Kingdom living in a fallen world

"[We] have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come" (Heb 6:5)

I was off work with a cold yesterday. Now, I know to some this confession is tantamount to backsliding, but I have to be honest. I believe in the blessings of the New Covenant, and I walk in divine health, I have seen miraculous healings in my own live and the lives of others, but I do not deny the fact that I do sometimes get sick. We have tasted of the power of the age to come but we have not yet seen it come in its fullness. The kingdom is something that we must advance and lay hold of by force, not something that we passively receive as a one off. If I claim Jesus has made me well when I am sneezing and coughing, I either make myself out to be a liar, or I imply that his healing virtue is like the "Emperors New Clothes." Either way it's hard to see how he gets glory.

The glory of the name of the Lord is the primary concern of a kingdom man. I would rather be wronged than rob God of any glory and honour that is due his name. Yes, God wants me to be healthy and prosperous, but his purpose is embodied in the Kingdom, not in my personal happiness, fortune or health. If we seek the Kingdom first then we have the promise of God that he will look after the rest. However, I don't see anywhere to imply that this will always be instant.

Let me make a bold statement. I do believe God can get glory through sickness. Not because God wants us to be sick, I don't believe that for a moment, but because I believe it is possible to give glory to God in all circumstances — fair, foul, or indifferent. God obviously gets glory through healing, and my earnest prayer is that we see more and more of God's Kingdom power demostrated through miraculous healings. But I myself cannot heal anyone, I can lay hands on the sick in obedience and pray in faith — but my faith is not in my own authority, but in the authority of Christ who defeated every enemy and has a name that is above every name. My faith is in him, not in myself or any of my own abilities. I don't need faith in my faith to heal the sick. Just enough faith in Jesus to take him at his word and do what he commanded.

But if I am sick and I do not get divinely healed, does that mean that my Kingdom walk is on hold? Does it mean I am unable to minister to God or to others or bring God glory until I get well? By no means! I will seek God for my healing, but I will not be deviated from my determination to glorify God in every thought word and deed whether I see that healing come immediately or not. Even when I look to God for healing or provision in any other area, I will still seek his Kingdom first.

God can use even the results of the fall to give him glory. If he brings healing, he is glorified. If he does not instantly bring healing then we develop perseverance and so our character is refined to be more like Jesus, and again he gets glory. In my Bible James 1:2 doesn't read "Count it a personal attack from Satan, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds", but that these things come to refine our faith which is of greater worth to God than gold, and actually prove the Father's love to us.

Whatever you think on these matters, and I know there is a great diversity of opinion on this issue, surely God gets no glory through denial or deception. We must be real with where we are at. If I am sick, God gets no glory if I pretend I am not, nor is this a comfort to anyone who goes through the same trial; the enemy will have an easier job convincing them they are the only one. But nor should I just accept these things as "they way things are" in a fallen world. As a Kingdom man, I will be honest about where I am at, but always seek to press on to lay hold of the power of the age to come.