The Bible speaks clearly about the suffering that we, as Christians, will have to endure as good soldiers. Things like suffering persecution for our beliefs and suffering for the sake of preaching the Gospel in places where it is against the laws of that land. The Apostle Paul suffered many things at the hands of those who opposed him; stonings, angry mobs, hunger, thirst, nakedness, imprisonments, and shipwrecks. Not many of us will have the same level of calling as Paul and thus will probably not suffer to the degree he did, but in all of his sufferings, you can be assured that sickness was not among them. For sicknesses of the body and mind, were conquered at the cross when Jesus “Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases” (Matt. 8:17). Isaiah 53:4-12 describes all that Jesus was going to endure, that all disease and mental torment would be laid upon Him when He would pay the price for sin which allowed death and everything that comes with it (sickness included) to enter the lives of every person on earth. It says it pleased the Lord to allow it to be laid on Jesus because, with that act, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law and all it included. (Gal. 3:13, Deut. 28). The devil is so subtle and usually uses just a grain of truth when he’s spewing lies. Will we suffer with Christ? Yes. Do we need to suffer with sickness? Emphatically, NO! I challenge you to meditate on these verses, seek to learn all that Jesus made yours, regardless of what anyone you know or love is “suffering patiently” with. It’s not for when we get to heaven to enjoy wholeness, we’ll have no need of it then, it’s for here and now while we run our race to enjoy all the victory Jesus paid to make ours!
~JENNY RIEFLIN MINISTRIES~ 