As promised, in this penultimate blog in our current series I am highlighting some additional scriptures to support the proposition that many dis-eases have a spiritual root. We know that God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore (Heb. 13:8). He does not change (Jam. 1:17b). Hence, the scriptures we find in the Old Testament are just as representative of the mind and will of God as the New Testament.

Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. (Deut. 28:45)

What were some of the curses listed in earlier verses?

The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart. (Deut. 28: 27-28)

The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole or your foot to the top of your head. (Deut. 28:35)

Many persons will say, “a gracious and merciful God would not do these things today. These were only relevant for the Israelites who were under the law and not under grace.” The Lord’s requirement for holiness and obedience are no less today than in those days. In fact, I would argue that believers today, because of their access to the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, are in a much better position to fulfill the Lord’s instructions in Deuteronomy 28:45 than prior to Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. The Lord makes it quite clear what He requires and also equips us with the ability to fulfill the requirements.

as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, (2 Pet. 1:3)

For those of you who may not have read Part 1, I had laid the foundation for the link between our health and the state of our spirit with the overarching scripture in 3 John 1:2.  The soul-spirit connection was also discussed in Part 1. Therefore, I will just give you some additional scriptures and pray that the Holy Spirit will bring revelation.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, (Psa. 103:2-3)

He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. (Ps. 107:20)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Prov. 13:12)

A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. (Prov. 15:13)

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. (Mat. 4:23)

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mk. 5:34)

Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring and lay before Him. …………When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” ……….But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. (Lk. 5:18, 20, 22-25)

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14)

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (Jam. 5:14-16)

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Pet. 2:24)

I would like to close with a few parting statements.

• The spiritual root of disease is sin. It can be the person’s own sin or generational iniquity passing down the family’s blood line. We are in sin when we are outside of God’s will and are seeking to do things in our own strength (Prov. 14:12; Prov. 3:5). Remember that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6; Rom. 14:23). Therefore, we are in sin when we have doubt, unbelief, anxiety and fear (Mk. 5:34). These, together with unforgiveness (Heb. 12:14-15), are major triggers of disease. I thought I would emphasize this because I know many times when we think of sin we think only of murder, lying, sexual immorality and other more obvious sinful actions.
• In the Psalm 103 verse, we note that the forgiving of our iniquities precedes the healing of our diseases.
• A person with a broken spirit is someone without hope, in other words, a person suffering from depression (Prov. 15:13).
• The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom preceded the healing of persons (Mat. 4:23). The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). All speak to man’s spiritual condition.
• Faith is essential for healing – either the faith of the person being healed or the faith of the person ministering healing. However, for healing to be maintained the person healed must be faithful.
• Confession of trespasses is required for healing when the illness has a spiritual root as seen in the James 5 scripture above.

Join me next week for the conclusion of our series when I will be going into the steps required for the healing of diseases with a spiritual root.

Shalom.