7) Stay clear of doubt and unbelief
When we are struggling to lay hold of faith we are vulnerable to people's
unbelief. Many people and churches say they believe in God's ability to heal but
seldom if ever see God heal anyone. They neither know God's principles of
healing nor His power to heal. It is because of their ignorance that they are
filled with doubt and unbelief. The evidence of those in doubt and unbelief is
found in their words. They will oppose our faith as foolish and tell us that we
are believing in vain. They will tell us that the sickness will extend for
months or even years, because that was their experience or that of someone that
they know. They may even tell us that they have prayed for days or years about a
sickness yet had to endure the sickness before being healed by doctors, or the
normal length of time for the sickness to be naturally healed. Faith believes in
the unseen and speaks about that which is humanly impossible. Restrict the
amount of access and time these people have and do not allow them to speak words
of doubt and unbelief over you. Do not hesitate
to verbally say, "I do not
believe that" or "that will not happen to me," when they speak
death to you. Do not get into an argument with them. Just do not surrender to
their ignorance. Appoint a person to screen those that are allowed to visit. We
should not be afraid to keep ministers away from us if they are not helping our
faith but hurting it. Positions in a church do not grant people special powers
to minister. People in authority should display supernatural abilities and power
before being appointed to a place of leadership in a church.
Spiritual thieves can kill us when we are weak. What is a spiritual thief?
Spiritual thieves are those who are Christian but are not doing what they are
suppose to do. I call them spiritual black holes (an intense absence of grace
that devours any grace that it comes in contact with). When we abandon our
relationship with God and just exist, we become a spiritual thief. The principle
of the body comes into play and we are robbed of spiritual power by those who
are spiritually bankrupt. This is what is stated in scripture, 1CO 12:26 And
if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored,
all the members rejoice with it. We can not remove ourselves from the body.
So our spiritual life is given to those who need it without us willing it to be
given. We are not able to afford this when we are fighting for our lives so we
must insist on our privacy when there is a sensing of spiritual drain. We should
also insist that these people not be permitted to pray over us or visit until we
have recovered.
Concerning the spiritually bankrupt, we must not completely reject these
people for we were in a similar place at one time or another without our
knowledge. As we mature the realization of giving our life for our brother will
begin to take on new meaning. It is not our physical life that we will give but
the spiritual life that we have labored for that we give. It must also be
understood that it is not just the weak or immature that we give to, but
whenever there is an imbalance of grace the one who has more gives to the one
who has less. This is life in the spirit. We should understand it and give
freely to those who have need.
8) Fellowship with people of faith
This is the converse of the last topic. We should have those who are faith
filled come and pray over us and worship with us. In doing this we receive grace
into our spirits that is able to strengthen us and help us to stand in faith for
healing. We may even receive a spiritual healing through the gift of healing
during a visit. The same principle that was addressed in the last section about
being part of the body comes into play. When we have a need we can receive from
others the life and power that is needed for our restoration. The problem that
currently exists is that the body is not allowed to exercise their gifts or come
into their calling. This retards the growth of all of the body. It is time that
we stop trying to control the body and allow it to grow as God intends.
