While waiting for yet another surgery to remove any cancer cells in the muscles and tissues around the tumor site, I went to a men’s prayer breakfast where two men pulled me aside to pray with me. Specifically, they prayed that my sins would be removed and my faith would be bolstered so that my cancer would be healed. A few weeks later, the surgeons flayed my leg from my knee to my ankle to obtain “clean margins.”

Though I was offended and confused by by the prayers of those two gentlemen, I knew they meant well; they are good men. However, they told me directly that if my faith had been strong enough then I would have grown close to God that I wouldn’t have gotten cancer. Over time, I became resentful of that statement. Still, I had to investigate the truth of the matter.

Is there any truth to the belief that Christians battle illness because of sin and lack of faith? That question is too big to deal with in its entirety. The question of faith-healings and faith-healers has incessantly stalked the Church for a century and a half. Any stance taken has been and will be largely subjective. Instead of looking at faith and healing, let’s see what the Bible says about sin and sickness.

We will begin with James 5, where the brother of Jesus asserts that when someone is healed of their illness, their sins are also forgiven (James 5:14-15 NIV).

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

The relationship here, though not explained, is undeniable: the prayer of faith makes one well and raises them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

Moreover, the next verse could not be clearer (James 5:16 NIV):

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

It follows, are you sick? Call the elders, ask to be anointed with oil, pray in faith, confess your sins to one another, and then your sins will be forgiven (if you’ve sinned) and you will be healed.

Still, that is a far cry from saying that the sins of the person who is sick are to blame for their illness. There is a growing belief in people that I know who attend churches that put greater emphasize the practice of praying for the sick than they do anything else. It goes like this: many are sick because they have sinned, and because they are unrepentant we won’t pray for them, but instead we will turn them over to Satan. This is a dangerous, unloving, and calloused belief. It may be why James concluded his letter with a call to rescue the perishing.

The belief that illness is directly linked to the sins of the ill was also a common belief in the first century. But, is it a sound belief?

Let’s look at John 9:1-7 NIV:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Here we see that Jesus and His disciples encounter a man who had suffered a lifetime of blindness. His parents would have suffered as well, raising a boy who was blind. The disciples look at the man and – in their minds – condemn him for his sins. But then they think that perhaps they are being too harsh. Maybe he didn’t sin at all; maybe it is his parents who are to blame*.

Jesus tells them that neither supposition is correct. The man had been born blind so that God would be glorified in His healing. God knows why we suffer illness, but we cannot with certainty determine such things, so we must not pass judgement.

While we cannot and must not conclude that anyone is sick because of one’s own sin (only God can say for sure), we can be certain that the path to healing begins with the attitudes and faith that James outlines in the steps in his epistle. Corporate confession (genuine confession must include repentance), faith, personal and corporate prayer, and the symbolic anointing with oil. One may not be sick because of sin, but unrepented sin demonstrates a lack of faith in Christ, and one cannot be healed without faith in Jesus.

Isn’t it interesting that the Bible never tells us (not that I can recall) that Jesus asked believers to gather together, pray, and anoint the sick with oil while He walked in this earth, but after He ascended into heaven this practice became the norm. Why? Because it is just as important to God that we (His body, filled with the Holy Spirit) love and care for each other in the same way we love God. He emphasized this in naming the Greatest Commandments (Matthew 22:36-40).

This too is certain: sickness and death have been with us from almost the beginning of this age and will be with us until the end of this age. Sickness and death, though, are not part of God’s ideal journey for humankind; sickness and death came about only because the first-created of mankind (Adam and Eve) chose to be like gods instead of loving and cherishing the true God. Original sin.

*It is interesting to note that even the Pharisees, experts in the Law, believed that this man had been born blind because of sin. See John 9:34.

Source

Reading the Bible alone, though, is not enough if you are seeking a deeper relationship with God. There needs to be equal parts Bible study and prayer. You see, that relationship – like any other – is a two way street.

Prayer, carrying on a conversation with God, allows you to get to know His heart. Prayer is also instrumental in allowing God to search your heart.

Learning God’s Word helps you understand the nature of God and His deepest desires for your life. The Bible is more than just a guideline for life. It is a standard by which to judge your own actions, thoughts, and dreams.

More than prayer and Bible study there is an even deeper practice: Christian meditation. Read a passage from the Bible every morning (use the same passage for multiple days if you wish), and every second that you spend idle – between tasks at work, while driving, while going to sleep, while taking a walk, or whenever you have a few seconds or a few minutes down time – ponder that passage or verse. If you cannot memorize verses, or even commit it to short-term memory, then write it down or put it in your phone, or text it to yourself. Read it, reread it, and reread it again. Pray on it, and remember: God is with you. There is no leaving Him behind.

Pray, read the Bible, mediate, and remember God is with you always. Take a walk with God. Hang on to His hand. Only He can keep you from falling.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. – Jude 24-25 NIV

 

Source

Whoever came up with that instinctively knows what scientists spent a fortune to prove. Electronic devices are as addictive as heroin. 

Some of us spent hours daily in front of a screen, looking for fulfillment that once came from personal relationships with Jesus Christ, friends, and family. The hope of finding anything more uplifting than momentary pleasure in the internet or in an app is a false hope. At most, one might find a pale substitute for face-to-face relationships. 

Real significance is derived only from personal interaction with God and with others. Texting a loved one, whether it be a spouse, or a parent, or child, is fine in a pinch, but how long would a marriage remain stable if we ignored time with our spouses? How would a child grow up who never knew a personal touch of a parent?

How would we grow our relationship with Christ if we never bow in prayer?

Do not swap time with your earthly family for time with your electronic devices. Do not swap time with God for time with your handheld false gods. 

Lock yourself away from all electronic devices, grab a Bible – in book form – and bow down in prayer. 

Fear Not, for God hears you. He will answer your prayer. 

Source

The purpose of the book of Joel is to call the people of Israel to repentance. In chapter 2, he pairs repentance with fasting. If you sit in a typical Protestant church in 21st century America, though, and one will rarely hear a sermon on repentance, and may never hear a message on fasting. 

In our first lesson on fasting, we learned that a fast that pleases God includes charitable actions towards the needy. In the second lesson we learned that a fast was not simply a desperate petition before God, but also a way to grow close to God. In this post we learn that the repentant can and, perhaps, should fast.  

I wrote yesterday that God knows our needs before we ask. He doesn’t need us to fast to call attention to those needs. He also knows the heart of a repentant sinner. If that is the case, then why fast? God knows our hearts and minds better than we do. 

It is the same for prayer. In Luke 18, Christ tells the parable (vv 1-8) of a widow who begged a judge persistently until she received an agreeable answer to her petition. Why would an all-knowing God expect us to be so persistent in prayer? Why is it that God asks sinners to repent? Why would He pair repentance with fasting? Why would He relate fasting with charity?

Am I making it too complicated? Maybe we should just leave it at this: we should simply skip a few meals, lose a pound or two and go away feeling good about ourselves. Sure… do that if you want to continue to live a shallow life. 

If you want to grow to be more like Christ, then follow along. Christ’s example to us is two-fold. His actions can be cast in two extremely broad categories. One, He perfectly obeyed the will of His Father. Two, He was the perfect servant of others. 

If you, like me, wish to be more like Christ, then spend time in prayer and fasting. Fasting when we have sinned, teaches us true heartfelt repentance, which, in turn, teaches us to obey God. Fasting when we have a dire need, brings us closer to God, which in turn leads us to more perfectly obey God. Pairing our fasts with charitable acts leads us to more readily serve our brothers and sisters. Prayer and fasting makes us more Christ-like. 

Do I need to prove my need to God? No. Do I need to prove my repentance to God? No. Do I need to grow ever closer in my love and obedience to God? Yes. And I can start through proper biblical prayer and fasting. 

Source

Why fast in the first place. I asked several Christian friends about their fasting habits and most said they hadn’t fasted ever, or in years. It seems they had no need to fast. I think they don’t completely understand fasting. 

They understand fasting like this: Christians fast when they have a dire need of an action or answer of God. That is true, as far as it goes. Moses fasted on the mountaintop, awaiting God’s word, the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). Samuel and all of Israel fasted before facing the Philistines in battle (1 Samuel 7:6). The early church fasted before sending out Paul and Barnabas. 

So, why does one need to fast when we have an urgent petition before God? Is it to prove to God that we mean business? Is it a bargaining chip? 

No. God knows our needs before we ask. Often, we receive more abundantly from Him than wet would have dared to ask. 

Then why fast? Two reasons. Firstly, we fast because Christ both commands it and sets the example for it. Secondly, we fast because it allows us to spend dedicated personal time with the Master. Urgency may dictate a fast, but it is not the only reason to fast. 

Don’t have time to pray? That’s funny… We almost always have time to eat…

Have a dire need? Skip a few meals. Draw close to God and tell Him all about it. 

Source

I’m one of those guys who cannot pass by a homeless person, a beggar, someone in need, without helping. When I first got married, I also picked up every hitchhiker I saw. My wife cured me of that. I can’t give much, but. I give as I can, when I can, to whom I can. 

This day was different. Uncharacteristically, I didn’t stop. I couldn’t; I was late and in traffic at a busy intersection. This woman’s tears, though, broke my heart. Still, I couldn’t stop. 

Her face haunted me all day. I failed her. No, I failed God. I gave her nothing because I was too busy. Running late. Too much to do. Not enough time. People waiting on me. Too many irons in the fire. Couldn’t hold up traffic… You get my point. 

All I could do was say a prayer. “Send someone to help her, God.”

“That’s why I routed you past her, so you would see her and help her,” He said. 

“I couldn’t. Send someone who has more time.”

“Time,” said God, “is the only thing that you, my children, are given in equal amounts. You all have the same amount of time in a day.”

—–

I will never forget How scared she looked, how alone. How helpless. Most of us, myself included, are one or two paychecks away from a situation similar to hers. 

Lord, help us to make better use of the time you’ve given us. Help us not to be so scared when the wolves are howling outside our doors. Help that woman, wherever she is today. Send someone to her not quite so calloused as I was that day. 

Sounds are rushing

Noises crushing

Telling us this
Telling us that

Too many voices 

Too many choices
Better not miss
Better stand pat

Good Shepherd, wolves circle round. 

Can’t you hear our fearful sound?
We cry out in the dark of night. 
Lead us into the daylight. 
For, we are lost without your love. 

– S Hager 2016 

Source

It amazes me that a man with Peter’s flaws could go on to be such a man of God. His story is one of God’s mercy and grace. He exemplifies Apostle Paul’s assertion that God chooses the lowly and despised (1 Corinthians 1:28).

So, if one looks at the writing of Peter, what can we take away from his message? If we condense his work into one verse, it may be this:

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to [the return of Christ], be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

-2 Peter 3:14

To Peter, holiness and godliness were not an option. Our fear of God leads us to a deep relationship with God. Our relationship with God leads us into His love. Our love of God compels us to obey Him. Our obedience to Him allows Him to bestow upon us His holiness.

How, though, can I, a weak and sinful man, ever hope to achieve a close enough relationship to God that my sole desire is to please Him? The truth is, God has already given us the tools necessary to live a godly life.  Peter assures us of this earlier in 2 Peter 1:3

…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

What are those tools? Prayer, The Word of God, and fellowship with fellow believers. Peter summarizes this as the knowledge of Him who called us. How do we obtain knowledge of Him? Through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers.

How do we live a holy life? Get to know God so well that our love for Him outshines our desire to sin.

Source

In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up. – Psalm 5:3

    
For years my wife would wake up before me, and sit down with a cup of coffee and her Bible.  If she failed to begin her day that way, she found herself lacking.

  There is something special about the morning, especially dawn. Before I rise, I pray, and thank God for a new day, a new beginning, for life, for breath. If I don’t, I may not find time in my day to devote to Christ in prayer. 

When is that special prayer tune in your life? Morning? Evening? Bedtime? 

Source