Being Rejected in Sickness

It is terrible how people have distorted Christianity for their own ideas of religion, how instead of loving and showing compassion to those who are sick, they judge them. Unfortunately we live in a fallen world and there is so much sickness and suffering, and as Christians we need to reach others with unconditional love and have a desire to comfort the people who are sick and not judge them. Jesus said that whatever we do to another person, we do unto Him. See how Jesus showed such compassion over Lazarus’s death that He wept as seen in the following text: John 11:30-45

As Christians we should therefore always try to act as Jesus would, by asking the Holy Spirit to mold us into Jesus’s image and likeness, and then we will become powerful victorious.

Some Christians have a very rigid view of people who are sick and act as if they are in a military army, and treat them like outcasts, as if they see those who are sick as failures and blame them for being sick because they think that they are unwell only because they have done something wrong. You can’t say to a person that maybe God is trying to tell you that you have done something wrong and that is why you are sick because that is judging someone. Unless there is clear evidence that the person’s sickness is due to sin, it isn’t the case for everyone and saying that is being cruel instead of being compassionate. If due to your unkindness you cause someone to abandon their Christian faith or commit suicide because you haven’t given the person your support, beware because you will be held responsible for their actions in causing that person to stumble See the following scripture in Matthew 18:6 

In the following passage Jesus shows that because you are sick doesn’t mean that you have sinned as seen in John 9:1-3.

Some Christians want you to lie and, despite being sick, to say that you are healed, when you are not. Lying does not come from God as follows in John 8:44

If someone is sick it is better for that person to tell the truth, trust in Jesus Christ and believe that He is in control of the situation and is working for that person’s good, rather than lie and say that he or she is healed, when it is definitely not the case. If you don’t tell the truth, it is lying to God, lying to yourself and other people. If we are one with the Lord, we can’t lie because Jesus hates lies. See what Jesus says in scripture: John 14:6

If Christians have this kind of attitude, it gives Christianity a bad name and can lead to new Christians turning away from their faith. There should be more love among Christians than those people in the world, yet sometimes unfortunately it is the reverse.

God does not give sickness but sometimes He allows it to happen to test someone’s faith. It is so easy to believe in the Lord when everything goes well, but when it’s not so, you have to hang in there and trust God to sort things out for you, even if you have to be patient and it takes a while for you to get healed. The trials you are going through prove that you love the Lord more than those who never have trials due to your perseverance in faith. The Bible clearly shows us that Christians won’t have it easy and will suffer. Yet some Christians want Jesus to be the only one to take away all their pain, but they are selfish and just want to keep taking from Jesus, and not giving in return and they don’t want to share any of the Lord’s sufferings. Does that attitude show that we love the Lord Jesus? When someone is married and the spouse is sick, the other one suffers too because of their love for the one who is sick. Surely then, it should be the same way for the Lord Jesus Christ. If you truly adore the Lord, then you should be prepared to share in His sufferings too. Look at the following passages on suffering: 1 Peter 4:13 , John 16:33 , Matthew 20:23 and 1 Peter 4:1.

In order to be true Christians, we must ask Jesus Christ to help us to be united to God, the way Jesus was united to God as seen in John 17:21-22. When we are one with God then we have God’s power in our hearts which is greater than all the evil, sickness and suffering in the world. See 1 John 4:4.  If we do that, then Jesus will help us to behave the way He would behave and comfort the sick. Let us focus on Jesus Christ and raise Him up by giving Him the victory in our lives. Let us remember that once you have given your life to Christ, it doesn’t belong to you anymore but to Him. There are so many negative prayers which focus on people having hearts that are in darkness. When you belong to Jesus refuse to say these negative prayers because when you are in Jesus Christ, you should see the light within your heart and not the reverse. Saying negative prayers would be a denial of the truth and letting Jesus down. Believe that Jesus is doing a great job in your heart and is transforming you into his image and likeness and thank Him for it.

I believe that when you suffer from illness you should do the following: Ask Jesus if He is trying to teach you something and examine your conscience. If your conscience is clear, rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, bind it and hand it over to Jesus to put on His cross and ask Him to release His healing if it is His Will. If the sickness or suffering persists, and you rebel by not accepting it, be careful because you could be rebelling against God. When Job suffered and lost everything he didn’t rebel, but still praised God and you should have the same attitude as him.

Try not to complain or moan too much because Jesus wants you to be patient in suffering knowing that He suffers with you, and abandon your sickness to Jesus and tell Him that you trust Him and still love Him unconditionally and to help you do His Will because we can’t be brave without God. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus did God’s Will despite suffering a lot as seen in Luke 22:42  how God the Father comforted Him by sending Him an angel.

Tell Jesus that you live to do His Will, and so you won’t give up for love of Him because He didn’t give up for love of you, and keep on praising and worshipping Him.

Written by Marie-Hélène and Dominic Bradshaw

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