Category: Healing

God’s power is beyond understanding.

But when Jesus visited his hometown, he could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them (Mark 6:5)—his power constrained by unbelief.

When Paul was in Ephesus, the sons of a Jewish rabbi tried to cast out a demon, which trounced them. The story went viral, and, deeply convicted, the local believers confessed their evil deeds (Acts 19:18) and burned the scrolls they used for sorcery.

Notice the result. In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power (Acts 19:20). The power of God’s word grew! Which means it was constrained before. What constrained it? The local believers were using sorcery and witchcraft.

The trappings of evil

My wife and I have enjoyed the privilege of ministry in many countries, but everywhere we went we noticed the prevalence of compromise. In Argentina, many churches worshiped a black mary. In Brazil, people painted witchcraft symbols on street corners. Candles, flowers, or dead chickens clustered by every bridge or river crossing.

In India, sexually explicit carvings in lurid colours plastered Hindu temples with demonic faces—angry eyes, protruding tongues, and distorted features. It didn’t take us long to recognise the trappings of evil.

So when we arrived in New Zealand, we were horrified to meet them again. Apparently they were acceptable because it was local art. Today, sexually explicit totem poles oversee river crossings and bridges, wearing the same hideous faces you find in Hindu temples. The same images sprout on the hilltops.

In Scripture, the Israelite kings turned a blind eye to the high places and what went on under every spreading tree. It led to the nation’s downfall and exile.

Good art is godly art

Godly art honours the Lord, his people, and his creation. To accept demonic images under the banner of art not only glorifies the devil, it even limits the power of God.

If they don’t wish to repent, let the ungodly remain in their sin. But there is no place for these things in the house of God. And if we are brave enough to remove them, like Gideon, what power would we see then?

In my last post I said Elijah cried out to the Lord for miracles, while Jesus just commanded.

But a passage in James 5 stands in clear contrast to the rest of the New Testament. Since it’s all the word of God, it’s all true. Apparent contradictions conceal deeper truths. What’s going on?

Here’s James 5:13-18

 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

This seems clear enough! However, in the rest of the New Testament, neither Jesus nor the disciples prayed for the sick. Jesus rebuked a fever; told the paralytic to pick up his mat; commanded Lazarus to come out. Peter told Aeneas to get up; Paul commanded a cripple to stand. They didn’t pray.

In the Old Testament, people DID pray for healing. Moses interceded for his sister Miriam’s leprosy. Elijah cried to the Lord for the widow’s dead son (see my last post.) That all changed.

Jesus launches the kingdom of God

Jesus preached it, lived it, demonstrated it, and then transferred it to us. He gave us the same Holy Spirit (John 20:22) and the keys (authority) of the kingdom (Matthew 16:19). The rules are different: under the old covenant, the promises came through obedience; under the new—by faith. We get what we believe.

James uses the example of Elijah because he believed, but Elijah didn’t have our kingdom privileges.

Are you righteous?

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. That seems to disqualify me! But righteousness isn’t what we DO. It’s what we HAVE. It’s a gift from God, received by faith. Jesus became sin to give us the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). If we believe that, we are righteous. Therefore our prayers are powerful!

So what is this prayer offered by faith? It isn’t intercession! Stay with me.

Fig Tree Faith

Jesus said, Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24). Note the three tenses—ask is present; have received is past; will be yours is future.

If we ask with faith, it’s a done deal in heaven. The answer is on its way. This seems to mean intercession, but does it?

Jesus had just cursed the fig tree. It died overnight, and the disciples were astonished. “Rabbi, look!”

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him” (Mark 11:22-23).

These are the key verses, which verse 24 is referring to.

1. Our faith is in God, not what we say, or pray. It must be his will. We trust him to carry it out. We cannot.
2. We say it TO the mountain, not pray it ABOUT the mountain.
3. Go, throw yourself is a command, using kingdom authority.
4. Does not doubt—no ifs or buts.
5. Believes—not hopes. Hope knows God can. Faith knows he will.

Therefore the prayer offered in faith is a command. Of course, intercession isn’t wrong! But in the context of ministry such as James 5, we rebuke fevers, command demons to leave, forgive sins, and raise the sick person with kingdom authority.

(for more, see my books Authority, and Who’s in Charge Around Here?)

The widow of Zarephath’s son had died.

“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He (1) took him from her arms, (2) carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and (3) laid him on his bed.
 Then he (4) cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?”
 Then he (5) stretched himself out on the boy three times and (6) cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived (1 Kings 17:19-22).

Jairus’s daughter had died.

[Jesus] went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and walked around. (Mark 5:40-42)

Israel needed rain.

Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.
 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea” . . . the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, [and] a heavy rain came on. 1 Kings 18:42-45

A storm swamped the disciples’ boat.

 [Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39

Elijah had to pray eight times for the rain to come. Jesus just said, “Quiet! Be still!” Three times Elijah stretched himself on the dead boy, twice pleading with the Lord. Jesus just said, “Get up!”

Jesus demonstrates kingdom authority

Jesus didn’t plead with the Lord. He didn’t bow down. He didn’t even pray. He just commanded, and the world obeyed.

Then he passed that kingdom authority to us: I have given you authority . . . to overcome all the power of the enemy. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (see Luke 10:19; Matthew 28:18-20).

Who do you follow? Do you copy Jesus? Or Elijah?

Then what is the prayer of faith in James 5? See my next blog.

Jesus came to show us the Father. He preached the gospel, cast out demons, raised the dead, and healed the sick.

He also said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Am I a disciple? Then shouldn’t I do what Jesus did, and not what he didn’t?

What Jesus didn’t do

* He never asked the Father to heal.

* He never used angels.

* He never set conditions: “If you do this first, I’ll heal you.” He sometimes brought correction AFTER healing (see John 5:14).

* He never said any sickness, person, or situation was too hard.

* He never said healing wasn’t the Father’s will.

He healed all who came or were brought to Him: tax-collectors, sinners, hypocrites, Pharisees, idolaters, unbelievers, doubters, you and me!

What he did

1)   He laid hands on people: “When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying His hands on each one, He healed them” (Luke 4:40). This is the simplest method, and He used it even when faith levels were low.

2)   He commanded: He spoke to the sickness, demons, ears, eyes, sick person—the “mountains.” He didn’t pray about them but used His authority. We should do the same and expect the same results. Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked (John 5:8-9).

3)   He spoke a word: Jesus said to the royal official (John 4:49), “You may go. Your son will live.” The fever left at that moment. Peter said to Aeneas, “Jesus Christ heals you” (Acts 9:34).

4)   He used faith triggers: He spat, made mud, put His fingers in ears, sent ten lepers to the priests, and told the man born blind to wash in the pool of Siloam. Obedience releases faith. (If the Lord prompts you to do something unusual, ask permission!)

5)   He used words of knowledge: A father brought his epileptic son to Jesus. “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again” (Mark 9:25). Only the Holy Spirit could have shown Jesus the root cause of the problem.

6)   He persevered: In Bethsaida, people brought a blind man to Jesus (Mark 8:22-26.) He led him out of the village, spat on his eyes, laid hands on him, and asked if he could see. He could see a little. Jesus laid hands again!  We are often guilty of expecting instant results. Healing is a process.

7)   He leaked! The people all tried to touch him because power was coming from Him and healing them all (Luke 6:19). People have been healed walking into our meetings. We are filled with the same Holy Spirit as Jesus!

Which method to use?

Use the one prompted by the Holy Spirit or try the order above. You will need faith, but God wants all people well, and he wants you to minister his healing. Go for it!

On my way to the Christchurch airport, we visited a rest home, to minister to a lady with a leg ulcer that wouldn’t heal. We anointed her with oil and spoke healing in the name of Jesus. We saw no change and left to catch my flight. The ulcer has since healed, and the lady is walking. Read the full story.

In Tonga, I was called to the hospital. A lady lay comatose. “She flew from another island for an operation,” her friend said. “They found so much cancer, they left her to die.”

I laid hands and spoke Psalm 118:17: “You will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” She smiled, and I left. A week later I was told, “The next morning she awoke, ate breakfast, dressed, and flew home.”

A divine rebuke

Aaron and Miriam opposed Moses, saying he wasn’t the only one who could hear from God. The Lord rebuked them, and leprosy broke out on Miriam. Moses prayed, “Oh God, please heal her.”

The Lord replied, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back” (Numbers 12:14). She obeyed and was healed.

A strange command

Ten lepers shouted to Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” Jesus replied, “Go show yourselves to the priests” (see Luke 17:13-14). They were not healed immediately, for they were cleansed as they went.

I can imagine the conversation. “It works for others, but not us. He doesn’t care. What a waste of time.”

The Samaritan might have replied, “Shouldn’t we do what he said?”

“Look at you! Nothing’s changed. How can we show ourselves to the priests like this?”

Sometimes he tests our hearts.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus said to Peter (Matthew 16:19). He went on, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Whole books have been written about binding and loosing, which imply astonishing authority. But what are the keys?

Keys open locks and doors. Spiritual keys open hearts—things we do or say that cause people to receive the Good News and surrender to Jesus. What caused you to turn?

When Jesus sent out the twelve, he commanded them, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7-8). Here are five keys:

The message

The gospel of Christ is the power of God. When we share the gospel, it changes hearts.

Healing

In Nepal, 90% come to Christ through healing, a demonstration of both the power and love of God. He loves people and hates sickness.

Raising the Dead

When the Lord used Peter to raise Dorcas from the dead (see Acts 9:42), the miracle became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Cleansing the Lepers

Leprosy is less common today, but outcasts are everywhere: refugees, addicts, the homeless, and the abused. When we care, people notice.

Drive out demons

There are only two kingdoms—light and darkness. Only Christians can cast out demons. The devil cannot drive out himself. On the far side of Lake Galilee, Jesus set a demoniac free. When the transformed man told his story, hundreds came to Jesus.

We have the keys. Let’s use them!

When we pray for the sick, if we’re honest, most of the time we’re praying in hope—hoping something will happen this time.

At the back of our minds are all those occasions when nothing happened. We prayed for Aunt Elsa. She died. These memories are deadly.

Deadly Experience

What we’re really doing is elevating our experience above the word of God. God promises to answer our prayers, and if we lay hands on sick people they will recover (Mark 16:17-18). So what’s going on?

Jesus never commended anyone for their hope. “According to your faith will it be done to you,” he said to the two blind men in Matthew 9:29. He told the woman with the issue of blood her faith had healed her.

Hope knows it’s possible. Faith knows it’s a done deal. Hope knows God can. Faith knows he will. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Hope comes first

Hebrews 11:1 says, now faith is being sure of what we hope for. We must have hope in order to have faith.

We all struggle with faith. Mine goes up and down like my emotions, but to please God there has to be some faith around. As believers, we’re expected to add our mustard seed to the mix. What to do?

Borrow the Lord’s

Some years ago, ministering to some sick people, I came to a man with curvature of the spine. I felt my faith fizzle. “How long have you had this?” I asked.

“I was born like this.”

Any remaining faith leaked through my shoes. I prayed, “Jesus, my faith died. Can I borrow some of yours?”

The man fell to the floor. Five minutes later, he stood. “I am totally healed!”

When Jesus healed the sick, stilled the storm, and cursed the fig tree, he didn’t pray.

His relationship with Abba was closer than ours. But only three times in the New Testament did people pray before ministry, and they teach us valuable lessons.

Raising Faith

In Acts 28, the prisoner Paul enters the house of the chief official’s father, sick in bed with dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him (Acts 28:8). The Greek says, “Having prayed”.

Paul prayed, then laid hands (ministry), and God healed him. These were unbelievers. Paul needed to create an atmosphere of faith, showing then where the power came from. With their faith high, the rest of the sick came and were cured.

Raising Dorcas

In Joppa, a godly older disciple died. The saints called Peter and led him upstairs to her room. He removed them, got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” (Acts 9:40). She sat up.

First prayer, then ministry using a command. Why? Dorcas (aka Tabitha) was the oldest person to be raised from the dead in the Bible. Perhaps it was her time to go home to the Lord? Peter needed to know.

Raising Lazarus

When his good friend died, Jesus waited two days then walked another two days to the village. In front of the tomb, he prays this weird prayer. “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41-42).

He then called, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man emerged. Prayer then ministry. He didn’t need to pray, but wanted us to know he’d already prayed and had the answer.

Prayer and ministry are quite different. Both are vital. Prayer is communication with God—a vertical transaction. Ministry is communication with people—a horizontal transaction.

In these three occasions, something needed to be established first, before the ministry. After that, they were good to go.

Jesus said, I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12).

Note the condition? Faith in Jesus. For the first five keys (faith in his love, sacrifice, word, power, and example,) see my earlier blog. Here are five more:

Jesus said, I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12).

Faith in his authority

“All authority has been given to me,” said Jesus in Matthew 28:18. He is Lord of the universe. Everything is under his authority, and everything must obey. It’s not hard for the God who created the heavens to move a mountain or grow a leg. Meditate on that word all.

Faith in his command

Matthew 28 continues, “Therefore go and make disciples… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The command transfers the authority to us.

Obedience is the mark of a disciple. He commanded the apostles to preach the kingdom, heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead. He told them to teach us.

You think you can’t? Totally irrelevant! He told you to do it, so off you go. You’ll be amazed.

Faith in his Name

In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a crippled beggar. A crowd gathers, and Peter preaches, “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong” (Acts 3:16).

There is power in the name of Jesus! It is the name above every name. At a big rally, a preacher commanded a deaf person to be healed using the names of other religious leaders. Nothing happened. When he used the name of Jesus, the man was instantly healed.

It’s not enough just to use the name, like the sons of Sceva in Acts 19. We must have faith in the name. It’s holy, it’s powerful, and it works!

Faith in his presence

Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). This is not a conditional promise, but a statement of fact. The Lord of creation indwells every atom. There is nowhere he isn’t!

He is not just with you, he is for you. All we do in the kingdom of God is a partnership with the Lord, for nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). When you stretch forth a hand to heal, it is his. When you command a spirit, it is him speaking.

Faith in his promise

No matter how many promises the Lord has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. Galatians 3:5: Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

All God’s promises are conditional. Under Law, the condition was obedience. Under the new covenant, it’s faith. Jesus said to Jairus, whose daughter had died, “Only believe.”

We don’t put our faith in our own efforts, gifts, methods, prayers or even in faith. We put our faith in Jesus.