The Theology of Sickness

     My pastor (and my father-in-law) preached a message Sunday night that ran right along the lines of my blog on keeping healthy. So, with his permission, I wanted to share it with you readers.  I hope you find it as interesting as I did.
     The Bible lists many reasons that sickness is allowed to come into our lives.  When sickness comes, our job is to determine the reason that God sent it and then act accordingly.

10 Biblical Reasons that Sickness Comes

#1.  Sickness unto Death   II Kings 13:14  Now, we all know that there will come a day that we will die, and we have to die of something!  We know that "it is appointed unto man once to die..." Heb. 9:27.  So, why do we fight it?  We need to be willing to determine if that is God's purpose in sending the sickness. Maybe it is just our time to go.  The doctors keep saying, "We could try one more thing." , adding more and more burden of expense to your family after you do go. If it seems that this is the time, take it gracefully. God will give you the strength you need.

#2 Sickness as a Chastisement for Sin Exodus 15:26  Often sickness is sent because God is dealing with an area of sin in our lives.  An illness should trigger an automatic reaction to search our hearts and see if there is sin that needs to be confessed and forsaken.

#3 Sickness for the Glory of God  John 9:1-3 Often God just wants to show His power in our lives. He wants to receive the glory for an illness that suddenly is healed and can only be attributed to Him! He delights in showing His power on our behalf.

#4 Sickness because of poor stewardship of the body.  Phil. 2:25-30 This passage mentions Epaphroditus  who had worked so hard for the work of the Lord that he neglected to care for himself and therefore became sick.  We often neglect the most obvious reasons that we get illnesses and they often come because of our lack of attention to the needs of our body. God created our bodies to  need a balance of nutrition.  When we lack something, the balance of our health gets out of line and sickness comes. Our current FDA approved foods lack the vital nutrients that our bodies need to function. Go back to the Garden of Eden and remember what it was that God intended for us to eat.  Food in its most natural state will keep your health in balance. Our bodies are a gift that God has given to us and we are to take care of them responsibly so that we are able to do the tasks that He has intended for us.  If we are ill, we will not be able to bring Him the glory that He desires.  How many people do we know that  have been put out of commission because they neglected the care of their bodies? Do you leave the care of your health in the hands of your doctor or do you seek ways to care for it on your own?  It is YOUR responsibility!

#5 Sickness to turn the heart toward God II Corinthians 12:7-10  God often sends sickness so that our hearts can be closer drawn to Him.  How many times have we seen the Lord work in the hearts of people when a serious diagnosis is given?  A life threatening illness will almost always get people to think of the future and how they need to be ready.  We have also seen many who have a malady that may last throughout their lifetime, and yet they work through the problem bringing glory to God by forgetting themselves and allowing Him to shine through.  Our example is the Apostle Paul, who had some sort of physical problem that he entreated the Lord for 3 times, yet, he allowed God to receive the glory. He learned not to see it as suffering, but as a special opportunity to be humbled and to allow God to be strong in his weakness.

#6 Sickness that comes as a result of guilt Psalms 32:3-4  A lot of sickness that is brought into our lives comes because of sin that we know of that needs to be dealt with. Our conscience weighs heavily and literally brings physical sickness as we agonize over what we have done and how we need to make things right.  Even worry can cause upset of the balance of health.  Taking care of spiritual needs is healthy!

#7 Sickness as a result of providential events Isaiah 38:1  Sometimes a sickness is sent because it is just part of God's plan for you.  He is in control and as we acknowledge His sovereignty in our lives we will realize that we can be used in any way by Him for His glory.

#8 Sickness that is incidental  Sometimes, we just get sick!  We come in contact with germs, they enter our body and we become ill. Our kids play outside and find bacteria and it causes problems.  There are sicknesses that just come because that is the way life is!

#9 Sickness that is communicable  Leviticus 13&14, Romans 1:27  The book of Leviticus is filled with laws that God laid down for the children of Israel.  God didn't just pull a bunch of "do nots" out of a hat. He had a purpose in every one of those laws.  Chapters 13 and 14 particularly deal with avoiding germs and serious illness that comes from contact with certain things.  Romans deals with sickness that comes as a result of sexual sins and the consequences of those.

#10 Sickness that is demonically induced  Acts 5:16; Job 2:7  The Bible obviously states that there are sicknesses that are brought on by demonic forces.    We believe that Christians cannot be possessed by demons, so this may not pertain to you. However, consider the story of Job.  Perhaps your sickness is a test of your faith.  God allows Satan to do things to test us to see how we will respond.  Will you respond in faith or in doubt? Will you allow the illness to strengthen your faith or cause shipwreck of your testimony?


    Keep these reasons in mind the next time you become sick or have been diagnosed with something serious. Search your heart and seek the Lord's purpose for the sickness. 


*Used by permission from Pastor Dan Deatrick.  You may listen to the entire sermon at:  http://www.fbcwayland.org/sermons

Vax-a-nation

     I have been dealing with a common childhood illness the past few weeks. (well, what used to be a common illness).  My kids have had the chicken pox.  We purposefully exposed them when some friends of ours had them about a month ago.  The kids were pretty miserable for a few days, though I kept my promise to let them watch movies all day. That really helped keep their minds off of the itching and discomfort. I'm not sure they would have chosen a shot over the illness!  Their cheerful spirits have returned and they are starting to scab over, so we are on the mend!     This whole process has made me review my beliefs about vaccines and the reasons I choose not to participate.  So, as a result, I did  a little research on not only the varicella vaccine, but on some of the others as well.

Reasons Why I Avoid Vaccinations



     1. Side Effects:  Have you ever read the lists of side effects that are given in the information that is included when you have your child vaccinated?  Of course, they are to assure you that these only happen in a very few children and they leave out the really dangerous ones.  Well, the US government has paid out more than $1.5 billion in its Vaccine Injury Compensation.  I'm pretty sure all that isn't for fevers and convulsions. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program is to help families of children who have been permanently injured or killed by a vaccine. Health officials consider a vaccine to be "safe" if there are no immediate reactions.  There are NO long term tests done on vaccine side effects. So, basically, your child is the guinea pig.  We have all heard about the supposed link between autism and vaccines.  Isn't it interesting that before vaccines were nationwide, the rate of autism in children was 1 in 10,000 and now it is 1 in every 50!!!  Pharmacists have spoken out that since the introduction of the varicella vaccine, the cases of shingles in young children have shot up.  Shingles used to be an adult problem but has now become quite common in children.  I'd rather have chicken pox than shingles any day!  I could go on and on about food allergies, ADHD, neurological problems, social problems, and even crib death that often can be linked to vaccines.

     2. Vaccine Ingredients:  I think you would be shocked to know what is contained in the vaccines that are being injected into children as young as 3 days old.  Here are some of the ones that many people already know about:   formaldehyde, fluid from calf skins, chick embryonic fluid (which must be egg white??), monkey kidney cells, aluminum, and mercury.  The one that really disgusts me is this: human cells, human albumen and human diploid cells.  These human elements are not taken from dead people.  These are specifically listed as taken from aborted fetal tissue.  Yes, your children are being injected with aborted babies. Many people think that the abortion issue is just a moral issue. Why do you think that abortion is such a big deal?  It is because it is a huge money making industry.  The babies that are aborted are sold to vaccine companies and used to make vaccines. The very thought of that just makes me cringe. "The love of money is the root of all evil." --even abortion.

     3. My health is my responsibility, not the governments. We live in an age where everyone wants to blame their problems on someone else.  Many turn to others to take care of their basic needs and think that it is the governments responsibility to take care of them. including their health.  When one gets a sniffle, stomach ache or headache, we run to the emergency room to get immediate relief, in whatever form that may be. So, when the doctor tells us to do something, we do it without question.  If one is told that they need to have a vaccine, they get it. 
  

      4. Just plain common sense... Did you know that the hepatitis vaccine is given to newborns before they leave the hospital?  Did you know that this particular strain of hepatitis is a sexually transmitted disease?? Did you know that it is so concentrated it is like giving 30 shots to an adult??? So, why are we almost forced to inject a baby with huge amounts of aluminum???  I am just as baffled as you are, yet if you refuse the vaccine, they send a counsellor to your bedside to almost twist your arm into getting your child vaccinated.  I am teaching my children to live a morally pure life.  If they get this disease, it is their own fault! I can remember when the vaccine called "gardasil" first came out.  (This is the one for girls ages 9-26 to guard against HPV--also a sexually transmitted disease.)  The first ads in magazine gave pages and pages of information about this disease, including some interesting facts that were obscured in all the lingo. "Eating fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of hpv." What? You mean I could eat better and avoid this problem (besides practicing abstinence, also never mentioned!)?  I found a quote that so appropriately sums this all up: "The best vaccine against common infectious disease is an adequate diet." so perfectly stated by the World Health Organization. 

    
     I know that this is a very hotly debated topic with many other issues not mentioned above.  Please, if you do vaccinate, don't take this as an accusation or ridicule.  Just, please, be informed.  Don't stop reading.  Make informed decisions. Be aware of the dangers that are out there.  Be prepared for pressure from doctors and nurses and health departments.  Be willing to sign a "religious waiver", even if your reasons for refusing aren't entirely religious.  For more information, I recommend that you "like" Dr. Tenpenny on facebook.  She posts many interesting articles on this very subject.  Do some research of your own. There are many in the health care profession who also refuse to vaccine.  There are also companies that are offering non-abortive vaccines if you feel you must vaccine.  Again, be informed,  be prepared, and keep healthy!