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Question: Should I quit taking my medicine as an appropriate work to demonstrate that I believe I am healed? Would that be the appropriate action since "Faith without works is dead?"

Regarding the medicine, if you would like my input, please continue to take the medicine until your healing is manifested. I say this from practical experience as follows:

In December of 1994 I had a manifestation of a heart problem which was later diagnosed as Supraventricular Dichartia. This can be fatal. I was later prayed for by Pastor Dave Roberson and the power of God hit me so hard that it literally knocked me backwards onto the floor (the catcher went down with me). Being a "faith" man, and considering that "faith without works is dead," I stopped taking the medicine the doctors had prescribed for me immediately.

Two weeks later I had another occurrence and nearly died. I was stunned, to say the least. I went to Pastor Dave for counsel. Here is what he told me. He said, "An action in the natural does not automatically produce a reaction in the spiritual. In other words, you are not healed because you stop taking the medicine. You are healed by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ when He took the stripes for your healing. God is not obligated to manifest your healing because you stop taking your medicine. He is obligated to manifest your healing as you continue to worship Jesus as your healer and confess that by His stripes, you are healed. FAITH is what produces the manifestation of your healing, not putting God to a foolish test. Another example is when people 'quit their jobs to live by faith' and then think that God is somehow obligated to provide for them. Not so, unless He is the one that told them to quit their jobs. Again, an action in the natural does not automatically produce a reaction in the spiritual. Got it?"

So, I resumed taking the heart medicine as prescribed by the doctors, but every day I continued to worship Jesus as my Healer and call myself healed. I would "speak to my heart" and call it normal. This continued through all of 1995 and 1996. Beginning about the middle of 1997, however, it "seemed" to me that the Lord was saying to begin skipping ever other dosage of the medicine. I did so for months without any ill effect. Little by little, over time, the Lord seemed to be weaning me off of the medicine ... one dose every other day, then every third day, and so forth. I have not taken a dose since May of 1998. I have had no problem whatsoever. I am healed!

Your fellow servant for Christ,

Gary Carpenter