Most are the times that cancer patients loose hope of recovery. Their doctors cannot guarantee their existence beyond a year. Their family and friends wait upon the Lords moment to say goodbye to yet another patient of cancer. Pain and anguish covers everyone involved. And the world turns bitter to their hopes. Pause. Take a breath. All is not lost. Renew your faith. For God has the power to heal all diseases. Cancer included.

Dr. William Standish Reed is a surgeon from Florida and founder of the Christian Medical Foundation. In his book, Healing the Whole Person (1995), he writes that cancer has a spiritual type of development, which is evil. He also adds:

It may be in the background of the individual developing cancer, there is something burrows deep. within the confines of the subconscious mind of an emotional or spiritual nature such as hatred, fear, hostility, disappointment, heartbreak or a number of other factors.

In his explanation, Dr. William gives a medical precedent case of a man who had been separated from his daughter. He turned to an alcoholic and one day, he got a gun and took his daughter by force. He was later arrested and charged of kidnapping. In prison, he became extremely quiet and violent when talked to. He eventually developed a large cancer of the lower bowel with involvement of the prostrate and bladder, a situation which was inoperable. He died shortly after.

Dr. William gives another case of a woman who had an unhappy marriage. She eventually developed metastic cancer of the breast. Fortunately, church members prayed with her everyday. The husband also changed to be caring and loving. She was recovering very well. After some time, the church members stopped praying with her and her husband got another wife. The cancer started getting worse day by day till she died.

“In these days of scientific advances in which we are still striving so diligently to find the cause and treatment which will provide cure in the realm of cancer, it is well for the physician and the clergyman well as the patient not to neglect the gospel of truth, that Jesus Christ is the way and the truth, and in him lies hope, no matter how desperate ones situation may be. “

Dr. William adds.

Religion and spiritualism have however been hit by several hurricanes of ideology and understanding. Many denominations have cropped up with different versions of the truth. In specific, the gospel of healing and miracles has taken center stage with some being true and others manipulative. The faith and believes have often opposed medical treatment.

In an Islamic text, AL-GHAZALI, by David C. Burrel, (2001), it is stated that Prophet Muhammad advised that

“Except for death, there is no malady without treatment. Those who know one know it, those who do not know one are ignorant of it.”

He also added

“Make use of treatments for God created maladies and treatments"

As part of the challenges she has observed, Margret said that the most challenging patients to handle are those who have been newly diagnosed or refuted treatment or are using local herbs.

In another excerpt from the book, Al -Ghazali, there is a story of Moses, the one chosen by God to lead Israelites out of Egypt. Moses was one ill and he refused to take treatment because he believed that God would heal him. His illness persisted and God Most High revealed to him, “By my glory and greatness, I shall not cure you unless you undergo treatment “. Moses accepted the treatment and got cured. Moses got troubled over this and God revealed to him “Do you want to nullify my wisdom by trusting in me? Who is it that has supplied drugs to all sorts of things?”

The Christian view is quite similar. The conflict has been brought by the churches which believe that they should not receive medical treatment. That they should pray until they get healed. Dr. William Standish Reed corrects this with a practical example of a believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ that declined treatment for breast cancer because she believed that Jesus could heal without treatment. The cancer grew and spread rapidly. She was rushed to hospital for surgery when it was too late. After many months of distress, during which her solace was prayer, and her deep belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, the patient died. Not because Jesus could not heal, but because she neglected treatment.

In a second contrasting case, Dr. William explains of a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She sought treatment immediately and was involved in constant prayer in private and with church members. In her battle with cancer, she could dream of a frightening ghost that could inflict her with a new type of cancer whenever the previous was healed. She persisted in prayer and treatment. One night, she got a vision that she was permanently cured. She believed and things were never the same. She got cured permanently and the ghost stopped disturbing.

Every cell of our bodies must praise God, even the undisciplined cancer cells must come under his discipline. The body and the soul do respond to the Spirit, and particularly when the human spirit is in harmony with the spirit of God. With all this truth, it is equally important that we live responsibly especially by avoiding lifestyles that lead to illness, cancer taking the lead. Fear is the devils policeman. Do not fear knowing more about cancer, let cancer fear knowing more about you. In God we trust.