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Archive for December, 2013

Basics on the Origin of Sickness and Disease

Rom 5:12-13

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. (NIV)

When God created Adam and Eve they were created in His image, they were perfect. He then placed His perfect creation in a world that knew no sin; there was no sickness, disease, decay, or death in the world. It wasn’t until Adam knowingly transgressed against God that sin entered the world. Satan didn’t make Adam sin, he didn’t trick him, Adam was fully aware of what he was doing. He entered into the sin of his own will and by doing so caused sin to enter the world.
Now the Greek word for sin used in the previous verse in Romans is “Hamartia” which is a noun, (people, place, thing) and not a verb. The connotation here is that sin itself entered into the world and took dominion of it. With this sin came sickness, disease, and death, and it’s been wrecking havoc ever since; and not just with man, the whole earth has been placed into the bondage of sin against its will. (Romans 8:20) Sickness and disease came from sin, which originated with Satan, it did not come from God!

For our purposes in this book we will say that there are two main causes for sickness and disease, but both fall under the territory of the enemy.

Natural: Caused by viruses, bacteria, lifestyle choices, injuries.

Demonic: Caused by a spirit of infirmity, affliction, or a curse.

John 10:10

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

 Satan is the thief and his only purpose in his dealing with man is to kill, steal, and destroy. Sickness and disease clearly fall into this category. Jesus however, came that we might have life and that more abundant. It becomes really simple, if it causes killing, stealing, and destruction it is from Satan, if it brings life, peace, joy, then it is from Jesus.

In many teaching you are told to try and differentiate between the two, meaning you will deal with them differently. Practically speaking, it doesn’t really matter, you deal with them in the same way because they both originate from Satan, they are all illegal.

 1John 3:8

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

 The purpose Jesus came was to destroy the works of the devil. He came to destroy sickness, disease, and death. That is why we can confidently say that sickness and disease never originates from God. God would not cause something that Jesus would have to pay the price for. We also know from scripture that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. Sickness and disease which is darkness can not originate from light. LIGHT ALWAYS DESTROYS DARKNESS!

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Matt 12:25

25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (NKJV)

  • If God heals but also makes sick, His Kingdom is divided.  Therefore He doesn’t cause sickness.
  • If God gives life but also kills, His kingdom is divided.  Therefore He doesn’t kill.
  • If God blesses but also curses, His Kingdom is divided.  Therefore He doesn’t curse.
  • God Never uses sickness to teach us.  He has the Word (2 Tim 3:16), the Holy Spirit (John 16:13) and the Anointing (1 John 2:27) to do that.
  • If you say God uses sickness to teach, you might as well call the Word (Jesus), the Holy Spirit, and the Anointing (Position in Christ) a disease.
  • If God were to use sickness as a lesson, then you should pray for the symptom to worsen so you can really learn your lesson.  If you believe God teaches through sickness, then you are in conscious willful rebellion against His will if you go to the doctor to seek help or ask for pray for healing.

 Conclusion

All sickness and disease comes from sin, not necessarily your sin directly but because we live in a fallen world. You can be confident that God did not give you that disease, not even to teach you a lesson, and it is always His will for you to be healed. Jesus even paid the price for you to be free. By His stripes you have been healed!

Category:

Christian Life, Healing

Help! I’m Not Being Equipped

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Recently I have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people who seem to be dissatisfied with their walk with the Lord, and lately many have been coming to me stating their desire to be further equipped as a son of God. Many are frustrated, not feeling as if they are being properly equipped; feeling like they are losing ground and that time is running out. Now I understand the frustration, it can overtake us all if we are not careful, but let’s not allow frustration to cause us to focus our discontentment in the wrong direction or towards the wrong person. If we are not being properly equipped, where does the fault lie?

Ephesians 4 states that Jesus gave the five-fold ministry gifts (four fold if that makes you a little more comfortable) for the equipping of the saints. So it is clear that it is the responsibility of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, preacher, and teacher to each perform their roles in helping the individual come into the fullness of which he/she was created to be and the body as a whole come into the knowledge of the son of God and whole measure of the fullness of Christ. It is their job to equip you, but is it their responsibility to make sure you are equipped? Let me say it this way.

Disclaimer: I want to stop here and say the reason I’m writing this at 4a.m. is because I have struggled with not wanting to write about this knowing that many will make assumptions that I talking about their situation or their church, or even the church I attend. Let me say this IS NOT targeted at any one situation or place. I talk to people all around the world and this is a response to the general discontentment, not any specific case or place! Now back to the show.

The ones who have come to me as of late are frustrated with those who they view are responsible to ensure they are equipped. They feel they are not getting what they need. This frustration turns into accusations against the leadership they feel is responsible to equip them. I understand they are frustrated but is it their leaderships fault? We must understand that the 5-fold is there to help you as you seek to become all you were created to be. They are there to help you, but it is your responsibility to get equipped. They are not to force any doctrine or truth on you, you are to pull it out of them. They are there to help you and to encourage you, not to push you. You are to see Christ in them and then put a demand on that area you need developed in your life. It is the placing of a demand that opens you up to Holy Spirit using them to equip you and transform you. If they try to come to you and push a teaching on you, especially if your are not ready, it will generally be met with resistance and be no benefit. As someone who has been used to help equip people, I can tell you when the demand is put on me it is easy and what the individual needs just flows out. When however, the demand is not there it is taxing and you feel like you’re pushing against a brick wall. When I teach and people are there just because they are curious but there is no demand, they may gain head knowledge but that’s all it is. However, when there is a demand from individuals it’s like deep calling unto deep and lives are transformed.

Now, I know some of you are putting a demand on leadership and still aren’t seeing any equipping. Don’t lose hope, don’t get frustrated, and don’t start judging those you feel are falling short.  Take time and look around. Maybe God wants to use someone else for that particular aspect of your growth. 1 Corinthians 3 tells us that one plants and another waters but it is God who makes it grow. That doesn’t necessarily mean God is causing you to leave your fellowship, just that with this portion He will work through another individual. Look for Christ in others and then put that demand on Him, He will meet your need!

So there you have it. Take responsibility for your own growth. Allow Holy Spirit to use whoever He desires to help equip you. Allow Him to use you to help equip others!

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Christian Life

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Video

Heal the sick podcast – Glen interviewed by Millian Quinteros

Millian Quinteros interviews Glen Hartline about healing and how he got started praying for the sick.

This is AUDIO ONLY.

Written

on December 18, 2013

Sovereignty of God

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Christian Life

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Faith of Fear

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In the times in which we are living; a time with the world’s economy falling apart and with wars and uprisings on just about every continent, it’s no wonder so many people are living in fear. I really believe that fear and the stress that comes with it is one of the leading causes, if not the leading cause of sickness and disease today. Scripture even says in Luke 21:26 that men’s hearts will fail them for fear, and for looking toward those things, which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Job 3:25 says what I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. In both of these instances things happened to people because they were afraid. In the one instance people’s hearts failed, and in the other instance, well, we all know what happened with Job. He lost his kids, livestock, pretty much everything except his life, oh yea, and his wife. But even she was trying to convince him to curse God and die. Anyway, fear was a major issue back then, and is even more of an issue now. Because fear and anxiety seem to be playing such an important role in the lives of men and women today, even Christians, it is imperative that we gain understanding as to what fear is, how we as Christians are to address it, and how to overcome it.

Fear is an unpleasant emotion like dread, fright, and apprehension that manifests as an expression of ones belief (or faith) that someone or something else has a greater ability to influence their circumstance than God.

Once while teaching on fear in a conference the Lord gave me a vision of how fear influences people. I saw all the people as puppets with strings attached at one end to the peoples feet, legs, arms and hands, while the other ends of the strings were attached to the word ‘FEAR’ that was suspended above their heads. Fear was pulling the strings attached to the individuals and by doing so controlled their actions. One way this is demonstrated in the natural is in the fight or flight response. When you are confronted with a fearful event your body will react by either fighting to rid yourself of the threat or by running away, that is what is meant by fight or flight. This is shown spiritually when you are presented with the opportunity to pray for someone who is injured or sick on the street or in the store. Fear will grip you and cause doubt to enter your mind. It will say something like, “If you go over there and pray for them nothing will happen and you’ll look like a fool!” At that point you have two choices. One is to go and pray for the sick (fight), the other is to walk away (flight). If you pray for them you are declaring that God’s word, which says we will lay hands on the sick and they will recover, is true and greater than fear. If you walk away you’re saying that fear and the lies it tells are truer than the Word of God. By walking away and giving into fear, you have just made fear the potter in your life instead of the only One who is to be the potter, God. That may sound a little harsh but sometimes the truth is harsh, even when spoken in love.  In cases where the threat is not imminent like being attacked physically, or praying for the sick, but more like being fearful of losing a job or getting sick, your body will react by becoming anxious or stressed. Many times this stress and anxiety will cause you to make irrational or unwise decisions in order to get free of the perceived threat. As Christians however, we are not called to live in fear or even allow fear to have a say in our lives; we are called to live in His love, since He is love, and to become love. As He is so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has to do with punishment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. (1John 4:18)

Like we mentioned above, God is love and when we have a revelation of His perfect, unconditional love, we understand that there is no way He will let us down. There is no way He won’t do whatever it takes to meet our needs, if we will just allow Him. We will believe Him above anything else because we gained an understanding of His true nature, we know who He really is.

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Christian Life, Healing

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Deception of Bondage

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If you can convince a prisoner that escape is impossible, that he will never be released, he will eventually loose hope. Tell him stories of those who thought they could get free but never did, or those who appeared to escape but were soon caught and placed back in confinement. Tell him and show him those that died in confinement, never tasting the sweetness of freedom. Constantly remind him that the reason he is incarcerated is because of his actions that he deserves what he is getting. Before long, even if the cell doors are left open, the gate to the prison removed, he will not try to leave; believing any attempt is destined for failure he sits in his prison forever.

 

How many Christians do we know in a similar situation? They have been given a diagnosis that things will never change. Whether it’s a sickness, financial, or emotional bondage it doesn’t matter. The enemy has sown his best lies, convinced them that freedom is impossible, showed them those who appeared to get free but ended up in worse shape, showed them those who died in their bondage. Believing what they are told, they loose hope.  The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way, freedom, forever freedom, is available to all.

 

Hebrews 2:14-18

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

 

Jesus, through His sacrifice on the cross has set you free from your bondage. He has stripped all authority from the warden (Satan) of your prison; He has disarmed the guards. The gate to the prison of your affliction has been removed, the door to the cell of your bondage has been opened. Now you just need to walk out. I understand the warden is telling you that the doors are really shut, that the guards will shoot and that there is no escape. I realize that he reminds you of the reasons you are in bondage and that you must pay the price. I know the words and accusations are real; but no matter how real they are, they are still a lie. Jesus has set you free. His words, “It is finished,” speak so much louder than the accusations of your enemy. His words are the only true words spoken, His words are the only the only ones with the authority to back them up, and His words are declaring your freedom. Stand up, shake off the unlocked chains and declare that you are free!

 

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Christian Life