With the death of many loved ones over the past couple of years, the reality of sickness and death have stared me in the face. Many people ask me how a loving God could allow people to suffer from sickness or experience premature death. This is probably one of the hardest questions a believer will ever be asked. Since we are human and we experience the emotions that come when a loved one is sick or when they die, we have to ask God for His wisdom and understanding if we are going to have an answer for the people who ask these kinds of questions.
This is why it is so important to know the Word of God and have it treasured in our hearts because these questions will come. It is also the reason we need to rightly divide the Word of God so we do not give a humanistic answer to a spiritual question. Over the years I have studied this out and this blog is what I have discovered. May it bring hope and encouragement to you as you read it and may it inspire you to study the Bible and grow in your knowledge of God for yourself..
The first verse to understand is James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Sickness and premature death are not good or perfect gifts and therefore, sickness and premature death do not and cannot come from God, because in God there is no sickness or premature death. What people often do not understand is that since the fall of man, the world was put under a curse. The god of this world satan, was given dominion and reign in this earth and as John 10:10 says, ““The thief (Satan) comes not, but to STEAL, and to KILL and to DESTROY!”
Jesus came to fulfill the law and He became the curse of sickness and death for us on the Cross. Before Jesus died he gave this command, “Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs shall follow them that believe. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Mark 16:18 So, with the understanding that God does not cause sickness or premature death and that Jesus gave us a command to lay hands on the sick so that they will recover, we can see that sickness and premature death are a part of the fallen world, not God’s plan or a part of His good and perfect will.
All sickness and premature death are of the enemy. We also have to understand that until Christ returns we are going to be in a battle against the enemy of this world because we do not wrestle with flesh and blood. We do not wrestle with cancer or heart disease. We do not wrestle with suicide or premature death. We wrestle with demonic forces of darkness! So it is now easier to understand that sickness and premature death are not a physical enemy. They are a spiritual one. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We have to fight for our healing because there are forces of darkness fighting against it! I believe that too many Christians stop in the midst of the battle and because of this the enemy gains speed and momentum on his mission to steal, kill, and destroy people’s lives!
I also believe that one of the biggest tactics of the enemy is to get the believer to buy into the lie that says, “it must have been God’s will or it would not have been allowed.” Disillusionment is one of satans biggest weapons of warfare. If he can get the believer to be disillusioned and to buy into this lie then he knows we will not fight until his works of sickness and premature death are conquered.
In Luke 10:19 Jesus says, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” We have to understand that we fight from a stance of victory because Jesus overcame satan at the Cross! Therefore we have to continue to fight until we see our reality catch up with the truth of God’s Word.
Does this mean that people won’t ever suffer sickness or premature death? No, that won’t happen until the day of Christ’s return. What it does mean is that we have the authority to fight against it and to stand in faith and give God the permission to execute His healing power in our lives.
From here it is your job to study the Bible and ask God to give you wisdom and understanding about His healing for your life. What I can promise you is that when you do, your eyes will be open to a new and amazing understanding that will increase your faith and empower you when you lay hands on and pray for the sick.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Christ Became Sickness, So That We Could Be Healed!
In the last blog I said I was going to take you to the next level in gaining wisdom and understanding about Christ becoming sickness on the Cross, so that we can be healed. I am going to talk more about that in the next blog, as a more important issue has come up that I want to address. A 16 year old boy who I used to take care of, when I lived in Oregon, was struck by two cars this week on the I-5 freeway. Nathan was born with Down Syndrome and this caused him to lack the sense of danger that most of us have instinctually. He wandered off at a basketball game and somehow ended up on the freeway. Nathan suffered severe head trauma, internal injuries, and several broken bones. His life is hanging in the balance right now and the family is enduring an enormous amount of pain. They are standing in faith for Nathan’s complete healing, but have accepted the reality that his complete healing may not be the restoration of his health.
This is a very important reality that we need to understand if we are going to walk in the victory and power of the resurrected life of Christ. As I said in the last blog God does not pick favorites and choose for some to be healed physically and some not. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He doesn’t change based on our situations in life. Christ took on all sickness and death at the Cross for our healing. Where we get off track is determining the definition of that healing. As we all face the reality that Nathan may die and our hearts are filled with the emotions that go along with that understanding, we continue to pray for his physical healing. Our God is merciful and He hears the prayers of His people. God’s will for Nathan is healing! There is no question about that! What we have to understand is that in His mercy He knows if that healing includes physical restoration.
Of course we want it to be physical restoration because we can’t imagine life without Nathan, but something his mom Pam said Tuesday is worth repeating. She said, , “I think my hope is that God will be merciful and (Nathan) won’t suffer anymore,” She also said, “In the middle of the night, I just felt that he would be in a better place, far from his physical ailments.” The truth is that right now I believe Nathan is in a better place and far from his physical ailments. Pam is right and she is filled with the peace in knowing that whatever the outcome God is a merciful God. In His mercy I believe God cradles His children during their times of suffering. As Nathan’s body has been put into a drug induced coma so that it has the best chance to endure the circumstance and have the opportunity to heal, God isn’t allowing him to suffer. Christ took on Nathan's suffering at the Cross. His body may be traumatized but the spirit is separate from the body, and Nathan’s spirit belongs to God and is with God during this time.
Whether or not Nathan’s physical body has the strength to endure or recover is yet unknown. His body is a part of the fallen world and because of that there are many factors that play into his chance for recovery. In an instant God could heal him physically but if He doesn’t, it doesn’t mean that He caused Nathan to die. "The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much." James 5:16. The Christians who are praying for Nathan are praying effectual and fervent prayers. These prayers are being heard by God. As we all pray and align ourselves with the truth of God’s Word, we will see God’s plan fulfilled in Nathan’s life. That plan ultimately is for Him to be glorified in and after the trial has past, even if Nathan's physical body is not restored to health. Sometimes our human minds we may not understand this and that is very normal.
The truth we have to cling to is that God restored Nathan completely at the Cross. That restoration may or may not include physical healing in His body right now. As humans, Nathan’s physical healing would fill us with peace and remove our mental and emotional suffering, but only God knows which form of healing will take place in the natural world. What we do know is that Nathan has lived a full life that has brought great joy to many people, even though to this point, it has only been 16 years. We all would like the days of his life to be extended on this earth but we cannot lose hope or faith if the are not. During his life so far he has taught us how to worship God and how to find joy in small things in life. He has taught us how to love unconditionally and how to have patience with those who have special needs. He has taught us to see the world through different eyes and to embrace things that we may have otherwise taken for granted. The lessons from his life, though only 16 years, have been vast and each of us could make a long list of them.
A complete work on this earth has been done through Nathan in many people's lives and that has been a work that no one else could do. Before the foundations of the world God had a plan for Nathan's life and that plan was to glorify God through any and all circumstances in life. Even though he had special needs, he has been an inpriation and an example to many people. As someone said how he raised his hands and sang worship songs to God at the top of his lungs, he lived each daily to its fullest. For our family and the time we spent with him the plans of God were fulfilled. Of course we would like more time in the physical realm but we don't know if that will happen. If we do not get that opportunity, we will be grateful for the time we had and glorify God through it. Until we know for sure what the outcome is we will stand in faith for his physical body to be restored.
There is something else I know and that is, no matter what the outcome, the Vredevelt family will glorify God. If he lives they will rejoice and use the testimony to reach people with a message of hope and healing and if he dies they will do the same. In either instance they will allow it to be worked for their good, and use the testimony of God’s faithfulness, to advance the kingdom of God. This is what all of us need to understand because this is what the resurrection power of the Cross does in our lives when we understand it. Sometimes we can’t explain in human terms, the truth of God’s Word, or God’s will, but when that Word takes root in our lives, we can walk it out and it will bring fruit, fruit that will last. God’s will is His Word and that Word won’t ever return void!
To be continued…..
This is a very important reality that we need to understand if we are going to walk in the victory and power of the resurrected life of Christ. As I said in the last blog God does not pick favorites and choose for some to be healed physically and some not. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He doesn’t change based on our situations in life. Christ took on all sickness and death at the Cross for our healing. Where we get off track is determining the definition of that healing. As we all face the reality that Nathan may die and our hearts are filled with the emotions that go along with that understanding, we continue to pray for his physical healing. Our God is merciful and He hears the prayers of His people. God’s will for Nathan is healing! There is no question about that! What we have to understand is that in His mercy He knows if that healing includes physical restoration.
Of course we want it to be physical restoration because we can’t imagine life without Nathan, but something his mom Pam said Tuesday is worth repeating. She said, , “I think my hope is that God will be merciful and (Nathan) won’t suffer anymore,” She also said, “In the middle of the night, I just felt that he would be in a better place, far from his physical ailments.” The truth is that right now I believe Nathan is in a better place and far from his physical ailments. Pam is right and she is filled with the peace in knowing that whatever the outcome God is a merciful God. In His mercy I believe God cradles His children during their times of suffering. As Nathan’s body has been put into a drug induced coma so that it has the best chance to endure the circumstance and have the opportunity to heal, God isn’t allowing him to suffer. Christ took on Nathan's suffering at the Cross. His body may be traumatized but the spirit is separate from the body, and Nathan’s spirit belongs to God and is with God during this time.
Whether or not Nathan’s physical body has the strength to endure or recover is yet unknown. His body is a part of the fallen world and because of that there are many factors that play into his chance for recovery. In an instant God could heal him physically but if He doesn’t, it doesn’t mean that He caused Nathan to die. "The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much." James 5:16. The Christians who are praying for Nathan are praying effectual and fervent prayers. These prayers are being heard by God. As we all pray and align ourselves with the truth of God’s Word, we will see God’s plan fulfilled in Nathan’s life. That plan ultimately is for Him to be glorified in and after the trial has past, even if Nathan's physical body is not restored to health. Sometimes our human minds we may not understand this and that is very normal.
The truth we have to cling to is that God restored Nathan completely at the Cross. That restoration may or may not include physical healing in His body right now. As humans, Nathan’s physical healing would fill us with peace and remove our mental and emotional suffering, but only God knows which form of healing will take place in the natural world. What we do know is that Nathan has lived a full life that has brought great joy to many people, even though to this point, it has only been 16 years. We all would like the days of his life to be extended on this earth but we cannot lose hope or faith if the are not. During his life so far he has taught us how to worship God and how to find joy in small things in life. He has taught us how to love unconditionally and how to have patience with those who have special needs. He has taught us to see the world through different eyes and to embrace things that we may have otherwise taken for granted. The lessons from his life, though only 16 years, have been vast and each of us could make a long list of them.
A complete work on this earth has been done through Nathan in many people's lives and that has been a work that no one else could do. Before the foundations of the world God had a plan for Nathan's life and that plan was to glorify God through any and all circumstances in life. Even though he had special needs, he has been an inpriation and an example to many people. As someone said how he raised his hands and sang worship songs to God at the top of his lungs, he lived each daily to its fullest. For our family and the time we spent with him the plans of God were fulfilled. Of course we would like more time in the physical realm but we don't know if that will happen. If we do not get that opportunity, we will be grateful for the time we had and glorify God through it. Until we know for sure what the outcome is we will stand in faith for his physical body to be restored.
There is something else I know and that is, no matter what the outcome, the Vredevelt family will glorify God. If he lives they will rejoice and use the testimony to reach people with a message of hope and healing and if he dies they will do the same. In either instance they will allow it to be worked for their good, and use the testimony of God’s faithfulness, to advance the kingdom of God. This is what all of us need to understand because this is what the resurrection power of the Cross does in our lives when we understand it. Sometimes we can’t explain in human terms, the truth of God’s Word, or God’s will, but when that Word takes root in our lives, we can walk it out and it will bring fruit, fruit that will last. God’s will is His Word and that Word won’t ever return void!
To be continued…..
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