Ask Teresa

Dear Teresa

I was healed of many things in my life and set free instantly from drugs in the 70s. A year ago, I was diagnosed with cancer, and my faith is being stretched. God is calling me to walk in a new level of faith where I have not walked before, especially when my body does not feel or look healed.

He is also teaching me to rely on His word and what His word says about my health. The doctors said chemo would work, but I felt God did not want me to do chemo. Also, I have had a lot of prophetic words and dreams about healing ministry. He has encouraged me so much to believe for my healing, but it is still scary. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be no stopping me when there is full manifestation of my healing. Still, this has been by far has been one of my scariest trails.

- Standing In Faith

Dear Standing In Faith

There are different streams of thought about healing. One stream encourages to you stand in faith and contend for your healing, and refuse medical procedures. It sounds like that is the orientation that you come from. At times God gives us a word and asks us to stand on faith for that word, and we need to obey Him. So there are times when this thinking seems to be the right "path."

Another stream encourages you to look for God to move both supernaturally and through doctors/medicine. That is more the orientation that I come from most of the time. I believe that God created doctors and medicine for our good. There is even a verse about the leafs on the tree of life being for healing to the nations (rev 22:2). Many feel that is referring to medicine, and is an indication that God will work through medicine as well as working supernaturally.

Here is my concern. Sometimes people make an arbitrary decision that we should always stand in faith and contend for the healing instead of hearing from God on a case-by-case basis. They then teach others that the only way to get a healing is to refuse medicinal treatments and stand in faith. When they are taking to someone with a life-threatening illness, that is a very dangerous thinking. It is presumption to assume how God wants an individual to proceed without going to God and asking Him what His will is for that specific person. It reminds me of the temptation of Jesus where the devil asked Him to jump off the top of the temple to prove He was God because the angels would be obligated to "catch him up so He did not dash His foot against a stone." In short the devil was asking Jesus to presume on God's protection by intentionally putting Himself in harm's way. Jesus' reply was, "It is also written that you shall not tempt the Lord your God." In modern English, that means: Don't presume on God's grace by taking unnecessary risks and assuming God will protect you form your foolishness."

I don't know your personal case, whether your thinking has been influenced by that presumptuous teaching, or whether you have heard a Rhema word (a direct command) from God to stand in faith. Of course, a direct command must be obeyed, even if it were to cost us our life. But if we are risking our life on theology and not on a direction instruction from God, then we might be entering that area of presumption.

If you know you have a direct command from God to refuse chemo, you must obey Him. However, if you have assumed that is what He wants but have not heard directly from Him on it, then it is a very good idea to go back to Him and ask Him to show you what His will is for you in this situation. I understand that you have received words that you will move in a healing ministry at a future date. Those words are talking about your future density and are not an indication of whether or not God wants you to receive medical treatment for your condition. The two are unrelated, as one is "your current situation" and another is your future destiny.

Let me close with two stories, one to illustrate each of the two ways of thinking.

The first is a true story from someone I know personally. His name is Rusty. He had this terrible allergy condition and was taking medicine to control it. If he did not take his medicine, he would become almost completely non-functional. One day God spoke to him and told him to stop taking his medicine and trust Him to heal. This was shortly before Rusty was to do several important speaking engagements, so it would be a very bad time to get non-fictional. He obeyed God and stopped his medicine. He did not see a healing right way. He spent some number of days sneezing his head off and being somewhat of a mess physically. He was very tempted to take the medicine, but he choose to stand firm in faith instead. Guess what? God healed him after many days of standing in faith and contending for his healing. Now he has no allergy or sneezing problems and he does not need any allergy medicine.

When God speaks directly to us to stand in faith, we need to obey Him. Then we will see results He has promised.

The second story is a actually "joke," but it illustrates God sometimes chooses to work through natural circumstances (like doctors and medicine) instead of supernaturally.

It was the flood season, and the flood waters forced Fred to take shelter on the roof of his two-story house. Fred became convinced that God was go to rescue him supernaturally. The flood waters were at the top of the first story and slowly rising. Fred began to cry out to God to rescue him. A man came by in a rowboat and said, "Get into my rowboat, and I will take you to safety." Fred replied, "No thank you, I am trusting God to rescue me." The man shrugged his shoulders and then went on his way.

A few hours later, the police came by in a speedboat. "Climb in," they said, "and we will take you to safety." Fred declined their invitation, sure that God would rescue him.

The flood waters continued to rise until they came to the very top of his roof and he was standing ankle deep in water. He cried out, "Oh God, save me!" Right then the noise from a helicopter interrupted his prayers. They dropped a rope ladder out of the helicopter right next to Fred, and a man leaned out with a megaphone and cried, "Climb up the ladder and we will rescue you."

"No thank you," Fred replied. I am trusting God to save me."

The waters continued to rise and Fred finally drowned. He was carried by angels to God's presence and God said, "Welcome, son."

Fred was shocked that God had allowed him to die. He said, "Lord, I was trusting You to save me. I stood in faith for you to rescue me from the flood, but You did not. Why was that Lord, why wouldn't You save me?"

God replied, "Son, I tried to save you three times. First I sent you a row boat, then I sent you a speed boat, and finally I sent you a helicopter...."

I guess you are going to have to prayerfully decide which of the two stories represents your situation. Is God telling you to stand in faith and refuse medical treatment? (If that is the case, then you can expect Him to heal you supernaturally.) Or does God want to use doctors and medicine to heal you?

I pray the Lord will give you His wisdom and discernment on how He wants you to proceed.