Isaiah 58:8
Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 

The complexities of healing cause many believers to question what is exactly the right way to seek advice.  To see a doctor, or live only by faith.  Mix faith and medicine?  Is going to a doctor showing a lack of faith?  I have met people from both extreme’s.  Some who trust only in medicine and leave G-D completely out of the equation all together and others who won’t go to a doctor except for maybe a bone setting.  Some of these from the latter category may only arrive if they’re knocking at death’s door (or not.)  I believe we have to have a balance.  We know historically that Luke was a physician.  We know Yeshua only had to speak words and people were healed.  He said we’d have the same capabilities as He and be able to perform even greater works than He did because He goes to His Father on our behalf.  (John 14:12)

I have been honored to help perform a miraculous healing here in Israel one time.  I don’t proclaim “I have the gift of healing” I was just used because I heard the voice of the L-rd tell me to go touch an injured leg.  While my hand was on her wound, the heat that came from my hand was incredible.  All she could exclaim was “the heat, the heat”.  And, her leg was indeed healed.  It was a witness to the Israeli doctors who had been trying to get this infectious wound to clear up for weeks.  They were concerned they were going to have to perform minor surgery.  After the healing, she never needed any more intervention again.  My phone rang frequently after that, asking me to come pray for the sick.  I went, in faith, but I honestly hadn’t felt called by G-D, I felt I was being called by man.  Who was I to doubt their faith?  I had no doubt of my own, seeing as I was used by the L-rd, but I know that sometimes He chooses a supernatural healing, and sometimes He allows a different route.  Why?  Only He can answer.  The Word says He administers His gifts as He wills. (1 Cor. 12:11) Yes, He is a performer of great miracles, and I will always walk in faith and knowing that I am authorized to do such as I’m led.  I do know that the Holy Spirit is not a person that is to perform tricks at any time I command Him to.  He is to command me, not the other way around.  If He has given a job for me to do, then He will do it.  In the meantime, I know that we are to seek by faith His intervention and there is nothing wrong with expecting the best from our Abba. 

There is also the aspect of natural healing.  For G-D gave us the herbs and natural foods.  (see Genesis 1:28-30).  This was G-D’s perfect will for mankind before the fall.  I’ve read testimonies of people who have beat cancer and other diseases by going all natural and all organic.  I believe their testimonies, while I’ve heard of others who tried and it didn’t work.

While I have great faith and believe in supernatural healing, I will never counsel someone whether or not they should seek a physician.  I will counsel that one be led by the Spirit.  If they are led to seek medical attention, I will always say, be led by faith, not by sight. 

Besides physical healing, there is emotional and spiritual healing as well.  Scientific evidence has proved that many of our bodily infirmities can be caused by or related to mental/emotional illnesses or that there is more to it that is unexplainable, or, otherwise, spiritual.  The first and foremost key towards bodily health is to be spiritually and mentally / emotionally well.  We must concentrate on our relationships with the L-rd and seek Him in all aspects of our lives.  If we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, we no doubt will discover the road that best suits our physical suits that house the Holy Ghost.  See deliverance, prayer and worship pages for spiritual and emotional healings as well as the bible study pages for diving deeper into the word of G-D.

I’m convinced that the L-rd does desire as perfect health as we can get.  I know we live in a fallen world, there are environmental issues, and the list can go on.  In a nut shell, this article is about what we can do to be led by G-D  and receive His best to prevent illness, and to feel as fit as we can.  I believe the L-rd wants us to treat our bodies as His sanctuary.  1 Corinthians 6:19,20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify G-D in your body and in your spirit which are G-D’s.”

One day back in 1998, I heard the L-rd speak to me.  He said, “I desire a pure vessel.”  I knew He meant spiritual AND physical.  If I am His temple, I better treat it gently and with respect.  I sought after all the organic produce, all natural foods.  We went vegetarian, juicing, then back to meats, but only chicken for a while.  There was the hormone free milk, & non milk, only rice dream, and vitamins, mineral water, distilled water.  Not to mention exercise, only cotton clothing, and every other environmental concern there could be.  I even cut ALL sugar out of our menus for a long time.  Can you believe my husband still became sick with diabetes?  This entire time in my life was certainly not wasted, and I won’t say it was totally stressful, but it did add some pressure, to my menu planning and for sure to the grocery bill.  I’m very glad I gleaned the knowledge I did, but I wish my focus wasn’t always fixed on such things during that time in my life.  I learned another lesson well learned in every other area of my life:  balance. 

I have finally figured out that there is grace because we live in a fallen world, not every form of food is going to be in it’s purest form.  I drink the required amount of water, I take in fresh fruits and vegetables, which I think is absolutely necessary, and I am active physically, even if it’s just doing some light walking.  I have learned the balance is not so much what I eat, but not to be given over to too much.  I allow myself to indulge in a sweet treat, but I make sure that I don’t eat if I’m not hungry.  If I’m aware of toxins in foods, I avoid them.  I get the required amount of rest needed and I treat my skin carefully by keeping it moisturized and using only natural products on my face.  I believe that the first and foremost reason that my health is excellent is because of my faith.  Until recently, I suffered from severe fatigue.  I went to doctors, I took loads of vitamins, I changed diets, and, everyone was convinced that I was so tired because I had mono when I was in the 5th grade for nine weeks.  For six weeks of that time I was bedridden.  I had to have a tutor come privately to my home to catch me up on school work.  I was told that I must have had some kind of lasting long term effects from the illness. 

Approximately three months ago from the time of this writing (January 2005) someone suggested that my exhaustion was  caused by a spirit.  I had never even thought of that-duh!  I heard what he said, but I didn’t want to believe it.  One day, I was exhausted, wanting to go to sleep again, and it was just 9:30 am.  (well, I had been up since 6 ya know!)  So, as I was telling Dov I needed to sleep he said, “not before we pray.”  Truthfully, I didn’t have the mental energy  nor desire to pray but I forced myself to sit with my husband and pray over our needs.  After about a half hour of  prayer time and being in the presence of the L-rd, I was greatly energized and I had no desire to sleep!  I questioned this and I thought that the next time that this exhaustion over came me, I’d try praying again.  It worked!  And the time after that.  I knew that I was being oppressed by a spirit of exhaustion.  I finally rebuked the spirit and told it to flee.  Today, I do not have to take a nap every day.  If I ever feel that exhaustion, it is usually from too little sleep.  I can go several days in a row now with out napping and having good, normal energy.  I do have moments of being tired, but not the exhaustion I felt before, and the constant grogginess that I suffered daily.  Some days I never felt as if I woke up.

I share this testimony with you to shed light that some of our problems are indeed spiritual.  For the problems that are truly physical, I do believe in our Great Physician, and His abilities to heal us with just a word.  I also accept His perfect will for our lives and that sometimes He uses doctors to perform His healings. My husband still takes his diabetes medicines, but for over a year now his tests have been text book perfect.  His doctor said, “it’s as if you were not a diabetic” but he doesn’t want him to come off meds just yet.  Dov can eat whatever he wants too-in moderation. It wasn’t always like this though.  One day in 1999, he collapsed on the bathroom floor in a diabetic shock.  It took several hours to get him the right treatment and then several more to pump him with fluids as his body was dehydrated.  My dear doctor friend told me that if I wasn’t home when this happened, it would have perhaps been the L-rd’s time to take him home.  For several years Dov struggled with his sugar levels, they’d stabelize and then they’d go weird again, either too high or too low.  He had lots of reactions to medicines and so many of them made him sick.  The “diabetes” reacted someday opposite of what it was supposed to do.  His sugars would sky rocket if he fasted, yet that symptom should have been only if he ate. 

Dov had a love for the L-rd and a walk with G-D blessed with insights into scriptures and he was gifted in prophecy and teaching.  However, he had some pains and trauma from tragic events in his life that he never really received healing for.  Even though he believe G-D could take it away, he never surrendered it.  Our personal life suffered as did Dov’s health.  One and a half years ago, the L-rd took Dov through this incredible experience.  He had a water baptism, and then three weeks later went through prayer deliverance.  When he finally confessed all that happened to him, he was able to let go of the past and the L-rd came in and overflowed in a miraculous way and Dov received the full healing he had always hoped for.  The Holy Spirit just flooded him and he’s never been the same since.  He walks in TOTAL victory today, and we both know he is already healed of the diabetes.  Hallelujah!

 I encourage all of you to seek His will and wisdom for your personal lives, treat your bodies as His sanctuary, and stay on top of you spiritual condition.  Be sure you are in communion with your Heavenly Father on a daily basis.  Go deep with Him, for He desires your company!  And be well!

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your  soul prospers.”
3 John 2

*For some suggestions on reading materials that are good resources to learn about good habits and the care of our bodies, see the recommended reading list.