Saturday, March 4, 2017
Building People of Substance for Works of Power
God wants you healed, Amigos.
Shortly after I came to the Lord, I was watching a preacher on TV. He was talking about praying the prayer of faith from Mark 11:24 and receiving healing. I had never really thought much about the subject of healing, just sort of assuming that God was in control, and He would heal some and use disease to teach others. This guy said something different, that it was the will of God to heal , and that I could receive healing by faith. Sounded good to me, so I tried it out on an injured shoulder I had suffered with for more than a year. It hurt terribly, and I couldn’t lift my right arm above shoulder high. I prayed just like he said, and something warm came over my shoulder. After just a few moments, the pain was gone and motion was restored. Hallelujah!
What made the difference that moved me to a place of receiving healing? I found out that God wants to heal me. That is the first thing we have to settle in our hearts before we go very far in helping folks get healed. We have three great evidences of God’s will to heal:
1. Healing is His nature. He calls Himself Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer. (Exodus 15:26) Sickness is always characterized as a curse. Jesus came for the express purpose
of redeeming us from the curse. (Galatians 3:13) In fact, God is very clear that He is good. (Psalm 136) Healing is also referred to repeatedly as “good.” A good God is a healing God. (Acts 10:38)
2. Healing is part of redemption. Sin and sickness are linked throughout Scripture. Forgiveness of sin is also linked to the healing of the body. The same faith that brings forgiveness also brings healing. (Isaiah 53:4-5; Psalm 103:3; Luke 5:23-24)
3. Healing is the example of Jesus. The Lord told His disciples, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” John said that Jesus has revealed God to us. In no instance did Jesus make anyone sick, of refuse to heal anyone who came to Him for healing. (John 1L18; 14:9; Acts 10:38)
When healing doesn’t come, the will of God is never the issue. Never. When that is settled, we can start looking for other hindrances to receiving what God desires for us.
Somebody Said: Jesus, in His earth walk, was the will of God in action. If you want to know what God thinks about sickness – look at Jesus! He went about healing the sick! Kenneth E. Hagin
Scripture Reading: And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38 NLT).
Once the issue of the overarching will of God is settled, we can begin looking for other variables, and there are many. We live in a cursed world, and we are fallible people, so sometimes there are variables we don’t see. Our role is to help people receive healing, rejoice with them when they do, and weep with them when they don’t. It is never to condemn or accuse. There is much we have to learn in fulfilling that role, so let’s learn it and apply it with compassion and humility.
Pastor Virgil L. Stokes
Faith Christian Fellowship of Tucson
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85745
www.fcftucson.org
Office: 520-792-3238
For a powerful bible course on divine healing, check out “Healing Truth” at Faith Ministry Training Institute.
pastorvirgil.com 