Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Dr. David Jeremiah recently sat down for an in-depth conversation with Grammy award winning recording artist, Mandisa. The artist, known for the mega-hit “Overcomer,” talked with Dr. Jeremiah about the emotional story that inspired the song and the unexpected circumstances that followed.
“It was recently, Dr. Jeremiah. One of my closest friends was pregnant with her second child when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I really wanted a song to help her stay in the fight til the final round. I just didn’t know the final round was going to come as soon as it did. As I prayed for her I really believed God was going to heal her, here, on earth. When she went to be with the Lord, it shook my faith in a way that honestly, I didn’t expect and did not think was going to happen. I went into a deep depression for three years. I did nothing but sit in my house, and I turned to my old default, which has always been food. I didn’t go to church; I didn’t open the Bible. I didn’t want to pray because I was angry at God. It was the hardest time of my life.
In Ephesians 6, Paul’s circumstances aren’t good. He is in prison! But instead of asking the church to pray for his release, he requests boldness to proclaim Jesus.
Mandisa understands that joy doesn’t come from circumstances. Instead it is rooted in a relationship with Jesus Christ and in the knowledge that He is ultimately in control, despite what we see happening around us.
Despite the condition of your health or the well-being of those around you, true joy can be found in Jesus Christ, not our ever-changing circumstances. Happiness is about happenings; joy is about Jesus.
David Jeremiah is the founder of Turning Point, a ministry committed to providing Christians with sound Bible teaching through radio and television, the Internet, live events, and resource materials and books. He has served as senior pastor at Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego, California, for more than thirty years.
In 1982, Dr. Jeremiah began airing his weekly messages taught at Shadow Mountain Community Church on local television. Soon Turning Point expanded its ministry to radio. Today Dr. Jeremiah’s messages are heard weekly on more than 2,200 radio stations. The international outreach of Turning Point is available in Mandarin, Hindi, Farsi, Igbo, Punjabi, Arabic, and Spanish. Momento Decisivo, the Spanish radio broadcast of Turning Point, is heard in Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the United States.