These Myths have cost countless Christians their health, finances and even their lives. It could've cost our daughter her life too- so forgive me if I seem a bit 'riled up' ;)
A great resource for dismissing these myths is Kenneth E Hagin's tape series called 'Road blocks to Healing'. Check out our 'Resources' page for more info or to order.
A word God gave me December 2005 -
"You were created in My image, and I'M not sick!"
MYTH: God sends sickness upon people.
TRUTH: Some people have said that the Old Testament declares that God sent sickness upon people. Those who say this usually quote Exodus 15:26.
"...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. "
Similar scriptures are Isaiah 45:7: 'I form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil; I the Lord do all these things,' and Micah 1:12 which says, 'For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem.'
Obviously, these passages in the King James Version of the Bible do not give the true meaning of the original Hebrew, for we know that God doesn't create evil. Evil can't come from Heaven because there's no evil in there. God only permits evil. Nor does He create sickness- He only permits it to come as a result of man's disobedience. For more on this, read the next section :)
Take a look at Matthew 12:22-27
(22)Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He (Jesus) healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. (23) And all the multitudes were amazed and said , "Could this be the Son of David?"
(24) Now when the Pharisees heard it, they said "this fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub [Satan], the ruler of demons."
(25) But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them :"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
(26) If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? (27)And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?"
We see throughout the New Testament that Jesus healed everyone who came to him in Faith. Not once did he send sickness upon someone. Jesus was the will of God in action. We see who God is by looking at His Son.
Just as this scripture says that Satan cannot cast out Satan, Jesus cannot cast out God. If God were putting sickness upon people, then sending Jesus to heal them, our kingdom in Heaven, as Jesus said, could not stand!
MYTH: God has a purpose in permitting sickness.
TRUTH: I've had people tell me 'Well maybe God didn't do this to Hailey, but He permitted it'. As if to imply that because God permitted this, He had a purpose in it. Just because God permits something doesn't mean He has a purpose in it.
God only permits sickness to come. Sickness is not His will. God's will for us is to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments. Then He will take sickness away from the midst of you.
The KEY to understanding these different passages of Scripture lies in knowing that the active verbs in Hebrew have been translated in the causative tense when they should have been translated in the permissive tense.
Dr. Robert Young, was a Hebrew and Greek Scholar (Old Testament was written in Hebrew, New Testament was written in Greek), and the author of Hints and Helps to Bible Interpretation. He says in this book, that in Exodus 15:26, the literal Hebrew reads "... I will permit to be put upon thee none of these diseases which I permitted to be brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Again, God only permits it to come as a result of man's disobedience.
So where does sickness and disease come from? Yep- you guessed it, Satan. First, lets look at Acts 10:38. 'How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and HEALING ALL that were OPPRESSED OF THE DEVIL; for God was with Him.' Jesus didn't heal some, He healed them ALL. Why would He want anyone in bondage to Satan?
Next, take a look at Luke 13:10-17. 'And he [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
(11) "And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. (12) And when Jesus saw her, he called her to Him, and said unto her, 'Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity'. (13) And He laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight and glorified God. (14) And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men out to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. (15) The Lord then answered him, and said, 'Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? (16) And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, WHOM SATAN HATH BOUND, lo these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" (17) And when He had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed, and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him."
How sad that God often gets the blame for sickness and disease when the Bible calls it satanic oppression and satanic bondage!
In John 10:10, it says "The thief (Satan) comes not but to kill and to steal and to destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
All throughout the Gospel, you'll see that Jesus healed all that came to Him in faith. And praise God, He's unchanging! What He did then, He'll still do today!
MYTH: If someone is born with a disease, it must be God who did it.
TRUTH: I've heard this one myself. We've already learned where sickness and disease comes from- but how do we explain why these sweet, innocent children are born with sickness and disease? It's still Satan. In our case, our daughter was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This is a genetic disease, that needs two recessive genes to show up.
The Bible refers to these genetic diseases as 'Generational Curses'. Somewhere in both my, and my husbands lineage, there's been some big sins. Remember, sickness and disease is the result of sin. A saying by John Alexander Dowry is 'Sickness and disease are the foul offspring of his father Satan and his mother sin.' That sure says it all!
But praise God, we have the authority in Christ to put an ax to the root and seed of all generational curses! I told Satan, 'The buck stops here- no more will SMA be a part of this family's genetic make up!'
MYTH: Some people just aren't 'meant' to live as long as others.
TRUTH: First of all- God promises us 70-80 years or more on this earth (Psalms). Throughout the Bible it tells us that if we keep God's statutes and commandment he will prolong the days of our lives. We're not suppose to die prematurely.
Think of healing, health, long life, prosperity all being Gifts that Jesus paid dearly for. There He is in Heaven holding onto these gifts for us. If we don't know about them, how are we going to receive them? If we don't receive the gifts God has promised to us, whose fault is it?
Exodus 23:25-26 'So you shall serve the Lord your God and He will bless your bread and your water And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.'
Proverbs 4:10 'Hear, my son, and receive my saying, And the years of your life will be many.'
Proverbs 9:10-11 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (11) For by me your days will be multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.'
MYTH: Sickness is just God's way of 'taking people home'.
TRUTH: Ugh! It really breaks my heart (and I'm sure God's too!) when His people think this.
If they would only get into the Word, they would know the truth. That's Satan attacking us- not God calling us home. If you look in the Old Testament, God's people lived to be an old age, blessed their family, then went to sleep and died peacefully. That's how we're suppose to go home. Not in accidents or by sickness, but peacefully at a ripe old age!
MYTH: 'I'm suffering for the glory of God.'
TRUTH: I've heard this one before. Now think about it- how does God's people suffering- in satanic bondage- bring glory to God? I've heard John 11:4 used to back this claim up. In John 11:4, Jesus says to Mary concerning Lazarus' sickness, "When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Well, if you take that scripture out of context, it sure sounds like somehow suffering sickness and disease will bring glory to God. But take a look at John 11:40. After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, he says to Mary: "Jesus said to her "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"
Sickness and disease doesn't bring glory to God. When we have faith and receive healing, that brings glory to God!
MYTH: I prayed to God, begged and pleaded for Him to heal me, and I'm still sick. It must not be His will to heal me.
TRUTH: Imagine you give your child an amazing gift. It's sitting right there in front of him or her, but they don't see it. Instead they come to you, pulling on your clothes, begging for this gift that they want so desperately. Must be how God feels when we pray to Him, and beg and plead to be healed.
You see, according to Matthew 8:17, Jesus has already healed us at the cross. "By His stripes, we were healed." Not gonna be healed, not some will be healed. We were healed.
It's not about if it's God's will. Read the Word. It states it's God's Will for His children to be healed, healthy and whole. It's about who's going receive it. Who's going to learn how to tap into that Healing Annointing- aka. the Holy Spirit?
Let me put it another way. You and I both agree that through Jesus, and what He did on the cross, we're able to receive our salvation- right? The word "Salvation' means 'Complete wholeness'?
MYTH: When Paul asked God to take the 'thorn from his side', God said No. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)- therefore, that must mean that God keeps some of His kids sick.
TRUTH: Ugh- another one that has kept so many from receiving their healing! Have you ever said that someone was a 'Pain in your neck' or a 'Thorn in your side'? Paul was saying the same thing here. Everywhere he went, he was bombarded with resistance, and persecution.
Look at Numbers 33:55. "But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell." Hmmm, sound just like what Paul was going through.
Satan loves to twist scriptures to keep you in bondage. Just look what he did with them while tempting Jesus in Matthew 4.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. -- Romans 8:1
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