I Speak to My Kidneys

One of the most important lessons God has taught me through this journey is the difference between facts and truth.

Facts matter. Facts are real. Facts should never be ignored. But facts are not always the final authority.

Truth is.

Today, the medical fact is that I have End-Stage Renal Disease. The medical fact is that I am dependent upon dialysis. The medical fact is that I no longer produce urine. The medical fact is that my kidneys are no longer performing the functions they were created to perform.

I do not deny those facts. I sit in the dialysis chair. I attend treatments. I work with doctors. I monitor my health. I acknowledge reality.

But I also understand something else.

Facts are what we see. Truth is what God says.

The fact may be kidney failure. The truth is that God is still my healer.

"I am the Lord who heals you."

— Exodus 15:26 (NLT)

The fact may be weakness. The truth is that His strength is made perfect in weakness.

"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness."

— 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

The fact may be a diagnosis. The truth is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

— Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

The fact may be what medicine can measure. The truth is what God has spoken.

"So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

— Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)

For a long time people have asked me whether I speak to my kidneys.

My answer is yes.

Not because I am denying the diagnosis. Not because I am pretending the diagnosis does not exist.

I speak life because life is what believers speak.

"The tongue has the power of life and death."

— Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)

I do not spend my days speaking death. I do not spend my days speaking failure. I do not spend my days agreeing with destruction.

I speak life. I speak healing. I speak restoration. I speak God's promises. I speak God's Word.

Now medically speaking, my kidneys are not necessarily dead. They have failed. They have lost function. They are no longer doing what they were created to do.

But my prayer is not centered on the diagnosis. My prayer is centered on God's ability.

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

— Genesis 18:14 (NLT)

So I do not stand and say: My kidneys are dead.

I say: My kidneys belong to God.

I say: I speak life to every cell, every tissue, every organ, and every system in my body.

I say: I command my kidneys to function according to God's design.

I say: I call forth healing, restoration, and life.

"Then he said to the man, 'Reach out your hand.' So he reached it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other."

— Matthew 12:13 (NIV)

I say: The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me and gives life to my mortal body.

"The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you."

— Romans 8:11 (NLT)

I say: My body belongs to the Lord.

"Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself."

— 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)

I say: I am rooted in Christ, established in grace, and strengthened by His Spirit.

"Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught."

— Colossians 2:7 (NLT)

I share this because I know I am not the only person sitting in a chair somewhere — in a dialysis center, in a chemo infusion room, in a doctor's waiting area, in a hospital bed — wondering if healing is real and if it belongs to them.

It does.

Healing belongs to you. Not because you earned it. Not because you have been perfect. Not because your faith is the strongest in the room. It belongs to you because Jesus paid for it, and He does not waste a single drop of His blood.

If you are reading this and you are in a fight for your health, I want you to try something. It might feel strange at first. Do it anyway. Open your mouth and speak to your body. Tell it what God says about it. Tell it to line up with the truth. Tell it that the diagnosis is not the final word.

You are not crazy. You are exercising your authority. And faith is spelled R-I-S-K — but the risk of saying nothing is greater than the risk of speaking life.

I will keep speaking to my kidneys. I will keep declaring what God has said. I will keep believing that the facts I see today are not the truth I will see forever.

And I believe — with everything in me — that one day my kidneys will listen.