Faith and Positive Outlook

are Essential for Healing

Paul Wong

“Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1)

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

In the Old Testament time there was a king of Israel called Asa. “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was very severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.” (2 Chr. 16:12-13) The criticism of Asa’s visit to the physicians was not a general indictment of medicine. Asa’s problem was that he did not seek God's help for the healing of his sickness. Asa’s experience should encourage those who are sick to place all their faith and trust in the One True God rather than leave it all to the physicians to heal them.

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? 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 will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (Jas. 5:13-16)

True Christians believe the Lord Jesus Christ can heal "all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease" like He did during His earthly ministry two thousand years ago because He is "the same yesterday, today and forever" (Mt. 4:23-24; Heb. 13:8).   However, success of the healing depends on whether or not the sick person have the faith and positive outlook which are highly essential for good results.

“And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment; for she said to herself, ‘If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.’ But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, ‘Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And the woman was made well from that hour.” (Mt. 9:20-22)

“When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, ‘Son of David, have mercy on us!’ And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ And their eyes were opened, And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, ‘See that no one knows it.’ But when they departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.” (Mt. 9:27-31)

Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ heals infirmities

When the Israelites were in the wilderness they “spoke against God and against Moses . . . so the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.” (Num. 21:5-9) The plague of fiery serpents sent upon God’s people was, in reality, a self-inflicted punishment, resulting from their frequent murmuring. God’s judgment was in allowing what their own presumption invited, and many died from the bites of the serpents. But in answer to the repentance of His people, God prescribed the erecting of a bronze serpent to which any might look in faith and be healed. The Lord Jesus Christ referred to this account.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."(Jn. 3:14-15)

Our Lord clearly implied that the bronze serpent typified His being raised upon the Cross. Our healing, both spiritual and physical, comes from looking to and identifying with the Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.

“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24)

Positive Outlook is highly  essential for Healing

A person who has strong faith will also have a positive outlook. Abraham was a man of great faith who believes in the One True God “who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead(since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Rom. 4:17-22)

Applying Abraham’s faith and positive outlook to an actual situation, a person afflicted with a terminal disease such as cancer can also have the confidence in God’s power of healing. Faith in God and a positive outlook during a time of suffering particularly during an illness can help one heal faster. Recent studies show significant evidence is available which suggests that hope may have an effect on the body during illness.

There is practical evidence that a hopeful outlook can help a person heal. Someone who believes that he or she might eventually get better when afflicted with a life threatening disease is more likely to take care of his or her body. This approach of taking care of one’s body with the hope that it might heal can keep a person alive for a long time.

Dr. Lorraine Day believes in God’s Power of Healing

In the early 1990's Dr. Lorraine Day was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Her cancer doctor told her that if she did not accept the standard treatment of mastectomy, radiation or chemotherapy she would die. She refused to believe she would die but sought after God’s help through fervent prayer and Bible study. She chose to rebuild her immune system using the natural simple therapies designed by God and outlined in the Bible, so her body could heal itself. Today, Dr Lorraine Day helps thousands of people learn how she did it by following God's Ten Natural Health Laws.

Please go to these Links and click on the Titles below:

Cancer can be healed by following God's Ten Natural Health Laws
A Recuperation Program for Acute Cancer Patients

Always  upbeat,  Reagan  conquered
bullet  wound,  cancer  during  presidency

By POLLY ANDERSON
Associated Press

June 5, 2004, 4:14PM

Ronald Reagan, who at 69 was the oldest man ever elected president of the United States, maintained a thumbs-up demeanor for the public during several bouts with illness during and after his presidency.

But in later years, as Alzheimer's took a toll on his mental functioning, he was seen less and less in public.

The most traumatic health scare was on March 30, 1981, just 10 weeks into his presidency, when a would-be assassin's bullet hit Reagan in the upper chest.

The bullet, entering below the left arm, traveled downward and was deflected into the left lung, coming to rest an inch from his heart. He was rushed to a hospital, complaining of soreness in the rib cage, and collapsed in the hospital corridor.

The bullet was removed during three hours of surgery, and Reagan spent 12 days in the hospital. During his recuperation, he was photographed smiling in his robe and joked to his wife, Nancy: "Honey, I forgot to duck."

In July 1985, Reagan underwent surgery to remove a suspicious polyp from his colon. Two feet of the intestine was removed, and tests days later revealed that the growth was cancerous but had not spread far. Doctors were confident that they had removed all the disease, and tests during the rest of Reagan's presidency showed no sign of cancer.

Doctors quoted Reagan as saying after the surgery, "Well, I'm glad that that's all out."

Reagan also had surgery during his second presidential term for skin cancer (1985), for enlargement of the prostate (1987), and for Dupuytrin's contracture, a condition that caused one of his fingers to curve inward (1989).

Later in 1989, after leaving the White House, he was thrown from a horse and, weeks later, had neurosurgery to remove a pool of blood that formed on his brain.

When he announced his diagnosis of Alzheimer's in November 1994, Reagan said in a letter to the American people he hoped his disclosure would improve public knowledge about of the disease, as his past disclosures had raised awareness about cancer.

"At the moment I feel just fine," he wrote. "I intend to live the remainder of the years God gives me on this earth doing the things I have always done."

The incurable disease destroys the brain's memory cells, eventually causing personality change and disorientation. About 100,000 Americans die from it every year.

Unfortunately, as Alzheimer's disease progresses, the family often bears a heavy burden," Reagan wrote. "I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience."

He wrote he was making the disease public for a purpose. "In the past Nancy suffered from breast cancer and I had my cancer surgeries. We found through our open disclosures we were able to raise public awareness. We were happy that as a result many more people underwent testing."

At times during Reagan's stay in the White House, he seemed forgetful and would lose his train of thought while talking. However, doctors said Alzheimer's was not to blame, noting the disease was diagnosed years after he left office.

He made few public appearances after his diagnosis was announced, but continued meeting with friends. As his disease progressed, however, he had more and more difficulty recognizing people.

In January 2001, he fell and broke his hip, and surgeons repaired the break with a pin, plate and screws. He spent a little over a week in the hospital. On Oct. 11 of that year, at the age of 90, Reagan became the longest-lived president ever, topping the life span of John Adams, the second president, who lived from 1735 to 1826.

His daughter Maureen, who died in 2001, wrote movingly of her father's mental decline in an essay in Newsweek magazine in 2000.

“Earlier in the disease we did jigsaw puzzles, usually animal scenes: a farmyard, horses in a meadow, a jungle scene. We started with 300-piece puzzles and worked our way down to 100. Unfortunately, he can’t do that anymore.”

Nellie Connally celebrates 86^th birthday and 16^th Cancer-free Year

"Ever since I married (her husband, the late) John Connally and entered public life, I always felt I had a responsibility to help the people of Texas," says Mrs. Connally, who along with her birthday is also celebrating sixteen years of being free of breast cancer herself.

"M. D. Anderson is a place near and dear to my heart, and whatever I can do to help patients there or whatever I can say to help just one woman get through the frightening days of battling breast cancer is worth my time."

Nellie Connally served as First Lady of Texas from 1963 through 1968, during the administration of her late husband, Gov. John B. Connally Jr. John and Nellie were hosting President John F. Kennedy and the first lady when they came to Texas in 1963. They were in the car when President Kennedy was assassinated and Gov. Connally was gravely wounded. Nellie is now the only living survivor of this tragic historic event. She has written a book entitled “From Love Field,” reliving the trip and what happened in the car in that instant the world will never forget.

She is the mother of four children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Nellie has been active in a myriad of community and charitable activities, including service with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the Nellie B. Connally Breast Cancer Center and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She was also instrumental in helping complete Tranquility Park in downtown Houston.

A positive outlook helps pay it forward

By Annette Baird

Chronicle Correspondent

Mention Betty Bezemer to Rick Barnes, and it's enough to reduce the man to tears. They were tears of gratitude, he said, as he recalled what a phenomenal support she had been during his mother's treatment for breast cancer. "I'll tell you why I'm real passionate about this lady," said Barnes, a trainer and motivational speaker, who works with Bezemer. "She goes beyond what anyone would do to help you."

Barnes said when he found out his mother had breast cancer at the start of 2000, he immediately called Bezemer, someone he barely knew at the time, and hadn't hung up the phone before she puffed into his driveway. "I'm a strong together person, but she brings it right out of me,' Barnes said. "I was able to be the son I was supposed to be because of her."

Barnes is one of many who have been touched by Bezemer, a breast cancer survivor, who helps others cope with the disease. A Realtor with offices at Keller Williams on Town and Country Way, off Memorial Drive, Bezemer said she always has a positive outlook on life. It was that attitude, Bezemer said, that helped her get through the diagnosis and yearlong treatment. "I believe I had to make a decision as to how I would go through each day," Bezemer said, adding she only missed three days of work during her treatment. "I believe how you approach adversity helps in the healing process."

Bezemer, 58, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 1997 after her husband Willem noticed an indentation on her right breast. She underwent a partial mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiation, and is now a survivor with the help of the maintenance drug Tamoxifen.

She also credits her husband Willem for getting her through it all. She said he changed dressings, cooked for her and fed her and kept her spirits up. Willem, who works with his wife, said it was no big deal, but the experience deepened their appreciation for each other.

"I love my wife, we go through thick and thin together," he said.

Her experience had Barnes and others like Jose Campos, whose sister was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, calling for help. Campos, a photographer for Channel 2 News, said he didn't hesitate to call Bezemer, whom he met through his work.

"Betty just got me in touch with everything," said Barnes, who brought his sister to Houston for treatment. "More importantly, I knew her story and all she had gone through. She taught us to deal with it day to day and be happy. She tells you to be well informed and take responsibility for your healing."

Bezemer became active in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, serving first on the education committee now on the Race for the Cure committee.

"My mission today is to educate anyone and to help them go through their cancer experience and to find a celebration in each day," Betty Bezemer said.

Julie Baker, president of the Houston affiliate of Susan G. Komen, said Bezemer is one of the most charismatic and delightful volunteers they have and is passionate about the foundation and its mission.

"She has an inner light that draws people to her,” said Baker. "When you visit with her, she is right with you. She makes you feel loved."

Any believer can be healed by following God's Ten Natural Health Laws

May God bless you

This Web Page is presented by Paul Wong to the ARK Forum on February 25, 2005

and dedicated to all cancer survivors who believe in God's healing power.

For comments please write first to: arkpw@sbcglobal.net

Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.

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Write to: ARK International P.O. Box 19707, Houston, Texas, 77224-9707, U.S.A. Tel. No. (713) 467-1462