Healing Is For You
Jesus came to heal you and me, spirit, soul, and body. I am so thankful for this healing power available to us. However, why are so many Christians sick in their minds and bodies? Many of us have stories of people we know and love that battled or are currently battling sickness and disease. The question arises, why? Why did that good, Christ-loving Christian get sick? Why do children get sick and die, or why are babies born with birth defects? WHY?!? This question is often asked with anger and bitterness behind it. When a loved one gets sick and dies, it's not fair, and it hurts. Although we may not say it out loud, the thought lingers, "God, why didn't You do something about that? Why did you allow that sickness and disease in the first place?"
If you struggle with those questions, you are not alone. You are not wrong for wondering and asking God the reason behind a situation. Because this question is so common, I addressed it in "Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People." You can read it here.
The fact that there is sickness and disease here on this earth is the reason why Jesus came. God is not the cause of illness but is the cure. 1 Peter 2:24 says, "He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. BY HIS WOUNDS YOU ARE HEALED" (NLT).
What Jesus did on the cross is a package deal. Yes, your sins are forgiven, which is the most significant healing there is! But He also took the whipping before the cross for your physical healing. His body was broken so that you can be whole, His spirit was condemned so that you could be free, He even took your soul wounds of anxiety and depression to live in peace.
He did that because He loves you, and He hates sin and death. When Adam and Eve sinned, they didn't just unleash consequences on themselves. They gave the authority and dominion that they had over the earth (God had given to them) to the devil. That exchange of power is why sickness and disease exist. We don't have to do anything wrong to get sick. The world is in a state of decay. Everything decays - even a house left alone will begin falling apart. Did the house do anything wrong? Of course not, but it is in this world that is subject to decay.
So, how do you turn the decay around? How do you receive healing in your body and mind?
Believe that God wants you well.
One of my favorite verses is John 10:10. It says in the amplified version, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."
Well, you can't enjoy life to the full if you are injured or sick. Again, if you are sick right now, do not buy into condemnation. Condemnation and shame are from the pit of hell. Remember that you are loved by the Almighty God Himself. He wants to heal you and set you free from the bondage of pain, sickness, and disease.
So, how do we make the transaction to receive healing? We accept it as a gift through faith in Jesus, the Healer.
Receive in Faith
If you receive a gift, you don't just leave it on the table. You TAKE IT, you OPEN IT, and you USE IT. Receiving the things of God works the same way. You have to take the Word of God and receive it like it has your name on it and belongs to you - because it does! You have to open the Word of God and apply it to your life and your circumstance.
Now, sometimes healing comes instantly through a miracle - PRAISE GOD, we love miracles! There are other times when I felt the Lord telling me to do something like go to the doctor for medicine, or cut out something from my diet. Still other times, healing comes through a long process of using my faith. All of those ways are valid, and they all get the end result, healing.
My dad is an excellent example of this. I have seen him instantly healed from battery acid blowing up in his face. I watched as the redness that should have left his face scarred and his eyesight taken, clear miraculously from his face! However, he has had cancer four times, and I have watched him go through surgeries and chemo treatments for his healing. Was God in both healings? You bet! No matter the situation, my dad responded with the Word of God. He spoke the Word over his body and claimed that God's healing power was his and working in his body.
The process of healing was the same in both situations. God did it! My dad received his healing the same way - by the Word of God. The Bible says in Romans 10:17, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."
The first thing you need to do is pump yourself full of the Word of God. I am including a free download of 101 healing scriptures that you can get here. This resource is originally from Keith Moore at Moore Life Ministries.
Another great resource is found on itunes, "Receive your healing" by Joshua Mills and Steve Swanson. Listen to this audio and let your faith be built up through the Word.
Make sure to tune in to Wednesday night Bible Study on Facebook or Instagram at 7:00pm MST. We will be teaching on Christ the Healer.
If you have any prayer requests concerning healing or anything else, please let us know so that we can join our faith to yours.