Our Story, Part Twenty (True Fasting)

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

James 5:16

There are so many things about Kaylee's healing that I still do not completely understand.  One thing that I can say for certain is that it did not come from a one time prayer.  It was truly a spiritual battle! Just as I believe there were many contributing factors to the onset of her disease, there were many aspects and components to her healing as well.  I am afraid that often times we give up way too soon. We believe that God has not answered our prayers or that He has given us a no, when in reality, He has many things that He needs to pull together or teach us.  I know that this was the case with me. 

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I believe that the "battle" first begins with our mindset and our viewpoint of disease (our belt of truth).  If we start off believing that disease is God's will for our life, or if we accept disease our calling, we surrender to the enemy from the start.  This prevents God from being able to work.  Disease is a consequence, not a calling, and it is critical that we understand this!  I also believe that we have to knock, and keep on knocking, never wavering or questioning the character of our loving, compassionate Heavenly Father, no matter what!  If we should receive a clear "no" from God or if death should come, only in these two events should we stop asking!

I heard about a pastor recently who said that God does occasionally heal disease, but this pastor also went on to say, "the greatest miracle of all is when God gives us the grace to live with the disease." After my experiences with Kaylee, this teaching bothers me for several reasons.  First of all, if receiving grace to live with disease is the "greatest miracle of all" why is there not one single recorded event of Jesus (the greatest miracle worker of all time) doing this or saying this to anyone who was suffering with disease?  I cannot even imagine him saying this to anyone.  I am afraid this viewpoint can be misleading and that it stops people from seeking prayer for healing.  I know this to be a fact, because it almost stopped me!  Too many people are settling or giving up too soon and believing that they are not being a good Christian if they even desire to be healed this day in time. They are being taught, from the start, that grace should be enough. The fact that Jesus healed everyone who asked him should at least, if nothing else, let us know that "grace to live with disease" should be the exception, not the norm.  Healing has become the very rare exception, and I do not believe this should be the case.  

Jesus told his disciples before he left, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it." John 14:12-14  

Here is another question I have to pose as well concerning this teaching: How often are we confusing grace with medications (that mask or cover up the symptoms of disease while further tearing down our bodies and our immune systems over time)?  Would we even be able to know the difference?  This is one of the very misleading aspects surrounding these life-long chronic diseases as well.  

From my experiences, with both Kaylee and Barret (my son who was recently diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes), I have found that people are actually appalled when I let them know that I am praying for healing.  Why is this?  I believe it is because we have been deceived into believing that, because God is Sovereign,  we should accept anything that comes our way as being from His hand.  We tend to leave out the teachings in Ephesians, chapter 6, and forget that we have an enemy who is seeking to destroy us and to stop the calling God has on our lives. We have convinced ourselves that if medications can keep us alive for now, that should be enough.  The truth is, for the remainder of my son's life (if I accept this disease) he is at high risk of kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, heart attack, stroke and amputations ...even with the best of treatment.  As a mother, why would I be okay leaving him with these high risks? Why are people surprised that I would ask God to heal my son? 

In addition to these high risks, these auto-immune diseases tend to multiply because the immune system is deficient and failing.  A person with type one Diabetes is also more likely to get: thyroid disorder, celiac disease, and Addison's disease, which are all auto-immune related conditions.  The way I see it, when disease (darkness) is left in our bodies, we are leaving the devil a stronghold in our lives. We are leaving him an open area to continue to target and attack.  I saw this happen time in time again with Kaylee.  

God needs "His body" to be healthy and fully functioning in these end times.  He needs us to be physically healthy, as well as emotionally healthy, in order to do all that He needs for His greater purpose!  I do not believe that anyone's calling or purpose is to be bed-ridden or incapacitated (with a smile on their face).  I believe this is a great misconception that many have begun to believe in our churches in order to help explain the diseases that are multiplying all around us and why we are not seeing healings.  This explanation simply does not line up with what the word of God teaches.   

Often times, when we think our prayers go unanswered, it may very well be something we are not doing right or something God needs to teach us through it.  Our prayers are breaking down strongholds in our lives as well and drawing us closer to God and His perfect will, which is another reason why we cannot stop too soon.  I believe we need to find out the real reasons we are not seeing many healings this day in time and not assume that grace is all God desires to offer.  

(Back to our story) As I mentioned before, I had felt for some time that God had been urging me to fast on Fridays.  I had attempted this on and off for a couple of years, and had found it to be difficult for me.  If I had known that this was going to help move Kaylee's healing along, it might have made a difference in my motivation. However, God wasn't making this clear to me yet, and I am sure He had a good reason for this.  He was wanting my obedience, without explanation.  There were so many other things going on in my life at the time (involving my extended family, my children, my marriage, etc,) and every time I would seek God concerning these areas, He would always bring fasting to my mind.

Finally, toward the end of December, I no longer felt that God was simply urging me to fast.  I suddenly felt as though His hand came down on me, in a very strong way, letting me know that I was being disobedient to Him by not taking the fasting seriously.  I will never forget that moment, and I remember feeling so ashamed.  After I repented for my disobedience, I made a request of God.  I said a prayer that went something like this:  God, I do not want to be disobedient if you are telling me to do this.  But sometimes I question myself about whether or not this is coming from You, especially in my weak moments.  I also do not really understand fasting or the purpose of it. If you will make it clear to me that this is You speaking, and if you will help me understand why I am fasting, I promise I will take this seriously.  

The very moment I finished saying this prayer, Isaiah 58 immediately came to my mind. I had no idea what this chapter was about, but my Bible was sitting on the seat next to me.  I remember picking it up and thinking:  Please let this be something about fasting and not just something I have imagined!  

When I turned over to this chapter in my Bible, I saw that it was entitled: True Fasting.  I remember being shocked in that moment, and I also felt the strong presence of God as I began to read this passage that would soon change my life:  

"Shout it aloud, do not hold back, 
Raise your voice like a trumpet.  
Declare to my people their rebellion 
and to the house of Jacob their sins.  
For day after day they seek me out; 
they seem eager to know my ways, 
as if they were a nation that does what is right 
and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.  '
Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it?'  
'Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?'  
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.  
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fist.  
You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.  
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself?  
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?  
Is this what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-

when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here I am.

"If you will do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you will spend yourself in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.  

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairers of Broken walls,

Restorers of Streets with Dwellings.

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.'

The mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 58

As I read this passage of scripture, I instantly felt convicted about many things in my own life.  I began to understand that it is not only about our prayers.  It is also about the way we live our lives. It is about the way we treat others, especially the poor and the oppressed.  It about keeping His commandments as a nation (and a church).  His greatest commandments are to love the Lord your God with all of your heart and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mathew 22: 37&38). I began to wonder if this might even be connected somehow to why so many prayers for healing seem to go unanswered.  The mouth of the LORD had certainly spoken (to me) and God now had my undivided attention!