Fr. Anthony Messeh, the priest at St. Timothy & St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church, said, “We don’t usually change because we see the light, but rather because we feel the heat.” The heat you may feel might be because you aren’t hearing God or asking the right questions regarding what God is attempting to say to you. God doesn’t make us sick, but acknowledging the need to change may be part of your healing. This was true for me concerning a severe sleep crisis I recently experienced. Nothing I tried worked until I asked the right spiritual questions—until I repented and made the changes I’d been putting off.
Is there anything God may be asking you to do or not do? God asked Jacob what his name was, though He knew the answer. Jacob’s name meant deceiver. He was a dishonest man who used deceit and trickery to get what he wanted even with his brother and his own aging, nearly blind father (Genesis 27). Jacob encountered God and wrestled all night with him. When morning came, he was ready to change. It was time for Jacob to acknowledge who he was—a deceiver— and receive a name change, which meant a change of heart and a change of ways.
Is there a name you need to change—willful, prideful, disobedient, stubborn, fearful, worrisome, lustful, bitter, unforgiving, procrastinator? Could God be in the tough situations of your life trying to get your attention, asking you what is your name? Could He want to give you a new name as He did Jacob?
Kenneth Hagin told the story of a man who came for healing prayer for painful stomach ulcers. There was demonic influence in his body from which the man needed deliverance. But there was also something God was asking him to do that he hadn’t done, which was to tithe. He repented and said he would start tithing. The man was healed.
Maybe God is asking you to change your diet, to stop eating or drinking certain things that are making you sick. Or perhaps he wants you to include more foods that are healing. But maybe it’s something else. For me, it was something else. I included all the right foods, juices and supplements. I was doing everything I knew to do, but I was getting worse by the day. For me, it was another key that I needed to unlock the door to healing. It was obedience to what God had been asking me to do and I wasn’t doing. My sister-in-law, who recently had foot surgery, got a get-well card that said, “As they say in (doggie) obedience school … heal.” First Samuel 15:22 says, “Obedience is better than sacrifice, a listening ear than the fat of rams.”
As I knelt in prayer after I finally heard God, I knew He was saying He’s not a doting grandfather who thinks misbehavior is cute. He is God of the universe. He is our Father who loves us. Hebrews 12:6 says, “for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
When the moment of awakening finally came for me, I was stunned to see how long it had taken me to come to the truth, and the key that would unlock the door to my healing. Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore, the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore, He waits on high to have mercy on you; for the Lord is a God of justice; how blessed are all who long for Him.”
What I teach is still true. With any ailment, we must do our part in the healing process, even when it’s something like insomnia where we might think there’s no relationship with diet. But there may be another key that’s even more important to unlock the door to healing. It may start with a question: What am I doing that God has asked me not to do? Or, what am I not doing that God wants me to do? {eoa}
Cherie Calbom, M.S., holds a master of science degree in whole foods nutrition from Bastyr University. Known as “The Juice Lady” for her work with juicing and health, she is the author of 32 books, including her latest book The Juice Lady’s Guide to Fasting. She and her husband offer juice cleanse retreats throughout the year, 30-Day Detox online and Garden’s Best Juice Powder. “What You Can Do When Your Healing Doesn’t Come” is one point from her teaching “7 Keys to Your Supernatural Healing.” You can connect with Cherie at juiceladycherie.com.
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