“Sometimes Sickness Is a Blessing in Disguise”
by Gloria Copeland
As you can probably guess, I can’t stand man-made traditions that rob people of the truth that Jesus took their sins and infirmities on the cross! They’re based on lies and they’re deadly to faith. The Bible says the traditions of men make the Word of God of no effect (Mark 7:13), so let’s continue with this series, Lies Christians Believe About Healing, so we can identify and eradicate any man-made tradition that is stealing our ability to walk in divine health.
Lie #3: Sometimes sickness is a blessing in disguise.
The only time people believe this tradition is when they’re in church, and they only treat sickness like a blessing when they’re around their religious friends. The rest of the time, they’re trying to get rid of it. They’re going to the doctor, taking medicine and doing anything else they think will cure them.
Why?
Because, as every sound-minded person knows, sickness is never a blessing. It’s always a curse. It’s the work of the devil, and it came into the world as a result of sin. The Bible confirms it. In Deuteronomy 28, God described in detail the curse that came on people who broke His Old Testament laws and said it included “every sickness, and every plague” (verse 61).
But here’s the good news: As New Testament believers we’ve been set free from that curse! Jesus redeemed us from it. When He went to the Cross, He was “made a curse for us” so that the blessing of Abraham might come on us through Him (Galatians 3:13-14).
Isaiah 53:4-5 says it this way: “Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)…. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.
In my next article, I’ll continue this series, Lies Christians Believe about Healing #4. Until then, read Deuteronomy 28 and Galatians 3:13-14 and meditate on Isaiah 53:4-5. Get your thinking straightened out about the fact that illness is not a blessing from the Lord. Jesus died to set you free; don’t let anyone—not a family member, not a brother or sister in the Lord, not your pastor, not any preacher—convince you that His payment brings anything but complete and total freedom!
