Is epilepsy a gift or a curse?

[missmuffet]

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. If you are saying it is a demonic curse you are wrong. There are sophisticated tests today that will diagnose epilepsy and there are medications that can be taken for it. Our earthly bodies are prone to illnesses unlike our perfect resurrected bodies we will have in heaven.

[JTC]

On 2/9/2018 at 10:00 AM, ravindran said:

Why would it even be considered a gift? What is the rationale behind asking if it could be a gift? I know lot of people question whether if it is physical ailment or demonic. This is the first time I am seeing someone ask whether it is a gift!!

I can answer this because I have someone I knew in HS who has it. We have been very close over the years, at times other people think we're married. We are not.  Epilepsy doesn't just cause seizures it also causes what they call auras. Auras can take many forms, occasionally they feel like visions and my friend thinks God is telling her things. Considering we non epileptics get confused as to whether God spoke to us, it's more confusing to them. This is when my friend will say The seizures are a gift from God. The problem for me is she will never tell me what God supposedly told her. But, she forgets it all in 3 to 4 days so if I ask her she might say, don't be silly I hate these seizures they ruined my life. After 49 yrs I must agree with her.

One thing that bothers me is many seizures were like the ones in the Bible. Back then, a father came to Jesus with his son. He said the demon often throws the boy into fire to burn and water to drown him. Both of these have happened to her. Many times I wanted us to both spend a day fasting and praying but she won't do it.

  As people of God we know devils and demons are real. I have no doubts at all. A well known faith healer, who went home with the Lord, said often an illness has a demon attached to it, but not always. I trust this man. He also said when he was young he never knew if a demon was present. But as of about 70 God added discerning of spirits to his gifts and the ability to see them. If a demon is present he always had to get rid of it first. However, I believe this because the Bible says it, not the preacher.

So epilepsy is a brain illness. Sometimes a tumor causes it and it can be healed. Most times no. My friend has taken many drugs since HS and we don't think any were more than 50% effective. In spite of what the epileptic may think I don't believe it's a gift from God. I've often wondered if God makes a person sick to prevent them from sinning. This is a lovely theory but it doesn't hold up. I never met a sick person who didn't do their favorite sin anyway, including myself.

  My old HS friend was always 1 of the nicest people you could meet. The seizures effect her brain in many ways including intelligence. She often asks why they can't do much for seizures. I tell her we still don't know how a normal brain works, we're far from understanding why a brain would malfunction. She can't fathom this and usually gets too angry to handle, even for me. We have made some progress since I was in school, but we are still further away from our own brains than earth is from the next closest star. Sorry I got carried away with this. It isn't my favorite topic but my HS friend is 1 of my favorite people.

[simplejeff]

YHVH turns everything and makes all things work together ,  both good and bad things,  YHVH makes all things work together for the GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM,  who are called according to HIS PURPOSE.

So yes, even any disease ,  as Jesus answered when asked 'whose sins did this one become ill for - their own sins or their parents sins?'    HE said NEITHER for their sins nor for their parents sins,  but so that GOD COULD RECEIVE GLORY ! ! !

What a strange answer this must have seemed like to many people - FOR GOD TO RECEIVE GLORY ! !  from disease !

Just like in St. Louis a few decades ago - doctors were letting people know for their children what to do,  what herb is the earth's best anti-spasmodic without any bad side effects and 'unofficially' the favorite of many to use (it is listed in Jethro Klosses "Back to Eden" which is sort of rare book to find,  over one hundred years old I think, for anyone interested in reading it and checking with their own doctors if it might be useful for them.   FOR GOD TO RECEIVE GLORY ! YES !

[simplejeff]

On 2/9/2018 at 8:54 AM, IvyLynn said:

Any thoughts???

   .............    thunk !

Thoughts come and go,  and come again,  and go again,   .......   what to do with them ? 

 

SUBJECT THEM ALL ,  to JESUS !   HALLELUYAH !  ALL thoughts, dreams, hopes, desires, prayers, subject them all to JESUS !

[vlad]

17 hours ago, simplejeff said:

   .............    thunk !

Thoughts come and go,  and come again,  and go again,   .......   what to do with them ? 

 

SUBJECT THEM ALL ,  to JESUS !   HALLELUYAH !  ALL thoughts, dreams, hopes, desires, prayers, subject them all to JESUS !

 

On 2/9/2018 at 10:20 PM, missmuffet said:

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. If you are saying it is a demonic curse you are wrong. There are sophisticated tests today that will diagnose epilepsy and there are medications that can be taken for it. Our earthly bodies are prone to illnesses unlike our perfect resurrected bodies we will have in heaven.

Punishment is never ruled out. 

[JTC]

5 hours ago, vlad said:

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. If you are saying it is a demonic curse you are wrong. There are sophisticated tests today that will diagnose epilepsy and there are medications that can be taken for it. Our earthly bodies are prone to illnesses unlike our perfect resurrected bodies we will have in heaven.

This post is a Fyi only because I had to learn this. The quote is really Miss Muffet's. Sister you are right and wrong. We don't need an EEG to determine a person has epilepsy. Just watch a few seizures. In most cases we don't know the cause. I want to teach you a fact in case (and may God forbid it) you get a loved one who has it. Anti convulsant drugs are like anti depressants. Many exist but few work. Please don't think we can control epilepsy because we cannot.I want you to know that. Back in HS both myself and Donna thought it could be controlled. This false info has made Donna unable to accept she's sick. Epilepsy ruins the brain. At our ages Donna can't understand technical stuff. Because she expected Docs to heal her today she seems to hate the world. So sad.

I want to look up the cases of epilepsy Jesus healed. Isn't it an awfully peculiar coincidence that the cases Jesus healed had 2 of the the same main symptoms as Donna. 

[vlad]

34 minutes ago, JTC said:

This post is a Fyi only because I had to learn this. The quote is really Miss Muffet's. Sister you are right and wrong. We don't need an EEG to determine a person has epilepsy. Just watch a few seizures. In most cases we don't know the cause. I want to teach you a fact in case (and may God forbid it) you get a loved one who has it. Anti convulsant drugs are like anti depressants. Many exist but few work. Please don't think we can control epilepsy because we cannot.I want you to know that. Back in HS both myself and Donna thought it could be controlled. This false info has made Donna unable to accept she's sick. Epilepsy ruins the brain. At our ages Donna can't understand technical stuff. Because she expected Docs to heal her today she seems to hate the world. So sad.

I want to look up the cases of epilepsy Jesus healed. Isn't it an awfully peculiar coincidence that the cases Jesus healed had 2 of the the same main symptoms as Donna. 

Sorry I did not send the post you  refer to. My short post was: "Punishment is never ruled out"

[simplejeff]

42 minutes ago, JTC said:

In most cases we don't know the cause

This is true.  Most of the time,  the cause is not found out. 

In a few, maybe many, times,  by the right testing (not usually thought of or known about),  the cause can be found out.

When this is accomplished,  something can often be done about this.

In any and all cases,  there are now excellent nutritional guidelines to help both in testing and to alleviate both symptoms and side effects.

As always,  seek , and keep seeking, and never give up.  YHVH Promises the TRUTH will be found by everyone who keeps seeking for His Way.

[IvyRose]

My thoughts on this may seem odd, but to me... it could be either or/or maybe even none of the above.

 

It rains on the just and the unjust...so sometimes things just happen...and only God knows the exact reasons for it. 

 

However, sometimes like someone mentioned, it could be for the glory of God and a gift... if the seemingly bad things happen for the glory of God and that his will be done in our life.  Again like some here have said, God works all things to the good for those that love him and are called according to his purpose.

 

Also though, I think God chastises us sometimes and maybe some things that happen could be a chastisement to get us back on course and following after his will and doing what he wants us to do.  He doesn't do this to just be mean to us,  but because he loves us.  So even if it is a chastisement, it is still actually a blessing if it puts us back on the straight and narrow. 

[IvyRose]

27 minutes ago, eileenhat said:

I can address this point re: "God sends suffering, why?".

You wonder if we are chastised as Christians, right?  I mean that is my take on your comment here.

The answer is it is not a chasement as in a 'you did wrong and now you must suffer for it'.  Instead, we all suffer from a separation from God which allows sin in.

So we are already sinful.  There is no way around the fact we already have sinful ways.

But, here is the but, God can perceive you are ready to change your life, for him and send you in a direction that will allow you to address these sins by getting closer to him via prayer.

So here is my example (had this happen twice, in a row.   So I guess he wanted me to share this).

I had this vision of being in a car accident.  It was vivid, upsetting and occurred about 1 1/2 years ago.

I realized it, this accident, was three days hence from the night of this vision occurrence.

Three days to seek redemption, was my goal then.  So I prayed.  And God over the next few days worked me through some pain I was holding on.  Pain that was affecting my driving.  I was afraid of some past event and rather than allowing myself to feel it and God heal that wound, I suffered.

Now I realize that people do not see this level mainly in themselves.  But God always picks a level, you are ready to work out.  Mine is vision work.  So I get visions to work with.

This occurred again.  A few months later, again, another car accident vision.

Each vision was of a separate action.  And each I prayed about until God changed the outcome.   I could tell.  I could feel the burden lift, after several days of dedicated prayer work. 

I had neither accident, but I witnessed them both 'almost' occurring, just in the exact manner the visions unfolded....just so I knew, my visions were real and I assume, verifiable.

I got the message.

We can either learn to go to God in our hour of need or suffer consequences because we think we can handle life by ourselves, ie. without him by our sides.  That has never worked and never will.

That is the only message here.

If you check for bible verses* on this topic, ie. God sending suffering, they all are the same.  God tells his people to change their ways or something terrible will occur.  

Is it punishment?  No.  It is plainly consequences of our separation from him and his ways that he is attempting to enlighten us about.

 

*https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God,-Suffering-Of

 

 

 

I have had similar experiences with car accidents. The first one I was living close to God and was  warned of God and did not get into the accident.  The next one came at a time in my life when I had walked away from God and his safety. This time, I had no clue what was coming my way so I didn't even know to pray about it...The outcome of that accident was bad (I was hit head on by two vehicles, I broke my hip, couldn't walk for 3 months and have 5 pins holding my hip together now), but it did work to the good for me because it did send me back to seeking God and his will in my life.  I considered it a blessing, because even though I was far away from God at the time, he still had mercy on me...He spared my life and I have no problems due to the accident.  I walk just fine and no one can even tell that I have had that type of accident unless I tell them or show them my scars. 

 

I'm not sure exactly how to think of it, but I have often considered it a chastisement.  Just like Jonah was swallowed by the whale and then decided to listen to God ...I sometimes consider that car my whale that put me back on track with God and seeking his will in my life.  I do thank God for that accident...even though, some people have told me that is stupid to be thankful for something like that...But I am truly thankful that God spared my life and my soul from hell and gave me another chance to serve him.   

 

That's just my thoughts on it, anyhow.

 

Thanks for the reply and God Bless you, sister.