Regaining Lost Ground

Shane Idleman: The body's falling apart, you're just getting sick. The natural remedies, conventional, whatever, that might work. But if the illness is spiritually based—like a demonic attack or God is disciplining you—spiritual healing is required. No doctor, no diagnosis, no treatment, no protocol will work if it's spiritually based.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today on Regaining Lost Ground, we hear the second part of this transparently sobering message titled, A Fresh Perspective on Healing, Part 1. Theologian A.W. Tozer once said, "There is a difference between the God we think we believe in and the God who actually exists."

Do you struggle with prayer? Does it seem like you can't find the answers to why God sometimes heals and other times doesn't? Get those answers and more in this uplifting message from Pastor Shane as he shares a message of truth and hope. A sermon meant for you right now, here on Regaining Lost Ground.

You can hear the whole message at Pastor Shane's YouTube and Rumble channels. Make sure to subscribe today. For more information, visit us online at westsidechristianfellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with the Idleman Unplugged weekly podcast. And now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here's Pastor Shane Idleman.

Shane Idleman: Because here's the thing with faith. If faith heals you and we should never be sick, why do we die? Once you hit 80, is it just kind of you're out of luck? Before then, where do they come up with this doctrine? It really confuses people and it hurts people because they're left thinking their faith fell apart because they thought God was always going to heal. We should be expecting, we should be petitioning, we should be trusting in God. But here's the key: faith doesn't mean that I always hold the key that unlocks the door to healing. Faith means we are trusting the one who does hold the key. That's what the definition of faith really is.

Can you imagine if my faith is in control, everybody I pray for is healed? Well, what about if God is doing something different on 90% of those? What about God saying, "Shane, not yet. I've got to humble this person for a while." If I heal them, then I become God because my faith speaks things into existence. That is false doctrine. Faith must be underscored with the realities of the other truths of Scripture, which is God's sovereignty. Especially in the case of Paul, you have to wrestle with that. God said no, so his faith did not play a role. Here's another important thing: testing creates the testimony. Testing creates your testimony, and sometimes we have to go through a test. Sometimes that test takes a long time. For some people, it's short. For others, it's longer. For other people, it's a lifetime.

When Jesus rebuked unbelief, it was always because they rejected Him and His work. They weren't open. That's a far cry from a Christian saying, "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief." If somebody is struggling in their faith and saying, "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief," people go, "See, your unbelief. Jesus had harsh words for you." No, He had harsh words for a reprobate, lost society who rejected Him. Don't take Scripture out of context. You might struggle with unbelief, but it's not the mark of who you are. Another translation says, "I do have faith, please help me to have more." It doesn't take perfect faith, but surrendered faith.

There is the person who is very critical and mocks healing versus someone who struggles with doubt and fear. When you can get to a point where you surrender your faith and say, "Lord, I have faith, I trust You, I know You can, and I'm trusting Your sovereignty." If faith alone doesn't heal, then there must be another reason behind it, such as God is building faith, He's developing character, or He's developing growth. That usually doesn't happen overnight. Has anybody ever developed character? How long is it taking? Has anybody arrived after just a week or so? Anybody in the balcony? Somebody might joke and raise their hand, but nobody's going to be serious about it.

Character is a process, and that process can take time. Or there could be the need for repentance. I've noticed one of the best ways, almost one of the only ways, unfortunately, that God really encourages people to repent is if something happens. You think you're on top of the world, and you get the call that they're laying off everybody next week. Talk about soul-searching. You get that call from the doctor or an attorney or the court. Or there are people, even people who come here, who get that letter on the table and the spouse has packed up and gone. It leads to repentance. The same applies in this case.

Psalm 119:71 says, "It is good for me." I don't know if I like this one. You can look up that word "afflicted" in the Hebrew language. It can mean an enemy, but it can also mean an infirmity that God has struck them with, like He struck the nation of Israel when they sinned against Him with plagues. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. One of the best ways to learn God's word and to get back into it is to be afflicted. When things are going great, it's hard to humble ourselves.

So we see a tailor-made trial in the Old Testament with Joseph. God said, "Here's what I'm going to do in your life." You think you're ready next week. No, first you're going into a pit. You just told me I'm going to be a ruler. From the pit, he goes to Potiphar's house. He becomes a servant at Potiphar's house, then gets in trouble by the wife and they throw him in prison. What was wrong with God leaving Joseph in prison for a couple of weeks? How long was he in there? Two years? Three years? I'll let you figure it out. I'll come back. I know it was at least a couple of years because the guy never told them his ability to interpret dreams. He was there for a while.

I met a guy yesterday at the men's breakfast. David Jackson did a great job speaking at that. But I met a guy right here with an incredible testimony. I think he did 23 years locked up and he was supposed to get out in 2056. Three strikes, you're out. 81 years old. But God. It's unbelievable. So I said he's got to share his testimony sometime. Funny thing is, a former correctional officer comes up and they know each other. Can you imagine the correctional officer that was at the prison and the prisoner worshipping together? Unbelievable. Cindy, you know who it was. If anybody wants to know, ask Cindy. I was just in awe.

How early did he get out? Thirty years early. I'm hoping he's going to share his testimony on a Wednesday. He's just back, acclimated with life. Joseph was in prison for a couple of years, then he gets out, then Pharaoh raises him up and he becomes the second-in-command of Egypt. When people say they don't know, but God. But God. My favorite one right now is that there is no hope for California. But God. Maybe not. But God. You're lowering the bar a little bit there. You never know what God might do. He could bring revival to Sacramento and surprise all of us, or maybe it will remain challenging. I don't know.

I do know this: you need to vote. I think we have somebody here collecting registrations out in the lobby afterwards. That's just biblical to put the right people in office. I don't know why you shouldn't be political. What verse or chapter says that? When I say something political you like, then you agree. Give me this garbage about not being political. I've been good for the last three months, but sometimes you have to speak up. Isn't it true? Leadership matters. You ever put gas in your car? Leadership matters. You want companies to stay here.

Let's get back on track. Psalm 105:19 says regarding Joseph, "Until the time his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him." And that will happen to you, my friends. God will put something on your heart, and it might not happen next week or next month or next year because He's testing you. No matter how long that takes, no matter even if that dream dies, I will follow You. It tests you as the days progress, and the weeks progress, and the months progress. It tests you. Will you still remain faithful? Will you still hold onto your integrity like Job?

There's the testing, and that plays a role with healing often. There's a test. Will you become discouraged and disgruntled and begin to mock Me, or will you hold the line and still praise Me even in the storm? There's a testing that happens. Another great one is that King David was anointed king, but years passed. I want to say 13, but I'm just guessing. Look it up and let us know next Sunday. I'll give you some homework. But He said, "Okay, you're king, David." No, testing, testing, testing.

I remember the dream I had about preaching over a sea of people. It was 2001, I believe. I knew what God was calling me to do. I could see this. But your character's not yet ready. I don't think it's ever ready. You're constantly developing and humbling yourself, and God's shaping you. But He shows you where you're going, but it's the process of getting there that can take a lot of time. And the test isn't for God, but for us. Faith is aligning your heart with God's heart. The only person who's truly at rest has achieved it through conflict. There are no cheap price tags on going deeper with the Lord.

Psalm 25:3 says, "Indeed, no one who waits on the Lord will be ashamed." Indeed, nobody. If you wait on the Lord, you will not be ashamed, you will not be disappointed, let down, or humiliated. As you wait on the Lord: "Lord, show me, guide me, direct me." And this is important: if sickness is the result of something in the natural, the body's falling apart, you're just getting sick, the natural remedies, conventional, whatever, that might work. But if the illness is spiritually based—such as a demonic attack or God's discipline—then spiritual healing is required. No doctor, no diagnosis, no treatment, or no protocol will work if it's spiritually based.

Hebrews 12:6 says that God disciplines those He loves. Get back on track, doesn't He? My mom, she'd find anything. Like those little switches. I still have bad dreams of the almond orchards in Quartz Hill and there are lots of switches. You guys remember those back then? But what was the point? To stop the behavior. So God disciplines those He loves. And if you're in the discipline process, you can go take vitamin C, but it might not fix it. You can go to your doctor and get radiation, but it might not fix it. You can go do all these things, but it's a spiritual problem. Those things require spiritual tools.

The key, Proverbs 16:3: "Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established." Commit your works to the Lord and He'll make your plans secure or He'll cause them to succeed. You don't tell God, "Hey, Lord, here's what I'm doing now. Bless it." You ask Him what He wants you to do, and then He blesses it because you're committing your works to the Lord and then He'll actually guide your thinking. Have you ever had Him do that before? Like things that seem like, "How am I getting out of this? What type of job or career am I going to do?" And He establishes your thinking.

And then of course we know Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." So I don't know why I'm going through this, you might pray. I don't know why the Lord's delayed in His healing. Lord, I don't know, but I'm trusting in You with all of my heart. I'm trying to wake up the people falling asleep. I know who you are. I should get a squirt gun—one of those long ones. Next Sunday, the squirt gun's coming out to see how far that could go. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. That means you lay it down at the foot of the cross. You say, "Lord, everything: my finances, my emotions, my plans—Lord, I just trust You with all of my heart."

"And lean not on your own understanding." It's like propping up. "Okay, Lord, I trust You, but I'll handle this part. I'm leaning on my understanding." But that doesn't make sense. Anybody ever do that with God? That doesn't make sense. Now, if it's a foolish decision, God could be convicting you. But a lot of times God doesn't make sense when it comes to pursuing Him in the sense of what the world says to do. Because what I'm doing and how I'm fighting this doesn't make sense to a lot of people. That's not what we do. You should be doing this, this, and this. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct my path and your path as well. Praise God for that.

But don't be a "yeah, but" Christian. I get this sometimes. Maybe some of you said, "Yeah, Shane, but you don't know my situation." Some of you are thinking that right now, I bet. "But you don't know my spouse. Yeah, I know what the Bible says, but I've got to kind of handle this one myself." There's no gray area. This applies to all of us. But be warned, not everyone will agree with you. Again, not everyone will agree with you. I was going to give you a tailor-made trial in the New Testament, but we already talked about it. But we can at least put it up on the screen where Paul said, "God, You've humbled me."

It's actually a messenger of Satan was given. Did you know Satan works for God? You guys aware that he's under God's sovereignty? It's funny, Job says that the children of God were going to and fro and Satan came to God and God asked, "Have you considered My servant Job? You want to go mess with him?" I don't understand that one, but that's okay. I'll ask God someday. Like, don't ever say, "Have you considered My servant Shane?" I'm good. I've got enough to handle right now. But God allowed Satan to test him.

A messenger of Satan—God allowed this infirmity to come upon Paul. Why? Because Paul was taken up to heaven and revealed things that man cannot utter. Talk about prideful. It says there because of the abundance of the revelation that God has given me, a thorn was given to me to keep me humble. And God will do that often, especially for speakers. If I go speak somewhere, I know I've got to be careful. I'm not that articulate with dyslexia. I hate to read. That's why I couldn't go to Washington D.C. and read the Bible. I had to do it from video because there's no way I'm reading the King James for 12 minutes without messing up.

That keeps you humble. So God will allow things to keep you humble. Remember that. Or maybe I'll come up and I'll feel that something, it keeps you humble. So Paul was given this messenger of Satan to keep him humble. The Bible uses the word "infirmity." Infirmities: a physical weakness, a frailty, a sickness or a disease. And God said, "No, Paul. My grace is sufficient." And there are times—this might ruin somebody's theology—but there are times that God doesn't heal. It's not always on our command. Faith must be tested.

Let me close with some words here that you need to hear. Healing is a journey for some people. Many of you here listening even later will need to hear this. Healing is a journey, and answers don't come right away. Answers don't come right away. As a pastor, I've seen God heal people through conventional therapy. I've seen countless people healed when God led them to alternatives. I've seen God heal impossible situations, and I've witnessed Him call His saints home. Ultimately, all of us must bow our knee to God's sovereignty and trust in Jesus, the great physician.

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Regaining Lost Ground with Pastor Shane Idleman. You can find more information at westsidechristianfellowship.org. That's westsidechristianfellowship.org. And for all the latest on what God is doing with His ministry here, please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms. Westside Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of Regaining Lost Ground, where we are reminded daily: times change, truth does not.