Chapter 18: Demonic Illnesses

Rebecca Talks:

The issue of demonic involvement in illnesses afflicting the physical human body is a much debated and misunderstood one. I am not trying to settle any debates here because I know that is impossible. I wish to present to you, the reader, some Scriptures and personal experiences as a physician in this area, and share with you what the Lord has taught me about this problem.

I am well aware that some church leaders teach that all physical illness is a direct result of demonic infestation and that the only route to healing is through deliverance. Others, of course take the opposite extreme and say that Christians cannot be touched by demons. Let us look at God's word.

I, as a physician, especially enjoy reading the gospel of Luke, because I see so many areas where Luke brings a physician's view point to his writing. He is careful to show differences in the areas of illnesses where others did not have the same awareness.

"And he [Jesus] came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; and they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed."

Luke 6:17-18 Please note the clear distinction made here that some of the illnesses were healed, and some were healed as a result of the unclean spirits being cast out.

"And in that same hour he [Jesus] cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight." Luke 7:21 Again, the same distinction is made. There are two clear cases also given in Luke which demonstrate the same point - that is, some diseases are purely physical, and some are caused by demons.

"And as he [Jesus] was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the uric lean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his Father." Luke 9:42 "And he [Jesus] arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them." Luke 4:38The emphasized portions show the clear difference. In the first case Jesus healed by rebuking the unclean spirit, in the second He healed by rebuking the physical fever.

Demons can, and do, cause illness. Not all illness is demonic, but a significant amount is.

We must remember that physical as well as spiritual death was the result of Adam's fall.

The alteration in our physical bodies caused by sin makes us vulnerable to an array of physical illnesses. The Lord has taught me much in this area. Demons are expert in handling bacteria and viruses and do cause much illness by placing these into human bodies, but they can also do damage directly.

Demons tear apart a physical body on the molecular level. They do this in such a way that devastating damage can be done to the various organs without altering the appearance of the cellular structures under our microscopes. The damage they do usually requires treatment with physical medicines, nutrition, etc., but the physician can know only by direct revelation from the Lord, what is really wrong with such a patient and what treatment to use. Few Christian physicians are willing to take the risk of depending on the Lord so completely. I am not advocating treating a patient without all the appropriate diagnostic tests, but every physician, whether he will admit it or not, sees an uncomfortable number of cases in which all the diagnostics do not give the answer as to what is wrong with the patient. In these cases it is the responsibility of the physician to specially seek the Lord's guidance with fasting and prayer.

One of the most striking illustrations of this type of demonic damage was a case that happened close to the end of my training. I was, at the time, the internal medicine resident in charge of the intensive care unit. A 35 year old man, Bob, was brought into the unit one day from a hospital in one of the smaller outlying cities close by where he had been hospitalized for a week. He had taken ill suddenly and was running extremely high fevers. His doctors had been unable to find the cause. As I examined him the day he was admitted, I could not find any specific thing wrong either, but he was obviously profoundly ill. As we started the usual battery of tests, and asked other specialists to see him also, I started praying intensely asking the Lord to reveal to me what was wrong with him.

The next morning he suddenly jumped out of bed declaring that he was going to leave the hospital that very minute, that if he didn't, he would be killed. No amount of talking could change his mind. Finally his private doctor got a 72 hour restraining order from the court to keep him in the hospital. When the restraining order was served on Bob he immediately "flipped out," and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling muttering incoherently, unresponsive to any stimulus. He remained in this condition over the next 2 days while his physical condition rapidly deteriorated. Finally on the third morning as I was getting ready for work, Father spoke to me and told me that Bob was actually a high priest from a nearby town. His illness was satanic discipline because he had displeased satan in some way.

Bob had wanted to leave the hospital because he had run into the demonic power of "David" the local high priest who was a physician at Memorial Hospital. Two high priests never get into the same territory, except by mutual agreement, without dueling to the death. Bob knew that in his weakened condition that he did not stand a chance against David. Father told me to go and bind the demons of Mindbinding and Confusion and then tell Bob that I knew who he was and what was going on and share the gospel with him. Fervently hoping that I had heard the Lord correctly, I went to do His bidding that morning.

As I entered Bob's room early that morning I made sure no one else was in the room and closed his door. I tried to see if I could get him to respond to me, but was unsuccessful. He continued his incoherent muttering. Then, leaning my arms on the rail of his bed I said:

"You demons of Mind-binding and Confusion, my master Jesus has sent me to bind you, and I now do so in the name of Jesus Christ. You may no longer afflict this man."

The result was dramatic. Instantly Bob's muttering stopped and he turned his head and looked at me, completely lucid. "Good morning," he said, "did you want something?"

"Yes, I have a message for you from the God most high." I went on to tell him the things Father had told me. Then I briefly shared the gospel with him.

"Bob, you must realize that your only hope is Jesus. satan is determined to kill you. To continue to serve him will only bring destruction to you, and what is worse, an eternity in Hell."

He looked at me with feigned surprise. "Who are you?! You are crazy! I don't know what you are talking about!"

"Oh yes you do, my God does not lie."

"Oh go away, I want nothing to do with Jesus!"

"So be it. That is your choice."

With that, I left his room. From that time on Bob remained completely alert and oriented. I must admit, I did have some fun pushing the specialists that morning, asking them to give me an explanation for Bob's sudden return to alertness when his physical condition had not improved. None of them could give me a reasonable explanation.

I continued to fast and pray intensely for Bob, asking Father to give him at least one more chance. Four days later Bob was very near death. His kidneys had stopped working two days before, his liver was hardly working at all, he was in heart failure and his lungs were filling up with water. His blood pressure was so low that he was on medication in his LV.

(intravenous) to try to maintain his blood pressure at a reasonable level. I knew that within a very short time he would have to be put on a machine to breath for him. He had pain continuously that we could not control.

Then Father spoke to me again, telling me to go once more and share the gospel with Bob. As before, I made sure I was alone in his room.

"Bob, you are dying! Don't you realize that?

Don't you think maybe it's time to be honest with me?"

"Yes, perhaps you are right."

"Do you remember our conversation four days ago?"

"Yes, very well. You were right, I am a high priest, and I did want to leave because I knew David would kill me."

"Bob, you must see that your only hope is Jesus. Won't you ask Him to forgive you and to become your master instead of satan?" "Yes, but I don't think I would be permitted to do so."

"Why?"

"Because of satan standing there." He motioned with his hand to the opposite side of the bed from which I was standing. I could not see anything, but my spirit sensed his presence.

"No, the Lord has bound him. Do you need a sign that this is so?" (The Lord had told me I could cast out the demon of pain as a sign that what I was saying was true. The casting out of this demon would have brought immediate relief from his pain.)

"No, just the fact that you are crazy enough to take the chances you are by coming in here like this is enough to show me."

Then, with tears streaming down his face he took my hand and with a quavering voice asked Jesus to forgive him and to be his master. Then he turned toward the other side of the bed and addressed satan directly and told him that he would no longer serve him, no matter what happened.

At the Lord's direction I cast out several demons responsible for his fever, pain, kidney failure, etc. His pain stopped immediately and he was pain free for the first time in many days. Within two hours he was off the medicine for his blood pressure. Within two days he was out of the intensive care unit and within less than two weeks he was discharged from the hospital completely well! (The specialists attributed his illness to a "virus." That is a diagnosis often used when no one really knows what the problem is.)

The spiritual roots of demonic oppression and illness.

I sometimes wonder how many patients I have seen in the past who have died of devastating illnesses without ever really being diagnosed.

Usually such cases are attributed to a "virus."

Christian physicians should earnestly, with much prayer and fasting seek the Lord's guidance and revelation about such cases. Also, James chapter 5 is too often overlooked by both churches and doctors. Often the only way demonic wounds and illnesses can be healed is by prayer in faith and anointing with oil.

Divine intervention and healing prayer in action.

Another common way demons afflict the physical bodies of human beings is with pain.

Pain that varies in severity but usually is devastating and for which no cause can be found medically. Any time I see a patient who is experiencing significant pain for which I cannot find a physical cause, I immediately begin to seek the Lord for a revelation as to the source. It is usually demonic. When satanists fight with their witchcraft powers the loser fr equently ends up in the emergency room of some hospital with severe pain for which no cause can be found. Demons do not always inflict physical damage at the same time as they cause pain, and they do not have to be inside the body to cause pain.

Often Christians are also afflicted with this type of pain. Usually they have no idea that the problem is demonic, or where the demons came from. Demons sent by witches usually afflict a person from outside their body - especially born again believers. Also, human spirits (as described in figure F of chapter 14) can afflict from without just as demons do, although demons are usually the cause except when the doorway of hatred is involved. I have seen a number of cases where the patient's affliction was the result of hatred directed toward them by another person. In these cases a simple anointing with oil and prayer by the afflicted person asking the Lord to shield them from any hatred directed toward them has been effective when all other measures failed.

A good example of such pain is the case of a young man in his mid-thirties whom I will call John. John came to the emergency room one night complaining of very severe chest pain typical of the pain involved in a heart attack. I admitted him to the hospital and ran many tests - all of which turned out normal. Two weeks after his discharge he came to my office one evening in obvious agony with the same pain. I suspected that he was a satanist receiving the worst end of a fight, but did not at that point have a clear revelation from the Lord. As I had already run all the tests available to me at the hospital in which I practiced, I sent him to a large city nearby to be further evaluated by cardiologists there.

They admitted him to the hospital there and ran further tests. They also did what is called a cardiac catheterization where dye is injected into the arteries of the heart to see if there is any blockage to the blood flow there. Again, all was normal.

When John returned to see me after this complete evaluation, he was most discouraged because he was still incapacitated with frequent episodes of the chest pain. With the Lord's guidance, I sat down and talked with him and challenged him directly with the fact that I thought he was a satanist and that his chest pain was the result of demonic fighting between himself and someone else. He was shocked. So shocked, in fact, that he didn't even bother trying to deny that what I said was true. I talked with him extensively, sharing the gospel with him and telling him that his only hope was Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, this young man wanted power at any price. Despite everything that had happened to him he was still determined to stay in satanism. He acknowledged that he knew his pain was caused by demonic fighting. Finally, he moved out of state to get away from the other stronger satanist and to establish himself in a new coven to try to grow in power there. I often pray for that young man and wonder what happened to him. How sad to see such a life wasted because of the lust for power!

The various types of emotional problems that can be caused by demons are endless. But again, we cannot assume that ALL emotional disorders are demonic in origin. I have seen some very sad cases of Christians who have been greatly damaged by others telling them their problem was demonic, when they were having a purely natural human reaction to the stress in their lives. Let us never forget that vve ARE human beings, once vve become Christians vve do not become some sort of super-being no longer susceptible to weaknesses and reactions to stress.

I think we should discuss here one of the most common problems afflicting the human race DEPRESSIONMuch is written about depression in the Bible.

"Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. 0 my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar." Psalm 42:5-6 There are a multitude of references in the Psalms and other places to depression. This battle is real, and we are very human! I am so thankful that the Lord included such Scriptures in the Bible. Look at the following verses:

"Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth." Psalm 44:23-25 If any true born-again believer tries to tell me that he has never felt the emotions expressed in the above two sections quoted, I would have to say that either he has never taken a stand for the Lord and thus become involved in spiritual warfare, or he is lying!

Look at the great honesty with which Paul the apostle wrote:

"For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."

II Corinthians 1:8-9 There are many, many causes of depression.

Unfortunately, too many people involved in deliverance ministries say that all depression is demonic. I think this is because we humans always are looking for the easy way out of any situation. If all depression is demonic in origin the solution is simple, cast out the demon and presto, the depression is gone! It has been my experience that the majority of cases of serious depression that I have seen have not been the result of a demon of depression indwelling the person.

The most frequent cause of serious depression that I have seen is a direct result of an almost complete lack of mind control. (Please see a more detailed discussion of mind control in Chapter 16.) God's word clearly tells us that we are to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (II Corinthians 3:5.) Seriously depressed people (including Christians) almost never obey this direct command from the Lord.

They allow any thought to stay in their mind which satan and/or his demons chose to put there. They never stop to evaluate how accurate their thoughts are with the reality of their situation, or with the situation in the light of God's word. They accept all thoughts as being from themselves, in short, they are lazy! They have allowed their minds to slip into lazy passivity and in such a state they come under tremendous emotional torment by demonic forces.

The fight to regain control of your mind is one of the most difficult battles you will ever engage in, but it will be well worth the effort. I saw many cases of depression in my medical practice because word quickly spread that I was a Christian physician. I can say that in every case of depression I saw, except the few that were a direct result of demonic infestation, dramatically improved with the institution of the steps toward mind control listed in chapter 15. Please note how David was doing this in Psalm 42 where he says "... I will yet praise the Lord... " He was using his will to overcome the depressive thoughts in his soul (mind) and declaring that he would praise the Lord. Praise plays a very important part in overcoming depression. Please note my own experience as described near the end of Chapter 14.

Other common sources of depression are a major loss, such as of a loved one, physical illness and weakness, big adverse changes in life circumstances and, of course, from pure exhaustion - especially in people involved in spiritual warfare. Those of us involved in spiritual warfare need to be continually sensitive and obedient to the Lord's leading in this area. When the Lord commands you to stop and rest you had better obey no matter how unnecessary you may think the request at the moment, or you will no doubt get shot down quickly. By this I mean, you will suffer either serious physical or emotional difficulties, (especially in the area of relationships with other people) or you may fall into error and be deceived because you can no longer be as alert as you need to be. Too many people forget that they are still human with human weaknesses and limitations. If we let the Lord guide us in these areas we will avoid much difficulty. Some of the most powerful demons I have ever encountered have come into a person as a result of incest within a family and the various sexual perversions especially sadomasochism which has become so popular today through heavy metal Rock music.

These powerful demons often are of a class of demons that are able to inhabit all three areas of the human at once - body and soul and spirit. Let me give you an example of this.

I received a call one afternoon at my office from a minister in a nearby city. He asked if I was "The doctor involved in a deliverance ministry." On receiving my affirmative reply, he said that he had a young woman that must be seen that day. I agreed and they came at the end of my office hours that evening.

Jane (not her real name) was a 25 year old young woman who had been married two years.

Her husband was a very intelligent young man slightly older. Both had committed their lives to Jesus about a year prior to their marriage and had attended this church regularly. They had been involved in counseling with the minister and assistant pastor because Jane was completely frigid. They had not been able to consummate their marriage.

Three days prior to coming to me the pastor and some other members of the church had correctly discerned that the problem was demonic and had attempted to deliver her.

They had been unsuccessful, and as a result, for the 48 hours prior to coming to me, Jane had completely lost her mental function. She babbled nonsense constantly, could not control her bodily functions or eat or drink. She did not know who she was or where she was.

They were all very frightened because her husband had received a call from her very domineering parents that day and was told that they were coming up the next day to take Jane home with them and "... put her in a mental hospital where she belonged." Placement on a psychiatric ward was the last thing Jane needed at that point. Treatment with all sorts of strong drugs and possibly electroshock therapy would have only caused more harm. What a mess! The legal implications of the situation were stupendous and my overwhelming desire was to tell them all to leave! But, I was impressed that her husband had been committed enough to remain in an unconsummated marriage for over two years and I could see that he was desperate. So I told them I needed 20 minutes or so to seek the Lord's will as to what I should do.

I went upstairs by myself and fell on my knees before Father to earnestly seek His will in prayer. Almost immediately He gave me a complete peace that He was willing to deliver Jane. Then He revealed to me that Jane was possessed by one of the powerful demons that inhabit all three areas of a human being at once. These people had not realized this and therefore had been unsuccessful in their attempts to deliver Jane. They had stirred up the demon and he was methodically proceeding to kill her before she could be delivered. The Lord opened my spiritual eyes and let me see what was going on in her body. Her brain was ripped and torn as if something with huge claws had attempted to shred it. Other areas of her body were in the same condition. The Lord instructed me to anoint Jane with oil and hold my hands on her head and pray until He had delivered her. He also specifically instructed me that in this particular case that I was not to permit any of the others to touch her.

When I returned to my office I tried to explain to them the characteristics of the demon and why they had been unable to cast it out. Then I proceeded as the Lord had instructed, sitting on the arm of Jane's chair, hands on her head.

Immediately the battle was on. First I had to gain control of the rather minor demon that was babbling through her mouth continuously and causing her to be so restless. As soon as the Lord took him out Jane became quiet. She was still completely confused, however. Several other minor demons tried to obstruct and move Jane away from me, but they were quickly cast out. The last one went out screaming: "You think you're so smart, you'll never get Yurashuha out! He's too strong and he's been there too long!"

"How did Yurashuha get in?" I asked curtly.

The demon laughed, "That's easy stupid, he came in while her Father had sex with her when she was a child." The Lord had previously revealed to me that that was the doorway through which this powerful demon had entered Jane.

It is well known in medical circles that traumatic sexual assaults in childhood is one of the most common causes of frigidity in women in later life - especially incest. We were taught in our courses in psychiatry in medical school that the percentage of these women ever successfully helped is dreadfully low.

After about 20 minutes or so, the pastor and the others with him left saying they could not spare any more time. I must admit I was rather relieved. It was a memorable experience for me. As I sat there, hands on Jane's head, praying and praising the Lord, I felt His power being channeled through me and flowing down my arms and hands. I became so hot, especially my arms and hands, that I was very uncomfortable. Afterwards Jane complained that my hands were so hot that they had burned her head and she had what looked like almost first degree burns on her scalp. These disappeared in an hour or so. The battle raged and I held that position for a little over two hours. As always, the Lord was faithful, and at last the demon lost his hold and came out screaming profanities.

Immediately when the demon was out a great change came over Jane, she became almost completely alert and oriented again. A slight amount of intermittent confusion remained and because of this her husband was doubtful that she was completely delivered. I explained to him about the damage that had been done, telling him that it would take some time to heal all of the physical damage. I did go ahead and do a bunch of medical tests over the next few days both for their peace of mind, and to be sure I wasn't missing anything. Each day saw a big improvement in Jane's condition. All the tests came back normal just as I had expected.

It took about a month for Jane's complete recovery. The last I saw them was about three months after Jane's deliverance.

They were very happy and Jane's husband joyfully told me they were now having a normal sexual relationship and that Jane was expecting their first child. I cannot thank the Lord enough for His tremendous work in the lives of that young couple! satan's kingdom is vast beyond our comprehension. We must daily walk in complete dependence on the Lord for wisdom and guidance. No two people are alike, and every attack by satan is different. We are not smart enough to begin to figure out satan's deceptions on our own. It is continually my prayer that the Lord will give us wisdom because this battle is real and if we are not in touch with our "Captain," we can cause great harm to those we are trying to help.

Jane's case brings me to a point that, sadly, many deliverance ministers tend to forget.

Isaiah chapter 42 says it best in the prophetic description of Jesus:

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."

Isaiah 42:1-4 "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." I John 3:18 I have seen many, many people remain undelivered or only partially delivered because of the lack of love on the part of the deliverance ministers. I challenge everyone in any way involved in a deliverance ministry. Just how much do you love the person you are trying to deliver?? Do you love them enough to sit patiently and work patiently for several hours at a time, perhaps in more than one session in order to see them delivered?

Do you love them enough to take them into your own home for a time if necessary to continue the battle? Do you love them enough to take the time and effort to take them to a private place for deliverance to avoid embarrassment for them? Do you men have enough love to sink your pride and leave the room when it comes time to deal with certain sexual demons in a woman and let just women do the deliverance in that case?

Also vise versa for men. Or would your pride prevent you from even hearing such a request from the Lord?

Jesus would not break a bruised reed. Love always protects.

Why then should you not think about and seek in every way possible to protect a person being delivered from the often intense embarrassment involved? They have trauma enough without adding to it. Deliverance of the deeper and more powerful demons is usually not something that can be accomplished in 510 minutes up at the altar in front of the whole church, or in fr ont of TV cameras. Our God is a God of love and compassion. If you do not have His love and compassion for every person you deal with then you are not fit for a deliverance ministry. If you are "too busy" to take time with individuals, then you should not attempt to be involved in a deliverance ministry.

The same principles apply in the area of healing whether the source of the illness is demonic or purely physical. James chapter 5 and Mark chapter 16 do not give time limits.

"And these signs shall follow them that believe... they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Mark 16:17-18 "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up..."

James 5:14-15 Why are we humans always in a hurry? Why do we usually think God works in a hurry? Does not the Bible itself from cover to cover demonstrate to us that God never hurries? I will tell you plainly why we are always in a hurry - selfishness. Our time is the last thing we want to give up. How many people go forward to the altar in faith, asking the elders to pray for their healing and are not healed?

We would be staggered if we knew the percentage, but the world's low regard for the church should give us a good indication. In Acts we find that the world regarded the church very differently then they do now:

"And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch). And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them."

Acts 5:11-13 Elders, are you willing to tarry in love and in prayer 30 minutes, an hour, two hours, if necessary in order that someone can be healed?

God is so powerful He can heal instantly and sometimes does. But often, because of His great love and compassion He does not do so because of the pain and trauma that would be caused by so much cellular rearrangement in a short time. How many people go unhealed because the elder praying for them is so selfish with his time that he is unwilling to tarry in prayer while the Lord works?

"And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

Jesus said unto them... this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

Matthew 17:18-19 & 21 Does not much prayer and fasting take both time and love? God does not choose to heal or deliver in the same way everytime. If He did, we would soon depend upon the method rather than upon God. If we are selfish in the area of time, we will not be able to discern the Lord's guidance in this area. God's work must be done in God's time, not ours!

There is another area regarding healing that few are willing to discuss, let alone put into practice in a practical way. Let us look at Isaiah:

"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover them; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward."

Isaiah 58:6-8 "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 In light of these Scriptures and others, I am absolutely convinced that the reason why there are so few miraculous healings in the Christian church today is because of the selfish refusal by God's people to bear one another's burdens.

"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.".John 15:12-13 Did you ever stop to wonder just how you could lay down your life for a brother or sister other than going out and stepping in front of a gun to get shot instead of him? There are many other ways! Look at all the ways God lists in Isaiah 58:6-8 quoted above. What about bringing someone into your house to live with you? That really hits! People like to keep the privacy of their homes. Our homes belong to God and are for His use. This means that vve no longer have any right to our "privacy" because there are people out there who need to be brought into our homes. Very few Christians ever hear the Lord's request asking them to take someone into their home because they are so selfish in this area.

Are you willing, when a brother is sick to say "Lord let me share my brother's burden, let me literally have some of his weakness and/or pain so that you can heal him more quickly." Yes we pray for healing and God heals, Yes we rebuke satan, but are we also willing to share the burden? You see, dear ones, I think that this is how we can lay down our lives for each other and I think that as we do this, then God will be set free to do many more miraculous healings.

In Isaiah 58 the Lord tells us that when we do these things that "... thine health shall spring forth speedily... " (verse 8). God certainly has all power in Heaven and on earth! He has the power to heal and raise the dead in every case, but I firmly believe that in many cases He is hindered from acting freely because of our selfish unwillingness to share one another's burdens and "so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)

Not long ago a brother in Christ with whom I work daily, injured his back. The injury was so severe that he was ordered to stay completely down in bed by his doctor. I knew that he was greatly needed at work and as I prayed for his healing I told the Lord that if it was within His will, I was willing to share my brother's back injury. I forgot all about my prayer as I became engrossed in the activities of the day.

Later that day as I started to jump up from a chair, in a hurry as usual, I fell back in surprise. My back was so painful that I could hardly move! Immediately I asked the Lord what had happened and He quickly reminded me of my prayer that morning. The Lord was allowing me to share in my brother's injury.

That evening this brother called into work rejoicing that he was able to be up on his feet, although he still had pain.

Over the next five days the Lord completely healed his back, much to his doctor's astonishment. Let me tell you, not once during those five days did I forget to pray for my brother! Everytime I tried to move I remembered to pray because of the pain I was sharing. I also became completely pain free as the Lord healed my brother. This is a practical example of what I am talking about. I know from my medical training that healing can be a painful process. I believe that often the Lord must slow down the healing process because of the pain it involves. If we are willing to share, the healing can be accomplished much more quickly.

This warfare is real and the wounds are real.

We've got to be willing to help one another.

When someone is speaking or someone is in deliverance, let someone else sit back and say "Lord let me share that person's burden."

Let me give you an example. I had a beautiful dear young woman come to my house a couple of months ago with whom I spoke at length.

She had been involved in witchcraft and had come out and had been completely delivered.

She has what I call a "gentle heart." She is a very gentle loving person. Because of her involvement in witchcraft, satan is going to hammer her the rest of her life. This is the way it is with everyone who has once served satan in such a way - this is real life. This young woman was being terribly battered and she is not a physically strong person. She is strong in the Lord, but she is in personality a gentle person. She has so much gentle love in her heart for other people.

Now some people are just naturally more a fighter than others. God has such a range of ministries. This young woman is not by nature a fighter and she is having to spend all of her time and energy just "hanging in there" against the demonic attacks. This young woman was created to be a minister of gentleness and love, not a fighter.

I was so upset after talking with her, my heart just broke and I went before God the Father in tears about her, and asked "Father, WHY?

People with gentle hearts like this are so rare and their love is so needed amongst your people, why does she have to spend all her time and energy battling?" His answer was "Because my people are unwilling to share her burdens."

If the people in her church were willing to share her burden she would be set free to minister gentleness and love because she wouldn't have to fight so much. Those who God has raised up with the personalities and strength to fight would be fighting the battles for her and she in turn would be ministering with the gifts God has given her and there would be a sharing and great blessing for all.

Then pretty soon satan wouldn't be attacking her so hard any more because he would find out that such attacks were useless. It's not that she doesn't have the power of Christ to withstand these attacks, she does, but we need to share.

This is a wear-and-tear warfare! Let us learn to share each other's burdens, this is what being part of a body, the body of Christ, is all about.