Cancer of the Soul
But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man. - Mat 15:18-20
As I read the paper, watch the news or listen to people discuss the traumatic events that take place thousands of times a day all over this world, I often find myself without words to express the horror I feel at the things we as human beings appear capable of doing.
The abductions, rapes, murders, genocides, suicide bombers … the cold-blooded, unfeeling actions that destroy the lives of people with little or no thought. The tortures, killings, neglect, abandonment, abuse, oppression, slavery, greed, immoralities. All are overwhelming, especially as you see the pictures of the victims and the grief on the faces of those who love them.
The fruit of our lives reflect souls filled with sickness and rot, according to the Scriptures above. The cancers, palsies, paralyses and other debilitating diseases of mind and body so many of us live with physically often seem a visible picture of the sin that eats away at our souls in the spiritual realm of our lives … destroying life and wholeness and stealing from us any qualities and character that would identify us as having been made in the image of a righteous, holy and good God.
Just as many diseases are life-threatening and seek to rob us of physical wholeness and length of days, so sin, like a leprosy or cancer in the soul, distorts and misshapes us, producing death in us and in others.
Fortunately, God, the One who made us, is also our Great Physician and Redeemer. And He’s intent on bringing wholeness to our lives … physically, emotionally and spiritually. He’s able to bring healing to the body, mind and spirit. In fact, often times, the physical diseases we’re dealing with aren’t our most critical need for healing. Often it’s the insecurities, the addictions, the depression, the broken relationships, the rejection issues, the anger, the fears, the jealousies and the host of other problems, including all those mentioned in the Scriptures above as the proceedings from the heart, that are most in need of God’s healing touch.
Many times when the spirit and emotions are healed, amazing things happen in the body, and it gains greater ability and power to fight the diseases invading it. Many times, physical healing follows.
Have you asked God to do a scan on your heart and reveal what needs His healing touch? Maybe you’re already aware of some areas of your life, some places in your soul, where you’re defiled and need His power and redemption to experience the wholeness He wants you to have. If so, confess those to Him and ask Him to change you and make you whole. He can; He will. Nothing is impossible with God.