'I Thank God Every Day': Cancer Survivor John Tesh Explains How God's Word Gives Him Hope and Healing
Christian author, musician, and former "Entertainment Tonight" co-host John Tesh recently shared that he continues to rely on his Christian faith as a means to overcome life's challenges.
Tesh says reading the Bible helps keep him connected to God's truth, which can be difficult when we're facing personal struggles.
In 2015, Tesh was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer and a grim prognosis. He and wife Connie Sellecca turned to scripture and began to understand healing according to God's word.
"At that time, I was trying really hard to believe that everything was going to be all right," Tesh recently told Fox News. "I was begging God for healing. And when Connie and I read the scriptures together, we learned that God wants us to have health and wellness, healing and prosperity. And the Bible speaks truth. It's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow."
"I think people will really be surprised to read what the Bible has to say if they take a break from their phones and just read the scriptures each day," Tesh shared. "I really recommend the Book of Romans and just take a deep breath."
WATCH: John Tesh Shares His Testimony with CBN's '700 Club'
He confessed there were moments when his faith in God was tested while going through cancer treatments.
"Initially, I was angry at God," he said. "I was angry at everybody. And for some reason, I was angry at my wife. I was drinking too much scotch whiskey. When you get a cancer diagnosis like this, you become very popular and people are whispering around you and you can get anything. You can get Vicodin if you want. You can drink as much as you want and you can just feel sorry for yourself as much as you want."
"If I stood with Connie and we stood on faith and we stood on the scriptures that could get me healed, that that's where God wanted me to be," Tesh continued. "I was angry at God at the beginning because I thought that maybe God had put this sickness on me to either teach me a lesson or for me to have a ministry but there's nowhere in the new covenant in the Bible that says that God wants you anything but well."
And he stressed the importance of distancing ourselves from "dooming scrolling" and reading too many negative social media posts, adding that it can have a harmful effect on someone's mental health.
"I think it's incredibly important to stay informed and educated," Tesh said. "But I also think it's just as important to take a step back and disconnect. You can't constantly consume all the negativity all day, every day."
"It may sound ridiculous coming from me because I fell for it myself, but I found myself being pulled in so many different directions," he added. "We need to take care of ourselves and our hearts. And reading the Bible does that for me. It helps me understand my truth and it connects me with my family, especially during difficult times."
Last February, Tesh wrote Relentless: Unleashing a Life of Purpose, Grit, and Faith, illustrating how certain obstacles shaped his life and allowed him to grow spiritually.
Throughout the memoir, Tesh talks about the highs and lows he's encountered throughout his life, including being suspended from college and becoming homeless.
"I'm healed and I feel good," Tesh said. "I take care of myself. But when you go through such suffering like that, you can never really forget it. And it has made me grateful each day that I can wake up every morning and be with my family. I thank God every day for my healing. I can't just put aside that suffering I've experienced. It's a part of me. And it's taught me that when faced with an enemy, I'm strong enough to pick up that sword."
Tesh, Connie, and their son Gib had a portion of the scripture tattooed on their bodies as a reminder that God is our source of strength:
"I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours."
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