God’s message today is that His grace is sufficient to support the weakest sinner in their infirmities. Though we still get sick and weak in the flesh body, the Lord provides us ‘spiritual strength to our inner man’ by His grace through faith. Having Paul’s thirteen epistles, we ought to know the ultimate end from the beginning. We ought also to know His plan and purpose, and having ‘learned to endure in faith’ we will one day “reign with Him” (2Tim. 2:12) “eternal in the heavens” (2Cor 5:1b).

When we are weakest in the flesh we will learn to die to self-concerns, because it is then that we turn to trust Him, and then His grace is magnified the most, for it is then that we become the living expression or the dying expression of His eternal life.

Some might ask; why would the Lord want a bunch of weak and sickly servants? Wouldn’t it magnify the miraculous ‘power of God’ to remove all sickness? Yes, it would, and it will do that when in His future Millennial and eternal kingdoms the curse of “sin and death” is removed from the new earth.

Note that our sicknesses are just a manifestation of “the sting of death” manifested by the Adamic “sin” infection working death in our sin-laden flesh human bodies (cf. Rom. 7:17-18, 8:3), as it does from the day we were physically born of Adam’s lineage.

“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56 (KJV)

So, the fact is that we today do not live in ‘the kingdom of God on earth,’ rather, Satan is still “the god of this world [Gk. cosmos, age]” until “the fullness of times.”  We can be sure that so long as we live in these ‘bodies of sin’ (Rom. 6:6) we will have sickness, pain, and death, that is until we are Raptured to heaven either from the grave or Raptured alive, in our glorious new ‘spirit-body,’ like Jesus had in His resurrection. So, until death or the Rapture, we live in this broken and evil world (Gal 1:4), that is as seen by our ‘flesh body’ that is infected with “Sin and death.”

Thankfully, we are now endowed with His overcoming “Spirit of life” in union with our “spirit of man” that ‘has already made us free from “Sin and death.”’

“But he that is joined unto the Lord [Spirit] is [now] one spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV)

“For the law [spontaneous operative power] of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath [already] Made Me Free From the law [natural operative power] of ‘sin and death’ [in the flesh].” (Romans 8:2 (KJV)

Christ’s “Spirit of life” in our spirit is powerful “to the pulling down of strongholds.”

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: ⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [note of the flesh], but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) ⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (KJV)

Instead of abolishing our infirmities, God wants us to believe (trust in) the truth, and minister the truth to others, bearing with the infirmities of their weakness… through the strength of His life in us and in every believer. Rather than heal anyone, which we cannot, Paul admonishes us as seen here;

“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1)

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

If we as “ambassadors of Christ” today were to be all spared from sickness then we in our healthy bodies would never point us to the overcoming ‘power of Christ’s life’ within us… in our “spirit of man.”

This Christian life requires us and provides us with His greater strength and His power to enable us to live through hardship, than to be spared from it. This is the power of God’s grace working in us in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord (2 Cor 4:7-8) as our new and overcoming life.

“But we have this treasure in earthen [frail] vessels, [so] that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. ⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;” (2 Cor. 4:7-8 (KJV)

As I have taught many times, we have a ‘greater hope’ than physical healing, because His grace is sufficiently strong to meet our need while we endure sickness. He will either to sustain us or bear us to our heavenly home. Thus, even if we were to die… we win unto dwelling eternal life in heaven (2Cor. 5:1). For us death has no sting.

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [who are yet alive] shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Corinthians 15:51-55 (KJV)

This may not mean as much to those Christians whose values are more based upon the ‘temporal things’ of the ‘temporal life’... for we as believers are to live with the eternal realm always in view.

So, how are we to get help with our physical sickness situations and circumstances?

Physically, we must acknowledge that we all are weak and will eventually die physically. Until that day, remember that our body is the Lord’s (1 Cor 6:19-20). See a doctor, eat well, get rest and exercise. Take care of yourself. If we abuse our body, we will reap what we have sown. If we in our lives carelessly sow to the wind, we will likely “reap the whirlwind.” After all, we are to live ‘for Christ’s sake.’

Positionally, we are waiting for ‘the hope of eternal glory.’

“Whereof I [Paul] am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; ²⁶ Even [that is] the mystery [secret plan of God] which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: ²⁷  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery [secret plan of God] among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you [corporately and individually as], the hope of glory:” (Colossians 1:25-27 (KJV)

“For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious [resurrection] body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21 (KJV)

Until that day, your inner man needs to be strengthened with “sound doctrine” and by His life in order to bear our infirmities “for Christ’s sake.”

Whether we are alive, dead, or sick Christ can be magnified, because our hope is not found in our temporal flesh … but in the Lord (Philippians 1:20). His strength is made perfect [fully manifested] in His meeting us in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

Remember;

“the Sufferings of this present time are Not Worthy to be compared to the Glory that shall be revealed in the saints (Rom 8:18).

Rejoice in the Lord, pray [commune with the Lord] without ceasing, in every thing give thanks (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

We are to continue doing the ‘will of God’ for today, which is to live by grace walking by faith, because His grace in the person of Christ in us is where we find “the power of Christ” for living in the face of calamity.