| Background: Recently, some brothers and sisters in our church and their family members became ill, accompanied by fever and cough to varying degrees, and were very uncomfortable. There are also other brothers and sisters who have contracted other diseases, which have brought some difficulties to their lives. They are living in pain, some are extremely weak, some are busy taking care of their own family members, but do not understand God’s will, nor do they know how to experience such an environment. Today we will fellowship on this aspect of the truth so tha we can see through Satan’s tricks, understand God’s will, and find a way to practice. |
I would like to ask you a question, if you were also in such an environment, what would you do?
Let’s read some passages of God’s words:
1. Root cause of human birth, aging, sickness and death.
Almighty God says, *”Where did the pain of birth, death, illness and old age present throughout the life of man come from? Because of what did people first have these things? Did man have these things when they were first created? They didn’t, did they? So where did these things come from? These things came after man was tempted by Satan and their flesh became degenerate, such as the pain of the flesh, the troubles and emptiness of the flesh and the extreme wretchedness of the world. Satan began to torment man after it had corrupted them. Man then became more and more degenerate, the illnesses of man were deepened, and their suffering became more and more severe. Man felt more and more the emptiness, the tragedy and the inability to go on living of the world, and they felt less and less hope for the world. So this suffering was brought on man by Satan, and it only came after man had been corrupted by Satan and became degenerate.”*
(from “The Meaning of God’s Experiencing the Pain of the World” in Records of Christ’s Talks)
“After Satan corrupted man, they have become ever more fallen, afflicted by increasingly severe illnesses, and suffered more and more deeply. They felt more and more intensely the emptiness and misery of the human world, how hard it is to survive in it, and they lost hope for it as time went on. All such sufferings were caused by Satan.”
Brothers and sisters, where are our disease and death from? because of committing sins, right?
In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve and put them in the garden of Eden, they were holy, leading a very happy life and they had eternal life. But after they were deceived by Satan and ate the forbidden fruits, they began to have sins, and live in the sufferings Satan brought. 😔😔😔
Because God loves us so much, and He doesn’t want us to be condemned to death, then He began the management plan work to save mankind from the influence of Satan, God suffered a lot, he becomes flesh to do the work to defeat Satan, only in this way, man can fully escape from the influence of Satan and no longer have sorrow, pains, illness or death, we can enter into good destination God prepares for us. that’s the greatest blessings God gives us. we can live with God, no quarreling, no fighting, no strains, and live a free and released life.
2. Seeing through Satan’s tricks.
Almighty God says:
*“God does His work, God cares for a person, looks upon this person, and all the while Satan dogs His every step. Whomever God favors, Satan also watches, trailing along behind. If God wants this person, Satan would do everything in its power to obstruct God, using various evil ploys to tempt, disrupt and wreck the work God does, all in order to achieve its hidden objective. What is this objective? It does not want God to gain anyone; all those that God wants it wants for itself, it wants to occupy them, control them, to take charge of them so they worship it, so they join it in committing evil acts. Is this not Satan’s sinister motive?…In warring with God, and trailing along behind Him, Satan’s objective is to demolish all the work God wants to do, to occupy and control those whom God wants to gain, to completely extinguish those whom God wants to gain. If they are not extinguished, then they come to Satan’s possession, to be used by it—this is its objective.”*
Because mankind was corrupted by Satan, God began the work of saving man for six thousand years, in order to allow people to escape the dark domination of Satan and obey God. Satan tried every means to destroy God’s management work, deliberately wanting to let people perish with him. So Satan used various methods to harm people, make people live in pain, complain and misunderstand God, don’t want to join the fellowship, began to stay away from God, and finally was completely devoured by Satan. This is a terrible thing, So if we can equip ourselves with more truth, we’ll be able to see through Satan’s tricks and not be fooled by Satan.
3. Why does God allow illness? What’s God’s will behind?
When we encounter sickness, there’s God’s good intentions. Something appearing bad are not necessarily bad. Some brothers and sisters may ask: Illness brings a lot of inconvenience to my life, and it also brings a lot of physical pain to me and my family. How can it be a good thing?
We can continue tomove on to read the words of God, and know why God allows sickness befal upon us? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? What exactly is God’s good will?
(1) It is to protect mankind from suffering in epidemic, and keep us far away from the evil social trends of the world.
Almighty God says, *Sometimes things that look bad on the outside are not necessarily bad, and are actually good things. For example, you want to go out one day but you eat something that gives you a bad stomach, so you don’t go out, and as it happens a plague descends outside. Is this bad stomach a good thing or a bad thing? (A good thing.) How many days does it take an ordinary person with only a touch of a bad stomach, from eating spoiled food, to get over it? (Two or three days.) You must have three days of diarrhea, you cannot sleep well at night, your stomach hurts all the time, you alternate between needing the toilet and vomiting, and no matter what you take, don’t you still need to go through a process of recovery? In severe cases, how long will it take? (A week.) One week, and those with a weak constitution may take a fortnight and recover slowly, right? You can’t eat very much and what you do eat isn’t absorbed very well, so it could take ten days or a fortnight. You are kept at home for ten days or a fortnight, and you are perhaps unaware of any big events happening outside your door. When you are better, you go outside and look, and you say, ‘Ah! How have so many people died? What has happened?’ What has happened? God has acted and He has used this method to protect you. Is this method something that people expect normally? (No, it isn’t.) People don’t expect it. So when God does many things on you that you do not expect, you are unable to obey. What is your first reaction? Because you don’t expect it, you can’t understand it and you can’t accept it. Your first reaction is to resist and reject it, and you misunderstand, saying, ‘What’s up with that? I work well at my duties and yet something like this has happened to me. Doesn’t God know that I’m doing my duty? My work is so busy, how can He do this to me?’ You’re loyal and God doesn’t understand you, is that it? Is this a barrier between you and God? (Yes.) This is how your misunderstanding arises.“*
*”If you took a different attitude, and said, ‘I don’t understand why God has done this or why He has arranged this, but it must certainly contain God’s good intention. To cause me such distress, what kind of good intention could God have? I don’t know and I don’t understand. But God can do no wrong, so I shall obey and I shall wait.’ So you wait, a fortnight passes by, you go outside and look, and you say, ‘Ah! How have so many people died? How is it that I’m still alive?’ You think it over, about how you’ve passed the last fortnight: ‘Ah, God has protected me. God has done this to protect my life and to keep me from this kind of disaster. He has placed a small obstruction in my path.’ Is this obstruction God’s good intention? (Yes.) It’s God’s good intention. Is it God’s love? (Yes.) God protects you in this way! So you don’t understand God and are always misunderstanding, and when you speak irresponsibly in situations that you don’t understand, what mistake are you making? (Judging God.) By judging God and defying God you really wound His heart. You see God’s good intention as an evil intention, you see His love as hatred, you complain about Him in your heart and you don’t understand Him. Does this wound God’s heart? (Yes.) Are there many instances like this? (Yes, many.) There are so many instances like this.“*
I’d like to share with you a story. An old sister who believed in God had faith in God, no matter what happened, she said thank God! Once again, the neighbor at the door said to her, “Your son broke his leg when he went down the mountain. Go and have a look.” The old sister did not complain to God when she heard this news, but smiled slightly and said, “Thank God!” The neighbors didn’t understand, and his son broke his leg, but he was not in a hurry! A few days later, the troops went to the village to conscript for the fight. All the men were asked to join the troop except the old sister’s son who had a broken leg.
After a period of time, bad news came that the troop lose the fight and all the soldiers were dead. As a result, all villagers lost their beloved ones who joined the troop. Only the old sister’s son was left safe and sound. The old sister received God’s protection by her faith and she saw God’s wondrous deeds. From this we can see, sometimes things which appear bad happening to us are not necessarily bad, there’s always God’s good will behind.
We created beings are short-sighted and cannot see through the affairs of the spiritual world. God’s will is often hidden behind things. Therefore, when we don’t understand God’s meaning, we often misunderstand God and judge God’s work. The epidemic situation all over the world is very serious now. Many people cannot be treated after being infected and eventually lost their lives. Right now, we get sick. Although it is physically a little uncomfortable, we will rest more at home, which reduces our chances of going out and reduces the chance of being infected by the plague.
On the other hand, previously when we’re not sick, we spent much time with family or friends out to eat, drink and have fun, seldom did we eat and drink words of God, even missed the time for fellowship, and gradually lived in the foolishness of Satan and stayed away from God. Now that we’re getting sick, we will rest at home, have no energy to go out, which reduces the possibility that we do things that are not pleasing to God, and we have more time to eat and drink words of God, participate in fellowships, and understand more truths. Isn’t this God’s protection and blessing for us? Can you feel God’s love for people behind the sickness?
Now we understand: When we are faced with illness and don’t know God’s will, we shall not make judgment at will. Perhaps this is exactly they way God cares for and protects us and it is a way He prepares for us to escape from the disasters.
So, we should learn to wait and seek when faced with illness. Meanwhile, we should also believe that no matter what God does, it is all His love and salvation. Thus, it is really important to obey God and seek His will.
(2), God chooses people through illness
Almighty God says, *Besides, God sets out various people, events, and things so that man may see His existence and His deeds within them. For example, there are some people who believe in God because someone in their family is sick. When others preach the gospel to them, they start believing in God, and this belief in God has come about because of the situation. So who arranged this situation? (God.) By means of this illness, there are some families where all are believers, young and old, while there are some families where belief is individual. Apparently, someone in your family has an illness, but it is in fact a condition bestowed on you so that you come before God—this is the kindness of God. Because the family life of some people is tough and they can find no peace, a chance opportunity comes along where someone will pass on the gospel and will say, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will have peace.” Unconsciously, they then come to believe in God under very natural circumstances, so is this not a type of condition? And is their family not being at peace a grace granted them by God?There are then some who come to believe in God for other reasons. There are different reasons and different ways of belief, but no matter what reason brings you to believe in Him, it is all actually arranged and guided by God. At first, God employs various ways to choose you and to bring you into His family. This is the grace God bestows on every single person.*
It is not easy for God to save people. No one is actively looking for God, so God will mobilize people and things to bring people before Him. Now our family is suffering from sickness which is not a good thing from appearance. It affects our life, and the body is still uncomfortable. But there may be God’s will here. When people are helpless in sickness, they are very helpless, because people cannot save themselves, and money cannot save people. At this time, we can preach the gospel to them, tell them why they have these pains, how to get rid of these pains, and help them to get reliance. That is to come close to God, and God will bring people confidence and strength. It is true for many people that when they first believe in God because of the illness, in order to obtain peace and joy, but this is a way for God to bring people toHim and they have an opportunity to know God.
(3), It is God’s blessing and grace when illness and suffering befall.
Speaking of the grace of God, we usually associate it with God’s blessings and love. In our daily life, however, things don’t always run smoothly; some illnesses or afflictions often come upon us.
At such times, we always have an attitude of opposing, resistance, and complaint, thinking: “Doesn’t the Lord Jesus bestow grace upon us? Why do we believe in God yet still suffer these illnesses and afflictions?”
Sometimes, in order to cast them off, we pray to God earnestly, beseeching Him to remove them. When things still don’t turn for the better, we will be pessimistic and hopeless, weak and regressive. But you know what? The onset of illness or affliction is actually also God’s grace.
We all know Job was a righteous man who feared God and shunned evil. He received lots of God’s blessings: He not only possessed a great deal of property but also had beautiful children.
But in his old age, God allowed Satan to attack Job. Satan took away all of Job’s property and children, and afterward, it didn’t even spare Job’s body, smiting Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown. 😥
Most people may not understand this: Could it be that God no longer bestowed His grace upon Job? 🤔
Almighty God says, *During the work of His abiding provision and support of man, God tells the entirety of His will and requirements to man, and shows His deeds, disposition, and what He has and is to man. The objective is to equip man with stature, and to allow man to gain various truths from God while following Him—truths that are the weapons given to man by God with which to fight Satan. Thus equipped, man must face God’s tests. God has many means and avenues for testing man, but every one of them requires the ‘cooperation’ of God’s enemy: Satan. Which is to say, having given man the weapons with which to do battle with Satan, God hands man over to Satan and allows Satan to ‘test’ man’s stature. If man can break out from Satan’s battle formations, if he can escape Satan’s encirclement and still live, then man will have passed the test. But if man fails to leave Satan’s battle formations, and submits to Satan, then he will not have passed the test. Whatever aspect of man God examines, the criteria for His examination are whether or not man stands firm in his testimony when attacked by Satan, and whether or not he has forsaken God and surrendered and submitted to Satan while ensnared by Satan. It may be said that whether or not man can be saved depends on whether he can overcome and defeat Satan, and whether or not he can gain freedom depends on whether he is able to lift up, on his own, the weapons given to him by God to overcome Satan’s bondage, making Satan completely abandon hope and leave him alone. If Satan abandons hope and relinquishes someone, this means that Satan will never again try to take this person from God, will never again accuse and interfere with this person, will never again wantonly torture or attack them; only someone such as this will truly have been gained by God. This is the entire process by which God gains people.*
From God’s words, we can find the true reason why God allowed Satan to afflict Job. It turns out that the process of God saving man from the influence of Satan is to first tell them the truth and then test them to see whether they can use the truth to overcome Satan’s temptations.
😇If we can use the truth as the weapon to overcome the various temptations of Satan, then it will prove that we have truly been gained by God and that Satan has been completely shamed and defeated.
On the contrary, if we cannot use our faith in and obedience toward God to overcome Satan, then Satan will never be convinced.😳
From biblical records, we can see: Before Job underwent trials, Jehovah God praised Job as “a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil.”
But Satan accused him, saying: “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have not you made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? you have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face” (Job 1:9-11).
“Skin for skin, yes, all that a man has will he give for his life. But put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face” (Job 2:4-5).
But when Job bore witness for God during Satan’s temptations, Satan had no words to say.
Almighty God says, *“God had simply given Satan the opportunity to verify Job’s righteousness before God, and to reveal its own wickedness and contemptibility. It was, furthermore, an opportunity for Job to testify to his righteousness and to his fear of God and shunning of evil before the people of the world, Satan, and even those who follow God.”*
From this we can see that God has a righteous disposition as well as faultless actions. Although, before Job was tempted by Satan, God had seen his righteous deeds and said that “there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil” (Job 1:8), Satan was not convinced. For this reason, God allowed Satan to attack Job with the purpose of giving Job an opportunity to testify his righteousness before Satan and the world and to prove that God’s evaluation of Job was accurate and without doubt.
Likewise, afflictions and trials for us are also opportunities to bear witness for God. Only those people who can stand witness for God in trials are eligible to enjoy the greater blessings of God. 😍
😇Just like Job, he lost his property and children, but he neither complained about God nor misunderstood God. Instead, he obeyed God’s orchestrations, praised the holy name of God, and thoroughly humiliated Satan. After Job stood witness for God, God bestowed upon Job even more property and more beautiful children.
In outward appearance, it was an agonizing thing that Job lost all of his property and children and had sore boils all over. Yet the will of God was to strengthen Job’s faith through this trial so that he could obey God absolutely rather than complain about God, no matter what surroundings he was in and no matter whether God blessed him or took away from him. During his sufferings, his heart was closer to God, and he could understand and be mindful of God’s good intentions even more.
More importantly, after Job stood witness for God in the various temptations from Satan by relying on his true faith in and obedience toward God, he thoroughly broke free from Satan’s accusations and interference, attacks and harm, becoming a free person who truly worshiped God.
It is thus clear that not only are material blessings the grace of God, but even illnesses and afflictions are His grace. ❤️
So, no matter what kind of adversities or afflictions we encounter, we should put our heart in the right place and shouldn’t blindly evade and complain. As long as we can submit and seek the truth, we will surely have a deeper experience in the aspect of knowing God and receive greater benefit and edification in life, which are all precious treasures gained from the onset of illnesses and afflictions; we will also surely gain more of God’s blessings.💞
After the fellowship, can you understand that when sickness comes, sometimes it is not necessarily a bad thing. It is always a good thing as long as we can learn a lesson from it. and sometimes it is God’s protection for us. At the same time, God is testing us through the coming of sickness, to see if we have ovediance, whether we are a person who fears God and shun evil, can stand and testify for God in adversity, and finally be perfected by God. This is God’s blessing and grace. .
Let’s see how to practice the truth and satisfy God when we’re in sickness.
4. The practical ways for man to practice when they aer illness.
(1). Can be quiet before God and pray, without blame.
Almighty God says,
*“After God created mankind and granted them spirits, He enjoined them that if they did not call out to Him, then they would not be able to connect with His Spirit and, thus, the “satellite television” from heaven would be impossible to receive on earth. When God is no longer in people’s spirits, there is an empty seat left for other things, and Satan thus seizes the opportunity to get in. When people contact God with their hearts, Satan immediately panics and rushes to escape. Through mankind’s cries, God gives them what they need, but He does not at first “reside” within them. He simply gives them constant aid because of their cries, and from that internal strength people gain hardiness, so that Satan dares not come in to “play” at its will. So, if people continuously connect with God’s Spirit, Satan does not dare to come and cause disruptions. Without Satan’s disruptions, all people’s lives are normal, and God then has the opportunity to work unhindered within them. As such, what God wants to do can be achieved through humans.”*
When a disease comes to people, unbelievers will feel panic and helpless, wondering whether their disease can be cured or whether it will endanger their lives. But believers in God are different. We know that man’s fate is in God’s hands. We will pray for God’s will, rely on God and confide our difficulties to God. People have the status of God in their hearts, and Satan can no longer take advantage , Can no longer disturb people’s minds. When we obey God’s sovereignty and arrangements, God will give people confidence and our hearts will be at ease.
(2). Join fellowship and eat and drink word of God
Almighty God says,
*“The truth that man needs to possess is found in the word of God, and it is a truth that is the most beneficial and helpful to mankind. It is the tonic and sustenance that your body needs, something that helps man restore his normal humanity. It is a truth that man should be equipped with. The more you practice God’s word, the more quickly your life will blossom, and the clearer the truth will become. As you grow in stature, you will see things of the spiritual world more clearly, and the more strength you will have to triumph over Satan.” from “Once You Understand the Truth, You Should Put It Into Practice God works in those who pursue and treasure His words. The more you treasure God’s words, the more His Spirit will work in you. The more a person treasures God’s words, the greater their chance of being perfected by God. God perfects those who truly love Him, and He perfects those whose hearts are at peace before Him. To treasure all of God’s work, to treasure God’s enlightenment, to treasure God’s presence, to treasure God’s care and protection, to treasure how God’s words become your reality and provide for your life—all this accords best with God’s heart.”*
When we are sick, we can take medicine according to our own conditions, but the most effective medicine is God’s words, because God’s words can help us understand God’s will and requirements of man, and it can bring us a path of practice. So we can’t stop joining the fellowship because of sickness. This is often Satan’s trick to let us be considerate of our own flesh. Satan will laugh at us, “You see, he is not a true believer in God at all.” Therefore, we must insist on participating in the fellowship so that we can understand more truths, obey God’s sovereignty and arrangements like Job, stand witness for God in trials, and put Satan to shame. At the same time, we can tell brothers and sisters about our difficulties and fellowship the truth with each other to solve our own problems, so that we will not live in difficulties and find a way to practice. Therefore, do you think it’s important to keep fellowship when illness befalls upon us?
(3). In the face of illness, we should quiet our heart before God, self-reflect on our transgressions, and confess and repent to God.
Almighty God says, *“I shall tell you: From this day forward you shall have no more diseases of the body. If ever some part of you feels unwell do not busy yourselves by looking for an external cause. Instead, come before Me and seek to know My intention—will you remember this? This is My promise: From this day forward you shall completely walk away from your physical body and into the spiritual world, that is, no longer will your body be burdened with illness. Do not lose heart in the face of illness, keep seeking and never give up, and God shall shine His light to you. How faithful was Job? Almighty God is an all-powerful physician! To dwell in sickness is to be sick, but to dwell in the spirit is to be well. If you have but one breath, God will not let you die.”*
In order to cleanse us and help us to cast off our corruption, God not only leads us from the positive side, sometimes He also disciplines and refines us through disease and suffering. In such a way, God purifies and changes us, prevents us from offending God, suffering God’s abandonment and falling into Satan’s affliction. Just like how parents treat their children, when the children make mistakes, parents will educate them. Although their words are sometimes harsh, they are all for the good of their children. Therefore, God is the same for us, and it is God’s love and salvation for us.
So, in the time of sickness, we should learn to pray to God and know His intentions, and examine ourselves to see what kind of corruptions have not been cast off and what kind of things are done not in accordance with God’s will. If we’re sure it is because of our corruption that God disciplines us, then we should come before God with a truly repentant attitude. Only when we truly turn back to God will He listen to our prayers and continue to guide us.
During illness we can visit doctors, and take medicine, it is justified; but we cannot just stick to the rules, not getting necessary treatment, so that we delay treatment, it is wrong. If the delayed treatment causes unnecessary consequences, it is due to our ignorance. 😢
🥰 But at the same time, we should not forget that we are Christians. So, when we see a doctor or take medicine, we should remember to obey the Lord’s sovereignty. We can pray like this: “God, I am just cooperating with You now by taking medicine and getting treatment. However, as to when this illness will take a turn for the better, it is all in Your hands. I will trust You and obey Your arrangements.”
5, Promise God gives to man
Rev 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Almighty God says, *Following the completion of My words, the kingdom is gradually formed on earth and man is gradually returned to normality, and thus there is established on earth the kingdom in My heart. In the kingdom, all the people of God recover the life of normal man. Gone is the frosty winter, replaced by a world of cities of spring, where it is spring all year round. No longer are people faced with the gloomy, miserable world of man, no longer do they endure the cold chill of the world of man. People do not fight with each other, countries do not go to war against each other, no longer is there carnage and the blood that flows from carnage; all lands are filled with happiness, and everywhere teems with warmth between men. I move throughout the world, I enjoy from atop My throne, I live among the stars. And the angels offer unto Me new songs and new dances. No longer does their own fragility cause tears to run down their faces. No longer do I hear, before Me, the sound of the angels weeping, and no longer does anyone complain of hardship to Me. Today, you all live before Me; tomorrow, you will all exist in My kingdom. Is this not the greatest blessing that I bestow upon man?*
from “The Twentieth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Almighty God says, *To regain mankind’s good destination from Satan’s hand, God has to taste these sufferings and pay this price personally, so that man can completely return to God. Now God has undergone all sufferings in man’s stead and paid this price personally, serving as powerful evidence. In the future mankind will no longer have the sorrows and joys and partings and reunions of the world, the griefs and worries of the flesh, or the birth, age, illness, and death of the world, and man will completely belong to God and enter into mankind’s good destination.*
(from “The Meaning of God’s Experiencing the Pain of the World” in Records of Christ’s Talks)
From God’s words, we can see that man is cleansed in God’s work, freed from Satan’s dark power, and can enter the kingdom of God. There will be no pains and troubles of birth, aging, sickness and death, but full of laughter, people all live together with each other in harmony and live in the face of God.
But if people want to be clean from their corrupt dispositions, they have to suffer and pay the price, they have to experience God’s judgment and punishment, trials and refinements. When illness comes, it is a trial for us, to see if we have faith in God and be able to obey God, dominate His arrangement, whether we can persist in participating in the fellowship to understand more truth, and finally achieve a change of temperament and act in accordance with God’s words. If we can keep doing this, then we are getting closer and closer to being saved. Do you have the confidence to enter the kingdom of God together?