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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Transference in intercession.	Elizabeth	Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Question: Over the years of intercessary praying I have experienced at times transference of ailments but only for a short time. Someone has asked for prayer for the healing of thyroid cancer but this person refuses the medical treatment necessary to cure this disease. The person is waiting for God to heal her. This refusal of legitimate healing methods causes me to pause in discernment before proceeding. I would appreciate your advice. Thank you for your ministry.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear Elizabeth: Be very careful about intercessory healing prayers. There should not be any transference of ailments. That is a popular theme with the New Age and Hollywood stories, but is not how these things should operate. Any such phenomena, I believe, is either sourced in something not of God, or a psychological construction of some kind. You need to protect yourself from that with prayer before you pray for others if this sort of experience is happening. As for this person with thyroid cancer, she is forgetting that the primary way that God heals is through medicine. Medicine is God's gift. To ignore medical treatment is to ignore God. Remember the story of the man caught in a flood sitting on his rooftop waiting for God to save him? Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you." The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the motorboat went on. Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the helicopter reluctantly flew away. Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!" To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?" For her to presume on a miraculous cure and thus refusing medical care to boldly arrogant and presumptuous. She is this foolish man on the rooftop. It is a form of putting God to the test, which the Bible condemns (Luke 4:12, Ps 77:13, Dt 32:4, Isa 55:8, Job 23:10). I would advise that you not encourage her dysfunctional thinking. Pray for her privately that she will mortify her pride (as that is what is happening here), her sinful action to presume upon God, and get herself to a doctor before it is too late. Talk to her about this inappropriate behavior and encourage her to see a doctor for treatment. God works mostly through natural means. Help her to understand that God is sending a rowboat, a motorboat, and a helicopter via medicine. Hopefully, she will see the error of her thinking and not drown. Or to put it another way, God will never intrude upon anyone's free will, and thus if one chooses to purposely walk in front of a speeding bus presuming that God will save her, He will not intrude upon that stupid decision, and He will tell you that personally after she gets hit by the bus. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Transference in intercession.

Elizabeth

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Question:

Over the years of intercessary praying I have experienced at times transference of ailments but only for a short time.

Someone has asked for prayer for the healing of thyroid cancer but this person refuses the medical treatment necessary to cure this disease. The person is waiting for God to heal her. This refusal of legitimate healing methods causes me to pause in discernment before proceeding.

I would appreciate your advice. Thank you for your ministry.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Elizabeth:

Be very careful about intercessory healing prayers. There should not be any transference of ailments. That is a popular theme with the New Age and Hollywood stories, but is not how these things should operate. Any such phenomena, I believe, is either sourced in something not of God, or a psychological construction of some kind. You need to protect yourself from that with prayer before you pray for others if this sort of experience is happening.

As for this person with thyroid cancer, she is forgetting that the primary way that God heals is through medicine. Medicine is God's gift. To ignore medical treatment is to ignore God.

Remember the story of the man caught in a flood sitting on his rooftop waiting for God to save him? Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you." The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So the rowboat went on.

Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the motorboat went on.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.

Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!"

To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"

For her to presume on a miraculous cure and thus refusing medical care to boldly arrogant and presumptuous. She is this foolish man on the rooftop. It is a form of putting God to the test, which the Bible condemns (Luke 4:12, Ps 77:13, Dt 32:4, Isa 55:8, Job 23:10).

I would advise that you not encourage her dysfunctional thinking. Pray for her privately that she will mortify her pride (as that is what is happening here), her sinful action to presume upon God, and get herself to a doctor before it is too late. Talk to her about this inappropriate behavior and encourage her to see a doctor for treatment. God works mostly through natural means. Help her to understand that God is sending a rowboat, a motorboat, and a helicopter via medicine. Hopefully, she will see the error of her thinking and not drown.

Or to put it another way, God will never intrude upon anyone's free will, and thus if one chooses to purposely walk in front of a speeding bus presuming that God will save her, He will not intrude upon that stupid decision, and He will tell you that personally after she gets hit by the bus.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.