Do You Need a Doctor?

DOCTORS ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR growth and our wellbeing. Whether it's a chiropractor, dentist, eye doctor, or an internal medicine physician, a doctor is one person you must see at some point in your life—between the time you come in and the time you go out.

Doctors are considered special, heroic persons. They are said to be behind-the-scenes workers. They rarely ask for any recognition or reward. They are simply here to do what they love and have been called to do. And all they ask for is a simple thank-you.

God is our spiritual doctor; he is there to help, heal, and rehabilitate us. Psalm 46:1 states, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble." Whenever we're sick, down, or disheartened, God is there for us. When we think we have no place to go, when we feel weak or are headed for trouble, God is there. We have the help but often fail to use the lifeline, which is available to us and never busy. God is more than willing to heal us, whether we need mental, spiritual, emotional, or physical assistance.

Just as in nature, things occur in our lives; some are preventable and some are not. Either way, we must recognize that at some point we will need a doctor. There are so many ancient old wives' and do-it-yourself remedies for just about everything under the sun. We try our hardest to do whatever we can to keep from seeing a doctor. We will Google, YouTube, Tweet, and Facebook, all in the hopes of avoiding a doctor. We don't realize that if we would just see a doctor, we could save ourselves a lot of trouble—false information and diagnoses, headaches, and disappointments. There are certain things only doctors can diagnose and write a prescription for.

It is the same in the spiritual realm. Things happen in our lives that we know are not normal, but we refuse to seek out God. We'll attend every prayer meeting and call every available prayer line to keep from facing God. We will work overtime so we will not have to humble ourselves, listen, and do what God tells us to do. We will listen to every pastor, teacher, evangelist, and deacon; some of us will even listen to the old lady on the corner who only attends church once a year. We try to make everyone else's mouth be a Bible so that we will not have to pick up one of our own or humble ourselves: "Let us approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). God does speak through others, of course he does, but he will inform you directly before he allows another to give you his message. God wants to help; he is there to help. But how can any doctor help patients who don't believe they first need help?

We need to understand that God is our Father and healer; he not only wants the best for us, he actually has the best for us in mind: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11). Once we understand this, we will begin to move toward him: "Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:8).

Healing begins with the understanding that first you need to be healed. Fooling yourself and being in denial will not stop the pain or the symptoms. Being in denial will only shorten your lifespan because anything that is harmful to you will hinder your growth, and when things stop growing, they ultimately die.

Many people are dead now—whether spiritually, mentally, or physically—because they were afraid to go to a doctor when one was needed. Fear is one of the things that stops the growth process in our lives. Many don't grow in love because they fear getting hurt. Many don't grow spiritually because they fear giving up an old lifestyle. And many die because they are afraid to see a doctor. We grow up fearing things that are not real, fear is considered to be an acronym for "false evidence appearing real."

In both the natural and spiritual worlds, we avoid going to the doctor because we are afraid of what will be said or of the changes we'll have to make to improve our health. Instead, we get false diagnoses that hinder us and mean that we will constantly be defeated in areas we were meant to overcome. Getting information from everyone but a doctor will lead to us losing out on more than we can afford. Take the biblical story about the lady who could not stop bleeding. She visited physician after physician but was not healed. She was broken because she spent all that she had to hear the physician lies. It wasn't until she saw Jesus that she was healed instantly, and the only thing it cost her was to give up the spirit of fear (Luke 8:43–48).

Once we silence fear, we can hear the spirit of God. Fear is the opposite of what God has given us. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, joy, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). So if you don't have love, if you don't have joy, and if your mind is running around the clock, it is clear you are operating in the spirit of fear.

Before you ever get to a doctor's waiting room, you must first realize you need to be there. You must make the call. Yes, something so simple has become a hindrance to healing. Calling is essential. Without that first call, you will never get an appointment. Without an appointment, you will never see the doctor. And if you don't see the doctor, you will die prematurely without ever experiencing your full potential. It is not God's will for anyone to perish but for all to be saved through Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:14).

God said, "[E]veryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Acts 2:21). Don't get to the point where you refuse to open your mouth. When we are in trouble, we call everyone—Mom, Dad, sisters, and brothers. But we refuse to call the One who actually has the power to save us. One word from the Lord can remove all doubt, and one word from our mouths can save us. We can't be afraid or ashamed to call on the name of Jesus, for his name alone has power.

It is astonishing how many excuses people make to keep from seeing a doctor. I once heard someone say that excuses are monuments of nothingness; they build bridges to nowhere. Those who use these tools of incompetence seldom become anything. Excuses lead us to defeated lives. Jesus tells a story about a man who made excuses. His Lord gave him and two others money according to their own ability, and while the others gained interest, the man of many excuses explain why he did not have an interest on the money. The master called him wicked, took what he had, and gave it to another (Matthew 25:24-29). The problem with excuses is that they give people reasons to be lazy. The book of Proverbs states that laziness makes a man poor—physically and spiritually. When we allow excuses to rule our lives, we are left with little, and what little we do have will be taken away from us.

So do your part, and make the first call. It is the only way the doctor will know you need him and that you want to be saved. Call until he answers, until the doctor takes the call personally. Sometimes we don't need our mothers, fathers, sisters, or friend, but just a little talk with Jesus. And when He answers, don't hesitate to let him know what you want. There is this song that says, "Jesus is on the main line, tell him what you want." Let him know now. Do not wait another second, not another minute, not another hour of the day. Make your appointment now.

Making Your Appointment

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU MADE THE CALL! You stomped over the excuses, rolled over the fear, opened up your mouth to be heard, and declared that you need to be seen.

You have made your appointment for a specific date and time. But you believe it is not soon enough; you believe you should be seen now. But God holds time in his hands; he knows why he has chosen that date and time for you. Timing is upfront on God's scheduling list. As long as you are on time, there is no need to be concerned about the date of your appointment. When you are on time, there is no denying your time with God.

God is very sensitive about timing, managing it down to the second. It is vital to our health that we make it to our appointments on time. Most clinics have a five- to ten-minute grace period in case something causes a patient to be late. Many people take advantage of this kindness, coming into the office thirty minutes late, demanding to be seen. This is the difference between most doctors' appointments and the appointments God grants. God seldom grants a grace period.

When God calls, he expects us to answer—not to look through the peep hole or send a text or e-mail message before we make it to the door. God will not wait for us. He expects us to answer promptly. In Revelation 3:20, God says, "I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and open the door I will come in and sup with him and he with me." He is an on-time God. Nothing in your life should have the power or ability to keep you from making it to your appointment on time. God has set a date and hour for you, showing grace by setting a time that will not be more than we can bear. He knows everything that can and will come up, and he still expects us to meet with him on time—not when we feel like it, not thirty minutes later. God is precise about time.

If you are too early, your wait time may be longer. Some people arrive early so they won't be late; that's okay, because they are mindful that their appointment will not start until the time it was scheduled to begin. But others will show up early, expecting to be seen immediately. If that does not happen, they may get upset and even leave. What those people fail to take into account is that the scheduled time is not based on their availability but that of the doctor. When you have an appointment, the only way to assure you are seen is to make it there on time.

There may have been instances in life when you were in the right place at the wrong time. There may have been times when you applied for the right job but the wrong person interviewed you. There may have been moments when God promised you a certain thing, but your actions ensured you would end up without it. Perhaps it was the right time, but you were at the wrong place. Maybe God told you to go, and you moved, but in the process took a detour. He may instruct us to go to a certain place or meet with a certain person, but because it does not appeal to our eyes, we disobey, ending up with headaches and heartaches because our understanding is limited. (Proverbs 3:5–6) states, "Lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge God and he will direct your paths." When we don't rely on our limited understanding, we can get what we need from God. "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord" (Isaiah 55:8). When you look to the west, God will make a way out of the east. When you think you know what is best, God shows you that his way is better. "For God is known for taking the foolish things of this world to confound the wise" (1 Corinthians 1:27). God sees all and knows all, while our vision, no matter where we look, is only in one direction. God sees the entire circumference of a thing.

An appointment with God is not as simple as other appointments, which can be rescheduled for a later date, any time that is more convenient for us. Missing an appointment with God can result in you losing your family, your possessions, or your life. Even though God has a waiting period, the next opening may be in ten years. Do you want to wait years when you might receive your healing now?

Often in this life we waste time; we make promises we don't keep, or we give our time to someone or something that is irrelevant to our future. We can be taught by some things or people in our lives, but not all things are meant to be experienced or learned. If certain people are asked why they engage in certain activities or why they entertain certain people, they will respond, "Oh, I do it just to waste time." Time should be valued, because it is the one thing you cannot get back.

Time is too valuable to waste. If you could add up all the time you have wasted in your life, you just might have enough to make up another lifetime. Every moment spent with God is precious. So if he makes the effort to spend some moments with you, please don't waste his time. Often the doctor hears about your needs and clears his schedule because of the appointment you made, the vow you took to see him, but then he ends up waiting on you. It is never proper to initiate an appointment and then not show up for it. We should never keep God waiting for us. But often he does wait; he waits and waits, because he knows you need him. Because of his unfailing love, we are not lost. We get caught up doing other things; but we can lose our lives getting caught up. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul" (Matthew 16:26). What will you gain if you try to fix everything in your life without paying attention to the things that truly matter—your spiritual and physical health.

People make many appointments only to find themselves rescheduling again and again. This is a scheme and trick from the enemy, because appointments that are rescheduled multiple times are eventually cancelled. The point of making an appointment is to set aside personal time with the doctor. You make the appointment because you need to have one. No one forces an appointment on you. So if you have the sense to make one, you should have the sense to keep it. "For it is better not to make a vow, than to make one and not keep it" (Ecclesiastes 5:5). Often we make appointments just to satisfy our consciences. We feel good knowing that we made the appointment, but what good is making one that you don't keep? True healing is experienced only when we actually follow through with what we need to do. For faith without works is dead (James 2). Why have faith, i.e., the intent of seeing the doctor, without adding works, i.e., the action you must actually do to see him.

The Waiting Room

YOUR APPOINTMENT HAS BEEN MADE. You arrive on time. You walk up the stairs, open the door, check in, take your seat. Then you look around and notice that you're not the only one with a doctor's appointment. There will always be more than one patient. And where there is more than one person, there are opportunities for distractions. It is easy to become impatient, disgusted, and distracted in the doctor's office.

The waiting area is a process by itself, filled with cries, screams, murmurs, and complaints. Those who are silent seem to have spaced-out looks on their faces, as if they have lost their minds. But we must be mindful, because it is in this area that the enemy works overtime to change your mind about seeing the doctor. The enemy will push harder to make you get up and leave, to make you lose your rightful place. The phone may ring; chores will have to get done. Everything that can come up will come up. The enemy will try to shift your focus so you will believe another person's situation is more vital than yours. But whatever happens, you must not leave the doctor's office.

If you leave, you are telling your doctor you do not need him, you do not need his help or guidance, and you can handle all things that come your way. And the Word of God informs us, "There is a way that seems right unto man, but the end of it is death" (Proverbs 16:25). The waiting room is the main place where you must keep your mind on Christ. Do not look to the left or the right but to the hills; there is where you'll find your help, which comes from the Lord (Psalm 121). We must silence the enemy by staying for the appointment, by having patience to wait, by knowing that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

Often we give up on God too soon—when we feel as though we have waited long enough, as though our healing, blessing, or miracle won't come to pass. We must remember that our time is not God's time, and our ways are not his. God holds time in his hand, and whatever he does can never be considered late.

Discouragement is something we've all experienced in a waiting room. It is the main tool the enemy uses to defeat you. You can counteract discouragement by encouraging yourself in the Lord, just as David did in the Bible. When everyone around you is sick, encourage yourself. Faith is simply that—the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. When your natural eye sees sickness, your faith sees healing.