Should Christians Always Be Healed?

[Hidden In Him]

I have diabetes. It is hereditary, My grandmother had it. My dad had it. A few of my dads brothers and sisters have it. My sister has it. I am taking medicine for it (I am not on insulin at least not yet) and with diet it is kept under control.

However it puts me at his risk for heart disease, stroke and or heart attack. Among other things (my grandmother lost her foot)

I am not saying that is why I will die. Just trying to show I could just pray and ask God to heal me, ask my church to pray (which they have) and just stop taking medicine. Or I can keep going to get tested. and when the doctor states I am ok to stop. I will stop. And turn my focus to more important things. Like serving God and others. Which I need to do more of.

Yes. If you watch that video Mayflower posted, fairly early on they got into not just throwing your medicine away, as I recall.

My wife's sister has diabetes. I'd just encourage you that there have been things I have been healed of that took a long time; rashes and conditions and bumps that persisted for months and in some cases years. I would occasionally try medications but they didn't seem to work much. What did work was simply trusting God, and believing Him in prayer that He would heal me, and eventually He always does.

But your last few sentences are very good, and they're sort of thing that makes healing more likely IMO. If serving God is our primary purpose in life, the Lord watches out for His servants, and makes sure they are taken care of. If our focus is our own interests and we want God to help us in those, things get more difficult, because we are living for ourselves, and not God or others.

 

[Mayflower]

I have witnessed this personally in word of faith churches.

When our pastor took a promotion and left our church, the first one who replaced him did not do well. We went from having 500 every Sunday to bellow 100 in less than a year. they replaced him with a word of faith type teacher (we call them health and wealth) we saw an immediate impact as our weekly attendance rose to over 300. But that was short lived. Once people were told they were not healed because they did not have enough faith. and they were poor because they did not trust God and or because they had some sin issues. Many people fell away. we even lost good Christians who had been with us long before the first pastor left. Who ended up stop going to church at all. All because of the damage that was done. I was in middle school at the time. Many of my friends were close to receiving God. many of them ended up walking away and stopped coming when the bus went to pick them up (we had a great bus ministry)

sadly. when the church asked that guy to leave. they replaced him with another pastor. who introduced us to greek and hebrew and ice principles of bible study, but ended up leaving his wife and 8 kids to run off with a deacons wife..

The church never recovered. I drove by it last year. Some Spanish speaking group is meeting there now (I could not read the sign) there is no evidence of the church which was so powerful on the southeast side of my city was ever there.

It breaks my heart

So sorry to hear that. The church will be in my prayers. Word of Faith should never be about bashing people for their sin. I'm glad our pastor doesn't do that. Sometimes it is other peoples' will too I think. Like people will intentionally harm someone. Like you see people murdered or like sra in the world. It is evil and not of God. I don't see God "wills" anyone to die or suffer. But I think in some circumstances like Ananias and Sapphira that happens. I don't believe that is the case most of the time. Even in Job's case, God allowed it, knowing the result, but it was Satan that brought the destruction on Job. God brought restoration and worked things for the good. Job did nothing wrong, except he was human.

 

[Hidden In Him]

I believe Gods allows our free will choices. and sometimes uses them to serve and affect others.

Backlit alluded to this somewhat, in that we can sabotage our own health if we're not careful in a variety of ways. So too, if we are not sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can pay a price for it; being in the wrong places at the wrong times, and ending up in car accidents or suffering injuries of some sort ... But I agree, that's where we can use our faithfulness to God in spite of our circumstances to glorify Him. And as said, there are occasions when He allows for someone to suffer through no cause of their own.

 

[Mayflower]

I have to go and have probably missed a couple more pages. :/ I may never catch up, but thankful for the things I am able to read/reply too. A lot of faith is working here. Y'all have a blessed day.

 

[Hidden In Him]

The church never recovered. I drove by it last year. Some Spanish speaking group is meeting there now (I could not read the sign) there is no evidence of the church which was so powerful on the southeast side of my city was ever there.

Wow. That is tough to read. Yes, and this is why people need to be careful with what they teach on these matters. If you'll notice, I tend to be sensitive to both sides of the issue on this, and to both sides of the isle. I understand the power of faith from my own life, but I have seen and heard a lot of insensitive and uneducated teaching coming from maybe well-intentioned ministers and people that just screwed them up worse than if they had never been taught anything.

It's very sad what happened to your church.

Once people were told they were not healed because they did not have enough faith. and they were poor because they did not trust God and or because they had some sin issues.

See, and this goes back to focus. I'm basically poor as dirt, yet my focus is never on money; it is on serving God. Though Faith teachers would balk at this statement by not fully understanding it and thinking they do, money means nothing to me. My needs never go unmet because I am living for God continually, and He would fly it in by the birds if He had to. I have ZERO time for worrying about it or even praying about it. My sole and entire focus in life is upon serving God, and that's the way it should be for the believer. I can quote entire passages of scripture from our Lord on this.

 

[Lambano]

It breaks my heart

I’d “like” your post - except it breaks my heart too.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

I have to go and have probably missed a couple more pages. :/ I may never catch up, but thankful for the things I am able to read/reply too. A lot of faith is working here. Y'all have a blessed day.

Don't work to hard. Hope to see you soon.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

Wow. That is tough to read. Yes, and this is why people need to be careful with what they teach on these matters. If you'll notice, I tend to be sensitive to both sides of the issue on this, and to both sides of the isle. I understand the power of faith from my own life, but I have seen and heard a lot of insensitive and uneducated teaching coming from maybe well-intentioned ministers and people that just screwed them up worse than if they had never been taught anything.

It's very sad what happened to your church.


See, and this goes back to focus. I'm basically poor as dirt, yet my focus is never on money; it is on serving God. Though Faith teachers would balk at this statement by not fully understanding it and thinking they do, money means nothing to me. My needs never go unmet because I am living for God continually, and He would fly it in by the birds if He had to. I have ZERO time for worrying about it or even praying about it. My sole and entire focus in life is upon serving God, and that's the way it should be for the believer. I can quote entire passages of scripture from our Lord on this.

we have a faith teacher here at world harvest church who actually puts out flyers for this great healing prayer meeting. In the flyer, He puts an advertisement. Depending on how much money you give, He will guarantees a certain number of answered prayers and healings. A friend of mine actually went to their church to check it out. When the collect the offering, if you do not put anything in the plate. they send it back to you. multiple times. They actually have ushers that will then try to intimidate you into giving money. This man lives in a large mansion, and drives expensive cars. Its people like this who destroy belief in word of faith ministries.

And sadly I think alot of anger towards this movement is based on evil people like this who take advantage of God to make themselves rich. Then tell you if you are not rich and do not get healed. You do not have enough faith (Yes I have heard this from quite a few people who were former member or have been to his church)

 

[Eternally Grateful]

I’d “like” your post - except it breaks my heart too.

nothing to like about my post. Its said, I feel ya bro!

 

[Eternally Grateful]

So sorry to hear that. The church will be in my prayers. Word of Faith should never be about bashing people for their sin. I'm glad our pastor doesn't do that. Sometimes it is other peoples' will too I think. Like people will intentionally harm someone. Like you see people murdered or like sra in the world. It is evil and not of God. I don't see God "wills" anyone to die or suffer. But I think in some circumstances like Ananias and Sapphira that happens. I don't believe that is the case most of the time. Even in Job's case, God allowed it, knowing the result, but it was Satan that brought the destruction on Job. God brought restoration and worked things for the good. Job did nothing wrong, except he was human.

Amen sister.

Thank you sis. I left that church after there was a problem with a school we started there. The pastors daughter was one of the teachers and her two kids were in the classes.. There was alot of favoritism towards those two kids. that caused a backlash. We tried with many other families to bring it up but we were all told we were imagining things ( it was other teachers who brought this to our attention) so many of us left that church. Last I heard. the pastor had died from cancer. Not sure if they replaced him or if the church just folded after that.

after we left that church we went to another one, And while there. Alot of things happened in my life caused me to question my own faith. I ended up leaving and becoming a prodigal son for 5 years.. The reason I left is because of the legalism of the churches I was going to. I kept just hearing them if I have enough faith, or if I was not in sin all these things would not happen to me (I lost a job, My wife kicked me out of the house for another man, The child support they made me pay made my income to low to even pay my bills etc etc.. So I left the church because I lost faith in it.)

Anyway, God is faithful. At the right time and place my best friend growing up called me and I started to go to his church. which is an unorthodox church but the church has power. I saw mighty things happen there. And since then I have seen God work in wondrous ways.

the big thing is, even though I left his church, he never left me.. And his chastening, while painful. did what it was supposed to do. I praise him for that. If I did not come back, if my friend did not call. I have no doubt I would not be here now.

anyway, enough of my rant, Its still sad a light was removed from that church and the neighborhoods it served.. Which I might add. are run down neighborhoods now with a high rate of crime, because God was removed. and without God what hope does people have?

Thats the problem with america now. People think politics will help. It wont. America needs God and until it returns to god. there is no hope.

 

[Lambano]

If you'll notice, I tend to be sensitive to both sides of the issue on this, and to both sides of the isle.

You’ve done so honorably and admirably.

 

[farouk]

When my diabetic friend was in college, some folks in her prayer group convinced her God would heal her diabetes if she stepped out in faith and stopped taking her insulin. That didn't end well.

@Lambano The Lord uses means also to help; and not necessarily according to a timetable that we might try to impose...

 

[farouk]

Scripture reference please! And even if that were so, he also was never married for the Gospels sake, so should we all do the same.

@Faithbuilders Some believers get married, some don't, according to strict personal conviction...

 

[Faithbuilders]

@Faithbuilders Some believers get married, some don't, according to strict personal conviction...

Exactly, the same thing applies with prosperity.

 

[Faithbuilders]

we have a faith teacher here at world harvest church who actually puts out flyers for this great healing prayer meeting. In the flyer, He puts an advertisement. Depending on how much money you give, He will guarantees a certain number of answered prayers and healings.

WOW! That is so wrong, it is like the site I came across some time ago, "send us money and we will pray for you" Healing, is as much a free gift from God as salvation is! In fact the Greek word for saved also means healed!

 

[farouk]

WOW! That is so wrong, it is like the site I came across some time ago, "send us money and we will pray for you" Healing, is as much a free gift from God as salvation is! In fact the Greek word for saved also means healed!

@Faithbuilders People talk about 'deliverance ministries', but often it turns out that it's all about claims of supposed special powers to heal....

 

[Faithbuilders]

Spiritual healing and spiritual property amen

Not physical. SOme people can not handle physical wealth.. God is not going to give them somethign they could not handle.

That is true unfortunately, but that does not mean it is not Gods will. As for healing, that is an example of one dimensional thinking. depending on the context, healing means all healing in our body, soul, spirit, family, financially.... But most of the time the context is in the body.

 

[farouk]

That is true unfortunately, but that does not mean it is not Gods will. As for healing, that is an example of one dimensional thinking. depending on the context, healing means all healing in our body, soul, spirit, family, financially.... But most of the time the context is in the body.

@Faithbuilders Isaiah 53.5: 'with His stripes we are healed' seems mainly in a spiritual sense.....

 

[farouk]

... discernment. :)

Hi @Mayflower A key concept, indeed; which for the believer is in the context of much prayer and much Scripture... :)

 

[Faithbuilders]

Paul said he will boast in his infirmities.

we know he had serious eye issues and other health issues..

Again the Bible never said he had eye or any other health issues!

The word infirmities in this context (read the chapter before) means weakness, not any form of sickness, but more of a feebleness as he talks about in 2cor 11:21-30 That is what Paul called infirmities!