In our previous two segments we discussed at length the area of the spiritual roots of disease with what the Scriptures actually have to say about health. And, once again, if you have missed Part 1, I would encourage you, please, do go back and watch Part 1, and then Part 2.

Now Part 2 and Part 3 are not quite as important that we study in series, but please don’t miss
[Part 1], which is very crucial. But Part 3, here, we are going to continue to examine the spiritual roots of disease.

In future segments, we are going to go in more detail even more in this topic of health and particularly on how we can be healed of whatever malady, whatever illness, whatever sickness, whatever disease we may have that has a spiritual root to it.

Not every disease and sickness has spiritual roots in terms of a direct connection between a sin that we were involved in or are involved in and a resulting illness or sickness or disease, but there are some that do. And for some reason the ones that do, for some reason are never discussed. Sort of rarely ever does anyone want to bring that up.

But when I tell people I have been studying this topic, most people think, oh, herbs, nutrition, essential oils, exercise, but they don’t bring that part up– the part about sin being a potential cause of disease. It is not comfortable. It is not always nice to say, “Hey, do you have some kind of sin problem over there possibly you could look at?”

You’re not exactly going to win many friends talking about, “Oh, you have some kind of a sin problem you need to repent.” No, it never should be done that way. This is a personal thing that we need to all be looking at for ourselves with prayer and humility and begin to share with people: What the Scriptures REALLY Teach About Health.

And now we are into Part 3. It is not just herbs, nutrition, exercise. These things are a certain part of what can cause health problems, no doubt, but not always is the lack of an herb or a nutrient in the soil or whatever causing health problems. And we are going to examine this at length.

Scripture actually tells us:

 1Timothy 4:8 - For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

So having reverence, this is reverence toward Yahweh. A fear of Yahweh has the “promise of the life that now is” AND “of that which is to come.” Whereas bodily exercise, it might help you a little bit here, but righteousness is going to help your body now and in the future. It is a health matter.

And so, I want to be properly balanced. I don’t want to get out of whack where every potential health problem a person has, there is some kind of disease they have, and it is some kind of sin causing that disease. Not every time.

We see 1 Timothy 5:23, Timothy was told:

 1Timothy 5:23 - No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

So, you know, it is because the generally poor water quality, I think, was one factor here. But grape juice or even wine has been shown medically to be good for one’s health if you don’t use the wine for drunkenness and for “catching a buzz” as they would say, “getting tipsy” as they would say, and affecting your mind.

But it does have a positive impact on your body if used properly and in moderation. So we don’t want to get out of whack either way.

But from what I can tell, in Scripture, the predominant cause for sickness and disease is not the lack of nutrition, the need of some kind of medicine or herb. The predominant cause appears to be sin. And yet, it is something very few people talk about.

 James 5:14 - Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of YAHWEH.

15 – And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and YAHWEH will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16 – Confess [your] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” As a precondition to receiving Yahweh’s healing. And “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” A lot of people quote this part of the verse. But what about this part of the verse… “confessing trespasses… so that you may be healed”?

There is a definite connection there between sin and sickness. And we are going to talk a lot more about this verse in a future broadcast, but I want you to notice: “that you may be healed.” Confession of sin, praying for others, is a precondition to getting healing from Yahweh in some cases we see here.

So if someone is sick or they have a disease– I don’t care if it is cancer or heart disease, respiratory problems, skin conditions, whatever, any kind of health problem– a legitimate but very rarely asked question might be: Is there a sin that could have been involved here that actually caused that health problem?

Yahushua’s willingness to bring healing was deeply connected to the forgiveness of sin. In Matthew chapter 9, verse 1, it says:

 Matthew 9:1 - So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.

2 – Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Yahushua saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

This man was paralyzed. He was a paralytic. He is paralyzed. He has no use of his legs. He has to be laying on a bed, and Yahushua says, “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

There is a definite connection between the man being paralyzed and sins that he was committing.

 Matthew 9:3 - And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”

4 – But Yahushua, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

5 – “For which is easier, to say, `[Your] sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, `Arise and walk’?

As if what is the difference? What is the difference? “Your sins are forgiven you.” “Arise and walk.” It is either one. So sin definitely, in this case, we see sin had a connection to the man being paralyzed.

 Matthew 9:6 - “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

So from Yahushua’s perspective, in this case, there was no difference whatsoever between saying, “Your sins are forgiven” and “Arise and walk.” The man was paralyzed because of the sin he was involved in. It was synonymous. There was no difference in Yahushua’s mind.

That is the good news of Yahushua. He is willing to offer forgiveness of sin to those who come to Him. But what if they got healing and they are forgiven of their sins and then they go back into it again? Yahushua would warn them.

 John 5:5 - Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.

6 – When Yahushua saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been [in that condition] a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

7 – The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

He is talking about the Pool of Siloam where an angel would touch the pool and whoever reached the pool at the same time would be healed.

 John 5:8 - Yahushua said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.”

9 – And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

10 – The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry [your] bed.”

 John 5:11 - He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, `Take up your bed and walk.'”

 John 5:12 - Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, `Take up your bed and walk’?”

13 – But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Yahushua had withdrawn, a multitude being in [that] place.

14 – Afterward Yahushua found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

So, clearly, once more, the sin was the cause of his thirty-eight-year-long sickness. Thirty-eight years! And we can’t deny it. It is black and white. It is so obvious, and yet when we talk to believers about health… “Oh, you need this herb. You need this medicine. You need this essential oil. You need to have this.”

Okay, maybe. But hardly anyone talks about the potential spiritual root of health problems, and I think we need to. It is time we start. It is time we start discussing what is maybe uncomfortable discussing. And part of a sincere faith is being sensitive to the discipline of Yahweh.

I know it is not nice to think about it, but we have to be sensitive to the discipline of Yahweh in our lives and the potential discipline of Yahweh in someone else’s life, because a lot of times people, believers, whom we love and we know and we cherish and we value, we don’t want to talk to them about it. We don’t want to make them feel bad.

Now we don’t want to condemn them when really they may have done nothing wrong. But Scripture says:

 Proverbs 17:15 - He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike [are] an abomination to YAHWEH.

So we need to have wise and righteous judgment. And it is possible we won’t know the reason why they are sick and they will. But when someone is sick, it is a legitimate question. But hardly anyone ever talks about it. Instead we hear: “that herb” and “this herb”; “go to this doctor” or “that doctor”; “have this diet” or “that diet.”

But, you know, I mentioned in Part 1, when Adam and Eve were in the garden they never needed an immune system. There was no sickness or disease until sin entered the world. When sin entered the world outside forces were corrupted, permitted to attack Adam’s body, and Yahweh told him, “In the day you eat of it dying you will die.”

And so, what happened? They ate of it. It says:

 Genesis 2:15 - Then YAHWEH Elohim took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

16 – And YAHWEH Elohim commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

17 – “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

In the Hebrew it reads “dying you shall die.” And then after that happened, Yahweh cursed the ground. He said: “By the sweat of your brow, you will eat bread.” Then Cain, who murdered his brother, was ultimately punished by Yahweh in like manner.

 Genesis 4:10 - And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

11 – “So now you [are] cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

12 – “When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”

And so, Cain’s punishment was that no matter how much he tilled the ground, it is not going to yield a strong crop. He would essentially be striving to survive as a fugitive and a vagabond. Why? Because his brother’s blood had called out from the ground.

And I wonder, could there be similar things going on today that took place with Cain? People just can’t seem to be financially stable. Maybe not because they have murdered someone, but perhaps a murder in the heart. Yahushua talked about…

 Matthew 5:21 - “You have heard that it was said to those of old, `You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

22 – “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, `Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, `You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

Or Gehenna. What kind of judgment? Well, we see the kind of judgment that Cain got that there would be a correlation today.

We see Yahweh cursed the ground in the case of Cain. Cain was a fugitive. He had a disquietness within him because of his sin. He was separated from his family as a result of his sin.

I wonder, could it be, similar judgments taking place to those who have anger issues and the people who seek to harm others with their words in anger?

In Matthew 5:23, we continue reading…

 Matthew 5:23 - “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 – “leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25 – “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

 Matthew 5:26 - “Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

So He is encouraging peace.

If you find yourself scraping by financially, consider, maybe (not necessarily, but possibly), the thought that maybe you are guilty in these areas– hatred in the heart and bitternesses resulting in murderous words, murderous thoughts– and when it comes to health, maybe the body is not getting the nourishment it needs.

It can’t seem to afford even to get healthy, to eat healthy.

I was talking to Brother AbiYah last night and he has been studying these things for years, and my discussions with him have been really helpful. And several of the points I have made, or will make, I owe, actually, to Brother Neil.

But he pointed out last night how the ground (he lives in an area of farmland, so he is seeing it), the ground is becoming more and more cursed here in the United States– over farming, chemical companies are killing and cursing the ground.

And I immediately thought, you know, we live in a nation where a lot of innocent blood has been shed, in abortions, and even our military in bombing other nations… Afghanistan. I don’t know how many times I would see on the news where innocent children would be killed through the United States bombing Afghanistan and different areas.

And so, this innocent blood that is being shed, I wonder if it could be. Now the ground is not yielding its strength like it used to. The same food you plant in the soil isn’t giving us the same nutrition that it used to. And with the lack of nutrition, therefore, the lack of our bodies getting what it needs to function.

This could be a judgment nationally on the United States of America. All I know is this: We need to recognize Yahweh is the Supreme Ruler. He is the King of the earth. He is the Supreme Judge on the earth, and when we do something contrary to His will, we are in danger of judgment.

And we need to recognize Him as the Judge and see what maybe He is doing to us personally or to a nation and see what judgments He is making. And the way you learn about what kind of judgments He is making is by looking at Scripture and seeing how He judged a man’s sin in the past.

And by learning how He has judged sin in the past, we can then discern how Yahweh, who does not change, is maybe judging sin on the earth right now, and judging sin in the body of the Messiah right now, and judging sin in our own personal lives right now.

And, yes, one way He judges sin is by allowing health problems. We see it.

 1Corinthians 11:27 - Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks [this] cup of the Master in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Master.

28 – But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

29 – For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Master’s body.

 1Corinthians 11:30 - For this reason many [are] weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

They are dead!

 1Corinthians 11:31 - For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

32 – But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Master, that we may not be condemned with the world.

So we need to respond to His chastening, but if we never look at the fact that maybe our sin is causing a physical ailment of some kind, we won’t even bother to look. “Oh, am I being chastened?”

So I am reviewing a little bit of this stuff here because I just want to remind us why we are going so deeply into these areas. And if we determine that our sin is perhaps causing a sickness or a death in ourselves and our family members, we don’t have to beat ourselves up the rest of our lives. I am sure that is what the enemy would want us to do.

But Yahushua says:

 Revelation 3:19 - “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

 Proverbs 3:11 - My son, do not despise the chastening of YAHWEH, Nor detest His correction;

12 – For whom YAHWEH loves He corrects, Just as a father the son [in whom] he delights.

 Hebrews 12:6 - For whom YAHWEH loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 – If you endure chastening, Elohim deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

8 – But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

 Hebrews 12:9 - Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected [us], and we paid [them] respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?

10 – For they indeed for a few days chastened [us] as seemed [best] to them, but He for [our] profit, that [we] may be partakers of His holiness.

11 – Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

If we are willing to let it.

We need Yahweh’s training in our life. Just as we train up our children in the way they should go, and we hope that our children will respond to our efforts to chasten and discipline and train them, likewise Yahweh hopes that we are willing to respond to His discipline, to His efforts to correct us. And we need to be willing to.

 Hebrews 12:12 - Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,

Interesting.

 Hebrews 12:13 - and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

We see, once again, healing as a result of chastening. We need it. And so, we want to respond to the chastening of Yahweh.

And don’t be angry when we get chastened. Instead, be humble that He is willing to bring our sins to our attention. He cares that much about us. Think about that.

What is our life anyway? I mean, if we get chastened right now, is it worth it just to be hard hearted about it and not listen? Scripture says:

 Psalms 62:9 - Surely men of low degree [are] a vapor, Men of high degree [are] a lie; If they are weighed on the scales, They [are] altogether [lighter] than vapor.

 James 4:14 - whereas you do not know what [will happen] tomorrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

It is not how we are thought of in this life that matters. Men of high degree are just a lie anyway if they are weighed on the scales. We are all nothing but vapor. And so, we need to look at things from an eternal perspective. If we look at our life here compared to eternity, it is just a tiny little speck on the floor in front of you.

That little speck on the floor in front of you compared to the size of the universe is nothing. Well, that is our little bit of time right now in this life compared to eternity– trillions and trillions and trillions of years of eternity.

So what really matters? The things going on in this speck of time or the things that are eternal? So what if we experience hardship here or chastening here or negative circumstances here? It is the eternal things that matter. And that is what we need to look at. It is the eternal things. It says:

 Philippians 3:7 - But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Messiah.

8 – Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Messiah Yahushua my Master, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Messiah

The goal is to gain Messiah. So if we are chastened, it brings us to Messiah.

We actually can be glad Yahweh saw fit to shake us up a little bit so that we would be compelled to come to the Messiah with the matter and that Yahweh is willing to deal with us as a son whom He loves rather than an illegitimate child whom He has rejected. And so, we can rejoice in that.

Again, not all sickness, not all disease, is from a sin you are involved in. In fact, it may just be your time to go. Even at a young age, it could just be your time to go.

Hezekiah was considered to be a righteous king, and yet he was only thirty-nine years old. And here he was, thirty-nine years old…

 2Kings 20:1 - In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says YAHWEH: `Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.'”

2 – Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to YAHWEH, saying,

3 – “Remember now, O YAHWEH, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done [what was] good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

 2Kings 20:4 - And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of YAHWEH came to him, saying,

5 – “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, `Thus says YAHWEH, the Elohim of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of YAHWEH.

6 – “And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”‘”

 2Kings 20:7 - Then Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So they took and laid [it] on the boil, and he recovered.

So he had a boil. He was going to die of this boil, and he took herbs– a lump of figs– and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

So he was healed. It wasn’t necessarily a supernatural looking thing, but a lump of figs. But it was certainly a supernatural healing.

But we see that herbs were involved in that, which we are going to get to that in a future segment.

 2Kings 20:8 - And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What [is] the sign that YAHWEH will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of YAHWEH the third day?”

9 – Then Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from YAHWEH, that YAHWEH will do the thing which He has spoken: [shall] the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?”

 2Kings 20:10 - And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees; no, but let the shadow go backward ten degrees.”

11 – So Isaiah the prophet cried out to YAHWEH, and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz.

12 – At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

 2Kings 20:13 - And Hezekiah was attentive to them, and showed them all the house of his treasures — the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory — all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

14 – Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.”

15 – And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that [is] in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”

 2Kings 20:16 - Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of YAHWEH:

17 – `Behold, the days are coming when all that [is] in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says YAHWEH.

18 – `And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'”

Now you would think he would be very unhappy about this.

 2Kings 20:19 - So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of YAHWEH which you have spoken [is] good!” For he said, “Will there not be peace and truth at least in my days?”

Now I look at that, and I think, “Wow, Hezekiah! Don’t you even care about your children?”

His attitude… he did not seem to care about the well-being of his children. He thought it was a good thing: “Oh, at least it won’t happen to me. Sorry, children, it is going to happen to you, but it won’t happen to me.” And he was content to have the peace and truth in his own days.

Now Hezekiah was going to die, right? He was going to die. And that was Yahweh’s original plan: “Set your house in order. You will die and you won’t live.” But Yahweh said, “Okay, you have been loyal. You’ve done what was good. I will heal Hezekiah of the deadly boil and extend his life another fifteen years.”

But I want you to notice that during those fifteen years there is a young man named Manasseh who reigned in Hezekiah’s place.

 2Kings 20:20 - Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah — all his might, and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city — [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

21 – So Hezekiah rested with his fathers. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

 2Kings 21:1 - Manasseh [was] twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name [was] Hephzibah.

So during this extra fifteen years that Yahweh had given Hezekiah, there was a baby boy named Manasseh who was born in his house. And this young man, Manasseh, was only twelve years old when he became the King. And as a result of Manasseh’s sins, some awful things he did, some things happened to Israel.

 2Kings 23:36 - Jehoiakim [was] twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name [was] Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

37 – And he did evil in the sight of YAHWEH, according to all that his fathers had done.

That is a grandson of Hezekiah.

 2Kings 24:1 - In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal [for] three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.

 2Kings 24:2 - And YAHWEH sent against him [raiding] bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of YAHWEH which He had spoken by His servants the prophets.

3 – Surely at the commandment of YAHWEH [this] came upon Judah, to remove [them] from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,

That twelve year old boy who was born in Hezekiah’s house during this extra fifteen years that he was given to live.

 2Kings 24:4 - and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which YAHWEH would not pardon.

He wouldn’t do it. He would not forgive him. Too much blood was shed in the land because of Manasseh’s sins. He would not pardon and that is what caused Judah to go into exile.

I think, how many people would have died? How many innocent people would have had their lives spared? Maybe a more righteous king would have reigned instead of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah was a king who brought many reforms to Jerusalem. He helped to eliminate idolatry. He hosted one of the best Passovers ever. But, you know, there are things going on in the heavenly realm that we are just not privy to.

Yahweh knew Manasseh would have been born and originally thought to cut Hezekiah’s life short at the age of thirty-nine. And in light of what happened, it’s hard to say. I mean, it might have been better if He had.

So what I am saying is this, I am not saying we should not pray for healing. I am absolutely not saying that at all. But Yahweh was willing to extend Hezekiah’s life and had the final decision.

But it goes to show that if a believer dies or gets sick at a younger age than what we would hope for, Yahweh may have reasons for it we are not privy to, that we are not aware of. He is all knowing, all wise. He sees everything in the spiritual realm we can’t see.

And here is one clear example, that Manasseh was born, and because of the innocent blood that was shed, Yahweh caused Israel to be separated from the land, He caused them to go into exile… just like Cain.

Just like Cain. “You’re out of here!” And Cain was sent off into exile, separated from his family, a fugitive, a vagabond. And it was for the same sins. Cain shed the innocent blood of Abel, and nationally Israel, Judah, had committed the sin of shedding innocent blood. And as a result, they went into exile.

And I wonder, here in the United States, what is going to happen? But it is worldwide. Even in Israel, I think 50,000 abortions a year? In other countries it is even worse.

France… there are more babies aborted than there are that are born. There are more children killed in the womb than there are children who are born in France, which has the highest rate in Europe (I think it is fifth highest in the world) of nations that bear illegitimate children. That is children that are born out of wedlock.

So it is an epidemic worldwide. And Yahweh is one day going to come and just wipe it all out and burn the earth with fire and cleanse it. It needs it. And so, the nation was judged for shedding innocent blood.

Another king who was judged for shedding innocent blood was Pharaoh.

 Exodus 12:29 - And it came to pass at midnight that YAHWEH struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who [was] in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.

And so, the reason why Yahweh struck all the firstborn of Pharaoh would be this:

 Exodus 1:22 - So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

And so, Pharaoh commanded that innocent life would be destroyed– lives of babies. And Yahweh told Pharaoh:

 Exodus 4:22 - “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, `Thus says YAHWEH: “Israel [is] My son, My firstborn.

23 – “So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.”‘”

A lot of people wonder why Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart seemingly giving him no choice but to receive these plagues. It appears to me that this was Yahweh’s judgment on Pharaoh for shedding innocent blood and Yahweh would not pardon. (The innocent blood of Abraham’s children, His own children.)

And so, when a man, and particularly one who is in leadership, sheds the innocent blood of a child, it is a serious matter. And, yes, there are also women who shed innocent blood.

And we see what Yahweh did as a result of the sins of Manasseh. It is an abomination to Him.

 Proverbs 6:16 - These six [things] YAHWEH hates, Yes, seven [are] an abomination to Him:

17 – A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,

18 – A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,

 Proverbs 6:19 - A false witness [who] speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

He doesn’t want our bodies to be used that way– our tongues, our faces, our hearts, our feet, and so on. Abomination! So Yahweh is very, very serious about not afflicting the innocent.

Now Yahushua Ha Mashiach can cleanse us from anything. There is no mark He cannot erase. So, please, don’t feel judged by me. If you are a believer in Yahushua, you can be forgiven.

But I want to point out how serious a sin it is in Yahweh’s eyes, not only shedding innocent blood, but even to mistreat an innocent person. We see Exodus 22:22…

 Exodus 22:22 - “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.

23 – “If you afflict them in any way, [and] they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry;

24 – “and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

So Yahweh says He is going to cause that person to die by the edge of the sword. This is obviously a health message, right? I mean, a serious one.

So if we are guilty by harming the fatherless or widow, or any innocent person, we place ourselves in danger of serious, serious judgment. If we have been guilty of something along those lines, we may have a health problem that leads to death.

To some degree Yahweh expects leaders in the body of Messiah to also look out for the fatherless and the widow and any innocent person being harmed by others.

Yahweh said in Isaiah 1:15:

 Isaiah 1:15 - When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

16 – “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil,

17 – Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

He won’t even hear your prayers. He won’t even hear it. Hands are full of blood.

 Isaiah 1:18 - “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says YAHWEH, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

19 – If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

20 – But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of YAHWEH has spoken.

So He warned them. Our prayers can be hindered by simply not caring for the fatherless and the widow, for failing to rebuke those who are causing oppression.

You know, spiritually, there are also children who are fatherless because they have a distant and unloving father. Spiritually, there are wives who are widows because their husbands are not providing for their spiritual needs.

And I say the spiritual is even more important than the physical, because if their physical needs are not provided for then, okay, they may lead to physical problems. But spiritual problems, that is eternal stuff. And so, the spiritual is even more important.

And if we, as men, are not being fathers to our children and husbands to our wives, I wonder if Yahweh would refuse to hear our prayers for healing. Maybe our prayers would not be heard.

1 Peter 3:7… there is precedence here.

 1Peter 3:7 - Husbands, likewise, dwell with [them] with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as [being] heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

So you can be fasting and praying and desiring healing and deliverance and Yahweh doesn’t seem to be listening? Take a little inventory here, examine yourselves. Take a moment. This is a potential spiritual block to healing. Yahweh will not hear the prayer. You may have to go back to square one here and start loving those He has placed in your care.

 Malachi 2:13 - And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of YAHWEH with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive [it] with goodwill from your hands.

14 – Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because YAHWEH has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant.

He is remembering the covenant that was made and it is a serious matter to Him. He won’t hear your prayers.

So in the same way a family is crying out for a father, a family is crying out for a husband, and the husband, or the father, is not conducting himself in such a way to provide spiritual and physical needs. He places himself in a position where his own prayers, his own cries, will not be heard by his Father in heaven because of an act of judgment.

And so, if that man is suffering from some kind of disease or infirmity or some kind of physical ailment, perhaps that is a block to healing. And we, as a body of Messiah, have a responsibility to attend to the fatherless, the widow, the one who is lacking in these areas and do our part to fulfill those needs.

And maybe our prayers, collectively, as a body of Messiah, are not being heard because of our unwillingness to plead for the widow and provide and be there for the fatherless.

A full study on these two topics… a FULL Study on Fatherhood and family on: http://www.eliyah.com/family/

Fatherhood, motherhood, husband, wives, children– it is all there in that section.

And then, on the transcripts page, I have a study called “The Fatherless and the Widow.” It was shared on the Roman date of February 9th, 2013 (02/09/2013): http://www.eliyah.com/transcripts/

Take a look at those two studies and consider the possibility there.

Now those who are in leadership are in a place where they answer directly to Yahweh. And for that reason, they find themselves a recipient of greater and swifter judgment, because they answer directly to Yahweh. In the case of Pharaoh, he lost his firstborn, his whole nation, over his sin. He oppressed others and so he lost everything.

We talked last week about the Jezebel spirit and the promiscuity that exists there in the Jezebel spirit. There is a Jezebel spirit that is potentially there in a wife. And Yahushua deals with her directly in those Jezebel-kind-of-actions that she may be participating in, which we discussed a little bit. We’ll discuss a little bit more as we go along.

But those who are in leadership, you answer directly to Yahweh. And so, be sensitive to Yahweh’s judgment in your life and His correction.

It doesn’t mean He hates you. It means He loves you and He is trying to get your attention so that you will turn away from whatever it is you are involved in and that you will change. That’s why He does it– out of love.

Now another danger for those who are in leadership is pride and that can affect a person’s health. It can. Consider the example of Herod.

 Acts 12:21 - So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.

22 – And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

23 – Then immediately an angel of YAHWEH struck him, because he did not give glory to Elohim. And he was eaten by worms and died.

 Acts 12:24 - But the word of Elohim grew and multiplied.

He died. The Word of Yahweh grew and multiplied. A contrast. The pride of a leader, Herod, eaten by worms. Some details on what took place is shared by the Jewish historian Josephus. It says:

“A severe pain arose in his belly, striking with a most violent intensity. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, ‘I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death.

“‘But I am bound to accept what Providence allots, as it pleases [Elohim]; for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid and happy manner.’ When he had said this, his pain became violent.

“Accordingly he was carried into the palace, and the rumor went abroad everywhere that he would certainly die soon. The multitude sat in sackcloth, men, women and children, after the law of their country, and besought [Elohim] for the king’s recovery. All places were also full of mourning and lamentation.

“Now the king rested in a high chamber, and as he saw them below lying prostrate on the ground, he could not keep himself from weeping. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age and in the seventh year of his reign.”

Another man given a similar disease, intestinal problems, as a result of sin… 2 Maccabees. This is an apocryphal book. I don’t regard it as inspired, necessarily, but probably historical accuracy is there. It is talking about Antiochus Epiphanes, saying:

2 Maccabees 9:4 – “Then swelling with anger, he thought to avenge upon the Jews the disgrace done unto him by those that made him flee. Therefore commanded he his chariotman to drive without ceasing, and to dispatch the journey, the judgment of Elohim now following him.

“For he had spoken proudly in this sort, That he would come to Jerusalem and make it a common burying place of the Jews.” (Pride.)

2 Maccabees 9:5 – “But Yahweh Almighty, the Elohim of Israel, smote him with an incurable and invisible plague: or as soon as he had spoken these words, a pain of the bowels that was remediless came upon him, and sore torments of the inner parts;

2 Maccabees 9:6 – “And that most justly: for he had tormented other men’s bowels with many and strange torments.”

2 Maccabees 9:7 – “Howbeit he nothing at all ceased from his bragging, but still was filled with pride, breathing out fire in his rage against the Jews, and commanding to haste the journey: but it came to pass that he fell down from his chariot, carried violently; so that having a sore fall, all the members of his body were much pained.”

2 Maccabees 9:8 – “And thus he that a little afore thought he might command the waves of the sea, (so proud was he beyond the condition of man) and weigh the high mountains in a balance, was now cast on the ground, and carried in an horselitter, shewing forth unto all the manifest power of [Elohim].”

2 Maccabees 9:9 – “So that the worms rose up out of the body of this wicked man, and whiles he lived in sorrow and pain, his flesh fell away, and the filthiness of his smell was noisome to all his army.”

So I find it interesting, both of these men exalted themselves above Elohim and they both were struck with a disease of the intestines– the bowels, the stomach, the intestines, basically the digestive system– and they were both involved in the same kind of sin.

Both were persecutors of Yahweh’s people. Antiochus, he slayed, actually, 40,000 men, women, and children (infants and everything), outlawed Judaism. And then Herod, the one spoken of in Acts chapter 12, verses 1 through 4, consider what Herod had done. The same thing.

 Acts 12:1 - Now about that time Herod the king stretched out [his] hand to harass some from the church.

2 – Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

3 – And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was [during] the Days of Unleavened Bread.

 Acts 12:4 - So when he had arrested him, he put [him] in prison, and delivered [him] to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

So both of these men persecuted the righteous. Now we know from reading the book of Acts, Peter was delivered from prison. But both Antiochus and Herod were guilty of the same crimes– pride and persecution of Yahweh’s people.

And it is interesting to note, there is another leader, as well, a leader of Israel who was struck with a disease of the intestines.

 2Chronicles 21:5 - Jehoram [was] thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

6 – And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of YAHWEH.

Verse 12…

 2Chronicles 21:12 - And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says YAHWEH Elohim of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

13 – but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father’s household, [who were] better than yourself,

 2Chronicles 21:14 - behold, YAHWEH will strike your people with a serious affliction — your children, your wives, and all your possessions;

15 – and you [will become] very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day.

 2Chronicles 21:16 - Moreover YAHWEH stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians who [were] near the Ethiopians.

17 – And they came up into Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions that were found in the king’s house, and also his sons and his wives, so that there was not a son left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

 2Chronicles 21:18 - After all this YAHWEH struck him in his intestines with an incurable disease.

19 – Then it happened in the course of time, after the end of two years, that his intestines came out because of his sickness; so he died in severe pain. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning for his fathers.

20 – He was thirty-two years old when he became king. He reigned in Jerusalem eight years and, to no one’s sorrow, departed. However they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

So remember, kings are charged to lead and in their leadership they are charged to be humble. There is actually a commandment in Deuteronomy 17 (talking about a king):

 Deuteronomy 17:18 - “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from [the one] before the priests, the Levites.

19 – “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear YAHWEH his Elohim and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,

20 – “that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment [to] the right hand or [to] the left, and that he may prolong [his] days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

“That his heart may not be lifted above his brethren.” Interesting. Keep him humble. So “prolong his days.” His health will be affected if he lifts his heart above his brethren and not hear the words of Yahweh. So this is a promise that was going to happen, that would affect their health.

So even though Yehoram was raised by Yehoshaphat, who was a righteous king in Judah, he rejected the law of Yahweh outright and in his pride killed all of his brothers, who, according to Eliyah the prophet, were better than he was. And as a result– just like Antiochus, just like Herod– Yahweh struck him with a disease in his digestive system.

Now it was pride. All of these men had serious pride issues and persecution toward those who would speak the Word to them.

Now have you ever noticed that in our bodies, when we feel pride inside our bodies? I have learned to recognize it, a little warning sign in my body I am being prideful in my actions or in my thoughts that I actually feel it. Right here, this whole region, I feel it.

From my stomach to my esophagus, this whole area of digestion, it is a physical something. I can physically feel it. And it is interesting, because the English word “stomach”… if you ever look at the etymology of the English word “stomach”…

Etymology for “Stomach”: c.1300, “internal pouch into which food is digested,” from Old French estomac, from Latin stomachus “stomach, throat,” also “pride, inclination, indignation” (which were thought to have their origin in that organ), from Greek stomachos “throat, gullet, esophagus,” literally “mouth, opening,” from stoma “mouth (see stoma).

So even etymologically the English word “stomach” has this connotation to it (“pride, inclination, indignation”) in the study of the history of that word.

And so, you know, it is a physical feeling, at times, that you can actually feel it. And that is the area of the body that Yahweh struck when he attacked and judged three men, two of which are in Scripture, one was just simply in history– Yehoram and Herod and Antiochus Epiphanes.

And I find that fascinating. I find it really fascinating, that pattern of consistency in Yahweh’s Word, and how a pattern of health problems exist in Scripture that arise out of a specific sin that a person is involved in. And I find that to be amazing and I just praise Him that He shows these things to us.

And there is much more He has to say in these matters and we are going to pray He continues to show us.

But both Jehoram and Herod were spiritual leaders in Israel, and as leaders, they were responsible, once again, to read and value the word of Yahweh, so that their heart would not be lifted up above their brethren. But they refused to do that.

They refused to hear the Word of Yahweh and they were not willing to humble themselves, and so they became prideful. And Yahweh gave them this charge to lead in this way and they refused to do it.

Now an interesting thing to note, if they would have heard the Word, they would have gotten the spiritual food they needed to be directed according to righteousness… just like Ezekiel chapter 3, verses 1 through 4.

 Ezekiel 3:1 - Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”

2 – So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.

3 – And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

The Hebrew word there is: #4578 “May’eh” (“stomach”).

 Ezekiel 3:4 - Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.

So something physical. He actually ate a scroll, and then Yahweh’s words were now in his mouth to speak them. Interesting. “Feed your belly, fill your stomach, with My Word… and then you will speak My Word.”

If the men who were kings, who were leaders over Israel, had filled themselves with the Word of Yahweh, spiritually speaking (the spiritual application here), if they had allowed Yahweh’s Word to be their food, as the Scripture says, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh’s mouth,” if that had been their food..

… then they would not have been judged in their digestive system. There is no food there. There is nothing good there from Yahweh. And so, therefore, that is the part of their body that was struck, and that part of their body ended up having that disease, which ultimately killed them.

In Psalm chapter 40 and verse 8, we have a prophecy of the Messiah. And He says:

 Psalms 40:8 - I delight to do Your will, O my Elohim, And Your law [is] within my heart.”

And the actual Hebrew word is: “May’eh” (heb. #4578). It is the same Hebrew word here (Ezek. 3:3), “stomach.” Translated “stomach” here. Translated “heart” here (Psalm 40:8). But it is not “lev.” “Lev” in Hebrew is “heart.”

The actual correct translation would have to do with the heart, the digestive system, the esophagus, the part where food enters and gets processed.

So Yahushua was different. He delighted in doing Yahweh’s will, therefore, His body was filled with Yahweh’s Word.

And the Scriptures are our spiritual food. They are the bread of life. It feeds us. It gives us life. And when we read it, we are humbled, because we realize our own need for Yahweh’s mercy every day, because the Word of Yahweh reveals our weaknesses, reveals our sins.

But in the case of Herod, he rejected the Word of Yahweh. He persecuted those who were proclaimers of Yahweh’s Word. So forcefully he rejected Yahweh’s Word, he rejected anyone who thought to give him Yahweh’s Word. And he killed James, and thought to kill Peter (Kepha).

Likewise with Yehoram. He killed all his brothers. All these men were raised in Yehoshaphat’s house, Yehoshaphat being a righteous man. He killed them all. And we see that Herod liked the praise of men and did not give glory to Elohim, whereas if he had the Law in his heart, he would have said, “No, I still am. I am an imperfect person.”

In the case of Yehoram, he was actually married to the daughter of Jezebel. Take a look at that again…

 2Chronicles 21:5 - Jehoram [was] thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

6 – And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of YAHWEH.

Yahweh said the reason why he walked like a king of Israel who was committing idolatry was because of his wife, the wife that he had, the daughter of Ahab.

He married her. Sadly, he married her because of a foolish mistake of his father. Yehoram’s father was Jehoshaphat, or Yehoshaphat. It says:

 2Chronicles 18:1 - Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab.

Much to Yahweh’s displeasure. And actually, this great, great mistake ended up corrupting Judah, because “by marriage,” that means he was going to take a daughter of Jezebel for his son. Foolish!

 2Chronicles 19:2 - And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate YAHWEH? Therefore the wrath of YAHWEH [is] upon you.

3 – “Nevertheless good things are found in you, in that you have removed the wooden images from the land, and have prepared your heart to seek Elohim.”

But here he was. He was over here hanging out “buddy, buddy” with Mr. Ahab, there. “Oh, yeah, your people are like my people. My people are like your people.” And he actually was, in this context here, helping out the King of Israel, Ahab.

And this terrible mistake ended up resulting in all of Yehoshaphat’s sons being murdered by Yehoram, who had married a daughter of Ahab. And it was Yehoram’s wife who stirred him all up to serve Ba’al, just like Jezebel had stirred up Ahab.

And her name was Athaliah, and she ended up, actually later on, murdering all but one of her grandchildren. When her son Ahaziah (she wanted to be on the throne), once he was killed, she took over the throne for herself. You can read it. Read the whole context.

So both Herod and Yehoram were guilty of listening to the voice of human beings. In the case of Yehoram, listening to his wife. In the case of Herod, wanting the praise of men, hearing their voice, accepting that. And it pleased the Jews. Therefore, after he killed James, he was ready to kill Peter as well.

And so, rather than Yahweh’s Word being in this innermost being, they had the words of men, and the words of the enemy, in their innermost being, which resulted in being puffed-up and prideful– rather than Yahweh’s Word, which would bring them to humility and cause them to revere and to fear Yahweh. Therefore, in that part, they got judged.

Now Scripture says:

 John 7:37 - On the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Yahushua stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

38 – “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

39 – But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet [given], because Yahushua was not yet glorified.

So in that innermost part of the heart dwells the Spirit of the living Elohim… is what it is talking about. And actually, the word there would be the whole body, you know, the belly.

Actually, I don’t know why they translated… once again, they did it “heart.” But the King James Version does have “belly” there. And in many places, this same word “koilia” is translated “womb” even. So, clearly, the dwelling place of the Spirit of Yahweh, right here.

And the Spirit and the Word, they are connected to each other. There is a deep connection between the Spirit and the Word. In fact, the word “spirit,” from “ruach,” could also be translated “wind” or “breath.” And it is with our breath we speak words. And Yahushua actually said in John 6:63:

 John 6:63 - “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and [they] are life.

So His words are spirit, and they lead to life. The words of man, which are not according to the words of Yahweh, bring the opposite into our innermost parts. So as we digest, physically, food, we digest, spiritually, food, and the same regions of the body are named as being responsible for both. Kind of interesting.

And when the Spirit of Yahweh dwells within us, then that casts out all the ugly words of men.

And so, how does this all relate to health? If we ourselves are having diseases and sicknesses in our digestive system, it may be because we have some issues with pride, with valuing the words of man more than the words of Yahweh, and maybe even mistreating those who are coming and seeking to correct us with Yahweh’s Word.

Herod listened to the voice of the people. Yehoram listen to the voice of his rebellious wife. Herod saw it pleased the people to kill James, so he sought to kill Peter, also.

See, when we embrace the Word of Yahweh and digest Yahweh’s Word, we will have the Spirit of Yahweh dwelling within us.

But if we do not embrace Yahweh’s Word and embrace the Messiah (He is the living Word, right? He is the Word made flesh that dwelt among us), then we will become prideful and in danger of an unclean spirit causing a disease in our bowels, our intestines, our stomach, our esophagus, wherever food is being processed.

If we reject Yahweh’s words and we instead listen to and process and digest the words of the enemy and believe those words, we may very well have some kind of an ailment or disease in that part of our body.

The belly is the central part. It is, as Neil mentioned last night, where life is. It is where digestive enzymes are located. If that is not working, the whole body is messed up.

Have you ever noticed that if you are worried… people say, “I am so worried, I am just sick to my stomach”? And literally, you can feel a sickness in your stomach when you are worried about something. It can impact your immune system– fearing man, fearing circumstances, rather than walking by faith.

 Romans 10:17 - So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of Elohim.

Fear and faith are opposites. They are opposites. They are the same in one area. They both project into the future. Faith looks at the future with confidence, with hope, with the expectation of good things from Yahweh. Fear looks forward to the future with dread.

And when we hear the words of Yahweh… it is the Word of Elohim that gives us the hearing to begin with… and therefore, because we have the hearing, we will have the faith.

If we are not listening to and digesting the Word of Elohim, we will start listening to unclean spirits who will deposit thoughts of worry, of fear, of stress, of anxiety, “something is going to happen to you,” and we are tempted to believe those words rather than the words of the living Elohim.

And then, therefore, we become influenced by and affected by an unclean spirit of fear.

 2Timothy 1:7 - For Elohim has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

If we have a spirit of fear, we are not going to have a sound mind, we are not going to have love, and we are not going to have power in our life.

Fear, anxiety, stress… there are so, so many gastrointestinal problems that are linked medically (medically!!) to anxiety, to stress– irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, ulcerative colitis, malabsorption (or they call it “leaky gut”).

I mean, malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract can literally be caused by not having peace in your heart, regarding issues in your life, as a direct result of fear, of worry and anxiety. Medically they have shown it is true. That is why we need Yahweh’s Word there. That is why we need it.

We need to be filled with faith, things that give us faith, that encourage us, that feed us. When the Word is not there, something is going to take its place… something, somewhere. Look it up– Wikipedia, Medical Encyclopedias. Look it up.

Here is one: “Studies support the concept that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a biopsychosocial disorder that can be explained by a neurobiological model which postulates stress-induced alterations in central stress and arousal circuits and activation of parallel motor outputs from brain regions that can affect bodily function and behavior.

“Sustained stress can result in chronic overactivity or underactivity of allostatic (or adaptive) systems, including the hypothalamic [this is the hypothalamus, they call it]-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, autonomic nervous system, metabolic, and immune systems, can occur.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3039211/

Literally, stress affects the hypothalamus, the pituitary, the adrenal glands… all these things… the nervous system, metabolism, immune systems. This is a known medical truth. They have discovered it, but we already saw it in the Word two thousand years ago. It is already there.

And many of us have probably noticed we can, literally, kind of feel sick to our stomach when we are worried. That is from the spirit of fear that Elohim has never given us. He never gave us a spirit of fear. He gave us power. He gave us love. He gave us a sound mind. That is why Yahushua says:

 Matthew 6:31 - “Therefore do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’

32 – “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 – “But seek first the kingdom of Elohim and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

 Matthew 6:34 - “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble.

Yahushua’s words and the words we see in the Scriptures are words of health. It is a health message. In fact, the entirety of Scripture is a health message, whether it is health in this body we happen to have or the health that we are going to need when we face Him on the day of judgment, right?

Yahweh is trying to deliver us from death. He is trying to show us the way in which we can live forever with Him and be with Him forever. And so, really, the whole Scripture is basically one big health message, whether it is a health for the future after we die or health for even right now while we live.

He says do not worry. That is a spirit of fear. That is anxiety. That is stress. That is going to harm you physically. It can harm you physically. It can create things out of balance. Our bodies were not built to handle this kind of problem. It wasn’t built for it.

Yahweh created our bodies in the Garden of Eden to live in His security of His love and the peace of His presence without worry, without dread.

Faith is the opposite of worry and dread and anxiety. Faith says, “You know what? Whatever happens to me, whatever happens to whomever, wherever, this life is all temporary. It is just a little speck on the ground compared to eternity. I trust Yahweh to bring about what He needs to bring about.

“Yep, there might be pain, but the truth is, we are all going to die one day and this life does have pain. That is the way it is.”

But, you know, the whole thing about His judgment was more severe on the kings. They were the supreme rulers of the land, and so His judgment was (snap!) swift and quick.

Maybe we are not kings leading a whole nation. Maybe we are not. But if we have a heavy load on our shoulders, we see Herod and Yehoram both, they not only rejected Yahweh’s Word, but they rejected those who proclaimed it to the point of fighting against it and murdering those who spoke it.

And so, they both had these intestinal issues to the max and they both died a horrific death from their problems. That is the extreme.

But we may not have a life-threatening illness. We may have an illness that is very unpleasant to live with. Who knows? Whatever it might be, something in our digestive system… even they are showing that the heartburn can be induced by stress.

They are starting to see all this stuff that Yahweh has said a long time ago. We are not designed to live this way. And if we are believers in the Master Yahushua the Messiah, He can deliver us from the stress, from the worry, from the fear and give us power, give us love, give us a sound mind. That is the spirit Yahweh gave us.

That is what needs to be dwelling in our innermost being– His Word, His promises, His words of encouragement, His words of conviction. And if we are willing to hear and believe His words, rather than the words of His enemy, we will be set forth on the pathway to healing.

And we have just begun, brothers and sisters. There is so much more I want to share in these areas, and I will continue this next week. But we see this happening more and more in the world today. The medical problems are popping up. They think they’ve got one licked and five more pop up.

We are not designed to live the way that the world pretty much lives, always worried about something. I remember when I was an unbeliever I was always worried about something. And we don’t want to live that way.

We have a Father that loves us. We have a Spirit that leads us. And a Savior who rescued us from all these things. Are we ready to receive that? Can we receive that? I hope we can. So let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, Yahweh, qadosh, qadosh, qadosh be Your great name. Father, we come to You.

Father Yahweh, we recognize this thing that is being spoken in Your Word about the damage that is done to our bodies, Father Yahweh, through not taking Your Word into our hearts and our innermost being and not receiving Your Spirit that has forgiven us, by Your Spirit that has cleansed us from all unrighteousness.

And Father, we want to receive the fullness of Your Word. We want to receive the fullness of Your Spirit. And Father, I pray for any man, woman or child who is afflicted with the spirit of fear, that You, Father Yahweh, would reach out to them and show them, Father Yahweh, Your Word. Give them a hunger and a desire for Your Word.

Because I know, Father, many times You have shown me, the closer I am to Your presence, the closer I am to knowing You and understanding You and fellowshipping with You, the less important all the things of this age really seem to be– all the worries and the concerns and things that stress people out.

And Father, we just desire Your healing. We pray, Father Yahweh, in the weeks ahead as we continue to study this topic, that You will open up our eyes to see and walk out the pathway to healing, that we might receive faith by the hearing of Your Word, that we might receive power, that we might receive Your love and have a truly sound mind.

In the name of Your Son, Yahushua Ha Mashiach, we pray all these things. For truly Yours is the Kingdom and power and glory and majesty forever and ever. In Yahushua’s name.
Amein.