Have you or one of your clients ever had a health issue that you just could not figure out? You tried everything you could think of, all the supplements, all the complementary therapies, all the bloodwork, and yet couldn’t quite shake it?
You considered the emotional connection, tried journaling and therapy, tried visualizing health, tried aligning your chakras. You tried it all!
Well, I have an idea. It may be a little unconventional, but hear me out before you decide it’s not for you…
Healing Begins with Sanctification of the Heart
Did you turn to the Word of God? That is the focus of Dr. Michelle Strydom’s book, “Healing Begins with Sanctification of the Heart.”
As a medically trained doctor in South Africa, Dr. Strydom was very knowledgeable on the causes of disease and how to treat them. However, over time, she began to discover that focusing solely on the medical perspective of disease was doing a disservice to her patients. As she began to search the Word of God for answers, she discovered a treasure trove of truth and information about healing from disease and illness. She continues to find that medical science and biblical practice actually corroborate one another and lend important insights to each other.
Disease from a Medical Perspective
She starts out by discussing what we know about how the brain works from a medical standpoint. In a very understandable and relatable way, she is able to explain how thoughts affect us physically. For example, when you focus on bitter, angry, or jealous thoughts, your body releases various hormones and chemicals in response, such as cortisol. If you are in a continuous state of anger, you have a steady stream of cortisol flowing through you. Among other things, this increased cortisol will weaken your immune system, putting you at risk of infections and illness. Pretty simple, right?
Disease from a Biblical Perspective
Next she takes us on a deep dive of what the Bible says about disease. Verse after verse she shows that there is a central message: Disease is caused by sin, and that sin is mostly in your thought life.
The obvious remedy? Repentance.
If reading that made you furrow your brow and cringe a little, I get it. Before I go on, let’s get one thing straight: The message of her book is not to call everyone with an illness a sinner. There are obviously so many different situations and scenarios, and it is not up to her (or me) to condemn or judge. Her message is that it is an intimate love relationship with an all-powerful, all-loving Creator that truly heals, and we should do what it takes to live under that umbrella.
Let’s take fear as an example. God tells us not to fear dozens of times in His Word. Along with that, He tells us to fear Him only (meaning reverence and trust Him and not look to others in place of Him). Therefore, if I am constantly living with fearful thoughts, I am “sinning” as this goes directly against what He has told me to do.
What can I do about that? Repent! Literally, change my thinking. Take every fearful thought captive in Christ and give it to Him. That thought didn’t come from me, it came from the devil. When I accept it and entertain it and make it a part of me, I literally damage my body. So, sincerely repent of my fearful thoughts and I will no longer be subject to the consequences of sin – in this case, my illness.
Dr. Strydom asserts that most disease is the result of a separation on one of three levels:
- Breakdown in relationship with God
- Breakdown in relationship with self
- Breakdown in relationship with others
This may look familiar to you, as it refers to what Christ said about the greatest commandment in Matthew 22, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (KJV)
What sin is tied to my illness?
After a thorough explanation on her perspective of God’s plan for caring for the physical body, she then discusses a lengthy list of specific illnesses, from autoimmune diseases to addiction, cancer to the common cold, allergies to weight gain, heart disease, and so many more. She shares what she believes God’s word to be teaching about that illness, and the route to take to be healed.
Forgiveness – A Necessity for Healing
Regardless of the specific sin, there are a few common topics that Dr. Strydom feels we all need to accept on our path to healing. One of those is forgiveness.
When we forgive, it opens the doors to God’s healing. If we are trying to repent of our sins, but holding grudges and refusing to forgive others, we can’t receive the forgiveness we are seeking from God. He has told us we need to forgive if we want to be forgiven. Additionally, forgiving others is medicine to our soul as it relieves us from the damaging effects of that negative thought life.
Who You Are in Christ
Another common sin most of us fall under is not knowing who we truly are in Christ. This was an interesting chapter for me. Dr. Strydom goes through several verses trying to show you just how important you are to God. By the end, you’re feeling pretty good about the love that God has for you, when she pulls out this amazing faith statement. She recommends you read it out loud to yourself every day until you believe its message and stop living by the lies Satan is telling you about yourself. It’s a compilation of statements, each with an associated Bible verse, that reminds you of the truth. It starts out like this:
“I am a precious woman (or man) of great value and worth because Jesus, the King of kings, died and paid a great price for me. I am a royal daughter (or son) for I have a crown of glory and honor on my head, and I am wearing Jesus’ royal robes of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10; Psalm 8:5). God accepts and approves of me (Jeremiah 1:5). I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). There is now no condemnation for me in Christ (Romans 8:1)…”
As you meditate on the Word of God, you are changing your thought life. You are repenting. You are letting go of doubt and sin, and believing and applying the Word God has given you.
My Experience
As I’ve mentioned before, asthma entered my life a couple years ago in a pretty dramatic way and nothing has been the same since. I have tried many things to work through it. Diet changes have helped, lifestyle changes have helped, and yes, even repentance has helped.
A while back I was praying to God about a situation in my life that was not how I wanted it. I had a LOT of fear about it. I just couldn’t see how it was going to work out and I was afraid it would not end up how I wanted it. One day I had a sit-down chat with the Man upstairs, telling Him my fears and worries, but humbling myself enough to actually hear Him and have faith. I read an article about a Bible story that rang true to me, and I knew this was a message for my situation. I ended up truly casting my burden upon Him and allowing Him to take it. Immediately, I had a significant and undeniable improvement in the asthma symptoms I was dealing with. It was amazing! I knew that it was a direct result of letting go of the fear I had held on to so strongly and allowing the love of God to heal my wounds.
I still struggle with those fears creeping back in, trying to make themselves at home again. But now I make a real effort to combat them by speaking the Word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword (as it says in Hebrews)! It’s my best weapon. So, I’m still working on, still repenting, still tweaking my diet, still doing all the things. But I cannot deny that the spiritual aspect to my health issues is very real, and that God has worked His healing in me as I have come to Him.
Some Things to Keep in Mind
As with everything else you encounter, feel free to take what resonates with you, and let go of the rest. That’s how I approached Dr. Strydom’s book and it helped. While there are many things I don’t agree with completely, there are many things that I was ready, able, and willing to accept and apply and it’s been a blessing in my life!
I have not read every page of the book. It is 745 full size printer pages worth of text – it’s long! But I’ve read a lot of it. And I recommend at least checking it out! Obviously, what I could share in this blog post is barely a speck of what I read, so consider going to the source to get the real info.
If you want to read her book, check it out for free here: HealingBegins-4th Edition- Edited.indd (beyondthemountain.org)
