Time to heal the sick!
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed. Isaiah 53:5
So many Christians struggle with the whole healing issue. This is often due to our experiences. When healing doesn’t come, or a person dies and we have prayed believing for their healing, we doubt the goodness of God. We conclude that it’s not His will to heal or even worse, that somehow the person we are praying for lacks faith so it’s their fault!
As a new Christian the church I attended, when praying for the sick, always ended the prayer with, ‘If it be your will.’ If the person didn’t receive their healing or they died, then according to that prayer it couldn’t be His will to heal them.
My mom had breast cancer that went into her lungs. She was only 55 years old, and I remember her saying to me, ‘I must have done something really bad for God to give me this’. That didn’t sit right with me. Why would a loving God give anyone sickness? To teach them something? The whole church seemed to believe these lies.
When I became a Christian no one told me to start reading the bible from the New Testament, so I naturally read it as you would a book, from the beginning.
The book of Leviticus might be called the health care manual; Deuteronomy chapter 28 explains the importance of obedience in relationship to physical healing. In Judges, Manoah’s wife was healed of barrenness. There are several recordings of healing in 1Kings. In 2 Kings we find the healing of Naaman the leper. Psalms contain promises, revelations and prayers concerning healing. Proverbs provides wisdom regarding healthy living. Ecclesiastes 5:17 demonstrates how sorrow and wrath are related to sickness. Studying the case of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:1-11, we learn that God heals terminal illness and adds years to his life. Isaiah 33:24 and 35:5-6 tells of healings in the future and how the inhabitants will say, “I’m not sick.” In Isaiah 53:5 we are promised healing and deliverance through the cross. Daniel 4 records King Nebuchadnezzar’s sickness and healing.
Hosea 6:1 and 7:1 confirms that God can and will heal both spiritual and physical conditions. The Old Testament closes with the promise in Malachi 4:2 that Jesus will arise with ‘healing in His wings’.
God laid both sin and sickness on Jesus on the cross. Since Jesus bore our sins, it must be God’s will to save when we come to him. Since he bore our sickness, it must also be his will to heal us when we come to him. The same God who forgives all our sin also heals all our diseases.
The time spent with my mom as she bravely fought this illness was bittersweet, but it brought us closer and healed so many hurts. I had a one-year-old and was expecting another baby. My mom was too ill to do much so a lot of the time we sat in silence. She never spoke of her obvious sadness of not seeing her grandchildren grow up; she had resigned herself to going home. She had made her peace with God.
A part of me wasn’t ready for that as she was still young, and I was
only 31 and a fairly new Christian who was expecting her to be healed.
My mom had lots of prayer for healing but sadly she died of cancer.
When someone you love , who is a Christian, dies you have a choice to make at that very moment - to put grief and all your questions to one side and praise Him for His goodness and to praise Him for their life. If you are in the room as they take their last breath you are witnessing their leaving this earth for eternity to be with the One they love and serve. Or you can let your soul become consumed with grief and embrace the lie that God isn’t good. One action draws you closer to God and the other pushes you further away from Him. We get to choose!
At her thanksgiving service, though my eyes were blinded by my tears I raised my hands to heaven and praised and thanked God for His goodness and mercy and that one day we would meet again. Some family members didn’t understand, they thought that I was heartless, but at that moment my heart was flooded with his peace and comfort. It was well with my soul!
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
I made a decision during that time that I would know God’s will concerning healing. I would no longer just let man interpret the Bible for me as I didn’t want another person to die unnecessarily through a sickness that Jesus had already paid the price for.
I sought out healing ministries. I loved to watch Benny Hinn. The Holy Spirit would teach me how to operate in the anointing and cooperate with Him. I learnt the importance of the anointing on a particular song, singing it over and over again as the Holy Spirit moved on people, healing them through words of knowledge. I read about the lives of God’s Generals, a wonderful book written by Roberts Liardon. I studied the Bible myself. I wanted to know truth. Back in those days we didn’t have the luxury of the internet or YouTube. I bought so many different versions of the Bible, a thesaurus, and then spent hours studying God's word.
As I was led into ministry, I would copy Benny Hinn’s model of ministry, pray for someone, they would go down in the spirit, get them up and pray again and again. All were touched by the power of God, and many were healed. When we allow the Holy Spirit freedom in our meetings nothing should surprise us! Then I encountered Reinhard Bonnke’s ministry, wow! Then the faith camp who knew how to pray the word and eventually the Toronto outpouring, where they left people on the floor resting in the Spirit and prayed “More Lord!” The Holy Spirit taught me so many wonderful things through those ministries.
If you partner with the Holy Spirit and let Him lead then whether you’re leading a group, a church, a business or having a one on one, the Holy Spirit will release His presence in that situation. The Holy Spirit isn’t confined to a formula, He’s the third person of the trinity, God the Holy Spirit! It’s through relationship with Him, the one who lives on the inside of you. As you surrender to Him, nothing is impossible.
Jesus shows us from his relationship with the Holy Spirit how to minister.
“So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished”. John 5:19
The Holy Spirit was the one showing Jesus what the Father was doing, Jesus was being led by the Spirit. If Jesus had to rely on the Holy Spirit, how much more should we need to to rely on Him!
“...but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man].” Philippians 2:7 AMP
“And we are one Spirit with Him, But the one who is united and joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him”. 1 Corinthians 6:17
“You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him”.
Acts 10:38 MSG
Nothing will convince me that healing isn’t available today!
You might be asking, ‘How come everyone doesn’t get healed then?’
Good question, I don’t know!
Our responsibility is to lay hands on the sick and leave the rest to God. I look at it like this - a salvation message is preached, how come not everyone receives it? No one seems to accuse God when a person doesn't get saved! There are many reasons why a person fails to receive healing, unbelief, unforgiveness, poor teaching to name but a few.
No one should ever think that God doesn't love them if healing doesn't come.
As I'm writing this blog I am fighting sickness in my own body.
I'm declaring scripture but also taking medication! Be wise where your health is concerned!
Only God knows what’s going on in a human heart.
I believe that when a person becomes born again, that’s the time to get them baptised in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues and if there’s any sickness in their body pray for healing. Faith is flowing at salvation, faith to receive everything Jesus provided for us. When our mind and spirit are in agreement nothing can stop us receiving from God!
The devil couldn’t stop you from being saved, but he does spew his lies to doubt the goodness of God.
So, what is our part in healing the sick?
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed [in Me] and has been baptised will be saved [from the penalty of God’s wrath and judgement]; but he who has not believed will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well."
So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord was working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed.
Mark 16:15-20 AMP
Who is Jesus talking to?
How long do you have to wait before you can pray for the sick?
What does John 14:12 say?
How can I be sure that I have an anointing (power and presence of God) to heal?
1 John 2:20,27
What have you been given?
Who gave it to you?
What is it for? Ephesians 5:1
Can I increase the anointing on my life? Ephesians 5:18
Can you name some of the ways that Jesus healed?
How do I start?
There are no hard and fast rules.
Spend time with the Holy Spirit, reading and praying with Him.
Spend time listening to Him. Talk to Him about your day.
Write down the things that he says or shows you.
Stand against your own sickness, but don’t get condemned if healing doesn’t happen straight away.
Don’t stop taking medication! Don’t throw away your glasses unless your eyesight is restored.
If you need a doctor, go to one - they are also God’s provision!
Stay filled with the Spirit.
"Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Rest in God’s presence.
Let others pray for you.
Develop a worshipping heart of gratitude
When you pray for the sick.
Ask them if it’s ok to pray for them.
You might need information from them.
Ask the Holy Spirit what to pray.
If you don’t hear anything, then pray from a place of compassion.
Expect the Lord to use you.
There is no pressure on you as it’s down to God to heal. You are just the carrier.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you someone to pray for this week and expect Him to heal them!
I spent time with Jesus this week and he said this to me…………….
I prayed for……........................this week, this is what happened……….....................
Practice on yourself, your family and friends.
When I became a Christian, I would practice on my children’s teddies. I would line them up, preach the gospel to them, heal the sick and cast out demons! It was good practice; I was getting used to hearing my own voice speaking out loud! They all were saved, healed and delivered!
I am still practising, just not on the teddies! I am actively looking for people to pray for. Jesus was moved with compassion when he saw the multitudes.
“Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
Matt 9:35-37 MSG
Let’s not be indifferent to the cries of the sick or anyone else for that matter!
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