By Tom Shanklin
His name is Richard. He had placed an ad in the paper to sell a small parcel of land on the west edge of town. As we stood on the land on a beautiful North Dakota evening, Richard began to share some of his health problems. As he spoke, a compassion rose up within me for this man.
"Can we pray for you, Richard?" I asked. Now, Richard was a good Catholic with a deep love for the Lord. He was very tender toward the things of God. "Of course," he replied. So, on that North Dakota night, with the sun setting in the open sky to the west, we prayed for Richard.
Well, Richard not only felt better after prayer, but his blood work showed a remarkable change. His triglyceride count had immediately dropped from a whopping 1500 to approximately 250, which is in the normal range. The doctors were so amazed by the change, that they had his blood tested three times before they would believe it.
We ended up buying the land from Richard to build a church building. Later, I heard that Richard had been diagnosed with a tumor in his colon, and of course, he was very concerned. When I saw him at the National Guard Armory where he worked, I mentioned the problem and asked him if I could come to his house and pray with him. He immediately agreed.
That evening, I sat in Richard's living room with him and his wife and we began to fellowship around God's Word. We just simply opened up the scriptures to see what God had to say about healing the sick. For example, we opened to Exodus 15:26 to find that God says: ". . . I am the LORD that healeth thee."
In the original Hebrew, it reads, Jehovah Rapha, or I am the Lord your physician. Like I enjoy saying, "God identified Himself as Jehovah Rapha, and you'll never find any place where He went to the courthouse to get a name change." He still is the healer today. We shared many other scriptures that night, such as:
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; (Psalms 103:2-3, KJV).
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. (Psalms 107:20, KJV).
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 he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:1-3, KJV).
Another version reads: "Of course I want to, be healed." The leper had a revelation that Jesus could heal him, but he wasn't sure if Jesus would heal him. Jesus settled the question once and forever when He said, "I will, be thou clean."
As we sat in that North Dakota living room and shared God's Word, faith began to rise up in our hearts. Finally, I said, "Richard, are you ready for prayer?" When we stood in the middle of the room and began to pray, it seemed to me that the glory of heaven filled that room. As the Holy Spirit prompted me, I spoke, "Tumor, I command you to shrink, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Richard told me later that after I left he felt an immediate release in his bowels and spent a good portion of the rest of the evening in the bathroom.
Then we received the report. The original colonoscopy had revealed a tumor the size of a golf ball. However, when they went back in the second time, amazingly, the tumor had shrunk to a shriveled lump about the size of two raisins. The growth was removed. A later colonoscopy revealed no further problems. In fact, they told Richard, "You have the colon of a teenager. Go home, you're fine."
When I need healing for myself or a loved one, I think back to testimonies such as this one, and it encourages my faith. Surely, God is the Lord that heals us. He not only forgives our iniquity, He heals our diseases. He sends His word to heal us. He sent Jesus to procure our forgiveness and healing.
I want to encourage you today. Fill your heart with God's Word concerning healing. Feed on that Word continually until it becomes more real than your sickness. Come forth into divine health, in Jesus name. God's prescription for healing is: "Take generous doses of the Word of God concerning healing. If symptoms persist, double the dosage until Satan bows the knee."
A Word of Encouragement
I want to encourage you today. Fill your heart with God's Word concerning healing. Feed on that Word continually until it becomes more real than your sickness. Come forth into divine health, in Jesus name. God's perscription for healing is: "Take generous doses of the Word of God conderning healing. If symptoms persist, double the dosage until Satan bows the knee."
We all need to contend for the miraculous power of God today! Jesus sent us into all the world to preach the Gospel. He said that these signs would follow them that believe. We would cast out devils and lay hands on the sick. We have our marching orders from the Lord and it is time to Go! That's what this ministry is all about.
The hour is late. The time is short. . . and the harvest is ripe. It's not time to settle for business as usual and microwave Christianity. It's time to get hot for the Lord and get in the stream of what He is doing today. If He ever did a miracle, He will do one today. If He ever healed the sick, He will heal them today! He's the same yesterday, today and forever. Let's get moving for God!