Wisdom in making medical decisions for our bodies

There are countless medical resources, opinions and advice available today, making it confusing to know whom to trust and follow. Thankfully, as followers of Jesus Christ, we always have the Word of God to guide us. When we diligently listen to His voice and follow His commands, we can avoid disease. For this, we need to be sober-minded and be careful not be intoxicated or swept up by what the world says, but soberly examine God’s Word before making any medical decisions.

(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 为身体作出智慧的医疗决定 | 繁體中文 > 為身體作出智慧的醫療決定)

 

Exodus 15:26 ESV  …”If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

1 Peter 1:13 ESV  Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Medical doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are some of the most trusted professions today. Yet, as followers of Jesus Christ, it would be idolatrous for us to only listen to the voices of this world when it comes to our bodies, rather than to God’s voice, because our bodies belong to Him, not to us nor to anyone else.

John 10:25-27 ESV  Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

God wants us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, set apart, and kept holy and acceptable to Him, as part of our worship.

Romans 12:1 ESV  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

As Rachel testifies, “I recently had a headache all day until evening. As I was praying for the headache to leave, I was reminded to take communion. After I did, the headache instantly left. I believe the headache was a spiritual attack. This taught me that even for minor aches, I should go to God first for healing. I’ve still yet to learn more about the spiritual significance of communion – but I followed what the Holy Spirit told me to do and received His healing.”

God created our bodies to work well

God prepared all that we physically need to prosper as a healthy human race. He even called everything He created, including the human body, very good. God also told us not to be anxious about our bodies because He designed the human anatomy and physiology to work seamlessly and resist diseases and infection effectively.

Genesis 1:31 ESV  And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good…

Luke 12:22 ESV  And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life… nor about your body….

We have a sophisticated immune system that comprises a “complex of cells, cellular processes, and substances within and diffused throughout an organism which allow the organism to counteract or destroy noxious foreign substances introduced into the body, destroy infectious agents such as bacteria and viruses, destroy malignant cells, and remove cellular debris, thus protecting the organism against many of the potentially harmful external agents and internal events that could lead to sickness or death. The system has numerous interacting components, including circulating antibodies, antibody-producing cells, white blood cells and lymphokines, lymph tissue and lymph nodes, and stem cells which may differentiate into other types of cell, together with the thymus and spleen.” (Source: Wordnik)

How we compromise our own immune systems

There are things we can do, however, that will suppress, overwhelm, and even damage our immune systems.

Some examples include poor hydration or nutrition; consuming too much sugar, alcohol or caffeine; the regular use of prescription drugs, recreational drugs, antibiotics, or steroids; not getting enough exercise or sunlight; smoking; as well as not getting proper sleep. The intake of too much sugar, for example, can reduce our immune system’s capacity to fight germs by as much as 40%. A study found that those who sleep four hours or less a day produce only half the antibodies to fight colds than those who sleep eight or more hours a day.

Our emotions also play a part in keeping our immune system in good shape. Fear, anxiety, stress, and grief will hamper our immune systems.

Proverbs 17:22 ESV  A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Moreover, God’s Word tells us repeatedly that sin and iniquity* can bypass our immune systems and result in disease.

Psalm 41:4 ESV  As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”

Psalm 38:3-4 ESV  There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

Psalm 107:17 ESV  Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;

* Sin is the act of falling short of God’s standards, where we either do wrong or neglect to do good. Iniquity is the act of twisting the truth, living with a warped attitude, and premeditating to continue sinning without repentance.

Here are just a few examples.

1. Taking Communion flippantly

In God’s eyes, Communion is a time to soberly remember and honour His Son who died to pay the penalty for our sins. Before we take Communion, therefore, we need to first confess our sins and forgive others for their sins against us, so we do not dishonour Jesus’s sacrifice for us. If we take Communion without first examining ourselves this way, we sin against God and bring judgment upon our bodies. The Bible soberly states that this is why “many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.”

Mark 11:25 ESV  And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

1 Corinthians 11:26-30 NLT  For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

2. Unforgiveness

Besides anxiety or grief, emotions such as bitterness such as resentment, indignation, and anger are toxic to our bodies. The Bible calls bitterness “poisonous” outright. All these types of toxic emotions cause chemical reactions in our bodies that will wear down our immune systems. These are slowly reversed as we release these emotional burdens to God and forgive those who have hurt us. By doing so, we don’t continue to poison ourselves and overwhelm our immune systems.

Hebrews 12:15 NLT  Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Acts 8:23 BSB  For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and captive to iniquity.”

Colossians 3:13 NIV  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

3. Self-rejection or self-hatred

Self-hatred is a form of murder towards ourselves. We reject God’s sovereignty and will for our lives, instead of asking Him to renew us into the image of Jesus Christ. This can jeopardise our health and perhaps even our eternities. Instead, we should nourish and cherish our bodies, just as Christ nourishes and cherishes us, the church.

1 John 3:15 ESV  Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Ephesians 5:29 ESV  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,

4. Deadly self-talk

The words we speak over our own bodies can lead to life-giving or to deadly consequences. Kind and gracious words towards ourselves are healthy for our bodies, trash-talking ourselves is not.

Proverbs 18:21 ESV  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 16:24 NLT  Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

5. Idol worship and sexual immorality

There are other ways we can sin against our own bodies or invite sickness into our lives. That is through idol worship and sexual immorality.

Exodus 23:24-26 NLT  You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.  “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.

1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV  Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Before we seek medical treatment for any disease or affliction, it would be wise that we first deal with any unresolved sins in our lives and repent before God. We may find that our bodies begin to heal and there will not even be a need to consult any doctor at the end. (Please watch the testimony at the end of this post to see how this works.)

A crucial understanding of true healing

God is the most powerful Physician. No human doctor or healer can compare to Him. We witness this through the example of the woman in Mark 5 with the issue of bleeding, whom Jesus had healed. “She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better.” She only received genuine healing after she sought Jesus.

Exodus 15:26 ESV  … I am the Lord, your healer.”

Mark 5:25-29 NLT  A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

Because we live in a world that exults advances in science and medicine, it can be hard for believers to even entertain the idea that our physical afflictions, sicknesses, aches, and pains can be due to unconfessed sin in our bodies.

We have been conditioned to believe that we can fix almost any bodily malfunction with various drugs and treatments. Like the woman with the blood issue, we seek the wisdom of medical doctors and put our faith in their cures, regardless of the cost. Yet any medical professional will admit that most medical treatments don’t actually heal us. What they do is to help us cope with the symptoms better as our bodies do most of the healing work.

All this is not to discount all the hard work and dedication of our doctors, nurses, researchers and medical staff around the world. Many have made unimaginable personal sacrifices on behalf of others. They need to be supported, encouraged, and loved. Rather, a recognition of what God’s Word says about healing calls for a deeper look at the medical beliefs and practices of today.

God did not create a sick world. Disease came as a result of God’s judgment against sin and iniquity. Jesus often told those whom He healed to “sin no more.” He even also warned a man that something medically worse might happen to him if he didn’t stop sinning.

Jeremiah 30:12-14 ESV  “For thus says the Lord: Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous. There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you. All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the punishment of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant.

John 5:13-14 ESV  Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Nowhere is the connection between sickness and rebellion against God more explicit than in Deuteronomy 28, which details its health consequences. These include:

• confusion (neurologic disorders)
• frustration (mood disorders)
• pestilence (contagious or infectious epidemic diseases)
• wasting diseases (muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular diseases)
• fevers (common in bacterial and viral infections)
• inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune disorders etc.)
• fiery heat (heat cramps, heatstroke, hyperthyroidism etc.)
• boils (acne, cystic acne, abscesses, herpes etc.)
• tumors (cancers; carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas, leukemias etc.)
• scabs (wounds from viral skin infections such as cold sores, chickenpox, shingles etc.)
• itch (allergic reactions, skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, scabies, and parasites, liver disease, kidney disease, anemia, diabetes, thyroid problems, multiple myeloma or lymphoma, multiple sclerosis, pinched nerves and shingles etc.)
• blindness (eye disorders such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy etc.)
• confusion of mind (dementia, delirium, Alzheimer’s disease etc.)

Deuteronomy 28:15,20-22,27-28,35 ESV  “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, The Lord will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.

All of us have suffered from the common cold at some point in time, this is the result of living in a fallen world. Yet there are other severe and lasting diseases that “cling to us,” like some of the examples listed above, which make us feel unbearably miserable and sick.

Deuteronomy 28:58-60 ESV  “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you.

In our quest for healing, Proverbs 3 tells us that we are not to be wise in our own eyes but to fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This will bring healing to our bodies and refreshment to our bones. Our bones contain the bone marrow that produces the red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells that are crucial for strong immunity. When we turn away from evil and turn to God, He will also ensure that our immunities are refreshed and improved.

Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

The foundations of our medical beliefs and systems

If receiving God’s healing is so straightforward, then how did our current medical system become so sophisticated and entrenched? For the answer, we need to look back in history.

The earliest available records of medical studies and procedures, estimated to be written between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C., come from the ancient Egyptians. At the time, Egypt was widely known for its advanced medical practices. Many people from other nations flocked to Egypt to seek healing and medical help.

The Egyptians are credited with establishing the foundations for modern surgery, dentistry, optometry, birth control, homeopathy, and instituting the medical profession. Often, they mixed natural healing methods with occultism and sorcery.

For example, the ancient Egyptians believed that the human spirit was made up of five parts (Ib, Sheut, Ren, Ba, and Ka) and that the body had 46 channels that need to remain unblocked in order for a person to remain healthy.

They also believed in the existence of thousands of gods. For example, they believed a god of the source of the Nile created each man out of clay on his potter’s wheel, and that goddesses of fertility and childbirth gave people life by breathing the energy “Ka” into them. For good health, this Ka had to be kept in balance with Ba, two vital energy forces inside the body.

They also thought that “gods, demons, and spirits played a key role in causing diseases… They believed that the gods created and controlled life. … Priests and doctors were often one and the same. Many healers were priests of an Egyptian warrior goddess and the goddess of healing, curses, and threats. As well as science, treatment involved the use of magic, incantations, amulets, aromas, offerings, tattoos, and statues,” according to this article featured in Medical News Today, “What was ancient Egyptian medicine like?”

To the Egyptians, healing, idolatry, and sorcery were tightly connected. Every priest-healer was also a follower of the god of moon, magic, and writing, whom they would call on to help them find the root cause of illnesses by connecting them with the spirits.

In ancient Egypt, healers amongst the most respected members of society. Yet none of them followed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God laid down His statutes which strictly forbade such practices, including making cuts on the body, mummification, tattooing, birth control, and so forth. In fact, God specifically told His people, the Israelites, not to follow the ways of the Egyptians as this would make them spiritually unclean.

Leviticus 19:28 NLT  “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the LORD.

Numbers 19:11 NIV  “Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days.

Leviticus 18:3-4 ESV  You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God.

Sorcery continues in healing practices today

If any of the ancient Egyptian ideas about channels in the body, energy flow, and calling on spirits for healing purposes seem familiar, it is because they have been passed down and adapted through the centuries, continuing in the likes of new-age techniques, reiki healing, the flow of qi, the balance in yin and yang, traditional Chinese medicine, shamanism, faith healing, and so forth.

Even in the New Testament, God’s Word warns against mixing elements of sorcery with our quest for healing. The original Greek text for the word “sorcery” in Galatians 5:19 and Revelation 18:23 is actually φαρμακεία or “pharmakeia” in English (see Bible concordance) which encompasses:

• the use or the administering of drugs
• poisoning
• sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it
• metaphorically, the deceptions and seductions of idolatry

Galatians 5:18-21 ESV   But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, [pharmakeia] enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Revelation 18:21,23 ESV  Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more… and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. [pharmakeia]

Sorcery is not just about magic potions, spells, hexes, incantations, and supernatural power. Behind it is a spirit of control and manipulation. It targets the desires and fears of our hearts that we have not submitted to God and lures us away from our true Saviour, by using (misleading) promises of healing, deliverance, and control over our bodies.

Yet we need to keep in mind that our bodies do not belong to us. Jesus purchased our bodies with His own blood for the Holy Spirit to dwell in. We should certainly seek the rightful Owner of our bodies first before we do anything to it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

We cannot hope to consume drugs, inject different chemicals into our bodies, dissect our bodies, channel our “energy flow”, and “hack” our bodies’ DNA in order to manipulate our organs and biological condition, without grieving and angering God.

All this may be hard to accept given that we have been taught to place our unquestioning faith in pharmakeia since we were young. But the Bible also warns us that the god of this world, Satan, has “blinded the minds” of many so we are unable to see the simple truth: that God is our ultimate Healer. Moreover, Revelation 18:23 plainly states that “all nations were deceived by your sorcery [pharmakeia].”

2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT  Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Most believers aren’t easily deceived by things that are overtly wrong. This is why Satan uses things that look good and right to us in order to trap many. The devil will even disguise himself as an angel of light, with the pretext of bringing hope and salvation, when his only intention is to kill, steal from, and destroy God’s children.

2 Corinthians 11:14 ESV  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

John 10:10 ESV  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…

This is not to say that our surgeons, doctors, nurses and medical staff are Satanists. Rather, it is to point out that we live in world system that indoctrinates many into thinking that we can be the masters of our bodies and wellbeing – apart from God – and tempts us to resolve our own issues through manmade means. This indoctrination is so prevalent that anyone who thinks otherwise will often meet swift opposition and even condemnation, even from within our own communities.

Also, see Witchcraft is mainstream and dangerous.

Recognising pharmakeia

Not every medical treatment is based on sorcery. For example, the prophet Isaiah used a cake of figs to treat a boil of Hezekiah. Miriam was healed after Moses pleaded to God on her behalf and she went to live outside the Israelite camp for seven days. Many people were healed when Jesus interceded for them. The Bible also shows us that leaves can be used as medicine for healing.

Isaiah 38:21 ESV  Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.”

Numbers 12:13 ESV  And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.”

Revelation 22:1-2 NLT  Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

But there are treatments that are interlinked with pharmakeia. These can be identified by some characteristics:

1. Defilement of the temple of the Holy Spirit – Chemicals that defile our body and blood. | 2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
2. Fear – Actions that are driven by fear (of suffering, pain, and death). | 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
3. Enslavement – Treatments that are enslaving, rather than healing. We keep having to go back for more of the same, or for other treatments to reduce their unhealthy side effects. | Romans 8:15 ESV For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
4. Poison – Drugs that can lead to deadly side effects, often covered by disclaimers. | Ephesians 5:29 ESV For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
5. Egyptian – Practices and beliefs that are akin to those of the ancient Egyptians. | Ezekiel 20:7 ESV And I said to them, ‘Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.’
6. Under a spell – Medications that numb our senses as if we have been intoxicated or put under a spell. | 2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe…

Opioids (painkillers), a leading source of death in America as a result of overdose, would be one such example.

Moreover, there are medications that have been researched, tested, and produced with the use of aborted fetal cells. We cannot hope to administer such drugs to our bodies without grieving God.

Unfortunately, many of us seldom spend the time needed in gathering factual information about the treatments we have been prescribed or about other more natural leaf-based options that help rebalance our natural immunity, rather than block or bypass it completely.

Also, see Recognising the spiritual significance of blood.

Encouragements to God’s people

In the book of Revelation, God’s Word warns of a time where the sins of an idolatrous world empire (figuratively named Babylon) are “heaped high as heaven” that God can no longer overlook her iniquities. This empire has become a dwelling place for demons and various plagues. God calls His people to “come out” of this empire so that we do not unwittingly take part in its sins.

Revelation 18:1-2,4-5 ESV  After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast… Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Even before the COVID-19 plague, the global pharmaceuticals industry was estimated to be worth over USD1.316trillion in 2020, rivalling the 14 largest country in the world by GDP. It would certainly be worth much more now and would count as one of the world’s largest empires. As citizens of heaven, Jesus’ followers are not to be enslaved to the (commercial) empires of this world, especially one that profits from pharmakeia and millions of abortions each year. The estimated 42million abortions around the world in 2020, for example, far exceeded the number of people who lost their lives to cancer (8.2million) and coronavirus (1.8million). See source.

1 Corinthians 7:23 NLT  God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.

Philippians 3:20 NLT  But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

As long as we take care of our bodies (with healthy doses of clean unprocessed food, water, sunlight, and sleep), revere God, and repent of our sins, we should be “as healthy in body as we are strong in spirit.”

3 John 1:2 NLT  Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.

For those of us who are currently suffering from diseases, let us remember Jesus’ words:

• “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6)
• “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14)
• “I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.” (Luke 13:5)
• “… Your faith has made you well.” (Matthew 9:22)
• “…All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

Not all sicknesses are the direct result of our own or others’ sin. Some can be a consequence of things such as accidents, insufficient sleep when tending to the sick, or exposure to pollution, for example. But when we are plagued by anguishing sicknesses that seem to “cling to us”, we may need to pause and ask God if He is disciplining us for any unconfessed sin so as to rescue us from eternal separation from Him (eternal death). God is faithful and will deliver us when we humble ourselves and repent.

Isaiah 38:15-17 NLT  But what could I say? For he himself sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt. Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins.

James 5:14-16 provides some guidance with regards to how this is done. We are called to:

• Call on believers who are in a right relationship with God
• Confess our sins to them
• Repent before God
• Ask them to pray for healing for us in the name of Jesus

James 5:14-16 ESV  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

To witness how this works, please watch the following testimony about receiving God’s healing of ulcerative colitis through repentance and inner healing.

When we “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,” we can be assured that “God will forgive all our sins and heals all our diseases. He will redeem us from death and crown us with love and tender mercies. He will fill our lives with good things. Our youth will be renewed like the eagle’s!”

Psalm 103:1-5 ESV  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Also, see A prayer for healing over ourselves.

 

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