Copyright © 2004

Where Is God Ministries

www.WhereIsGod.net

Society is obsessed with being young, healthy and successful. Commercials focus on making their viewers believe that if they purchase their product, they will be beautiful, active and without a care in the world. 

Even people in the church are not immune to the pressures of striving for material wealth and physical perfection. And, we often think that God is somehow required to insure that our lives are free of disease and hardship, if we choose to follow Him; thus, we often think that it is our right to be healthy and successful.

Yes, life has a lot to offer; God has given us beautiful lands to admire, the miracle of a newborn baby and the joys of sharing our love with others. We should be thankful and praiseful, because all of these wonders and gifts of delight are glimpses of what God has planned for us in heaven. 

Jeffrey Boyd explained, "We tend to take health, family, food, and other blessings as being our birthright. The thought does not come easily that these are blessings that we don't deserve, that God is free to either give or withhold... The blessings of this life are only a brief and dilute taste of heaven" (Boyd, Tribute to an American Heroine).

The word-faith movement is a teaching that stems from the human desire to exist without tribulation and to create a heaven here on earth. Because our society influenced, selfish egos yearn for a carefree life, full of rewards and trophies, many have taken God's word out of context to fit their own devices. The movement teaches that if you have faith and claim God's promises, that you will reap the benefits of a healthy and prosperous life. 

Many well-meaning Christians get caught up in this belief system, because life is genuinely very difficult and full of trials; so, we, as humans often grasp for a "formula" that will insure us good health and monetary abundance. Alarmingly, this movement has spread itself through the church like wild-fire.

B.M Rocine wrote, "Word-Faith teachers are famous for the 'name it and claim it,' 'confess it and possess it' theology of greed. Word in Word-Faith does not mean the Word of God, the Bible. It means the words of men, who are in their view, gods. These teachers claim that the spoken words of believers, whether truly Christians or not, activate God. When we do not use our words to activate God, He cannot help us. When we use our confession according to the proper formulas, He is then bound to act on our behalf" (Rocine, By Saying the Right Formulas, Can People Control God?).

Because of peoples' desire to find a way to become "untouchable" by financial difficulties and health problems, they often "hear what they want to hear" and "believe what they want to believe," without regard to searching into what the Scriptures actually teach; thus, they can be vulnerable to false teachings of prosperity and perfect health.

Rocine added, "The sad fact is that many people are wrapped up in false doctrine, and do not fully realize it. They have not really taken seriously their Christian responsibility to find out what the Bible teaches. Unfortunately, some people in the churches today do not care about sound doctrine as long as going to church is a good time, a thrill, a comfort, or a way to meet some nice people. A preacher is often thought of as an entertainer instead of a proclaimer of truth" (Rocine, By Saying the Right Formulas, Can People Control God?).

But, where does this leave people suffering from illness? Do they realize that people who have physical or medical disabilities are just as valuable to God as anyone else? How are people with disabilities and/or illness viewed?

Fred Price, a leading Faith Movement teacher exclaimed, "How can you glorify God in your body, when it doesn't function right?....What makes you think the Holy Ghost wants to live inside of a body where He can't see out through the windows, and He can't hear out the ears" (Price, Is God Glorified Through Sickness?)?

Another well-known teacher of this movement, Kenneth Hagin, wrote, "...it is the plan of our Father God in His great love and His great mercy that no believer should ever be sick, that every believer should live his life full span down here on earth and that every believer should finally just fall asleep in Jesus" (Hagin, Seven Things You Should Know About Divine Healing).

Obviously, response from the teachers and followers of this movement can be cruel and devastating; they often accuse the Christian sufferer of "not having enough faith," "speaking negative prophecies," failure to "claim God's promises" or of "harboring a hidden sin."

In an article originally published by Banner Ministries, Tricia Tillin noted, "...believers are led to deny that they are ill, poor or in any way below par. They are taught to overcome adversity by confessing a suitable 'positive' scripture, instead of seeking God's guidance" (Tillin, Ten Reasons to Reject WORD-of-FAITH Teachings).

The Faith Movement promises physical healing and monetary prosperity to all who "name and claim" their wishes. They teach that our words of "positive confession" will rule God and force Him to grant our wishes.

Clete Hux pointed out, 'The Theology of the Spoken Word (Rhematology), or thought actualization, is commonly known as positive confession. It stresses the inherent power of words and thoughts. Each person predestines his own future by what he says verbally and by how well he uses spiritual laws. Word-Faith teachers claim that God operates by spiritual law and is obliged to obey the faith-filled commands and desires of believers" (Hux, Word-Faith Movement).

But, God is not a "Santa Claus" or a "reckless giver" of our whimsical desires. We, as Christians, must seek HIS will, not our OWN. Our Lord is a loving, caring God who cherishes His children and wants His best for them.

Ron Rhodes wrote, "... when the rest of Scripture is taken into consideration there are clear conditions placed on God's promise to answer prayer in addition to faith. We must "abide in Him" and let His Word "abide in us" (John 15:7). We cannot "ask amiss" out of our own selfishness (James 4:3). Furthermore, we must ask "according to His will" (1 John 5:14). Indeed, on all except God's unconditional promises, this "if it be your will" must always be stated or implied" (Rhodes, Did Jesus promise to give literally anything we ask for in faith?). 

The world is not God's perfect place; throughout the Bible we are warned about the "storms" and "difficulties" of life. Our bodies are not immortal or invincible; therefore there is bound to be disease and trials. The Scripture must be taken in its full context and not just torn out in bits to apply it to our own desires.

Rhodes added, "...all passages should be interpreted in harmony with other clear statements of Scripture...it is clear that God does not promise to heal everyone for whom we pray in faith. Paul wasn't healed, though he prayed earnestly and faithfully (2 Corinthians 12:89). Jesus taught that it was not the blind man's lack of faith that hindered his being healed. Rather, he was born blind 'that the works of God should be revealed in him' (John 9:3). Despite the apostle Paul's divine ability to heal others (Acts 28:9), later he apparently could not heal either Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25) or Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20). It clearly was not unbelief that brought Job's sickness on him" (Job 1:1) (Rhodes, Did Jesus promise to give literally anything we ask for in faith?).

In addition, when Timothy asked for healing, Paul instructs him to drink a little wine. And, there was the account of Jesus at the Bethesda pool. Josephus and others note that there were usually hundreds of people who camped by the pool hoping to be the one nearest when "the angel" stirred the waters. But, only one was healed. A question one must ask oneself when they believe that God always has and always will heal everyone who asks in faith is not only, "Why were some people not healed?" but, "Why were so many people slaughtered, even though they were faithful?" (Hebrews 11) ( Honsberger, Personal Communication). 

Disturbingly, not only are the audiences of these teachings affected, but often the "idea" of this harmful view infiltrates the congregation of churches everywhere. Sometimes even fellow brothers and sisters in our own churches treat the person afflicted with disease as if their relationship with God "must not be right," they are "not praying hard enough," their faith is not "strong enough" or they must be "in sin."

Jennaleah, a woman with Fibromyalgia, admitted, "I have given up on church as I have been told I need deliverance, etc. etc. I started to feel like the world's worst sinner. FM is a no-no in my old church... they see it as a punishment from God" (IDA Survey, November 1999).

Often, the sufferer is even singled out and admonished when healing does not occur; many God fearing, loving, faithful Christians are treated as if the illness is "their fault," their faith is "questioned" and they are "criticized." This is a travesty, because the Bible teaches us that this world is a sinful, fallen world, full of disease and tribulations; yet, this movement continues to isolate and rebuke thousands of God's faithful children.

One lady told me of how her church dealt with her illness. The elders prayed over her several times, each time asking if she had any un-confessed sin (which is appropriate, because sin can be the root of some illness, yet not all illness is caused by sin). A couple of days after each session, she was asked if she was healed yet. They became frustrated with her and admonished her for not being well. During a business meeting, they pointed her out to the congregation as a lesson in what happens to people when they refuse to confess their sin and proceeded to insist that she reveal her sin to the entire congregation!

A lady with chronic pain, nick-named Boopers, explained, "I have been prayed over about HMMMMM... a lot of times.... The people that prayed over me were upset that I wasn't 'healed.' After a while I avoided those people and every now and again I was spotted and called over" (IDA Survey, November 1999).

The most difficult part of being a believer and having an illness is being treated as if we do not know that God can heal. It cuts to the core when people treat us like we do not understand who God is! In fact, we are well aware of His almighty power, that is why we worship and adore Him. So, doesn't that make our faith even stronger, since we praise God in the midst of pain? After all, how hard is it to praise God when you are healthy and life is going well?

Instead of being seen as having courage in tribulation, we are often viewed as being uncertain of God’s power, because we are still sick. But, the Lord knows it takes true faith to perseverance through the storms! Charles Surgeon wrote, "no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity" (Spurgeon, 1991, p. 636).

Sadly, it is all too common for believers to tell someone who is struggling with an illness, injury or disability that they simply are in that position, because they lack "enough" faith for God to heal them. But, what do they mean by “enough” faith? If God required us to have “enough,” how much would “enough” be?

God said it takes the “…faith as small as a mustard seed…” (Matthew 17:20). The truth is that God does require us to have faith, but He does not require us to have "enough" faith. I do not think we as humans could ever have “enough” faith on our own. Instead, He only obligates us to have the faith of a mustard seed and He supplies the rest.

Many Christians apply their "God will heal you if you have faith" attitudes to people who are chronically ill, but they do not apply it to any other situations. For example, they do not hesitate to go to the doctor when they become ill or their children are hurt, so why do they treat someone with a chronic illness as if their illness is due to their lack of faith?

Amadeus, a woman with chronic illness observed, "I have had Christians come up to me and say that 'God can heal you, it's just in your mind.' I know God can heal me if he chooses, but does that mean I don't go to the doctor? If someone cut their arm off, I know they wouldn't say, 'oh, God can heal that;' they'd be calling for an ambulance" (IDA Survey, November 1999)!

It is true that God can heal any illness or disease! Yet, because this world is full of sin, it is also susceptible to disease, poverty and hardship. To truly have faith is to suffer and still praise His name, to have difficulties and still know God cares, to be in pain and still remember that one day there will be no pain, to experience trials and still know God is listening, to know that God does not always heal and still believe that He is God.

Sometimes, we, as Christians, want believe that we are somehow "immune" to the world's diseases, consequences and sin; so when we see a fellow brother or sister suffering, we convince ourselves that it is because they are "doing something wrong," since we do not want to believe that God would allow it. Yet, the Bible teaches us the truth about the trials and tribulations we must face in this temporary life here on this earth.

Amadeus added, "Most people do not have the ability to understand chronic pain, but Christians are supposed to be different than most people because they have the Lord. This has caused me to stop going [to church] and I miss it very much but am tired of constantly being attacked" (IDA Survey, November 1999).

Tragically, when the sufferer is continually treated as if their illness is somehow due to their "'ack of their faith,' friendships are broken and hearts are ripped apart. All too often, they feel so attacked that they look for another church or stop fellowshipping with other believers all together.

An anonymous person with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome commented, "I believe in God and think that He should be worshipped ...I've found anonymous 'drive-by' churching ... to be quite satisfying, since I can go, worship and be left alone, since no one knows me" (IDA Survey, November 1999).

Nik, another person with Fibromyalgia, wrote, "I've gone from being VERY involved in church activities to not attending at all. I love God, but feel so isolated from the church" (IDA Survey, November 1999).

Because even our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ do not want to hear that we are still in pain or sick, when we do tell them how we are, they combat our honesty with, "Ya, but you LOOK good!" or "Well, God could heal you, ya know!" "But, the Bible says we should ALL work!" and "Well, it could be worse!" Yet, all of those answers just leave the sufferer of illness faced with the dilemma of speaking the truth about their illness and being criticized for it or pretending they are doing better.

JJ explained, "Either we talk about our illness and how we are really in pain, in which case nobody truly wants to hear... or we work hard at overcoming our pain... in which case we they think we are 'better" (IDA Survey, November 1999).

The Scriptures tell us that our lives will naturally be full of  tribulation, illness and struggles; but, that is what faith is really all about! Knowing God is God, knowing that these lives are only temporary, knowing our Lord is to be worshipped, despite our pain and anguish; and, realizing that wanting more than He has already given is nothing more than motives of human selfishness.

After all, what would be the point of having a perfect world and a perfect heaven? If this world was perfect, why would we look forward to heaven? If life here was easy, why would we need God? If we never suffered, how would we know the enormity of His blessings? If we never had difficulties, how could we bathe in the times of goodness? If we were not broken, how could we know God's strength? If life here on earth were simple, why would we cherish everlasting life with God?

No, the world is not God's ideal; it is full of sin, destruction, disease, hardship and evil. So, we can attempt to demand that God make us exempt of the consequences of this fallen world; thus, removing the need for heaven. Or, we can realize that we are here for only a moment and use our time striving to please God, instead of demanding that He please us.

Fortunately, this is not our permanent home and its faults help us to yearn for the day when we will be able to dine with our Lord in a place that is free of sorrow and pain. We need to remember the focal point of our existence should not be what this temporary world desires, but the anticipation of God's place He is creating for us in heaven. 

Jesus promises His children spiritual healing to all who believe in Him and repent; and, He also prepares for us a place, where our ultimate healing will bring us new bodies. We must keep our eyes and hearts fixed on the eternity with Him that He has made possible for us through Christ; an eternity full of rejoicing, praise and void of tears and pain. Praise the Lord!

"If we could CONTROL God,

HE would not be God,

WE would be God and

WE ARE NOT God!"

- Sherri L. Connell

REFERENCES:

Boyd, Jeffrey, Tribute to an American Heroine, found at: www.invisibledisabilities.com/heroine.htm 

Hagen, Kenneth, Seven Things You Should Know About Divine Healing, pg 21.

Honsberger, Bill, Personal Communication, 2-11-2002. Founder of Haven Ministries www.havenministry.com 

Hux, Clete, Word-Faith Movement, Watchman Expositor, currently found at: www.watchman.org/wordpro.htm

IDA Survey, November 1999. The question, "How does your church deal with illness?" was informally posed to several forums, clubs and message boards on the internet by The Invisible Disabilities Advocate. IDA received approximately 75 responses.

Price, Fred, Is God Glorified Through Sickness?, tape # FP605.

Rhodes, Ron, Did Jesus promise to give literally anything we ask for in faith?, currently found at: http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/qjesuspromise.html

Rocine, B.M., By Saying the Right Formulas, Can People Control God?, currently found at:  http://withchrist.org/misplace.htm

Tillen, Tricia, Ten Reasons to Reject WORD-of-FAITH, track originally published by Banner Ministries, currently found at: www.banner.org.uk/wof/tract3.html