Faith versus medication

Some sick believers have approached me for advice on whether to only believe for divine healing without also seeking medical help or to include both. Their conflict emanated from the fact that some teachers of faith commanded them to stop taking any prescription drugs after praying for their healing.
According to those teachers of faith it was considered a lack of faith or doubt to continue using medicine after being prayed for. But the sick people were not ready to stop using medicine after prayer thinking it wise to complete the course of their treatment. This conflict between faith for healing and use of medicine is not limited to only a select few but it is widespread among the Christian believers.  Therefore, it is important that we resolve it publicly to help many.
Let us start by stating some of the standing facts that will guide us in the resolution of this conflict: the Bible acknowledges the existence of different forms of diseases that afflict disobedient people (Deut. 28:61), it also acknowledges the existence and importance of physicians or doctors (Gen. 50:2; Matt. 9:12), sickness and disease are part of Satan’s oppression of the human race so they have a spiritual origin, sickness may be directly caused by an individual’s sin, in that case sickness is permitted as a judgment for sin (John 5), sometimes there is no such direct correspondence especially when the righteous people suffer, in that case we are vulnerable because of our corporate solidarity with a sin-affected human race and a corrupt system.
 Moreover, some health problems are purely physical like a fracture, some are psychosomatic and some are spiritual.
Finally, however, man-/woman is a unity in which spirit, soul and body are interrelated and in-terdependent; thus what happens in his/her spirit affects his-/her body, and what happens in his/her body af-fects his/her soul and spirit.         
We now make significant deductions from the above standing facts. Since sickness has a spiritual origin in the fall of man/woman it follows that the remedy of sickness is in the redemption of man/woman. Thus, if Satan is directly or indirectly linked with sickness, then Christ is directly or indirectly linked with healing.
Since some health problems are purely physical, psychosomatic and spiritual both doctors and nurses and God are required in the treating and healing of the sick. Since medical science is limited and cannot diagnose spiritual roots of health problems in the laboratory, God must be sought to deal with such afflictions beyond the scope of medicine.
Since God is the Creator of man, the giver of life and the maker of the human body He is the greatest physician. Thus He can handle all afflictions. As such He must be sought in all healing procedures.
Jesus was the best example of believers that use faith to heal. He could not only heal all manner of diseases but could also perceive the root cause of each affliction. He used various methods of healing but only one source of power-spiritual power that He used to cast out devils that caused sickness and to heal the sick, the maimed, dumb, deaf, blind and oppressed. But in most cases He demanded the demonstration of faith for healing by the sick either through confession of faith or acting out their faith for healing.
Most importantly, He regarded himself as a physician; so in a way He endorsed the work of doctors and nurses. Paul used spiritual po-wer to heal and to cast out devils but in one instance he prescribed the use of wine for medicinal purposes in the treatment of Tim-othy’s frequent sto-mach ailment (1T-imothy 5:23).    
Before I advise you on whether to use faith only or not I want to give you two instances of sickness in the Bible and their remedies and their outcomes.
In 2 Chronicles 16 it is recorded that Asa died because he sought physicians only but did not seek the hep of God. The ailment was a physical one; foot disease. His remedy was seeking the help of physicians only. The outcome was his death.
In Isaiah 38 it is recorded that Hezekiah was healed because he sought the Lord in his sickness. His affliction was a physical one; a boil. His remedy was asking God for healing. The outcome was recovery and addition of 15 years. But also understand that a lump of figs was prescribed by God through the prophet Isaiah as a balm to put on the boil before recovery was realised. What was the difference?
The difference between these two cases was a spiritual one. Asa had sinned against God and his sickness was likely to be judgment for sin. He made a blunder in his remedy; instead of seeking God he polarised towards medical help only. The root of his sickness was spiritual- disobedience to God, though the sickness manifested itself as a physical problem.
In conclusion, be free to use both. Though physicians can treat and prescribe drugs, God is the life-giver and healer. Do not make a god out of medicine by polarising towards it, always seek a right relationship with God and exercise faith for healing because the root cause might be spiritual.

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