"He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 1 Peter 2:22-25 ESV
If Jesus only saved your soul through his agonizing death on the cross but not also provide for the physical healing of your body, then what was the point of his physical wounds? "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth." Isaiah 53:4-7 ESV [Emphasis mine] In verse 4, the Hebrew words for "griefs" and "sorrows" mean "sicknesses" and "pains:"
“And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’”
Matthew 8:14-17 ESV
Like Peter’s mother-in-law, how can you obey the commandment to love God with all your strength, when sickness prevents you from doing so? c.f. Mark 12:30f. Could it be that God doesn't want you to be harassed by a demonic spirit of infirmity, but (in the midst of your pain) to praise, thank, and trust Him for healing, deliverance, and whatever else He wants to do through your situation however He wants to do it?
Yes, he may permit sickness from a demonic source to overtake and afflict you, but is not His real will and desire concerned with how you then respond to your enemy's attack?
Will you respond with faith (unwavering trust in Jesus and His promises) or with fear (anxiety and sinful self-preservation)?
c.f. James 1:2-8; 1 John 4:18.
Sometimes, if you have not listened to His voice and rebelled against Him, sickness has an invitation to enter you. God's will is your repentance and subsequent healing and deliverance to His glory, since healing and deliverance is His provision.
c.f. Psalm 107:17-22; Deuteronomy 28; Exodus 15:26.
If the sickness trespassed on Kingdom of God property and attacked you through no disobedience on your part (as some think was true in Job's case), will you still praise God, entrust yourself to Him, and be filled with faith, hope, love, and the Holy Spirit?
c.f. Job 1-2; Rom. 5:1-5; 15:13; Eph. 5:18-21.
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 ESV
Will you give no place to anxiety, depression, complaining, or doubt concerning God's Word, power, and goodness? If you have attitudes of anxiety, complaining, or depression about your sickness, is God glorified (honored) by that?
Are not those attitudes an indication of thinking demonically rather than in light of the truth of the gospel?
c.f. Matthew 16:23; Colossians 2:6-15; Psalm 103:2-5; Matthew 7:7-11.
For are not anxiety, complaining, and depression indicators of unbelief in God--a denial and void of His power and goodness?
Are not anxiety, complaining, and attitudes of depression or hopelessness the exaltation of (or surrender to) the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy?
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:10-11 ESV. c.f. Psalm 23. My sophomore year of technical college (2010) I failed to pass some classes. Later, during my sophomore fall semester (2015) at USD, despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to finish a paper as I struggled with negative thoughts of failure, hopelessness, lack of clarity, confusion, and de-motivation in regards to the project. Amidst such a sense of futility and purposelessness, I almost decided to drop out of college entirely.
During the spring semester, by God's grace, I learned from experience and the Word of God that attitudes of failure, depression, confusion, etc. come from evil spirits and are not God's will for my life. I learned that He wants us to succeed and to exercise authority over these evil spirits for His glory, since Jesus finished the work of defeating these evil spirits for us through his death on the cross.
Therefore, I can bow before God and praise Him for his victory, healing, and deliverance whenever I face a difficult task/situation--or when feeling confused, stuck, sick, oppressed, in pain, etc. Even before I see results, I can praise Him for who He is, confident in His love, fully confident that he is working out my amazing destiny through this situation. Then I can do the task He has set before me by His power when he fills me with Himself. C.f. Ephesian 5:18-21.
Last year as I studied in Nagasaki (fall, 2016), I had an attitude of complaining when I thought about writing final reports for my business courses. By God's grace, the Holy Spirit told me Philippians 2:14-15, that grumbling and complaining in my soul kept me from living out my identity as a child of God. By obeying God's commandment to not grumble and complain, but with thanksgiving to present my requests to God, I began to renew my mind with truth. c.f. Romans 12:2; John 8:31-32.
"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." Philippians 2:14-16 ESV "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7 ESV
Knowing that God is for me--that he wants me to succeed and to prosper--I now better know my God and know who I am in Him. c.f. Daniel 11:32; 3 John 2; Romans 8:31ff.
Now I know that through Jesus Christ He gave me authority over evil spirits responsible for confusion, depression, etc., and that His love is enough to empower me to succeed in all my tasks with which He has entrusted me.
c.f. Isaiah 61:3; Luke 10:19-20; Joshua 1:1-9; Matthew 10:1, 8.
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