FORGIVENESS IN HEALING !

FORGIVENESS IN HEALING: (James 5:14-15). "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: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." These verses often are used in connection with prayer for healing, and rightly so. But let us not overlook the last part--- "and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." Many times when we see someone become ill whom we know to be out of fellowship with the Lord, we think, He has done wrong; now he or she is going to reap the results of his or her wrongdoing. He or she is sick because of their sin. Sometimes broken fellowship will cause sickness him, But the Word of God says " . . . And if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." I have known people who thought they had to lie on the bed of sickness indefinitely because they had failed and sinned. This is not necessary, however. The Scripture says, "in the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; AND IF HE HAVE COMMITTED SINS, THEY SHALL BE FORGIVEN HIM." There is forgiveness and healing. (Hebrews 10:1-4). "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offer year-by-year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered ? Because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more consciousness of sin. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins." This is the story of the failure of the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. There blood could only cover it. It left the scene in the hearts of men and women. And with the sin was sin-consciousness. But in our redemption in Christ Jesus, God has redeemed us from sin consciousness. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"(1 John 1:9). You should have no more knowledge of your sin past ! God doesn't; why should you ? You can see with what confidence and boldness you can come in prayer, knowing with a certainty that He hears you. However, if there is the consciousness of sin; then you will not have the boldness and confidence that God hears you. Many people make a stab at prayer with an evil conscience, you and I cannot serve God with an evil conscience. We must look over our lives and asked God if there is anything that is not like Him or not in line with His Word to forgive us. Then repent and forsake !