BY HIS STRIPES
The world in which we live today is plagued with diverse sicknesses and diseases. Despite laudable advancements in medicine, science and technology, thousands of people - men and women, young and old, rich and poor - continue to suffer and die from all forms of “curable” and “incurable” ailments. This has made many to come to the wrong conclusion that sickness is a normal part of human existence; that it is impossible for an individual to be in good health throughout the 365 days in a year. Yet, this was not the original plan of God.
Man was created hale and hearty by God, and all that God created around him was perfectly good. His desire was that man would continue to be in fellowship with Him so as to continue to enjoy all the good things He had provided for him. But man rebelled against God, and became subject to the devil and his cruel dominion. And since the goal of the devil has always been “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”, man lost all the privileges and benefits he had and sicknesses and afflictions became a common feature in his life.
But man was not left hopeless. God, in his abundant and unfailing mercies, provided a means of bringing man back to himself, and to make him regain all he had lost - including good health! He gave His only begotten Son to accomplish this. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).
The suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross was primarily meant to free mankind from the yoke of sin. But that's not all - he also came to free mankind from the problems that came with sin. And these include sicknesses and diseases. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). With the painful stripes inflicted on Jesus for our sake, our healing and health was secured and guaranteed!
Far beyond the good that modern medical science offers, God's word has been proved for centuries to be health to the body: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22). Obedience to God's word coupled with faith and prayer can produce better health in us and reduce our hospital visits and reliance on pills. Daily intake of God's word keeps you from sinning. And this is the sure prescription for a healthy living for the mind, body and soul. In other words, the surest way to avoid sickness is to avoid sin like a plague.
As you read, believe and claim God's promises concerning all that Christ has come to accomplish in your life including salvation for your soul and healing for your body, you will experience the joy of living a sin-free and sickness-free life. Remember, God's promises for good health have no age limit. It is the devil's lie to keep you inactive, useless and lonely. You can claim His precious promises of healthy living and long life today.
THE HEALING COVENANT
For every child of God today, God has made a covenant of healing and health which guarantees freedom from every form of sickness and disease. He says: "If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26). This covenant actually began with the children of Israel in the wilderness on their way to Canaan. Prior to this time, the Lord had been giving them maximum protection, health and healing without any condition attached. Despite the massive oppression and affliction meted to them in Egypt, the Lord ensured they remained active and strong. In fact, the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied and grew. Even the Egyptian women testified that, "the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively" (Exodus 1:19).
However, as they went on their journey to Canaan (after the Lord had miraculously delivered them from the yoke of the Egyptians) they seemed to have forgotten what the Lord had done. And they began to take His unconditional goodness for granted. They began to murmur and complain over the slightest inconvenience, instead of recollecting all he had done for them and putting their trust in Him (Exodus 15:23-26; Psalms 106:13-15). And so came the conditional word 'if' (Exodus 15:26) in God's promises to them. The Lord declared that his promises would no longer be unconditional - they would be based on adherence to the specified terms. In the case of the healing covenant, the specified terms are absolute obedience to the commandments of God as laid down in the scriptures as well as faith in His healing power.
CAUSES OF SICKNESS
Sin, separation, and Satan are the causes of sickness. Sin brings separation from God, and when there is separation from God, the protection and immunity from sickness is gone. When you are united with God, through holiness and purity of life, He protects you so that sicknesses and diseases do not have a place in your life. But the moment sin, however 'little', creeps into our lives, it severs the bond between us and God and paves the way for sickness to come in. The Lord Himself declared: “if thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful even great plagues...Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed . . .” (Deuteronomy 28:58-62).
Numerous instances abound in scriptures of people who broke God's commandments and were afflicted with sicknesses. The entire household of Abimelech was plagued with the terrible sickness of barrenness as a result of the unlawful possession of Abraham's wife by Abimelech. Not until Abimelech restored Sarah and was prayed for by Abraham did the sickness disappear. “So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife” (Genesis 20:17, 18). The children of Israel were afflicted and tormented by fiery serpents sent among them as a result of the misuse of their tongues. Instead of praising God and making their requests known unto Him, they were busy murmuring, grumbling and complaining against God and the man He had appointed over them. Thus they suffered greatly until they repented of their evil deed (Numbers 21:5-9). Uzziah, the backslidden king, was not spared the terrible consequences of sin. For daring to arrogate to himself the right to perform a sacred rite, he became instantaneously leprous (2 Chronicles 26:16-20).
What the Lord is telling us through these examples is that if we allow sin to come into our lives without repenting immediately, His judgement can erupt suddenly and it could be in form of sickness. Even after receiving a miracle of healing from God, flirting with sin can bring a more terrible illness. This was exactly why Christ had to warn a man that was healed of an infirmity that had afflicted him for thirty-eight years. He told him “. . . Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:5-9, 14). Christ made it clear that although he had been healed, the healing was not going to be permanent if he did not run away from sin.
CONDITIONS OF HEALING AND HEALTH
The word 'if' usually accompanies a conditional clause or phrase. The Lord put the word 'if' before making the covenant of healing and health with the children of Israel (in Exodus 15:26) to tell them that an important condition must be met before they could enjoy the blessings of the covenant. The same applies to us today. If we must benefit from God's healing covenant, we must fulfil certain conditions, which include:
FAITHFULNESS - Faithfulness to God and His word. Whatever God commands you to do your response will be, 'Yes, Lord, I will be obedient to your word'. Your obedience is your faithfulness.
FORGIVENESS - God commanded Job to forgive his friends and to pray for them. He did and God healed him and blessed him, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before" (Job 42:10; Also read Mark 11:25,26).
FELLOWSHIP - We must be in fellowship with God and with one another. Joining other believers in fellowship will go a long way in helping you to enjoy the healing covenant. So, don't be a lone-ranger ". . . 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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:13-16). It is only when you're in fellowship with other believers that you can call on them to assist you in prayers of healing.
FREEDOM - If we are going to have healing every time there's a problem, then there must be freedom from sin and guilt. Let your conscience be clear. Anytime there's sickness, check up yourself first and ask: 'Have I done anything wrong? Am I hiding some sin inside me?' And once you see no guilt, no condemnation, then you can pray with real faith and expectation. "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself (freedom), and that wicked one toucheth him not" (1 John 5:18).
FASTING - There are times when a sickness becomes so serious and refuses to go even after you've prayed and done every other necessary thing. Maybe the Lord is telling you to take some time apart to fast and pray. (See the counsel of Jesus Christ in Matthew 17:19) The fasting may not be done by the person who is sick. Leaders could go to the Lord in prayer and fasting on behalf of a sick individual. And as we do, the Lord has promised that no demon or sickness will be able to stand before us in Jesus Name.
FEEDING - Sometimes, what you need when you are sick is good feeding. Some people don't eat well, they don't eat balanced diet, so they become sick. And then they pray and pray without healing. Read how good feeding resuscitated a dying man in I Samuel 30:11-15. The fellow got healed by good feeding. Take note of what you eat. Check up: Do you take good breakfast? Do you take moderate lunch? And when do you eat your supper? Eat at the appropriate time, drink a lot of water because your body needs a lot of water, and eat a lot of fruits. You have everything when you balance it up with prayer, faithfulness, forgiveness, fellowship, freedom, sometimes fasting and good feeding.
FAITH - An indispensable condition of healing is faith. Even after meeting the above conditions, if you do not have faith in Christ's healing power, your condition may remain unchanged. Jesus told a sick woman "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague" (Mark 5:34).
THE COVENANT OF HEALING AND HEALTH
As soon as all the above conditions for healing and health are met, there is no reason for a child of God to be sick, or to be defeated by the devil. All the powers of darkness combined together cannot keep a righteous believer or a repentant sinner in sickness, as long as the conditions are met. Even as you're reading this magazine, you can be healed instantly if you believe the truth of the word of God, for "all things are possible to him that believeth.” Obedience to God and faith in Christ will automatically set you free. “I will restore health unto thee and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD . . . " (Jeremiah 30:17). Even if you are suffering for your sins, the Lord has promised to have mercy on you as long as you come to Him in genuine repentance: "For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he . . . I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 31:11,20).
Do you think your sickness is incurable? Listen to this: "Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee" (Jeremiah 32:17). Your case is not hard for the Lord. It will be done. Right now, he's beckoning on you saying, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Behold, I will bring (unto you) health and cure . . .” (Jeremiah 33:3,6).