This is the third part in my series about unanswered prayers for healing.
It is important to realize that each of these posts is dealing with just one possible reason prayers go unanswered, and should not be deemed to be all-inclusive! Remember, our foundation is that God is never wrong! Therefore, if things aren’t working for us, it is either our fault, the devil’s fault or a bit of both.
The third reason prayers go unanswered is:
A Divided Mind
A few years ago, I was talking to God about something that was causing me grief. I said, “Lord, one part of me thinks I should do it this way, yet another part of me says to do it differently.” He spoke clearly, saying, “You need to get your ‘parts’ together, Tina!”
James 1:6-8 (NLT) states: “But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
The word “double-minded” in the Greek is dipsychos and means: wavering, uncertain, doubting and divided in interest. The word “unstable” is akatastatos, meaning: unstable, inconstant, inconsistent and restless.
Many times we say we want something but our actions and our words contradict the stated desire. Remember the story about the man who sat by the Bethesda pool for 38 years waiting to be healed? (John 5:1-9) Part of him wanted to get well, so it seemed. Yet another part of him did nothing to get healed. He just sat there and blamed others because he couldn’t get into the pool. Jesus asked the man, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (In other words, “Do you really want to get well?”)
A double-minded person lacks conviction in his beliefs. This causes the choices he makes and the actions he takes to change depending upon circumstances, other people’s opinions, etc. We cannot have half of our heart aligned with the Word and the other half aligned with the world.
I currently have an issue in my life in which I have been double-minded; it causes intense turmoil in the core of my being. Part of me desires healing seemingly with ‘all my heart’, but another part of me obviously doesn’t want it because my actions counter what should be done to receive healing. A counselor friend of mine, and even my doctor, told me, “You obviously don’t want it badly enough. When you do, you will be healed.” Ouch, that hurts! (Truth usually does hurt, doesn’t it?) So, what do I need to do to get healed? I need to stop wavering, stop doubting and become undivided in my desire- and take corresponding action.
How do we become undivided? We spend time in the Word and make a deliberate choice to line up our thoughts, words and actions with what God says – no matter how we feel. We choose to walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) I am reminded of the song, sung as a military cadence, that my daughter and I used to sing:
I’m not moved by what I feel – only by the Word that’s real.
Another reason for a divided mind is that some people have been erroneously taught that God will sometimes bring sickness upon people to teach them something, or to draw them closer to Him. When they get sick it is hard for them to believe He will heal them. One part of them says, “I want to be healed and I know He can heal me”; while the other part says, “If God has me sick it must His will.” They now have a divided mind, and the subsequent instability; thus, no answered prayer. If one really and truly believes God wants them sick they should never pray to be healed or go to a doctor; that would be going against God’s will!
Jesus asks each of us, “Do you really want to be well?” We need to choose to be not only hearers but also doers of what He tells us to do. James 1:22
Part four to follow shortly.
Keep the faith!
This is the second segment of the practical thoughts I want to share with you about why prayers seem to go answered. The foundation of all of these thoughts is: We know God is not ever wrong, thank You, God! And we know His Word is very clear – sickness is a curse (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) and Jesus became a curse for us so those who believe can be free of the curse (Galatians 3:13). So, where does that leave us who need answered prayer? The fault lies with us, with the devil, or a combination of the two – it cannot be God!
The first cause of unanswered prayer I spoke of is Lack of Knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Today I am going to talk about the obviously related cause:
Not Walking in the Knowledge One Has Received
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Once we have received knowledge of a biblical principle, or if God has given us His wisdom regarding our situation, we are now responsible for walking in it! It is a choice….and one we can either make (obedience) or refuse to make (rebellion).
Take my friend from the last post. She was smart in making the choice to follow the wisdom she received from God, through her new doctor, about her health – she stopped eating the foods that her body cannot process properly and walked in health. On the few occasions that she rebelled and purposely ate what she wanted, she became sick.
Walking in the wisdom of God is really a no-brainer, isn’t it? But sadly, many of us don’t always choose to do it. I am including myself here, too.
A man I know is 100 pounds overweight and has been diagnosed with diabetes, and is now on medication for that and high blood pressure. His doctors have told him to lose weight; his family has begged him to regain his health. He has attended a bible study dealing with health and how his body is the temple of God. (He now has knowledge!) He loves the Lord. He cries out to God to be healed; he goes up to the altar for healing at every service, and he says he is “standing in faith for his healing”. But, he knows what to do for his health, yet doesn’t do it. His actions do not agree with his desires.
I was in a restaurant not long ago with him and was blown away by his menu choices – regular coke, ravioli, garlic bread and a hot fudge sundae! None of those items are conducive to a diabetic’s health, nor for the treatment of high blood pressure. In fact, those items only dangerously exacerbate those conditions; but it was his choice.
A woman I know is a smoker. She says she wants to quit; she says she knows it is bad for her, and even says God Himself has told her to quit. (She has knowledge!) But, every day she lights up again, saying, “I just can’t help myself.” The bible tells us we can do ALL things through Jesus (Philippians 4:13). The bible also tells us we are to exercise self-control and to crucify desires not of Him (Galatians 5:22-24). In spite of that, she continues to smoke.
Why on earth would we expect God to heal us when we are violating His instructions and principles? God could heal these folks if He chose to, but that is not how God usually works; he operates in biblical principles, which He makes quite plain to us and expects us to walk in them. The bible says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God does not always remove the consequences (i.e. heal us) when we make choices leading to death; that would be a violation of our free will.
“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption…..” Galatians 6:8
Some would say this makes God out to be mean and uncaring, but I would say quite the contrary! How kind He is to give us a book that tells us exactly what we should do to walk in health, and the Holy Spirit to help us do it!
Choices. Just as receiving Him as Savior is a choice, so is the decision to walk in His wisdom and knowledge.
Stay tuned for Part Three, coming up soon!
My last entry about the man calling the radio station asking about unanswered prayer caused quite a lot of response! I told you I would give you some of my thoughts – here is part one (more to follow).
Speaking with admittedly a broad brush, for the sake of discussion, Western Christianity is pretty much split into two camps. The “faith camp” and the “suffering camp”. The faith camp believes God desires to heal and does indeed heal today. The suffering camp believes God may or may not desire to heal and may or may not heal today.
The faith camp goes to extremes when they condemn people who remain sick as being faithless (which is not totally scriptural). The suffering camp views everything that happens to them as being from God, so if a person is sick and not healed, it must be God’s will (which is definitely not scriptural at all).
So what does a person who loves God do when they are faced with a situation of unanswered prayer for healing? They have prayed and prayed, stood on the Word, stood in umpteen prayer lines, been on every church’s prayer list and done all they know to do, to no avail.
Since we know God is not ever wrong, thank You, God! And we know His Word is very clear – sickness is a curse (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) and Jesus became a curse for us so those who believe can be free of the curse (Galatians 3:13). So, where does that leave us who need answered prayer? The fault lies with us, with the devil, or a combination of the two – it cannot be God!
Since I am a practical person and always want to know “what does it look like in real life?” let me show you some examples:
Lack of Knowledge
The bible says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6 God is saying HIS own people are destroyed! He puts the knowledge there for us, but it is up to us to diligently find it, and to act on it when we know what it is. One of my favorite preachers always says, “When people say ‘I’ve done all I know to do and it still isn’t working’, I tell them ‘Then you don’t know all you need to know!’ They need to seek more.”
An old friend of mine suffered for years, since childhood, with gastrointestinal trouble. She would literally vomit every morning and have to lie in a tub of water for a long time, just to be able to get up and face the day. She was reed-thin and could not gain weight. She had seen doctor after doctor for over three decades. She was a woman of faith and was determined to receive healing, but it never came – she was always disappointed and ended up questioning God, much as the man in the blog entry I posted last.
One day she met a Christian chiropractor and a nutritionist. Immediately, the doctor took her off of all wheat, chocolate and dairy, even before doing any other tests. Within the week, she was vastly improved! Working with this doctor some more with regard to nutrition, and following the instructions, completely healed my friend! Over that first year, she put on weight, grew a healthy glow, and threw up only three times (versus 365). And that was only when she cheated and ate things she knew she shouldn’t.
God was not withholding healing from her all those years – He had it for her all along. It was up to her to seek out knowledge and make the wise decision to act on it when she did.
God is good! Proverbs 2:6 says, ” For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 8:10 says, “Choose My instruction rather than silver, and knowledge over pure gold.”
Stay tuned for more……… Keep the faith!
There is a permeation among Christians that states “don’t tell anyone the secret questions you cry out to God about or else!” The reason so many aren’t honest about their queries is that most often well-meaning, yet ignorant, people hand them a pat platitude instead of honestly answering the questions.
Today I listened to a segment on a Christian radio show that had my blood pressure at boiling point!
A man called in with questions about unanswered prayer. He has been a devout Christian for over twenty years. His mother was really sick and he prayed and prayed for her healing, as did many others, but she still died. He himself has been fighting an illness for fifteen years, praying and standing on the Word for his own healing, with no healing being manifested. He was asking the host of the show why doesn’t God answer him; why does God answer some people’s prayers but not others; and why does He promise healing if He doesn’t deliver it.
All questions I think we ALL have asked (if we are honest enough to admit it!)
I was VERY disheartened by the host of the show’s response. I wanted to scream at him. The caller left the show feeling worse – even feeling shamed and condemned, I am sure. Here is the gist of how it went:
Caller: I just don’t understand why a good God who promises that He heals and that He answers prayer doesn’t do it.
Host: Well, you just have to learn that even if God doesn’t heal you, you have to trust He is faithful.
Caller: Faithful? What does that mean? Faithful not to keep His word to me? Faithful to stand by and let His people suffer? I hate it when people say “Oh, just trust Him!” What the heck does that mean? Knowing He can heal but doesn’t does not cause much trust to be build up.
Host: I can see you are in a very bad place. Are you depressed?
Caller: You bet I am depressed! Wouldn’t you be after crying out for over fifteen years to a God who can heal you but chooses not to?
Host: Have you gotten any help? Have you seen a counselor?
Caller: Of course! I have seen doctors, counselors and pastors. They all tell me, “Just take one step toward God and He will take a step toward you.” I do it and He still doesn’t come close or heal me. The platitudes I receive are endless and useless.
Host: Well, whenever I have been in that situation, I realised that God was waiting on ME to do something. You obviously have done some things, but they aren’t the right ones for you. God is waiting for YOU to take the next step. Perhaps you should join a support group for people who have the same illness as you.
Caller: When I read my bible, I don’t see anywhere where Jesus said, “Oh, sorry. I can’t heal you today. You have to jump through yet another hoop.” He didn’t say, “Join a group of others so you can all sit around and commiserate about your pain.” NO!!!!!!!!!! He healed them all instantly! You keep saying He is the same today as He was then – if that is the case, why don’t we see Him working in our lives as we read about He did back then?
Host: Oh, my brother, you are at the bottom of despair, aren’t you?
By now, I am SCREAMING at the radio, “Dignify the man and answer his question for crying out loud!!!!”
Instead….
Host: I am going to pray for you.
Yada yada yada. The typical “I don’t know what to say so I’ll shut you up by praying for you” response. Oh, it makes my blood boil! When I went through my traumatic crisis of faith, almost ten years ago now, I made a promise that I would NEVER EVER hand out pat platitudes again!
So, what would YOU have told this caller?
Email me at tina@tinamarino.com with your response. I will share my response soon.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
The New Living Translation says: “Whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”
It is a curious thing how someone can learn something, live it and then fall away from it. I have been recently reminded by the Lord of a basic spiritual law that I once knew well, lived it and even taught it, but had somehow mostly fallen away from it. Our words have power; what we say is extremely important. What comes out of our mouths is an indicator of what is in our hearts.
Matthew 12:37 says, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” How many of us are, knowingly or unknowingly, condemning ourselves by our words?
My faith took a nosedive after a traumatic experience that happened several years ago. It has been a long time in the reconstruction of my faith, with many times along the way bemoaning ever getting back to the place of strong faith in which I once resided. During this rebuilding, things that were absolutes and ‘givens’ were doubted and questioned, and sometimes abandoned. The importance of keeping a watch over my words was one of those things that went by the wayside. A fatalistic attitude of que sera sera, whatever happens happens, took over in my heart, even though I knew better. Yet, whenever I would hear a sermon about the importance of choosing life or the magnitude of our words, my spirit would leap. Hearing truth does that to your spirit!
Recently, God has been showing me – again – the basics of speaking His will, His desire and His words. I am not speaking about the new-age law of attraction or the secular power of positive thinking; I am speaking about the Word of God and how we are to choose the thoughts we are to entertain and the words that flow from our hearts and out our mouths. A few examples:
I am so tired lately. Instead say, “My youth is renewed like the eagles!” (Psalm 103:5)
My back is killing me. Instead say, “I am so glad God strengthens me!” (Psalm 89:21)
We can’t afford it. Instead say, “God is our provider and He meets all our needs!” (Philippians 4:19)
Nothing good ever happens to me. Say instead, “It may look bad, but my future is bright!” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Every time I try to do it I screw it up. Instead say, “I may have failed before but I can do all things through Christ.” (Proverbs 24:16 and Philippians 4:13)
I can’t remember a thing. Say instead, “My mind is sharp and clear because I have the mind of Christ!” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
It just about scared me to death. Instead say, “I was scared.” No need to add anything to it to get your point across! (Matthew 5:37)
Since what comes out of our hearts is what is stored in there, it is crucial that we fill our hearts with what He has to say, which comes by spending time with Him and His word. He tells us clearly:
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:3-4
I am grateful that the Spirit of the Lord quickens to us the word and reminds us of what is needed for life! (John 6:63) Thank You, Lord!
