Are you spiritually passive or are you violently taking your healing by force? You might be thinking that you are a little of both or maybe that you are neither one. Let’s dive into the Word of God to find out which one we should be. Two scriptures come to mind when I think about being passive or violent when dealing with sickness or any situation or challenge in life.
Proverbs 4:20 – 22: “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
Matthew 11:12: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”
In Proverbs 4:20 – 22, “give attention” or “attend” (found in the King James Version) means to listen carefully, pay attention, give heed, to obey. It denotes the activity of paying close attention to something, usually someone’s words. The word “attend” was translated from the Hebrew word “QASHAB,” and it means “to prick up the ears, that is, hearken, cause to hear, and give heed (Strong’s Concordance). A great example of this meaning is a horse or a dog when they hear a sound, their ears will prick or stand straight up and pays attention or focuses on the sound they heard.
In this scripture, God is telling us to pay close attention and focus on “my words” and turn our heart and mind toward what I (God) am saying. God wants us to wrap His Words up in the very center of our affections so we can give energy to our prayers, desires, beliefs, and hopes. Commit His Words to our memory, write them down and continuously read them over and over again until they are firmly planted in our heart. Keep them in the midst of thine heart means to let them ponder in our thoughts, often meditating on them and not forgetting them.
If we do what this scripture says, then we will bring life and health to our bodies. This is being spiritually active versus spiritually passive. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word “passive” means yielding, lacking in energy or will, lethargic, submissive, receiving or enduring without resistance. If we are passively waiting for our healing, it means we are waiting to see or feel the pain and sickness leave our body versus believing in what Jesus has already done for us and actively standing on what the Word says.
Matthew 11:12 is about salvation and receiving the Kingdom of God. I also believe it can guide us in how to receive healing. If salvation can never be received passively, I believe it will be challenging to receive healing passively. This scripture indicates we should violently (spiritual intensity) persevere in following God, and I would suggest we do the same for our healing.
After being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, my life appeared to be forever changed and amounted to sitting on the sofa staring out the window. The doctors told me I would never function again in “mainstream society” and would never be able to go back to school or live a normal life. If I had accepted what they said, I would still be passively living an unproductive life, waiting patiently for healing to find its way into my brain and body. Instead, I violently (spiritual intensity) took my healing. My friends and I searched for answers and found the truth in the Bible. God wanted me well and Jesus paid for my healing at the cross over 2,000 years ago. I was not going to accept the diagnosis that I couldn’t be healed and my destiny at a young age was sitting on a sofa staring out a window.
We do not have to do anything to get God to release healing—it is a free gift along with our salvation. God tells us in the scripture to give attention to His Word. Don’t passively sit around waiting for healing to drop into your lap. Read and study the scriptures to see what God says about healing and take it by force.
~Donna Jones