God doesn’t enjoy the suffering of his people, but if it helps preserve them to the end, he may allow them to remain ill. Also, we reveal six other reasons why people are sick and how to overcome the difficulty of diet change.
Before we can look at the main reason why God delays healing or disallows it in the lives of some saints, we have to look at the seven reasons why sickness and disease exist.
7 Reasons illness and disease exist
- Sin. When Adam sinned, it affected the entire earth; this is why some children are born with a disability; and why other abnormalities occur in life. Sin causes nature to be broken at times.
- Satan’s reign on earth. The devil purposely pollutes food, the air, and the environment because he hates God’s creation. Men, fueled by greed create and cause diseases to keep people dependant on them for relief.
- Ignorant of lifestyle, environment, and diet. If you don’t know that Satan hates you and men purposely cause illness to make money, you’ll be a victim of their schemes. Many people are sick because of ignorance.
- Accepting the lies of Satan. The enemy can suggest that you and I have a disease. If we believe the lies the enemy, our bodies could manifest pain and suffering that is unnecessary.
- Punishment. If one practices sin, God may punish them with sickness. In the example we mentioned, the spirit of Jezebel and narcissism can lead to suffering as punishment for such behavior (Rev 2:22).
- To showcase God’s power and bring him glory through the testimony of healing (John 9:3).
- Humility and preservation for the saints (2 Cor 12:1-10 NLT).
God is preserving some saints with sickness
12 This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows.
3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
5 That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. 6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth.
But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinitians 12:1-10 NLT).
God doesn’t enjoy the suffering of his people, but if it helps preserve them to the end, he may allow them to remain sick.
Timothy, too, struggled with health issues and Paul advised the following:
Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often (1 Tim 5:23).
Notice Paul didn’t tell him to seek God for healing or that he would visit him and lay hands. He was told how to deal with the problem, instead of ridding himself of it.
Some saints have been given a thorn in their side to keep them humble and dependant on God so that God might preserve them to the end.
Overcoming the difficulty of dietary changes
This is part of a response I wrote to one commenter in response to the last podcast. You can read the entire dialogue in the previous article:
We can all eat right. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Phil 4:13). He doesn’t tell us to do something he won’t empower us to do.
Anytime people want to persist in eating foods God said was toxic, they have an emotional attachment to them and that alone is unhealthy; on top of the fact the food itself is slowly killing them. You should ask God to break the yolk of bondage to any food, and he will.
Do you want to respect God and honor him in your body? Do you want to live longer, with more energy, and with less food related suffering? If yes, these are the reasons you need to change your diet…
Ask God to help you please him and he will. Changing your diet isn’t something he expects you to do alone. Diet is a stronghold for many, but Jesus saves.
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 1:2).
This ministry is no longer in service. I left the Christian faith and no longer agree with some of the content posted here. However, this website will remain available for archive purposes. Read the details in my last post.
