Living Boldly for Christ: Daily Reflections on Faith, Prayer & Spiritual Life by David Hathaway
Scripture plainly tells us that the one who perseveres under trial is blessed; having stood the test, they will receive the crown of life. While the Bible speaks of various crowns – such as the soul winner’s crown – the crown of life is reserved specifically for those who remain faithful to the very end without yielding to hardship.
“Have faith in God.” Jesus said, “You say this and shall not doubt in your heart, but shall believe that those things which you have said shall happen, shall have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you will have them.”
The miraculous healing I experienced from throat cancer built a foundation of faith for an even greater trial years later. When I was sentenced to ten years in a foreign prison—five for smuggling Bibles and five for preaching the Gospel with the underground church – I turned to God, praying for deliverance.
During the greatest crises of my life, prayer was essential. In 1964, when I was diagnosed with throat cancer, I made the decision to refuse medical treatment and trust God for healing. After three months, the doctors examined me and insisted prayer had failed. The tumour had grown so large that without an immediate operation, I would soon choke to death.
In Acts 9, Peter encountered a man named Aeneas who had been paralysed for eight years. Recognising his need, Peter did not anoint him with oil or lay hands on him. Instead, he simply declared, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Immediately, Aeneas got up. There was no gradual recovery, no delay; the healing was instantaneous. The miracle demonstrated the power and authority of Jesus Christ working through His servant.
One truth I can never escape is this: the miracles recorded in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles were the evidence that confirmed the truth of the message.
Acts 8:6 tells us what happened: "The people with one accord gave heed to those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did." They didn't just hear Philip's words – they saw the power of God at work. The message and the miracles went together.
Isaiah 53:5 says Jesus was wounded for our sin, bruised for our iniquity and with His stripes we are healed. Matthew 8:16-17 says Jesus healed all that were sick to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. So healing is to fulfil Bible prophecy! I talk about Bible prophecy, I write about it in Prophetic Vision magazine, but part of Bible prophecy is healing the sick
I believe that with God, prevention is better than cure and we should not abuse our bodies, which can cause sickness. Often when people come to me for healing I can recognise, without being a doctor, that their problem is due to a wrong lifestyle. If you smoke, you are likely to get lung cancer; if you put on very excessive weight, you run the risk of diabetes and heart problems. These are facts. Yes, God can heal you, but I recommend that a healthy diet can mean prevention rather than cure.
Isn’t sickness part of the cross we must carry? The cross that Jesus carried was not sickness but rejection, torture and death. The cross He asked us to carry is not sickness, but the persecution, hardship, rejection and even death that follow being His disciples and preaching His Gospel (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27).
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