THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
Clinging to God’s Promises

By Nina Dokuchaeva January 14th, 2026

“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

I grew up in a happy family that attended church and a grandmother who prayed for all of us. But by the time I graduated from medical school and got married, Russia was being swept by a wave of popular psychics, and I succumbed to this trend and took psychics courses myself. However, I never suspected that in doing so I’d come in contact with dark forces that don’t let go of their victims!​

My husband and I wanted to have children, and after several years, I became pregnant. Russia was going through a difficult time at the end of the Communist rule, and many priests were advising against having children. However, a preacher came to town, and during his series, he showed us where God said, in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth.” I felt so relieved to know that children are from God and that He would take care of us. That day, on the bus ride home, I prayed my first silent prayer of gratitude to the Lord. I continued attending the meetings, and at the end, I was baptized by immersion, just as the Bible says. The truths I learned became such a joy, and later, my husband was baptized, too.​

As my baby’s birth grew near, health problems indicated I should have a Cesarean section. We prayed a lot, and everything ended well. As a mother, I began to understand how much God must love us to be willing to give His only Son to die for us!​

However, during my second pregnancy, I suffered from edema and blood pressure spikes, and when I was admitted to the hospital, they discovered my child wasn’t getting enough oxygen. At seven-and-a-half months, my doctors decided on another C-section, so I called our pastor and my sisters in Christ, prayed with them, and calmly surrendered myself to God.​

During the surgery, I began to bleed and required a massive blood transfusion. It took ten hours to stop the bleeding, and my brothers and sisters from church prayed constantly for me. My baby boy was born normal, but the next day, I developed shock-lung, a respiratory failure caused by rapid inflammation of the lungs. I was in a coma for a week, and when I woke up, I realized how serious my situation was. I began praying and preparing for death as my condition worsened with bilateral pneumonia, sepsis, and then renal and heart failure.​

Dear God, why is all this happening? I wondered. And suddenly, I realized there was a terrible battle for my soul going on between God and Satan! Lord, You promised that nothing would tear me out of Your hand and that You would hold me tightly, I prayed. I’m holding onto you, Lord. Please pull me out of here!​

The pastor and church elders came over and anointed me while I was unconscious, and I will never forget waking up with the gentle glow of the sun on my face. My heart was beating evenly, and all I could think was, Satan, you’re too late. I’m not going to die. They anointed me with oil! From that moment, I knew I would survive, and three weeks later, I was discharged after spending over a month on a ventilator.

In moments of special danger, we begin to understand what it means to hold on to God by faith, and during that time of intense suffering, I felt a special closeness to God as we fought together against death. Satan brings suffering, but God protects those who believe in Him. Christ’s disciples taught that God allows those trials because suffering purifies the soul.​

I never complained to God or ever doubted His love for me. After everything He’s done for me, how can I doubt His mercy and love?