3
John 1:2Beloved,
I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in
health,
even as thy soul prospereth.
The apostle John
spoke those words because they were words from the heart of God. God
wants us to be in good health and prosper—even as our souls prosper.
SICKNESS AND HEALING IS A SUBJECT THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO US BUT,
FOR MANY OF US, IT BRINGS DISCOMFORT BECAUSE WE’VE HEARD SO MANY
EXTREMES AND SO MANY OPINIONS. Some people say God never does it.
Others say that if you’re not healed there is something wrong with
you.
Frankly, if I had wanted opinions, I would not have based my
life on the Word of God. But, I have based my life on the Word of
God, and you have too because we
know that—unlike opinions—God’s
Word is absolute Truth. I mean—one opinion is as good
as another. And, all of them are worthless if they don’t agree with
God’s Word. Now, I’m asking that you don’t rush to form an opinion
about what I’m saying until you hear and read this whole lesson.
So what does God’s Word say about healing?
Psalm 103:1-2 1Bless
the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2Bless
the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
I’m going to stop right there and say this up front: That does not
mean that if you are not healed immediately there is something wrong
with you. In fact, it doesn’t mean that if you are not healed in 10
years that there is something wrong with you.
IN FACT, ALTHOUGH PSALM 103 SAYS THAT GOD HEALS ALL OUR
DISEASES--IT DOESN’T SAY WHEN OR HOW. IT DOESN’T
SAY THAT HE HEALS THEM THE MINUTE WE GET THEM OR THE MINUTE WE
PRAY. IT DOESN’T SAY THAT IF YOU HAVE NOT MANIFESTED TOTAL
WELLNESS AFTER PEOPLE HAVE PRAYED FOR YOU THEN YOU ARE SINNING. NO,
NO, NO.
HEALING IS A PROCESS AND THAT PROCESS CAN TAKE A SPLIT SECOND
OR IT CAN TAKE MONTHS—OR YEARS.
AND IT DOESN’T SAY THAT HE HEALS ONLY ONE WAY. IT DOESN’T SAY THAT
HE WON’T USE MEDICINE OR DOCTORS TO HEAL US---BUT IT ALSO
DOESN’T SAY THAT HE HAS TO USE MEDICINE OR DOCTORS.
WE CAN’T PUT GOD IN A BOX AND DECIDE HOW OR WHEN HE IS GOING TO DO
ANYTHING. HE IS LORD—NOT US.
But, we should not only believe in God’s healing but in His
desire to heal us.
3
John 1:2Beloved,
I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,
even as thy soul prospereth.
AND THAT’S WHY THINGS HAPPEN DIFFERENTLY FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE. GOD
KNOWS WHAT CONDITIONS WILL ALLOW OUR SOULS TO PROSPER.
I am going to read Psalm 103:2-6 from the amplified Bible.
2Bless
(affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget
not [one of] all His benefits-- 3Who
forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of]
all your diseases, 4Who redeems your
life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and
crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;
HEALING, FORGIVNESS, DELIVERANCE AND REDEMPTION, RENEWAL, BEAUTY,
DIGNITY, MERCY AND LOVING KINDNESS. That’s what God gives us.
I’LL GO ON…5Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity
and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that
your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming,
soaring]!(A)
Do you think that God will do less for us now that we belong to
Jesus?
"And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we
might die to sin and live to righteousness; FOR BY HIS WOUNDS YOU
WERE
HEALED."
(1st Peter 2:24)
God heals. Period! The Bible says it and I believe it.
However,
not all people are healed right away or even before they die.
That’s puzzling and, even more puzzling, is the fact that some
people are miraculously healed of some conditions and still
remain sick with others. I’m one of them. Why? Well, I’ve
heard many preachers and teachers, I’ve read many books, and I’ve
spoken to many doctors---even Christian doctors expound on the
subject.Here is the educated
conclusion I have come to: I DON’T KNOW WHY. I may never know. But I
do know that God desires healing for me and prosperity too—as my
soul prospers.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR BODIES AND FEED THEM GOOD FOOD.
That’s why God gave the Israelites so many laws about what to eat
and what not to eat—because He didn’t want them to get sick like the
other nations did. Although Jesus declared all foods to be
lawful—the PRINCIPLE of what God laid down for the Israelites still
holds true: IF YOU PUT GOOD FOOD IN YOUR BODY AND TAKE CARE OF IT,
YOU WILL FEEL BETTER.
1
Corinthians 10:31
31So
then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for
the honor and glory of God.
But that
doesn’t mean that automatically ALL your health problems will be
gone.
WE HAVE TO FEED OUR SOULS GOOD FOOD TOO.
PROVERBS 17:22 A
happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but
a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Philippians
4:6-7, AMP.6Do
not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every
circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite
requests)with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to
God.
7And God's peace [shall be yours,
that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through
Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its
earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends
all understanding shall [c]garrison
and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
IF WE CAN ONLY MASTER THAT PRINCIPLE---THINK HOW MUCH BETTER OUR
LIVES WILL BE.
AND WE NEED TO SERVE GOD. GOD’S PROMISES ARE FOR THOSE WHO SERVE
HIM.
EXODUS 23:2525"(A)But
you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and
your water; and (B)I
will remove sickness from your midst.
And, no matter
how “healed” we are, one day, we (or at least our bodies) are going
to die. You can be healed of cancer, AIDS, heart condition—you can
even be raised from the dead---but still, one day, you are going to
die. Therefore, no healing is going to keep you alive forever this
side of Glory. “It’s appointed unto
man once to die—and then, the judgment”
We are not yet
living in our glorified bodies. That’s some of
the best news I’ve ever heard. I sure wouldn’t want to be stuck with
THIS for all eternity. And, really, I don’t care how gorgeous,
strong, or physically fit you are, you still are decaying day by
day. To be blunt, you all have bodily functions you’d rather not
have to deal with. I’m not going to list them, but I’m sure you
catch the drift of what I’M SAYING. We won’t have to deal with these
things in our glorified bodies. Our eternal bodies are going to
be a lot better than the ones we have now. I am sooooo glad.
Still, we are
living in the here and now and we are serving God within
these mortal bodies. It is a lot easier to serve Him when we are in
good health---when we’re not in constant pain and exhausted all the
time. It’s easier to serve Him when our bodies are whole and we’re
not missing any parts. Right?
Well, yes, for
the most part. But there are times when God uses affliction to
accomplish His purpose. Oops, did I
lose you there? Please bear with me. If we never suffer, how can we
minister to a world of suffering people? How can we understand them?
Even Jesus suffered and was “tempted in all things, yet without sin”
so He could be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
Also, there
are times when affliction brings us closer to God. I am not saying
that God puts diseases on us to bring us closer to Him. What I am
saying is that God allows it and will use it in our lives to
accomplish a purpose. King David said
“It was good for me to be afflicted. Before I was afflicted, I went
astray.” Have you ever
had that experience? I have. During the time I have been ill I have,
by necessity, been totally dependent on God every minute of every
day. Actually, we all are; we just aren’t always aware of it until
we’re sick, hurt, broke, or in trouble. During my time of being
“shut-in” with God, He has revealed so many things to me, exposed so
may areas of my character that I waspreviously blind to, and
spoken Words to me that I never would have stayed still long enough
to hear when I was well. I can honestly say “it was good for me to
be afflicted”. Even though I hated it, I valued it. I still do.
I and many
others who are sick and shut-in serve God in many ways that we never
would have if we were well. In my case,
when I was well I was always running around “doing the work of the
ministry” without ceasing. Unfortunately, in my ministry for God, I
sometimes forgot my worship of the God of the ministry. I also
thought that ministry had to be “front and center”. God had other
things He wanted me to do; things that took a lot of time and
patience and were accomplished behind the scenes. God took me from
the starring role to the supporting cast and more and more, to
working behind the scenes. I discovered that (much to my surprise)
that’s where my heart is. I love doing it. I also discovered web
design and management and, through that, I can reach out to the
whole world. Amazing isn’t it.
So, if you are
sick or disabled, don’t think that your ministry is over or that
your whole future depends on being healed. You never know what God
has for you that you might not even have been aware of before. But
that doesn’t mean that healing can’t be yours.
HEALING IS GOD'S
BEST FOR ALL OF US.
I still
believe in healing and that is my desire. I still pray to be
healed. I still hope for the healing. I will serve and trust God
while I am sick and I will let Him show me new ways to serve Him.
But, I will never stop believing and standing on God’s healing
scriptures. You shouldn’t either. Just don’t put your life on
hold while you wait.
BUT WHAT
SHOULD WE DO IF WE ARE SICK?
"Is
ANYONE
among you sick? Let him call for the elders
(saintly leaders) of the church, and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer
offered in faith
WILL
restore the one who is sick, and the Lord
WILL
raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they
WILL
be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and
pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective
prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
(James 5:14-16)
Lord God, I pray that we all take your Word as Truth…that we all
believe that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. I pray
that we will believe Your Word no matter what our experience has
been. I also pray that no one will use this word to condemn
themselves or anyone else. Help us to just trust you and we pray
Lord that You will heal every single one of us—however and whenever
You choose to do it because HEALING is part of your promise to us.
Amen.
