HopeLives365

Mark Finley: When you deal with disease, trust God and follow these principles. You will find yourself drawn closer to God rather than drawn further away from him.

Voiceover: This is HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today’s message: How Christians Can Solve Their Health Problems. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with HopeLives365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: There are five lines of defense when you are dealing with disease. The first line of defense is a spiritual approach to disease; it is experiencing God’s presence. The consciousness that God is with us in every one of life’s challenges is life-giving. Understanding the presence of God in every one of life’s situations is healing itself. The sense that we are not alone when we face disease is therapeutic.

Look at these promises in the Bible. In Matthew chapter 28 and verse 20, Jesus puts it this way in the last part of the Gospel of Matthew. In the last words in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The consciousness of God’s presence when you are facing disease makes all the difference in the world.

Hebrews 13 verse 5 gives us the sense that when you are sick, God has not forsaken you. God is with you, strengthening, sustaining, encouraging, supporting, and uplifting you. The scripture says, “Let your conduct be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For He himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man can do to me.’”

So the Lord is my helper. Jesus says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” You may be suffering on a bed of illness. Your future may look dark, but Jesus can light that future. Jesus is with you. Now, what is the role of faith in disease? Sensing the presence of God is faith saying, “I know God’s going to heal me.” Well, the truth of the matter is he is going to heal you sometime.

He can heal you instantly, he can heal you gradually, or he can allow you to rest until the resurrection. But one day, you and I will be healed. One day we will walk streets of gold. One day we will live in a land where there is no sickness, suffering, sorrow, heartache, or death. Faith is the absolute confidence that a loving God has our best interest in view. It believes when we cannot see. It believes before we can see. It believes beyond what we can see, and it believes before others can see.

Faith is a relationship of trust in the God who loves us beyond what we can ever imagine, in the God who cares for us beyond what we can ever understand and arranges all the affairs of our life for our good and His glory. Faith is trusting God that He is with you when your eyes cannot see and when your ears cannot hear His voice. He is there present to uplift, sustain, and encourage you.

C.S. Lewis, the great Christian apologist, made a remarkable statement when he said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” In other words, he believed in Christianity just as he believed in the sun because when the sun shines, it illuminates the darkness and you can see everything else.

You can see trees, rocks, flowers, green grass, people, and shops. You see everything else clearly because the sun is shining. When the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus Christ, shines in your life, you see everything else clearly. Going through sickness, your first line of defense is a sense of God’s presence. This sense of God’s presence is healing and therapeutic. It brings life into the body.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, came to this conclusion: “Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life, even during terminal illness and less anxiety, depression, and suicide. Several studies have shown that addressing the spiritual needs of the patient may enhance the recovery from illness.”

As you sense the presence of God in whatever you are going through, that very conscious awareness brings life, health, and healing to the body. The first line of defense in dealing with disease is the conscious awareness of God’s presence, of trusting that your life is in His hands and that He will do nothing to harm you. He is there by your side to strengthen and encourage you.

The second line of defense is understanding one of three provisions that God has made for you. We are going to look at each of these three, but the second line of defense is understanding how to build our immune system to face illness. We see this in the Bible in 2 Kings chapter five. This reveals the story of Naaman, a Syrian military captain who developed leprosy.

In Naaman's household was a little maid who shared with him the story of the prophet Elisha. Naaman went to Elisha for healing at her encouragement. Elisha said to Naaman, “Go wash in the river seven times.” Naaman responded, “Look, I have rivers in my own country. I don’t need to go to your river to wash.”

Naaman’s servant was a very wise man and said, “Look, if the prophet would have told you to do some hard thing, you would have done it. Now go wash in the River Jordan.” Naaman went and washed in the River Jordan seven times and his leprosy was healed. God had Elisha tell Naaman to wash in the River Jordan because Naaman had to cooperate with God in the process of that healing.

This is not unusual. If you look at Jesus in the New Testament in John chapter nine, we find the story of a blind man. The disciples asked, “Who did sin? This man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus healed this blind man. John chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 say that Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva. He anointed the eyes of the blind man with clay and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.”

There are two basic similarities in both of those stories. First, very simple natural means were used to produce the healing. Second, the individual had to cooperate with God. This is the second line of defense when we deal with disease. We ask ourselves: what can I do to cooperate with God in harmony with the laws of nature to build my immune system so that I can fight the disease I am dealing with?

In the book *Ministry of Healing*, page 232, it states, “Those who seek healing by prayer should not neglect to make use of the remedial agencies within their reach.” One spiritual defense is recognizing the presence of God and seeking Him in prayer. A second line of defense is cooperating with God by doing everything we know to live in harmony with the laws of health.

It is not a denial of faith to use such remedies as God has provided to alleviate pain and to aid nature in her work of restoration. It is no denial of faith to cooperate with God and to place ourselves in the condition most favorable to recovery. God has put it in our power to obtain a knowledge of the laws of life. We should employ every facility for the restoration of health, working in harmony with natural laws.

When you deal with disease, you want to raise some questions. Is there anything in my life that I am doing that is tearing down this physical body of mine, making it less possible for God to work a miracle because my choices are not in harmony with His will?

Voiceover: We’ll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you’re enjoying today’s message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence His life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: What can I do to cooperate with God in building or optimizing the immune system? In the Harvard Health Letter, I picked up this gem from Harvard University called “Healthy Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System.” They say your first line of defense is to choose a healthy lifestyle. Following good general health guidelines is the single best step you can take toward naturally keeping your immune system working properly.

Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by life-giving strategies. Harvard University suggests you give up smoking because that is destroying the body. It is an unhealthful practice that makes the body less capable of having a strong immune system to overcome disease.

Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy weight. If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation; I would say do not drink at all. Get adequate sleep and take steps to avoid infection, such as washing your hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly. Try to minimize stress and keep current with all recommended vaccines. If you want to optimize your immune system, you want to do everything possible to cooperate with God.

First, you trust God. You take a spiritual approach and know that God is with you. You seek Him in prayer and place your life in His hands. Secondly, you do everything possible to cooperate with God by giving up any habits that are detrimental to your health. If you are eating a high-fat diet, you want to shift that diet to fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables.

If you haven’t been getting exercise, you want to get out there and start walking with your head erect and shoulders back. You want to get adequate amounts of water. If you have been smoking or drinking alcohol, you want to say, “Lord, give me the strength to give those up.” If you have lived a stress-filled life with little rest or sleep, you want to optimize your immune system by getting adequate rest.

The third line of defense is recognizing that God is the author of science. While you are trusting God and attempting to optimize your immune system, you explore every possible solution in medical science. God is the fountain of all wisdom and the source of all true knowledge. Science, rightly understood, is one of God’s healing agencies to reduce suffering and alleviate disease.

The word science comes from the root *scio*, which means to know. All true knowledge comes from God. The study of anatomy and physiology, as well as the causes, prevention, and treatment of disease, is a God-given science. Of everything God has created, the human body is the most marvelous. It is an infinite engineering intelligence.

Although God is the ultimate healer, He uses a variety of ways to heal, and one of those is 21st-century modern medicine. Wise men and women do not deny that God is the author of knowledge. Proverbs 15 verse 14 says, “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge.” God has given physicians the knowledge of how to deal with disease. All true science comes from God.

Proverbs 18 verse 15 says, “The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Medical science has its basis in wisdom that comes from God. So it is no denial of faith to go to a physician or to seek the best possible known medical treatment. It is no denial of faith to explore science because all true science comes from God.

Luke was a skilled medical missionary physician who was a companion of the Apostle Paul and used his medical knowledge in soul-winning. There is a marvelous statement in the book *Ministry of Healing* about Luke. He wrote more in the New Testament than anybody else. If you combine the book of Acts and the Gospel of Luke together, Luke wrote more in the New Testament than any other single writer.

Luke accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys, including to Philippi. Philippi was an amazing city near the sea. It was at the end of the Egnatian Way, which led from Philippi to Rome. It was a very wealthy city where many Roman soldiers retired and it had a very aggressive trade. Ships brought goods, spices, silks, and carpets from all over the world.

Paul attempted to start a Christian church there. He preached to Lydia, a wealthy businesswoman who sold purple dyes. Lydia accepted the gospel and began a small church in her house. Paul also converted a slave girl and a Roman civil servant. Paul was imprisoned there and, as he was imprisoned, he prayed and praised. Prayer, praise, and faith are the ingredients for which miracles take place.

The prison fell down and Paul led the Roman jailer to conversion. After Paul’s impact on that jailer, Paul was persecuted in that city and had to leave. But Luke, this doctor, stayed behind. *Ministry of Healing* says, “Luke, the writer of the gospel that bears his name, was a medical missionary. In scriptures, he’s called the beloved physician.”

It’s a wonderful thing to find a brilliant, scientific physician who is a Christian committed to Jesus. Paul heard of Luke’s skill as a physician and sought him out as one to whom the Lord had entrusted a special work. Luke accompanied Paul in his travels, and then Paul left Luke at Philippi. There, Luke continued his labor for several years both as a physician and teacher of the gospel.

In his work as a physician, he ministered to the sick and prayed for the healing power of God to rest upon the afflicted ones. Thus the way was opened for the gospel message. Physical healing is bound up with the gospel commission. In the work of the gospel, teaching and healing are never to be separated.

We find an example in the Bible of a godly physician who ministered to the physical needs of people using medical knowledge and scientific expertise. As he did that, their hearts were opened to the gospel. What is a line of defense for you when you have sickness? The first is a spiritual line: prayer, faith, and the presence of God.

The second line of defense is optimizing your immune system and using nature’s remedies to cooperate with God. The third line of defense is exploring medical options and every possible scientific remedy. Look at the best doctors you can find, especially a praying, godly Christian doctor. The fourth line of defense is understanding God's provisions for family, friends, and the church for support.

Voiceover: You’ve been listening to HopeLives365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at HopeLives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: You will find that disease is not something that separates you from God, but it can be a doorway to deeper faith and greater courage to see the hand of God working miracles in your life.