There is an error I see often in the body of Christ, and that is concerning healing. Maybe it happens due to “tradition”, maybe it’s unbelief, or maybe it’s just plain bad teaching, but I’d like to address it today. So often when someone is prayed for concerning healing, and we will say that person can’t walk for whatever reason, and the person doing the praying says, “See if you can walk.” Or maybe it’s “see if you can get up.” I cannot find where Jesus ever did that. So why do WE?

In John 5:2-11, it is written,
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.

Now tell me what you see here: when Jesus asked the man if he would be made whole, what was the right response? OH, YES LORD! But NO, the man had an excuse that when the waters were troubled by the angel, that he had no man to put him in, and another stepped down before him. Jesus wasn’t asking for an excuse, and neither am I. If we aren’t getting healing results, then something is wrong. And we can’t blame God, either, and say “Maybe it isn’t God’s will to heal right now.” When did Jesus ever say, “I can’t heal you now, it’s not God’s time, you need to suffer longer.”? , When did Jesus heal him? RIGHT THEN! Did Jesus tell him, “See if you can get up?” No, He told him TAKE UP THY BED AND WALK. What did the man do? He got up, took up his bed and walked. He didn’t just lay there. Jesus didn’t tell him, “Just lay there until you think you can get up.” The Word of God went forth, and requires ACTION!

 

Like I said, maybe it’s “tradition” that causes people to do that. “Well, that’s just the way we do it, we’ve always done it that way.” Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t make it right. I’d say fully ninety percent or more of people getting prayed for to be healed see no results, so why are we continuing “tradition”, if it’s not yielding the desired results? Continuing to do that which doesn’t work and expecting different results is foolish at best. Not only that, it’s insulting to God. Why? Because Jesus commanded His disciples in Matthew 10:8, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give.” Jesus gave us the authority and power to heal people. Why aren’t we doing it?

I cannot find even one instance in the Bible where Jesus prayed and asked His Father to heal anyone. Furthermore, Jesus never instructed His disciples to pray for the sick. Quite the contrary! Jesus COMMANDED the disciples to HEAL the sick, not pray for them to be healed, not beg and plead with our heavenly Father to heal them or put them on prayer lists to be healed. There is so much going on in the area of healing that is not scriptural at all, and it’s time for it to STOP!

Earlier I said, maybe it’s “unbelief” that is causing people not to be healed. Now, unbelief can be on either side: on the minister’s side, or on the receiver’s side, and maybe even BOTH. Lots of people throw James 5:14-15 at me about praying for the sick. Well, let’s just READ those verses and see what they say. James 5:14-15 says,
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.

The sick are instructed to call for the elders of the church, and the elders are to anoint him with oil in the name of the LORD. Now get this: And the prayer of faith shall SAVE the sick. It doesn’t say HEAL the sick. The Greek Word 4982 SOZO is used here, inferring salvation, to make safe, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, SAVE, do well, be made whole. And the LORD shall raise him up: Here the Greek Word is 1453 EGEIRO, to arouse, cause to rise , (a). to arise from sleep, to awake, (b) to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life. To raise up, cause to be born. Interesting, huh? Sounds like salvation to me! Friends, these verses are more about salvation than physical healing, although salvation can include physical healing as well.

Now, if you want to help someone be healed, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY JESUS……HEAL THEM, DON’T BEG AND PLEAD AND PRAY LONG PRAYERS and put on a show! HEAL THEM! If you will be like your LORD, then you’ll do what He says to do.

No matter what it is that you want from God, you’re not going to get it by playing god and doing it YOUR way. God has set forth His instruction on healing, and if you want to heal, or if you want to be healed, it’s His way or no way. And you wonder why so few people get healed? FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, and you’ll get results. I don’t expect you to do this stuff because I said so, I expect you to do it because GOD SAID SO! Get into God’s Word and read His instructions, learn them, follow them, and you’ll get results!

The next time you minister to someone who can’t walk, command them RISE AND WALK IN JESUS’ NAME. And their obligation is to obey and do it. Jesus didn’t do it any other way, and you can’t either. Jesus gave His followers specific instructions on healing, and they will work if His followers will follow His instructions! The person ministering has a responsibility to BELIEVE AND SEND FORTH THE WORD. And the person seeking healing has a responsibility to BELIEVE AND RECEIVE! No excuses!