Well, when Jesus healed that blind man who was blind from birth, He made it clear that no one's sin was the reason why the man was born blind. He did not blame it on the man's parents. Also, we have cases of women in the Bible not being able to have children . . . at first . . . but it is not indicated that they were against God.
But we have James 5:16 >
"Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)
And in certain cases Jesus did seem, to me, to say someone was forgiven and therefore healed; and do not sin any more or else a worse thing could come upon you. Also, we see how demon-possessed people could have major medical problems connected with being demon possessed.
So - - how is it, then, now, that if anyone has medical issues, ones always assume that every one could not possibly have any sin problem, at all, which could at least . . . somehow . . . be contributing to their problems? If you get the diagnosis right, often enough, now you can understand what you need to do . . . what will work. So, why ever would people just automatically deny . . . every time . . . that any medical problem could not possibly have some sort of sin involved????
I mean . . . we all are not perfect; we all can do ourselves in, then, somehow . . . more or less . . . including by being automatically in denial about how sin can mess in us.
But I think I have needed to understand, in my praying, that James 5:16 means how God has us doing this, or it won't work.
Among other things . . . if we pick and choose what we dictate is wrong or not . . . "obviously", this "might" not work. And in case we try to use confessing and prayer for convenience, so then we can live the lives we want to live . . . this, too, needs to be confessed!!
And then there is the deception about emotions. There are people who actually are pushing that no emotional troubles could ever be because of sin. But I have discovered that the Bible says Satan's spirit "now works in the sons of disobedience," in Ephesians 2:2. So, every disobedient person, I now consider, has the evil spirit of disobedience working in that person to get him or her to disobey God. And I consider that, even though I am not a child of Satan . . . still, his wicked spirit can find my weak spots and get the better of me.
And Satan has emotions, and his evil and selfish and pleasure seeking and dictatorial spirit's emotions can work very hard to drive people to seek pleasure and to argue and seek revenge and to self-righteously criticize others < like I still can, often hiding this only in my imagination > and his lying spirit can have us enforcing our denial.
There are ways of reacting which are directly anti-love and how Jesus would have us relating >
"with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2)
And there are passions and emotions and stinking thinking and cruel feelings which are designed to keep us from being deeply quiet with God in sensitive sharing with Him in His own love.
"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)
I offer that these negative and wrong things are not only medical problems.
But ones can handle healing in the wrong way. I have known people who will preach and scream healing . . . but while in themselves they are not in love's "gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (in 1 Peter 3:4)
And so, we might consider what healing James 5:16 is talking about. We can be "healed" of whatever in us makes us able to sin, and in sin's weakness makes us able give in to troubling emotions so we suffer in various nasty and cruel feelings. And the nag-ative messing which can drive us to use pleasures to make us feel better, and try to feel something different, by seeking excitement and entertainment - - instead of getting real correction (Hebrews 12:4-11) so we enjoy Jesus Christ's "rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-30). And so James 5:16 means, I now think, becoming "healed" together with God in His own love (Romans 5:5) which is all-loving and therefore will have us also loving any and all people as ourselves . . . not only loving our favorite family people and friends and people we use > "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" (in Matthew 5:46).
So, we're not talking only about managing anger and evil desires and drives. But God is almighty to easily get rid of that messing and nasty stuff. I have been involved in various sorts of perversion and cruelty, in my past, and things of that can come back to violate me. But I understand that it is not God's will for me to only hold it in or find some so-called way to express it creatively. But trust God to flush that stuff to the flaming sewer which burns with fire and brimstone, and do not have anything to do with it. And at times in moments God has removed wicked and evil things, so cleanly that moments later I forgot I had the problem. And so, since I forgot I had the trouble, I would not remember to thank Him!! And He would need to remind me so I could thank Him
But what really works is not only miraculous removal, but becoming strong in the character of God's love, which makes us naturally immune to sin-sick stuff. This comes with growing in Jesus > Galatians 4:19 > so that, more and more, we are "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." (in Ephesians 6:10)
So, what is really heretical is to use healing to make a name for myself and make money. And it is heretical to try to get healed only so I can do what I want. It is heretical to try to get healed, but not first being interested in pleasing God. So, in case a ministry is promoting healing mainly so you can get what God has for you . . . this is helping people to be mainly concerned about themselves, instead of caring as much about others as themselves, and they are not first about being pleasing to our Father. So, this would be heretical.
But, also, it could be heretical to be telling people that their personality trouble could not possibly have sin involved . . . when in fact the Bible says that Satan's evil spirit (Ephesians 2:2) does work in "the sons of disobedience". And there are various personality problem things which do keep people from obeying how God would have us please Him and love any and all people as ourselves. And you might consider how ones can throw this out, then get nowhere in trying to diagnose and treat personality problems and addictions. If you do not diagnose a problem correctly, how can you understand what is needed and what does work????
God's correction works > Hebrews 12:4-11 counsels us to actively seek our Father for His correction.
God's love "casts out fear, because fear involves torment" (1 John 4:18). At the root of personality torments, I keep finding there always is some sort of fear. Now, if this is correct . . . you get rid of the torment, only by means of how God's love gets rid of the fear at the root of the torment. Plus, it gets rid of however the torment could be contributing to medical issues.
James 5:16 works > mutual confession with mutual healing prayer. This, I understand, is mainly for healing which is spiritual, I consider > including getting "healed" of what is spiritually wrong character and the emotional trouble which comes because of the evil spirit of disobedience sharing Satanic, unloving emotions with people >
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)
God's love "in our hearts" (Romans 5:5) shares with us His own sweetly soothing immunity almighty against sin-sick stuff. But this does not come only with instant quick-fix physical miracles, but with correction and curing of our nature in this love. And then the Holy Spirit of resurrection will effect our bodies, howsoever He pleases. But most of all is how we need to become, in our nature so we are sweetly pleasing to our Father >
"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)
