When bestselling Christian author Michelle Medlock Adams learned that her little grandson was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, she admits that the news rocked her faith.
“When you get those kinds of calls, nobody is ready for that,” she said in an interview with Ambo TV. “When you get a call from your daughter sobbing telling you your fourteen-month-old grandson has a brain stem tumor that’s inoperable, that’s going to shake you a little bit.”
What made the news especially poignant was that it happened as Adams was writing her latest book Platinum Faith: Live Brilliant, Be Resilient and Know Your Worth. The book, which she co-authored with her friend Bethany Jett, is a wonderful resource for women who wish to strengthen their walk with God by teaching them how to have faith that reflects similar properties of platinum.
For the prolific writer of over seventy books, she and Jett were first drawn to the precious metal when deciding what to name their literary business. For most people, when they hear the word platinum, they think of jewelry and other material things. However, the co-authors’ connection to the rare metal was not superficial.
In researching platinum, they found that it has at least twelve properties that make it so special and durable, and they believed those characteristics reflect their business. When the time came to choose a title for their book, they were again drawn to the properties of platinum.
“She [Jett] actually came up with the name because it’s top-shelf. And It’s rare, and it’s malleable, can withstand the heat. Lots of cool things about, ” Adams said when explaining how they picked platinum as both their business name and book title. “And I said what about doing platinum faith because all those things that we loved about it for our business apply to our faith. It was like the heavens opened and the angels singing, and we knew that was it.”
The first property mentioned in the book is having an “all in faith,” which relies on the unchanging character of God. In coping with her grandson’s health crisis, Adams shared that it is her “all in faith” that has sustained her.
“You have to know in your knower that God is good and that His character is not up for debate. He’s a good God no matter what happens in this and that’s what we call having all in faith; platinum faith,” she stated.
When reflecting on the twelve characteristics of platinum, Adams reveals that its precious nature is the one that resonates with her the most.
“Probably the one that’s meant the most to me is the precious one. Because when I go to minister to women’s conferences across the United States, many times when women are down front, and we’re praying with them, the thing I often hear the most is that they just don’t feel like they’re worthy enough, that God could love them. That he could have a plan for them,” Adams stated. “So I often minister about that. ”
Adams, who is also a ghostwriter for other well-known authors, admits that obtaining platinum faith is a process. We do not all arrive there overnight, and she does not want readers walking away from her book believing she and Jett have it all together.
“[It’s a] process, you’re exactly right. It can be really daunting. We talk about often in the book, it’s process, not perfection…that’s why they call it the good fight of faith because it’s not easy.”
One way Adams helps readers fight the good fight of faith is by warning them not to fall into the comparison trap.
Platinum has several uses from jewelry to helping smoke detectors function properly. The mother of two states that just like platinum is valuable no matter how it’s used, we must not compare how God is using us in a particular season with what God is doing in the lives of others. We are all valuable.
“There are many times in our lives where we may feel like the smoke detector platinum. It’s like, nobody knows we’re there until we’re needed…But it’s life-saving,” Adams said. “Other times we have this like shining exterior where we’re maybe like a platinum ring setting out front…[but] not one is more useful than the other.”
Adams adds that life is about seasons. Sometimes God calls us out front, and sometimes we are called to be behind the scenes.
No matter your season, Platinum Faith understands that there will be moments when your faith is challenged. In those times, the book encourages readers to rehearse the past victories and promises of God.
“I think during those seasons where you’re waiting…it’s time to really do a word check. Get in the word; just find yourself in the world– all those promises,” Adams states.
A favorite verse the bestselling author and conference speaker clings to is Jeremiah 29:11, which states, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
As she continues to wait for the outcome of her grandson’s health issue, she is filled with platinum faith because she believes in God’s good plan for her and her family.
“I meditate on the fact that God has a plan for me, even in the times when I don’t know that he does….And it says it’s a good plan…and God’s good is amazing.”