Gloria Copeland, a North Texas-based televangelist and representative of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries, says you should "inoculate yourself with the word of God" when it comes to flu prevention.
In a video posted on Facebook last week, Copeland said, "We don't have a flu season. We've got a duck season, a deer season, but we don't have a flu season. And don't receive it when somebody threatens you with 'everybody's getting the flu.' We've already had our shot. He bore our sicknesses and carried our diseases."
Copeland is, of course, referring to Jesus Christ and is falling back on scripture as a means of fighting illness.
"The Bible says he himself bore our sicknesses and carried our diseases. And By his stripes we were healed. When we were healed, we are healed. So get on the word, stay on the word," Copeland said in the video, which is embedded below. "Just keep saying, 'I'll never have the flu, I'll never have the flu.' Inoculate yourself with the word of God."
The Dallas Morning News reported Copeland and her family have expressed skepticism or antagonism toward vaccines and medicine in the past and even questioned whether his great-grandson needed vaccines recommended by doctors.
It's worth mentioning that, to date, 97 people in North Texas have died after contracting the flu and thousands of others have been sickened. In one case, a man went into septic shock and doctors were forced to amputate both of his legs below the knees and nine of his fingers.
Copeland's video has been viewed more than 144,000 times (at the time of this writing) and prompted thousands of mixed reactions, including one from a woman who asked the ministry via Facebook if her being ill was an indication of a lack of faith.
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A representative for the ministry responded and expounded upon Copeland's statements and supported them with scripture.
"No, if you get the flu, it does not mean you didn’t believe hard enough. Thankfully, even if you get the flu, Jesus can help you overcome it. But many people go around expecting to get the flu, and declaring things like, “It’s flu season, and I always get the flu.” When you believe with your heart and speak words of faith in the flu out of your mouth, it’s an open invitation for the flu to come in. Life and death are in the power of your tongue ( Proverbs 18:21). So, instead of believing and speaking that the flu will come on you, you can exercise your faith and believe and speak that it will not. If however, you do get the flu, you can overcome it! Here are scriptures to help you stand strong against the flu:
The ministry then offered up 10 scriptures that will help those feeling the symptoms of the flu fight the illness. The recommended scriptures can be found here.
