"God is using this sickness to slow me down and draw me closer."
How it sounds in your head: You were busy with sports, friends, applications—then this hit and suddenly you're forced to be still. Maybe God needed to get your attention. Sounds deep in small group.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
-- James 1:17Source: Religion making God the author of evil who uses sickness as a tool instead of the healer who destroys sickness.
It gives meaning to suffering and makes you feel spiritual for finding God in pain instead of demanding the healing He promised. Sounds humble to say God orchestrated your illness.
Paralyzed and bedridden for EIGHT YEARS—Peter didn't counsel him on lessons learned, just said 'Jesus Christ heals you. Arise.' IMMEDIATELY he arose, no process, no waiting for readiness.
I REFUSE the lie that my Father weaponized sickness to slow me down. IT IS WRITTEN that every good gift comes from Him with NO VARIATION—James 1:17—sickness is NOT good, NOT a gift, NOT from Him. God didn't give me this; the thief comes to steal, kill, destroy but Jesus came to give LIFE ABUNDANTLY. IT IS WRITTEN that God anointed Jesus to heal ALL oppressed by the devil—Acts 10:38—oppression has a SOURCE and it's not Heaven. I draw close to my Father through His GOODNESS, not through disease. I am seated with Christ in heavenly places, blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing, including the blessing of HEALTH in Deuteronomy 28. The BARAK blessing is mine by covenant, the same blessing that protected Isaac when he LIED—I'm in a BETTER covenant. Sickness, you are an illegal messenger—GET OUT.
Your Father doesn't need to make you sick to get your attention—He's been running toward you with healing since before you even knew you needed it. He draws you with KINDNESS, not disease, because that's who He is.