If we are ever to truly and effectively lay “….aside the old self with its evil practices, and …put on the new self…” (Colossians 3:9, 10), we must identify as clearly as we can by the Holy Spirit’s help what the old self looks like and operates like especially within our families and what the new self is that must replace the old self.

As I write this last post on healing (at least for now), I want to say that I apparently do not have the gift of healing, and I have not...

Jesus wants to continue to heal the sick and cast out demons and do other miracles as necessary among all the nations. But for Him to use us we must stay simple and childlike in our faith and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Being used by God can be a dangerous snare of Satan because it so easily causes one to think we are doing fine spiritually. But in fact we may need a major clean up on the inside.

esus has always cared for the sick and diseased and injured. Jesus has always intended for His church to be His instrument to heal such people through. He has not changed. But we His people/His body has ebbed and flowed throughout the centuries.

"... my experience with most if not all theological systems, is there are exceptions, and we should not ignore them. Our fleshly carnal nature loves formulas, and we have a tendency to put our hope and trust in systems instead of in our Savior."

Is He not today looking for laborers or workers who will follow His three fold pattern of ministry? Is He not today looking for those whose hearts are filled with His compassion for the misery that sickness and disease brings to people and families?

"...one of the reasons so many of us do not see healing in Jesus’s ministry as we should is because we do not see Him as we should. Many believers erroneously believe that the reason Jesus healed people is because He was God and because He wanted to prove He was God, or He wanted to authenticate His claims to deity. Some actually teach that this was His main reason for healing the sick."

There are many reasons why in general in the church in the West we do not see the call to contrition, brokenness, humility and poverty of spirit like we should. One of those reasons is because sin is so deceitful. The writer of Hebrews says we can be “ hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13).

God wants us all of us to be able to say with utter sincerity, “…The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21 He wants us to get to the place where we realize Jesus Himself and His kingdom rule and presence in our lives is far more precious and valuable than any assortment of material riches and wealth.

Every animal, person, commodity, speck of gold, silver, etc., on the planet belongs to God. He does with it what He wills. There is no lack or shortage with God. He knows of resources that no one else knows. And He knows how to get them where they need to be.

God expects and has made provision for us to see every person in our world the way He does. Objectifying and assessing the opposite sex or the same sex according to their looks, build, etc., much less violating/engaging sexually with them is no longer an option for a believer in Christ.

Every good thing God has planned and intended for humanity on this earth is dependent to some degree upon the institution or relationship of marriage between a man and a woman functioning on all cylinders. No wonder Satan and his demons have gone after it with all of their diabolical fury.

In one sense all of our sicknesses and diseases are a result of the fall of man and entrance of sin into the world. But there are times where specific sicknesses and/or diseases are a result of specific sins.

I find it interesting that in Ezekiel 34:1-4 his rebuke starts off in non specific prophetic kind of language, but then in vs. 4 he gets very specific. And the first two specific things mentioned have to do with sickness, “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased (literally “sick”) you have not healed…”

Isaiah 53 actually abounds in hope for those battered and bruised by sin and by sickness. Believers throughout the centuries have come to it time and time again for solace and assurance that as messed up and beaten up and diseased as we sometimes are (and most of us are more messed up than we realize), His provision for us on the cross is more than enough.

" Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.” Prov. 3:8 God is very much into our physical health. And He has designed us so that the more we pursue spiritual health or godliness, the more we will experience physical health and well being (cf. III John 2).

The problem the Holy Spirit seemed to be speaking to me about early Thursday morning was that of a widespread sense of disqualification in the body of Christ when it comes to being used by Him to heal the sick, much less raise the dead. And that’s why James 5 is so important because James knew this was an issue and he thus made sure we all know that “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,…” (vs. 17).

I fully embrace all the New Testament teaching about the value of suffering to make us more like Christ. I do not believe God has sickness in mind when He speaks of suffering in the Bible.

Doctors diagnose, treat and manage sicknesses and diseases and injuries as best they can. God heals them. Only God can and does cause the natural course of things to reverse. Only God stops the inevitable.