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I want to show you how God’s abundance isn’t just financial. It also includes your health. Let’s start with the scripture where we find out that Jesus came to give us abundant life.

John 10:10 NKJV – The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

When Jesus gives you eternal life, it includes this life. This isn’t just a ticket to heaven, it is an immediate transition into abundant life that will last forever.

If you are not walking in it, it’s because you allow the enemy to steal, kill and destroy by getting caught up in all the noise of this life.

Turn off the noise and get with Jesus. He will lead you down the path of abundant life.

Is there anyone who wants to do more than just survive? Any takers for abundant life? Jesus wants you to have it. In other words:

To follow Jesus, I must walk in abundant life.

It’s such a bummer when Christians believe the lie that we are supposed to live a barely enough life. We think, “How could I ask God for anything in this life when I’ve already been given the gift of heaven?”

It sounds so sacrificial. But in reality, it is selfish. On top of this, you are belittling the power of God. He wants to do these incredible things in your life and you just stick out your hands and say, “Nope. I don’t deserve it.”

Jesus came to give you abundant life.

It starts the moment you say yes to Jesus and follows you all the way into eternity. Quit letting the enemy steal this from you and receive what Jesus gave you: abundant life.

God has given me the ability to look at you and see your potential. You feel like you are stuck, but when I look at you, I can already see who you are meant to become. It’s right there on the surface, ready to come out of you.

You are called by God. His assignment for you in this life is incredible. And to walk in it, you just have to decide, “I’m not living a pitiful life. I’m living the abundant life Jesus gave me.” 

I know your potential. God knows your potential. And it’s up to you to boldly become who God called you to be. The world will be a better place if you choose to walk in abundant life instead of a just enough life.

Lazarus

What I am going to show you today is that this abundant life isn’t just financial, it also includes divine health. Let’s go to the account of Lazarus as an example.

Jesus gets the news that His friend Lazarus is really sick. His sisters thought it was extremely urgent, as if Lazarus could die any moment, but here is how Jesus responds:

John 11:4 NKJV – This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Someone needs to write that first part on their bathroom mirror:

“This sickness is not unto death.”

But people get messed up on the rest of this scripture. This is where the whole idea comes from that God will allow people to get sick so He can get glory for the healing.

Again, this is one of those things that sounds good, but it doesn’t agree with the rest of scripture. 

But if this is the only scripture you read, you’ll believe a lie. And if you are lazy with your Bible instead of loving your Bible, that’s exactly what will happen.

Healing scripture references

I am going to give you a flurry of scriptures that prove how silly it is to believe that God would allow sickness for His glory.

Psalms 103:3 NLT – He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

 

Psalms 107:20 NKJV – He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

 

Isaiah 53:5 NLT – But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

 

Matthew 8:16 NLT – Jesus cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.

Clearly, God is in the healing business. He doesn’t want you to be sick. He wants you to be well!

See Jesus, see The Father

Let me continue to prove it to you by showing you what Jesus said:

John 14:9 NLT – Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!

Jesus only did the will of God. If we want to know God, all we have to do is look at Jesus. When we see Jesus, we see the Father.

Did Jesus ever refuse to heal? No. Did He ever “bless” someone with sickness? No. Did He ever give someone sickness to teach them something? No.

This is how we know that it is ALWAYS God’s will to heal. Jesus displayed the will of the Father for us!

If we want to know how God feels about sickness, just read the gospels and find out how Jesus handled sickness. I’ll give you a hint: He was on a mission to destroy sickness.

The origin of sickness

So where does the sickness come from?

We just read it early. Satan is the one doing the killing. But here’s another scripture to prove it:

Acts 10:38 NLT – And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Healing all who were what? Oppressed by the devil. Sickness is oppression from the devil, not a lesson from God. God doesn’t put sickness on you to teach you.

We just read the story a few weeks ago about when the disciples asked Jesus the cause of the man who was born blind. They asked if it was his fault or his parents’ fault. What did Jesus say?

John 9:3 NKJV – Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

What would YOU do?

Wait… so is this saying that God made him blind so that Jesus could heal him later? Y’all, that doesn’t even make sense when you understand the character of God.

If we, as imperfect people, know how to give good gifts to our own children, how much more will our Father in heaven give us good gifts?

How many parents in the room would put sickness on your kid to teach them something? None of you! That’s child abuse! Yet, are we going to believe the lie that God brings sickness into our life for His own glory or to teach us something?

No. We’re not going to believe that. God is a good father. He sent His word to heal us. He sent Jesus to heal us. And He only gives good gifts. For the record, sickness is not a good gift.

So, with God’s character in mind, we have to read this scripture again. Honestly, I think the translators just messed up the punctuation.

John 9:3-4 NKJV – Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent me…”

That’s how you’ll find it in the NKJV version. But look at what happens when you use different punctuation:

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, I must work the works of Him who sent me.”

Now, this is what agrees with the rest of God’s Word. God didn’t make this man sick. Neither did his parents. Sickness is oppression from the devil. That’s where it comes from. And Jesus is going to glorify God by knocking the devil out.

Back to Lazarus

Let’s go back to Jesus’ response about Lazarus being sick:

John 11:4 NKJV – This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

With the full counsel of God’s Word, we can now understand what Jesus is saying here. If He were an Okie in 2022, He would have said, “Hey y’all. I know Lazarus is sick, but he ain’t gonna die. Well, at least not permanently. Actually, God’s going to receive the glory for what’s about to happen. He’s gonna kick that sickness in the tail.”

I have scoured the scriptures regarding this subject. I’ve personally looked up and handwritten every single scripture that mentions healing and wholeness and even the ones that mention sickness.

And I can tell you, with absolute confidence, that God does not give you sickness. He doesn’t leave it with you to teach you something. That’s just a lie the enemy uses to keep you sick.

Sickness is oppression of the devil. It comes from the devil. It does not come from God.

But God provided healing through Jesus Christ. He does not want His children sick. He wants them to have faith in Jesus and receive the healing that has already been provided. We’re not waiting for it, it’s already ours.

You know how I know healing is ours? Because the enemy is trying to steal it from us. He can only steal something that we already possess.

You’ve got to get the religious nonsense, that God wants you to be sick, out of your head. Because only when you get rid of the lies are you able to believe and receive the healing that’s already been provided. In other words:

To follow Jesus, I must believe God wants me well.

Plus, if you are going to believe God wants you sick, why are you going to the doctor all the time and taking medications? Are you trying to get out of the will of God?

Funny how unbiblical religious beliefs always lead us to hypocrisy. Every single time.

God does not want you sick. God does use sickness to teach you something. God wants you well.

What happened with ole Lazarus?

Well, since Jesus was never in a hurry, He waited a few days before going to Lazarus. By the time He got there, Lazarus had been dead for four days.

This is not good for Jesus’ reputation. He basically lied to us, right? He said that the sickness would not end in death.

But wait a minute. He never said Lazarus wouldn’t die. He just said that it would not end in death. Hm.

But what did Jesus’ disciples have to say about all this? Well, it’s quite hilarious actually. Cue the disciples for some comedic relief:

John 11:16 NKJV – Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

From their perspective, all hope was lost. Jesus had really messed up this time so they might as well just call the whole thing quits.

Forget about all the people Jesus already healed. He didn’t even heal His own friend. It’s over.

Martha’s (delayed) Faith

So, once again, Jesus finds Himself surrounded by people who are without faith. But thankfully, there is one person who still believes, at least for now:

John 11:21-25 NKJV – Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

Wow. We should take tips from Martha. She was fully aware of what they were up against. It looked like it was way too late. But even though it looks impossible, she knew that whatever Jesus asks God, God will do.

Here’s how Jesus responded to Martha:

John 11:21-25 NKJV – Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

This is great news. But just like we do with many other things the Bible promises us, Martha delays the promise to one day in heaven:

John 11:21-25 NKJV – Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

“Oh, I know I’ll be healed… in Heaven.” “Oh, I know I’ll have abundance… in Heaven.” “Oh, I know I’ll be free from the bondage of sin… in Heaven.”

Anyone else have a tendency to delay the promises of God until you get to heaven like Martha did? Here’s how Jesus responds:

John 11:21-25 NKJV – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Two types of people

Okay. Let’s break this down. Jesus is talking about two groups of people here.

The first group believes in Jesus, but that’s. And even though they live this like life they’re dying, they will experience true life in heaven.

Then you have the second group. They don’t just believe. They live AND believe in Jesus. And because of this, they experience abundant life on earth and in heaven.

And Jesus asks, “Do you believe this?” Because you have a choice. 

You can believe in Jesus, leave it at that, and although your earthly life is going to suck, we will see you in Heaven. Or you can believe AND live in Jesus and start your abundant life right now.

God loves you either way. But I can tell you, embracing abundant life isn’t just going to benefit you, but all those around you. You owe it to yourself and your family to embrace abundant life.

In other words:

To follow Jesus, I must not delay the promises of God

After this conversation with Martha, Jesus goes to talk with Mary and some of the others, and they were all crying and upset because they thought Jesus was too late.

The Bible says that Jesus wept as well. We don’t know exactly why Jesus cried, but in the context of what He’s been talking about, I think He was deeply troubled by everyone’s unbelief.

Any parents in the room ever cried because you were grieved by your kids making the wrong decisions? You tried to tell them the truth and they wouldn’t listen to you.

Even though Jesus was grieved, it didn’t stop Him from moving ahead with the miracle:

John 11:38-40 NKJV – Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

Talking ourselves out of The Father’s promise

Remember how Martha was the most promising one of the bunch? She’s the one that said, “I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” And now here she is trying to talk Jesus out of working a miracle.

We’re still pretty good at this today. We try to talk God out of working miracles all the time. “Oh God, if you want me to be sick to bring glory to you, then so be it. I’ll be healed one day in Heaven.”

These kinds of prayers don’t impress God. They are probably quite aggravating if I had to guess. He just wants to heal you and you keep talking yourself out of it!

Thankfully, they moved the stone like Jesus told them. And here’s what He said next:

John 11:41-44 NKJV – Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

See! Jesus told you it wouldn’t end in death. We would have all rather Jesus healed Lazarus before he died, but you know, this will work too. Lazarus being raised from the dead isn’t so bad.

The Father’s timeline, not ours

There are so many times that we give up on healing because it doesn’t happen in our timeline. We get prayed for at church, and if it doesn’t happen instantly, we lose all hope.

We understand that sickness often comes on as a progression. It starts small and if we don’t do something about it, it grows into something terrible.

Yet, when it comes to healing, we want it to happen right now. Instantaneous. And if it doesn’t, then I must not be healed.

Yes, healing can be instantaneous. But can I propose to you that healing can also come on as a progression? It starts small and then it grows until you are completely well.

It may be hours, or days, or weeks after you were prayed for, but step by step you walk into complete healing.

How often do you think people miss out on God’s healing because they give up on it if they don’t see the results within ten seconds?

Can we move past the idea that all healing has to happen instantaneously and realize that there is no bad way to get healed? 

We need to believe that God wants us well and remain in faith no matter how long it takes.

Settle it in your heart right now, “God wants me well.” And don’t deviate from this no matter what you experience. Don’t wait for the doctor to tell you you’re well. Jesus already did.

We should simply believe, “God, I know you healed me two thousand years ago when Jesus took the stripes on His back. I receive that healing now and know that it’s mine whether I see the results of it right now or later.”

“I’m not going to fear this sickness. I’m not going to fret or be worried. I’m not going to give any attention to this sickness. Because, as far as I’m concerned, I’m already healed and I will see the results of it.”

Just like it says in the book of Mark:

Mark 11:24 NKJV – Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

You must believe you receive before you have. Believe you receive, and then you will have.

The best modern-day example I can give you is an Amazon package. When you hit that buy now button in the digital world, you know that package is going to show up in your physical world tomorrow.

When you ask God for something in the spiritual realm, trust that it’s done and expect it to show up in the physical realm. You don’t know when, but it’s coming. So don’t give up!

About the Author

Kade Young

Kade Young is the lead pastor of NoLimits Church.