Not too long ago, I was having a conversation with a friend when they made a comment. They shared with me that they felt like their heart hadn’t been right in a situation and because of that, they were getting sick. As if this was their punishment for not having the right heart.
The way they said it sounded like they felt God was allowing this to come on them. This conversation troubled me for days.
One morning I was sitting in my chair talking to God about this conversation. This is what I heard in my spirit. “God doesn’t work like that, but the devil does.”
You could never convince me that God puts sickness on us. Why would a God who sacrificed his only son to die on a cross and take our sickness then put sickness on us? That’s ridiculous.
However, I do believe the devil searches for opportunities to invade our lives with things that are not of God.
1 Peter 5:8 says, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
And then there is Luke 4:13, talking about Jesus and when the devil tempted him.
And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time. (Amp)
The enemy is constantly looking for an opportunity, or an open door to attack and devour. Even with Jesus. For this reason, we must keep our hearts right and pliable before God and leave no open doors for the enemy. I love what Jesus said, “The ruler of this world is coming but he has nothing in me.” May we all be able to say the same thing; the devil is coming but he has nothing in me, no open door for him to enter.
In the midst of dealing with shingles, the pain had been so bad I hadn’t slept for days. One night, I drifted off to sleep, in the middle of the night, the Lord spoke to me, and it woke me up. He said, “Why do you dislike so and so?” I could barely believe that is what He wanted to talk about as I battled pain and sickness.
However, I know in His mercy and His love for me, He was showing me a door that I had opened to the enemy. I quickly closed that door and thanked God for revealing my heart.
This person had done harsh things to me, but I thought I had forgiven them. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized I still held some bad feelings toward them. We simply must truly forgive and forget just like Jesus does. God wanted me to see this and deal with it – and I did.
As I said, I will never believe God puts sickness on His people – He doesn’t work that way. That is the way of the devil. He is the one looking for someone to devour. Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly, the thief (devil) is here to steal, kill and destroy. Give him no place. Don’t allow unforgiveness, bitterness, or any other thing to open the door to the devil. Keep your mind and heart stayed upon God and trust in Him. He will not fail you.
