Today in our study of spiritual warfare, I would like us to explore the relationship between sin and sickness. Is there any relationship between having sin in our lives, and having a physical, mental, or emotional illness? Obviously if there had never been any sin, none of us would ever have any illness. If Adam had never sinned, then the world would be a much healthier place than it is, but he did, and it isn't.
So we're not going to worry about Adam, we're going to look at sin on the personal level. Is there any relationship between my sin and my health? And if so, why? How does it work? And does the devil get involved?

First, let me start out by saying that I don't want this study to put a guilt trip on anybody. Godly people get sick. Sanctified people get sick. Jesus tells us in John 15 that He is to His people as a grapevine is to it's branches. The people of His church are like branches in that vine, and His Father is the vine dresser, the one that prunes and trims the vine. Every branch in Christ that does not bear fruit, the Father prunes away, He takes that Christian home to heaven ahead of schedule. And then Jesus tells us that every branch that bears fruit, the Father prunes it back, so that it may bring forth more fruit, and His goal is that we may bring forth much fruit.

One of the ways that the Father prunes us is to put us down sick in bed, to give us a chance to get our priorities in order. Or He gives us an ache or a pain, some kind of a disability. He might allow Satan to afflict us, as Paul had a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan.

So it is evident that God sometimes uses illness on Christians not because of their sin, but because of their sincerity, because they have started off well, and He needs to bring them farther along. So we want to begin today by saying that sickness is not always because of sin, and if you have some illness or infirmity, it is not necessarily because of some sin in your life. It might be because you are doing well, and God wants you to do even better, help you get your eyes even more off the world, and even more on Jesus.

If you have your Bibles with you today, and I hope you do, turn to James 5:14. "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:
Jam 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Jam 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

In verse 14, there is no apparent relationship between sin and illness. What does this tell us? That being sick is not necessarily an indicator of sin. Maybe we just got sick because we just got sick, or maybe God is pruning us. Sin is not mentioned here.

Sin is mentioned in verse 15, and James says, "if." James recognizes that we don't always know if sin is a factor in someone being sick. James is recognizing that there are two sources of sickness; naturally caused and spiritually caused. He does tell us that if sin is a factor, it needs to be confessed, so that it can be forgiven. What if the sick person isn't sure?

As we study this passage, it seems to me that we ought to read between the lines, and I suspect that this teaches us that when the elders anoint this person with oil and pray for them, they ought to ask a few questions. The elders should talk over the illness with the person, find out something about it, talk to the person and see if there is any sin in their life that might be causing this health problem. Is there some sin that is being ignored, glossed over, swept under the rug? Is this illness because of some sin? If it is, then it needs to be confessed. The passage says to confess our faults, our sins to one another, and to pray for one another so that we might be healed. It sounds to me that if there is sin and we fail to confess it, then we just might not get the healing.

Does it need to be confessed to the elders? Maybe the Catholics think it does, but I don't think that's what the passage says. I think it needs to be confessed to God, perhaps to the church, perhaps to the other person that's involved, and perhaps you need to go and make something right. This is one of those things that requires wisdom. Not some "one size fits all" type rule. Some sins probably need to be confessed publicly, other sins probably should not be confessed publicly. If they are confessed to someone besides God, it ought to be done privately, maybe just the parties involved. Depending on the situation, a confession might harm a current relationship, or dig up something from the past that might be better off left buried. Sometimes it might be better to confess it to God, and perhaps a non involved elder or neutral third party, repent, and shut up. You don't ever want to make your confession to act like gasoline on a fire that you thought was out. Even if it might not always be wise to confess some certain types of sin publicly, they absolutely need to be confessed to God.

Notice the relationship between verse 15 and verse 16. There is a relationship between confession of sin and healing from sickness. This is one of those cause and effect passages. If there is sin involved, then it needs to be confessed, so that healing can take place.

If you need to confess a sin about something, how would you do it? What is the scriptural model? The prodigal son. Keep your place in James, and turn to Luke 15 and verse 18. We all know the story, the young man had taken his inheritance, squandered it away, and then come to his senses. He is ready to go home, and look what goes through his mind. He says to himself; "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants."

Then comes this great parable of God's forgiveness, the father sees him coming, runs and kisses him, he is so glad to see him again, and then the son begins to make his speech, verse 21: "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." Perfect. His father takes him back completely, his grace is poured forth on the son, but what we care about today is how this parable is a role model for us. First, the young man came to his senses. He recognized that he had sinned, and he called sin what it was: sin.

Second, he acknowledged his sin against God and man. Third, he was going to do what was right, even if it involved his own embarrassment or shame. Forth, he was going to confess to the one that he had wronged, and last, he rehearsed in his mind what he was going to say, and he didn't beat around the bush. He called his sin what it was. He didn't make excuses. He didn't try and spread the blame around, say that it was partly his brother's fault, or his father's fault. He rehearsed it in his mind ahead of time that it was his fault, he accepted his responsibility, and he followed through with it. That's how you confess to others. Pretty simple, isn't it? It might not be easy, but it's simple. Now turn back to James 5, verses 15 & 16.

Notice the relationship that the church plays in the healing of the person. Whether sin is involved or not, it is assumed that the church is involved in the healing. Especially in verse 16, the church has to be involved, how can anybody pray for us if we are doing the Lone Ranger Christian bit? We can't. How can you pray for someone you don't know? How will other Christians know you if you don't belong to a local church fellowship? The church is a spiritual body of believers. God created our physical body so that it pumps blood and nutrients out to the extremities, out to the hands and feet, to keep them healthy.
When a person has serious diabetes, what happens to their feet and legs? The blood quits circulating, and gangrene sets in, that member of their body dies. In a similar fashion, spiritual health of the individual church members is also a function of the whole church body. When you drop out of the local church body, and fail to interact, you become spiritually unhealthy.

The only way you become a part of that church body is to be born again, become part of the body of Christ, and God has chosen for that body to play an active role in the health of it's members. If you cut your hand or your foot off from your body, that part dies, it has no life of itself. By the same token, God never envisions an individual having spiritual life apart from the church, and the only way you can become part of the church is to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Then you should ask God to lead you to a local fellowship where His word is taught, and the believers love one another. That is normal healthy Christianity

How does our spiritual health affect our physical health? How does the devil take advantage of weakness in our spiritual health to affect our physical health? How does God use our mind to affect our body for health or sickness? There are several references to this in Proverbs.
Turn to Proverbs 12 and verse 4: "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones." Shame. OK, now turn to Proverbs 14:30 "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones." OK. Apparently shame and envy can both cause trouble, turn to Proverbs 15:30 "The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat." This is different, this is the opposite. Now we have a situation where good health is a function of good news. Turn to Proverbs 16:24 " Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." Have you noticed something that all these proverbs have in common?. The condition of the bones. Isn't that interesting?

Turn to Psalm 32, verse 1: " Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Psa 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Psa 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long." Do you know what David is saying here? "When I did not confess, when I kept my mouth shut and hid my sin, it even made my bones hurt."
Verse 4: " For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah."

Picture what David is experiencing here: I think at this point he is in a state of major depression. His sin has gotten him to the point of physical pain, even his bones are hurting him, and he goes downhill into a depressed state. What is the solution? In verse 5, he does what he needs to do to get his health restored, and that is by getting his relationship with God restored. He says; " I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah." That's exactly what James tells us. Confession precedes healing. Just as the prodigal son rehearsed his sin in his mind, what he would say to his father, David rehearses in his mind how he will confess his sin to God, and then he follows through on it.

There is an even more graphic description of sickness and depression caused by sin in Psalm 38, turn there please.
Psa 38:1 "O lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Psa 38:2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
Psa 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
Psa 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
Psa 38:5 My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
Psa 38:6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long."
If that is not an accurate description of depression, I don't know what is.
Verse 7: " For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
Psa 38:8 I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Psa 38:9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
Psa 38:10 My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me."

That is a graphic picture of someone that is in terrible health because of sin in their life. Arthritis, aches and pains, apparently some sort of digestive problem, maybe an ulcer. Acute depression, heart problems, generalized weakness, even some sort of skin problems, you name it, David seems to have it, and in verse 18, he tells us what the cause is: "For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin."

David starts off in this Psalm by saying that all his troubles are from God. Some of us would probably say that God allows Satan to bring these things on believers when we sin. I would agree. Either way, nothing happens in our lives that God does not allow. Jesus said that His Father was the vine dresser, and David was getting some serious pruning here. He confesses that the sin in his life had something to do with it.

What happens to us mentally and emotionally when we sin? We are complex creatures; when we sin, does God always permit these physical problems to come on us from external sources, or do we sometimes bring these problems, these illnesses on ourselves?

Probably everybody in here knows what a psychosomatic illness is. That is when we get physically sick because of what is going on in our head. I have a doctor friend in Johnson City that I talked to Friday about psychosomatic illness, and I asked him how that worked. He explained to me that physical changes in response to what we think and believe is a very real thing. He told me how a person who has suffered psychological or emotional abuse can have physical problems, when there is no apparent physical reason for any illness. He told me of a situation about a woman that wanted so badly to have a baby, that not only did she have morning sickness, she even had her breasts get swollen and tender as a physical response to what her mind was doing.

The bottom line is, when we think or believe something very strongly, it can affect us physically. How does that work in the area of sin? When a believer sins, and does not confess it, what happens? The conscience is troubled. If that believer knows anything of God's judgement and discipline, what do you think that is doing to their head?

Did any of you ever mess up when you were kids, and your mother told you those awful words: "Just wait until your father gets home!"? Oh, man! You were doomed. The rest of the day was a waste. You felt puny an hour before his car showed up in the driveway. You felt nauseated, and then your feet got cold. And then when you heard the car drive up, it was terrible. You were already starting to hurt, and he hadn't even opened the door yet.

Any chance that was part of David's problem? David loved God, and David knew God, and he knew that God was righteous and just, and God doesn't overlook sin. David didn't know for sure when Father would be home, but he knew that he was going to get his hide tanned, and perhaps part of what we read in this Psalm is what David's mind did to his body.

Picture someone that is feeling terribly guilty. Put yourself in David's place, as having a terrible burden on your conscience, a heavy load of unconfessed sin, and see if maybe you would feel as David did. Can you see how David's awareness of sin would cause physical problems? The mind's ability to cause psychosomatic illness in the body would go a long way toward making David sick, even before God took him to the woodshed, or allowed Satan to wear him out, right? David's thoughts of his sin and God's righteousness could very well make him sick. God certainly had a hand in the equation, but David's mind would also have a major effect in the aches and pains, depression, stomach problems, skin problems, and general weakness that David experienced.

So apparently there can be several causes of sickness in our bodies. Sometimes we get sick for natural reasons. Sometimes we get sick for spiritual reasons, the chastisement of God, or God allowing Satan to be the instrument of chastisement. And sometimes we get sick because of what is going on in our own heads; psychosomatic illness.

Now: let's put all of this into the area of spiritual warfare, enemy action against us. Something that I have mentioned the last couple weeks and want to emphasize again, is that Satan and the demons use lies as their primary weapon. Satan used a lie in the garden, and it has been his favorite weapon ever since.

When we believe a lie, then for us it might as well be truth, because when we believe something, then we act upon it as if it were true. If you have not been here before, then I need to repeat that, because it is a foundational principle of how Satan messes with us. When we believe a lie, then for us it might as well be truth, because we will act upon it as if it were true. We behave according to what we believe. And when we believe a lie, then we act on that lie as if it was truth.

Lets put that idea into the realm of psychosomatic illness. And then lets ask what might happen if the enemy can get us to believe a lie.

If we can get sick because of what we believe to be true, what would happen if a demon could plant a lying thought in your head that would have physical results on your health? Could we have psychosomatic health problems because of lies that we believe about ourselves?

If we can become depressed because of what we believe in our minds, what would happen to us if a demon can plant the right kind of lie in our minds and we believe it? Could we have a psychosomatic depression or illness because of lies? We just got done reading in Psalms that what we think and feel in our minds affects how our bones feel; if our bones ache and hurt because of what we think in our minds, is it off the page to suggest that arthritis type conditions might be related to some lie the enemy is planting in our heads?

What is the possibility that in such a case, we could have a serious physical, mental, or emotional problem because of enemy action, because of a lie that was put into our mind by some demon, and we thought it was true, and our body responded psychosomatically to our belief?

What if the enemies' lies convinced us that we had sinned, or that we had come short of what we should have done, or we had been a failure before God and before the people we love, the people that are important to us? What is the possibility that our body would then respond in a normal, psychosomatic way to that lie, and make us hurt? Make us depressed? Make us behave irrationally toward those around us? I suspect the odds are pretty good that it would happen.

Once again I want to say that we don't want to be looking for a demon under every rock, most problems are probably not demonically caused, but if it should happen to be true for just a handful of people here today, then those people need relief, and I believe God wants each of you to have it.

So how do we discover the truth? We go to Jesus. Jesus is the truth. And then what do we do? We confess our sin before Him, and seek His forgiveness, on the basis of His atonement for us, and He will forgive us.

So suppose we have some ailment, some illness, and we don't know why, is it because of some sin in our life, or because of natural reasons, or is it enemy action? We don't know. So what do we do? Why not treat it as an opportunity to get before the Lord and give yourself a careful spiritual checkup? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there is anything that you need to confess and turn from, and then be very sensitive to do what He shows you. Get before the Lord and let Him shine His light into any places in you where there might be some dust and cobwebs, and give you a good spring cleaning. And then when He gets done, if you still have any physical problems, bring the truth of the Bible to bear on the situation. Evaluate where you are.

Have you trusted Jesus Christ and Him alone for your salvation? Have you confessed every known sin? Have you confessed that there are probably sins that you are not even aware of, and you want the blood of Jesus to cover them too; have you done that? Have you settled up accounts between you and any other person? As far as you can tell, you are not aware of anything wrong between you and anyone else, best you know, you are where you ought to be? OK, good. You should reasonably expect to have a clean conscience before God and man, right?

Now that you are to this point, are there any thoughts that now come into your mind that God is dissatisfied with you, and ought to punish you? Any thoughts that you are bad, or unworthy, or a loser, and you need to be taken to the wood shed, or rejected, or disapproved? Those thoughts are lies. Enemy action. Spiritual warfare from the pit of hell.

Figure it out: if you belong to Jesus Christ, if you are trusting and resting in His death and resurrection to make you acceptable to God, then you are one of His redeemed. You are His beloved child. Fully adopted into His family now and forever. And if you have asked Him to search you out diligently, and you have confessed and repented and turned from anything He has shown you, then the Bible says He has cast your sins and iniquities as far from you as the east is from the west, you are accepted in God's beloved Son, and He finds no fault in you at all.

So at that point, if there is any condemnation or guilt that comes into your mind, it is not from God. It may be possible that you have a mental illness, or a chemical imbalance, and need treatment and healing, but as far as God and man are concerned, you are fine. And if you don't have anything organically wrong with your mind, and that is probably the case with most of us, then those guilt thoughts are from some demonic spirit messing with your head. It is a lie from the pit of hell. Reject it on the authority of God's Word, claim the blood of Christ against it, and ask God to deal with that lying spirit. James tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. Do it.

Trust me on this one, you would be surprised how often the enemy tries to get me discouraged, depressed, thinking that things are never going to work, that things are discouraging, that things are not going well. I get that sort of thing popping into my head every week. Praying about being discouraged doesn't help much, trying to think happy thoughts doesn't help at all, and my natural optimism only helps a little. But when I go to God and tell Him that the enemy is attacking me, and I need some help, He takes it away. In minutes.

I tell Jesus that I am being messed with, lied to, and beat up, and would He please make that lying spirit go away and leave me alone? And He does. Every time. Every time.

You can think that I am childish and superstitious, or ignorant and backward; but I'm 55 years old, and I have learned what works. And I have learned it the hard way. And I have no apologies for letting God be God, and learning to believe in things that I can't see. If you were in a pitch black room, and someone came up and knocked the fool out of you, you wouldn't see them either, but you'd know when you got hurt. And you would also know it if you had a big brother that took care of whoever it was that was hurting you, and gave you peace and comfort instead. It wouldn't matter if you didn't see either your enemy, or your big brother, you would still know it when you got beat up; and when you got rescued and your pain turned into peace. That's how it works. It really is that simple.

So what happens if you do all this and you are still sick? Do you still have a physical infirmity? Then it is good to call for the elders of the church and ask them to pray for you. If there is anything that needs to be confessed to finish your business with God, do it.

Are you still sick? Then you can at least let your mind be at peace, let your conscience be at peace, and let your spirit be at peace, because you know that you are in the will of God.

You may not be happy that you are sick, being pruned back by God is very seldom a pleasant experience. You may be frustrated that you cannot do the things that you want to, that is normal. You may be concerned that you cannot do things that seem like they need doing very badly, maybe there is something important that you feel needs to be done, and you don't know how it's ever going to happen. Yeah? Life can be frustrating. It comes with the territory.

Is your problem emotional? Are you sure that you have gotten all your affairs right with God, and there is still something bothering you? Christians really are allowed to have emotional or mental problems, the mind sometimes gets sick just like the rest of our bodies, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. That's why God gives us good Christian counselors, to help us get emotionally and mentally healthy. I am fortunate to know such a person, and I am fortunate to be his student.

After David had confessed his sin of murdering Uriah, and he had been restored to fellowship with God, listen to what he says in Psalm 51:
"Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom."
Whether our ailments are from natural causes, divine chastening, or enemy action, God wants us to know the truth, to know Him, and to be free from lies and deception.

David says that God will make him to know wisdom. When we are having a bad time physically, how much better off we are if we know the truth, and we have wisdom about why those problems are happening to us. That is what gives us peace in the midst of the storm. That is what gives us faith in the night seasons. David says "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Just because you might be ill, is no reason not to have a full and wonderful relationship with God. God may have taken you off to the sidelines for the express purpose of letting you get to know Him better. Don't waste the opportunity. Spending time with God is never wasted time.

David says: "Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice." That sounds like a good deal. He doesn't necessarily say that God will heal your bones, he says that they will rejoice.

He says " Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." When the Spirit of God is upon you, when you are where He wants you to be, there is no burden, there is no confinement, there is no restriction. His Spirit is free, and He wants your spirit to be joined to His.

God has not promised His people that we will always be perfectly healthy, and that everything will always be easy. But He has promised us freedom in Himself, He has promised to deliver us from all the power of the enemy, and He has promised us peace and joy and love in Himself.

I think we ought to take Him at His Word. I think we ought to start doing it today. Enjoy God this week. Learn to recognize when the enemy puts lies in your head, and replace them with God's truth. And then thank Him for it, our victory in Jesus, and rejoice in His freedom and deliverance.