Rabbit Trail: Requirements for Healing

For the past several days, the topic of healing has be in my various devotional studies. As someone who has lived years of her life almost completely dysfunctional due to Lyme disease, the topic of healing is of very special interest to me. As a health coach, it is even more important as I work with clients from a whole body perspective.

I often talk about God’s health laws. It’s a broken record topic. New Start is the acronym. Not going into that right now, but I wanted to cover another aspect of healing that most ignore. It’s represented by the last T – Trust in Divine Power.

I was pointed to the story of the paralytic a few times the past week. The most detailed telling is in Matt 9:1-8. Most know the story about how this man’s friends could not get him into the house due to the crowds. Therefore, they removed roofing so they could lower their friend through the roof.

Disease is of the devil. 1 John 3:8 says that Jesus was made known to destroy the works of satan.

John 10:10 tells us that the thief (satan) seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to give us life more abundant (excessive/superior). We were not to be here to merely survive, but to thrive.

1 Cor 15:45-46 tells us that Jesus (as the 2nd Adam) came as a quickening spirit. This means – give life, make dead come to life.

Ps 103 tells us of the benefits of believing. Verse 3 mentions the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of disease.

This led me back to James 5:13-16. Prayer, confessing faults to one another (brings on humility). Vs 15 is specific about linking forgiveness of sin and healing.

3 John 2 tells us that God wishes us to be in health as our soul prospers.

One last example: Matt 13:15-18. This is within the verses of the sower. The last phrase in vs 15 is ‘should be converted and I should heal them.’

I do not claim to know any special body of knowledge. I only know what I have studied over several decades. More importantly, I know what I have lived.

I have been there. Pain. Dysfunction. Looking back, I don’t know how I made it as long as I did. It’s only the grace of God that kept me alive. It’s only my faith that kept me from killing myself due to the unending pain 24/7 when I couldn’t even take a pain pill due to being allergic to them.

 

Things I did that I know moved me along the path to healing:

  1. I was blessed with a Christian counselor where I was able to process the emotional issues of the past.
  2. I was blessed with the strength to forgive my abuser. (These are very important in my path to wellness.) Friends told me my face changed. I know my mental wellness improved after I forgave.
  3. I woke to the fact that head knowledge without follow through action does no good. I finally became willing to do whatever it took to get better. I started by changing from my vegetarian fake food diet to a whole-foods, plant-based diet.
  4. I removed my allergens (took a process of time to discover all of them).
  5. These steps led to great healing. But there was greater improvement as I began to supplement for nutritional deficiencies.
  6. After a period of time, I discovered Amare and then begin to work on healing the gut. My healing recovery jumped to about 90-95% symptom free. Even my vision improved since I was on the verge of being legally blind.
  7. I look at these steps resulting because I had started following more consistently the 8 laws of health.

The greatest part of my healing comes not from simply following the laws of health, but from my spiritual growth. Over the past two-three years, I’ve have grown spiritual stronger. I’ve come closer to God than ever before. God has shown me areas of cherished sin. When He does this, after arguing with Him, I would move forward in obedience to remove that sin with His strength.

In the realm of cherished sin, another step I have taken is confessing my wrongs to another person. As mentioned in James, this is a part of a person being healed. Confessing our wrongs to one another is part of keeping one humble. The 12 Step program does this in the 5th step. It’s a practice step to begin the habit of following biblical guidelines.

This confession requires relationship. Healthy relationships are another aspect of overall wellness. It’s especially important for God’s children in order to achieve unity in the body of Christ.

As I continue to move forward in obedience, I find He blesses me even more – in both mental and physical health. He also blesses me with more insight in ways I would never have imagined receiving. He has also increased my creativity and understanding of others.

Sometimes I question why one person can receive healing and another person does not, even when following the same steps. I believe it comes from the process I followed above.

  1. I dealt with past emotional traumas.
  2. I forgave -stopped holding grudges against anyone. (Acceptance truly is the key to healing.)
  3. I followed the 8 health laws to the best of my ability.
  4. I moved forward in obedience when God showed me what I was doing wrong. I would ask Him daily to show me areas I need to work on, and to give me strength to do the work. Part of obeying God is keeping His commandments. They are just as pertinent today as they were when He wrote them with His finger. There are many promises of health and prosperity promised to those who keep His commandments.
  5. I study His word and pray daily. As my spiritual condition grows, He continues to bless in so many ways.

Whenever I work with someone, when I know they are making the lifestyle changes and they are not getting the improvement expected, I always find unprocessed emotional trauma. Trauma creates leaky gut. It freezes the brain in a negative pattern. Healing must be addressed from the emotional aspect for healing to occur in the body.

With emotional trauma, forgiveness is a part of that healing process. I find many who refuse to forgive. This is dangerous ground spiritually. God tells us we must forgive if we are to be forgiven. Healing cannot occur when you are holding a grudge against someone.

This has been a long rabbit trail. It’s a trail that God has brought me on several times. This is why I felt compelled to write such a long post. I know there are those out there who are trying to follow the 8 laws of health. They are using all types of natural things to heal, but they are still experiencing life with severe chronic illness.

I hope, if you have stuck it out this long, that these words will give you food for thought. Perhaps some guidance to as to what areas you may need to work on in order to achieve overall wellness of mind, body, and soul.

God bless and may He more abundantly enrich your life as you follow His guidance.