Medical Physical Problems -vs- Evil Spirits

-Are they related? What's the bible say?

Mark 9
The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit
 14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them.
15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
 16 "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.
 17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."
 19 "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."
 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"  "From childhood," he answered.
22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
 23 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."
 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
 29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
 
I find it difficult to go against the flow of conventional thinking sometimes, but the more I press into the word, the more I understand how much I've been deceived in my thinking and want to share it with others. I know that when God made us, we were made in His image, that was "pureness", without sickness or physical problems. When man sinned evil entered into this world, evil brought death, sickness and disease. We can look back to Jobs life and see, the devil had to ASK for access into Jobs life to give him sickness, because he was a RIGHTEOUS man. God protected him. The Old Testament is very different then the New. The main understanding is Jesus paid for our sins. Sin has no more power over us if we choose to use that Authority Christ gave us. Because of Adam and Eves sin, this brought us a lot of problems. It is important to note, this is NOT God's doing, this is man's.

I know when Jesus was on earth, he healed ALL, some he healed and some he drove out spirits. This makes me conclude that not every sickness is evil, rather just normal physical wear and tear on the body problems. BUT however, sickness of any kind is not of God since we were created in His image (pure) and are now Heirs through Him (atonement of Christ), therefore thess medical problems should go. They do NOT belong and WE have POWER over them. I strongly believe our FAITH has a vital part in the Healing process as it is so often talked about in conjunction to Healings in the Bible. All in all it is the release of the Holy Spirit's Power that brings Healing. In many cases it was released through FAITH.

My thought is to always rebuke sickness of any kind (mentally or physically) as it is NOT of God. (I think it's important to note I am not against Drs. AND I believe they are closer to doing God's work then some Pastors) There are many medical problems today that we could look at, like in Mark 9:14-29 and say that this guy had what we call Epilepsy today. Our diagnosis is he should take 3 red pills by the Dr every night to keep the Epilepsy from taking over. That's OK to do AFTER we COMMAND and did what we could and know to do to stand against the problem Biblically. If someone broke into your house and started trashing it with you standing right there, what would you do? Just let them do it? Call the Police maybe? Or would you physically defend Your House you own? You have the legal right to defend your house and family if someone is in it. How much more valuable is your body, your temple of God? Mark 9 Jesus says this is a spirit that is in this boys life. This was a classic example of what we call Epilepsy in todays age. Our medical understanding of what Epilepsy is anyway. So it is actually inaccurate to say that medical problems are Not the cause of evil spirits, nor is it correct to say that Physical problems are just normal conditions. The truth is we don't fully know like the disciples didn't know. This life we live is viewed on one side, the physical realm. This is how we base everything. Even with the technology today we limit God by Our Knowledge in the area of Medical Understanding. We abscure Our ability to adiquitly see the possibilities of Gods ability in those situations because WE KNOW, WE HAVE MEDICAL UNDERSTANDING of the problem, and those 3 red pills do the trick. Why do anything else? Why pray? We have a simpler answer! The good new is, the disciples left a good guideline for us to follow. When your Commands don't work, switch to plan B. "Prayer and Fasting!" How long? That's between you and the Holy Spirit. I personally am told how long to. So I can only say out of experience to find out how long to. Let Him be your guide. I am NOT saying don't take your meds! I am saying seek God first on the issue for healing before we rely on man's (Dr.s) opinion. Dr.s have a vital roll in conjunction with God, they both want to make people well. Dr.s do have their place, but that is SECOND not first. I went off on a tangent about Dr.s and Meds, sorry.

One time heard a preacher say I used to pray for 4 hours to get my head ache to go away, now I take 3 advil and pray 4 hours for other things. It's a choice! It's your choice. Are you willing to fight for it, or are you satisified with your meds? His situation was on another level of using his time wisely. But you get the picture.

You want to see something that God just pointed out out me. Verse 17 - "Teacher, I brought YOU my son".... Who did that man bring the boy to? The Disciples! The disciples became Jesus, the reflection from whom those men walked with daily and they had the same power. (like feeding the 5,000) Yes, you'll find that read in other translations as well. The boy wasn't actually brought to Jesus until after He said bring the boy to me. Interesting huh! Yes, we as disciples, as followers, as Christians have been given the Holy Spirits Power to conquor those problems in our lives. There will be times that our commands will seem not to work, and that is not the time to give up and say this must be the soverienty of God, for we know through scripture that Jesus healed ALL. Press on and find out the deeper question, WHY? What must I do to unleash His Power though me. What am I doing wrong that I am not allowing the Holy Spirit to flow through me? What can I change? We are mere conductors of His Power. In rear occasions does the Holy Spirit unleash His Power without a human conductor. Most cases it is through another person. You are that person.

When you see someone with a problem or even to that extent born with a problem. Don't blame God. This may be one of those opportunities God set up JUST FOR YOU to do His work. To heal that person. Just like when the disciples asked the question, "Teach who sinned this man or his parent's that he was born blind, Neither, but for the moment that God gets the glory for his healing." I do not believe God made him that way, it may have been natural (well the natural as we know it, not natural to God's realm.) If you look at someone that has a problem and you choose not to pray over them because of your fear, pitty yourself for an opportunity that may have been lost for God to receive the Glory. Are you more afraid God will not release His Power through you or are you more afraid of your feelings that you'll look like a smoe if they don't get healed? (What's the worse that can happen? Nothing. What's the BEST that can happen? They get healed!) If it's doubt and fear controlling you, don't expect anything to happen then, not because I say so because the scriptures say so. "He is like a reed being swayed in the wind, a double minded man, he will receive nothing. But if you are BOLD and not hindered by that, you can conqure all.

I heard Bill Johnson say "The disciples and Jesus didn't pray for healing, they commanded it!" That is why when the boy with Epliepsy came by they couldn't figure out what to do because what they did up until then worked. There are many tangents I would love to go off on, so this little one I'll through in here. It is important to understand the difference between commanding the devil/demons and commanding God. When I say to command healing, I am saying command the sickness, disease, pain, to go away. The problem is not of God, so by commanding it we are not working against God, but with Him. See Jesus told us to "Go out and heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepors." Now if God tells you to do something, why would you ask God to do (in prayer) what He commissioned us to do? That's like your boss telling you to do something, and you turing around and asking him to do what he told you to do. That would really make him scratch his head. Sorry for that tangent again.

I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in our church, and even more so a small piece of revival starting. I've seen a lot of changes taking place in the hearts of those, especially in our group. I'm excited! Do not be ashamed to declare God anywhere you go in all things you do. Expect things to happen through the mighty name of Jesus!