Healing and Obedience

This is something all people with a Calling to Heal others should consider. Sometimes God permits certain afflictions for a time.. because there is a greater spiritual condition in that person where them getting better physically may actually hurt them spiritually.

The sermon below also mentions how obedience is tied in very closely to healing. Sometimes something is required of a person before God can meet them half way.

Some people don't want to be healed as well, because they are using their illness as an ego crutch and feed their ego with their illness. They may not even realize they are doing this. The self-nature in all of us humans is a very deceptive thing. We need to pray for discernment from our very selves! The "Strong Enemy" David asks God to deliver him from in the Psalms is most definitely our own self nature we must be saved from on a daily basis.

Here is a recent article from an unknown Christian Quarterly called "The King and The Kingdom". (You can get these very deep Biblical spiritual newsletters sent to you by writing "The King and The Kingdom, c/o The House of Prayer, 7300 Woodchuck Hill Rd, Fayetteville, NY 13066.) They even send these newsletters overseas to all Countries. I was lucky to get my hands on one of these quarterlies.


OBEDIENCE AND HEALING:

A careful study of the Scripture reveals that there is a close link between obedience and healing. Scripture also reveals that healing, however, does not always lead to obedience, as in the case of the individual at the pool of Bethsaida. This man was paralized for thirty-eight years, who after being healed, was warned by Jesus not to sin anymore lest worse befall him (John 5:1-5)

The Above incident also reminds us that it would be a mistake to limit healing just to physical illnesses, for there are illnesses more serious than those affecting the human body. In fact, there are times when the Lord may actually send a physical illness or keep a person in poor health in order to prevent a worse evil.

Another mistake is to attribute all physical illnesses to sin, for neither Job's illness nor St. Paul's "Thorn in the Flesh" was due to sin (Job 2:10, II Corinthians 12:7-9). Mention is made elsewhere of sufferings which are according to God's will (I Peter 4:19)

That there are illnesses more serious than physical afflictions is confirmed by what we read in Psalm 41. The psalmist, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, prayed: "Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul: for I have sinned (in soul) against Thee". (Psalm 41:4 KJV)

True healing not only of the body but also of the soul depends on obedience. For example, when the ten lepers cried out to Jesus, saying: "Master, have mercy on us," he told them: "Go and show yourselves to the priests." ( According to the law of Moses, a leper could not appear before the priests unless he was already healed (Leviticus 14). These lepers could have reminded Jesus of this ordinance, but instead they obeyed. "And as they went they were cleansed". (Luke 17:13, 14)

Naaman, the Syrian general, also was a leper. During a raid on Israel, the Syrians captured a Hebrew child. Naaman adopted her, and as she was waiting on her mistress on day, she said to her: "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." When he returned home, Naaman's wife related what her handmaid had said. Granted permission by the king of Syria, Naaman arrived in Israel and was directed to Elisha's house. There he was told to go and dip himself seven times in the Jordan river. Disappointed at first because the prophet did not do for him what he was expecting, Naaman nevertheless obeyed and was completely healed (II Kings 5).

This truth is also exemplified by how the man born blind received his sight (John 9).
To the disciples question, "Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?," Jesus replied that neither the man nor his parents had sinned but that he was born blind so that "the works of God might be made manifest in him". Jesus then anointed the blind beggar's eyes with mud made from his spit, and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. he obeyed and in so doing received his sight (John 9:1-7)

Each of the above illustrations describes an illness for which there was no cure. Yet, in each case those mentioned were healed because of their obedience. Told to go and show themselves to the priests, the ten lepers obeyed. Told to go down to the Jordan river and dip himself 7 times, Naaman obeyed. And told to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, the man born blind obeyed. Had they refused to obey, they wold not have been healed.

The Lord has never failed to meet the needs of those who seek Him in faith. But there is t hat which He also requires of us. Often, the failure to be delivered from our physical and spiritual conditions is not because the Lord's hand is shortened or because He is deaf to our cries but because of our unwillingness to obey Him in what He has clearly revealed and is requiring from us. He is ready to intervene on our behalf when our obedience is complete.

His prayer answered, the psalmist said: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, Who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psalm 103:1-5)

Obedience always leads to the healing of the soul."
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