Part II Destroying the Faith of Man

In the last article we looked at how the health and wealth gospel puts God’s Sovereignty under attack. The health and wealth gospel simply states that if you believe in God and follow Him you will be healthy and wealthy. But that’s not God’s plan for all of us on this earth. Many followers of Christ will not be relieved of their poverty or pain until they see Him face to face. 

When we make these false assumptions, it destroys God and man. It attacks God’s sovereignty. It says, “If I pray for healing, it WILL happen,” throwing God’s will out the window, and trampling His sovereignty underfoot.

The other major issue I have with the health and wealth gospel is that it can destroy the faith of a believer. Think about this with me. If we understand James 5:13-18 which talks about praying in faith, and don’t take into account God’s will, then we think anything we pray for in faith will happen. What God desires, wants, or commands has no effect.

If then that person, who believes that there are no qualifiers to this prayer, meaning the qualifier of the prayer fitting in God’s will and plan, and they do not see healing, what does that person then believe about their faith? What does that person believe about the faith of the person who prayed for them? They would believe that their faith wasn’t good enough. If they had enough faith, they would be healed.

So good, godly, faithful, faith-believing Christians come to God. They pray. They plea to Him. God doesn’t heal. Either God didn’t keep His end of the deal, or I didn’t pray with enough faith – which means my faith isn’t real. This can make a God -honoring Christian believe that God doesn’t exist, or that they are not Christian at all. This health and wealth gospel trash that’s so often promoted has destroyed the faith of more than one believer.

How should we pray? We should pray in faith. Can God heal, and does He still do miracles? Absolutely! So how can we pray in faith knowing God will heal, but that He won’t always be on this side of earth? We can pray just as Jesus did in the Lord’s prayer. We pray like Jesus prayed! He prayed both that God would take away the pain of the cross from Him, and He also prayed in that same breath, “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

Do you believe that God has the faith to heal you or a loved one if He wanted to? Do you call out to God for healing in your life? Do you also pray that God’s will be done, and accept it if it is different than your desire? 

Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes  or Googleplay.