As Christians, we also go through times of difficulty, be it economic, family, work, or sentimental, and on many occasions, they are things so strong that we come to wonder if there is any purpose for us to go through it in our lives, or if it is God who puts those circumstances.
However, it is important to know that, whatever your situation, God wants to glorify himself in you, so today we want to share with you what the bible says about sickness and healing.
What is the Disease?
Diseases are a consequence of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, God had created Adam and Eve in his image, according to his likeness, that includes that their bodies were healthy and long-lived, but when they disobeyed God, Death entered humanity, and with it the degradation of physical capacity and therefore diseases, as well as spiritual death.
For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God
Romans 3:23
In the same way, there is a large number of spiritual entities, called principalities, powers, hosts of evil, and demons, whose purpose is to induce the deterioration of the physical body and with it:
- disbelief
- The sadness,
- The pain,
- The suffering,
- And the brokenness of the human being,
Understanding that in this life our fight is not against flesh or blood as the Word expresses it.
Because we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this century, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly regions.
Ephesians 6:12
READ MORE:
- Short and powerful Prayers for healing and recovery
- 15 prayers for healing of sickness with scriptures.
- 5 Inspiring Healing Stories in the Bible
Why do Christians get sick?
Although it is true that by belonging to the People of God we access the most wonderful and powerful promises of radiant life, like the day that dawns in the morning and becomes increasingly bright, it is also true that Jesus himself said that :
“These things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have affliction; but trust, I have overcome the world”
John 16:33
As human beings, we want to accept only the good things that life in Christ entails, but when we are going through difficult times, it is when our Faith is truly strengthened and God is glorified with power in our lives.
It is very easy to praise God when things seem to be going well, but only God knows how we are in the depths of our being, and that particularly comes out in difficulties.
So, when we go through moments of:
- Illness,
- Danger,
- Nakedness,
- Economic difficulties,
- Death of relatives and loved ones,
- and tests,
We have to see them as an opportunity to stand firm in our faith and praise God knowing that He is the one who sustains us.
How to strengthen ourselves in difficult times?
If you feel that your faith faints, you must strengthen it by searching the Word of God and we guarantee that you will find, not only Words of Encouragement, but multiple examples of how God uses difficulties and illnesses to demonstrate his power.
In addition to this, healing, and salvation, we can receive in our flesh when we are sick, but the most important thing is when we receive them in our spirit, which is where God gives us life and eternal life.
Sometimes we want to cling to this life, but we must remember as the apostle Paul said:
This is why we never give up. Although our body is dying, our spirit is renewed every day.
Certainly, the physical being deteriorates as a result of the years, but the important thing is that our inner man, our spiritual being, be strengthened in faith in our God and savior, who has prepared an eternal abode for all of us who love him and we glorify his name.
Does God heal the sick?
Of course, God heals the sick. How can I know that? Not only because the Bible tells me so, but also because God has healed me – more than once. But I also know that I still have some afflictions that God has not healed. Therefore, it seems that God heals, but not always. We also find this in the Bible.
We know from Matthew 4:23 that “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and disease among the people.” In the law books, there are also the records that the apostles healed people in the name of Jesus (Acts 5: 12-16). In fact, the healing ministry was the standard practice of the early church.
We learn this from James “Is any one of you sick? Let him call the elders of the church; and pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord…Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective prayer of the righteous can do much” (James 5:14, 16). God can heal and we should not hesitate to pray for healing, both for ourselves and for our loved ones. In fact,
But we also see cases in the Scriptures where God did not heal. In 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul says, “Erastus stayed at Corinth, and Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.” We know that God used Paul to heal many including himself from a deadly bite by a poisonous viper (Acts 28:3-6).
Both Paul and Trophimus were dedicated servants of the Lord and would have had great faith in Him to heal; however, we are told Paul left Trophimus sick. Epaphroditus, a helper of Paul and a servant to the Philippians is also mentioned as someone who was sick to the point of death, although God forgave his sins (Philippians 2:25-30).
Then there is Timothy. He was a man of great faith and a fellow servant of God; however, we read Paul saying to him: You no longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” Paul himself speaks of “a thorn in the flesh” that he had to endure (2 Corinthians 12:7). He prayed to be delivered from her, but God’s response was, “My grace is sufficient for you because my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:8).
Sickness is the result of being in a cursed world and in a mortal body. While the devil wants to destroy us using sickness and suffering, God uses it to shape, challenge us, and focus our hope on eternity (James 1:2-4, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
Regardless of what God decides to do, we can trust that his way and will are for the best. We cannot send God to heal, but we can ask him. In this world, we will have affliction, but we need not fear because He has overcome this world. God uses all things to work for our good, and so does sickness and, yes, even death. As Paul said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). A sickness of the day will not be a problem anymore, but until we are with Jesus, let us pray for healing and the grace to endure all things.
