Many of our problems in life, whether they be physical, mental or social, are caused by being out of synch with God.
Today, perhaps you have a sickness in your body or troubles in
your mind, or are out of sorts in your spiritual life. I want
you to know that God's Word has something to say about your condition.
In fact, the Bible tells us that His Word will bring healing to
us. "He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them
from their destructions." (Psalms 107:20, KJV). So, today,
I want to encourage you to absorb God's Word, which has the power
to heal and restore your life.
I can attest to having seen many miracles of healing since I became
a Christian in 1977 and especially since entering the ministry
in 1983. Many people have been healed of sickness and disease.
Tumors have dissolved, Aching joints have been healed. Results
of medical tests have been radically altered, all through the
power of prayer in Jesus name.
But divine healing (that is, healing brought about by the power
of God) does not only happen in an evangelistic service or a church
meeting. It will happen in your home, in your daily life. It will
happen as your relationships change, and attitudes improve. It
will happen as you allow Jesus to invade your total being with
His total being.
Healing: spirit, soul and body
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray
God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians
5:23, KJV).
When God looks at you, He doesn't just see a body, or a mind,
or a spirit. He sees a total person in need of His love, power
and reconciliation. The healing that God wants to bring about
in you is for the total person.
Medical science knows that what is going on inside of a person
effects was is happening on the outside. This is why doctors,
more and more, are opening up to the ministry of prayer for their
sick patients. Negative emotions, anxiety, fear, stress, frustration,
guilt and anger, for example, can produce sickness and disease
and hinder healing. In fact, a person may be healed through prayer
and the laying on of hands under the anointing, but may later
lose that healing because they are "out of sorts" with
their environment, with other people, and with their Creator.
God's healing in your life works from the inside out. His work
of healing, first of all, brings us into harmony with Himself.
This is the new birth experience. Our spirit, which was made to
commune with God, is united and brought into harmony with Him.
This takes place when we turn from sin and believe the Gospel
of His Son.
Next, God's work takes place in the realm of soul (our thought-life
and our emotions). This is the psychological part of man. The
word for soul the in the Greek New Testament is "psuche".
The same word is the root of our English word, "psychology"
(the study of the mind, emotions and the related behaviors). We
can have peace in our soul as we come to Jesus Christ and renew
our minds to the truth of God's Word. This healing of the soul
is essential to enjoying a normal, healthy, balanced life in the
love of God. Also, because of the relationship between the spirit,
soul and body, healing for the soul is necessary for sustained
healing for the body. The best therapy for the soul is meditation
and confession of the scriptures. As Jesus said, "And ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
(John 8:32, KJV).
The body is the part that God has given you to be able to live
in this natural world. A healthy body is God's will for your life.
Sickness is part of the curse. Healing, health and wholeness are
God's will for you in the realm of the physical.
Healing is physical salvation
You cannot separate healing from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Everywhere
that Jesus went he healed the sick. He told His disciples when
they entered a city to "heal the sick that are therein, and
say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."
(Luke 10:8-9, KJV).
God identifies Himself as "the Lord that heals thee."
(Exodus 15.26, KJV). For some people, divine healing is a controversial
subject, but it really shouldn't be. Healing is simply the nature
of God. God is a healing God. When we receive Him, He initiates
a work of healing in our life.
In Isaiah, He speaks about Jesus Christ: "Surely our sicknesses
he hath borne, And our pains-he hath carried them, And we-we have
esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is
pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The
chastisement of our peace is on him, And by his bruise there is
healing to us." (Isaiah 53:4-5, YLT).
When Jesus died on the cross, He took the total punishment for
our sins. He suffered a spiritual separation from His Father as
judgment was placed upon Him, so that we could be united to God
spiritually. He suffered mental and emotional torment, so we could
be restored to peace in our mind and emotions. He suffered pain
in his body, so we could receive healing in our physical bodies.
In fact, the Lord makes very little distinction between salvation
and physical healing. The Greek word translated "save"
in the new Testament (sozo) is also translated "heal"
or "make whole." The Lord is concerned about healing
and restoration of the total person (spirit, soul and body). Jesus
told the woman that was healed of an issue of blood, "Daughter,
thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy
plague." (Mark 5:34, KJV). The word "whole" in
the Greek is "sozo."
As James tells us, "And the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed
sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15, KJV). The word
"save" in the original Greek is again "sozo."
One of the definitions of "sozo" is to save one suffering
from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health." So
we see that healing is physical salvation. (Thayers Lexicon)
My purpose here is not to win an argument about divine healing,
but to help you open your heart to a part of the grace of God
that you may not have received up until now.
God wants you well
The Bible tells us that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with
him." (Acts 10:38, KJV). Clearly, then, if we believe the
scriptures, sickness comes from the devil and healing comes from
God. God anointed Jesus to heal those who were oppressed of the
devil. The devil brought sickness. Jesus brought healing. Nothing
has changed today, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
and to day, and for ever. (Hebrews 13:8, KJV). So please do not
think that because you are sick, that is God's will for your life.
It is true, however, that disobedience can open the door to sickness
in your life. This does not mean that sickness is God's will,
any more than it would be a parent's will for their child to be
burned on a stove because of disodience to their warnings and
instructions.
Now, the last thing anyone should do, as they are receiving this
information, is to condemn themselves over being sick. No, the
point is to let you know that God loves you and wants to heal
and restore you-spirit, soul and body. Just receiving this truth
will do wonders for your health. Just to realize that God loves
you and wants to heal you is a powerful revelation that can totally
change your life. If you add that revelation to the knowledge
that God is able to heal you, you are in a position to receive
a powerful healing.
A man came to Jesus one day with a revelation of Jesus' ability
to heal. "And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying,
'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.'" (Matthew
8:2, NKJV).
Jesus didn't have to debate in his mind the question of whether
he wanted to heal this dear man. He didn't have to pray and fast
to get a revelation from the Father on the subject. No, he answered
him clearly and distinctly and quickly. "Then Jesus put out
His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed." (Matthew 8:3, NKJV).
Not only is God able to heal; he also is willing to heal. Are
you willing to let Him heal you today, spirit soul and body?
Healing begins in our lives when we receive a clear revelation
of both the ability and the willingness of God to heal us and
as we allow Him to be Lord and Master of our lives. Uncertainty
concerning the will of God to heal you will hinder your faith
to receive. So I encourage you. Open your heart to God's will.
Let Him do His work of healing. Meditate on His healing Word.
Receive what he has for you. Some healings are instant. Some are
gradual. . . but if healings come from God, they are simply divine.
Enjoy the goodness of God today!