Greetings everyone and welcome to today's edition of ...
Learn and Grow with Jesus EVERYDAY.
Today's Topic is: Unnatural Illnesses
Date: Tuesday, February 9th, 2021
Bible Reading: Luke 13:10-17 NIV
On a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.Luke 13:10-17 NIV.
Discussion Question: Can you think of one occurrence in your life you would consider unnatural?
When I read this scripture, I was filled with a lot of sadness and anger because an innocent woman was crippled, bound by the devil for 18 years for no reason. This scripture underscored the fact that not all sicknesses are medical or natural. Some Illnesses have a spiritual undertone and are expressions of satanic power and abject wickedness of the devil. Imagine how much the woman must have spent on doctors and medicine trying to get an answer and a cure for her predicament. Imagine also, all the reproach she must have endured and suffered in the hands of people passing judgment on her and alleging that it was her sins that put her in that condition. That was exactly what Jobs friends did to him, exacerbating his pain and suffering.
Recall also the tragedies and sicknesses Job suffered for no apparent reason at the hands of Satan. It is abundantly clear and obvious from these examples in the Bible that it isn't everything that happens to us that is a result of what we did or didn't do. Some things happen to us because of God’s sovereignty, and some as a result of the activities of spiritual wickedness in the high places. No wonder the Bible tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. And our weapons of warfare are not carnal but mighty through God.
This sadly reminded me of my mother's illness and eventual death. How her illness defied medical science and intervention. I recall vividly how elated and happy I was when my mom was flown to the United States for treatment. I remember saying that now we will get to the bottom of this debilitating illness and save my mother once and for all. Once her flight landed, we took her straight to Boston Medical Center where she was immediately admitted and a team of doctors and nurses began working on her. I was filled with great joy and hope that victory was finally in sight.
After an avalanche of sophisticated medical tests, they returned and said that they could not find anything wrong with my mom. More doctors were added to the team making them 12 specialist doctors, and the chief doctor ordered that all the tests be repeated and even added more tests and scans. We just kept our fingers crossed and waited patiently. The next morning, they all arrived at her room and the chief doctor said, "From all the tests and scans performed, your mother is as healthy as a baby, but obviously we can see that she is very sick. We cannot conclusively reach a diagnosis because the test results tell us that there is nothing wrong with her. However, from the history you shared with us, it points to dementia, but we can not reach that conclusion clinically based on the tests and scan results."
Once I heard those words all my hope fizzled away, and I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the battle line had been drawn in blood. Because there was no diagnosis, not a single medication was prescribed for my mom because they said they didn't know what to treat and even discontinued all the medications prescribed by her doctors in Nigeria. That day, I wept my eyes out as my mom was discharged a few days later without further care. I need to stop for a few minutes. Can't hold back these tears anymore.
The following days, weeks, and months, we watched helplessly as our mom continued to go downhill. We summoned every man of God we knew to help us pray to save our mother. We wrestled in the spirit and spared no expense on anything that offered any glimmer of hope. We went to great lengths engaging the enemy and contending for the life of our mother. We saw God's faithfulness here and there but ultimately, on May 3, 2018, I received the most dreaded call of my life. My mom had gone to be with the Lord. It was over, but I was glad I fought my hardest for her life and gave it my all.
There is so much to be learned from today's bible reading. Imagine what would have become of the woman had she not crossed paths with Jesus. Imagine what would have happened had Jesus not discerned that that was purely a spiritual battle. We must draw closer to God and pray for the gift of discernment. Not all battles are equal, and not all weapons are effective in warfare. If we discern correctly, we would by the Spirit of God know what is responsible for our challenges and the right weapon to deploy to vanquish the enemy. David understood this principle and always inquired of the Lord before engaging in any conquest, and the bible recorded that David never lost a battle in his life. But that doesn't mean that David's life was trouble-free. Just read a few chapters in the book of Psalm and you will see how loaded his life was with troubles and challenges from every side. However, he managed to stay with God, even though he slipped a few times, he came right back and asked for God's mercy with a broken and contrite heart, and God forgave him.
Another important lesson learned from today's bible reading is that it is always the right time to do good. Postponing the good we can do today until tomorrow is never wise. God delights to see us do good anytime the opportunity arises. Let us not be weary in doing good for in due time we shall reap the reward if we do not give up.
Stay uplifted in Christ always and live cheerfully everyday
Leader Chinedu Nicholas Obodo for EXOLOM Fellowship. Find us at Exolom.com
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