Healed! (God's Way)

A wise woman once said, “1/2 a scripture + Your opinion = Religion” OK, it was me. But more convincingly the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:3 that we should “study to show ourselves approved…rightly dividing the Word of truth.” And again in Revelation 22:18 that anyone who “adds or takes away” anything from the Word of God is “cursed.” I believe curses are falling left and right on well-intended but poorly motivated people who are indeed finding that “the traditions of men make the Word of God of no effect.” (Matthew 15:6)

On May 20th it was reported that yet another parent is fleeing the wisdom of the medical profession and more seriously, her home, to refuse traditional medicine for her child. (See http://foxnews.proteus.com/content.html?contentId=36716&currentpage=1) This is not only concerning because of child endangerment and neglect laws in this country, but because of the law this mother cannot flee—the law of God.

Many people who do these things desire natural alternatives, or perhaps a miracle, and case after case such is this are making a laughing stock of people of faith. May I join my rebuttal to the debate. As a born-again Christian since October 1, 1995 (card-carrying to boot, just so I don’t forget the date), I have found through one of my most recent struggles that this issue of faith vs. medicine is far more complex than I thought; and as is most common, the two sides of the debate are wrongly labeled. This is really a debate of faith vs. fear.

About a year ago my nurse friend (would that we all had one) came up to me and said “What is that thing on your neck?” “How long has that been there?” As I felt the slightly protruding lump on the right side of my throat, I could already sense that the answer to both of those questions, being, “I dunno,” was probably going to get me in trouble. I simultaneously began planning the trip to the doctor that this conversation, if not the lump, necessitated. (If you have a nurse friend, you’ll know what this means—they’ve seen too much, and they don’t play.)

So I dutifully went to the doctor’s after the verbal spanking that wasn’t to be avoided; and that guilt carried me through a number of blood tests and some uptake scan where I had to drink this stuff they said would make the lump radioactive or something…Don’t quote me, but it was weird. My findings were normal, but I was diagnosed with a mass on my thyroid. My doctor wanted to see what was causing it and sent me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist whose primary job, I later found out, was surgery!!! What?!? He confirmed that I was there prematurely and who I really needed to see for further information and treatment options was an Endocrinologist. The ENT was a great guy and really broke down this whole new world of thyroid awareness I had been in for the last several months, but yet I was sick of tests, sick of doctors (who sometimes confused the names and responsibilities of other doctors) and sick of the inconvenience. Hence, I was now transforming into FAITH WOMAN, and I was now going to “believe God” out of this nonsense.

I tell you, I thank God that Christianity is a team sport, because I could quit on my doctors, but I had no desire to leave my church or my nurse friend, and that meant accountability. As life drama got in the way I was able to avoid any further questions for about another 6 months, but then one day, “Whatever happened with the lump on your neck? Hey, is it getting bigger?!?” (Great, thanks, hadn’t noticed!) With that, it was back to the doctors and my appointments. It’s not that she made me go, but I actually wanted to combat the fear that tried to rise up in me for not having an answer to those questions. As long as nobody asked me about it—no problem. The only time I even considered it was when I would confess my healing scriptures and lay hands on it and pray and command the mass to go.

And I’m not saying that didn’t work—this is the point I want to make—the Word of God does work! When we lay hands on the sick, they recover—when we speak to the mountain, it will move (Mark 16:18, Matthew 21:21). But it doesn’t work the way we want it to work. Just ask Naaman the prophet (See the story in 2 Kings 5). Was he or was he not healed? Yes, he was, but not the way he wanted to be. And isn’t that just what we Christians are facing?

Think of the miracles in the Bible…The woman with the issue of blood, the Centurion and his dying daughter, Blind Bartemaeus…These are people the doctors said “No” to, or people with not enough money to even go to a doctor. Here many of us are, with the insurance to go to a doctor, or a VIABLE solution (I’m not talking about stuff with 80 million side affects that closely resemble the problem you’ve got now); but we’re afraid, or we’re inconvenienced, or we’re too lazy to do the research to see if it is a viable solution.

Faith is not us saying, “God, give me what I want”….Faith is God saying, “Repeat after me”…So we give God what He wants by reading the Word of God and listening to the personal words of God to us in prayer, that will both confirm the other.

So, on June 12 I go in for a thyroidectomy, with the nice ENT I already felt so comfortable with. And based on his counsel, in agreement with the Word of God, and the words I hear God speaking to me, this growth MUST go as it has been commanded, and I WILL be healed in a beautiful way as I expect speedy recovery from surgery and God to guide this doctor’s hands.

Please pray and be a word in due season for those who are confused about this issue. People are dying needlessly, and we must have compassion! Your personal convictions are not enough, if you are unwilling to share them.

(See Ta-Tanisha's reflections from her hospital room in her latest blog: www.2ndtoOne.blogspot.com)

Four:Fifteen

My favorite study is by a graduate student who followed the sleeping patterns of such geniuses as Benjamin Franklin and Einstein. They would stay awake for four hours and nap for fifteen minutes. The only reason this grad student stopped was because he said he ran out of things to do. I tried it myself and was exhilarated by my productivity. It's kind of like fasting in that you feel ultra awake and alive...In any case I thought you might be encouraged, you who don't sleep enough. If you reorganize your day you may find you're sleeping too much. The only reason I stopped was it's a little hard to get yourself accustomed to it and my family went nuts, but things have changed and I may try it again...life's gotten crazy-busy again.