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Physical And Spiritual Causes Of Sickness
In our last lesson we saw:
God's will is health and He does not mean for sickness to be our normal state. Doctors can fail where a patient does not seek the Lord and have prophetic input. Any known sin should be confessed before healing prayer. (James 5:15-16)
Daily reading and accepting of god's word leads to life. We understand God's health plan from His Word. His prophetic words are a way to life. The Lord Jesus affirmed this principle of the importance of the anointed Word of God. Obedience to God's word brings physical health and God makes several promises to those who obey the Word. (Prov.4:22) Against this background, it is vital for the prophet to read the Scriptures daily under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
God's word has a "law of health" that is not to be ignored. We reap what we sow. Sow to the Spirit. The prophet is known by his fruits. God wants us to partake His eternal nature through the Word. (2 Pet 1:3-4) The Lord who made our Body, has given us an instruction Book! Some Laws are especially critical today: Rest one day in seven; cleanliness of linen & clothes; healthy diet (set out in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14); positive thinking cuts worry & bitterness (Prov 23:7)
Remember that divine health just as important as healing. It is better to not be sick than to keep on being healed. We must remember that genuine healing can be lost by disobedience or folly. (Jn 5:14)
Why is Prophecy So Important?
Accurate diagnosis for the cause of illness is vital for the right cure. God deals not so much with symptoms, as with root causes, when He heals. This can only adequately be done by the Word OF Knowledge or wisdom.
We see an example of this in the healing of the paralyzed man in Mark chapter 2:
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. (KJV)
Not every sickness is a result of sin, but the Spirit will reveal when it is! It is just as vital to remove the spiritual causes of the sickness, as to remove the physical effects. Only the anointing of God can do this!
What are the causes of sickness revealed by the Spirit in the Word Of God?
There was no sickness in the world until sin entered. Adam was created healthy. Sin brought sickness and death to the world (Romans 5:12).
Some sicknesses also are inherited and some moral sins carry scars to other generations. Prophecy is needed to accurately discern past causes of present illnesses. Immorality for instance, can bring blindness - but not every blind person is immoral!
John 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" (KJV)
Jesus immediately knew by the Word Of knowledge that immorality was not the cause of the disease; and he looked forward prophetically to seeing it healed!
You need a word of knowledge to know the individual causes of sickness, or you can create a needless problem of GUILT!
Through original disobedience, Satan entered to bring sickness to man, and even attacked a godly man like Job - but Job himself lacked the spiritual insight to see this and thought it was God making him sick! (Job 2:7) The prophet needs discernment of spirits to see the real cause of such supernatural attack! Once this knowledge is given, then Christians and godly people should resist such attacks from without.
We have already seen this from Deuteronomy chapter 28 and Mark 2:5. This prophetic must be based on definite knowledge by the Spirit, and cannot afford to be wrong!
Mark 2:10-12 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.(KJV)
Prophetic healing is much more of a challenge than to preach "Your sins are forgiven" because something has to be obviously seen to happen! Jesus implies this in His question "Which is easier?"
This can happen even in a gathering of God's people.
A prophetess like Miriam, through jealousy and criticism of Moses, contracted leprosy (Numbers 12:1-14). Moses had ultimate prophetic intimacy with God and the grace to pray for those that opposed him! (I have personally been faced with this choice, when Holy Ghost Ministers called the Charismatic renewal a "Work of the Devil" and was delighted to see God heal one of my opponents by His Grace!) When the Holy Ghost puts His finger thus on sin, confession is vital in such a case.
James 5:14, 16 Is any sick among you? 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: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (KJV)
Prophetic intercessors should never give up, until they have not only had the vision, but prayed through to healing!!
"So," you ask, "What are the main sins, which the Holy Ghost shows, that may lead to sickness?"
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (KJV)
David Wilkerson for instance, found relief for 80% of drug addicts through the baptism and of The spirit and use of tongues.
Matt 5:2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (KJV)
Matt 5:39-45 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
The Lord Jesus attacks GREED in Matt 6:20-21, and again in Matt 7:10-23.
Modern research has shown liver disease caused by fear and worry, while bitterness and jealousy affect the gall bladder.
1 John 3:21-22 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (KJV)
The work of evil spirits (demons) can be the cause of sickness. This needs very accurate and careful discernment by the power of the Holy Ghost. Be aware that not every sickness is a result of a demon. Christ dwelt with spirits as well as separately with physical healing (Matt 8:16). To label all sickness as demonic is only harmful and is also a denial of the need of the prophetic gift of Discernment Of Spirits.
We must make a careful distinction between the two causes, spiritual and natural rather than putting all sickness under one label.
There are certainly examples of demonic activity discerned by Christ, such' as the "deaf and dumb spirit" ( Mark 9:25 ) When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." We must however contrast this with a person born with a condition; (John 9:2-3).
The prophet should wait for a supernatural manifestation from the demon and then act with authority (Matt 4:23). We should not look for demons everywhere!
In the original Greek Bible, different GREEK WORDS ARE USED:
Luke 13:11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. (KJV)
How many problems are caused by lack of prophetic insight, trying to "cast out a demon" from within a person, when they are not demonized!
Somebody will object .. "Is healing by the power of evil spirits really POSSIBLE?" Yes, it is. That is why we do not insist on "faith healing", but on "Divine Prophetic Healing" by the Lord Jesus. Here are three things you need to know about this:
Deficiency of certain foods and vitamins can be shown by the Spirit. Even after raising Jairus daughter from the dead, Christ told them to give her food (Mark 5:43).
On the other hand, Paul warns against OVEREATING OR GLUTTONY (Phil 3:19).
Inactivity or lack of exercise may bring depression, and the prophet may be shown the need for aerobics! (1 Tim 4:8)
God has frequently shown me a lack of rest and recreation in the lives some prophets! (Exodus 20:9-10) Paul had to pray for Epaphroditus (Phil 2) along this line. Even spiritual people need to be warned about careless exposure to weather or disease and wrong mental or emotional habits (Phil 4:6-9).
Positive praying and thinking are vital to enjoyment of well being in body, mind and spirit (Prov 23:4-23).
Even prophets must allow for old age (2 Kings 13:14-21) although they can be so full of Holy Spirit power that their very corpses can raise others!
Prophets, ministers and God's servants also need to be sensible about geographical conditions (cf. bad water)
1 Tim 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. (KJV)
We have found in world travel that adequate planning of rest periods is essential, to avoid some problems - though my wife and I have had a ten year miracle of deliverance from jet lag! (cf. Trophimus 2 Tim 4:20 ) This does not show the apostle had lost power in God to heal, but that over work and strain demands a holiday as the only answer, even among men of God! Actually Paul continued to do great miracles and even had half the island of Malta healed (Acts 28:7-9).
To exercise a healing ministry, we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and led by God. That is why the Lord told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem before beginning their ministry of healing (Acts 1:8).
While with them, He was their "director" in this healing ministry. When He went away, He promised another "director" - the Holy Ghost:
John 16:13 When, however, the Spirit comes, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come.(TEV)
The Lord has sometimes shown me NOT to heal, or to delay healing (as in the case of Lazarus in John chapter 11) because he had other plans. (Obviously the death of Lazarus and his miracle rising after four days, was timed to give the disciples faith for the raising of Christ when He died and was buried the following week!)
The prophetic experience of the Holy Ghost gives us the authority of Christ to know the cause of each sickness and the time to get rid of it.
Jesus applied this to Himself at Nazareth but His power was limited by their unbelief (Luke 4:18-21). He only acted at Cana, when he knew the time was ripe (John 2:4). Similarly Paul did not immediately bring deliverance to the demonic at Philippi (Acts 16:16-18).
The early church found that seasons of prayer were needed to maintain this power and prophetic intercession must accompany insights by the prophet.
Acts 4:23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, "Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is..."
Acts 4:30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
Acts 5:12-16 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonder wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. (KJV)
We are dealing with spirit powers. We need spiritual equipment and ongoing prayer!
Teamwork
Finally, social conditions within the body of Christ are vital as prophets should move as part of a team.
The importance of recognizing the body of Christ has already been seen in dealing with the Eucharist, but in addition to this, there is the ministry of the gifts of healing which can best be done by a team. in Ireland I would give prophetic teaching. My friend Ernie would have oil appear on his hand through a Gift Of Healing. My other friend Bill Turner, would then show by Word Of Knowledge why a person was **not** healed on any occasion. The Lord Jesus got the pre-eminence and folk got miracles - including two dying people, raised in a hospital situation by the prayers of the team! That caused one doctor to comment "You have a mighty God!"
Summary
PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL CAUSES OF SICKNESS.
Accurate diagnosis is vital for right cure. Prophetic insights allow God to deal with root causes not just sickness. (Mark 2:5)
Finally, when traveling take accounts of geographical conditions such as bad water (1 Tim 5:23).
But what place does individual faith play in prophetic healing? Can a person who does not believe be healed? We shall address this vital question in our next lesson.