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The Attack

 

An attack is forceful and violent assault. Sin is Satan's attack on the soul and spirit of man. Sickness is his assault on the physical body.

In order to effectively battle against Satan's attacks on your physical body, you first must understand sickness:

The source of sickness.

The reasons for sickness.

Types of sickness.

The end results of sickness.


THE SOURCE OF SICKNESS

HEALING PROMISE TO CLAIM:

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.  (Galatians 3:13)

INTRODUCTION

There is one source of sickness, although there are varied reasons why a person gets sick. Paul verified this when he said "for this cause many are sick" (I Corinthians 11:30).

HOW DISEASE AND DEATH ENTERED THE WORLD


Genesis chapters l and 2 in the Bible record the story of the creation of man. God created man in His own image, breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Man was created with a triune nature of body, soul, and spirit. The body is the physical part of man. The soul and spirit are the spiritual parts which enable him to act, think, feel, react emotionally, and spiritually respond to God. Originally, each part of this triune nature was in harmony with the other two, and the entire triune nature of man was in harmony with God. Man was sinless and healthy in body, soul, and spirit.


Genesis chapter 3 records how the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, sinned against God by disobeying His Word. Their sin brought the curse of sin and death upon all men:

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Romans 5:12)

This curse of death was a spiritual separation between man and God as well as physical death which would end a man's life. We can see the effects of the curse immediately in the Genesis record. Adam and Eve hid from God because of the spiritual sickness of sin. Adam blamed Eve, which is the start of emotional sickness resulting from disintegrating relationships. Cain killed Abel, which is an example of social sickness. Physical sickness enters the record through the barrenness of Sarah and the plague upon Abimelech.

SATAN THE SOURCE

When the curse of death came upon man, Satan entered the genetic system of the body to begin his destructive mission. The Bible confirms that Satan is the source of evil in the world. Jesus said he is a thief and...

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy... (John 10:10)

Sickness destroys the body like sin destroys the spirit. Disease steals health, happiness, money, time, effort, and strength. It truly kills and destroys. Even "accidents" that harm the body are destroying agents of Satan. Because the source of sickness is Satan, you must resist it just as you do temptation and sin. When you resist temptation and sin, you are doing spiritual warfare against Satan's attacks on your soul and spirit. When you resist sickness, you are waging spiritual warfare against his attacks on your physical body.

THE DESTRUCTIVE ELEMENTS OF SICKNESS

Every disease comes from a germ of life. Just as your spirit gives life to the body, Satan provides the destructive elements of sickness. In the natural world, God takes a living cell and multiplies it to bring forth life and a new child is born. Satan counterfeits this positive process with a negative cycle of his own. He takes a living cell (virus, cancer, etc.) and multiplies it to bring forth death. This is the "spirit of infirmity" which works in your body when you are sick. When the spirit of infirmity is cast out, disease in your body dies. As long as that germ exists in the body, the disease lives and continues its destructive work.

Although every disease is not a direct attack of demonic spirits, the elements of sickness exist in the world because of Satan. For example, you might catch cold because you went barefoot in freezing weather. This is not a direct attack of demonic spirits, but the elements of sickness which result in your cold exist in the world because of Satan.

HOW GOD VIEWS SICKNESS

If you understand how God views sickness you will never again doubt its source. God calls sickness captivity:

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job... (Job 42:10)

Jesus came to preach deliverance to the captives:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor, He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. (Luke 4:18)

Jesus called sickness bondage:

And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? (Luke 13:16)

Jesus came to set people free with the truth:

And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)

The truth is that Jesus viewed sickness as oppression and healed those who were oppressed:

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil; for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

The Bible identifies death as an enemy:

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Corinthians 15:26)

Sickness is called loathsome:

For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease; and there is no soundness in my flesh. (Psalms 38:7)

It is also viewed as evil:

An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him... (Psalms 41:8)

There are verses in the Bible which indicate that God sent a plague or sickness. While God is not the original source of such ills in the world, He sometimes uses them to accomplish His purposes in executing judgment upon the enemy.

REDEMPTION FROM THE CURSE

You learned in this lesson that disease and death are part of the curse of sin, but Galatians 3:13 declares, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.” When Jesus died upon the cross, He took the curse of sin and death upon Himself and...

...as by the offense of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19)

Salvation and healing are benefits of the atonement made by Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus took the curse of sin, disease, and death in your place. Because He bore the penalty for your sin, you need not bear it. Because He bore your sickness, you need not bear it. Because He rose in resurrection life, you too shall rise! Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus said...

...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

When you receive Jesus as your Savior, the curse of sin is broken. Although you live in a mortal body which is subject to the attacks of both sin and sickness, you are no longer doomed by the curse. Jesus has redeemed you from the curse of the law! Whenever you question the source of sickness (or anything) that comes into your life, ask yourself, “Does it kill, steal or destroy?” If so, its source is Satan. “Does it enable me to live life more abundantly?” If so, its source is God. Also remember...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17)

Ask yourself: “Is this suffering a good and perfect gift?” If you cannot honestly answer "yes," then you must accept what the Word says: Sickness is not from God!

WORKING IT OUT

If you bring your opinion of sickness in harmony with God's opinion, how will you view sickness?

God is not the source of suffering but He can use it to accomplish His purposes. Study the following examples which illustrate this:

-The plagues of Egypt: Exodus 7-11
-Leprosy of Miriam: Numbers 12:10
-Illness of King Jehoram: II Chronicles 21:18
-Leprosy of Gehazi: II Kings 5:27
-Death of David's child: II Samuel 12:18
-Death of Eli's sons: I Samuel 2:34
-The suffering of Job: Book of Job
-Undeserved misfortunes of Joseph: Genesis 45:5-7
-Crucifixion of Jesus: Mark 14:35-36 and Romans 5:6-12
-Imprisonment of Paul: Philippians 1:12,19
-Paul's thorn in the flesh: II Corinthians 12:7

Think of a time when you experienced suffering. How did God use it for His glory?

God is not the source of your present suffering, but how do you think He might be able to use it for His glory? Pray about this.

What did you learn in this lesson that you can use to encourage one who is suffering? Share it with them.

Ask the following questions about your sickness or that of one to whom you are ministering:

-Does it kill, steal or destroy? If so, its source is Satan. (John 10:10)

-Does it enable you to live life more abundantly? If so, its source is Jesus. (John 10:10)

-Is it a good and perfect gift? If not, it did not come from God. (James 1:17)

Do you believe you have been redeemed from the curse of death and disease? If not, review this teaching again.

 

 

 

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