A Disease-free Zone

Read: Luke 10:1-24

Heal the sick, and tell them, “The Kingdom of God is near you now.“ Luke 10:9

IN WORD

In Luke 4:40-44, Jesus healed and delivered many people and then declared that He must go and “proclaim the good news of the kingdom” elsewhere too (NIV). In Luke 9:2, He sent His followers to heal the sick and preach the Kingdom. Here in Luke 10, He tells a larger group of followers to heal the sick and tell them the Kingdom has come near. Again and again, healing and the Kingdom of God are linked. One is a characteristic of the other. Where God reigns, things get better.

Most of us have seen a similar phenomenon. We know God still heals. At some times and some places He seems to do it more readily than at other times and places. The prayers of faith of some believers seem to be gifted with healing power in unusual degrees. We may not understand all the nuances and variables of this Kingdom phenomenon, but we know enough to consider it a Kingdom attribute. In a showdown between Jesus and disease, Jesus wins.

That’s actually true of any obstacle in life. In the showdowns between Jesus and sin, Jesus and circumstances, Jesus and lack, Jesus and the dark forces of this world, and even Jesus and death, Jesus wins. Overcoming is an integral part of the Kingdom. It isn’t just something He does; it’s something that becomes a part of everyone who belongs to Him and whom He sends out in His name. No situation, no relationship, no opposition is too big for Him—and those who live in Him by His Spirit.

IN DEED

Is there any situation in your life today that doesn’t look like the Kingdom? Know that it will bow to Him and to you, if not soon then at least eventually. Speak to the intractable problems of life and tell them that the Kingdom has come near. Create Kingdom outposts wherever you are—areas of life that are free from any non-Kingdom influence. No obstacle in life is a match for the King who lives within you.

ADDITIONAL READING: Mark 9:23

The temperature of the spiritual life of the church is the index of her power to heal.

EVELYN FROST