If someone told you that the debt that you owe has been fully repaid, would you still be in unbelief and continue to pay towards your debt?
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” – Psalms 103:2-4
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
– Isaiah 53:5
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
– 1 Peter 2:24
We see in the scriptures that God has provided atonement and forgiveness of our sins together with the healing of our bodies through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Just as God doesn’t want you to live in sin, He doesn’t want you to live in sickness either. God’s will is for you to walk in health, just as much as in righteousness.
It would be remiss of a doctor to only diagnose you of your sickness and not to inform you of the possible remedies or treatments, especially if these are already made available. How much more does our loving God desires for your wholeness – free from both sin and sickness. Our heavenly Father has paid for it with the suffering death and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ – the one perfect sacrifice on the cross for your eternal and complete redemption. It is up to you to consent to undergo treatment from the hospital, just like you have to accept the healing from God!
We often find it easier to believe God wants us free from sin, yet struggle to believe He wants us healed, but the same Love (God is Love) that forgives also restores and desire wholeness – spirit, soul and body.
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” – 3 John 2
Firstly, we must understand that sickness is of the devil and a result of the fall in the garden of Eden, because of the first Adam. Sickness does not come except to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10), but Jesus came so that we may have life and have life more abundantly!
Healing is the children’s bread (Mark 7:27) and this is a powerful truth – healing is the rightful portion of the kingdom of God and the inheritance of God’s children. Just as bread is a daily necessity for life and nourishment, so is healing – it is part of the covenant. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). You and I have been accepted into God’s family through this restoration, and we now inherit all His blessings and promises, including healing.
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” – Galatians 5:6
Faith begins to work in your life and becomes effective when you understand God’s everlasting love for you and towards you – when you know that you know that you know that God loves you. When you have this revelation of His love, you would start to understand and appreciate that He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things (Romans 8:32), including healing?
“But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.” – Luke 9:11
We pray that our understanding be open that we might comprehend the scriptures (Luke 24: 45), being rooted and grounded in love, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19).
Only One Thing is Necessary
barry bennett (Facebook page)
When teaching healing I am often told that healing teachers make it too hard, or that we put all the burden of faith on the sick one. In searching my heart, I truly don’t believe that is what is happening. We tend to approach healing from many different angles, but in my case, there is only one goal. I don’t know which approach is going to “come alive” in you. Faith comes by hearing, but not just physical hearing. It must be a word from God that is quickened (made alive) in the heart of the sick one. (Raising the dead and believing for those too incapacitated to believe is not the subject right now. I am addressing this to the many Christians who understand the doctrine of healing but are struggling to receive.)
In Acts 14 we have the story of the man in Lystra, crippled from birth, who was sitting where Paul stopped to preach. He wasn’t pursuing God, had never heard the gospel, and just happened to be in the right place and the right time. It says… “This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.” (Acts 14:9-10)
No burden was placed on this man. In fact, there is no evidence he was even saved. Paul was the first preacher of the gospel to ever be in that area. Nevertheless, hearing the gospel of the Kingdom made faith come alive in his heart. That was all it took. The only thing necessary for his miraculous healing was “hearing” the word preached by Paul.
Hearing must happen in the heart, for with the heart one believes unto salvation (including healing) (Rom. 10:10). Hearing is all that it takes for faith to come alive and a vision of healing to be birthed. Teachers aren’t trying to make it complicated but are trying to present every truth possible with the hope that just one word will come alive, and faith will be activated. That is all it takes. Anything less than true faith is just mental understanding and assent. Good, but not enough.
“However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.” (Luke 5:15)