How can you solve health problems? Did you know Christians have distinct advantages compared to non-believers. Join Pastor Mark Finley as he reveals 5 lines of defense to combat disease and health problems from a spiritual and practical point of view.

<p>How can you solve health problems? Did you know Christians have distinct advantages compared to non-believers. Join Pastor Mark Finley as he reveals 5 lines of defense to combat disease and health problems from a spiritual and practical point of view.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Mark Finley

How Christians Can Solve Their Health Problems

As many of you know, I've been struggling with a pretty serious illness recently that I'll need to get treatment for.

When, as a Christian, you deal with disease, you begin to raise a lot of questions in your own mind.

1 of the questions of course is, Lord why me?

I've attempted to follow the principles of the laws of health.

Another question that is often raised is, if I have enough faith will God instantly heal me?

If I'm not instantly healed, does that mean that I lack faith?

Another question that is raised is, what are our lines of defense when we have a serious health problem?

And that's the area that I have really been focusing on.

I've come to recognize that sickness or disease can take place because of a variety of reasons.

First, because of some people's choices that they have made that have not been positive health-giving choices in their life.

Sometimes we bring sickness upon ourselves, but other times sickness is a result of the environment.

We live in an environment where our air is polluted, our water is polluted, our food is tainted with the chemicals.

And so there's the environmental factors, and also there are genetic factors that lead to disease as well.

And this all necessitates, of course, positive choices.

My topic is not how do you prevent disease, neither is it why do some people get sick who apparently follow the laws of health and others don't.

But here's what my topic is, dealing with disease.

Once you are sick, how do you deal with it?

We're going to pray, and then we're going to look at the 5 lines of defense in dealing with disease.

Father in heaven, grant to us eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to understand.

I know that there will be those that will watch this YouTube video who are struggling with some illness.

Help the things that I say and the experience that I've gone through to be a blessing to them, I pray in Christ's name.

5 lines of defense when you're dealing with disease.

The consciousness that God is with us in every 1 of life's challenges is life-giving.

Understanding the presence of God in every 1 of life's situations, that itself is healing.

The sense that we're not alone when we face disease is therapeutic.

Look at these promises in the Bible, Matthew chapter 28 and verse 20.

Jesus puts it this way, last part of the Gospel of Matthew, last line in the Gospel of Matthew, last words in the Gospel of Matthew.

Jesus says, I am with you always even to the end of the age.

The consciousness of God's presence when you're facing disease makes all the difference in the world.

The sense that when you're sick, God has not forsaken you.

The sense when you're sick that God is with you, strengthening, sustaining, encouraging, supporting, uplifting.

The scripture says, let your conduct be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have.

Now listen to this, for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

So we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper.

Jesus says, I will never leave you or forsake you.

You may be suffering on a bed of illness.

Your future may look dark, but Jesus can light that future.

Never, never, never leave you or forsake you.

Now what is the role of faith in disease?

Sensing the presence of God is faith saying, I know God's going to heal me.

Well, the truth of the matter is, He is going to heal you sometime.

He can heal you instantly, He can heal you gradually, or He can allow you to rest until the resurrection.

1 day, we'll live in a land where there's no sickness, suffering, sorrow, heartache, or death.

Faith is the absolute confidence that a loving God has our best interest in view.

Faith is a relationship of trust in the God who loves us beyond what we can ever imagine, in the God who cares for us beyond what we can ever understand, and arranges all the affairs of our life for our good and his glory.

Faith is trusting God, that he's with you when your eyes cannot see, when your ears cannot hear his voice, but he is there present to uplift, sustain, and encourage you.

Lewis, the great Christian apologist, made a remarkable statement when he said, I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, because by it I see everything else.

In other words, what he was saying is this, that I believe in Christianity just as I believe in the sun, because when the sun shines it illuminates the darkness and I can see everything else.

I can see trees and I can see rocks and I can see flowers and I see green grass and I see people, I see shops, I see everything else clearly because the sun is shining.

When the son of righteousness, Jesus Christ, shines in your life, you see everything else clearly.

Going through sickness, Your first line of defense is a sense of God's presence.

Now, this sense of God's presence is healing.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic came to this conclusion.

Most studies have shown, and I'm quoting the researchers there, that famed international health Center, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life, even during terminal illness and less anxiety, depression and suicide.

Several studies have shown that addressing the spiritual needs of the patient may enhance the recovery from illness.

So as you sense the presence of God in whatever you are going through, that very conscious awareness of God's presence brings life, health, and healing to the body.

So the first line of defense in dealing with disease is the conscious awareness of God's presence, of trusting that your life is in His hands, and that He'll do nothing to harm you, that he'll do nothing at all to keep you from enjoying life in all of its abundance, that he is there by your side to strengthen and encourage you.

It's understanding 1 of 3 provisions that God has made you, and we're going to look at each of these 3, but the second line of defense is understanding the first of the 3 provisions that God has given to us when we are sick.

It is understanding how to build our immune system to face the illness.

We see this in the Bible in 2 Kings chapter 5.

Naaman was a Syrian military captain who developed leprosy.

And there in his household was a little maid who shared with him the story of the prophet Elisha.

Naaman went to Elisha for healing at the encouragement of this little maid who said, if you were in my country with the prophet Elisha, I know you could be healed.

Elisha said to Naaman, go wash in the river 7 times.

Naaman responded, look I got rivers in my own country, I don't need to go to your river to wash.

He said, look, if the prophet would have told you to do some hard thing, you would have done it.

Naaman went and washed in the River Jordan 123456, and seventh time his leprosy is healed.

Why do you think God had Elisha tell Naaman to go wash in the River Jordan?

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How Christians Can Solve Their Health Problems

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