Dear Brian,

"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:7-8)

There are those who've said that some of the diseases that are on the rampage right now, diseases such as AIDS, are God's way of punishing immoral people today. There is absolutely no scriptural basis for that!

God does not bring disease on the human race. In fact, if there's anybody in heaven and earth who hates it, it's Jesus. The devil is the one who's trying to tell us otherwise. He's promoting a lie, trying to get us to believe God is the one who's inflicting these diseases on people because he knows that if the victims believe that, it will drive them further from God than ever. And that's his aim.

It's time you and I as believers put a stop to that lie. Some time ago, the Lord spoke to my heart and told me so. He said, "Reach out to those who are suffering. Let them know I didn't do this to them. Let them know I'm their Deliverer!"

That word was not just for me, it was for the whole Body of Christ. We need to tell people who've been afflicted with AIDS or any such disease that Jesus is Lord over it. We need to tell them that God loves them dearly, and He has the desire and the power to heal them.

God is not responsible for the suffering we're seeing around us. That's just a nasty lie the devil is passing around. And if you and I do our job right, very soon another word is going to start spreading through the streets. The news is going to get out that Jesus Christ is not their captor, He's the One who can set them free!

Scripture Study: Matthew 9:18-26