Did you know I have my own personal gravestone? I have had it for over 21 years. A good friend presented me with that gravestone as a spiritual birthday gift. The stone is placed on the front of our property near the country road we live on so people can see. There have been so many times through the years when I have seen cars slow down to try and get a glimpse of who is buried so close to the road. I get a kick out of that. Honestly, it is one of my favorite evangelism tools. The gravestone is inscribed as follows:

Jernigan

November 7, 1981

On this date Dennis Jernigan

died to sin and was born again

by the grace and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s servant lives in the

house at the top of the hill.

My personal plan is to not die physically anytime soon, but with the reality of Parkinson’s in my life, I have had to come to terms with the eventual day I will leave this physical body and live my eternal life in my true spiritual nature in Christ. Reality is that I have been thinking about heaven for most of my life…and the conclusion I have come to is that if this life - in spite of all the pain and sorrow - is so glorious and good, how much more glorious and good heaven will be!

My personal testimony, which I began sharing publicly in 1988, brought the very real possibility of dying for my faith. Due to the many threats and scorn directed my way through the years, it was only wise to consider whether or not living for Christ was worth my physical life. The conclusion I came to can be summed up on the words of a song the Lord dropped into my life on February 18, 1991. That song is called Until That Final Day. Following are the lyrics:

Until That Final Day

Verse 1

I know Whom I have believed

And I am convinced that my life

He is sure to keep

For He is my Defense!

Therefore I’ll not be ashamed of Jesus

Come what may!

For Jesus Christ will be my Strength!

Until that final day!

Verse 2

Since the day that I was healed

My strength has grown weak

But His great strength has been revealed

To keep me as I seek!

For Christ’s sake I count all lost

I gladly suffer shame!

For I am hid behind the cross

Rejoicing in His name!

Verse 3

Christ, my Banner, I will raise

For the world to see!

He is worthy of my praise

My life, my bended knee!

Flesh and blood this world may kill

Still I will obey!

For not my own, but Lord,

Thy will Is life my Truth,

my Way!

My life, my Truth,

My Way!

Verse 4

When my body cold and dead

Lies within the grave

My life will be hid in Him

Cleansed by the blood He gave!

I will glory in my cross!

I glory in my King!

Forever I will praise His name!

Forever I will sing

Of Jesus Christ, my King!

This song was written as a declaration of my faith in early 1991. Little did I know I would be called to put that faith to work through such a “wounding season” like that year would prove to be. Jesus has brought me through that fire and is still calling me to sing and declare the truth of this song through every fiery trial and season of life. I have good news: God will never leave you! Just don’t give up! Be encouraged! Don’t lose heart! Even when our minds are bombarded by the fiery darts of the enemy’s lies, we are never alone…even should we physically die!

Can you believe I wrote those words 30 years ago? Yet they resound in my life with even greater meaning today due to my struggle with Parkinson’s. And my response to the lies of the enemy is quite simple:

“Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a Light for me.” Micah 7:8

Where does your hope lie? What do you do when the lies of the enemy would bring you face to face with fear? I choose to put off the lies by the simple proclamation that God loves me massively - no matter what!

2 Timothy 1:7-12 NASB says, 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with [me] in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

Do we really believe that? Let’s do something profound today. Let’s simply live like we believe that Jesus is the Answer to the needs and questions of our lives…and that we can trust Him with our hearts and with our lives. I know in Whom I have believed. Do you?

Dennis Jernigan

To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast of this teaching and to hear the song, Until That Final Day, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/until-that-final-day/