Tues Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” James 5:14-15

Before we really get into the meat of the message today, I want to make sure I explain where I am coming from. I want you to be clear up front on what I do and don’t believe about the matter of healing. I believe in faith healing; I do not believe in faith healers. I believe that God still, supernaturally and miraculously heals.

In the above passage, James addresses those who are sick. I’m sure some who are reading this post today are dealing with sickness. Whether it is physical or mental, everyone can relate to sickness because we all get sick. Sickness affects believers and unbelievers. Sickness comes to atheists and agnostics. It affects everyone.

According to James, what is the first thing we are instructed to do, as believers, when we face sickness? We are called to pray. And at times, we are called to ask the leaders of the church, the pastors and staff and others, to come together and pray over us. Now don't misunderstand what I am saying; God uses doctors, medicine, and technology to heal, but all of these are tools in the hands of God.

Let me say it again. There is nothing wrong with going to see doctors and using medicine. Anyone who says you shouldn’t because that shows a lack of faith is ignorant of what the Bible teaches about both healing and faith. The thing I want us to embrace today is to know the difference between putting our faith in doctors to heal, and placing our faith in God to heal. All healing is of God whether your healing comes through fresh air and sunshine, vitamins and proteins or medicine and technology. It all comes from God. It may be the hand of the surgeon that holds the scalpel, but it is the hand of God that holds the surgeon.