Does God Want Us to Suffer Sickness?

When God is slow to answer or doesn’t seem to answer at all, we begin to doubt His desire and will to heal us. We begin to question God’s love for us and wonder, “Is this depression something I am stuck with? Is this my lot in life? Is this something God wants to use for the greater good? Is this a cross I have to bear?”

Is Sickness a Cross We Have to Bear?

Contrary to popular belief, sickness is not a cross you have to bear. You can’t bear it. Sickness and disease, mental illness and pain is unbearable. which is why Jesus bore it for us. The Bible is clear about this and the evidence that God wants you healed is overwhelming. Jesus took our infirmities, the Bible says, and carried our diseases.

Matthew 8:16-17 When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, 17 to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: “He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

As Catholics, we sometimes believe the myth that if we endure depression or disease we will somehow become holy and earn rewards in heaven or pay our way out of Purgatory. We have been lead to believe it is a cross we have to bear.

In the passage above it says that Jesus healed them all. All who were brought to him or came to him were healed. Many were brought to him that night it says, and He healed them all. Jesus has no favorites. Jesus never said no to anyone in all of the Gospel readings. If He didn’t say “no” then, He is not saying “no” now.

Matthew 12:15 NAB “When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he cured them all,” Luke 6:17-19 NAB “And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

You may be thinking, what about me? I have faith, and I have been praying so why am I still sick? If Jesus healed everyone, why not me? Hang on, I have so much more to tell you. There is something we, as the body of Christ, have been missing. I want you to know that there is more and that your best years are ahead of you and not behind you. God has a future for you. If you are ill and have been ill for some time I want to give you hope. Forget the past and let’s look to the future. If you are willing to believe in God’s desire to heal you, you just may see a miracle. You just have to believe. Be willing to believe again.

Faith is the key. I hope through this message, to encourage you to grow in faith. Jesus said to the man who heard that his daughter died “Don’t be afraid, just have faith.” When we hear a bad report we let doubt, fear, and terror take over. When everything seems hopeless, Jesus is saying to us, “Don’t be afraid, just have faith. Faith is not a religion or a doctrine, dogma, or set of rules. Faith is believing He cares enough to die for you and heal you and forgive you. God wants to renew your faith in him and His desire to heal you.

The Bible says, “ Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Faith is important for healing. Don’t take my word for it. Jesus said it over and over.

• To the woman who was bleeding for 12 years Jesus said, “Daughter, your faith has saved you, go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
• To the blind men, He said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
• To the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant, He said, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.”
• To the Canaanite woman who asked Him to heal her daughter, Jesus said, “O woman, great is your faith!
• To the man with a demon-possessed son, Jesus said, “If you can! Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
• The four stretcher-bearers went through a roof to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus because they knew He would heal their friend and Jesus praised them for their faith and healed the man on the stretcher.

What kind of faith did they have? What did they believe? They all believed Jesus would heal them. Oh that you and I would have that kind of faith. There is more to faith than just believing God exists, God expects you to believe Him and His word. These men and women had faith that Jesus would heal them. That was the faith Jesus recognized in them. It wasn’t their Jewish religion, many were gentiles without religion but they found Jesus and believed in Him.

Jesus expects you to believe He cares about your health, your mind, and your well-being. There is more to faith than just believing God is able, God wants you to believe He is willing. It doesn’t require faith to believe God can heal, even the devil believes God exists and God is able, it does, however, require faith to believe God will. That takes faith and God expects us to have faith. God wants you to have faith in His love for you.

Jesus said to His disciples, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

So What does it Mean to Carry our Cross?

What kind of suffering do we have to endure? Jesus calls us to carry our cross. If the cross isn’t sickness, what is it? What is the cross or suffering Jesus calls us to bear?

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34

God calls us to suffer for His name’s sake, not to suffer for the sake of suffering. God calls us to suffer by loving that hard to love family member or co-worker every day. God calls us to suffer by choosing to forgive those who offend us, hurt us, or hate us. God calls us to give and do for others when we don’t feel like it. Suffer for the sake of the Name of Jesus. Be willing to be excluded, insulted, and hated for telling someone about Jesus. Be willing to be ridiculed, persecuted, and slandered for Christ. Suffer persecution for the name of Jesus. God calls us to suffer by loving our enemies and doing good to those who hate us. He calls us to bless those who curse us. Are you willing to suffer for sake of Jesus?

1 Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. * 1 Peter 4:14-19 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.* Acts 5:41*  So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.* 1 Peter 2:20-21* But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.  For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you.* 1 Peter 5:10* And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.*

God calls us to suffer persecution, not suffer with sickness, depression and disease.

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Does God Use Sickness to Teach Us a Lesson?

God is always teaching us. God uses everything to teach us lessons. God wants us always growing in age, grace, and wisdom. Does a good parent, use sickness to teach their children a lesson? Do they withhold medicine to keep their children obedient? Of course not. God is a good parent. Know this, God wants you well more than you want you well. God is not withholding healing from you to teach you a lesson.

Matthew 7:11 * If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him*.

Do we learn when we are sick? Absolutely. When we are sick our ears are wide open and we begin to listen intently and follow God more closely. Sometimes it’s only when we are sick that we are tuned into God which is why we learn so much when we are sick and are forced to turn to God. God is always teaching us and will use anything and everything to get our attention. Don’t wait to be sick to learn from God.

Don’t wait till you are sick to open God’s word or spend time in His presence. We become teachable when we are in need but it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a better way!

IF God is teaching you something, learn it? He is not hiding the answer from you. The most important lesson we can learn from God is this, HE IS THE ANSWER! God wants to teach us to cling to Him. We are so busy clinging to the things of this world we don’t have the time or inclination to turn to God. We are trusting in our jobs, bank accounts, retirement, doctors, medicine, and there is no room to trust God. God wants us to believe and lean on Him.

Does God use sickness to teach us or grow us up? Absolutely. God uses everything to teach us and grow us up. “We know that all things work for good for those who love God…” (Romans 8:28). But He doesn’t put sickness on us. Sickness is not from God. In the old testament, sickness was a punishment for sin. Not anymore. Jesus took all of God’s divine judgment when he died on the cross for us. All of God’s wrath was laid upon Jesus. He took our punishment for sin. He bore our sins and the punishment attached to sin. He was punished in our place. What we deserved, Jesus got. Jesus took it all.

Does God Use Sickness for a Greater Purpose?

YOU are God’s greater purpose. He doesn’t have a purpose greater than you. God doesn’t need you sick in order to heal, rescue or save someone else. Sickness is a curse that Jesus canceled. Don’t receive it or embrace it.

One day I was praying for a young friend who was sick and I prayed, “Jesus, let me take this for her. Give this to me to carry because I have the faith to fight and rebuke this. I know I can stand against this disease. I believe I have the faith in you to overcome this. Jesus answered me right away. I heard his voice say. “That is my job. That is why I came. Only I can.” It was as if he was saying don’t take that from me. It’s mine. I carried it. I bore it. I already did it. You can’t carry it any more than she can. Don’t steal my glory.

When sickness is chronic we begin to think it is something we have to live with and put up with. Our imagination tells us that this condition serves some higher purpose and we should embrace it. God is not causing you to be sick in order to reach someone else. God doesn’t put sickness on us for any reason. We invite sickness all the time, however. We let sickness in when we doubt God and begin to complain and worry and become fearful. Sin opens the door to sickness. Stop sinning and close the door. We open the door to sickness and disease or our ancestors opened the door. It is not God’s doing.

When we open the door, we can close it. Jesus took our sins, so there is no sin except the sin you choose to keep. Jesus came to forgive your sins and take your sins. Don’t hold on to sin, shame and guilt. If your sin caused you to be sick, I have good news. Jesus took your sins so there is nothing keeping you sick.

The devil is the source of sickness more times than not. Jesus often cured the sick by rebuking the devil. What if the pain and injury you believe you need to endure is in reality an attack from hell? God is not asking you to be sick in order to save someone else. Sometimes we are simply under attack from the devil. Don’t believe it is yours to live with.

The crippled woman in Luke 13, found Jesus who delivered her from Satan and set her free from the infirmity that kept her bent over for 18 years. It was not a sickness she needed to carry, it was simply a vicious attack from Satan.

Luke 13:16 This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Instead of admitting our faith may be lacking, we would rather be considered holy, special, long-suffering and put up with sickness for a “higher cause” which is arrogance on our part. We have too much pride to admit we don’t have enough faith. Instead, we say, “How dare you say I don’t have faith.” Just admit you lack the faith to believe. Admit it and get more faith. I am telling you this because I want you free. The good news is we just need more faith. That is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing. Agree that you may be the reason you are not healed and not God. I hope this is a relief for you. We all doubt. We just don’t have faith but the good news is that faith is available to you.

God is the source of faith. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit and it’s free. You can’t earn it. It is a gift from God that wipes away doubt. Faith is coming just be patient. Faith comes, the Bible says, by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).

Doubt is the Number One Obstacle to Healing.

When we receive a bad report faith leaves and doubt takes over. This happens to all of us. Don’t beat yourself up. Just believe. Choose to believe God wants you well.

Jairus, the synagogue official, asked Jesus to come and heal his daughter. (The story is found in Mark chapter 5) They were on the way when Jairus’ servants arrived with the bad news, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Jesus disregarded their message and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Jesus is saying the same to you when bad news comes, He says, “don’t listen, follow, focus and investigate the bad news, choose instead to believe. Sometimes you have to disregard the message. Faith is trusting in God even when it doesn’t make sense.

Jesus didn’t leave Jairus’s side. He didn’t give him time to ponder or process the message. He said immediately, “Just have faith.” It doesn’t get worse than the death of a child. All hope seemed lost but he was standing in the presence of Jesus, the author of life, the author of hope. Don’t let the bad report derail your faith. Dig in. Press in and remember who you are standing next to.

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Can My Suffering Help Someone in Purgatory?

The BIBLE IS CLEAR that only Jesus can cleanse (purify) us from sin. It is impossible for us to purify ourselves in this age or in the age to come; on earth or in Purgatory. If it is impossible for us to purify ourselves, it is also impossible for us to purify or cleanse others.

Jesus is the only answer God has for sins. If there was another way, God would have found it. If you could cleanse yourself from your sins or somehow free yourself from punishment from sin, Jesus didn’t need to die for your sins and God would not have had to send His son to die for us.

There is no reason for you to ever suffer sickness for your sins or anyone else’s. Your sickness cannot pay the price of sin, whether it’s your sin or someone else’s. The cost of sin is just too high. Only Jesus could pay the price.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We can’t purify ourselves on earth or in purgatory. It’s always Jesus who purifies us. If the church says there is a purgatory, I believe the church. If God wants me in Purgatory, it’s a good place and I am there for a good reason. God is good and He only wants good things for His children. The church teaches that Purgatory is only for those who are going to heaven. It is for the children. If it is a requirement from God, then it can only be good for you. God doesn’t punish us, He disciplines us. God doesn’t punish His children, He disciplines His children, He prunes us but never punishes. Punishment is left for those outside of Christ. Punishment is meant for those who refuse the forgiveness of God that is found only in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the way, the only way. You are not the way.

I can’t earn my way out of Purgatory anymore than I can earn my way into heaven. I need Jesus to cleanse me of my sins and all the effects of sin. He will not forsake me or you, here or in heaven.

Jesus gave his righteousness to us. He who was perfect suffered death for us. He who was not guilty died in the place of the guilty so we can be free from guilt and shame! This is for us Catholics as well as Protestants and all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus. He who was clean became unclean for us that we could become spotless, perfect. He became sin so we could become right with God. He transferred to our account His perfect score. He makes us perfect and fit for heaven.

• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
• 1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
• Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
• 1 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The catechism says “a conversion which proceeds from a fervent love (charity here means love) can attain complete perfection” ccc1472! When we have that conversion experience or born again encounter, as our Protestant brothers and sister call it, no punishment remains for us, we have reached perfection because Jesus makes us perfect. Jesus makes us fit for eternal life. Jesus makes us fit for heaven. We don’t make ourselves fit for heaven, we can not. Because we are ‘IN HIM” we have attained complete perfection. We have chosen to be yoked to Jesus. No punishment remains. Jesus purifies us completely from sin and all its consequences.

Psalm 103:12  “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Hebrews 10:14  “For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated.”

t is just too good to be true. Well, it is true and it is so good. You are perfect in your spirit. You may not be perfect in your soul or body yet, but your mind is being renewed in the Word of God every time you go to church or open the Bible and read with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was punished for every sin, past, present, and future, and He took on himself the punishment due us all to make us perfect in Him.

There is no punishment left for us who are “in Christ;” who have had a heart conversion! Have you had a change of heart? What are you waiting for? It’s time to choose Christ. The choice is yours to make. God has already chosen you, sin and all. God already sent Jesus and he died for you and rose from the dead so you too can rise from the dead and live forever. You can choose to keep your sins or give them to Jesus. He has already chosen to carry your sins. He has already chosen you, now it’s your turn to choose Christ for yourself.

We deserved death and we got it. We were sentenced to die, but Jesus said, no, not them, me. I will do it. I will die in there place. There is no punishment left because Jesus took it for us.

ROMANS 5:8 God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

He didn’t die for the godly but the ungodly.

We Can’t Pay our Way out of Purgatory

If we can’t pay our way to heaven when we are on earth, how can we pay our way out of purgatory? ONLY JESUS IS THE WAY OUT of purgatory.

We can’t do anything to earn our way, nor can we do anything to earn someone else’s way out. Rest assured, Jesus loves that person in purgatory more than we do. We can pray and ask and intercede for our departed loved ones, and then trust. Trust God heard your prayer and rest in God’s goodness. God won’t keep anyone in purgatory longer than is necessary. Don’t think of it as a bad place, but a good place.

Did the man on the cross with Jesus go to purgatory?

Remember the man on the cross next to Jesus. Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Did he have to go through purging or purgatory? I doubt it, but if so, it was quick and easy, because he was yoked to the savior. Jesus wasn’t going to abandon him in Purgatory! He said you will be with me today. He didn’t abandon the thief and He won’t abandon you.

Jesus Wants You Healed

Jesus healed every one. NOT ONE PERSON did Jesus say no to. Don’t quit and give up trusting God to heal you just because it hasn’t happened yet. If you truly believe God wants you sick, then don’t take the medicine and don’t go to the doctor.

There is no hope for us when we are sick, except to believe. There are so many obstacles to healing, DOUBT, SIN, UNFORGIVENESS, EXCUSES, COMPLAINING, DEVIL… to name a few. These can come between us and the gift of healing God has already decided to give us. God is not keeping healing from us. We just need faith. What do we have faith in? Do we have more faith in the disease than we do in God’s willingness to heal us? Do we have more faith in our sinfulness than we do in God’s forgiveness? Do we believe we are worth healing? God does. God believes you are worth healing. It’s time you believed

It may take a while but the answer is sure and healing is sure. God doesn’t have favorites. If He healed the woman with the issue of blood, He will heal you. If He healed the Centurion’s servant, He will heal you. If Jesus healed the blind man, the lame man, the possessed and paralyzed, He will heal you. If He did it for me and continues to do it for me over and over again, He will do it for you. Just believe.

What are you doing? Are you reading healing scriptures every day? Are you reading the word of God and showing up for prayer meetings and Bible studies? If you are not yet healed, you haven’t remained in faith long enough, you haven’t stood against the enemy strong enough, you haven’t read the Bible loud enough….

Jesus said to the rich young man, “Go, sell everything you have and follow me.” The rich young man said to Jesus something like “ Well, I don’t know if I want you that badly.” How badly do you want Jesus? How badly do you want to be healed? Are you willing to believe a little longer and do what it takes to increase your faith?

Don’t quit and say, “well it must be God’s will, or maybe God wants to teach me a lesson, or maybe God has a bigger purpose.” Believe He cares for you right now, here on earth.