No, my friend. It's my honor and my privilege Thank you for me to come on the show today and to share with my friends and church family and others What we were talking about yesterday, but yes. It has been a tremendous trial the greatest trial of my life.

And I am so blessed to be able to be with you on the program today. And share a few thoughts with you and others as to what's going on in my life happening to me.

Well, if you could explain in a little bit of detail the specific kind of leukemia that you have been diagnosed as having.

The official name is acute myeloid Leukemia which in essence of our blood comes from the marrow inside of our bone white blood cells red blood cells. Blood platelets all of these different forms of that white blood cells.

Which is where we get our immunity to disease when they emerge from the bells. They're not good cells the immunity that we need to stay free end up multiplying. Leukemia and there are many types of leukemia.

But this one is so bad white cells that are being produced in the bone marrow. They are like blasts sent out into the bloodstream that crack red blood cells the platelets and the hemoglobin. So they end up taking over your body and you die.

Type within the adult types of being healed. There are many different types of treatment including time that I have. Their survival rate is a 40 to 60 percent. Depending on a number of factors like your age and how early they catch.

The the leukemia and its growth now. I've had it probably for about a month and a half to two months not a week. It's probably a week ago that you found out about it, but I've had it. It's pretty much in an early stage.

But in my bloodstream, I have what they call 65 blast. But a lot of people don't find out that they have leukemia until their bad cells are at the 80 to 90 percent blast level where it's at a late stage.

So mine is at a lot or not. Even though it's 65 if it grows quickly in my case because of the acute aggressiveness have me in a hospital room contact with people because my immune system is shutting down so quickly and I can't get to monitor me very closely because it's my blood my white cells go down quickly.

They need to give me transfusions bring up my immunity. While all of my all of my cells are being killed with leukemia at the white blood cells only that are bad. The chemo that comes in kills the red blood cells as well as the platelets and the hemoglobin.

The treatment I'm getting I'm not going to have any resistance left to give me some good blood somewhere. To bring up immunity so I get one or two transfusions a day and that will start about The middle of next week because I'm I'm very low on my on my blood counts now.

Give me much much grace that the miracle what God is doing spiritually in my life. I've been a Christian for 43 years and I've never experienced what I've experienced the last three and a half days. And I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.

Amen. Just out of curiosity.

Did you discover this or did the doctors discover this leukemia during a routine Exam or were there symptoms you were experiencing? Why is it that you went to the doctor and found this out?

Very good question. I'm glad you asked me that question because That's one of the reasons why I'm very optimistic that I can I can be healed on this you are can about Two weeks ago. We got back and I have been putting off some routine Lab work and blood tests my My insurance my medical insurance comes through the VA.

I was in the Marines for four years in the early 70s he provides my my medical coverage and So I I've been putting off just routine blood work. So I got back from vacation went in or to the blood work the Does not normally take care of me.

She was on vacation The day before that My blood test just happened to a lab work while she was on vacation. But you know normally doesn't do that. I was one of them and It's all that my white blood cell count was very low and I have never had a problem with that to my primary care physician told me and said That they noticed that I just happened to have my annual Appointment with my hematologist with my blood doctor because I had two annual Morning, but when you go in the hematologist, let him know about your low white blood cell count, which I did.

She had already been alerted. She said to me go in now and get a lab Worked on the blood work done on it and to verify that the numbers are low. Well, they did and the numbers were low. She set me up for the following morning for a bone marrow biopsy which they did and they found that I had Acute my myeloid hematoma at that moment a week and a half later I'm in the hospital 40 days such a dangerous the blood count can drop so low and you can die Immediately if they don't watch it.

The chemo is administered 24 hours a day seven days a week that they they complete blood cells not all your cells, but your blood cells and They completely take out all of your bone marrow three times over three ten day periods and they administer the chemo 24 7.

Oh, you are three cells will be good two weeks from now. They're gonna they're gonna do another biopsy bone marrow to see if the chemo worked. They have an option of bone marrow transplant from a match of someone that In my family or someone else and if that doesn't work and I'll be with the Lord in heaven I'll be rejoicing for his presence.

So I'm right at a situation now where I'll know within two weeks where the next step is going to be and then after that We'll see where the Lord has me, but I love my life and I'll tell you why in a few minutes.

Well, that's just all remarkable that you can maintain such poise and Such a calm and confident perspective as I said in the outset of this program I'm basically a Whiner and complainer by nature and I get I get depressed about things that are infinitely less serious than you are going through and to hear you Just have such a such a strong faith that you're maintaining as such a Testimony to me and in such a blessing to me and an example to me.

And I thank God for you, brother. Just a couple of more quick questions about this leukemia, how rare is it. And it's interesting you are saying now that the Survival rate the prognosis is that you have a 40 to 60 percent chance of survival.

When you first told me about this It was 70 percent. So what was the change?

Well, it was in talking with my partner the head 60 depending on the factors involved in the kind of leukemia I had when I met with it and whether you're a good risk an intermediate risk it's like I have everything going over in the end God is four decades and The only no matter the only thing that's going to get you through this with the right biblical perspective is grace.

All comes down to grace God's way. Can you do that when the we're anything but the last three and a half days God has poured out any brother unlike very few other times throughout my Christian life and It minder of where I really need to be all the medical part of it he also provided a tremendous Opportunity to be here at Stanford University Medical Center.

Stanford Hospital area now I told you that my medical coverage is with the VA the veterans them in Palo Alto University which is on basically I'm the same as the VA hospital here so that the VA has contracted with Stanford for like 90 -95 percent of the doctors at the VA are Stanford doctors and they've also contracted with an organization.

Myself is here at Stanford. The VA pays all the medical bill of chemotherapy bag, and I'm getting I don't know how many a day of three different kinds of Chemotherapy and the doctors here are the top doctors.

For example, there are 482 in the United States Oncology or cancer or hematology or blood research hospitals that that treat this University of California San Francisco Medical Center recently rated Research hospitals in the United States G blood doctors cancer doctors referred me out to Stanford.

I'm in a Stanford private room right now except once today I walked the hallway with a in this room. My doctor is the head of the hematology department here. He is the top treating me personally he specializes in the exact type of leukemia that I have.

Wow and God arranged it for him. I'm getting all these indications these optimistic signs. That you know through these kinds of things that God wants me to stay around for a while. But I'm not charged by them.

Yeah, the main reason why I'm getting hurt hospital is amazing. So I've ever been the care just something you need something else and going back to an original question.

I asked how rare is this leukemia?

It is not the most common it is on the rare side of it. But it's it's not the most rare. But it is among the the rarest kind that you can get. And how long so far. Have you been in the hospital with being treated?

I've been Monday at 430. So it's well you said something.

Remarkable to me. I Guess it was yesterday morning When I had my phone cut. First phone conversation with you. You said this cancer is a gift. Now that obviously is a mind-blowing concept and I want you to explain in further detail what on earth you could possibly mean by that.

Well, let's say Christmas isn't the first time I've had a life threat. There's a large blood clot in your lung had another pulmonary embolism where my lungs filled blood clots. And I also have what they call a DVT which means deep vein thrombosis in my left leg.

It's a very long blood clot in the leg. People who have pulmonary embolisms and DVTs die survival by the lead doctor of the South need to live moment by bow every Deep and get complacent by moment because pop a blood vessel breathing down and you're gone.

But we live sometimes as if we're going to live forever. But with this leukemia this bone cancer my I Have gotten to the point where I've looked at the old game-changers. We've gone a month from now six months from now and what all the treatments are pursued and they don't work for the time.

But the seriousness impacted me deeper than ever before really with me to help me understand Situations that God use all in our circle. We won't listen to God unless he turns our life upside down like this and I'll tell you What I've learned through the years.

Even though it's when I actually come into the trial that I understand. I know what it says in the Bible. Personally change me and affect me where I am living moment by moment before God in his presence.

That's a different story and that's what happened with reminded me about Talking give you cancer is not an issue for me for the last two weeks. The cancer is one of the greatest gifts God has ever given to me.

And I know that's a radical statement and I'm not being insensitive to those people who are hurting with similar talking about our Obligations to comfort the weak and the sick and bearing one another's the people in situations like I'm in.

Yes. We need those. I'm talking about the spiritual principles. It'd be myself all day as many people of compassion which we need to do. And so what God is showing and then my wife from listening to God and I'm I'm gonna grow by Spiritually and bound and I'm gonna be able to shut in a lot.

I don't even hardly think about it now for the last week. Especially though I have not even thought about the kids of the doctors are coming in here and they're reminding me That I have cancer and how am I feeling?

How you doing? What do you need? And I'm my mind from the Lord. You know what Chris I? Brought 30 got my wife when she visited me a couple of days ago brought 20 more Questions and 50 of them are gone.

I've given away 80 tracks. I had 10 I had 12 books left this morning. They're all gone. That's my wife's coming tomorrow. She's gonna stay over in three and a half days. They're gone. I've witnessed 16 people on extended Witnessing opportunities who've come in here for appointments with people to come back for more counseling and more witnessing.

Just in three and a half days Left the room except once a day for a short walk with a gas mask and I come back to me. It's like a friend of mine reminded me that it's like Apostle Paul who was under house arrest.

Doc brought all the people to him to witness to the same thing with John the Baptist. John the Baptist spent eight ninety-eight percent of the Greek and reaches out to him. So in the worst and that's what I'm going through the light.

I am on not cloud nine right now I am on cloud ten Chris. It is amazing.

Prayer Requests, Sponsorship Breaks, and Listener Support

Well, we're gonna go to our first break right now. Anybody wants to send in a question to Joe Jackowitz about the leukemia? He is now doing battle with trusting in God. No matter what the outcome. Sending your questions to chris arnzen at gmail .com.

Chris a RN z en a gmail .com. Please at least give us your first name your city and state in your country of residence if you live outside the USA and Only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter and with a subject like this I could readily understand there being people who may have questions arise that are deeply personal intimate painful Troubling etc.

So we will obviously honor your request To remain anonymous if your question is personal and private, but if it is a general question the theological question an experiential question about this battle that Joe is waging right now.

Please give us at least your first name city and state in your country of residence. If you live outside the USA and don't go away I got willing we're gonna be right back after these messages from our sponsors with more of Joe Jackowitz.

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Scripture, Providence, and Suffering in the Midst of Cancer

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So remember, whenever the occasion arises for gift-giving, go to Solid-Ground-Books .com. We're back now with our interview, our live interview, with Joe Jackowitz from his hospital bed in California.

As he.

Experiences his bout with an aggressive form of leukemia and receives treatment for it. If you have a question for him, our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com. We have Harrison in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

He says, I know that you are filled with optimism and confidence and even rejoicing in the midst of your illness right now, but what was your first reaction to the news of your cancer?

First reaction, we radio where I was working, asking God why. It's okay to ask why. I began to, you know, they're normal for us and then struggled to get my mind on what Scripture says and to get God's perspective on it.

And after about 45 minutes, I got home and I told my wife and we cried together. For the coming days, a mindset situation, the way God looks at it. You know, that's true. My definition is God sees. And so we've got to see all of reality, including every trial, because that's the only way we can learn from it and listen and gain from the spiritual lessons that God teaches us, which are hidden right there in every trial.

We're taught by through power and God has enabled that mindset of, my strength is made perfect. He portrays it in Scripture too, by his grace. Many times I've failed, but here and now, boy, he's given me victory in the midst of this great trial.

Yeah, we have examples of that, both in ancient history and recent history. A recent example, at least relatively recently, Johnny Erickson Tata, who is paralyzed after a diving accident. I believe it was in the 1970s, but I'd have to check on that.

But Johnny Erickson Tata did not instantly or even quickly become so confident in God's sovereignty over that incident that she was immediately pulling this, a gift. But after struggle and battle and even battles with anger and wavering faith and so on, she eventually came to embrace her paralysis as a gift because it enabled her to have a larger audience than she ever would have had otherwise to proclaim the gospel.

To people like you never would before without the trial. You would be brought to a level of worship and the hard knowledge of Jesus Christ that you would never had on that previous level. There are countless blessings that trials, serious trials, bring into your life that you would never experience unless the mercy, the love, and the grace of God decides that it's time for you to go into the deep waters of purification and fiery, fiery trials of affliction.

Amen. And we have a couple of people who just want to wish you well. We have a pastor Josh Bice of Praise Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, who is the founder of the G3 Conference.

Yes, I know Josh. He's a dear brother. Yes, he just wants to know that he's praying for you.

He so has enjoyed meeting you and sharing brief times of fellowship with you and is so honored that you have chosen for at least a couple of years in a row the G3 Conference to be a platform to put on display the first love publications and he's praying for you and hoping for your soon return to the G3 Conference.

Well Josh, if you're listening, if God brings me into remission, I plan on coming back this year to the conference.

Amen. And we have Larry in Juneau, Alaska, who says, sorry Chris, no question, just wanted to send my love to Pastor Joe. And we thank you Larry in Juneau, Alaska. In fact, if you give me your full mailing address in Juneau, I will have a New American Standard Bible shipped out to you for being a first-time contributor via email to our discussion.

We also have your friend with first love publications, Timothy Oliver, just chimed in and said that he wants to send his love to you. Tell Joe I love him and I'm praying daily for him and the family. And by the way, he also Timothy Oliver gave me a bit of detail on Johnny Erickson Tata.

The diving accident was in the Chesapeake Bay in 1967. So thanks a lot, Timothy. One of the things that you have been saying as a caveat, which I think is very, very important, as a caveat to the fact that on one hand you're declaring this cancer to be a gift from God to you, but you're saying that not all people view such a horrific trial as a gift as you do.

And I think that it's very important, and I'm confident you would agree, that it's one thing for the person experiencing the pain in the trial to adopt this or declare it and accept it as a gift, than for us to impute that level of or that category of providence to others.

For instance, I don't think that we should be walking into the hospital rooms of our family, friends, and loved ones who have serious illness and say, happy birthday. How do you like the gift that God gave you?

Or look at the early Christmas present God has given you. Aren't you happy? Why aren't you rejoicing about this? We cannot impose that on others. That's for the person who is actually suffering to be given that gift from God to be able to even view it that way.

Well, that's why I went out of my way to explain the difference between the two at the very beginning, is that it would be cruel to be able to go around to people or to say that to people. Actually, the scripture teaches us that we're to comfort those, comfort the weak, weep with those that weep, rejoice with those that rejoice.

We're not to go around and condemn them or to impose some kind of artificial mindset of spirituality that God has not given to them in the perspective that He would want them to have on their illness.

Not everybody has that, and it's something that is a gift from God. It comes by way of revelation. I'm not talking about direct revelation. I'm talking about the Spirit of God opening up some truths and principles of scripture to help you adopt a mindset that will comfort you, but it's something the Spirit does through the scriptures directly to you.

But my job horizontally with other believers is in their trials and sicknesses and illnesses, I am to pray with them. I'm to listen to them. I'm to uphold them. I'm to bear their burden. I'm to comfort them and console them with the consolation that we have in Jesus Christ.

Well, I'm not to go around and say, Brother, are you missing the blessing of this gift? No. If the Holy Spirit communicates that with them, that's His decision. But as far as we are concerned, we are to provide the balm of Gilead and not the poison of condemnation.

And of course, how you view such a crisis as a gift is a relative thing because a young man in his teens or 20s or a young woman may view this differently, and parents with a baby or young child, obviously, they're not necessarily going to react in a similar fashion.

Yes, there are many, many exceptions and qualifications to this, and we certainly don't want people to misunderstand what we're saying.

So if you could expand further upon why you are actually rejoicing in the midst of this horrifying trial.

Well, you see, Chris, the Lord has reminded me as a believer in sovereign grace that God is in complete control of every single detail in the macro and the micro of my life. Therefore, I can trust Him with my life.

If I can trust God in the good times, I can trust Him that He knows what He's doing during the difficult times. And this is all based on sound theology. This is why theology and sound doctrine is so important because everyone, when they go through trials, wants to know why.

We ask God, why is this happening? What's going on? What did I do? Trials come to us sometimes not because we did anything or because we committed a sin, but because we enter into a school of Christ, a school of suffering, that by itself is an instrument of God to bring us to levels that we would never arrive at unless God stirred up our life.

And this is all based on the character and attributes of God, such as His goodness, His wisdom, and love. This is how I can trust God with my life, how I can rest my entire life with all of its needs and circumstances and pain in the comforting, capable, wise hands of God.

Because in the end, when I look under the rug for answers, most of the time I'm not going to get the answers. And when I study the Bible to try to get answers, I'm going to be confronted with the character of God.