Heart After God Ministries Erin and Rory Wolff

Jesus says in John 10:10 NIV, “THE THIEF COMES ONLY TO STEAL AND KILL AND DESTROY; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Satan is the thief that only comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  But Jesus comes to give us a life of fullness.

Some translations say that that Jesus comes so that we can have life to the abundance, the word abundance means: “a large amount: a plentiful quantity of something, a lifestyle with more than adequate material provisions, and the fullness of spirit that overflows”.

In Luke chapter thirteen, Jesus heals a woman that had been crippled for eighteen years.  In Luke 13:16 KJV it says, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, WHOM SATAN HAS BOUND, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?”  Here it says that Satan had bound this woman, not God.

In Acts 10:38 NIV it says, “…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and HEALING ALL WHO WERE UNDER THE POWER OF THE DEVIL, because God was with him.”  Here it says that Jesus went around doing good and healing all those that were under the power of the Devil.  Whose power?  The Devil’s!

In reading Kenneth E. Hagin’s “Redeemed From Poverty, Sickness, and Spiritual Death”, he tells the story of John Alexander Dowie and how he received revelation on the subject of divine healing.

John Alexander Dowie was a pastor of a church in Sydney, Australia when the bubonic plague struck around 1875.  He buried forty members of his church in less then one month and four more people from his congregation died and were yet to be buried.  Many others became sick with this awful plague, in which there was no cure.

“After visiting the many sick members of his flock one day, Dr. Dowie returned home and sat in his study, his arms folded upon his desk, his head upon his arms, weeping before God.

‘God, is everybody going to die?’ he cried.  ‘Are you going to take everybody?  Where did this plague come from?  Are you the author of this?’  He was heartsick at the thought of the families that would be torn apart by the plague; at the children who would be left orphans.”

John Alexander Dowie later wrote that the words found in Acts 10:38 stood out before him as a light, showing Satan as the Defiler, and Christ as the Healer.  “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”  Acts 10:38 KJV

“‘My tears were wiped away,’ Dr. Dowey said, ‘my heart was strong.  I saw the way of healing, and the door thereto was opened wide, so I said, ‘God help me now to preach the Word to all the dying around, and tell them how ‘tis Satan who defiles, and Jesus still delivers, for “He is just the same today.”’

He did not have long to wait. Within minutes, two young men burst into his study, pleading breathlessly, ‘Oh, come at once.  Mary is dying!’  Dr. Dowie ran down the street after them, not even pausing to take his hat.  He was furious that Satan should have attacked this innocent young member of his flock.

Dr. Dowie entered Mary’s room and found her in convulsions.  Her medical doctor, having given up on her, was preparing to leave.  He turned to Dr. Dowie and remarked, ‘Sir, are not God’s ways mysterious?’

The revelation Dr. Dowie had just received from the Word of God was burning in his heart.  ‘God’s way!’ he thundered.  ‘How dare you call that God’s way!  No, sir, that is the devil’s work!

He challenged the physician, who was a member of his congregation, ‘Can you pray the prayer of faith that saves the sick?’

The doctor replied, ‘You are much too excited, sir, ‘tis best to say God’s will be done,’ and he left.

‘Excited!  The word was quite inadequate for I was almost frenzied with Divinely imparted anger and hatred of that foul destroyer, Disease, which was doing Satan’s will,’ Dowie wrote.

‘It is not so,’ I exclaimed, no will of God sends such cruelty, and I shall never say “God’s will be done” to Satan’s works, which God’s own Son came to destroy, and this is one of them.  Oh, how the Word of God was burning in my heart…”

Furious at Satan’s work, Dr. Dowie then prayed the prayer of faith for Mary and the girl’s convulsions immediately ceased, and she fell into such a deep sleep, so much so that her mother worried that she had died.  “‘She isn’t dead,’ the triumphant Dr. Dowie assured them.

After several minutes, Dr. Dowie awakened Mary.  She turned to her mother and exclaimed, ‘Mother, I feel so well!’”

Dr. Dowie quietly thanked God and then went into the next room where Mary’s brother and sister lay with the same plague.  After prayer, they too were also completely healed.

From that day on John Alexander Dowie ministered to his

flock on divine healing and continued to pray for their healing, and because of his belief in divine healing he never lost another one of his church members to the plague.

The Bible says that Jesus healed ALL that came to Him!!!

In Matthew 4:24 NIV the Bible says (talking about Jesus),“News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.”  The Bible doesn’t say that He (Jesus) healed some, or His favorites, or those that were religious enough, or good enough, but it says that “he healed them” Who did He heal?  “all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed”!  Jesus healed them ALL!

Again in Matthew 8:16 KJV it says “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and HEALED ALL THAT WERE SICK:” Once again, He didn’t just heal some, but He healed ALL!

In Matthew 12:15 NIV it says, “Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place.  A large crowd followed him, and he healed ALL WHO WERE ILL.”

Luke 4:40 KJV says, “Now when the sun was setting, ALL they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on EVERYONE OF THEM, AND HEALED THEM.”

And Luke 6:19 NIV says, “and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them ALL.”

So it is very apparent that Jesus went about not only healing some, but most of the time He healed all who were sick, depending on whether they believed or not.

One of my favorite verses says in Acts 10:34 KJV, “… God is no respecter of persons”, another translation reads that God does not show favoritism.  The reason I like this verse so much is that God is not impartial, He loves us all, no matter what we have done, or who we are, or where we have come from.  What God does for one, He will do for all!

The Bible says in Matthew 12:25-26 KJV, “…Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?”

And again in Matthew 3:24 KJV, “And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”

So Jesus couldn’t give people disease and sickness and then heal them, because then His Kingdom could not and would not stand!!!

So with all of these verses, it is more than apparent that the author of sickness, disease, and death, both physical, mental, and spiritual is from Satan, NOT FROM GOD.  God does not put sickness and disease on people to teach them a lesson or to try to mature them and make them into better Christians.  Sickness is NOT a blessing, but a curse!  Sickness is pain and suffering and steals from people.  It steals their hopes, their dreams, and their very life.  It steals family members, children, parents, siblings.  Sickness destroys people, and brings death!  It is Satan who does those evil things!  Not God!

Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Christ and what He would do for His people.  In Isaiah 53:5 NIV it says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”  Jesus died so our sins could be forgiven, we would be free from poverty, and so we could be free from sickness and disease, all while we are living on this earth.  If we say that God is the author of sickness and disease, then His life and His death were in vain, but praise God He is the Author of Life and in Him there is life to the fullest!