Today we are looking at other blocks to healing:
Expecting God to Heal on Our Terms: 2 Kings 5:8-14 A high ranking official in Syria named Naaman had leprosy and sought healing from Elisha. However, when he was given instructions to dip seven times in the Jordan river, it irritated him, because there was not enough fan-fare around his healing. And to make it worse, Elisha didn’t even tell him, he sent his servant to tell him. Naaman had rage, resentment, bitterness, but Naaman had enough wisdom to listen to his servant, “why not wash and be clean.” Naaman humbled himself, obeyed the instruction from Elisha and was healed.
Seeking Medical professionals before seeking God: 2 Chronicles 16:12 In this passage, one of the kings of Israel had a serious disease in his feet. He wouldn’t seek the Lord, but instead sought the wisdom of physicians. He died two years later. As we mentioned earlier in the challenge, doctors can be very helpful at addressing issues in the physical realm, but most diseases start in the spiritual realm. We should always go to God for healing first and remove any spiritual blocks.
Not taking care of our bodies: Daniel 1:8 The Israelites had been taken into captivity by the Babylonians. One of the young Israelite men, Daniel, was taken to the kings house, but determined he would not defile himself with the king’s food. He requested a diet of vegetables and water. The key takeaway for me was that food can defile us. What we put in our bodies can increase or decrease our lifespan. We should seek God on the best diet for our bodies and avoid toxins that might harm us. We have a responsibility on this one.
Criticizing and Complaining: 1 Corinthians 10:9-10 warns us of the dangers of complaining. In this passage, the Apostle Paul is warning the church in Corinth not to make the same mistakes the Israelites did when they were wondering in the wilderness. He writes “9 We should not tempt the Lord [try His patience, become a trial to Him, critically appraise Him, and exploit His goodness] as some of them did—and were killed by poisonous serpents; Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did—and were [a]put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death).
Sexual Sins: 1 Corinthians 10:8 Here again Paul is warning us to learn from the mistakes of the Israelites when he writes “We must not gratify evil desire and indulge in immorality as some of them did—and twenty-three thousand [suddenly] fell dead in a single day!” In recent years we’ve seen the proliferation of sexually transmitted diseases. We would do well to heed this warning.
Feeling like God owes us healing because we serve Him: Luke 18:9-14 In this passage, two men went up to pray, a religious person and a sinner. The religious person approached God based on his good works which put him in a position of pride. We know pride blocks healing. The sinner took a humble position and asked for mercy. Jesus said the humble person was justified. We must remember that God does not owe us anything and we should never list our service as a reason for our healing. Our blessings, including healing are because of God’s grace, not our “goodness”. We wouldn’t be “good” if not for God’s grace.
Day 9 Challenge: Review the list above to see if any of these are blocks to healing in your life. If so, repent, make changes and experience the healing that comes from God. Tomorrow we will look at somethings that God says will keep us healthy.