Does
God Heal Today?
Many
Christians are suffering physically
while
praying and hoping that God may
prescribe healing. Many sincere
believers feel that they lack sufficient
knowledge on this very important
subject. In what way does the
Bible prescribe healing for Christians
in our time?
The
Bible is not vague on this very
important subject. God's will on
healing is seen in numerous ways.
-
God heals by sustaining health - (Deut.
8:4) This is a present
reality for many of us.
-
The Bible emphasizes eating habits
that are nutritional (Exodus
15:26;
Leviticus 11). For most of
us, our eating habit is what is
killing us.
-
The Bible encourages a healthful
life-style... such as consistent
exercise and avoiding circumstance
that lead to un-natural stress
levels (Lev.
12 -
14). Sometimes, it is not
what we eat that hurts... it is what
is eating us.
-
We
find that God provides healing
through medicinal means (James
5:14).
-
God also heals by forgiving and
cleansing of disease that is caused
by sin (Numbers
12:13).
-
God may instigate healing through
the prayer of faith (James
5:15).
When
we rightly divide the word of truth...
we clearly learn that God does provide
healing both miraculously (if He so
chooses) and/or medicinally as noted
by the references above. So
what should a Believer do who is in need
of healing? It is a matter of
biblical record and therefore should be
understood that God does not always
choose to heal.
When a
believer becomes physically diseased or
disabled they should first seek to know
the cause of their illness. It
could be that a believer is sick do to
sinful habits and therefore should seek
the prospect of
healing according to James 5:14,15.
Or possibly, one may be physically
hindered according to the will and
purpose of God (2
Samuel 4:4;
2 Corinthians 12:7,10).
Very important: The prayer of
faith as noted by the apostle James is a
prayer of faith that has been cultivated
and nurtured by the teaching influence
of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John
16:13).
Remember, it is the lack of knowledge
that destroys God's people (Hosea
4:6).
The prayer of faith in which James
speaks of is an exercise of spiritual
discernment that remains steadfast in
God's purpose irregardless of the
outcome. The prayer of
faith does not presume upon God to heal.
It is a prayer that acknowledges that
God will be faithful no matter what He
chooses... thus, the prayer of
faith accepts the fact that God may
choose to use one's illness to lead them
through the valley of the shadow of
death (Psalm
23:4) or as a
means of using a believer to expose
man's weakness and God's strength. (2
Corinthians 12:7,10).
In
conclusion: the prayer of faith...
Dear Go
d... not my will, but thine be
done. Amen.
Sincerely, Dr. Arthur Belanger
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