Don't Read This

“Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or goats to the LORD your God, for he detests such gifts. [Deuteronomy 17.1]

How does God feel about our deformities?

I guess He's okay with them ...except we should not expect to come into His presence with them!

God does not want defective sheep and cattle (sacrifices) and He does not want defective 'sacrificers' (those who bring the offerings to Him). 

Why?

Because deformities are a sign - because they are the result of the curses upon disobedience! Nothing unholy like that can come into God's holy presence.

That is exactly why we see Jesus healing sick people - to announce the coming of the Kingdom of heaven! That is exactly why Jesus taught us to pray, "May Your will be done on earth, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."

We should never grow content or complacent with anything that is unacceptable in God's presence. Whether we ever see a person (including ourselves) healed or not, we should always always always pray, like Jesus taught, for GOD's WILL. AND we must define God's will because Jesus told us what God's will is when He taught us to pray, "May Your will be done AS IT IS IN HEAVEN." 

"As it is in heaven" removes all doubt about what God's will is concerning health problems. But it also sets a standard that let's us know how effective our faith and prayers are.

Ouch.

Yes, we can KNOW we have prayed 'enough' for a situation when that situation looks like heaven. Until then, there is need for more and more effective prayer (it may even require fasting!).

It is called being a Christ-follower. It is called being a Christian. It is called 'taking up our cross and following Jesus.' It is protocol for a Kingdom servant. It is protocol for any and every ambassador of Christ and His Kingdom.

To say, "May God's will be done," as if sickness and deformities are God's will, is to ignorantly (sounds a lot like "ignore") respond to Jesus' explicit command how to pray. We must pray all of what Jesus taught, "May Your will be done AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."

Then! We must be willing to humble ourselves to accept the obvious failure (yes, failure) when we do not see "as it is in heaven" as a result of our prayers. AND, when we see our obvious failure - to REPENT.

I am cutting no slack here. Time is short - there is much Kingdom work to be done. There is no time for dead, powerless religion. None of us have time for that! We must be busy about looking and acting like Jesus if we truly presume to call ourselves "Christian." He is coming - and He is coming to claim His own - those who truly believe - those who, because they truly believe, look and act like the One they believe in!

"Well..." it might be argued, "if we all take this seriously, all we would be doing is repenting!"

So, what is wrong with that? Do we dare declare before God, "I have repented enough!"?

For what it is worth, I am indicted here as much or more than anyone. But that doesn't make it okay because the goal is not to look like me! The goal is not for me to be satisfied with myself because I might look like you. The goal is to look and act like JESUS!

For a sidenote: just because perhaps I repent enough for my own sins (as if that were even possible), I must realize that I am part of humanity. In realizing I am part of humanity I must realize that I am responsible too for the sin of humanity... something to think about along with all this...

Father, my powerless sick life says it all - I need to repent. Oh, I do - forgive me for religious ideas that have no power to accomplish anything for Your Kingdom. Forgive me for being satisfied in my "doctrines" and "theologies" all the while not looking or acting a thing like Jesus. Forgive me, Father, for pride and arrogance at the core of my religious powerlessness. Forgive me for faithlessness. I confess it all under the blood of Jesus. I 'say' here that I believe - but let my faith progress past what I say and into what I do - look and act like Jesus!