36. Divine healing - IV
Physical and spiritual cause of sickness
Accurate diagnosis for the cause of illness is vital for the right cure. In this way God deals not so much with symptoms as with root causes when He heals. For instance in Marc 2: 5 Jesus says to the paralysed man: …..your sins are forgiven. While not every sickness is a result of sin, it is as vital to remove the spiritual causes of sickness as to remove the physical effects. What are these?
1. Sin is the general cause of sickness
There was no sickness in the world until sin entered. Adam was created healthy; and your body tries to make itself better the moment it is falling sick, because it was made to be healthy.
Sin brought sickness into the world, also death (Rom. 5:12). Some sicknesses are also inherited, and some moral sins carry scars to other generations, e.g. while normal marriage is approved by Christ on the basis of Adam and Eve (Matt.19: 4-6), divorce may result in more divorces in the next generations.
You need a word of knowledge (1Cor.12: 8) to know, however, the individual cause of sickness.
Through original disobedience Satan entered to bring sickness to man. He even attacked a godly man like Job (Job 2: 7), and he also attacks God’s people (Acts 10: 38). Hence, even Christians may have to resist spiritual attacks from without.
2. Personal sin can be the cause of personal sickness
We have to see this in Deut. 28 and in Marc 2: 5-11. This can even happen among a gathering of God’s people. Miriam, through jealousy and criticism towards Moses, contracted leprosy (Num.12). Hence, confession can be vital in such a case. James 5:14-16: Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church…..and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick…..and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him…..confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed…..
What are the sins leading to sickness?
Sins of the flesh - immorality, excessive drinking and smoking; these cause cancer in the lungs through smoking, and liver disease through drinking. The work of the Spirit is the answer here (Eph. 5:18).
Sins of the spirit - envy, greed, bitterness, hatred, jealousy ; these are attacked by the Lord Jesus (Matt. 5-7), before healing. Modern research has shown, that liver disease is caused by fear and worry, while bitterness and jealousy affect the gall bladder.
The person who is sick, therefore, is well advised to make open confession and restitution, before asking for a permanent healing.
Sinners can sometimes be healed, but a person with a guilty conscience has a problem in believing God (1Jhn.3: 21,22), and runs the risk of relapse.
3. Afflicting spirits can be the cause of sickness
The work of evil spirits (demons) can be the cause of sickness, but this needs careful discernment by the power of the Holy Ghost (1Cor.12). While not every sickness is the work of a demon, Christ dealt with spirits as well as healing: Matt. 8:16 - …..He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill. Other examples in the New Testament are:
Mark 9: 25 - a deaf and dumb spirit is mentioned;
Matt. 4: 23,24, 15: 21-28 - other spirits;
Luke 13:11 - a spirit of infirmity.
As Christians we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and led by God. This is why the Lord told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem before beginning their (healing) ministry (Acts 1: 8). This experience gives us the authority which Christ has - to know the cause of the sickness and the power to get rid of it: Luke 4:18-21 - The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because…..He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind….. See also: Jhn. 20: 21.
The early church had this same power after prayer: Acts 4: 30, 5:12-16, 6: 8, 8: 5-13.
When we are dealing with spiritual powers, we need spiritual equipment.
Healing by the power of evil spirits is also possible. That is why insistence must be made on Divine healing by the Lord Jesus alone. The devil even will remove some sickness at a spirit meeting, to be followed by some other sickness in another part of the body - and this “healing” is lost when the person becomes a Christian.
Seek the Lord Jesus Christ as your Healer, not man or spirit. You may otherwise head for trouble.
4. Physical conditions in your body may be the cause
In some cases we see other causes at work:
Deficiency of certain foods, e.g. vitamins. Even after raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, Christ told them immediately to give her food (Mc. 5: 43).
Over-eating or gluttony: Paul warns against this - …..whose god is their appetite….. (Phil. 3:19).
Inactivity, lack of exercise.
Lack of rest and recreation: Ex. 20: 8-11, Mc. 2: 27.
Careless exposure to weather and disease.
Wrong mental and emotional habits: Phil. 4: 6-9. Positive praying and thinking are vital to the enjoyment of well-being in body, mind and spirit (Prov. 23).
Old age: Jacob ( Gen. 48:1) and Elisha (2Kings 13:14); however, the spirit can help to overcome this.
Overwork: due to laziness of others, or zeal.
Geographical conditions: e.g. bad water (1Tim. 5: 23).
Travelling conditions: Trophimus (2Tim. 4: 20); it does not show here, that Paul has lost his power in God for healing - overwork and strain, even among men of God, demand a holiday(!) - not a sudden miracle; Paul continued doing miracles, even amongst heathens on Malta much later (Acts 28).
Deformities from birth: (Lev. 21: 20).
5. Social conditions within the Body of Christ
In the Body of Christ there is the ministry of the gifts of healing (1Cor.12: 9) which is often neglected. Therefore, much sickness has not been healed, although the power of God was and is available to meet the need. These gifts are coming back onto recognition now, and were not lost wholly to the church, among true believers (Jhn.14:12).
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Personal traits that we have: aggression / rebellion, hatred, moodiness, anger, resentment, bitterness, self-cursing, jealousy, compulsive behaviours (e.g. gambling, drugs, alcohol, smoking, pornography), depression, fears, mental confusion.
Joshua made a serious mistake by not waiting for the counsel of God. The book of Proverbs recommends seeking the counsel of wise and godly friends, but we should remember, that no one is infallible except God; so let Him have the last word!
In exceptional cases God guides through dreams, visions, angels, and the gifts of the Spirit. There are dangers in all of these areas, e.g. we know of a pastor who was prophesied out of his church by somebody who evidently had enough of him…..Satan can appear as an angel of light!
Dreams, visions and pictures can be generated by an overheated imagination. Check them all out by the Word and the inner witness.
To sum up: Wait on the Lord continually with unwavering faith in His precious promises, guard yourself against self-will, fleshly wisdom (either your own or someone else’s), and against being impatient. And then: once certain of the will of God, act on it and leave the consequences to Him. Let Him be your Guide!
Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide,
and run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
and, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.