The Wilder Place

I hope this does not offend anyone, but we do know what Gods best is in ALL cases of sickness. It’s healing. Isa 53: 4-5 tells us that Jesus bore sickness and disease for us so that we could come to him and receive what he died for- Healing, health and redemption from the curse that Adam brought on this earth. The only glory God gets out of sickness is when we are healed of it. Under the New covenant or New Testament, we see the will of God in the life of Jesus. He healed all who were oppressed by the devil. (Acts 10: 38.) John 14: 9 and Hebrews 1: 1-3 tells us that Jesus was the express image of God. If you view God through the Old Testament only, you get an incomplete picture of God. Jesus came to reveal the completeness of God and demonstrated it with his lifestyle. Where ever he went, he healed the sick. So, today, the will of God is to heal ALL who are sick. Most everyone knows God heals, the problem is, they do not know if he will heal them! There is where the problem lies. But to say that God uses sickness to get Glory is inaccurate

Kevin, I see your point, but I think you are mistaken. God uses all sorts of trials to bring himself glory, even sickness. Have you considered his servant Job?

Hey Mike,

The book of Job is a great book. May scholars agree that Jobs trials lasted between 9-15 months. People also forget that the stories in the bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit and they are records of how people reacted during certain situations. The things Job said in this book are what Job said, however, not everything that Job states were true. It’s very important that when you read the Old Testament you interpret it through the new. You also must remember that Job had a limited knowledge of who the devil was and attributed everything to God. He later found out that many of the statements he made were what he thought about God, but were not true. Also, remember that God restored to Job all he lost. God is not in the business of giving you something then destroying you after he gave it to you. The key here is to understand that the devil stole from Job and he thought it was God. Many people think that God and the devil got together and had a dual with Job in the middle. Not true. God specifically tells us that Job was a very righteous man. However Jobs biggest problem was FEAR. We know that even in the Old Testament God requires faith. When job stated the thing he greatly feared had come upon me, we know that the thing he feared was loosing everything. Fear opened the door to the devil. We see that the devil is the one who made him sick, killed his kids and sent storms to wreck his life. To make a long story short. Job became self righteous, allowed his friends to speak badly of God and basically he entered into fear and confusion. It was not until Elihu spoke to him and then God spoke to him out of the whirl wind that Job repented. He stated I see I have uttered things rashly that I DID NOT UNDERSTAND. He had been blaming God and realized that it was not God who did this to him. When Job stated the Lord giveth and Lord taketh away, he inaccurately stated this. It was not God who stole all he had. He opened the door to fear and pulled the hedge of protection around him down by trusting in his many sacrifices for his kids. He feared that their partying would anger God and he would loose it all. When God spoke to Satan the Hebrew states, have you set your sites on my servant Job? When God said, behold all he has is in your hands, he did not authorized Satan to attack Job, he was stating a fact. The hedge was down due to Jobs fear and lack of faith. It gave an opening to the devil. You also must remember that Job did not have the authority in Jesus name that we do now. Jesus had not come and gone to the cross. So Job with limited ability was trying to figure out what happened. Job is also the oldest book in the bible and he had no scriptures to read. It was only word of Mouth that he learned about God. So, as you read Job, read it in the light of the New Testament. When the devil comes to take from you, take authority over him and fight the good fight of faith. Job did and he was not even born again and he won! He learned a hard lesson, but our great God, restored all the devil took. Check out James chapter one and see where God only sends good things. He even tells us not to be deceived because there will be people telling us bad things are from God. As new testament believers we have Jesus in us, his authority on earth to use his name and to totally enforce the devils defeat.(see Col 1 and 2) If we do not exercise that authority or think God is sending trials like sickness, disease, floods, disasters you will never resist the devil because you think God is the author. Many good people have died thinking God brought destruction into their lives to teach them when under the new covenant this is not true. Remember, God laid all wrath on Jesus and has made peace with all men. God’s wrath is not going to be poured out on this earth until the church is gone and the day of wrath has come. See II corth 5: 17-21. God does not use calamity to teach us nor does he force us to be humble. We are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so in due time he will exalt you. If you do not want to humble yourself under God he won’t force you, however, the law of sowing and reaping takes effect and the Law of eating the fruit of your own way steps in. Proverbs calls you a fool over and over if you do not revere God. God does not have to do a thing. Kingdom principals are in action. Like gravity, it’s always there. As new creatures in Christ we are to be a light to the world around us. God told us to heal the sick, raise the dead, and restore hope to the captive. Jesus told us that we would do greater works than he did once he rose to the Father. We now tell people the good news of the gospel, compel them to get born again. Remember they could not do that until after the resurrection. My friend, the bible tells us that we will have persecution and afflictions, but it is ALWAYS FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORD, not from God. It’s the devil trying to steal the word sown in your heart. So, if the word of healing was sown in your heart, then guess what the devil is going to bring to steal that seed? How about the word on peace in your soul. What is the devil going to bring to steal it from you?? We must know that God is good and the devil is bad. So many times we attribute destruction to God and that is just not true. Take the Hurricane Katrina That was not from God yet many people said it was. I will let you in on a secret. Do you know where God was in all that??? I do. I was stationed at Keesler AFB in Biloxi Mississippi in 1985 when Hurricane Elaine hit the coast. Back then New Orleans was told that due to them living in the bottom of a bowl and putting a lake over their head, they better make plans. From 1985-2005 God told them over and over again they were in trouble. Year after year studies showed that New Orleans was in trouble. God knew 2005 was coming yet man IGNORED GOD. There big piece of stupid brought disaster on there own heads, not God. God loved them so much he gave them twenty years to prepare and they ignored God. Sound familiar??? Check Noah out. God said, Noah, my spirit will not always strive with man but 120 years. You have 120 years to preach to these people, then get in the boat and shut the door. Eight people listened and millions drowned. God worked with them through Noah for 120 years yet they ate, they drank, they married and they died because they ignored God.

Key to life Mike. Good God, bad devil. May the Lord richly bless you and your family!

Kevin
Truck55@cox.net