disease

Fresh Manna 2008 by Pastor Tim Burt

Matthew 8:17 “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

The other day I mentioned that I had just started to get over a five day bout with the flu. When you are coming out of something like that and you’re at that in between stage of the sickness – where it is ending and where you start to feel good again, life begins to pour back into you. It is at that stage you can see just how demonic sickness and disease is. And it is that – demonic! By that I mean that it’s part of Satan’s work in the earth.

Jesus often cast out demons and diseases at the same time. We see this in Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Satan often worked to possess people and when he couldn’t he’d try to hurt or take their life through sickness and disease. As Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief (Satan) comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

When we have been attacked with sickness or disease, the goal is to create weakness – to weaken our state of mind and body with the overall attempt of trying to steal our life. We all know that every sickness and disease does not end up in death, but they all do create a weakened state of mind and body. That is how I felt for those five days. It is in those times, especially when you are hurting, that thoughts and questions that are from the devil come as secondary attack. “Why is this happening to you?” “You aren’t living for God because if you were this wouldn’t have happened.” “Remember when you did __________ , well that is why you got sick. It’s payback because God is mad at you.” “If God loves you so much why aren’t you getting healed like the people in the Bible?” “God doesn’t heal today so why do you believe that mumbo jumbo?” “If you believe in healing you are out there.”

If you’ve ever heard thoughts like that, you are in good company – in company with Jesus. When Jesus went to fast in the desert for forty days, (Luke chapter 4) He was in a weakened state. It was precisely at that time, that Satan came to Him and said, “If you are the son of God, command this stone to be bread.” Satan was actually tempting Jesus to question whether he was the Son of God. Doesn’t that seem ridiculous? But, that is what he does to you and I in our weakened state. “God doesn’t care about you.” “Why would God do anything for you – look at all the times you are disobedient to Him.” “How can you even call yourself a Christian and pretend like God loves you.” “You a child of God – ha!”

In today’s Fresh Manna verse, it says, “Himself (Jesus) took our infirmities…” The Greek word for infirmities means – weak, feeble, or frail from sickness or disease. The promise of God’s Word is that Jesus took our weakness – our times in life where the devil attacks us and tries to discourage us. He took them so we don’t have to put up with the lies of Satan. Hebrews 13:5-6 “…for the Lord has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” What we should be saying in that weakened state is exactly that. “The Lord is my helper so I will not fear what man (or devil) shall do unto me!” Satan does not want us to have that perspective and he does what he is able to weaken it. That is the point of sickness and disease.

Today’s Fresh Manna verse finishes by saying, “(Jesus) bare our sicknesses.” He went to the cross, not just to take the punishment that we deserved for our sins and not just to forgive us of our sins, but to TAKE our infirmities and our sicknesses upon His body that Satan would attack us with throughout life. 1 Peter 2:24 “(Jesus) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.” If you saw the “Passion of the Christ” then you saw the whippings and stripes left on Jesus body that He took for you and I. He paid a high price for us to be healed. “…by whose stripes you were healed.”

When you are in a weakened state because of sicknesses, it can be hard to be in remembrance of this truth but grab your Bible and read these truths for yourself and begin to meditate on and thank the Lord for what He did for you and me. He did what He did knowing we come to this weakened state when attacked. He took that too! “He took our infirmities” – our weaknesses and the temptation to believe less when we are hurting. Jesus is our Healer today! He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith! Glory to His Name!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/