We can learn from the woman in the book of Luke who was hunched over for 18 years. The Bible says, “Then should not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bondage on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:16).
We can learn so much from this verse. First, Jesus called sickness bondage. We do not know the specific disease this woman had; it could have been crippling arthritis. But we do know the Bible called it a spirit of infirmity. Whatever it was, Jesus never called her sickness a blessing. He also did not say, “should not this woman who God has blessed these 18 years …” No. God’s blessing was in sending Jesus to loose the woman from her infirmity. The truth is God never had anything good to say about sickness. In fact, He detested it so much He sent His own Son Jesus to bear all the sickness of the world upon Himself.
Sickness was never called a blessing in the Bible, and anyone who calls it a blessing today does not know what the Bible says. If sickness and disease are from God, then Jesus was fighting against God when He healed people. If sickness and disease are from God, then Jesus robbed God of His glory when He called sickness a bondage of Satan. Thank God the Bible sets us free from wrong thinking and wrong believing, so we can enjoy the blessings of healing, health and wholeness. Sickness is a bondage from Satan, clear and simple! God wants you, as a believer, to live free of sickness and pain, but it is up to you to choose to walk in health today.
So many believers are in the sickness prison, and the enemy has them believing that the prison door is locked, the key thrown away. But the blood of Jesus shed for us put that lie to shame!
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isa. 61:1).
The phrase, “the opening of the prison,” is God’s metaphorical way of saying that we have been released from the bondage of Satan. That includes sin, sickness, disease and torment—everything that is involved with Satan’s prison house. The prison door was opened through the redemptive act of Jesus Christ. And whatever we need—spiritually, mentally, emotionally or financially—has been provided by that act.
We constantly see that even though the prison door is open, the devil has been successful at keeping countless people inside. Many of them have accepted Christ as their Savior and have received salvation. They have received the spiritual benefits of the redemptive plan of God. But the devil has kept many of these Christians deceived regarding the physical inheritance that was bought for them on the cross and is rightfully theirs.
Why did Jesus open the prison door for us? According to Moffatt’s translation of Isaiah 61:1, it was “to tell prisoners they are free, to tell captives they are released.” How did Jesus open the prison door for us? By bearing the punishment for our sins. We see that in Isaiah 53. Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible records the last part of Isaiah 53:6 as “Jehovah hath caused to meet on him, the punishment of us all.”
In Deuteronomy 28, all sickness is listed among the punishments. And God tells us in Galatians 3:13 that we have been redeemed from those punishments. In Rotherham’s translation of Isaiah 53:10 we read, “He laid on him sickness.” Matthew 8:17 says, “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” So, you see, according to Scriptures, Jesus paid our debt. And because He did, we do not have to pay it. It is already paid in full.
Thank God, Jesus stepped up and said, “I will endure the pain of the cross; I will endure the stripes on My back; I will endure the crown of thorns on My head; and I will endure the shameful death of sin and disease so mankind can be free.” Today, Jesus is saying, “I have opened the prison doors. You don’t have to be bound anymore.”
My friends, because of the redemptive work on the cross and the precious blood that was shed by our Lord and Savior, as believers, we do not have to suffer anymore because Jesus Christ already suffered for us! He took your sickness and disease so you can be healed and set free.
My prayer for you today is that you will get out of the sickness prison and walk out into your God-given destiny.
I rebuke the spirits of infirmity, sickness, disease, pain, addiction, affliction, calamity and premature death trying to operate against you or your loved ones. I rebuke and renounce every attack that is operating in your immune system, every accident spirit and every diabolical spirit that is trying to hinder, frustrate and abort God’s plan, purpose and destiny over your life, and I sever them at the root and the fruit in Jesus’ Name. Be healed and made whole in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen!
Listen to this episode of Fresh Fire with Sandra Benaglia Smith on the Charisma Podcast Network as she releases a powerful word and prayer that will get you to step out of the sickness prison and into your healing! {eoa}
Sandra Benaglia Smith, who carries the mantle of apostle and prophet, is the author of Reflections of a Conqueror, published by Amazon and Lulu Publishing, and loves to design her own Christian apparel, which can be found at her brand-new online store at freshfirerevival.com. Previously featured on Arise Christian Radio, Yes TV, Charisma magazine and many other global platforms, Sandra hosts the Fresh Fire podcast on Charisma Podcast Network with her husband, Todd Smith.
The couple are founders of Fresh Fire Apostolic Ministries, which brings revival fire to local communities, regions and the nations, and they pastor Fresh Fire Church. With a heart to see the captives set free, healed and delivered—especially women, children and the broken—Sandra desires to see believers understand their kingdom authority and position and to use their spiritual gifts to impact their areas of influence for the kingdom of God.
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