From the concerns I hear from people we minister to, many wonder if it is indeed God’s will to heal in these days and times.  Let me help you.

            Acts 10:38 leaves no doubt about God’s will concerning our healing.   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.

            God sees sickness as oppression of the devil, and the Lord Jesus has the cure that cannot fail.  He is the cure for the sin-sick soul as well as the sick and diseased body.  Jesus told people, Fear not, believe only.  And He means just that, even today.  God isn’t making people sick, the devil is.  But the devil is not all-powerful, nor is he free to kill whosoever he desires. As the modern day disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been instructed to “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” as per Matthew 10:8.

            As Jesus’ disciples, we have not only the authority to cast out devils who are oppressing people, but the responsibility to, as well.  The book of Acts is called that because the disciples DID something.  They didn’t just wish gospel was being preached, they preached it.  They didn’t just pity those who were sick and oppressed, they healed them.  Sadly, that doesn’t happen a whole lot today, because many have been taught that God just isn’t doing that anymore.  Well, sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but God changes not.  It’s the people who stopped doing what Jesus commanded, not God failing to work.  But still, somehow God gets the blame, doesn’t He?

            Here’s an account in Acts 3:1-9 that I especially like:

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.  And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.  And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.  And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

            You see, Peter and John had something the lame man needed. Although the lame man thought he needed an offering, what he really needed was a healing.  And healing was what Peter and John just happened to have with them.  Isn’t that just like God?  He always gives us exactly what we need, even if it isn’t what we want.  And God is always exactly at the right place at the right time.  If the lame man was in another temple right then, he would have missed his healing.  But God saw to it that his need was perfectly met, just like He will see to it that YOUR need is perfectly met, at exactly the right time.  Not a minute too soon or too late, and not a bit short.

            So many times we try to “help” God meet our needs.  When people need healing, they often run to the doctor to get healed. Now, I’m not against doctors, but if God is really who He says He is, and if He really does what the Bible says He does, then Psalm 103:2-3 has to be true, and it says, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.”  In my humble opinion, man’s “Plan A”, should be going to God for healing,  instead of “Plan B” going to the doctor.  Especially those who are born-again believers.  You can’t really expect unbelievers to go to God for healing, they just don’t understand that God loves them just as much as He does believers.  So they need doctors, for sure.  Sadly, not only do many patients not get better, but often grow worse, ending up with more wrong than they started off with, PLUS, they are missing some of their money.  I’ve seen cancer patients whose bodies have been ravaged worse with radiation and chemotherapy, than what the cancer was doing to them.   And STILL after all the treatments, they were worse off than if they had not had any treatments at all.  Now, I know there are some good doctors out there who genuinely care for people, but, I can’t see anywhere in the Bible that it says God gave us doctors and hospitals to heal us, although that seems to be the view of most churches and preachers these days.  My Bible says in Psalm 107:20, He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Being that comes right out of the Holy Bible I can safely believe it’s God’s own word, without a denominational twist on it.  I’m one who chooses to believe God over any circumstances I may be facing at the time.  God never lies, nor does He ever fail to perform His word.  The problem comes, though, when we doubt His word.

            I’m so convinced of God’s healing, I have had no health insurance since 1993.  People have told me, “Well, what if you had been in a car wreck or worse?”  I haven’t been.  God takes care of me.  “Well, what if?? ”  I don’t worry about “what if”. My God is bigger than “what if”.  And He’s bigger than cancer or any other disease the devil may try to throw at anyone.   The question is: How big is YOUR God?  Is He big enough to heal you, as well as save you from your sins?  Mine is!  He says “Fear not, believe only”, so that’s what I do.  He hasn’t lied to me yet.

            You may be trying to trust God right now for your healing, but unsure if it will ever manifest in your life.  Many have told me they are “trying to believe and trust God.”  Do yourself a favor; stop worrying, and stop “trying to trust” Him.  Faith in God isn’t something you try to do.  Riding a bicycle is something you try to do, but they are two very different things.  You may get on a bike and fall off, as there is no guarantee you can ride it, but you try to. 

           With God, it’s either you believe Him, or you don’t.  There is no middle ground.  Again, Jesus said, “Fear not, believe only.”  He didn’t say, “Try not to fear, try to believe only.”

            I heard the Holy Spirit say, “If you try to believe God, He will try to heal you.”  Would you be satisfied to pray only to have God try to heal you?  Of course not.  No more than God is satisfied for you to pray and try to believe.  So then, what do you do?  Fear not, believe only!

             Tell me, when was the last time God lied to you?

            Some have said I have an overly simple view of God.  But simple is good.  When you get “complicated” you get in trouble. Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.”  You have to make things simple so little children can understand them.  Have you ever noticed how trusting a little child is?   You can stand your little two or three year old on the edge of your table and tell them to jump off BACKWARDS and you’ll catch them, and guess what?  They jump!  You can hold your arms out to them and say “Jump” and they will gleefully keep jumping and letting you catch them for as long as you want to.  They’d jump off the roof to you if you told them to.  They are so trusting in the strong arms of their Daddy, that fear never enters their mind.  How is it we lose that trust as we get older?  I’ll tell you why, it’s because people have broken their word to us so many times, and we fall down hard and get hurt.  And then when God tells us to “fear not”, we just can’t seem to trust Him, because we consider God to be as untrustworthy as some people we meet.  But God isn’t a man that He should lie.

            I have spent many, many long hours trying to get people to simply trust and believe God, to stop looking at the natural circumstances, and plant their feet firmly on the Word of God.  If a man who has a reputation of being good for his word and trustworthy says for you to do something hard, you will do it without hesitation because you trust him.  But if he lies to you, then the next time, you won’t be so quick to believe. And that’s only reasonable and prudent.  BUT WHEN HAS GOD EVER LIED TO YOU?

            This past week I prayed for a man with Parkinson’s Disease, and told him God would heal him.  He replied, “I hope so.”  “Hope” is what most would reserve for those things in which they cannot fully trust. In other words, if you can’t say “I know”, then you’re forced to say, “I hope”. 

          But the kind of “hope so” men have is not the same “hope” that Hebrews 11: 1 talks about.  It says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.”  Let’s have an algebra lesson here.  Remember Algebra?  A=B=C.  Faith = Substance.  Faith = things hoped for.  Faith = the evidence of things not seen.  So therefore, Substance = Hope = the evidence of things not seen= faith.  To most people, if you can’t see the substance, you think you have no evidence, therefore, you lose hope, and have no faith.  Got that?   None of them can exist without the other. They stand or fall together.  But in God’s eye, Faith=Hope=Substance.  In other words, hope is so strong, it’s already substance.  No doubt, no fear.  It’s done, period.  That’s faith. And that’s how we should pray God’s promises to us, because God cannot lie.

            Moving on.  God = Truth = what is written in God’s Word = Substance.  Whether or not you are presently SEEING what God said, does not change the Truth of God’s Word.  Nor does it detract from the integrity of God’s Word.  However, your “Substance” results from the belief of God’s promises. 

         A child, like I said, is quick to trust.  We need to be more like children, and simply  trust God.  When Jesus said, “Fear not, believe only”, He was able to say it in complete confidence, because He has seen His Father.  And the disciples saw Jesus.  And I read what the disciples wrote about Him.  That’s good enough for me.    How about you?