Are There Spiritual Causes of Disease?
By @BarnhillGena Gena Barnhill
Science tells us we inherit some illnesses. But could there also be spiritual causes of disease? In other words, could negative influences, such as a spirit of infirmity, pass down the generational line?
The concept of inherited tendencies is not new to the medical profession. Doctors ask for a history of physical and mental illness in our relatives during initial intake interviews because they know these conditions can impact our current health. They look for predisposition to certain conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, and mental illness because our relatives had these conditions. This information helps doctors determine treatment plans, provide suggestions to minimize the impact of disease, and offer ways to avoid developing certain diseases.
Not all illnesses have a hereditary basis. But when a pattern of similar illnesses, physical and mental, occur in a family line, it is worth investigating the possibility that this illness has been passed down from generation to generation. It may indicate a negative ancestral influence is involved and needs to be broken off the lineage. Just as doctors have treatment plans, the plan for spiritual cause of infirmity is to pray against this negative influence.
Are There Spiritual Causes of Disease #healing #prayer #infirmity Share on XSpiritual Causes of Some Diseases
Derek Prince referred to repeated or chronic illness, especially if hereditary, as indicating a generational curse may be the cause. In other words, a demonic spirit caused the sickness.1 The Bible speaks of a spirit of infirmity in the King James Version (KJV) and the New King James Version (NKJV).
And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up (Luke 13:11 NKJV).
The English Standard Version (ESV) Bible says the woman had a disabling spirit, and the New International Version (NIV) states the woman was crippled by a spirit. Jesus took compassion on her and healed her. When the ruler of the synagogue expressed indignation that Jesus healed her on the Sabbath, Jesus said, “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16). Clearly, a demonic spirit caused her infirmity.
The good news is Jesus immediately healed the woman who was bent over. He can do the same for us today. We can also pray to release each other from the spirit of infirmity. Sickness doesn’t need to remain a curse. Jesus commanded us to heal the sick and cast out demons in Matthew 10:8.
The Impact of Chronic Infirmity
Chronic illness and infirmity can have long-term negative effects on individuals and families, including emotional dysfunction, disruptions to leisure activities, financial challenges, and damage to relationships. Invisible symptoms like pain, fatigue, and mood disorders are prime ways the enemy uses to hurt God’s children and distract and separate us from God and each other.
The enemy also plants lies and causes us to fear and expect the worst. The spirit of fear can contribute to spiritual causes of disease. We have prayed with people who were convinced they would die young because their parents died early from heart disease. They were overwrought with fear believing they would die from heart disease at the same age as their parent died.
We guided them to repent for agreeing with this death sentence from the enemy and ask the Lord for forgiveness. They forgave relatives who contributed to this belief and who had chronic illnesses and heart conditions. We led them in prayer to ask the Holy Spirit what He wanted to bless them with in place of infirmity. They often sensed the Holy Spirit wanted them to have an abundant life, health, a sound mind and body, and a long life.
Are All Illnesses Rooted in Spiritual Causes?
In the Bible, Jesus’s healing of the woman bent over for eighteen years specifically says her infirmity had a demonic cause. We do not know where the door to the enemy was opened in her family line but we know the illness had a spiritual root. We also know Jesus instantly healed her.
In the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus commands an unclean spirit to come out of a man, and the spirit leaves. (See verses 21–28.) In verse 34, Mark tells us Jesus healed many who were sick with various diseases, and He cast out demons. No causes of the diseases are mentioned. Jesus healed the man from the region of Gerasenes who was possessed by a legion of demons in Chapter 5 and sent the demons into a herd of pigs. Other healings are recorded in the New Testament, but we are not told if there was a spiritual cause at the root of the person’s infirmity.
When Jesus healed the man who was blind from birth, His disciples asked if the man’s blindness was caused by his sin or the sins of his parents. Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3 ESV). There is no indication his illness had passed down through his family line. The key here is Jesus can and still heals.
Use Caution
We do not know the cause of every illness. Today, we are aware that exposure to viruses and bacteria and lifestyle choices are related to the cause of some diseases. Traumatic events can set the occasion for illness to weaken a person’s immune system allowing disease to take hold. Also, a genetic predisposition for various conditions can be a factor in contracting a disease.
We need to exercise caution and not look for a demon or spiritual cause for every illness or unfortunate occurrence. Instead, we need to look to the Holy Spirit for answers and guidance on how to pray for someone with an illness. Our comforter, the Holy Spirit will give us discernment when we ask.
The Bible says, Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16).
We do not need to fear the devil, our enemy. When we are aware of his tactics, we can recognize him and resist his temptations, deceptions, and accusations. We can take encouragement from James 4: 7-8, which says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Prayer for Healing in the Body
God wants His children healed. Matthew 4:23 tells us Jesus healed every disease and every affliction among the people. We can always ask the Lord to heal a person regardless of the cause of the infirmity.
When the Holy Spirit indicates a spiritual cause of disease, we can guide the person to pray by:
- confessing their agreement with the spirit of infirmity and believing any lies associated with this agreement;
- repenting for this belief;
- forgiving others who opened the door to the spirit of infirmity;
- renouncing the spirit of infirmity and breaking its power over their life, their family, and all future family in Jesus’s name; and
- asking the Holy Spirit to fill them with His blessings in place of infirmity.
The Lord also uses trained medical professionals to heal people. We can pray for medical professionals to be guided by Jesus, the Great Physician, when treating people in their care.
I would love for you to have an opportunity to chime in. What thoughts do you have regarding the spirit of infirmity? Have you seen patterns of physical or mental illness in multiple generations of families you know?
Be sure to share your thoughts in our Facebook Group Healing Prayer Discussion at https://www.facebook.com/groups/433961681828074
We are all stronger when we learn from each other. Looking forward to your input.
Blessings,
Gena
1Derek Prince, Blessing or Curse- You Can Choose (Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 1990), p. 47.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, Bible verses are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 6, 2023, and was revamped for comprehensiveness on February 16, 2025.
In case you missed the rest of the Ancestral Influences Series, here is the link to the Archives:
https://simpleeffectiveprayer.com/category/healing-ancestral-wounds/
