God Gives

Bible Study

1Corinthians 12:9c

There are some people who would say the gifts given by the Spirit Paul wrote about are no longer given as they were in the First Century.

I would beg to differ.

I have witnessed gifted healers who are healing others today.

In 1 Corinthians 12:9c we are told that God gives, “gifts of healing by the one Spirit.”

It seems that the definition of having the gift of healing isn’t being fully explored.

As a matter of practicality we need to try to think like God thinks. The question is, if God were to send healers to the 21st Century…what would they look like and who would they heal?

In the 1st Century they were healing lepers.

Today we call leprosy Hanson’s Disease. We now know that it “is caused by slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium lepraeand Mycobacterium lepromatosis. The disease can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose.”

Hansen’s Disease grows slowly so even if someone has Hanson’s Disease they might not know it for several years. Today it is not easy to catch and it spreads slowly.

Growing up I remember my mother telling me continuously to wash my hands and use soap. I Change my hand towel frequently. If I don’t wash my hands frequently I get a creepy feeling because washing my hands, hair, and body were deeply engrained in my upbringing.

There are still countries in the world today where leprosy is more common, so if you travel frequently remember to wash your hands, use soap, and is a paper towel isn’t available, air dry your hands.

In today’s world we are faced with heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Some reasons cited are poor diet, lack of exercise, and tobacco/alcohol abuse.

So, do we pray today for healing? Most definitely we do. Churches today practice praying for the sick and visiting those who are hospitalized.

When I moved from place to place I intentionally sought out people who had the gift of prayer.

If a formal group was not established I sought to connect with others to pray for the congregation and for those who had chronic issues.

In today’s world that includes psychological issues like depression.

Depression is the silent ailment of our century.

I recently lost someone I’d known for forty years to silent depression.

Ultimately our ‘silent’ illnesses in today’s world are brought about by stress, lack of exercise, and poor diet.

Not much changes, right?

It turns out that is a good thing.

God never changes.

Even though illness and disease change from century to century, God Jesus is always there to heal.

We now know exercise, diet, and staying on top of your mental health are important but one of the absolute best ways to protect yourself is to stay connected to your own group (groups) of trusted people. If you have a problem…share it.

And PRAY.

Stay connected to God and pray for protection. God is always there and always ready to listed and respond!

Deborah

acrazyjourney.com