There is an interesting example in the New Testament of a backslidden believer who was delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (1 Corinthians 5:5)
This Christian was living in adultery with his mother-in-law and refused to repent and change his ways. The Corinthian church was priding itself on its tolerance and Christian “love.” As their spiritual father, the Apostle Paul wrote them a scathing rebuke with the following direction for the church leadership: If this person would not repent, then the church’s protection was to be lifted off of him (delivering him to Satan), allowing evil to have its way in the man’s body. This was for one purpose alone – so that the man would experience a taste of the torment that awaited him for eternity by the kind of disease and destruction that happened to him physically. The intent was to turn him back to God before his spirit was separated from Him forever.
This was a serious matter, indeed. Notice it was Satan who would destroy the man’s flesh, not God. God’s lifting His protection was necessary because allowing the man to continue the way he was going would mean eternal torment and separation from God.
Can you see the love of God revealed here? Paul resorts to this extreme measure only because nothing else has worked to stop the man in the direction he is going. God is interested in our physical health, but He is more interested in our spiritual life. Fortunately, if we walk after God, we do not have to pick between the two! As we seek to obey Him, it is His great delight to give us the blessings of health and long life. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation. (Psalm 91:16)
I hope no person reading this is in a similar state as the person cited above. (By the way, we find out from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians that the man repented and was restored to fellowship.) If that does not describe us, we should not allow the enemy to lie to us that our sickness comes from God to “straighten us up.” There is not one time in Jesus’ ministry that He told a sick person to remain in their sickness so that they could learn something. Do you think that every person Jesus healed obeyed God perfectly all of the time? Of course not. We need to walk in the light we have, but our trust is in Jesus’ perfection obtained for us as the basis for our faith.
Jesus always attributed sickness and disease to the work of the enemy, and healing to the work of God. Jesus wasn’t confused; don’t you be either! How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing (healing is good!) all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)
Confession: Healing is good! I receive God’s goodness by receiving His healing power.
Scriptures for meditation: Psalm 91; Acts 10:38
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Copyright © 2007 by David Hagni. All rights reserved.