The following is an excerpted chapter from the exciting book,

THE POWER! by James Bramlett

Available free online at click here

Copyright © 2003 by James Bramlett. All rights reserved.

The power for physical healing  

Notice: I believe people will be healed as they are reading this chapter, as they believe, absorb and act upon God’s words quoted herein. The healings may be instantaneous or they may be gradual, beginning this very day.  The biblical truths in this chapter cannot only bring physical healing for yourself, but you can use them to minister healing to others. I pray that many reading this right now will become vessels for God’s healing power to many others who are sick.

The power of His words. In view of the previous chapter, this passage is particularly relevant (emphasis supplied):  My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22, NKJV).

• Give attention…
• Incline your ear…
• Do not let them depart …
• Keep them!
  There is power in God’s words! Therefore, “Keep them in the midst of your heart.”
  Jesus is alive! And this is a fact beyond debate: The Lord Jesus Christ not only healed people when on the earth, He still heals people today!

God revealed Himself in the Bible as “I am,” not “I was” (Exodus 3:14). He wants you to know that He not only “did,” but He “still does.” He is in the now, always in the present. He lives in timelessness and is not bound by our calendars and clocks. What He did 2,000 or 4,000 years ago, He stills does today. In eternity, it is the same moment. His words and promises written in His holy Word 2,000-3,500 years ago are alive and valid today.

God says, “I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6). He has not changed and will not change. Healing was, and still is, a part of His gospel, or “good news.” That is one reason it is good news!

This good news of God’s love is much more than forgiveness and saving one’s soul for eternity, as wonderful as that is. Physical healing is one of the benefits of the atonement (at-one-ment) of the God-man, Jesus Christ, bridging the gap between a holy God and sinful man, which He provided by His substitutionary suffering and death in Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago. His great sacrifice provided reconciliation with and access to God for all those who believe in and put their trust in Him.

The several benefits of Christ’s atonement are actually listed in two prophetic Old Testament (Covenant) passages written hundreds of years before He was even born: Psalm 103:3-6 and Isaiah 53:4-5. Physical healing is included in both of these passages! Here are two of the promises in the very first verse:

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases (Psalm 103:3).

Do you know what the word “all” means? While some politicians may be uncertain about the meaning of “is,” there is no doubt about the meaning of “all.” It means all! God does not say “some” of your diseases, nor “half” of your diseases, or a few, but all of your diseases! Strangely, most modern-day Christians readily accept the first part of that verse but will not accept the second part of the very same verse!

Here is the second passage from the Old Testament, speaking prophetically about Christ’s future coming:

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds (stripes) we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).

The word “infirmities” above is clear. In the Hebrew it is choliy, which means sickness. The word for “sorrows” is makob, which also means pain. The passage is clear that Jesus took our sicknesses and pains.

Later, after Christ came, in the New Testament, Matthew clearly confirms the physical healing meaning of Isaiah 53:4, written hundreds of years before:

When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” (Matthew 8:16-17).

Numerous other passages confirm it, some of which are included in this chapter.

He is sending you His Word. “He sent forth his word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20). God has sent His Word to you this day. God’s Word is “living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Receive God’s Word for you today, as shared below. Expect your healing!

But is healing God’s will?

To believe for your healing, you must discover in His Word beyond all doubt that it is God’s will to heal you. Once you get that revelation, your healing is already on its way. It’s as good as done, providing you believe it and act upon it. If you do not see it, you will not be able to believe for your healing. This is crucial.

Most people believe God can heal but they are not sure it is His will, either for themselves or for others. For lack of a right understanding of God’s attitude and will on healing, many people remain sick and die. God says, “My people are destroyed (perish) from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), and that includes lack of knowledge about God’s healing provisions in His Word.

We learn from God’s holy Word that it is clearly God’s will to heal. When we realize this, we can pray according to His will, and He says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

So, how do we know that healing is, in truth, God’s will? There are several reasons.

1. The Father’s will revealed in Christ. First and foremost, God clearly demonstrated His will in His Son, Jesus Christ, who is “the exact representation of his (God’s) being" (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

If Jesus, then, was a full and perfect representation of His Father, it is very important to understand that Jesus healed all who came to Him. “Many followed him, and he healed all their sick” (Matthew 12:15). Jesus “healed all the sick” (Matthew 8:16).

Jesus never had to pray, “Father, if it be thy will, please heal this person.” He knew God’s will. In fact, He was God’s will incarnate.

There is not one instance in the Bible where Jesus refused to heal anyone! This is significant. He healed them all. And remember, Jesus always did the will of the Father. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing” (John 5:19).

It could not be more clear. The Lord Jesus Christ, God in human form, healed everyone who came to Him, clearly revealing to us the Father’s will about healing. That is reason enough to believe. You do not need the other reasons. But read on anyhow!

That the sick people took the initiative is probably very significant. Jesus never forced healing on anyone. We should first desire and seek Jesus, just for who He is. As we find Him, and touch His garment, so to speak, as did the woman sick with an issue of blood for 12 years (Luke 8:44), our healing can come.

Jesus commanded His disciples to go and heal the sick, which they did. Further, as previously learned, healing the sick is part of His Great Commission for the church age. He commanded, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation…. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons… they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:15,17-18).

2. God has not changed. Has Jesus changed, no longer healing people as He did before? Emphatically, no. There is not one shred of evidence in the Bible that Jesus has changed. The Bible says “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). What He did when physically on earth, He is still doing today by His Spirit. Jesus was God incarnate, and God says, “I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6). What He did 2,000 years ago, He still does today.

3. God did not create sickness. There is no mention in the Genesis creation account that God created sickness. In fact, concerning everything He did create, it is written, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Sickness is not “very good.” Sickness and death were introduced by Satan when sin came into the world. Sickness was never God’s will. The Bible speaks of “…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” (Acts 10:38).

4. There is no sickness in heaven. That fact is beyond doubt. There is no cancer, diabetes, arthritis, or any other disease in heaven. This clearly reveals God’s will about sickness. And Jesus told us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9)! Can you imagine heaven filled with crutches, wheelchairs, the sick, the blind and the lame? Not really. From the Bible we know that heaven is a place of eternal joy and bliss; a place where there is no sickness, sorrow or death. If a person believes it is, indeed, God’s will for them to be sick, they should not go to the doctor, or else they will be fighting against God’s will, which is sin!

5. Sickness is a curse of the Law, from which Christians have been redeemed. See Deuteronomy chapter 28 for a description of how sickness is a curse caused by breaking the laws given to Moses. However, Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’”

6. The Great Physician. In the four Gospels, someone has counted 41 separate accounts of Jesus healing people, 72 in all with duplicated accounts, and Jesus attributed many of the healings to the faith of the sick person and not just His power alone. Those healed were not just individuals but sometimes multitudes. Christ was the Great Physician then; He is the Great Physician now.

7. The revelation of John. Not only is God’s Word full of promises for healing, revealing His will, we learn of His deep desire for our health by His words prayed through the apostle John in 3 John 2: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (KJV). God said “above all things.” This verse alone is sufficient proof that health and healing are God’s will!

8. The Great Commission. As previously described, healing the sick was part of Jesus’ command relative to going into all the world.

9. Declaring the kingdom. As also mentioned, Jesus commanded that the kingdom of God be declared, and the kingdom is a place without sickness, and declaring it is to bring healing, deliverance and blessings to people. As Dr. Michael Landsman wrote, “the word ‘kingdom,’ in the original language, means the activity of reigning. For the believer, the activity of reigning is broken down into three aspects: bringing deliverance to the captives, exerting authority over the enemy, and conferring blessings upon God’s people.”

10. God hates sickness. The Bible reveals that God not only advocates health, but He actually abhors sickness! Leviticus 21 clearly reveals that God would not allow sickness in His presence, which in those days was in the temple. Now, in New Testament times, our bodies are His temple! According to 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” Actually, the word temple here (Greek: naos) is mistranslated. Used elsewhere, the Greek word nieron means the full temple, where there was also the Court of Gentiles (symbolic of the world of sin and sickness). The word naos really means the especially sacred part of the temple that is the sanctuary, or Holy Place, where the Holy of Holies was. There, no Gentiles (sin and sickness) were allowed. Sickness has no divine right to be in our naos, or sanctuary, is contrary to God’s will, and by faith in His Word and power, we must drive it out!

If you are sick, the fact that God hates sickness does not mean that you are unworthy or that He hates you. He just hates the sickness that you have, because it is not from Him. It is His perfect will to heal you and for you to be in health (3 John 2).

In Old Testament passages such as Deuteronomy chapter 28 where it appears that God is putting sickness on people, Dr. Michael Landsman explains that the nuance of the Hebrew wording shows that because of the people’s disobedience, the text really means that God is “caused to allow” the sicknesses. Our behavior can “cause Him to allow” sickness to come upon us, even though it is not His perfect will. For example, suffering from AIDS is not His will, but if man indulges in promiscuous behavior by his own free will, which God will not violate, God is “caused to allow” AIDS. Man has brought it upon himself, as did the ancient Israelites. Rebellion against God and His commands can cause Him to remove His protective shield over us, such as promised in Psalm 91 and elsewhere, and allow the natural consequences.

11. A “better covenant.” As mentioned, one of many healing promises in God’s Word is Psalm 103:2-3. “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” But this is important: This promise in Psalm 103:3 and that of Isaiah 53 are part of the Old Covenant. Hebrews 8:6 says that with Christ and the New Covenant, we have an even “better covenant” than the old one! Under this “better covenant,” we should certainly expect nothing less than, but even more from, the old!

12. Our Healer. One of God’s names is revealed in the Bible as “Yahweh (Jehovah) Rapha” (Hebrew) which means “the Lord, your healer,” or “the Lord, your doctor.” In the Bible, God uses various name suffixes to reveal His provisions for humanity’s needs. For example, “Jesus,” or Yeshua, from Yeshoshua, means “the Lord (Yahweh) is salvation.” Jesus is our provision for salvation. His Old Covenant name, Yahweh Rapha, is our provision for our sicknesses.

Imitation. The well-known phrase “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” is from Hebrews 13:8, but people are usually unaware of verse 7 that immediately precedes it: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Remember, those people whom we are told to imitate lived and walked in the supernatural, and when they prayed for sick people, the people got healed. And God says that we are supposed to imitate their faith! Paul also said, “I urge you to imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:16), and “Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1). In our culture and even in many of our churches that dismiss the supernatural, we usually write that off as meaning to imitate their moral qualities, and it does, but why would it not also mean to imitate other aspects of their nature as well?

From all these examples in the Bible we clearly learn that it is God’s perfect will to heal and that His children be healthy. Knowing this, that we are actually agreeing with God and that we are praying in His will, it should be easy for us to pray the prayer of faith and receive from Him.

But why sickness?

Sickness is not from God. How do we know? One way is because, as mentioned earlier, after He created everything, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Because God has given man a free will, He is sometimes forced to allow sickness for certain purposes, but He does not cause it nor like it.

Sickness is from the devil, about whom Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

We live in a world that has rebelled against God. It is a sin-sick world. Beginning with Adam, the first man, all people have broken God’s laws. “All have sinned,” the Bible says (Romans 3:23). Physical sickness is a result of the general condition of sin in the human race, and not always our own personal sin, although it may be, such as the many diseases transmitted through sexual promiscuity and other unhealthy behavior.

Deuteronomy chapter 28 tells us that sickness is a “curse” that man has brought upon himself for disobeying God and breaking His Commandments. Because of rebellion, the human race is under a general curse. The curse of sin brings not only eternal separation from God, but sickness.

God in His infinite mercy and kindness determined a way for that curse to be removed! He is the Judge of the universe. As a righteous Judge, He operates on 100 percent, totally consistent principles of justice. He is a holy and perfect Judge. Justice must always be served. Without exception, God must always punish sin, which can produce sickness. Otherwise, He would deny His very nature.

At the same time, He is a God of perfect love. God, then, was faced with the necessity of both judging and punishing sin, but also being perfect love.

Did God have a dilemma? No, in His infinite, perfect wisdom, He had the perfect solution. He would take all our punishment upon Himself! That is what Jesus did, the glory of the gospel. He became our substitute, taking our sins and giving us His righteousness!

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from heaven to take all the judgment that we deserved.

When we acknowledge what God has done for us and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer under a curse! By faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross, we can then receive all that God has provided for us.

By His stripes we are healed

Question: On what basis can we expect a healing? How much does it cost?

Answer: Jesus paid for it already!

It is important for us to realize that God does not just give a whimsical promise for our healing, without cost. It cost Him terribly. Jesus paid dearly for it, with horrible, excruciating pain, and with His own divine, precious blood. And what He paid so greatly for, He wants us to understand and benefit from. He did it just for us. For you! Let His sacrifice not be in vain. Ignoring, denying, or taking lightly His great sacrifice for us is an offense to Him.

Hundreds of years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah wrote about this Messiah to come: “with his stripes we are healed” (53:5, KJV).

It is the stripes Jesus experienced that we need to better understand. If you review the events of that awful day we call Good Friday, you remember that Jesus Christ was tried before Pontius Pilate, then surrendered to the Roman soldiers to be scourged. The word “stripes” doesn’t have much impact until one realizes what it really means. In scourging Jesus Christ, the Son of God, they took Him and tied Him to a pillar, or post. Then they stripped the clothes from His back. He was handed over to a Roman legionnaire, a man used to brutality and violence, a course man of brute strength. He was a Roman soldier.

They gave this soldier a cat-o'-nine-tails, a whip that had nine thongs with little metal, bone or stone pellets at the end of each of the thongs. The scourging was what the Jews called “the near death”: 40 lashes less one—39 stripes. This ordeal alone actually caused death in many victims.

STRIPE! The lash whistled through the air into the back of Jesus. Little bits of flesh tore loose and red welts developed. STRIPE! STRIPE! STRIPE! Again and again, the lash. More skin torn off. The flesh was opened up. Bone began to show. The Savior’s blood was pouring down His back out of those cuts. They called them stripes. They looked like paint stripes but it was not paint—it was the blood of Jesus, pouring from those 39 deep, oozing slashes in His body.

Jesus did not have to endure this horrible scourging for our salvation. He was still going to the cross for that. Yet, each of those momentous events on that Passover day was for a specific, divine purpose. Why the stripes? Jesus came to deliver us from the curse and to make us whole in spirit, soul and body. He paid the total price. The stripes were for our physical healing! “With his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, KJV). We are healed for eternity, but it also available now until the day the Lord takes us home.

Confirmation during the Church age

After the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Father, these healing promises of God and His Word were repeatedly confirmed in the actions of the early church, then in the New Testament writings and among believers to this very day.

Referring to events after His departure, Jesus said, “These signs will accompany those who have believed: In My Name… they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17-18, KJV).

As recorded in the book of Acts, believers in the early church expected and experienced physical healing. In I Corinthians 12:9, healing is described as one of the gifts God has given to His church in perpetuity. In James 5:14:15, God again confirms the provision of physical healing for His people with instructions for the church.

In addition, the fulfillment of the healing promises has been experienced by multitudes through the centuries and in our generation.

Physical healing was a part of the early church and should be no less so today. Christine Darg, of Exploits Ministry, gives these examples:

In an article titled "Healing for All" in the Pentecostal Evangel magazine, author J.M. Mullens provides further insights:

Jesus Christ healed when on the earth; He healed in New Testament times; He still heals today. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Call on Him now, and receive your healing from Him!

Overcoming Doubts

Overcoming the Number One doubt. The number one cause of doubt is the thought, "But not everyone gets healed, so it must not be God's will, so I probably won’t get healed either." This thought destroys faith, is not of God, and blocks healing. We have already discovered God’s will on healing. Not everyone gets saved either, and we know it is not God's will that anyone perish. All who do not get saved either (1) do not hear the Word, or (2) reject it. You have heard God's Word about healing; now do not reject it.

Other reasons. What can block our healing? In his outstanding book, Christ the Healer, the late F.F. Bosworth cites 22 reasons why some people fail to get healed, not one of which is God’s will. All 22 reasons fall on man’s shoulders. An interesting one is his number 3, “Community Unbelief,” on which he devotes five pages. He points out that even Christ Himself, under the full anointing of the Holy Spirit, could not do any miracles in his hometown of Nazareth because of their “lack of faith” (Mark 6:6), although He did heal a few people. Bosworth writes these profound words:

Another of Bosworth’s 22 reasons for not being healed is “watching the symptoms” instead of keeping the eyes on God’s promises. Do not be preoccupied with symptoms. Instead be preoccupied with what God says about your healing.

If you are in faith and have no unconfessed sin in your life, such as bitterness or unforgiveness, and are not doing damaging things to your body, you should definitely expect your healing.

A “pointed bone”? Another possible reason for not getting healed is that a medical doctor has “pointed the bone” at you (see previous chapter), putting a powerful curse on you with all the sophistication and credulity of his honored profession, which is no less than god-like in our culture. Typically, the patient believes the doctor instead of God’s Word, in effect believing the doctor is smarter than God, thinking maybe that God was just not aware of modern diseases and modern medicine. As ludicrous as it sounds, many people give that impression.

By way of review, retired Canon Jim Glennon of St. Andrew’s Cathedral of the Anglican Church in Australia describes a tribal custom of the native Australian Aborigines. If a member of the tribe violates one of the tribe’s taboos, the witchdoctor comes to the man and performs a ritual over him. The ritual is to reach into a small leather bag, take out the bone of a bird, then point the bone at the violator. In all cases, after the bone is pointed, the person dies, sometimes instantly, but always soon. The ritual is called “pointing the bone.” This is what happens when a doctor tells you that you have a fatal disease with only so long to live.

Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” Doubters often cite Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7) as proof that it is not always God’s will to heal, a misinterpretation that Satan has used to sow doubt and rob probably millions of people of their healing. In so doing, they improperly generalize a doctrine against healing based on an isolated text with questionable meaning, which is not even good theology. It is important to note that (1) there is no evidence that Paul’s thorn was a physical sickness but strong evidence that it was not; (2) we know it was a “messenger of Satan,” probably a spiritual attack as verse 7 implies; and (3), this is very important?the phrase “thorn in the flesh” was a Hebrew idiomatic expression for what today we would call “a pain in the neck.”

When that expression was used in the Bible, it usually referred to a person. The late F.F. Bosworth brilliantly devotes a whole chapter in his book, Christ the Healer, to analyzing this subject in depth and solidly concludes that the thorn was not a physical sickness.

This is also very important to remember: The Bible reveals that Paul’s thorn came only because of his deep, totally unique revelations and actually being caught up into Paradise, to keep him from being proud. Even if a sickness, which it was not, you should never expect a similar thorn unless you have had the equivalent of Paul’s revelations and similar trip to Paradise! Yet, many people falsely identify with Paul’s “thorn” and unnecessarily give up hope for their healing.

There are many reasons why some people do not get healed, but only one that would clearly rule out your healing, and that is if God has truly decided that your designated time on Earth is complete, unlikely unless you have finished out the duration He has revealed in His Word. In Genesis 6:3, God revealed to Noah 120 years for our life expectancy, to which a few now attain. Science has recently confirmed God’s words in Genesis 6:3 about a 120-year life span! In his book, The Bible Cure, Reginald Cherry, M.D. (Creation House, 1998) points out that researchers have discovered that human cells are able to reproduce themselves only about 50-60 times. They have discovered a built-in “cellular timetable” that would place the human life span maximum at 120 years. That is exactly what God said over 4,000 years ago! (My wife’s great-grandmother lived well over 100, reportedly to 120, but this cannot be confirmed.)

While 120 years may be biologically possible, some wrongly believe that the Psalms reveal a lesser life expectancy than in Noah’s day: “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength” (Psalm 90:10). I used to think that this maximum 80-year time span superceded what God had previously revealed to Noah above; however, I later realized that Psalm 90 was not written by David but by Moses, who himself lived to be 120, and the psalm was written well past his own age of 80! Also, Moses was apparently lamenting that those Israelites in the wilderness were dying at such a young age because of their rebellion again God.

Of course, now it is rare to see people live beyond 100, due to modern lifestyles, soils depleted of nutrients, modern food processing and environmental pollution in food and air. But God is still God, and all things are possible with Him, the Bible says.

Do not let the devil rob you of your healing because of traditional, false interpretations! Jesus said that the devil is a thief, and he always subtly tries to rob people of God’s blessings.

God gave me this sickness to teach me something. If God gives sickness to teach us something, we should all be constantly praying to get sick, as we all have much to learn! Also, we should never go to the doctor, which might keep us from learning what God wants to teach us! That is not scriptural nor does it make sense. God is not the author of sickness, Satan is. Of course, God takes evil and turns it to good, and He may use a sickness experience to teach us, but that does not make Him the cause nor does it detract from His promises to heal you.

How to receive healing

“Your faith has made you well,” Jesus said to the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years (Luke 8:48. NASB).

Where does faith come from? For a discussion on how power is released through faith, see chapter 6. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Today you are hearing God’s Word on healing. God has sent His Word to you to heal you and build your faith. His Word, that living and sharp Word, has penetrated your soul and spirit, even to the marrow of your bones.

Now is the moment to call on Jesus, the One who took your sickness with the painful, bloody scourges. Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive… For everyone who asks receives” (Matthew 7:7-8).

There are several ways your healing may come, as God may lead you to use one or more of them. The below Bible prescriptions bring healing in churches and in Spirit-filled prayer groups and Bible studies all the time. The Bible says, “God does not show favoritism” (Acts 10:34), so you can get your healing.

In the church. God has given very specific instructions for healing in the church throughout the centuries.

This is God’s prescription for healing in the church. Do not ignore it. If your church does not believe in or literally practice this direct command from God Himself for the benefit of His people, you should lovingly consider finding a church that does. It could mean the difference is sickness or health, and in some cases, life or death. Speaker Emily Dotson says that the church you attend can literally cost you your life!

Gift of healing. By His Holy Spirit, God gives certain people the gift or manifestation of healing, as revealed in 1 Corinthians 12:9. This may include a pastor, an evangelist, or actually any believer. They can pray for you and you can receive your healing. I know a layman in a church who has this gift and God has used him to bring healing to many people.

By any believer. Jesus said to anyone who believes, "They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:18, KJV). Any believer, one who believes and acts on God’s Word, can do this for you. The “laying on of hands” is one of the six basic principles of the doctrine of Christ described in Hebrews 6:2 (look it up), a great truth neglected in many churches.

In their book, How to Heal the Sick, Charles and Francis Hunter devote three chapters to the laying on of hands. Charles compares the Holy Spirit’s power to that of an electric generator, our hands to that of a light switch, and a sick person to that of a light bulb. If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Jesus said that you can lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Your hands placed on a sick person with faith in God’s Word is like turning on the switch and allowing the power to go through to the sick person and turning on the bulb, so to speak.

We can lay hands on ourselves and get the same results. Jesus not did exclude ourselves.

Alone. We draw spiritual strength from the fellowship and prayers of others. However, your healing may also come to you directly, all by yourself, from any of the many healing promises in God’s Word and as you meditate upon, believe and receive them. See the many verses in this chapter. In some ways this is best because it relies on God’s Word alone and not on people. In later attacks of doubt by the devil, which always come, we know on what we stand, and we stand.

Confession brings healing. God says:

As mentioned in Chapter 5, according to Strong’s Enhanced Lexicon, the first reference to “saved” above is the Greek word sozo, which means healing and health, as well as salvation from eternal death. It means “to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health.” The second use of the word “saved” at the end is the Greek soteria, and means “deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation.” It is also translated as “health.”

It is important to confess out loud and continue to confess God’s healing words, “for they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:22, NKJV).

Never say, “my cancer,” or “my arthritis,” or whatever, which by such confession you are claiming possession of the disease. Do not refer to them as yours. They are not yours, but something the devil is trying to put on you. Do not accept them. As Kate McVeigh says, “Do not sign for that package!”

Receive (and keep) your healing! (1) Saturate your spirit with God's Word and promises, (2) ask, and if necessary keep on asking, then by faith, (3) receive, and begin to thank and praise Him.

As mentioned earlier, the word “receive” here is the Greek lambano, which means to “take.” We do not passively receive it; we actively take it. God holds it out to us in His Word; by faith we grab it and say, “Thank you, Lord. Praise your name.” I do that all the time.

The late Norman Grubb, in his classic book, The Law of Faith (Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Washington, PA, 1947, page 116), makes interesting commentary about “asking” vs. “taking”:

Radical faith. Biblical faith is not passive. It is active?acting on God's Word. Confess it. Act like it. The devil, and some Christians, will try to talk you out of it. Lying symptoms from the devil may even remain, or come back, but reject everything but God's Word.

Sometimes we must get “violent” in our faith. Jesus said:

This is referring to forceful faith often needed to obtain kingdom benefits. That is because Satan was given certain dominion in the world at Adam’s fall. The second Adam, Christ, came to break Satan’s power and restore God’s authority on earth. This is done through the obedience and faith of Christ’s followers. The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church, but God’s people must be aggressive in their faith to forcefully seize back what Satan has stolen. Remember: This is spiritual warfare! (See Ephesians 6:10-18.) It may seem physical, but it is a spiritual battle. Satan may not give up easily, even though he was already defeated at the cross.

Earlier, I mentioned a favorite quote: “Faith is going to the edge of the light that you have, and then taking one more step” (anonymous). In other words, a faith person goes over the edge!

I’ve been over the edge for years!

In the past, I have had serious symptoms of sickness and decided not to go to the doctor but to radically stand on the truth and reliability of God’s Word. Satan did everything he could to talk me out of my healing, and symptoms often persisted, but I steadfastly stood on the Word and fought him with the sword of the Spirit (the Word), and won, praise God. As mentioned, F.F. Bosworth says to not look at symptoms, but to look at God’s Word.

Speak to that mountain! A sickness can be like a mountain in our lives. If yours is a mountain to you, remember this powerful promise of our Lord:

Jesus said to actually “speak” directly to the mountain in our lives. Speak to it! Take authority over it. Command it! Remember: Romans 4:17 says that God “calls things that are not as though they were.” To receive from God, we speak His Word and call healing and health into existence! And do not doubt in your heart. God says it will be granted you!

This is not denial as some cults practice, because we admit to the sickness; we just call on a higher authority and principle to transcend it. We call that those things that be not as though they were!

Angelic help! As mentioned, God’s angels “perform His Word, obeying the voice of His Word” (Psalm 103: 20, NASB). When you speak God’s Word in faith according to His Will, God dispatches angels to make it happen, bringing it “into being” in your circumstances! “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11, NASB). “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).

Hold on to God and His Word. Your healing will be manifest. It is yours. "By His stripes, you have been healed."

Drive out spirits of infirmity. As mentioned in chapter 5, spirits (demons) of infirmity can cause physical and emotional sickness in either Christians or non-Christians. Demon activity can be detected by the gift of discernment of spirits, previously described. They can be cast out of a person only by the authority of the name of Jesus Christ, which they must obey. Do not fear demons.

Remember, Jesus has all the power, and that same power is operating in you if you are a born-again, Spirit-baptized believer in whom Christ dwells. Simply assert your authority, in Jesus’ name. They must go. They have no choice.

Immediate or gradual. Some healings are immediate, but many are gradual. If yours is gradual, hold on. Do not give up. Never say, “Well, it’s not working,” which cancels your faith. If you say that, you will get what you confess! Or never say, “Well, I guess God is not going to heal me.” Your healing will come in His perfect timing. Assume that it begins the very moment you believe for it?today! He wants you to keep believing His Word and His promises. He has not forgotten you, and is pleased with your faith.

Again -- do not ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever give up! See the story of the woman with the goiter in Appendix 1. Continue to affirm your healing. Continue to confess God’s Word about your healing. Be persistent. Never stop. Never give up.

Hindrances to healing

There are some hindrances to healing that God expects us to correct.

Unconfessed sin in our lives is one hindrance. We are never perfect in this life, but I am referring to any specific sin that we have refused to release. This may especially include unforgiveness or bitterness towards others. It has been shown that such attitudes can affect our physical health.

Trusting in man and not God. The Bible says, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118:8, KJV). A well-known evangelist who routinely sees many healings and miracles in Africa was preaching in Europe. He told his hearers that they will not see the miracles there that he sees in Africa, because they trust in their government health care system. He said the people in Africa see the healings and miracles because God is all they have. They cannot trust in man. So whether or not you are able to have medical help, make sure all your trust is in the Lord as if He is all you have.

Not recognizing (discerning) the Lord’s body. This is rarely mentioned by others, but it is clearly Scriptural. Concerning partaking of the body and blood of our Lord at communion, Paul wrote, “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). I believe he is speaking of not recognizing the body of Christ as they symbolically eat His body and drink His blood. Many believers angrily deny that others outside their particular church or group who also trust Christ are really His, thus not recognizing His body. This is not healthy!

Other reasons for sickness are: (1) Some people abuse their bodies, using harmful substances, or not allowing enough rest; (2) excessive stress; and (3) some people do not provide the body with nutritious food, often substituting junk or processed food. Much modern commercial food is deficient in nutrients and contains chemical additives, such as hormones and antibiotics in excessive exposure to meat and dairy products, and environmental pollutants. Also, many people violate God’s food guidelines in the Bible and still expect to remain healthy. Examples are in Leviticus chapter 11, no longer a legal requirement but still the wisdom of God. Paul said, "Everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial" (1 Corinthians 10:23). God’s law of sowing and reaping always applies, but His grace transcends our past mistakes. Allow God to show you any area that needs attention.

Suggested prayer: Dear Heavenly Father. I see in your Word that healing is your will, and that the Lord Jesus has paid for my healing by His stripes. I believe what He has done. I confess and repent of (name any known sin, including sins of attitude). I confess and repent of (any unhealthy habits or carelessness in taking care of God’s temple, your body). I receive my healing now, by faith. I thank you in advance. Be glorified in me and in my body. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” (Thank and praise Him until your healing is manifested, no matter how long it takes, and keep thanking and praising Him afterward.)

Typical Questions

“Should I see a doctor and follow his advice?” When sick people came to Jesus and asked to be healed, He did not reply, “Sorry, but I only heal through doctors. Please make an appointment with Luke. He is a doctor.” God uses doctors, who can be especially helpful with things like fractures and wounds. Those in healing ministries usually encourage the sick not to ignore proper medical attention, nor to stop their medications, possibly to protect themselves against lawsuits, but also maybe wisdom in many cases. It is not necessarily a lack of faith to see a doctor, and your healing will be a witness to the doctor of God’s power. However, be careful, because doctors’ three main methods—slash, burn and poison—often do more harm than good: (1) slash (surgery, often dangerous and mutilating), (2) burn (radiation, with bad side effects) and (3) poison (drugs, most all with bad side effects that you may not be told about). If Jesus tarries, I believe someday current medical practices will be considered primitive and outrageous. More people are refusing these highly invasive and potentially harmful medical procedures and are opting to trust God, and perhaps also using natural alternatives. Even many medical doctors have become disenchanted with the failures of their profession and are turning to alternative (complimentary) medicine. Studies show that doctor and healthcare mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, whereas God has never made a mistake. I know a young lady who rejects both God’s power and natural methods, yet has been suffering badly with a chronic infection. The doctors keep pouring harmful antibiotics into her, with all their bad side effects, and nothing works. But she stubbornly sticks with them. Personally, I usually just stand on God’s Word and do not see a doctor, and God always heals me. Make all such decisions prayerfully.

“What about good ‘ol brother or sister so and so, a ‘good Christian,’ who did not get healed?” No one is ever good enough to be saved or to be healed. It is only by grace through faith. If faith seems to be applied and someone still does not get healed, we have to trust God’s sovereignty and grace. We do not understand everything about everyone’s situation. His Word says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us” (Deuteronomy 29:29). The secret things do belong to Him, and we may not understand them; however, “the things revealed belong to us,” and we must act with faith on what He has clearly revealed in His Word about healing!

“What about when an infant or child dies? Was there not enough faith?” Millions of children die around the world due to neglect and starvation, part of the general curse on the earth. Children of affluent families also die, ostensibly due to no one’s fault, and again part of the curse of sickness in the world. I believe God’s angels surround and take these little ones directly into the arms of Jesus, as with babies murdered before they are born. Again, Deuteronomy 29:29 applies. However, there are cases where tenacious faith on the part of parents and loved ones have brought back babies and children from certain death. In Appendix 1, I mention that in 1997 a 12-year-old cousin was in a coma for weeks due to brain encephalitis. The doctors finally gave up and suggested removing her life support. The parents said no, preferring to trust God. A prayer network diligently sought for her healing. Miraculously, the child later regained consciousness and is back home. We must pray fervently, believe, leave the results to God, then praise Him, no matter what.

“But some people say...” About healing, someone always remarks, “But some people say (such and such),” citing all kinds of arguments against God’s healing provision. I once heard the wise, elderly minister from Australia, Jim Glennon, respond to that remark. A Bible scholar who had been in the healing ministry for some 40 years, he had heard every objection, and had seen many people miraculously healed. His simple response rang with eternal truth and power: “It doesn’t matter what people say. The only thing that matters is what God says!” Let that be your guide. Be convinced of what God says, act upon it, and be unconcerned at what people say. As Satan once used the disciple Peter, whom Jesus rebuked, he will sometimes use well-intended Christians to talk you out of your healing.

For meditation...

Continue to meditate upon God's words, which build faith and bring healing, remembering his promises. The following are passages, some a repeat, included for your further reading and meditation:

Other promises of deliverance:

The following are other passages included for further reading and meditation:

Final but important advice

1. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John 15:7). Remain in Jesus. Let His words remain in you. And then, by the authority of the Son of God, you can be assured that you can “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

2. Praise and worship God continually, thanking Him both before and after your healing. He is loving, kind, full of mercies, compassionate, wonderful, all-powerful, and worthy of our praise. Review and recite to Him the praise psalms, such as 144-150.

A senior Christian leader who has seen many healings and miracles told the story of a girl who had sought diligently for her healing, but it never came. One day the Lord spoke to her heart and told her that she needed to stop asking for healing and instead to start worshipping Him (which involved faith and acceptance). She immediately began worshipping the Lord, and her healing came soon thereafter!

The lesson in this story is that we need the Healer more than the healing. We must draw close to the Lord Jesus, get to know Him better, honor Him and give Him glory. That must be our top priority. Then we can better rest in Him, confident of His love and power.

Then our healing can come.

May God bless you richly, and heal you. In Jesus’ name.

Strongly recommended reading:

Christ the Healer, F.F. Bosworth (1973, Fleming H. Revell, Grand Rapids, MI)

Divine Healing, Andrew Murray (1982, Whitaker House, New Kinsington, PA)

Your Healing is Within You, Jim Glennon (1980, Bridge Publishing, South Plainfield, NJ)