Put Your Hazmat Suit On

I hadn’t been sick for over TEN YEARS! Yep, that’s right. Not so much as a sneeze or a wheeze for over a decade.

Then it happened!

We had returned from vacation and I noticed that my daughter was flushed and her throat hurt. I put her to bed to sleep it off, but when she woke up the next morning, it had only worsened. I could tell she had all the signs of strep throat. I took her in to see the doctor, and sure enough ~ strep!

Two days later, it hit me. I could tell it was trying to get on me, but I was fighting it off with every ounce of faith I had. I ate healthy, kept exercising, and kept going about my business because I wasn’t going to let anything slow me down. But the morning I woke up and couldn’t swallow, I knew I had to go see the doctor. Sure enough ~ strep! I’ve always taught my kids to share everything, and I guess that includes sickness, too!

The next day, I felt worse. And the day after was the same. I wasn’t improving. ‘What is wrong with me?‘ I thought to myself. “I never get sick, and I can’t shake this! What am I doing wrong?’

See, I believe that…

God protects us from sickness, as well as heals our bodies. Just like I do not believe that sickness is the will of God. Psalm 5:12 says, “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” How cool is that? His favor surrounds us like a shield! It’s like our own personal hazmat suit! When God is fully manifested in us, no sickness or harm can get on us. Isn’t that amazing? But, there had evidently been a “break in the system.” My hazmat suit had sprung a leak! I had gotten sick, and I wasn’t getting better. I know God’s Word never changes, so it must have been me.

I grabbed my Bible, and decided I was going to camp out with God until I got an answer. I opened my Bible to Psalm 91. That psalm is full of promises…

* He will deliver you from the deadly pestilence. (v.3)
* Harm will not come near you. (v.7)
* Angels will defend and preserve you in all your ways. (v.11)
* He will deliver me from trouble. (v.15)

But then God brought my attention back to verses 1 and 2:

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!”

As I read this, I realized that every single promise throughout this entire psalm, hinges on my fulfillment of these two verses. Was I really “dwelling in Him?” Was I truly leaning, relying, and trusting in Him? Was I resting in His shadow?

No, I wasn’t. I had recently taken on a lot more work and was stressing over it. There was always a mile-long list of things to do, and I couldn’t quit thinking about it. Instead of resting in Him, I was working around the clock, trying to fix everything and make it work. My hazmat suit hadn’t sprung a leak ~ I had taken the whole thing right off!

Because of my stress and anxiety, I believe I had opened the door for sickness to come and make its home in me. I repented, and let it go. I could feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders. If my home, business, family, life, or anything I put my hand to do, was going to succeed, it would have to be God doing it, NOT ME! I realized that if God wanted me to do something, then He would surely provide a way to allow me to do it. And I could do nothing on my own.

I began saying out loud (just like those verses instruct us to do), “God is my Refuge! He is my Fortress! He is my God! On Him I lean and rely. In Him I confidently trust!”

Immediately, I could feel the swelling in my throat go down. I could feel the pain ease out of my body. I could feel my energy and strength being renewed.

Hallelujah! My hazmat suit was back on!

If you’re worried about sickness and harm coming to you or your family, instead of worrying, I want to challenge you today to put on your hazmat suit of faith. His favor surrounds you like a shield, but you can easily step out of it. Build up your faith and step back in! Tuck yourself away in the “secret place  of the Most High.” It’s called a “secret place” because no one can understand how you do it–how you stay well during sickness, how you prosper in a famine, how you stay quenched in a drought. Praise God for that hazmat suit!

Now it’s your turn. What do you think? Do you have your hazmat suit on? Have you let stress strip it off of you? Is there a need in your life today that I can lift up in prayer? Leave a comment below and let’s get the conversation started.