All of our troubles started way back there in the Garden of Eden several thousand years ago, and you’d think by now we would have solved the problems, but not so.  Here in Genesis 3:1-6 we can read about it::
Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Gen 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Gen 3:5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Well, Eve couldn’t say she didn’t know what God said, because in verses 2 and 3 she repeated what God had told them to the serpent.  So why did she let the serpent talk her into disobeying what God said?  Beats me!  And yet people do it every day, right down to this very day.  The Holy Bible clearly reveals the will of Almighty God, still we insist on doing the opposite, and it makes me wonder what is keeping God from just destroying the earth and everyone on it.  Between our constant whining for this or that, and our unbelief and our blatant disobedience to the Word of God, it’s a wonder we aren’t all “crispy critters”, and justly so.  But in Exodus 34:6-7, Moses shared this about the character of God.
Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Some people see the mercy, grace, longsuffering and goodness of God as license to do whatsoever their little heart lusts to do. “Oh, God knows your heart, he will give you grace and  forgive you.” Yeah, that’s the problem, God DOES know our hearts, and He knows we are a stiffnecked and rebellious lot.  If not for that grace and mercy, we would all be sick, broke, and dying, because by our works, we have earned all the troubles the world can give us, and more.
You know me, I like to teach about healing, and some of my favorite verses are Psalm 103:1-13 which say,
Psa 103:1   Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Psa 103:2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psa 103:3  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Psa 103:4  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Psa 103:5  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psa 103:6  The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
Psa 103:7  He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
Psa 103:8  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Psa 103:9  He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
Psa 103:10  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Psa 103:11  For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
Psa 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Psa 103:13  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

Notice verse 3: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Yea, hath God said? Yes He did, so why don’t we believe Him?  Why aren’t we acting like it?

Why aren’t we all living in all these blessings?  Because of the choices we make every day, and because of the trash we talk when the circumstances we are facing don’t line up with the Word of God.  You see, when the devil comes and puts symptoms of sickness on our body, instead of speaking what GOD said, and releasing the Word of God to do what it was created to do, we say stupid stuff like, “Well, God’s Word said I’m healed, but I have this going on in my body, so I guess I’m not healed after all.  I’m still waiting on God to heal me.” And they ask everyone in the world to pray for them to be healed, but the simple fact is, GOD ALREADY GAVE US HIS WORD, and it’s a done deal, and we don’t have to try to beg or argue or talk Him into healing us: Jesus said on the cross, IT IS FINISHED!   Yea, hath God said?  You bet’cha. So what’s the problem? Is God a liar?  Is He so old He has forgotten what He said?

Perhaps the problem is WE have forgotten what WE have said time and time again that doesn’t line up with the Word of God.  You know, you can’t say “I’m healed by the stripes of Jesus” one day and call everyone you know and talk about your symptoms and go running off to the doctor the next. You will find if you read the Bible that it is written in Hebrews 13:8, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Do you see that?  God is consistent and unchanging.  Are YOU?  Ah so, plot thickens…..It’s like a person who wants to walk down the road, but instead keeps crossing the road from ditch to ditch, “Yes, I’m healed”, “No, I’m still sick”, and they never make any progress down the road.  Does that make sense to you?  You have to be like God, unwavering and consistent.  Get rid of your doubt and unbelief.  He who doubts will do without, and I don’t know how to say it any plainer.  It’s time we wise up and smell the coffee so to speak.  Here, let’s see what James has to say about it:

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Way back there in the Garden of Eden, life was consistently heaven on earth for Adam and Eve, and it could have stayed that way forever, had they not wavered about what God said and acted contrary to God’s Word. Do we think WE will suffer any less for doubt and unbelief and disobedience? Do yourself a huge favor:  read the Bible.  Yea, hath God said? Yes, He says what He means, and means what He says.  Take God at His Word and obey it.  Then you will make your way prosperous and have good success AND you will enjoy your health and your days will be blessed.  Can you have an abundant and joyful life in the midst of what is going on in the rest of the world?  Sure you can.  The Lord Jesus warns us that the devil wants to ruin our lives. He said in John 10:6-11:

Joh 10:6  This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
Joh 10:7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Joh 10:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
The Lord Jesus is still speaking to us today through His Word, but we still don’t get it, do we?  It’s so simple: all we have to do is take Him at His Word and act accordingly, and we will be blessed for it.  When the devil comes tempting you, saying, “Yea, hath God said?”, you can tell him, Get behind me Satan, for it is written….(and quote the supporting verses just like Jesus did). Yea, God HATH said it, and that settles it, PERIOD!