Many, including myself, have pondered this for years. In this article I will offer a unique insight from the scriptures that speaks to the issue of why so many devout Christians stay sick.

I believe the reason has to do with holding bitterness and unforgiveness toward those who've offended us. Wait, before you say "I don't hold grudges" and hit your delete key, consider the emphasis that Jesus put on the need to forgive those who afflict us. Jesus had more to say about forgiving enemies than all of the other Bible writers and prophets put together!

Even the Lord's prayer, which Jesus taught us, contains the words "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Jesus follows His teaching on the Lord's prayer with these chilling words "but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Mt. 6: 15).

And who can forget Jesus' beautiful words given in the Sermon on the Mount including "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt 5:44.)

Among the first words that Jesus spoke to his disciples after He was raised from the dead were these "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained " (John 20:23 NASB). Why do you suppose Jesus brought up the matter of forgiving people at that particular time? It's because He just got through dying for the sins of all men everywhere!!! Jesus paid the penalty for us so that we could be forgiven by the Father! Of course He will emphasize forgiving our enemies! Yet so many of us radical Christians hold subtle grudges and wonder why the enemy has a foothold in our lives.

This brings us to some of the saddest words of the New Testament "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (Matt 18:34-35). The above verses are solid proof that Christians can be afflicted by demons. The tormentors are demons. If you are unforgiving toward anyone then demons have permission to torment you and all the prayer meetings and revival meetings won't drive them away. You must repent of your resentment and forgive from your heart all who have hurt you and then the tormentors will have no legal basis to be in your life and they can be easily driven off in the name of Jesus.

In Ephesians 4:26 Paul the apostle wrote "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath." A crucial point is made here that we must not miss. We must forgive EVERY DAY!!! Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Resentment is like an oozing dye that penetrates the unsanctified part of our souls. We must flush it out every day. We must never assume that if we forgave someone once that it's behind us. In Luke 9:23 Jesus commands us to take up our cross DAILY!

Most Christians, even radically committed Christians, are infested with a wide array of petty resentments and old wounds. We assume that we are beyond the basics of renouncing resentment and forgiving others but our guard is down, our hearts are weighed with subtle anger at others. This is why so many of us stay sick!

Unsaved people walk in to a revival meeting and receive healing. Unsaved people don't know much about the need to forgive others and therefore are not as accountable as we who know the scriptures. In Luke 12:48 Jesus teaches that he who is given much shall have much required. Since unbelievers know very little about the need to forgive others, God doesn't hold them accountable to a great degree.

God holds mature Christians to a very high standard. We know the scriptures and we have walked with God for years. We have received God's forgiveness for our sins and God expects us to completely forgive all who have offended us.

Bob Jones uses the illustration of a yo-yo. You fling the yo-yo down and it comes back. That's just like resentment. You repent of resentment and yet later on you think of the person who hurt you and you get angry all over again! That's why resentment is a constant battle that we must fight every day. We must repent of resentment every day.

Every morning I go over my list of those who offended me and I forgive them and bless them. I believe that this has resulted in great blessing and fruit in my life.

John Arnott, senior pastor of Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship and leader of the Toronto blessing outpouring, has said that the team spends a great deal of its time leading people to repent of unforgiveness. In fact it is said that the common denominator of those who receive healing in Toronto is repentance from unforgiveness.

Consider this test. Think of someone who offended you and then genuinely and sincerely bless him or her from the bottom of your heart. If you can sincerely bless the person who offended you then you have forgiven the person. If you hesitate even in the slightest to bless the person then you are still angry at him or her and you are in unforgiveness. Anger equals unforgiveness. In Matthew 5:22 Jesus said that being angry at a brother makes you subject to judgment.

Every day you must repent of all anger against others. If you get rid of the unforgiveness, the tormenting spirits of infirmity will leave and you will receive your healing!!!   

The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.  

Steps to salvation: Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

1. Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2. Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
3. Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
4. Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
5. Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA

(C) 2010 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given

DEFENDING THE FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world. The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel. All Defending the Faith articles are © 2009 William P. Nugent, permission is granted to email or republish if credit given. To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button. *Security: Write the characters in the image above (Case sensitive)