 Well, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go. Only four days till Christmas. I hope you got your shopping done. You know, we have got one of our favorites coming up on today's program. We're going to discover how our God is the God of miracles. Our very own Sydney Goldman had a chance to sit down with Dr. David Chotka. He's one of our favorites. He is a pastor with the Christian Missionary Alliance of Canada. And he has a remarkable story to share with you about the birth of his son. And it was only through God that he and his wife were able to receive their miracle. It's an amazing story of prayer, faith and healing and proves that God can do anything. You know, this is a time of miracles. I mean, Jesus being Christ incarnate is a miracle, but we need a miracle in our daily lives to the miracle of knowing him of the new birth, but also miracles like what David, Dr. David and his wife went through. We need miracles like that as well, and you're going to hear all about that. We're also going to have a throwback Thursday featuring a favorite Christmas performance by Cindy Morgan. And I just want to talk a little bit about Christmas with you. You know, Christmas is one of our all of our favorite times a year. At least for me, but it's interesting how it changes a little bit. You know, we we've our kids are grown and there's grandkids now. Of course, we're sharing them with the other in-laws. And and so Christmas is going to be a little different for our family. We're going to all get together probably a couple of days after Christmas. We haven't set that date yet. But we are going to get together and have a great time. But that Christmas day, it changes. And maybe it's changing for you. Maybe you don't know Christmas like you used to. Maybe you grew up in a big family and there was, you know, 50 people over at your grandma's house. But now you're the older one. You're the you're the grandpa or grandma. Maybe it's not quite the same. And it can be a time where we struggle a little bit with those memories. But listen, God has great and good things for you. If you need prayer, we have a prayer line to just help you to have that time where you can get together with another person of faith, another person with faith, another person who loves Jesus and just pray together and share together and encourage one another. So why don't you call a prayer partner? Again, the numbers there on your screen. You can call any time and you can be blessed and you can just rejoice with someone else who loves this time of year because this is the time when Jesus came. Well, right now we're going to go to Sidney's interview with Dr. David Chaka. Dr. David Chaka is a pastor for Christian Missionary Alliance of Canada for more than three decades, who was taught internationally on prayer principles. And Dr. David, we're so glad to have you with us again. Thank you. It's a joy to be here and it's an honor to be on your program. Yeah, well, it's an honor to have you with us. And you know, Dr. David, one thing that, you know, you have a book called Healing Prayer that you recently wrote with your friend and colleague, Maxie. And you know, there's a story that really gripped my heart and it has to do with the arrival and the miracle of your son and your wife's pregnancy. Can you share that with our audience? Yes. My wife and I got married and, of course, she's been the first year laughing and giggling, right? That we decided to try for her family. And then we conceived and well, I should say she conceived and the bottom line was about, about a month and a half and she started to get itchy. And so she went to see the doctor and he said it was colostasis of pregnancy, which is where your enzymes levels rise up and your skin gets kind of itchy and so on. But usually that happens in the third trimester and this was the first. And so she went to specialist after specialist after specialist to try and figure out what this was. And they determined that it was an extreme case of colostasis of pregnancy and we did not know. It had to do with liver function and actually we discovered that as her levels of estrogen rose during the pregnancy, her liver first of all shut down, then began to systematically destroy itself. And it was horrible to watch. Now, both she and I are pro-life, but it's one thing for a guy to be pro-life. It's another thing for a lady who's carrying a child to be pro-life and her life was endangered. So we prayed. We had friends pray. There was a, there were two ladies in the church, three ladies in the church who would pray with my wife and it was the only relief that she ever got. And it was an interesting thing because we had seen miraculous healings and we cried out to the Lord for a miraculous healing and in the middle of that, the only thing that happened was consolation and comfort in the middle of this. And when those three ladies would call her once a day, the stings, the bee stings, she was feeling like bee stings on her hands and bee stings between her breasts and on the flat of her feet. And she could get no sleep and the only thing that would stop the trouble was having an ice bath, if you can imagine that. She'd get an hour of numbness and she'd be able to rest for an hour and then she'd wake up with this terrible kind of horrible thing. Well, these three ladies felt commanded with God to pray for her and they would call, if they couldn't get in person, they would do the three-way call on the phone and they'd talk to her and pray with her. And the sense of stinging would diminish for about four to six hours and she could sleep. But there was no healing. Meanwhile, I'm an assistant pastor in a local church and it was a church plant in the city of Vancouver. I don't know what costs are like down here, but up there that's the most expensive city in Canada and it's one of the most expensive cities in the world. And we were renting an area to hold church services. We were renting an office and we were paying the secretary and the lead pastor and me. And we didn't have enough people to be able to pay the bills and so it became clear. I was the associate. I was going to have to go. I was looking for a new church. The lead guy was on sabbatical. Why was covering off this thing? He was praying about what to do with the whole church situation. So I was responsible for the congregation. I was responsible for the oversight of that and my wife was desperately ill and terrifically in pain. And she wound up in the perinatal unit of Vancouver Grace Hospital. Thank the Lord it was actually a Christian hospital. There was a Salvation Army chaplain who came and saw her and prayed with her and it was an amazing thing. But I mean she was diminishing and losing ground and it was getting worse and worse. And I knew that at this point this was going to be a very, very tough pregnancy. So they did an amniocentesis and they tried to draw the fluid out to see if their lung development of the child was sufficient. And after they did the amniocentesis the fluid came out dark green which meant that my son was swimming in poison. And the prognosis was that he would be blind, he would be deaf and he would have cerebral palsy. And you gotta know that changes the way you think and she was not going to take the child. She looked at me and she said, life is precious and if I have to die for the child to live, I will. And you have to know that's a very, very different way of starting out your life with pregnancy. Very different way. It changes you. She almost died. So here's what happens. I know I have to provide. The liver levels are getting higher and higher and higher. Her liver is shut down. Now it's destroying itself. And we have friends who are praying and there's this one lady named Margo who stood beside her and with her. And then an opportunity came to go 2,000 miles across the country to another church where I could become a lead pastor and pay the bills. And I thought, I'm gonna have to provide. And we prayed that I'd be given opportunity and the liver enzyme levels came down into high normal. It was the craziest thing. Not a healing, but you know, how do I say this? Improvement. And she stabilized and so Margo stayed with her. I got in a plane and I flew to Ontario. And I wound up having the interview and the interview went well on the Sunday night and the next day was Monday and they were saying, okay, you're on Vancouver time. That's three hours earlier. That's like Seattle. You're going to need to sleep in and then you need some time to pray. And then a guy here named Bob, he's going to give you a drive around the neighborhood. I said, oh, okay, that's fine. So Bob gets in the car and he drives around and it's the same weather as here. It was August and it's usually 90, 95 and it was like 68 Fahrenheit and he was cold and he had a short sleeve shirt on. He said, well, David, would you mind if I stopped at home and got myself a change of shirt, put a sweater on? I said, no problem, Bob. So we pull in and he says, come on into the house and I sat down and it was a coffee table a little lower than this. I'm in his living room and he's gone up to change his shirt and he's talking to his wife and there's an open form letter on the coffee table beside me, an open form letter. Now the interesting thing was it was from a medical association. He was a sponsor of some sort of medical association. My wife was 31 weeks pregnant and they had just said this to us. They said, at 32 weeks, we're gonna put your wife on the drip and that's gonna induce labor and it's the best chance the child has of passing through the uterine canal, kick starting the lungs. We don't know if he has lung capacity to be able to breathe but if he goes through the uterine canal at 32 weeks, it might just give him the ability to be able to breathe. Okay, that's fine. 31 week old preemie is coming up on 32. So I'm in the living room and I look at this letter. It's an open form letter. It's not personal. I look at it and there were two paragraphs about 31 to 32 week old gestational preemies, males, who would pass through the birth canal. And the article said, it's the best chance the child has for breathing but there's one problem. There's a 35 to 40% higher incidence of cerebral palsy because the skull case is softer and when the child passes through the uterine canal, it puts pressure on the bones and it presses in on the brain and 35 to 40% of those male 32 week old preemies wind up with cerebral palsy. So I read these two paragraphs. I finished the candidates. They said they're going to recommend me to the church. In fact, I did go to serve there. I flew back across the country. I landed in Vancouver Airport. I got in the car. I drove straight to the hospital and there were nine attending physicians in the room, nine of them. They had pulled their hair out trying to figure out what was the best thing to do because they were aware of all the exigencies. She was getting weaker and her life was in danger. We're not going to give up the child. The child was in danger and this was bad. And they looked at us and they said, we've come to a decision. We are going to put Elizabeth on the drip. It's going to take three days. And at the end of three days, labor will be induced. The child will pass through the uterine canal. It will kick start the lungs. In those days, surfactant was experimental. Not too many people knew about the way to make lungs work if you're young. It was just a brand new drug. Anyway, they said, that's the best chance he has. And they said, do you have any questions? I said, only one. I said, what's that? I said, isn't it true that with 31 and 32 what we call gestational male premies when they pass through the uterine canal based upon the drip, there's a 35 to 40% higher incidence of cerebral palsy and Sidney, I sounded so smart. I mean, I'd read two paragraphs in a form letter here sitting because somebody changed his shirt in a church 2000 miles away. And everybody in the room, their jaws all dropped. And they looked at me and they said, we don't know what to say. And they left. Now, my wife will tell you this. The attending physician, he should have been on the cover of gentlemen's quarterly. He was a perinatologist, always helping pregnant ladies who were in distress. All of them liked being with him because he looked good. At any rate, he comes back and his hair is disheveled and his tie is out of place. And he looks at the two of us and he says, we're doing a C-section next Tuesday. So what are the odds? We're talking about a 35 to 40% higher incidence cerebral palsy. She was very weak. Her son was premie. They were expecting a child who was going to be one to two pounds. So I'm in the place and I'm there when the child is being born and I almost hyperventilate in the hallway. And this is funny how he stopped hyperventilating. I sang hymns in the hallway. So the people said, you know, we walked, I walked into the room and the room was filled with all these people. I said, there's all kinds of people and there's got to be 20 people in this room. Yes, there's a bunch of students. The case is so unusual. So I walked up to the two attending physicians and I said, there's one group missing. And he said, what? I said, the Salvation Army Brass Band. Everybody else is in the room. And then he looked around and he dismissed everybody. Then the child came out four pounds, five ounces, not two pounds. He wasn't blind. He wasn't deaf. He wasn't cerebral palsy. He got married about three months ago and he's well and he's healthy and I'm very thankful. But in that case, it was pathway to a remedy not miraculous healing. And Jesus was the one who sent me across the country to sit in a living room when somebody was changing his shirt so I could have two paragraphs of medical information to address the medical constituency about the thing that could be done to bring healing to my wife and my family. So I believe that medicine and miracle intertwine. They are not separate from each other. They overlap beautifully. Isn't that amazing? What are the odds? I just remember Dr. David reading that in the book where I was just like, oh my gosh, just how God orchestrated everything and it's through the prayers what he's like divine appointments and he's like, I'm going to situate things because he knew what he's doing. What's your son's name? My son's name is Benjamin. Benjamin, wow. We picked Ben because it was a gentle name and a strong name. Actually, his name came actually, I don't know if you know this one. His mother died and she said, name him Benoni, son of my sorrow. And my wife could have died. She was that close. And the dad said, no, no, no, not son of my sorrow, son of my right hand, son of my strength. So the name actually has one of those stories about a mother sacrificing for a child and redemption coming. That's so beautiful. And you know, Dr. David, I just feel like can you just take a moment and just pray? Just pray for somebody because we have so many people that call in to Cornerstone and they are just awaiting a miracle. There's a medical diagnosis that they just can't even comprehend. Can you just take a moment to pray? You know, I'm going to pray two things. Okay. So, so Father, the first thing I want to do, I am aware what it's like to watch my wife just about die and my son just about die and to cry out for mercy and to cry out for grace and to cry out for holiness and help and hope and not to see the medical miracle happen but to see redemption come through pathway to medicine that somebody studied. Jesus, my prayer, first of all, is that anyone who is crying out to you, you are more than able to touch a physical body. You are more than able to heal. You are more than able to deliver. You are more than able to transform. And sometimes you lead people in a pathway to a remedy. Somebody has dedicated 30 years of their life to research and they have discovered a way to bring health and safety to someone. Father, I don't know what the vagaries of life are for the people watching this broadcast but I know this. You are the guide and you are the healer. So heal by miracle, heal by medicine and when we do not understand why something is happening, intertwine that with an awareness of mystery around who you are and make us more like yourself in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Dr. David, it is such a joy. It's such an honor just to know you and to meet you and thank you for just all that you do, your heart, your passion, your joy, your laugh is unforgettable. Should I laugh now? Yeah, you just have like something I just really, I just really appreciate you. I'm just so grateful that we've had the opportunity to meet and just to share your journey and a little piece of your story of what God did for your family. That is so incredible and beautiful and I know that God is using your story. You know, I just think about we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony and what you've shared. And loving not our life under the desk. Don't forget the last part. You're right. That's a really important part too. Yeah. Thank you, Sydney. Yeah. Thank you so much, Dr. David. Hope happens here at Cornerstone Television. All this month, we're offering a joy-filled DVD, Christmas with the Chosen, The Messengers for your best gift to the ministry. Gather around the manger with loved ones and experience the first Christmas through the eyes of Mary and Joseph. Follow the young couple as they take the long road to Bethlehem and prepare for Jesus' birth. Plus, enjoy an extraordinary lineup of musicians performing both new and classic Christmas songs from the set of The Chosen such as Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Maverick City Music, Cain and many others. Thank you for your generosity that makes the ministry of Cornerstone Television possible. Request your Christmas with the Chosen DVD when you give this month. Call 888-665-4483 or give online at ctvn.org slash donate. From all of us here, we wish you a very Merry Christmas. You make a difference every day. You share the Gospel. You inspire believers. You offer wholesome family entertainment and so much more. We're thankful for you. And as year-end approaches, we're sharing some strategic giving options that may give you a tax break, too. First is a rollover gift from your IRA. If you're 70 and a half years or older, you can give up to $100,000 from your IRA and not add a penny to your taxable income. If you're 73 or older, it counts toward your required minimum distribution. Second, consider donating appreciated assets. Donate stocks or property you've held for more than a year and you often get a tax deduction. Plus, avoid the capital gains tax, too. For more information about these or other strategic giving options, contact us at 412-349-4361 or email info at ctvn.org. Thank you for changing lives and sharing hope together with Cornerstone Television Network. Wasn't that a great story that Dr. David Chotka shared about his wife and the birth of their child and the hard things of faith of struggling through, but a medical answer. Now, you know, God is a God of miracles, but sometimes the miracle comes in knowledge, too. Sometimes it comes with just David happening to see something that gave him the information he needed to pass along to the doctors, remind them really and cause a great outcome. That's, I love that because sometimes we're just waiting for the miraculous supernatural thing even though that is supernatural, too. But let God be God. Let him move in the way he wants. And I have a scripture about that at Acts 1038. And this is Peter sharing with those that don't know Christ. He is a, he is their Gentiles and he is sharing with them. But listen to what he says. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. And how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him. So let's talk about this a little bit. First, it says you know of, you know of Jesus Christ. See, they didn't know Jesus Christ yet. They didn't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior yet. That was about to change, but they didn't know him yet. And they were about to meet the one that had created them. They were about to meet the one who had came and lived and taught and died and rose again for them. But so far they just knew of Jesus Christ. Well, we know the difference, don't we? We know so much more about whether we know the president of the United States or we know of the president of the United States. Everybody knows of. So the question for you today is do you know Jesus Christ? Now we're here. We are four days before we celebrate his birth and that's an important question to answer. When you celebrate Christmas, are you going to know the one that Christmas is about? Are you going to really know him like a person, a relationship with him? Are you just going to know of him? Is he just going to be the star on the tree is because of him? Do you know the story, right? And if anybody asks you why are we celebrating, you know why we're celebrating. But do you know? I want to ask you, do you know Jesus Christ today? And then it says that he went about healing all who were oppressed and afflicted of the devil. Do you ever feel oppressed and afflicted now? He did a lot of amazing things. He healed people that were sick. He healed people that were demon oppressed. And he did all manner of miracles, including walking on the water, all kinds of things that he did because he had the power of God within him. He was God in the flesh. God incarnate. Okay. So again, somebody there like these people that Peter's preaching to could have heard those things. They could have heard, do you know what's happening down in Jerusalem there? Do you know what's happening in Galilee? Have you heard of this Jesus? And people say, wow, tell me more. But they made a decision in just a few verses later where they came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. So I want to ask you, do you have that saving knowledge? Miracles are great. Miracles like what David experienced are fantastic. They're wonderful miracles. I hope you've experienced miracles like that in your life. But the biggest and most important miracle is a miracle of the new birth in Jesus Christ. So if you've never experienced that miracle, why don't you take that step today? All you have to do is open the door of your heart and say, Lord, come in and be my Savior and be my Lord. Forgive me of my sins. What are sins? Well, they're breaking God's command. Guess what? I've done that. You've done that. Everybody on earth has done that. We're all in the same boat. Nobody's holier than now. We are all sinners who need to be saved by grace. And so you just say, Father, forgive me of my sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. Come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. And if you want to do that, if you've prayed, maybe just you said that prayer with me, that brief prayer. Can that really make a difference? Well, yes, it can because all it matters is opening that door. And when you open the door, then the Holy Spirit rushes in and it's called regeneration. He changes us. So if you've just prayed that prayer or if you want to know more about it, go ahead and call our prayer partners. They're standing by just a few days before Christmas here that they might be able to pray with you and they might be able to introduce you to the one that Christmas is all about. So please don't let this Christmas season pass without knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior, without knowing the one who went about healing all who were oppressed and afflicted and the one who was God incarnate. Well, we have something we like to call throwback Thursday and we are going to have a throwback to Cindy Morgan who's going to sing a Christmas favorite. I know you know it. Go tell it on the mountain. Here's Cindy Morgan. Tell it on the mountain over the hills and go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born down in a blessed Christmas morn.