Anytime a believer is stricken with any disease, we must demand to know, “What caused this disease?” Medical science may not know the answer, but God does know, and He is eager to tell us!

As birds and sparrows fly, so a curse shall not come upon anyone without a cause. – Proverb 26:2, Brenton Septuagint Translation

Today, anyone who has given her life to Jesus Christ and is saved can boldly believe God for the ability to walk in divine health. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been sick or how old we are. This teaching predominantly deals with long-term chronic illnesses but may be helpful in the healing of shorter less severe ailments.

If we are not free of all sickness, we must go directly to the throne of God and boldly ask, “Father, I know you love me. Why are sickness, disease, and pain ravaging my body? What caused this illness to manifest itself, and how is it lingering?” 

In my own life, I’ve been attacked by sickness many times. Before I gave my life to Jesus, I was utterly dependent on medicines and didn’t know that I could be healed entirely outside of conventional wisdom.  

Later, God showed me that He can change medical reports and diagnosis. He can replace body parts, and He can stop the pain. He can remove tumors, He easily removes all forms of arthritis, He heals blood pressure, and He removes anxiety. The truth is that God can change any diagnosis and completely cure any disease.

The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the godly. – Psalm 146:8, NLT

God is not mad at us. Many of us have not been taught about divine healing. The Bible tells us that God’s mercy endures forever. Whatever state we are in, God continues to love us unconditionally.  Additionally, I am not opposed to taking medicine or getting medical assistance. I would not feel condemned if I took an aspirin and I have very fine medical professionals that I respect.

Never blame anyone concerning their behavior if they are sick. The truth is that none of us understands why innocent people die young. Unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to us, we don’t fully understand the supernatural ramifications of someone else’s suffering. Below, I humbly share how God dealt with me. I pray it will bless you.

After I began to study the Bible, I uncovered vital facts that are foundational to divine healing. Below are three.

1) Sickness is a curse that entered the world through man’s sin. See the Fall of Man outlined in Genesis chapter three. See the curse of sickness described in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight). 
2) Throughout the Bible, God seeks to heal and completely restore His people. He granted healing to those who turn back to Him and believe upon our Savior (Jesus). See Jeremiah 8:21-22 and Isaiah 53:4-5.
3) Faith in Jesus Christ and in The Word of God will heal our mortal bodies. It does not matter what our illness is, how old we are, or how long we’ve lived with the condition. God can heal us.He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” – Mark 5:34, NIV

What Caused Your Illness?
Here’s Where I Completely Missed It!

For years Satan tried to deceive me into believing that some sicknesses cannot be diagnosed.  In fact, several respected doctors stated, “We don’t know the specific cause of your illness. It runs in your family, it is hereditary.” 

Non-the-less, as a believer, I knew that God has answers that are unknown to mere men. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. – James 1:5, NIV

I went from doctor to doctor. They took excellent care of me. They were able to run tests and prescribe medications to suppress pain, discomfort, and symptoms. The doctors did their best but honestly admitted that medical science did not know the cause of many illnesses and could not cure them. 

Not to be deterred, I searched the internet and read many medical articles on the cause of illnesses. I visited acupuncturists and Traditional Chinese medicine doctors. None of this cured me – I kept going back for more medicine, and many of the drugs caused terrible side effects.

My challenge was that I wasn’t really seeking God (wholeheartedly) I was begging men to cure me – and they could not.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13, NIV

Medical science is terrific, and we have made great strides. I love my doctors, and God used them to help save my life. However, medical science cannot cure a common cold and could never tell us exactly when, where, and how we caught it. 

Despite all of this, God always knows when, where, why, and how we contracted any disease. Not only does He see why we got it, but He is also eager to remove what is causing the illness, and He wants to completely cure us!

I thank God that His precious Holy Spirit drove me to a place of total dissatisfaction with settling for less than God’s best. 

One day, I said to my son, “I’m not living God’s best, and I’m not satisfied with where I am. I want God’s best. God’s best is for me is to walk in divine health. God’s best is for me to be debt-free. God’s best is for me to have peace and rest in my life. I’m not satisfied living beneath what God promised me! It’s not God’s fault that I’m missing it. It’s my fault. I must go to a higher spiritual level.”

One man of God noted that while man heals through the body, God heals through the spirit. This is the reason why we must ask God, “What caused my illness?” Failure to uncover the root cause of illness explains why man’s wisdom cannot always cure us.

The Bible says a man who trusts in the flesh is cursed (Jeremiah 17:5).

This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. – Jeremiah 17:5, NIV

However, if you dare to listen to God every day and stretch your faith to believe Him for miracles, religious people may think you are out of your mind! 

When Jesus said, “You must eat my body and drink my blood,” many of His disciples walked away (John 6:54-66).

In short, when I turned my faith steadfastly back to the Word of God and began to exalt God’s Word over my own wisdom and the wisdom of men, I was healed.

The Sins That Kept Me Bound to Sickness

Turning away from God to trust in my own intellect and the wisdom of man was idolatry. Some of the sins that opened a door for the curse of sickness to enter my life included fear, doubt, worry, and anxiety. Additionally, was the sin of abusing my body through overwork and eating foods that didn’t bless me. The worst may have been trusting in medicine in place of believing God for a complete cure.

Taking medicine may be necessary for a while to relieve pain and to help us get some much-needed rest. However, after taking drugs for four years, I could no longer kid myself. I was totally relying on medicine instead of believing God for a complete cure. 

Some of us are handicapped because we have been taught that miracles no longer exist. However, nothing is impossible with God. Additionally, the Word of God tells us that God has no favorites (Acts 10:34). He will grant a miracle for us as assuredly as He performed them for Jesus and His apostles.

“For nothing is impossible with God.” – Luke 1:37, NLT

Why did I settle? Why did I live with sickness, fear, pain and medicine side effects for four years? In retrospect, I confess that at first, I was too naïve to confront the fact that medical science had not cured me. 

Are We Calling God A Liar?

I didn’t know that I was inadvertently calling God a liar by believing the words of men over His Word (1 John 5:10). God told us plainly that the wounds of Christ purchased our healing (Isaiah 53:54-55).

If we refuse to believe God for healing, are we rejecting our salvation, which includes healing? Are we calling a God a liar when we suffer on blatantly ignoring the fact that Christ died for our complete healing?

Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. – 1 John 5:10, NIV (bold added)

God could not heal me until I humbled myself before Him. He could not cure me until I repented of the idolatry of putting my faith in myself, professionals, medicines, and other natural cures.

While God did mind me using these things, I began to rely on them. We are taught to do this, but that does not mean it is morally right or that it is God’s best for us.

“You shall have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:3, NIV 

In the Old Testament, men worshiped idols made of wood. In the twentieth century, our idols have become money, people, social media, our possessions, and our own intellect.

Finally, I could not get well until I stopped being lazy and avoiding the spiritual work required. I needed to stretch my faith and make the Word of God first in my life. 

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. – Matthew 6:33, NLT

Repeating the Word of God aloud will never heal us until we begin to believe the Word, act on the Word, and practice the Word in everyday life. This is the way we remain in divine health.

“Lord, Tell Me Plainly, What Caused This Illness?”

The disciples asked Jesus that very question.

Jesus’ disciples asked, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?” – John 9:2, CEV

In His response, Jesus admitted that it was not this man’s own sin or the sin of his parents that caused his blindness. He remained blind until God’s miracle of healing manifested in him. This miracle of healing brought glory to God. 

In contrast, in two other Biblical instances, we see that a person’s own sin was highlighted by Jesus during their healing. 

But afterward, Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” – John 5:14, NLT

Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” – Matthew 9:2; 9:5-6, NLT

Many of us are innocently leaving a door open in our lives for Satan and the curse of sickness to enter. Since the Word of God can bring a complete cure, that door may be related to our diminished reliance on God.

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! – Revelation 2:4, NLT 

Often preachers, teachers, and saints of God live with sickness without ever asking God, “Lord, what caused this illness?”  

Unfortunately, many of us have been taught the lie that, “Sickness brings glory to God.” The opposite is the truth. As we see from the blind man in John chapter nine, it was not His blindness that brought new converts to God; it was his miraculous healing that caused a stir and brought converts to God. The man’s healing brought glory to God, not his blindness! 

Uncover the Root of Every Illness & Be Healed!

Here are a few tips that will help you to find out what caused your illness and how to receive divine healing. Every person is different, and every sickness may manifest in different ways.

Here are six suggestions that help us to walk in divine healing.

1) Prayer – Go boldly to the throne of God and ask Him plainly, “Lord what caused this illness to come upon my body?”
2) Listening Intently to God – Be still. Be quiet. Allow the Holy Spirit of God to tell you plainly what caused your illness. He will tell you!
3) Journaling – Write down what God tells you or puts into your heart.
4) Repenting – Repent of the idolatry of exalting the wisdom of men over the knowledge of God. Repent of any known or unconfessed sin in your life. Repent of any unforgiveness or resentment that may be lingering in your heart against anyone alive or dead. Repent of allowing fear, doubt, unbelief, and worry to erase your faith in God. Repent of being too apathetic or lazy to study or even believe God’s healing Word. Repent of choosing to follow man instead of steadfastly cleaving to and obeying God.
5) Asking God Outright – The Word of God tells us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking (Matthew 7:7). Be confident in God’s love, ability, and goodness. Ask Him to completely cure you. Stand on His healing promises (1 Peter 2:24).“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” – 1 Peter 2:24, NIV
6) Obedience – When we turn our whole heart back to God, we begin to see healing miracles! However, God will tell us to do things that seem unconventional or that require courage. We must be willing to obey God.

Don’t follow convention, follow God!

Do you think people who talk to God often, pray in tongues and expect miracles today have a special gift or are crazy? Reread the book of Acts. These gifts were given freely to Christ’s followers. As you know, thousands of believers today continue to follow the early church exactly as it is outlined in the book of Acts.

The Bible admonishes us to seek the higher gifts of God.

But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. – 1 Corinthians 12:31, ESV

If we are suffering from any disease, God is standing by to tell us plainly what caused it and, most importantly, how to get rid of it. All the Lord wants from us is faith that is evident through action.“

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7, NIV