Have you ever heard a group of people discussing someone else's tragic illness? Inevitably, one of them will shake their head and say, "Doesn't God work in mysterious ways?"

Then another from that same group will start praying, "God, if it's Your will, please heal so-and-so," as if they're not at all certain whether it's God's will or not.

If you've heard that kind of thing very much, you may well be wondering what to believe about the issue of sickness and disease. So let me help set things straight today: Sickness and disease are not the will of God. They never have been and they never will be. They're contrary to His will.

How do I know? Because I've checked out the places where God's will is perfectly demonstrated and I found that sickness and disease weren't there. Take heaven, for example. God' will is carried out there perfectly. Is there sickness in heaven? Of course not!

If you need more evidence that sickness isn't part of God's will, take a look at the Garden of Eden before the Fall of Man. God created that garden according to His own will. Everything He put there was good—just like in heaven.

There was no death, no sorrow, no sickness and disease, no lack of any kind. Health, happiness, and prosperity were there in abundance. Why? Because that's what God wanted for man. It was His will then, and it still is now.

The Bible says God never changes (James 1:17). He couldn't change because He was right the first time. He has never changed His will, never changed His direction, never changed His plan for man.

The reason there's sickness and disease on the earth now is not because God's will changed. It's because man (who had been given dominion over the earth) stepped outside of that will through disobedience.

Ever since the day that Adam and Eve yielded themselves to Satan in the garden, God's will has not been done on the earth as a whole.

Once you receive Jesus as Lord of your life, you're made right with God again. All the rights and privileges God originally intended you to have (the right to things like fellowship with God, health and prosperity) are restored.

Even though Jesus has already defeated the devil and taken away his authority in the earth, He's instructed us to enforce that defeat. The devil has no legal right to kill or steal from the children of God, but he's an outlaw!

So he'll do it anyway as long as we'll let him get away with it. We've got to enforce his defeat by speaking the Word of God in faith. As James 4:7 says, we've got to resist the devil and he will flee from us.

If you don't know how to do that, you'd better find out because as long as you remain passive, Satan will put sickness and disease on you every chance he gets. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to spiritual things.

Jesus knew the Word of God and the will of God perfectly. He understood that sickness was a work of the devil. So He demonstrated God's will by setting people free from sickness and disease at every opportunity.

Colossians 1:15 says that Jesus is "the exact likeness of the unseen God." That means you can see what God does by watching what Jesus does. And do you know what? Jesus healed everyone who came to Him in faith. He never refused to heal anyone.

Religious tradition says that God gets glory when we bear up nobly under the agony of sickness and disease. But that's not what the Bible says. It says God gets glory when the blind see and the lame walk and the maimed are made whole!

And speaking of religious tradition, have you noticed that religious people always talk about the good old days when God did mighty miracles? They also talk about the great things He's going to do in the future. But when you start talking about now, they get upset. When you say Jesus heals today, they don't want to hear that.

Jesus ran into that situation. In His hometown of Nazareth, people were religious. They believed the Word of God—as long as it pertained to yesterday or tomorrow.

But when Jesus told them, "Today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears," they got mad. And, the Bible says that as a result, Jesus was able to do no mighty works among them.

You can see that same principle at work in the world today. You can go preach the Word of God to religious folks—you can open the Bible and read it right to them—and they'll get all huffy and tell you that what you just read has passed away.

They'll insist that God doesn't do those kinds of things anymore. What's more, they'll be proven right every time because their attitude will keep God from working even one miracle among them, just like it did at Nazareth.

I want to give you a chance right now to receive God's Word. The Bible says, "Sickness shall no longer lord it over me. Sin shall no longer lord it over me. Fear shall no longer lord it over me. I have been redeemed.

I proclaim my freedom in Jesus' Name." Your healing has been bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. It belongs to you. Demand that sickness and disease leave you in the Name of Jesus. Resist the devil with all you've got, and he can't stay in your mind or on your body.

If you believe this good news I'm telling you, I want you to do something right now. I want you to stand up. Right there, with this book still in your hand, stand on your feet. Now I want you to say aloud:

"This gospel that I've heard is the power of God toward me. I confess Jesus Christ is Lord over my life—spirit, soul and body. I receive the power of God to make me sound, whole, delivered, saved, and healed right now. Sickness, disease and pain, I resist you in the Name of Jesus. I enforce the Word."

Now, don't ever look back. God's will is exactly the same now as it was in the Garden of Eden and in the life of Jesus. God's will is for you to be free. Rejoice. Believe the message. You'll never have to wonder again.

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries