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Seeking healing
Can a person be healed in modern times? What things should we consider when seeking healing from God?
This article is about illness and health. Each of us can get sick, but what causes illnesses and can they be cured? This is no small matter, because millions of people, including believers, are in the grip of illness and suffer from pain. We know from the Bible that the fall into sin that occurred thousands of years ago is the root cause of illness and disease, but what role do our own choices and lifestyles play in our health? This article will discuss this. Finally, the subject is divine healing, of which we find many examples in the pages of the Bible. Sometimes the only chance for healing, when all human means and efforts have been exhausted, is for God to intervene in the situation. Jesus, who is the savior of the soul, can also be the healer of the physical body when people turn to him and trust in him. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Are you sure you are saved? While many people dream of healing, which is of course a good thing, the salvation of the soul is even more important. The reason is simple: the health of the body only concerns this life, but the salvation of the soul concerns eternity. Therefore, ask yourself if you are truly saved and have accepted Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life. Unfortunately, there are many people in the churches who have never been fully present before the law and holiness of God. They have not seen their lost condition and how their lives have been and are in conflict with the holiness of God. When this preparation has not been experienced by them, they may have become like the foolish virgins, who have outward forms of Christianity, but outside of whose hearts Jesus still stands. They have a dead faith that often opposes the will of God and questions His word (“Yes, has God said?” Genesis 3:1). However, God can only justify and save a person who sees himself as a perishing sinner and who is in a hopeless state without Jesus. Salvation occurs when a person realizes his lost state and at the same time puts his trust in the promises of the Word about how Jesus Christ has already borne his sins and taken them away (e.g. John 1:29: The next day John sees Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.) Therefore, if you doubt your salvation, consider whether Jesus is still outside the door of your heart or whether you have accepted Him as your Savior and Lord, placing your trust in Him and relying on His work on the cross:
- (Rev 3:20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Prayer of Salvation. Lord Jesus, I turn to you. I confess that I have sinned against you and have not lived according to your will. However, I want to turn from my sins and follow you with all my heart. And I also believe that my sins have been forgiven through your atonement and that through you I have received eternal life. I thank you for the salvation you have given me. Amen.
If a person desires Jesus as their Lord and Savior, it also means that the person must surrender their entire life to God and Jesus. We should commit to following Jesus regardless of whether we receive God’s blessings in this life or not—this also applies to healing. If a person wants healing from Jesus, but otherwise does not want to follow Jesus, why would God be obligated to heal such a person? Therefore, are you willing to accept that you will put God and Jesus first in your life, even if you do not get better in this life? These are good questions because it is easy for us to look to God only for blessings but forget the most important thing, which is salvation and a right relationship with God. Every person should prioritize things. God should not be just an errand boy for us, but a Lord to whose will we want to submit:
- (Matt 6:9,10) After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
- (Matt 6:33) But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
- (Matt 16:24-26) Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever will save his life shall lose it: and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
The importance of basic teachings . When churches proclaim Jesus as the healer and bearer of diseases, that is good and biblical teaching. It is also good to pray for people to be healed of physical illnesses or to be freed from all wrong bondages. However, one key factor in healing is emphasizing the basic teachings of the Bible. These include such things as repentance, forgiveness, understanding God's grace, freedom from guilt, love for one's neighbor, gratitude, and a right relationship with oneself. Many people can heal simply by taking these important teachings of the Bible seriously. Thus, for example, Peter Horrobin, who has extensive experience in healing and deliverance work, has told in one of his books (Healing Through Deliverance, part 1, p. 25) how he and his team have seen people physically heal from a wide variety of ailments when internal issues, such as forgiveness towards others, have first been resolved. They are related to the above-mentioned Bible teachings. The following quote refers to the same point. In it, Peter Horrobin continues to talk about how he discovered the importance of the basic teachings of the Bible in people's healing and liberation:
So what do we find when we examine the teachings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels? We see basic teachings about the kingdom of God: love, forgiveness, loving one’s brother. We also read stories that illustrate the basic truths of what we call the Christian life. You might think that all of this is not very helpful to a young disciple who is supposed to cast out a demon. But you would be wrong. There is a lot of extremely important information here. … Addressing the root causes is absolutely essential. The disciples needed to learn that the root problems are not solved so much by some deliverance technique as by basic teaching. This is exactly what the Lord taught me through prayer and vision long before the founding of Ellel and long before I had any significant experience of healing or deliverance. … At first I did not imagine that the ministry of healing would be about patiently wading through the basic teachings. I asked the Lord if I had heard correctly, but He did not give me any other keys. … I saw people coming in full of problems and suffering from various physical ailments. I taught them all the basics of the gospel that God had shown them to need, and then He showed me what would follow…. I began to see people healed and set free… I realized that even though we had to take authority over the powers of darkness to cast out demons, it was the truth that Jesus taught that made it possible for people to be set free. (1)
Repentance, or a change of mind regarding sin
- (Ps 51:12-14) Restore to me the joy of your salvation; and uphold me with your free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors your ways; and sinners shall be converted to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, you God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
- (Ps 139:23,24) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there
be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
It was stated above how the relationship with God and Jesus is the single most important thing when seeking healing from God. Many people's problems and illnesses may be due to not letting Jesus be the Lord of their lives. They want healing, but they don't want to have anything to do with Jesus. That is a wrong starting point that may prevent God's healing work. Or of course God can heal a person who rejects Jesus, but that is quite rare. Therefore, the best thing, also from an eternal perspective, is to surrender your entire life to God and Jesus. This area, surrendering one's life to God and Jesus, also includes repentance, a change of heart regarding sin. When Jesus began his ministry, the focus of his proclamation was on this matter, so we should not forget it either. Sometimes simply the fact that a person reaches out in his life in the direction of God's will can bring physical healing. Everyone should ask God to show them what in their lifestyle is against God's will (prayer: "Lord, deliver me from my illness, but show me where I have thought and acted against your will"):
- (Matt 4:17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
- (Ps 139:23,24) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Repentance and a change of heart are not easy things. Sometimes it is really difficult for a person to take that step. If there is dishonesty in business matters, theft, embezzlement, improper sexual relations, concealment of tax income or other similar things in life, a person would like to delay repentance and clarifying things until the last minute. If the result is that a person is put in a bad light in the eyes of others, this often creates a fierce battle within the person. However, a person will experience freedom within himself, perhaps also physical health, only when he takes a step in the right direction. A person must confess his sins to God and perhaps also clarify things with people:
- (Ps 32:1-7) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledge my sin to you, and my iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD; and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near to him. 7 You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
- (Proverbs 28:13) He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.
- (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Forgiveness. As noted, a change of heart toward sin is a key factor in healing. Even believers may have wrong attitudes that they have not noticed or brought before God, recognizing as sins. It is easy for us to focus only on the physical symptoms and expect others to pray for our healing, but God wants to start with us first. Often, healing can come simply from a person confessing their wrong attitudes to God and wanting to give them up. The most common sin that can be committed is unforgiveness. People may have had really serious things happen to them, such as sexual abuse, emotional and physical violence, someone they love, such as their own child being harmed, a spouse committing adultery, parents rejecting a child, or something else that has made a person bitter. On the other hand, it is not always about very big things, but a person may still have a judgmental, resentful and accusatory attitude towards someone close to them (often towards their own parents or parents may act the same way towards their children). A person constantly thinks about the faults of their neighbor, and is unable or unwilling to repent of their accusatory attitude. This can also be an obstacle to healing. For example, Nicky Cruz has said that it is useless to pray for people to heal if they have not first forgiven:
Wherever I go, people continually ask me to pray that they would be healed, would get over an economic crisis or would be freed from continuous attacks of the devil. Instead of immediately praying, I now first ask whether they have forgiven. It is amazing how ugly issues come up to the surface when I test them a little. It is useless to pray on their behalf if there is an unforgiving mind in the background. An unforgivable mind lets the devil in our life and will threaten everything we love – our family relationships, career, work, physical and mental health. (2)
Smith Wigglesworth, who was known for healing thousands in his meetings, made the same point. If we are judgmental and unforgiving, God cannot bless us:
I understand very well that God cannot bless us as long as we have a heart of stone and as long as we are judgmental and unforgiving. This is the greatest hindrance to faith as any other... I am sure that many would experience healing if they did not cherish in their hearts things that are like rust. Remove these things from your conscience! Forgive and the Lord will forgive you... Let everything come to light! God will sweep it away if you will only allow Him to do so. Let the precious blood of Jesus cleanse you from all sin. If you will only believe, God will meet you and bring the sunshine of His love into your life. (3)
On the other hand, Peter Horrobin has stated how forgiveness is often the most decisive factor in freeing a person from wrong forces or in healing. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it can have a positive impact on a person's own future:
When a person has spoken from the heart that they forgive, the power of the demon controlling them is broken. It can no longer control them through sin, and deliverance can occur. We have seen the application of the principle of forgiveness lead to more healings and deliverances than any other spiritual principle. (4)
When we start to address this issue, we should understand that anger in itself is not a bad thing, but persistent anger is. If someone has been wronged, it is not wrong to be angry about it, but brooding over the same issue and being bitter is wrong (Eph 4:26 Be you angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath / Hebr 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;). If people develop a bitter and accusatory mind, they should immediately confess this as a sin to God and forgive people. There is no other way, although it can be very difficult in many situations. However, it is important to understand that forgiveness is a choice of the will. Feelings do not always follow immediately, but something must be done. The person should tell God where the offense occurred, how it affected their mind, who was involved, and then forgive each person in their mind (making a list of all those who have been responsible for the person's suffering can be helpful. Forgiveness does not remain vague.). None of us are just victims, but are responsible for our own choices, such as bitterness and accusatory mind. We lose peace within ourselves if we constantly brood over how things should have been or should be, but are not. We should instead choose forgiveness and blessing people rather than cursing them, and gratitude (I choose to forgive, I choose to bless those people, I choose to love everyone, and I want to be grateful), as the following verses show.
Lord, I ask forgiveness for hating, judging, and blaming other people in my mind, such as ……. Thank you for allowing me to confess this sin to you and for forgiving me because of the atoning work of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
- (Matt 6:14,15) For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
- (Mark 11:25) And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
- (Luke 6:27,28) But I say to you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which spitefully use you.
- (Romans 12:14) Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
- (1 John 3:15) Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
- (1 Thess 5:18) 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
The impact of emotions on health
- (Proverbs 13:12) Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
- (Proverbs 14:30) A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
- (Proverbs 17:22) A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones.
It has long been known that emotions affect health. If a person grows up in an accepting atmosphere, it is easier for them to stay healthy, but if their life is characterized by rejection from others, annoying situations, stressful relationships, stress and worries about money or loved ones, there is a greater risk of getting sick. Short-term stress does not necessarily cause physical consequences, but if it continues for a longer period of time, a person may also become physically ill. Negative emotions such as anger, fear, worry and grief lead to physical illness, as the body's ability to fight off diseases and illnesses weakens due to constant pressure. Of course, there are exceptions in this area too. Some people react more sensitively to physical emotional pressure, while others can remain physically healthy despite intense stress. Placebos, or the placebo effect, on the other hand, are a reverse example of how positive expectations affect the body. A tablet (usually a lactose tablet) that has no medicinal value, but the recipient does not know it, can bring about healing. The placebo effect shows how thinking affects the body and its biochemical state. There is not always a real boundary between the soul and the body. It is also known that if a person's desire to live is strong, it helps the person to heal. A lack of desire to live can have the opposite effect. There are many examples in the literature of the influence of emotions on illness. The more numerous diseases and ailments, such as stomach ulcers, colitis, high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, headaches, back pain, arthritis and other inflammations, digestive disorders, insomnia, rheumatism, chest pain, some skin diseases, stomach cramps, asthma, tuberculosis, goiter, hormonal disorders, menstrual disorders and many other ailments can be linked to long-term stress, depression and negative emotions. For example, S.I. McMillen has stated:
Peace does not come in capsules. This is unfortunate because medical science recognizes that emotions such as fear, sadness, envy, resentment, and anger cause the majority of our illnesses. Estimates range from 60 percent to almost 100 percent. Emotional arousal can cause high blood pressure, Graves' disease, migraines, arthritis, paralysis, heart defects, stomach ulcers, and other serious illnesses too numerous to mention. … What percentage of a doctor’s patients have symptoms and physical illnesses that are caused by emotional disturbances? Statistics from 1948 show that two-thirds of those who went to the doctor had symptoms caused or aggravated by emotional stress. In 1965, a leading authority on stress was published with the question-form headline: “Is Stress the Cause of All Illness?” At the beginning of this century, bacteria were the focus of everyone's attention. Now, fifty years later, their place has been taken by psychological stress. Experiments on animals have shown that some bacteria can cause disease only when the animal's resistance is weakened by stress. (5)
It is important to emphasize that no one is completely free from negative emotions during this life. Even Paul was at times weak and afraid, and depressed, although he certainly sought gratitude and joy in all situations (1 Cor 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling / 2 Cor 7:5,6: For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fights, within were fears. Nevertheless God, that comforts those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus). This is a good lesson. We should not look for a psychological reason for every human ailment and illness, but on the other hand, this possibility is good to take into account. Many people do not necessarily know how to connect the origin of their physical ailments to the life situation they are experiencing. Of course, everyone can think about what was happening in their life at the very moment when the first physical symptoms appeared. Peter Horrobin has mentioned the same topic in his book. He tells how it has been a profound revelation for many people to realize that their current illness could be connected to their emotions and what has happened to them in the past:
For many sufferers, it was a profound revelation to realize that their physical symptoms could stem from their emotions. For example, the cruelty someone's father had treated them as a child could be linked to the affliction they suffered from forty years later. (6)
What can we learn from the above? We should pay more attention to the roots of illnesses and not just the symptoms. Physical symptoms may be just a consequence of what has happened inside a person in the past and that thinking may have become distorted. Perhaps God wants to touch the innermost parts of each person first and that a person gives up their wrong attitudes (unforgiveness, self-hatred, suicidal thoughts, dissatisfaction with their own gender, parents, superiors, subordinates, etc.), if they are the background of the illnesses and if they exist. Mere prayer for physical health and a declaration of how Jesus has borne our illnesses may not be beneficial and healing will not occur if the root and background of the illnesses have not been addressed. Gifts of grace are needed in this area so that we can directly get to the heart of the problems and help people heal. Without gifts of grace, we can be like blind leaders of the blind.
Traumatic memories and giving them to Jesus. If the underlying cause of physical illness is emotions, it is often a question of what damage has been done to the person. As a result, the person's inner self may have been wounded, their self-image distorted, and the person may begin to hate themselves. Similarly, the person's inner self may have been broken, for example, in a serious car accident or other traumatic event. If the memories of these events are a burden on the person's inner self, causing physical illness, the physical illness will not necessarily heal until the inner trauma and heavy memories have been treated. The body may heal when the root cause has first been resolved. However, we can give difficult memories and traumas (unwanted birth, difficult childbirth, rejection by important people, accidents, abuse, rape, bullying at school, divorce, death of a loved one…) to Jesus, who is the good shepherd and healer (John 10:11 I am the good shepherd…) . Only Jesus can heal a person’s broken heart. When a person turns to Jesus and asks for deliverance from their heavy memories, Jesus can touch them (of course, we must first surrender our lives to God and forgive others). The following promises from the Word are related to the topic. If you yourself have heavy memories, give them to Jesus in prayer and wait for his healing touch so that the unpleasant memories and traumas do not hinder your current life:
- (Matt 11:28-30) Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke on you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
- (John 14:27) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
- (Isaiah 61:1-3) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me; because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint to them that mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
- (Ps 147:3) He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
What about other worries? They are hard to avoid, but gratitude in the midst of it all can help the situation a little. Grumbling or worry is perhaps our most typical way of reacting, but we can try to be grateful in the midst of it all and strive to praise God. It is not easy, but it is a way of shifting our focus from flawed people or problems to God. Then we transfer the problems that trouble our minds to God. The situations may not necessarily change, but our problems are then “on bigger shoulders.” Jesus and the apostles urged us to avoid worrying:
- (Matt 6:25-28) Therefore I say to you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? 28 And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
- (Phil 4:6-8) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
- (1 Thess 5:16,18) Rejoice ever more. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
- (Col 3:15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body; and be you thankful.
- (2 Cor 13:11) Finally, brothers, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
- (1 Cor 10:10) Neither murmur you, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
- (Ps 42:5,6) Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted in me? hope you in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember you from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
Self-forgiveness and self-hatred. Something that touches on healing is a person's relationship with themselves. Some people can get sick because they have wrong attitudes towards themselves. They find it difficult to forgive themselves or they hate themselves. First, forgiveness. When a person turns to God and receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they are immediately forgiven of all their sins. This is true regardless of what the person themselves feel and experience. God is always merciful to the repentant sinner who turns to Him. There are no exceptions to this. The problem is that it is difficult for a person to forgive themselves. Someone may even say: “I will never forgive myself”. If there are past sexual experiences, abortion, harsh words towards others, physically harming others or other similar big or small things, this can weigh on a person’s mind and they may become ill because of their guilt (of course, it is good to ask people for forgiveness and try to make up for the damage they have caused). However, the problem here is that man puts himself in God's place. If God has forgiven, we must also forgive ourselves and stop blaming ourselves. Trust in the following Bible verses and stop blaming yourself:
- (Isaiah 1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, said the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
- (Ps 103:12-14) As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pities his children, so the LORD pities them that fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
- (Col 3:13) Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do you.
If a person has committed sins and thereby made himself and his body sick (e.g. AIDS due to numerous sexual relationships, the consequences of alcohol use, etc.), he may also bear guilt for that. He may think that since the illness arose as a result of his lifestyle, he has no right to healing. However, the Bible teaches that if someone has committed sins, they will be forgiven when they turn to Jesus Christ in repentance. Past sins are not an obstacle to healing:
- (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- (James 5:14-16) Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 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. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
What about self-hatred, self-blame, self-loathing, or suicidal thoughts, which may stem from harmful words that a person repeats to themselves? These too can affect a person’s physical health. That is why many do not accept their own body, appearance, gender, or other characteristics. They may hate and despise themselves, which is still a sin. It is the same sin as hatred and contempt for others. Therefore, confess this sin to God and stop hating yourself.
Lord, forgive me for my self-hatred, self-blame, self-loathing, and suicidal thoughts. Thank you for allowing me to confess this sin to you and for forgiving me through the atoning work of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
God's love and health. It was stated above how negative emotions can make a person sick. If a person has struggled with anger, sadness, fear, worries and sorrows for a long time, their body's resistance may weaken and the person may become sick. This is difficult to avoid in today's world, where people are under all kinds of pressure and human relationships are more broken than in societies of the past. Lack of love can also make you sick. A dramatic example of this is Emperor Frederick the Great’s state orphanage, where the emperor ordered the nurses to wear masks so that they wouldn’t infect the children with diseases. The nurses were also strictly forbidden from visiting the children too often, hugging the children, and playing with them. What was the result? Two-thirds of the children in the “model home” died. The reason for this was simple: the children’s emotional battery was not being filled. From here it is good to move on to God's love. When a person has lived in an emotionally deprived environment and has been abandoned and rejected, he may experience God's attitude towards him in the same way. He may say: "I don't believe that God loves me". He may see God, for example, as his own harsh father - a God who is harsh and distant, and a person never knows whether he is worthy of this God. A person may try to reconcile this harsh God with his own actions. A person does not understand that he can look to Jesus Christ, who has already atoned for his sins. As long as he looks at himself and his shortcomings instead of Jesus' atoning work, he will lack the certainty of salvation and will not understand God's love. This was also the problem of the Reformer Luther in his time.
- (John 1:29) The next day John sees Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.
- (Gal 3:1) O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
The fact is, however, that even if a person does not immediately feel that God loves him, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). He cannot stop loving, because love is his essence. We must trust this word and not build our own image of God through past experiences. Furthermore, God is exactly the same in nature as Jesus, whose goodness and love we are told about in the Gospels. Jesus himself taught this to his disciples as follows:
- (John 14:7-11) If you had known me, you should have known my Father also: and from now on you know him, and have seen him. 8 Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffises us. 9 Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father? 10 Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
What can be concluded from the above? Everyone who has turned to Jesus should believe these words of Jesus, and not make their own imaginary god through their own past negative experiences. We should also understand that when a person has received Jesus into their life, they are always forgiven, loved and accepted by God, regardless of how well they have succeeded in their spiritual journey. Therefore, trust the following verses, which tell us how through Jesus we are already reconciled with God and are always in grace. These are a good foundation for both mental and physical health:
- (2 Cor 5:18-20) And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God.
- (1 John 4:9,10) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
- (1 Peter 5:12) By Silvanus, a faithful brother to you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein you stand.
- (Romans 5:1,2) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Spirits of Sickness and the Sources of Sickness. If you read the Bible, it becomes clear that Jesus and the disciples repeatedly worked in two areas. They healed the physically sick and delivered people from evil spirits. On the other hand, some illnesses and physical ailments were directly connected to the spirit of sickness, such as the case of the woman who was bent over and completely unable to straighten herself. She had a spirit of infirmity. In addition, the Bible tells of other cases where an illness was connected to the spirit of sickness. They can affect both the body and the mind (e.g. the man from the Gerasenes who Jesus freed from demons and who then regained his senses, Mark 5:15). Here are some examples from this area:
- (Matt 12:22) Then was brought to him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw.
- (Acts 5:16) There came also a multitude out of the cities round about to Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
- (Luke 6:17,18) And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; 18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
- (Luke 7:21) And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and to many that were blind he gave sight.
- (Luke 8:35,36) Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.
- (Luke 13:11-16) And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said to her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said to the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, You hypocrite, does not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, see, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
- (Acts 10:38) How 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.
How should this issue be addressed? It is important to understand that not all illnesses are caused by disease spirits, although some can be. For example, deafness, blindness, or loss of other senses can be caused by disease spirits, but they can also have a natural cause (natural causes of illness can include physical injury, lack of exercise, lack of rest, and a one-sided and unhealthy diet). Often, spirits are involved when there seems to be no medical cause for the pain or the illness is considered incurable by doctors. In such cases, permanent healing cannot be expected until the source of the illness, i.e. the disease spirits, has been expelled. For example, Charles and Frances Hunter, in their book “To Heal the Sick,” tell of both kinds of cases. Others were healed when spirits of sickness were cast out of them, but a few people were healed of deafness or blindness in their meetings when their spinal misalignment was corrected or a leg or arm was lengthened through prayer. What was the cause of this? The reason was apparently that some nerve had been compressed, and this had taken away the people’s hearing or sight. In these cases, it was not spirits of sickness, although they are often behind deafness or blindness. In this area, God’s gifts of grace are needed to know how to pray for people in the right way. Derek Prince has also shared how in his own life he has come to realize that some illnesses are the work of the enemy and can be resisted in the name of Jesus Christ. However, he emphasized that other causes of illness are also possible:
Nowadays, when I have pain and illness, I consider the possibility that a demon is behind it. If this diagnosis proves correct, complete deliverance usually comes immediately. On the other hand, if the problem is due to normal physical conditions, I pray for healing and wait for God's answer. I am also grateful for the help of doctors and medicines, when God leads that way. It would be absurd to claim that all illnesses are caused by demons. Some are, some are not. It is important to develop discernment so that we can recognize which illnesses are caused by demons and which are not… (7)
Carlos Annacondia, in whose meetings thousands have been healed, has referred to the same subject. Not all diseases are demonic, but some may be:
Notice that the Lord made a distinction between demons and sickness. This means that not all sickness is demonic. Whenever I pray for the sick, I rebuke the spirit of sickness, but I also rebuke the disease… (8)
What if a person suspects that the cause of their illnesses is a spirit of sickness or weakness? (It is worth emphasizing here that Satan does not possess any believer in Jesus, but each of us can be attacked by enemy forces. These forces, which affect the human mind and body, can also tempt a person from the outside. It is not always a matter of a person having a spirit of sickness or another spirit.) Then he can resist all the forces of the enemy behind the illnesses in the name of Jesus Christ, and they will flee (James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.). A person can speak to the source of the illnesses (including viruses and bacteria?) just as Jesus rebuked the fever in Peter's mother-in-law. Often this can lead to a quick recovery. For example, Reinhard Bonnke, who became known for his large healing meetings, often spoke directly to the disease and commanded blind eyes and deaf ears to be opened in the name of Jesus. He used the authority that Jesus originally gave to his disciples 2,000 years ago.
- (Luke 4:38,39) And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they sought him for her. 39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered to them.
Closing the Gates. When seeking healing and deliverance, it is also important to pay attention to the gates through which the devil has gained access to influence people's lives. In this matter, as always in our relationship with God, it is essential to first enter into a right relationship with God and close the gates through which the devil has been able to influence people's lives. People give demons rights through sin, but when a person turns to God and confesses his sin, it removes the right of the demons to influence a person's life. Instead, if repentance is not done, the demons legally hold on to the ground that has been given to them. Therefore, one should be thorough in this area and in confessing sins in order to be free from all the effects of the enemy. Everyone can consider whether there were such gates in their past lives through which the enemy has been able to influence their life. The reasons may be, for example, the following:
• The various activities of the occult are one of the greatest open doors for demons. Paul wrote, in discussing idolatry, that “I do not want you to become participants with demons” (1 Cor. 10:20), and this is exactly what happens through idolatry and the occult. Many may have visited a fortune teller, energy healer, or channeling session only once. They may have considered these visits to be just a game, but the powers of darkness take these visits seriously. A person becomes spiritually bound through them. When a person seeks knowledge or power from various forms of the occult, he inevitably makes a covenant with the powers of darkness. The worst effects of demons in people’s lives are related to this area. Common occult and related activities include witchcraft, spiritualism, channeling, Satanism, various forms of divination (palm reading, crystal ball, tea leaf reading, etc.), astrology and horoscopes, Tarot cards, pendulums, magic wands and well gazing, occult visualization such as Silva Mind Control, spirit guides, angel worship, New Age activities, Ouija boards, out-of-body experiences, parapsychology, martial arts, hypnosis, making one's mind passive through TM and Eastern meditation, mindfulness, telepathy, clairvoyance, automatic writing, levitation, crystal balls, iris analysis, acupuncture, astral projection, black and white magic (the same forces are at work in white magic as in black magic) , spells and curses, spiritual and energy healing (there is no neutral energy in this area), laying on of hands by a demonic person. (congregations should operate in such a way that only the elders and trusted people in the congregation pray for others) , acupuncture, yoga (in traditional Hinduism, the purpose of yoga is to connect a person with the Hindu god Brahman), some areas of alternative medicine, UFO experiences, blood oaths, voodoo...
"Lord, Father, forgive me for participating in spiritualism, spirit healing, false religions and cults... Thank you for forgiving me and cleansing me from all unrighteousness through the blood of your Son, Jesus." "Satan and you demons, I have confessed to God that I have participated in spiritualism, spirit healing, false religions and cults.... I oppose and do not accept these sins. I break all agreements I have made with the powers of darkness. Now you no longer have any legal right in these areas, because through the blood of Jesus I have received forgiveness from God for these things. Therefore, I now command you in the name of Jesus Christ to depart from me and around me, and you shall never return!"
• Objects. Objects used in idolatry and occultism can be a gateway for demons and diseases. These include idols and statues (souvenirs may include such objects) , fetishes, magic drums, devil masks, talismans, amulets, magic tools, occult jewelry, heavy rock and punk records, ankh crosses, lucky charms, objects related to Freemasonry, horoscope jewelry, ouija boards or letter boards. Similar objects that are associated with human superstition are images, statues and relics of saints. In addition, astrological, spiritualistic and magical literature is one major avenue for the devil. The most famous of the magical books is probably the 6th and 7th books of Moses or the Black Bible, which contains a wide range of spells, teachings on communicating with spirits and which actually has nothing to do with the Bible. Objects placed under the skin, such as metal needles, used in Satanic worship or indigenous religious practices, can be one gateway. Such objects should be removed by a doctor or asked by the Lord to remove them, as they are a pathway for spirit powers. Sometimes even neutral objects can be a gateway for demons and illnesses if they are cursed. Demons can influence through a cursed object given as a gift, and the recipient may not know where their troubles are coming from. In this area, God's gifts of grace are needed to be clear about the source of the problems and illnesses in people's lives. What is the Bible's advice in this area? We should destroy all objects that have been used in idolatry and occultism, otherwise it is impossible to expect deliverance. It is also worth reciting a prayer of renunciation of idolatry and these objects. This will break the bond with the demons who work through the objects.
- (Deut 7:25,26) The graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire: you shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it to you, lest you be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD your God.
26
Neither shall you bring an abomination into your house,
lest you be a cursed thing like it: but you shall utterly
detest it, and you shall utterly abhor it; for it is a
cursed thing. - (Acts 19:17-19) And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. 19 Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
• Curses uttered by others can be behind illnesses and emotional problems. It means that people who are dedicated to evil send demons into the lives of people they hate and their loved ones to harm them. This is common in witchcraft-ridden societies and voodoo. How do you break free from curses? First, you must consider the possibility that younmay have enemies who curse you and who use witchcraft to do so. Second, if you have not yet surrendered your life to God and forgiven your loved ones, do so first. Third, you can command the curse to be broken out loud in the name of Jesus Christ, for example in the following way: “I command this curse to be broken immediately in the name of Jesus Christ; at the same time, I command all demons sent into my life to depart from my life in the name of Jesus Christ.”
• Sexual sins are a common gateway. Sexual relations outside of marriage between a man and a woman are always wrong, as is pornography. Jesus even taught that mere lust is the same as committing adultery (Matthew 5:28), so hardly anyone is perfect in this area. Demons can be passed from one person to another through these relationships. A person gives demons the legal right to enter their life through sexual sin or other sin. If a person has had illicit sexual relations, they should confess these sins to God and, if possible, the names of each sexual partner. In doing so, the demons are stripped of their right to influence a person’s life.
• Other sins, especially unforgiveness. As noted, all kinds of sin are an obstacle to God's blessing and action. People must repent of their sins, confess them to God, and try to stay away from wrong attitudes. We will not be perfect, and we can often fall because of our shortcomings, but we must immediately rush to God in prayer afterwards. Unforgiveness toward others (including ourselves) is especially one of the biggest problems. Paul mentioned in connection with this that Satan can intervene in people's lives through it:
- (2 Cor 2:10,11) To whom you forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; 11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
- (Eph 4:26,27) Be you angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.
• Unwanted birth, difficult childbirth experiences, abandonment, sexual abuse, serious accidents, and other similar incidents are things that a person has been subjected to involuntarily. These traumatic events and their memories can bind a person, and Satan and his spirit forces can try to influence a person through them. Many of people's problems and physical illnesses have begun after some traumatic experience.
• Heritage
- (Deut 30:19) I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live:
- (Leviticus 26:38-40) And you shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up. 39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. 40 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary to me;
- (1 Peter 1:18,19) For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
The spiritual heritage of the family can bring blessings or curses into our lives. (Doctors may also often ask the question, “Did your parents or ancestors have this disease?” because they know that diseases often run in families.) Curses can include hereditary and chronic diseases, emotional difficulties, infertility, marital breakdowns, financial problems, accident-proneness, suicides and premature deaths in the family, etc. They can be caused by sins that have occurred in the family, such as occultism, witchcraft, sexual immorality, ancestral oaths and dedications, idolatry and other sins. Descendants can suffer because of the guilt of their fathers (Lam. 5:7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.). In the case of evil spirits (including spirits of illness), they can be passed on to offspring, most commonly at the time of conception or when a close relative dies. These are the most common moments of transition, but other times are also possible. That is, people die but the spirits do not die and they try to find a new place to live after losing their former place of residence. Often there is a clear connection between the death of a family member and the appearance of similar symptoms in another family member. An example from this area is given by Charles Price in his book “Ihmeitätekevä usko”. A woman came to him with a crippled daughter, but she herself had been to spiritualistic seances. The woman asked for healing for her daughter at the meeting, but her daughter was not initially healed through prayer. However, one of the workers was given the gift of discerning spirits and asked: “Have you been to spiritualistic seances?” The woman admitted this and also said that she had abandoned her faith in Jesus. However, she gave her life back to Jesus and confessed her sins. As a result, when Charles Price prayed again for the woman’s daughter, the girl immediately healed and jumped to her feet. The example shows how the sins of the parents can affect the offspring. God can withhold His blessing in such cases. What if a descendant suspects that the source of his illnesses and problems is the sins of his ancestors? What should a person do then?
First of all, you must forgive your parents and ancestors and, of course, surrender your entire life to Jesus Christ. Second, confess to God that you and your ancestors have sinned. Confess every serious sin in your family that you know of (occultism, idolatry, witchcraft, immorality, adultery, vows and oaths…) and also those sins that you are not aware of. Then ask God for cleansing and to remove the curse and any negative spiritual inheritance that has come into your life. Third, command the demons that came through sin to leave in the name of Jesus Christ, and they will leave. After that, you can anoint the sick place with oil and ask God for healing. The following quote shows well how many can unknowingly carry a negative spiritual heritage, even though they are spiritual workers. When a person comes to Jesus and allows himself to be saved, he is not automatically freed from the negative spiritual heritage of his family or other ties. Many may have more problems and struggles after their salvation than they ever had before as unbelievers, because the enemy of their souls allowed them to be in peace before. Therefore, special prayer and renunciation of all the powers of the devil may be needed (the prayer of renunciation: “I renounce your power, Satan, and surrender my life to Jesus Christ, whom I want to be my Lord and Savior”) as well as renunciation of the evil deeds of the ancestors:
We recently taught these things to a small group of leading workers in the kingdom of God. Each one recognized things in their lives that had led them to serve Satan. After the teaching, each one decided to get rid of their dedications right there and then. We emphasize here that all of these men were strong, intelligent, wholehearted Christians. We were all amazed to see what happened next. When they began to confess the sins of their ancestors and renounce the consecrations that had come to them, they found that they could not do it. Their minds began to feel confused; all the words disappeared whenever they tried to pronounce them. Some of them had such a difficulty with their tongues that they could not even remember the short phrase that says, in the name of Jesus, to renounce the consecration to Satan. Only a moment earlier, when we had discussed the situation, they had easily memorized long passages… … These people were engaged in a fierce battle. They had to bind the demons of their curses by the power that Christ had given them. Step by step they had to repeat the words that would break the curse and break free from the service of Satan. We told them to repeat the phrase until the words came out with complete ease. When they could do it, we knew that the demons had been cast out. Even after these people had bound the disturbing demons in the name of Jesus, they had to pray, concentrate, and resist them with willpower. The experience was surprising to everyone: they had no idea of the great power of the demonic powers at work in their lives. Thank the Lord, they were all delivered from them by the power of Jesus Christ. (9)
The above has discussed the common gateways through which demons can influence people's lives. When a person seeks healing, it is worth considering whether these gateways are still open. If the matter involves the person's own sin, each area of sin should be confessed to God and renounced. This removes the demons' legal right to influence a person's life. After the sins have been confessed, all enemy forces and spirits of sickness can be commanded to leave in the name of Jesus Christ (if they are involved). The letter of James has good instruction on this; first we must submit to God (repentance and confession of sins), and on the basis of this, each can command the enemy forces to leave:
- (James 4:7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
The following comments continue on the same theme. When the gates are found and a person is ready to repent and confess their sins, achieving freedom is easier. Many may also be healed physically through this alone:
Peter Horrobin: Our observation is that the more thorough the groundwork is, the easier it is to release. For example, a genuinely forgiving and repentant attitude facilitates release. (10)
Peter H. Lawrence: Evil spirits often leave through the same door they came in. Finding the entrance and addressing it through repentance and forgiveness helps us open the door and expel the spirits more easily... A direct word from the Holy Spirit can reveal the point where evil spirits are entering. We can then reopen the gate and cast the spirits out. Finding the gate often makes casting out evil spirits much easier and less painful than expected. (11)
It is also worth paying attention to what the person's problem is. Is it a lack of repentance, a need to pray for emotional life and memories, physical healing, or a need to be freed from evil spirits? Sometimes it can be a matter of several problems at the same time, and each area should be addressed separately so that the person can let go of all attachments. Without the gifts of grace, helping people can be quite difficult. Francis MacNutt has highlighted how people's problems can arise from different causes and why different approaches and prayers are needed:
This is especially important when we encounter people who apparently need to be prayed for in all four ways. For example, a middle-aged woman may come to ask for prayer for her rheumatism (physical healing). In the course of the conversation, it becomes clear that her father deeply hurt her when she was a child (emotional healing), which she has never been able to forgive (repentance). She has also been unable to have a real connection with her husband (probably emotional healing). To get out of her problems, she has been attending spiritualistic seances, where she has received advice from a deceased spirit through automatic writing (she may need deliverance from the influence of evil spirits). (12)
Medicine and drugs . When seeking healing, the question arises as to where to seek it. Sometimes we can be too “spiritual” or “super-religious” and reject the help that medicine offers. However, this should not happen. Medicine, which includes things like surgery, drugs, and vaccines, has brought and continues to bring help to many. Thanks to them, people’s lifespans have been extended by several years on average. For example, smallpox is a disease that has been largely defeated in Western countries because of vaccines. On the other hand, in countries where people have not been vaccinated, the same disease has caused suffering and death. Therefore, medical help should not be abandoned, and medication should not be left unused until recovery has been established. This is a good general rule in this area. Many have gotten into trouble, even died, because they were too hasty about it. Many well-known people who have been used by God, through whom God has healed thousands of people, have also emphasized and shared through their own experiences that if healing has not yet occurred, it is wise to resort to the help offered by medicine and drugs:
John Wimber once said, “When I have a headache, I first pray to God to take it away. If the Lord doesn’t, I take medicine.” (13)
Reinhard Bonnke: If anyone is tempted to claim to fully understand divine healing, it is certainly not me. At the same time that Mr. Kruger’s miraculous healing took place, my own mother became seriously ill in Germany. Our prayers did not produce visible healing. Such trials test our faith. For some, this could be the end of praying for the sick. If God does not heal your own mother, how can you pray for strangers? I prayed out of obedience to God’s Word, not because I understood it. I do not have all the answers and some of the questions are too big for me. I leave them in God’s hands… … I believe that God has given us humans medical knowledge to help us. In some cases, doctors, surgeons, and medicines have provided truly amazing cures. Because God is for our health, not against it, I encouraged my mother to seek medical help. (14)
Although medical and pharmaceutical assistance is useful, it has its limitations. One is that medications and vaccines may have side effects that are worse than the original illness itself. Doctors must always carefully weigh the relative benefits and side effects of medications and treatments. The more effective the medication, the greater the negative side effects may be. These include, for example, weight gain, depression, stomach ulcers, bone loss, bruising, or the fact that continuous use of antibiotics weakens immunity. In addition, the harms are individual. For some, a medication or vaccination may be harmful, while for others it benefits. For example, the corona vaccine caused serious illness, even death, in some people, while most had no problems and benefited from the vaccine. These are the problems that arise in so-called school medicine. Therefore, it must be accepted that medicine is a good help for many acute ailments, such as physical injuries, but it is often deficient in other areas such as psychosomatic illnesses, rheumatic diseases, or mental illnesses.
Is unbelief and sin always the reason why not everyone is healed right away? When healing is delayed, and a person is not healed immediately through their own prayers or the prayers of others, we easily look for explanations. Typical explanations are that the person does not have faith or that there must be some sin that is why the person is not healed yet. These are quite common explanations. We may have a theology in which we think of the Christian life in terms of success; that is, if a person has enough faith and does not sin, he will automatically be free from problems, have lasting health, and prosper financially. However, while it is good to emphasize faith and avoid sin, these explanations are inconsistent with the Bible and reality.
• If healing depends on faith, God should heal only those who already believe in God. However, God can also heal those who are scoffers and do not believe in God. Carlos Annacondia, Kathryn Kuhlman, and Reinhard Bonnke have told how this has sometimes happened in their meetings:
Carlos Annacondia: Some people ask me why out of the hundreds of people who come to our meetings, only a small percentage get healed… I can’t say that lack of faith is the reason someone doesn’t get healed. I have seen many come to our meetings without any faith, just out of curiosity, and God has healed them anyway. Some have come on stage rejoicing, trembling, saying, “I didn’t believe. I came here just to mock you, and God healed me.” (15)
Kathryn Kuhlman: All this amazes me more than anyone else, for I know better than anyone else that I have nothing to do with these miraculous healings. This tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit—as with all miracles—surpasses even faith, for I have seen many people healed who had no knowledge of faith. (16)
Reinhard Bonnke: Mrs. McKelt's case taught me to be careful not to put God in a religious box. If I do, I know that I will be set free when I listen to and obey the voice of His Spirit. When I pray for someone now and they do not get well, I do not blame it on lack of faith. The longer I live, the less I pretend to know the mind of God. I do not know why some get well and some do not. I know that sometimes the sick person's own faith makes him well, sometimes the faith of others. (17)
• Several examples in the Bible show that God can heal even when a person does not have faith of his own. One example is the blind man whom Jesus healed. After the man was healed, Jesus asked him, “Do you believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?” (John 9:35,36). This shows that the man was not yet saved when Jesus healed him. Another example is the man who came to arrest Jesus. He had no faith and certainly did not live a life according to God’s will, but Jesus still healed his ear. This is one of the some cases mentioned in the New Testament where a person’s faith does not play a major role in the healing. There are other similar cases recorded in both the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles:
- (Luke 22:50,51) And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. 51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer you thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
• If it is suggested that sin is the reason why someone is not healed, then none of us could be healed. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Yes, everyone is guilty of sin to a greater or lesser extent, even during their time of faith. Then there is no help but to confess our sins and start over from a clean slate. Of course, we must strive to become more and more holy in our own lives and act according to God’s will, but this will only happen fully when we receive a new resurrection body in place of our current sinful body. What if someone dies after being prayed for? Should we be disappointed in God or abandon prayer altogether? No, but we must understand that everyone will die, sooner or later . God has not promised that everyone will be healed in this life, but that everyone will die (Hebrews 9:27: And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment). When we receive a resurrection body, we will no longer get sick. This is similar to the case of James being martyred and Peter being released, although both were probably prayed for by the church. It was certainly not the prayer of the people that caused one apostle to die and the other to be released. These are matters to which we will not receive a complete answer in this lifetime.
• If it is suggested that unbelief and sin are always the cause of sickness, then Paul's companions were weak in faith or had some serious sin in their lives when they became sick. This was probably not the case, but their cases show that anyone can get sick, just as we can be healed through God's promises. It is significant that even Paul could not heal his friends (he had probably prayed for them). This only shows that healing is not up to man. We have the mistaken and completely wrong idea that when some super-evangelist or apostle is called to pray for the sick, they will surely be healed. However, the fact is that Jesus is our healer through the Holy Spirit. We should seek Jesus as our savior and healer, and not put our hope in men. Men cannot heal, not even the apostles, but Jesus is the one who makes people well. We are always dependent on him in this area. Jesus himself stated: “I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.” (John 5:15).
- (Phil 2:25-27) Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. 26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that you had heard that he had been sick. 27 For indeed he was sick near to death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow on sorrow.
- (1 Tim 5:23) Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your often infirmities.
- (2 Tim 4:20) Erastus stayed at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
What about the Old Testament side? We are told that before he died, Elisha was sick with a deadly disease (2 Kings 13:14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.), Daniel was sick for a time (Dan. 8:27), and many others were sick, although they were also healed. This shows that any person, including believers, can get sick, although we can also be healed according to God's promises.
• If health depends on faith in Jesus, then no unbeliever should be healthy. However, the fact is that a criminal can be perfectly healthy and well, but a believer can be sick, or a small child can be sick. This shows that we should not draw too big conclusions about the connection between the quality of people's earthly lives and illness.
• It is significant that many of the well-known men and women of God who have been used powerfully by God in the area of healing may have themselves suffered from some form of infirmity. For example, William Seymour, a central figure in the Azusa Street revival over a century ago, was blind in one eye. He had lost his sight as a result of a smallpox epidemic and had a glass eye replaced. Yet, it was while he was speaking that numerous people experienced creative miracles. They were given new healthy hands, feet, and eyes. What about Smith Wigglesworth, who became known as a healing evangelist who also raised the dead? He also suffered from several ailments during his life, such as appendicitis, bleeding abscesses, and kidney stones. He was cured of these ailments, but it did not always happen immediately, and he had to wait for his recovery.
• If healing is delayed, the reason is often also the unbelief of the praying person or that we do not have the gifts of grace. We should not look for the reason only in the person who is sick, but the fault may be in us and that we have not received from God all the authorization that people could be healed. Therefore, we should pray to God for the gifts of grace and that people would be saved, healed and freed from all bonds:
- (1 Cor 12:31) But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I to you a more excellent way.
- (1 Cor 14:1) Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy.
In this matter, one should not give up on helping people. For example, John Wimber prayed for two hundred people before he saw the first healing. He has written how he was guided by the Bible's call to pray for the sick, even though at first he saw almost no results. Charles and Frances Hunter also told how their prayers initially yielded little result. However, they did not give up, but continued to pray until at some point God began to work more through them in this area. The examples show how there is no reason to give up, but to continue. Not everyone has the same task as these servants of God, but they can work in different areas. However, endurance and not giving up are always beneficial (1 Cor 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.)
John Wimber: I soon began to pray for the sick. I did not do it because I saw the sick healed, but because the Bible commanded believers to do so. For the next ten months, week after week, I prayed for people—and not one of them was healed… Today we see hundreds of people healed every month at our church services. Many more are healed as we pray for them in hospitals, on the streets, and in their homes. The blind receive their sight; the lame walk; the deaf hear; cancer disappears. (18)
Charles and Frances Hunter have no more power than you have! But there is perhaps something different about us. We use that power more than people in general. We are two of the most persistent people in the world, because we do not give up as most people do. Before we were filled with the Holy Spirit, we laid hands on at least ten thousand people, of whom perhaps ten were healed!… Many lay hands on the sick once, but when the patient does not get well, they immediately say, “God has not called me to heal the sick.” Here they go astray. (19)
A lack of love and compassion may also be a barrier to people not being healed. God works through love, and that should also be present in those who pray. For example, Smith Wigglesworth, who worked strongly in the field of healing, was such a person. His biography tells the following: We can apply the words to Smith Wigglesworth: “He was moved with compassion.” Tears flowed from his eyes as he prayed for the sick. How tenderly he treated children and the elderly! He bombarded heaven with his prayers like a hero to obtain help for the sick and afflicted (20) . Moreover, Smith Wigglesworth himself has told the same thing in his own words. He emphasizes that love comes from the Holy Spirit:
We can never have cancer removed unless we are so completely filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that the compassion of Christ dwells in us and works through us… The Lord will appear when your heart is filled with compassion for the sick. (21)
A Finnish preacher, Niilo Yli-Vainio, through whom there was a spiritual revival in Finland, has spoken about the same thing. He himself had gone through many difficulties and illnesses, which helped him to understand the problems of sick people:
My helplessness is complete. They seek Christ, the last chance They are looking for a gate out of hell – and I know down to my bones, down to the roots of my heart, how they feel. I don’t need anyone to justify and explain to me what human distress, illness, fear of death, helplessness, depression are like… And every time I feel that their affairs go through me. And I pity, pity, pity, so that it makes me tired, so that my eyes roll. (22)
What can we conclude from the above? We must accept that sickness is part of this world and that even those who already have faith can suffer from it. Not everyone will be healed immediately, but everyone who believes in Jesus will be healed at the latest in the coming Kingdom of God. We must also accept that we do not always know why some people get sick or do not get well immediately. The reason is not always sin or unbelief, as the previous examples showed. This area can be a problem for many. Perhaps they have been prayed for many times, and they feel miserable and condemned when they are not yet healed. Perhaps they have had hands laid on them many times, been told to believe, to look to Jesus, or are looking for some other explanation as to why healing has not yet occurred. It is understandable that if the same process is repeated often, it is difficult for people to come to church. (Jennifer Rees-Larcombe has written two good books on the subject: “Beyond Healing” and “Unexpected Healing”. In the first she tells of her illness and how she did not get well, even though people repeatedly prayed for her. In the second book she tells of her healing and how she was able to leave her wheelchair behind. She was healed through a young girl who was not used to even praying for others to be healed. The case shows that God’s timetables and plans are sometimes different from people’s timetables and plans.) What should we do? There should be a merciful atmosphere in the churches, where Jesus is sought above all, not just healing. The atmosphere becomes tough if you only emphasize healing, faith and God's blessings but do not look for the source of healing, Jesus. It is easy to go astray if the life of faith is made into some kind of achievement and the finger is pointed at others, for example, because of a lack of faith. Secondly, it would be a good idea for churches to ensure that they are easy to access, for example with wheelchairs. Accessibility and barrier-free access, such as a ramp for wheelchairs and easy access to the toilet, help with this.
Is it God's will to heal us ? When we have discussed the subject of healing from various angles above, the purpose has been to remove the obstacles that may stand in the way of healing or to examine the issues that lie behind illnesses. We do not always think about where our illness originated. Perhaps the cause is our wrong attitudes, traumatic events or constant stress, which may have manifested itself as a physical illness. Or perhaps the cause is our wrong lifestyles, such as lack of exercise and rest or unhealthy nutrition. All of these can affect our physical condition. What about seeking healing from God? The first question that arises is whether it is God's will to heal the person who seeks healing. How can this question be answered? Of course, it is possible that one person out of millions will hear some special voice and assurance that God will heal him. Perhaps this can happen, but we should have a more general and sure basis for healing, and that is precisely the Word of the Bible. Through the Word we can try to find out God's will to heal. Here it is exactly the same as in the matter of salvation. If we want to know whether it is God's will to save man, we need only read the promises of the Word on the subject. The matter of salvation and God's will to save man are referred to, among others, in the following verses:
- (Ezekiel 18:23,32) Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? said the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, said the Lord GOD: why turn yourselves, and live you.
- (John 3:16,17) That whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
- (1 Tim 2:3,4) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
- (2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
So, when we seek healing, it is most sensible for us to do the same as in the matter of salvation, that is, it is best to turn to the Word of God. Only through that can we gain clarity on this matter. So what does the Bible reveal about this? For example, Isaiah 53 tells a prophecy about how the Messiah would bear our sicknesses. This is exactly what happened in the life of Jesus, who fulfilled this prophecy. We can believe that diseases such as cancer, paralysis, blindness, deafness, rheumatism, etc. were placed on Jesus so that we would not have to bear them:
- (Isaiah 53:4,5) Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed.
- (Matt 8:16,17) When the even was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses.
- (1 Peter 2:24) Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live to righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.
The following are more verses on the same topic. God healed already on the side of the old covenant, and the same continues on the side of the new covenant in which we now live. Hebrews shows that the new covenant is better than the old, so if there was healing under the old covenant, we can expect the same in modern times (Hebrews 8:6: But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.). We will have to cut out many pages of the Bible if we abandon the passages that speak of healing. The following verses, for example, show how God healed people already on the side of the old and inferior covenant:
- (Gen 20:17) So Abraham prayed to God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bore children.
- (Numbers 12:13) And Moses cried to the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech you.
- (Exodus 15:26) And said, If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases on you, which I have brought on the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that heals you.
- (2 Kings 2:21) And he went forth to the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus said the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from there any more death or barren land.
- (2 Kings 20:5) Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus said the LORD, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: behold, I will heal you: on the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.
- (Isaiah 57:18,19) I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners. 19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, said the LORD; and I will heal him.
- (Malachi 4:2) But to you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
- (Ps 30:3) O LORD, you have brought up my soul from the grave: you have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
- (Ps 41:4) I said, LORD, be merciful to me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against you.
- (Ps 103:3) Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases;
- (Ps 107:20) He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
What about the New Testament? We are told how Jesus and the apostles repeatedly healed the sick. Furthermore, when Jesus sent the disciples out to preach the gospel, he instructed them to heal the sick. This shows even more clearly how healing is a matter of God’s will:
- (Matt 8:2,3) And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be you clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
- (Matt 9:12) But when Jesus heard that, he said to them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
- (Matt 15:30,31) And great multitudes came to him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: 31 So that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
- (Mark 3:10) For he had healed many; so that they pressed on him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
- (Mark 6:56) And wherever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and sought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.
- (Luke 4:18,40) The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 40 40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
- (Luke 9:1,2,6) Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.
- (Luke 10:8,9) And into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say to them, The kingdom of God is come near to you.
- (Mark 16:17,18) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
- (Luke 13:16) And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, see, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
- (James 5:16) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
- (3 John 1:2) Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.
Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness are also a good lesson for us (Matt 4:1-11). He repeatedly answered Satan’s attacks: “It is written…” If we follow the same pattern in the matter of salvation and healing, we will certainly not do wrong. We can quote the promises of the Bible’s word, for example, in the following way: It is written: “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4,5). When we say these words, we agree with the Bible’s word and with God. At the same time, we reject Satan’s accusations and lies, such as “God does not want you to be healed,” “you are not good enough,” etc. When a person takes hold of the promises of the Word, however, he is constantly dependent on God. We cannot dictate to God the timing of healing. We can receive healing immediately by trusting in the promises of the Word, but when the seed, or the word of God, sprouts (Luke 8:11: Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God), is always in God’s hands. He determines the timing in this area. Sometimes healing occurs immediately, sometimes gradually, and sometimes over a longer period of time, just as seeds have different germination times. A good example in this area is Abraham. God had given him the promise of a son through Sarah. Abraham did not get to see the fulfillment of the promise right away, but he did not lose faith during the time he had to wait. Finally, after years, he got to see the promise fulfilled in practice. At that point, everything seemed hopeless from a human perspective:
- (Hebrews 6:13-15) For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
- (Romans 4:18-21) Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall your seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Faith is always the opposite of seeing.
- (2 Cor 5:7) For we walk by faith, not by sight
- (Hebrews 11:1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The previous verses in the Bible told us about Abraham’s faith, how he believed even when circumstances showed otherwise. That is a good example in this area. Faith is always the opposite of what we see and feel. This is also true in the area of healing. We have such a hard time believing promises of healing because we are constantly looking at ourselves. We watch for a change in ourselves—whether the pain has subsided or the bad symptoms have subsided—instead of continually trusting the promises of the Word despite the negative symptoms. However, when we look to the promises of the Word in the matter of salvation (e.g. John 1:29 and Gal 3:1: The next day John sees Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world / O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?) and do not try to gain assurance of salvation through emotions, the same principle applies in the area of healing. Symptoms and feelings should not be denied - they are still there, but if we have faith in the Word, we try to hold on to the truth of the Word despite difficult circumstances (" It is written: Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows Isa 53:4. It is written: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed, Isaiah 53:5". Furthermore, Jesus himself said: "Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth", John 17:17). This is not easy, but that is how faith works. It always contradicts what we see and feel. This is good to remember when our faith is so weak. On the other hand, the disciples were often not strong in their faith either. Jesus repeatedly rebuked them for being of little faith (Matt 8:26, 14:31, 16:8), so faith was not an easy thing for them either. When Jesus taught his disciples on this subject, he urged them to believe that they had already received what they asked for (And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses, Mark 11:25). This is very true of the healing that Jesus made possible and completed for us by his work on the cross. When a person asks God for healing, he can thank God in advance for the healing before he sees any results. This is faith and the confession of putting his trust in the promises of healing. In addition, a person can look at the time on the clock when he believed he received his healing from God (“I received healing yesterday at 2:30 p.m....”). However, ultimately it is in God’s hands when the healing will occur. The following example relates to the same topic. Linda Graaf-Bergling tells how she struggled with her own healing and finally experienced it. It didn't happen in one moment:
Linda Graaf-Bergling: I remember when I suffered from rheumatic pain for many years. At times it was so difficult that I could hardly get out of a chair after sitting in it. My knees and arms were so swollen that I could hardly walk short distances. I experienced such constant and debilitating pain and often had to fight depression and worry. This happened about seven years ago. I had begun to receive some instruction on how to receive healing through faith based on what Jesus had already done for me at Calvary. I remember the moment I knelt down and received God’s healing power. I felt nothing in my body. The pain was still there. The devil laughed at me and brought to mind all kinds of pictures he had made up of my illness. He wanted to steal my heart’s assurance of healing. But I turned my eyes away from the symptoms. I formed a new picture of the future with my eyes instead of the picture of the illness. I saw myself healed. I said to myself as the pain returned, “The power of God is at work in me. The same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is stronger than the power of sickness.” As I praised and thanked God for my healing that I had not yet seen, health slowly but surely released itself into my body. I was already healed INSIDE, even though my body still had symptoms. I saw God's promises in my heart as if they had been fulfilled. I don't even remember the exact day when all the symptoms were gone and I was completely recovered. (23)
As stated, faith comes by putting our trust in the promises of the Word. We try to pay attention to them and not to the symptoms that appear in the body that indicate the opposite. A good example of this is in the biography of Smith Wigglesworth. People were healed when they put their trust in the passage of the Word about how the Lord is our healer:
Their work in Bradford was so successful that they had to rent larger and larger meeting rooms. They finally settled in a fairly spacious building on Bowland Street. On the wall behind the pulpit was drawn like a scroll, and in large letters the words, “I am the Lord that heals you” Over the years many testified that they had been healed through the inspiration of those words. (24)
The same book also tells how people's faith was strengthened when they saw others being healed. They were able to believe that God wanted to work also in their lives with His healing power:
I do not remember what I said, but when I had finished, fifteen sick people came forward. Among them was a man from Scotland. He was limping with crutches. I prayed for the man, and he was healed. I myself was most astonished. — Then the man hopped about without crutches. The faith of the other sick people was strengthened by this, and they were all healed. I am sure that it was not my own faith that healed them, but God Himself in His compassionate love came among us and helped me in my hour of need and distress. (25)
Finally, I will mention one of the most amazing cases. A father had brought his son to the meeting, who was completely wrapped in thin iron plates. The room was full of people. The boy was lifted with difficulty over several rows of pews to the platform in front of me. I anointed him with oil in the name of Jesus, laying my hands on him. Immediately the boy cried out: “Father, father! Something is moving all over me!” He was released from his chains that day. Jesus healed him completely. It was no wonder that faith was born in many hearts as God worked so wonderfully. The healed ones soon went around the villages, testifying to what great things Christ had done for them. (26)
What if we lack faith in the area of healing? Charles Price, in whose meetings thousands upon thousands were healed, has emphasized that we should seek first and foremost the author and finisher of faith, Jesus (Heb. 12:2 Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…), the healer more than the healing. That is, only Jesus can heal us (faith alone does not do it!), and only he can pour out the faith in us that leads to healing. He is the one we should seek, regardless of whether we are healed immediately, later, or in the next life.
So now go to Jesus. Learn to trust Him, and He will unite His faith in you. Tell him your needs! Talk to Him about your sorrow! Then you will find rest and freedom in His presence from everything that is now bothering and consuming you, both internally and externally... First of all, I want to say that you can't create faith yourself, you can't achieve it through your work... God Himself gives birth to it and gives it. You cannot sit in your home and try to exert faith and then claim that something has happened. Nor can you turn your hope and wish into faith on your own. You can't get it anywhere but from the Lord. For the Word says plainly and clearly that faith is both a gift from God and a fruit of the Spirit. (27)
REFERENCES:
1. Peter Horrobin: Parantuminen vapauttamalla (Healing Through Deliverance), part 2, pp. 34-36 2. Nicky Cruz: Juoksu jatkuu, p.88 3. Smith Wigglesworth: Kasvava usko, s. 13,14 4. Peter Horrobin: Parantuminen vapauttamalla (Healing Through Deliverance), part 2, p. 40 5. S.I. McMillen: Ei mitään näistä sairauksista (None of These Deseases) pp. 7,94 6. Peter Horrobin: Parantuminen vapauttamalla (Healing Through Deliverance), part 2, p. 37 7. Derek Prince: He karkottavat demoneja / They Shall Expel Demons), p. 81 8. Carlos Annacondia: Kuuntele minua saatana (Listen to me, satan!), p. 100 9. Rebecca Brown: Katkaistu kirous / Unbroken Curses, p. 35,36 10. Peter Horrobin: Parantuminen vapauttamalla (Healing Through Deliverance), part 2, p. 216 11. Peter H. Lawrence: Henki, joka puhuu (The Spirit Who Speaks), p. 130, 131 12. Francis MacNutt: Parantumisesta (Healing), p. 139 13. Larry Keefauver: Kun Jumala ei heti paranna (When God Doesn’t Heal Now), p.20 14. Reinhard Bonnke: Tulella täytetty elämä (Living a Life of Fire), biography, pp. 255, 256 15. Carlos Annacondia: Kuuntele minua saatana (Listen to me, satan!), p. 222 16. Kathryn Kuhlman: Kuolematon ihme, p.189 17. Reinhard Bonnke: Tulella täytetty elämä (Living a Life of Fire), omaelämäkerta, p. 307 18. John Wimber: Kevin Springer: Ihmeet ja merkit (Power Evangelism), pp. 62,64 19. Charles ja Frances Hunter: Parantakaa sairaat (To Heal the Sick), p. 28, 76 20. Stanley Howard Frodsham: Smith Wigglesworth, uskon apostoli (Smith Wigglesworth Apostle of Faith), p. 73 21. Smith Wigglesworth: Kasvava usko, p. 151,156 22. Mauno Saari: Saarnaaja, p. 270 23. Linda Graaf-Bergling: Jeesus parantaa ja eheyttää, p.56 24. Stanley Howard Frodsham: Smith Wigglesworth, uskon apostoli (Smith Wigglesworth Apostle of Faith), p. 24 25. Stanley Howard Frodsham: Smith Wigglesworth, uskon apostoli (Smith Wigglesworth Apostle of Faith), pp. 35,36 26. Stanley Howard Frodsham: Smith Wigglesworth, uskon apostoli (Smith Wigglesworth Apostle of Faith), p. 60 27. Charles Price: Ihmeitätekevä usko, pp. 39,41
Healing. Healings were common during the time of Jesus and the apostles. However, God was the same then as now, so we can expect the same in modern times The Truth shall make you you free. Understanding the truth is a key factor in a relationship with God. When a person understands the truth about his position in Christ, it brings freedom into his life Be freed from your past! Heavy experiences and memories of the past guide people’s lives and self-image. Read how you can get rid of the burdens of the past Deliverance from bondage. When a person is saved, he is not always released from all bonds. Satan may still disturb him, and he may lack the peace promised by Jesus Find the assurance of salvation! Assurance of salvation; why is it missing and how to get it? If someone stares at himself and his own deeds, and not at Jesus, he never gets assurance Mental health and belief. Christian faith, when one understands God’s love and grace for oneself, has a positive effect on mental health Food and health; that is, how diet affects health
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Grap to eternal life!
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Healing. Healings were common during the time of Jesus and the apostles. However, God was the same then as now, so we can expect the same in modern times The Truth shall make you you free. Understanding the truth is a key factor in a relationship with God. When a person understands the truth about his position in Christ, it brings freedom into his life Be freed from your past! Heavy experiences and memories of the past guide people’s lives and self-image. Read how you can get rid of the burdens of the past Deliverance from bondage. When a person is saved, he is not always released from all bonds. Satan may still disturb him, and he may lack the peace promised by Jesus Find the assurance of salvation! Assurance of salvation; why is it missing and how to get it? If someone stares at himself and his own deeds, and not at Jesus, he never gets assurance Mental health and belief. Christian faith, when one understands God’s love and grace for oneself, has a positive effect on mental health Food and health; that is, how diet affects health
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