God is Our Healer:
This Is – HIS nature, HIS character, HIS will, and most of all – HIS instruction to us.
HIS name – “Jehovah Rapha” – The God who heals us!
In the Bible, the name of a person is very important as it shows their nature or their trade. For example – Jesus, this means – Saviour.
God’s Character:
Is Love – God so loves us, HE only wants the best for us.
In Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to HIS purposes.”
Sickness and disease, by its very definition, is not God’s best plan. Let us be very clear: GOD DOES NOT WANT ANYONE TO BE SICK!
You might say:
“Then why are people sick?” We could answer, God does not want anyone to sin either, but people still do! God’s will does not happen automatically all the time. If it did, there would be no reason for Jesus to teach us how to pray.
“Your will be done”:
It was not God’s will for Satan to fall. It was not God’s will for Adam and Eve to sin. It is not God’s will for children to die of starvation. God’s will does not always happen.
An important revelation:
The love of God is for HIS WILL to be manifested towards us for
healing in our lives. God hates sickness (Luke 4:18).
Healing and miracles do not reveal the full extent of God’s power – creation does that as well.
In Psalm 19:1-4, “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvellous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night, they make Him known. They speak without a
sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.”
In Psalm 19, we read how God reveals Himself to man: by general revelation in His creation and by specific revelation in His inspired Word.
As God reveals Himself through Scripture (19:7-11), we learn about His holiness and our sinfulness.
As God reveals Himself through daily experiences (19:12-14), we learn about His gracious forgiveness that frees us from guilt.
Healing Reveals the Extent of God’s Love:
Our God is not a God who simply created the world, and then left creation and mankind to our own devices. He is intimately involved and concerned with every exploit we take, as a loving Father. His ongoing love for His universe and for us means He continually works to restore and heal.
My Father is at Work:
Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17 – NKJ).
“However, Jesus replied, ‘My Father never stops working, so why should I?’” (John 5:17 – NLT).
If God stopped every kind of work on the Sabbath, nature would fall into chaos, and sin would overrun the world. In Genesis 2:2 we read that God rested on the seventh day, but this does not mean that He stopped doing good.
Jesus Taught Us:
When the opportunity presents itself to do good, it should not be ignored, even on the Sabbath.
How can it be possible for God to love us – but not do something about our sin and sickness? God is righteous and therefore desires His creation and His creatures to be perfectly whole.
We are Called to be Holy:
In 1 Peter 1:15-16, “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be His children—is holy. For He Himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
The holiness of God, whom we worship, is perfection; hence, by definition, disease and sickness are imperfect. Therefore, it is impossible for God to be sick (Jesus was never sick, though He suffered more than any man did). And since God wants us to be like Him, it must be His will for us to be whole.
HEALING IS A SIGN OF GOD’S COMPASSION
God is Faithful: (Hebrews 13:8), “Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and all His promises are “yes” in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
God has Not Changed! The God who saved and healed yesterday is the same God who saves and heals today, a loving God. Some people argue that God stopped healing people after the early church. But how can He stop being a loving God, a holy God, and a faithful God?
These Things Are:
His character, He is unchangeable, it is His will.
God Invented healing, it was His Idea:
The first mention of healing is in Genesis 20:17, when God heals Abimelech and his family after Abraham prayed for him.
Jesus came to Earth to Show us What the Father is Like:
Jesus said to his disciples, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). He also said, “I do nothing on my own.”
Jesus’ whole life and ministry were a reflection of the will of the Father. Jesus says, “I am willing.” When the leper came to Jesus (Matthew 8:2- 3), Jesus reveals the will of God in His reply, “I am willing.”
It is always God’s will to heal. It is His work.
God is a Miracle Worker:
To God, healing is not a miracle at all. Healing is a miracle to us because we cannot heal anyone ourselves. However, to God, it is all in a day’s work!
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:3) That was a day’s work for Him!
Genesis 1:16, 17 “. . . He also made the stars. God set these lights in the heavens to light the earth.”
How could it be difficult for God, who “created the stars and the universes” to heal an eye, or grow a leg, or heal a broken heart?
Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man:
In John 5:6-8 the story is recorded of a man, paralysed for 38 years, lying helplessly beside the pool of Bethesda, waiting for his healing.
“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming another steps down before me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’”
After 38 years this man’s problem had become a way of life. No one had ever helped him. He had no hope of ever being healed and no desire to help himself. The man’s situation looked hopeless.
So no matter how trapped you feel in your infirmities, God can minister to your deepest needs. Do not let a problem or hardship cause you to lose hope. God may have special work for you to do in spite of your condition, or even because of it. Many have ministered effectively to hurting people because they have triumphed over their own hurts.
WHAT IS HEALING? – HIS Divine Exchange:
It is the whole purpose of Calvary; divine healing is a much bigger concept than simply laying hands on the physically sick. It is only a small part of our inheritance as Christians!
However, we cannot grasp the meaning and extent of healing without understanding what sickness is, and where it came from.
What is Sickness?
God created man perfect. When God created man, He made him in God’s own image (Genesis 1:27). He was therefore perfect. There were no mistakes, no deformities, and no diseases.
Man was made a whole creature. His nature is complex, and Scripture tells us in Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’” God made us a three-part being – spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
The Fall brought Sickness:
In Adam and Eve, each part was complete and whole. Man sinned, and disease, decay, destruction, and death entered the universe. Since then all creation is in bondage to decay (Romans 8:21).
Sickness is a manifestation of this bondage – by definition it is a falling short of God’s intended order. Therefore, sin is the root of all sickness, though not necessarily the immediate cause of it.
A Man born Blind:
In John chapter 9:2-3, coming across a man born blind, the disciples understood that sin brought sickness. “The disciples asked Jesus, ‘Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?’ ‘It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,’ Jesus answered. ‘He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.’”
The Lord’s reply did not mean that they had not sinned, because we all have. Rather, He meant that, in this case, the blindness was not a direct result of their personal sin.
God invented Healing and the devil invented Sickness:
In Job 2: 4-5, “Satan replied to the LORD, ‘Skin for skin—he blesses You only because You bless him. A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But take away his health and he will surely curse You to Your face!’”
Man’s sin gives the devil the right to exert his power over mankind – “The devil therefore comes except (only) to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).
ALL sickness comes from the devil, as a result of sin, although God can and sometimes does use sickness for His purposes.
What is Healing?
Healing is the reversal of the process of destruction, decay, and death. It is the restoration of God’s intended order for mankind. It does not just apply to people or animals – even our land can be healed.
“Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. I will listen to every prayer made in this place” (2 Chronicles 7:14-15).
How Does God Heal?
God uses many different methods of healing.
The Body’s own System:
This is the most common form of healing: in fact, almost all forms of healing are merely helping the body heal itself. The self-healing mechanisms of the body are astonishingly complex, and yet they were there even before sickness appeared. God anticipated and prepared for man’s sin and the devil’s diseases, because Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the creation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
Medicines:
God promises, “The leaves of the tree (of Life) are for the healing of the nations” (Revelations 22:2; Ezekiel 47:12). God is not against the use of medicines. Many, if not most plants, have some healing properties.
Doctors:
Many people think that doctors and prayers for the sick are incompatible. Quite the opposite is true! Often they work best together.
In 2 Kings 20, Isaiah the prophet told the sick King Hezekiah that he would die. Hezekiah cried out to the Lord. Isaiah then returned to the king’s room and said that the Lord had heard his prayer, and would give him another 15 years of life.
Isaiah did not lay hands on him or rebuke the sickness, but instead instructed the servants to use medicine (a poultice of figs), and the king was healed!
The apostle Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, was a doctor. Thank God, that He uses doctors to heal us!
Words:
Scripture teaches us that words are powerful, and even have the power to bring life or death (Proverbs 18:21). God uses words to heal, “Pleasant words are like honeycomb” (Proverbs 16:24).
Supernaturally:
This is where we simply pray and see God heal sovereignly. We do little more than show compassion and speak as the Lord has shown us. He does all the work!
What about Alternative Therapy?
Do people get healed through alternative therapy? Yes.
But it can also be a false healing. If I twist your arm until it hurts and then stop, the pain will go away. Does that make me a healer, or a tormenter? The devil can counterfeit healing by removing the sickness he
put there in the first place! But he is not a healer – he is a destroyer. He only “heals” so that people may be deceived into further suffering or bondage.
All healing that may take place through methods forbidden by Scripture is false, and dangerous. The physical body may be healed, but the soul or spirit of the person will be shut down or harmed. The person’s final state will be worse than at the start.
Calvary is God’s Solution:
All true methods of healing depend upon God, who is the only real Healer. In addition, all healing depends upon Calvary, because only Jesus paid the price for our healing on the Cross.
Healing of All Creation:
Calvary is not just for our healing, but for the whole of creation, which will be set free from “its bondage to decay” when “the sons of God are revealed” (Romans 8:19-21).
Man is often bound by sin. We can be “liberated” when wholeness comes into the “freedom” that we already have. Therefore, salvation means much more than just “new birth” for mankind.
Jesus’ death and resurrection bought back the whole earth. The cross is not just a gateway to eternity; it is the fulcrum of history. It is God’s total solution to ALL problems of the world.
Calvary Reverses the Curse:
Sickness came from the fall, through the curse of God (Genesis 3:14-19). Jesus reverses this curse by becoming a curse for us, taking the curse on Himself, so we might be free from its consequences.
In Galatians 3:13, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’”
It was against God’s law to leave the body of a dead person exposed overnight (Deuteronomy 21:23), and it was against the law to work after sundown on Friday, when the Sabbath began. This is why the religious leaders urgently wanted to get Jesus’ body off the cross and buried before sundown.
Jesus Ushers in the Kingdom:
The coming of God’s kingdom and the ministry of healing are not separated. The authority to heal has been given to Jesus’ disciples, as they are willing to exercise the privileges of being messengers and participants in the Kingdom of God.
“Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come to you.’” (Luke 10:8-9).
Jesus gave two rules for the disciples to follow as they travelled.
- They were to eat what was set before them—that is, they were to accept hospitality without being fussy or picky.
- They were to heal the sick. Because of the healings, people would be willing to listen to the Good News.
The Kingdom of God has already begun, but is not yet fulfilled. Now we see as in a mirror – then we shall see face to face.
“Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Paul offers a glimpse into the future to give us hope that one day we will be complete when we see God face to face. This truth should strengthen our faith. We do not have all the answers now, but one day we will. Someday we will see Christ in person and be able to see with God’s perspective.
Healing is “By His Stripes”:
“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sin, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
If we deny divine healing, we deny the stripes of Jesus, and make His suffering out to be worthless.
Wholeness, “Shalom and Sozo”:
The Hebrew word “shalom” often-translated “peace”, really means to “be whole”. The Greek root word “sozo” is translated “salvation”, “healing”, “wholeness” or “be whole” in the New Testament.
Jesus cares about the whole man (see John 7:23), “For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it, so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should I be condemned for making a man completely well on the Sabbath?”
We cannot say that we love someone, but only wish him or her well in one area of his or her life! Surely, we should want the best for them (wholeness) in EVERY area of their lives.
“Dear friend, I am praying that all is well with you and that your body is as healthy as I know your soul is” (3 John 1:2).
John was concerned for physical and spiritual well-being. God is concerned for both your body and your soul. As a responsible Christian, you should neither neglect nor indulge yourself but care for your physical needs and discipline your body so that you are at your best for God’s service.
JESUS HAS ALREADY DONE ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR OUR HEALING ON CALVARY.
THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER:
What Authority Is?
The Greek word for authority is “exousia”, which means “freedom to choose” or “to act.” We see the supreme example in Acts 1:7, where Jesus said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His Own authority.”
God is not answerable to anyone. He IS ALL Authority! Man’s Authority – Decline and Fall:
Original Authority:
God established man’s authority on earth through HIS command to subdue it and rule over it (Genesis 1:28-30).
God gave the authority equally to Adam and Eve together (Genesis 1:27- 28). It was over all the earth (see verse 28), all the animals (verse 28) and all the plants (verse 29).
Man Lost Authority:
The fall changed everything. Man lost his authority over the animals (which became afraid of him), the plants (which became thorns and thistles) and the earth (which now only yielded its fruit through toil). Man should have ruled over Satan, sin, and the earth.
Man’s Authority Restored:
At Calvary, Jesus reverses all the work of the fall. Therefore, God also fully restores man’s authority through Christ.
This is Done Through:
The Priesthood, (Exodus 19:6). God calls Israel a “kingdom of priests”. Jesus is now our great High Priest (Hebrew 4:14), and we, the Church, are now kings (a kingdom) and priests (Revelation 5:10).
The Keys to the Kingdom:
(Matthew 16:18) Peter, representing the Church, is given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Keys represent authority.
Jesus has Two sets of Keys:
The keys of David, which are the same as the keys of the kingdom of heaven – and the keys of “Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18), which He does NOT delegate.
Authority is Delegated Power and Responsibility:
The Church only has authority because it is delegated. Even Jesus’ authority was delegated (John 12:49). The centurion in Matthew 8:9 knew that all the weight of the authority of Rome was behind him. By passing the keys of the Kingdom of heaven to Peter, Jesus is passing His authority to the Church.
Nature of Restored Authority:
Stewardship
:
In Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus is referring to Isaiah 22:15-25. He shows us that the Church is to be like Eliakim, the good steward. Adam was to steward the earth. Jesus restores that to us.
A steward is a friend, not merely a servant (See Genesis 15:2). Stewardship is authenticated with a seal, e.g. In Esther 8:8, Mordecai is given the king’s signet ring. The Holy Spirit is the seal of the New Covenant (Ephesians 1:13).
Entrustment:
The steward is put in charge, and is expected to fulfil his duties and act as his master would without constant supervision (study Luke 12:35-48).
God will not interfere in the Church’s duties unless asked through prayer. Otherwise, He is taking back authority He has already delegated. A good master does not do the work of his servants. He leaves his servants to go and do it, and this is exactly what Jesus, the Master, requires of His servants.
Extent:
God gave man ‘dominion’ not ‘domination’ over the earth. We are given responsibility FOR the house, we are not the master. We are stewards with authority in Jesus’ name.
For the Church:
We are not the ‘head’ of the kingdom, and we are not the King. When Pharaoh gave Joseph stewardship over all Egypt, he said to him, “Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (see Genesis 41:39-42).
After Jesus’ resurrection, we read in Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, ‘ALL authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” He delegates some things to the Church NOW, some things LATER, and some things NEVER!
TODAY’S CHURCH OFTEN FAILS BECAUSE IT DOES NOT REALISE THE AUTHORITY IT HAS.
Exercising Our Authority:
Authority is exercised principally by what we SAY, not by what we
PRAY.
Matthew 8:8, “The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.’”
Words are Creative:
When God created the world – He SPOKE out His creative intentions. The same principle applies to blessing – it is SPOKEN.
Authority is by Relationship:
We receive instructions from above (the Father) and we give them to those below (the world, the flesh and the devil).
We follow the Example of Jesus:
When He healed the sick, He SPOKE: To the demons (e.g. Mark 9:25, Jesus addressed the demon directly – He did not ask the Father to do it).
To the sickness (Luke 4:39) – Jesus rebuked the fever. To the elements (Mark 4:39) – Jesus rebuked the wind. To the trees (Matthew 21:19) – Jesus cursed the fig tree.
To the person (John 11:43) – Jesus commands Lazarus to come out.
WE have the Authority in the Name of Jesus, as WE speak it into being
WE have the Authority in the Name of Jesus, as WE speak it into being
HOW ARE WE HEALED?
What we Do and Do Not Do:
Peter and John did an outstanding miracle in Acts 3. When a crowd had gathered, he explained how it was NOT done (Acts 3:12) and then how it WAS done (Acts 3:16).
Not by Our Own Power:
We are only channels. We cannot heal a headache or a sore finger.
It is ALL Jesus! Therefore, a person in a wheelchair is just as impossible for us, and just as easy for God, as someone with a pain in his or her finger!
- We are not spiritual batteries, expected to be charged up.
- We are spiritual conductors, meant to be permanently plugged into the power source – which is Jesus.
If it was by our own power, then only the spiritually powerful could heal. However, GOD can and does use ANY believer.
Not by our Own godliness:
Our godliness does not heal the sick. People are NOT healed because we are godly, or healthy.
- If they were, no one would be healed! Worse still, if our godliness brought about miracles, then we could earn them.
- The harder we tried, the better we would do! Therefore, it removes grace and becomes works.
- Healing and miracles are gifts from God, not our reward for being good!
Godliness is not so we have more power to minister God’s healing. Our motivation for godliness is our love gift to Jesus. Therefore, we can minister to the sick, even when things are not perfect in our lives – maybe we are sick or suffering from other problems.
IT DOES NOT DEPEND ON US! – IT DEPENDS ON GOD!
By that Name that is Above Every Name – Jesus:
We do not use the Name of Jesus like a magic charm (read about the mistakes of the sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13).
We are exercising authority. We submit to the authority of the Father, and use the authority given to us by Jesus Himself by speaking to the principalities and powers, to the demons, to the sicknesses and fevers, to the body of the sick person, to the person himself, to the elements, or plants, or whatever is not under the authority of God, just as Jesus did.
“We submit to God and resist the devil” (James 4:7), in the Name of Jesus.
The Faith that comes Through HIM:
Faith must be Present:
Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is like an electrical fuse. It is small, but must be there for the power to flow (see also Matthew 17:20, Mark 11:22-23, and Romans 14:23b).
Faith is in Jesus: (John 14:12) we do not put our faith in a method, in other people, in prayer or even in faith!
Faith is a Decision:
We decide where to put our faith, and we choose whether to put our faith in Jesus (see John 8:30).
Faith always Goes the Extra Mile:
Faith is bold, because it is not afraid of man, but knows that God will do what He said He would do.
Faith is a Gift:
In Acts 3:16; we see that faith comes through Jesus from the Father.
WE ALL have a measure of faith (Romans 4:10).
The gift of faith mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:9 is a gift for a specific occasion. We can pray for this when we come to the end of the measure of faith each of us have.
Faith Grows with Exercise: (see 2 Thessalonians 1:3).
Just as muscles grow when we use them, so does our faith. If we do not use it, it becomes weaker.
In summary, both faith and the Name (authority) of Jesus MUST be present in all healings and miracles.
However, the gift of healing comes from God, and is not dependent on our own abilities, holiness, title, position, health, or possessions.
ANY BELIEVER CAN HEAL THE SICK, AND ALL BELIEVERS ARE COMMANDED TO HEAL THE SICK!
THE ANOINTING FOR HEALING:
There is often confusion over what the anointing is. In the Old Testament, priests, kings and prophets were anointed for the position or task the Lord gave them. God enabled them to do what they were called to do.
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22), and again later the Holy Spirit fell on them at Pentecost, after Jesus had said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8).
Simply Described:
The anointing is the presence of the power of the Lord. As the Holy Spirit is the power of the Lord in action, the anointing IS the Holy Spirit.
We are the Lord’s Anointed:
We are “Christians”: Names in the Bible tell us about the nature of the person, as we have seen. The Name of Jesus means ‘Saviour’, and the title Christ means: ‘The Messiah’, which means: ‘The Anointed one’.
As part of the New Covenant, Jesus has Given us HIS Title:
We are called ‘Christians’, which means ‘The Anointed ones’! We are God’s anointed ones. Again, that means that the power of God resides in His people.
This is a gift of God, which is made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. We can never earn the right to the power of God.
The Anointing is Irrevocable:
God does not take back His Gifts (I John 2:27). Many times, we may not feel very spiritual, nor see much fruit. We can become despondent and think that we have lost our anointing. However, the Word of God tells us otherwise! We do not go by our feelings, but by the Word of God.
We are baptised in the Holy Spirit! – Present, Future Tense.
The Holy Spirit is a Person:
We cannot receive just a bit of the Holy Sprit! When we are baptised in the Holy Spirit we are completely submersed, not just a certain part of us. When we are filled, it means completely full – ALL of us!
When He comes upon us in power, the WHOLE of the Holy Spirit is there, with ALL His Power and ALL His Gifts.
Your Anointing is Unique:
Although it is the same Holy Spirit in you as in Jesus, or in any other believer, the effect that He has on your life and gifting is unique to you. He will give you an individual and personalised power, because your calling is also unique. Each one of us has been given the gift of life by the same Holy Spirit, yet we are all so different. Therefore, our anointing is very unique!
The Holy Spirit is God:
In Luke 5:17 Jesus was teaching, and we read, “And the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.”
This clearly implies that there were times, even for Jesus, when the power of the Lord was NOT present for Him to heal.
What does That Mean?
Jesus Himself described the Holy Spirit as the wind (John 3:8). He said, “The wind blows where it pleases.” God is sovereign, and the Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit can do just whatever He wants to do. We cannot tell Him what to do or say! He knows things we do not know about every situation, and works EVERTHING out for the best.
The Anointing Can Increase:
God honours those who earnestly seek Him. If we pursue God wholeheartedly, we draw closer to Him and He shows us more of what He is doing.
WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE NOT HEALED
?
Two of the greatest hindrances to healing in the Church are:
- The fear that the sick will not be healed.
- The fear of consequent criticism.
Our Unbelief and Negative Words:
‘It is not fair to raise their hopes and then disappoint them. How could you do such a thing to suffering people? You are heartless and unfeeling!’
Do we Understand the Love of Christ?
God does not want everyone to remain sick?
Our negative words show that we are expecting nothing to happen.
The Truth is, Not all are Healed:
And yet ALL who come to Jesus were healed! (In His hometown He could not heal many, but only because they did not come to Him for healing, being offended that the local carpenter was healing the sick.
What we are Doing Wrong?
This is a challenge, an encouragement to keep learning and growing in this ministry. We should never blame the person being ministered to; however, there are often reasons in their lives or minds why they are not being healed.
Remember, it is God’s Will to Heal Everyone:
Sickness is the invention of the enemy. God never sends it. Therefore, we do not tolerate sickness! We resist it! When the Biblical Truth about healing is taught, we must believe that more people will be healed. God has given His Church the responsibility to heal the sick. Another reason there is so much sickness is because we are not fulfilling our duty.
Because of Lack of Faith:
We must never curse the sick person by blaming them for their lack of faith if they do not show immediate signs of healing. The very fact that they have come for prayer shows they have faith! All who came to Jesus were healed, but Jesus did not heal everybody.
Some Faith must Always be Present:
As believers, we are expected to have faith (Matthew 17:14-20). The sick person or their friends may also supply the faith needed. Jesus commended sick people for their faith, and told them ‘Your faith has
made you well’ (e.g. Luke 17:19). We gain faith by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17), by asking God for it, and by using the little we have.
Because of Doubts:
Doubts interfere with faith (James 1:6-8). Doubt is different from unbelief. Unbelief is lack of faith. However, doubt is an alternative mindset. Faith is a gift from God, but doubt is sin and needs to be repented of.
There are several common doubts that hinder the healing work of God. We say things like, ‘It is not God’s will. He might want to heal others, but not me . . .’
It is Always Gods Will to Heal:
And if God heals one person, it MUST be His will to heal everyone, because God has no favourites. In the same way, He wants to save everyone.
God has a Purpose in Sickness:
But Jesus healed thousands and never said to ANYONE, ‘This sickness is from God, so I cannot heal you.’ Nor did He EVER say ‘Go home until the purpose of God is completed in your life, then I will heal you.’
God can use Sickness, but it is Never His Purpose:
God heals in His timing. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation” (this word also means healing). We are not healed at some time in the future. We were already healed 2000 years ago on the Cross!
Because we have not Found the Root Cause:
This may be due to superficial counselling, not listening to the Holy Spirit, or wrong diagnosis.
Praying for the Symptom:
When we perceive the real cause is emotional or spiritual, before we pray for inner healing, seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through fasting and prayer – especially if we discerned the problem is demonic.
Because of our Lifestyle:
We all know that eating the wrong things can make us unhealthy. The Word of God shows clearly that living a wrong lifestyle can lead to sickness. The sick person should be encouraged to make changes to their
diet and eat wisely, not work so hard, and/or perhaps change their lifestyle.
Because we are Still Learning:
Jesus is Lord, and knows all things. Let Him teach us a step at a time as we move in faith – and more people will be healed!
My prayer is that, as you and I will obey the command of Jesus to heal the sick, whenever and whomever He sends to you (and many more) will be healed in His name.
There is no better testimony to the love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ.