James 5:14-15—A word to the sick

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and viagra express envio generico they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the lawyerrescue.com lasix prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. James 5:14-15

Is anyone among you sick?

Sickness. Its oppressive grip was rampant in James’ day, and despite today’s “miracle” of modern medicine, it remains one of humanity’s most vicious foes. In contrast, the topic of healing is all over the Bible, and the good news is this: God specifically saw fit to include your healing and mine in the atoning work of Jesus.

The fact that sickness still stalks the earth in our time does not negate the truth that the apostle Peter so eloquently shared in his first letter, borrowing from Isaiah 53: “…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).  Matthew’s gospel also borrowed from the cialis cz.icfds.com same chapter: “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases’” (Matthew 8:16-17). The bottom line is this: By the wounds of Jesus you were healed, just as you were saved due to His atoning death and triumphant resurrection. You access both—healing and salvation—the same way: By grace, through faith in Jesus (see Ephesians 2:8).

So what do you do if you are sick, and despite praying, you just can’t seem to shake it? James gave clear instructions.

Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him…

If you’re sick, it is very appropriate to request prayer from the leadership in your church. In fact, James wrote “he must call”, lending urgency to his instructions. Don’t neglect that important aspect of church life if you are struggling with symptoms. Sure, see a doctor; but get the big guns of pastoral prayer behind you as well as you seek your healing.

…anointing him with oil…

Why oil? Oil represents the anointing of God, and it is a tangible, physical sign to you of your stand of faith. If symptoms persist or come back, you have a point of reference from which to position yourself; you can declare to your body, your mind, the devil, and the Lord: “I called for the elders of the church and they prayed over me, anointing me with oil in the name of the Lord. I’ve done my part, and I’m sticking with it. God, You are faithful to stick with Your part, and devil, in the name of Jesus, you must stick to your part—to flee from me. And good news, body—you get to stick with your part—to be wonderfully healed, you blessed thing!”

…in the name of the Lord…

When the leaders pray over you, they will pray in the name of Jesus, that name which is above every name. At His name, every knee must bow; every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (see Philippians 2:9-11). And it’s not just physical knees that have to bow—every spiritual knee must bow as well. You hold fast to His name; those symptoms are subject to the name of Jesus, and to His name they must bow.

…and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up…

Much has been said about the prayer of faith. One thing that the prayer of faith was never meant to be is a club to beat you over the head with as inadequate or defective when your prayers are yet to be manifested. No, that’s the devil’s scam; don’t dance with him to that tune.

A note about symptoms—they come and they go. I am learning not to ask my symptoms if I am healed. I have all the information I need on the topic straight from God’s Word. I know that the Lord is the Healer; I trust Him to work mightily in my mortal body as I look to Him. Again—don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek out a doctor; just make sure you also get the full-force of the Word and the prayer of faith behind you with every symptom you face.

The Lord is in the restoration business. The prayer offered in faith is designed to restore you and medicaments en vente libre priligy bagheram.fr raise you up. Don’t shy away from receiving prayer for your body due to fear that it won’t work; it is written that the prayer offered in faith will restore you. Again, don’t ask your body if that prayer is working—take God at His Word, and trust that He’s working inside of you. When you are raised up out of that sickness, He will get the glory—and you’ll be the picture of health.

…and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

God is so good. Sometimes—but not all the time—we bring sickness on ourselves with unwise  or ungodly choices. Here’s the good news: if you have committed sin—even if your actions opened the door for you to get sick—that sin will be forgiven you. What wonderful relief! The powerful one-two punch of this kind of prayer is that you get to watch the door slam shut on both the sickness and the sin—and you get freed from both.

Are you sick? Don’t hesitate any longer. Call for the elders of the church and have them anoint you with oil in the name of Jesus. That prayer, offered in faith, will restore you—and the Lord will raise you up. And bonus—if you’ve committed any sins, they will be forgiven you.

Dorothy

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases…Psalm 103:2-3