Healing and Some Real Heels,
continued
I felt terribly alone. People would entreat me to attend healing meetings with them. The healers never even acknowledged my presence. I sat there wondering, “is God even aware I’m here?” I sank lower and lower until one day when I was walking down the street with all these thoughts churning around in my head. I had come to a spiritual crossroads and desperately needed to know which road to take. All I knew was that I could not go on the way I was living and still believe in God.
“God!” I cried in utter frustration. “What IS it you want me to DO?”
Suddenly, a clear answer cut through all the confusion—confusion that nearly caused me to abandon my faith altogether. “DO? Shelley! You don’t need to do anything. I already did it ALL on the cross!” After this nightmarish two-year battle, I finally saw light at the end of the tunnel.
It was then that
I went to one of the staff counselors at my
church and told her what was taking place. She asked me a simple question;
“Did God ever tell you He was going to heal you?”
“Well,” she said. “You’ve just answered your question.” Tears of joy filled my eyes and the weight of oppression left my shoulders. “People mean well” she continued, “and they feel compassion for you and interpret that as God telling them something. Just because someone says God told them something doesn’t mean He did.”
Light flooded my soul. AT LAST! I was free—free to rest in God’s simple promises—to know that He would never leave me, forsake me or tease me—that His greatest gift is not healing, but the grace that transforms weakness into strength. I found confidence in the fact that God never makes mistakes when He creates us and that by the blood of Christ, my Heavenly Father was pleased--YES! pleased with me.
I was again
reminded that He had already kept His promise that my life was a true blessing
to me without a physical healing. He was right. He had something much better
than 20/20 vision. My heart sang and I wanted to tell the whole world, “I’m
FREE! I’m healed and I don’t have to fake it!” It was like being saved all
over again.
Prayer, Turned Disaster
I was with a psychology class, touring a
preschool in which some of the children had special needs. This was a state-run
facility, so no religious teachings or compulsory prayers were allowed. We were standing there looking
on when a man came into the room and gathered the children into a group.
Apparently, a little boy who had impaired vision and mental challenges was leaving their school. The man began praying for this boy that God would heal him. When the prayer was over, he asked the child if he was healed. When the boy said he still couldn’t see, the man told him he wasn’t healed because he didn’t sit still enough during the prayer.
I was standing there in a group of liberal educators. They were appalled. “Oh my GOD!” One woman gasped. “How could he say such a thing to an innocent child? The MONSTER! I’d like to kill him.”
I felt the same way. That man single-handedly set the cause of Christ back about a hundred years, availing himself as an opressive tool of Satan in the bargain. The Enemy didn’t just allow this guy to spiritually harm a child, he made sure a lot of skeptics were watching. Way to go Mister!. If I were that man’s boss, I’d have given him a good dressing down, fellow-believer or not, before I fired him. Even little children can be led away from God by self-righteous adults. Remember the ol' millstone? (Matthew 18;6) I only wish to God I had the fortitude to stand up to this man that day. Is it any wonder some people don’t want prayer in our schools?
The Root of the Problem
The “Word-Faith” movement is dangerously popular these days and a lot of people are led into spiritual quicksand because of it.
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2nd Timothy 4;3--I think it's quite clear.
These Word Faith people base their ideas on scriptures that talk about changing a king's mind or of the unjust judge granting justice to the woman who persisted because she was driving him nuts. I think we should contend in prayer, but they are taking these passages out of context. They say such passages indicate that we’re supposed to “confess” (translated ORDER the Lord around), reminding Him of His Word, just in case God forgot or didn't understand its full meaning.
"What a wimpy God we serve!
What a wimpy God we serve!...
We are supposed to command God to heal us, give us a Rolex watch or a Rolls Royce, reminding Him of such passages as if we can manipulate God by trapping Him with scripture. Some of these are the people you see on TV telling people to send them $1,000 and God will multiply it ten-fold. Then, they sit there straight-faced and tell their audience that they have a Rolls parked in the driveway. Can’t people figure out where these guys get the money to buy a Rolls Royce? As Hank Hannagraph, the Bible Answerman says, “If they truly believed what they teach, they’d be giving their money away so they could be 100 times richer.” Non-believers get it. Why can't we?
Let’s follow this teaching out to its logical conclusion. Why evangelize people? Just “confess” to God that He HAS to save them because His Word says He is not willing that any should perish. Why pray at all, just thank God that nothing bad will ever happen to you, eat, drink and be merry—and don’t forget those magic words; “in Jesus’ name.”
"In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."
John 16:23
What is "Asking in Jesue' Name? I believe it means a lot more than just saying words. It is about asking for what Jesus would wish for us. There's nothing wrong with being wealthy, but would Jesus ask for an expensive watch while people around him were starving and suffering? He would ask for God to save them and to provide for them. Remember what Jesus did with a little boy's skimpy lunch?
But that phrase, "In Jesue' name," is the final blow—the clause in God’s "covenant" with mortal men that God must submit to. Why not just confess you own the entire city of Los Angeles or that you will be elected President or confess that Donald Trump will leave everything to you when he dies.
After all, didn't that passage say ANYTHING?
Maybe I should erase the previous paragraph, lest I give the Word-Faith people any new ideas.
Why even stop there. Just confess that there will never be any poverty or hunger in the world—and by the way; What about all those poor and hungry people? I guess they don’t have enough faith to tell God to feed and prosper them. That makes for a pretty unjust God who has been reduced to one of us.
What about those
poor people in Africa where in some places, half of them are dying of AIDS or
being slaughtered by religious zealots. If
these healers gave a rat’s behind about anyone but themselves and actually believed what they teach, they’d be over there right now getting all those
people healed. Actually, I don’t
think they'd last very long because their teachings would be seen for what
they are.
The truth is that those healers have immersed themselves in really bad doctrine and they’re afraid to admit it or they sincerely believe it after brain-washing themselves and countless others in the process. They can’t handle me being and embracing who I am. I mess up their theology because I’m okay with living in this earthly body as it is. That threatens everything they stand for and a lot of what they stand to lose, should they admit they have erred from the truth.
You can go down to Skid Roe any day of the week and likely find a former pastor or once-dedicated layman who was disillusioned because of positive confession gone bad. I've met some of these people. A man who prayed for a little girl who didn't get healed. He was so wounded by the experience that he walked away from his faith and took to drinking.
God tells us, through the Apostle Paul that we should learn to be content in whatever situation we find ourselves. If that’s good enough for Paul, it’s certainly good enough for me. Paul prayed for a healing, more than once and didn’t get a physical healing. I suppose one of the key writers of the New Testament, didn’t have enough faith either.
Incidentally, I recently heard that “Daddy Heagan” died of a heart attack. That’s funny; I thought he confessed health and wealth. Wasn’t he supposed to never get sick and live forever? He went to the hospital instead of "confessing a healing." I guess HE didn’t have enough faith either. I’ll bet he NOW understands what God’s word really teaches and that the Banquet of the Lamb includes a nice big special-order plate of roasted crow.
The Broken Spirit
This healing business didn’t end with me. I saw a lot of other people being wounded and some walking away from their faith, bitterly disappointed. I’ve seen something else equally alarming. People with disabilities who are completely fed up with Christians and Christianity in general. Why? because selfish people who need validation use total strangers to get it.
“Those stupid Jesus freaks!” I heard a guy in a wheelchair say. “This lady came up to me at the mall and said, “God wants to heal you. Can I pray for you to walk again?" Anyway, what’s so terrible about me that I need healed? It’s like they think they’re better than me.”
“I’ll never go to any church” I heard another person with a disability say. “If that’s the way they act, I don’t need it. They just want me to be like them. They don’t really care about me.”
In the book of James, the following is written;
"Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well..."
(James 5;14-15)
Nowhere does it say the elders are to seek out someone who is lacking in some way and arbitrarily pray for them. The right to pray for someone is a right to be earned by showing love respect and discretion with no ulterior motives. However well-intended it may be, it is still rude in the eyes of the recipient. I think it's good to ask people if they want prayer, but it must be done with understanding and respect for that person's dignity. Some people, even believers, aren't comfortable with a group public prayer. Remember that we are commanded not to cause a weaker brother to stumble. It's a good idea to extend this grace to non-believers as well.
Have I ever offered to pray for total strangers? Yes, quite a few times, but only with their permission AND their agreement with the prayer.
I was talking to a man on the phone once who had called to set up a singing engagement. “The person who gave me your number said you are partially blind. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like me to pray for you to be healed?”
I told him what I now tell everybody. “Well thanks for your concern and you can pray if you wish, but I cannot be in agreement with your prayer. God told me He wasn’t going to heal me on this Earth because He had something better for me and He has kept His promise.”
There was a long silence at the other end of the phone. Then, the man spoke, nearly in tears. “Praise the Lord!” There was grief in his voice. There was a sense of awe in the way he said it. I was taken aback. I wasn’t expecting that kind of an impact.
“I’m going to visit a retired pastor this afternoon.” The man went on. “He’s diabetic and he’s on dialysis and his friends want him to go off dialysis and confess his healing. He’s really discouraged.”
Now I was crying. How in God’s name could they do something like that to an elderly man who has studied God’s Word all his life and faithfully served the Lord all those years? It was unthinkable. They emotionally trashed a dear brother for whom Christ died. They have a lot to answer for.
“Could we pray for that Pastor?” I asked, and so we did. The caller thanked me heartily. “Pleae tell him God loves him.” I said. “Please tell him God is pleased with him, just the way he is.”
Spirituality or Arrogance?
While having lunch with a friend, we got on the subject of Word-Faith. He asked if I'd ever been prayed for, concerning my sight. I gave him my customary answer. He told me about a church he had to leave because of the doctrine they were delving into.
“So many of those people are so arrogant.” I said. “It makes me sick.”
“How do you mean?” He asked.
“They go around telling other people how to believe and they get pretty severe when people question or dispute their theology, then turn around and call them judgmental. They used to yell at me if they prayed for me and nothing happened. That isn’t faith. They don’t have a clue what faith is. How can telling God what to do instead of trusting God be any kind of faith? That’s not faith. It’s manipulation and they are missing out on so many of God’s blessings.
“So" my friend replied, “They are wearing a badge of arrogance?”
“Absolutely. God said He resists the proud. They’re prideful in their beliefs and they brow-beat brothers when they most need encouragement. They act like a bunch of Phrases.”
He thought a little more.
“I know a couple.” He said; “they have a baby who is blind and has some other handicaps. These people come in and pray over the baby and he gets all upset and cries because they are shouting and carrying on. There’s one lady though,” he explained. “She comes there. She holds him and sings to him and really ministers to him. She prays softly for him. He relaxes and falls asleep in her arms. There’s peace in the whole house.”
There you have it ladies and gentlemen; These people are forcing their theology on defenseless babies and their bewildered, wounded parents. It’s not just bad teaching. It’s cruel. How can we name the name of Christ and justify treating God's people this way?
A Caste System in the Church
There are a lot of things like this that stand out in my mind, One Saturday morning, I was singing at a banquet. Afterward, this guy came up to me offering healing prayer. “I have a gift of healing people.” He said. I really had a problem with that. He weighed at lease 400 pounds. He was far more needy of a healing that I was.
What kind of planet would that man have thought I was from if I walked up to him and said, “Brother, I’m gonna pray for you because God wants to heal your obesity.” It would be rude and hurtful on my part. We Christians put differing values on various physical issues. We tend to major in the minors and we judge people by those characteristics. It's perfectly alright to be dangerously overweight, but not alright if you can't walk or can't hear.
You can walk up to a total stranger who is blind or physically challenged and offer them a healing prayer, but most people wouldn’t do this to an obese person or someone going bald or someone who is short in stature or someone who has a bad body oder they can’t help. Why don’t they? Because they know it would embarrass them and wound their spirits. Most of us don't need to be reminded of our imperfections. Why then, is it open-season on those of us who are disabled? It’s every bit as humiliating.
When Jesus healed people, He didn’t just heal the body. The woman who touched the hem of his robe; He healed her, inside and out. She was so downtrodden because of the stigma, having a hemorroage entailed in that day. Her self-image had taken such a beating that she was afraid to ask Jesus for anything.
Incidentally, disabilities like mine would have been a horrible hardship to bear in those days. I think we see less healing here in the U.S. because the implications are much less severe than in other cultures. We also have medical help, education and employment opportunities available that a lot of people wouldn’t have known to dream of. People in third-world countries are often healed when missionaries pray for them. I believe this is because of the same stigma that occurred in Christ’s day.
You may be thinking, “she sounds really angry.” You BET I’m angry! I am very angry. This theology is poison. It’s hurtful and divisive. It leaves a lot of shipwrecked souls in its wake and people who teach it are often the hardest-hit. Little children die because their parents, trying to confess their healing refuse them medical treatment. This very thing happened in my church when I was young.
A baby died because the parents, believing for a healing, didn’t seek medical care until it was too late. The family quit going to church. Divorce ensued. It destroyed that household. How different things would be if they had received the truth in time. It’s something to think about. This isn't faith. It's oppression. Was this family not oppressed?
Christians: God does want to heal. He wants us to pray for people and He gave us the proper guidelines. Unfortunately, many guidelines have been exaggerated or misinterpreted. Healings of the soul and one’s character are far more important than physical healings. God does heal. I've had physical healings more than once. However, I personally believe those inside-healings are just as miraculous. I should know. I've had alot of both. Some people can have their sight or mobility restored through medical treatment, but only God can heal one’s soul. Moreover, successful medical treatment is every bit as valid as supernatural instantaneous healings.
Where Is Everybody?
There’s another thing Christians often do in conjunction with this healing stuff. Although it happens outside the context of healing, it is more likely to happen within that context, if my experience is any indication. I am speaking from many years of experience. We isolate these who appear to need a healing. We tend to pray for them, then walk away and leave them to sit in a pew alone.
Sunday after Sunday, they sit alone at banquets and potlucks. They stand alone in the foyer after church, waiting for their ride home. They stand alone at the bus stop in the rain while church members sedately leave the church and drive past these people rather than offering them a ride home. I have personally dealt with this numerous times—even in a church where I was a member. I actually had someone come up to me once in church saying, "We saw you standing there at the bus stop last week. It must be miserable in all that rain."
I've also seen it happen to others. Is that what Jesus would do to them? Better yet, is it what we would do to Jesus? He said, "In as much as you have done it, (or not done it) to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me."
(Matthey 23:40)
Brothers, THIS SHOULD NOT BE!!
How can people believe God is real and that He loves them if we don’t. It’s selfish and unloving to leave anyone alone like that. I can assure you this is quite common. When I didn’t get healed, those people God supposedly talked to about me didn't demonstrate any real love or concern. In several cases, they never spoke to me again. No visitor in church should ever be left alone. Who is going to reach them for Christ if we don't even acknowledge their presence when God has planted a mission field right at our doorstep?
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HELL BECAUSE WE HAVE SCARED THEM AND DRIVEN THEM AWAY FROM GOD!
For God’s sake, mine AND yours, STOP! Stop all this obsession with healing. Let's simply love people and honor them as they are, no strings attached. When you tell them they should be healed, what you are really telling them is that they don’t measure up. This makes a really bad first impression. Many are offended and they should be. Jesus would never humiliate the hurting or those with life’s challenges. Just be a friend.
Jesus himself, when he came upon a blind man who called out to him, Jesus walked over and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" He didn't just assume the guy wanted healing. He respected boundaries and let the man tell him what his need was. Furthermore, He did it with a little humor.
Let's be a safe haven, not a judgment seat. If you have that, the rest is all good. By the way, if you implement this as a church family, you will likely soon find disabled people beating a path to your door. Treating them as we truly would treat Christ would open many many hearts and heal many wounded spirits. This is especially important because many people who don't have apparent disabilities but do have wounded spirits are in your church every week.
Now, I'd like to say a word to those who are visually-impaired or have other disabilities: You are within your rights to decline healing prayers, especially if you don't feel you need a healing. Prayer, even prayer with others is an intimate practice. Even if you are a Christian, you should never have to face feeling spiritually violated by the zeal of others. If you politely say "No" and they become upset or critical, it's safe to say you did the right thing and they are in need of prayer. That kind of a reaction is a sign of controlling behavior AND toxic faith.
God created you as you are for specific purposes. If you have peace and contentment in your present situation, NEVER let anyone take that from you. It is a gift from God and you deserve the respect Jesus gives everybody. If you have given your heart and life to Christ, He is pleased with you as you are. Remember, it was the Pharisees that tried to coarse Jesus into performing healihgs for them. If He had done that, they would have been in control of him. It's no different today.
Additionally, please accept my apology on behalf of God's family for the times you've been violated. Most believers aren't really like that. There are a lot of us that would be honored to fellowship with you. I pray that you not give up and that God leads you to people who genuinely love as Christ does. We're certainly not perfect, but many of us strive to be a reflection of God's unconditional love for you. There is nothing wrong with changing churches when you find yourself in oe that teaches bad doctorine.
The Apostle Paul, who often suffered physically, said he would preach nothing but Christ and Him Crucified. Let’s just do that and leave what we don’t really understand in God's hands. Let’s draw people to the foot of the cross with the kindness of God that led us to repentance. That is the essence of healing.
I am not generally in favor of chain letters and the like, but I would encourage you to PLEASE, circulate this article to others. lives are hanging in the balance!
If you would like to see some documentation on this subject. please visit the Christian Research Institute at the following link:
If you'd like to dialogue with someone on this subject, regardless of your beliefs, I'd be happy to respond. There are many things I don't understand, but I can offer a listening ear and an experienced heart.
Please feel free to email me at rainbowshelley@harbornet.com
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Revised: May 03, 2008