God’s Healing Power

“The Miracle of Healing” – R. Nelson

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.” Psalm 103:2-4;

ENCOURAGING WORD:

During His three years of public ministry, Jesus Christ performed many miracles of healing. Some of them were widely publicized while others only get a brief mention and many more were never mentioned at all. Jesus performed so many miracles that were not recorded as we read in John 22:25; “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. We also read a few verses earlier , John 20: 30-31; “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. These two verses explain why Jesus did so many miracles, it was so that those that lived in those days would realize that He was who He claimed to be, “The Messiah of Israel” yet, He was despised and rejected by His own as we read in Isaiah where it was prophesized between 740 BC and 686 BC where it is written, Isaiah 53:3; “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Jesus also had this to say concerning this verse, John 5:43; “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. Just like Isaiah prophesied, Jesus Christ did come on the scene and just like Isaiah said would happen, happened.

Most of us are all familiar with the stories about Jesus Christ and all the different healings that He performed right in front of the Hebrews of His days, and then we say, “How could the Israelites have be so blind as to not know that Jesus Christ was their Messiah?” My first response to this question is, how we can be so ignorant and blind to not know that Jesus is still in the healing business today. There are supernatural healings happening every day and just because they are not quite as obvious as they might have been back in those days, they are still all around today. We just finished with a story on last week’s blog about a precious family that has gone through a tremendous trial and through it all they have seen the hand of God touch them in so many ways. If you are following our blogs, and had chance to read Angela Johns story, you will see a couple of those miracles that are clearly supernatural. Their little baby girl was born 15 weeks early and was one pound six ounces and twelve inches long at birth. They were told several times that their baby would most likely not survive because of the extreme conditions that she was in. But yet, through the love, faith and trust in their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they have miraculously witnessed time and time again the loving and powerful healing hands of God almighty. We are going to continue to carry their story so that all who read it can follow it. We all need to pray for Angela, their little girl and the rest of their family for the healing touch of another miracle. Those of us who are true Christians, know the power of prayer and know that God hears or prayers, there is no force in the universe that is more powerful than reaching out to God with love, faith and trust. Let’s all get together in prayer and witness the power and love of our loving heavenly Father for this precious family.   

There are many people in the world even today that have witnessed healings of a supernatural kind. But for those that have not witnessed them firsthand, they always try to find a way to deny it or somehow explain it away. People just do not what to accept the fact that God is real and that He is still in the business of supernatural healings. We read in Mark 9:23; “If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Once again, as we read through the Word of God, we find that it is always by believing and trusting in Jesus Christ that prayers are answered. So many people pray and hope without really believing! I once heard a story about a man that was talking with Gandhi and the man asked Gandhi, “Why is there so much Spiritual healing in India?”  His answer was about as simple an answer as you could get, Gandhi’s reply was, “Because we do not have a second protocol” In other words, they do not have the doctors that we have in America, so they have to rely on prayer and spiritual healings. They pray and believe God will heal them, and He does. In America, the first thing we do every time we have a cough or cold or do not feel just right, we rush right off to the nearest doctor for some kind of medicine. Then if that does not work, then we might get referred to a specialist. After all is said and done and there is still no relief, then we turn to prayer. We always use prayer as a last resort. Do you think God appreciates being the last option on your list, especially when He could heal you with a simple prayer and trust? We in America in most cases do not have the kind of faith it takes for this kind of healing. We put more trust in man than we do in God.

The first thing we need to do when we feel something is not physically right with us, is to take it to God in faith. God will do one of two things, He will either give you comfort and see you though it or He may guide you to see a doctor or physician for proper attention for your specific illness. God will do things that will bring Him the glory even when it comes by way of a doctor. We will never know why God does the things that He does, but we can be certain of one thing, He will always do what is best for us, especially if we have given our lives over to Him. Remember, God is our Father, what Father wouldn’t take care of His child.

We read in Matthew 21:18-22; “Now in the morning, as He (Jesus) returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.

Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” This story goes much deeper into symbolism, but the point that I want to make is this, with this kind of faith, we can do anything as Jesus is proclaiming, however, I do not believe that this strong of faith is quite uncommon in America or any other part of the world today for that matter. He was talking to His disciples at that time and eventually through the Holy Spirit, He did give them the power to perform supernatural healings in His name. Acts 19:11-12; tells us that God did many miracles through Paul, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” I do believe God has given certain people today the power of healing, but it is still the healing power of God working through those people, it is not by their own power.

I want to share a story of a supernatural healing that I’ve heard about a while back. “There was this lady that took her then three-year-old daughter to the doctor and then to a specialist because she suspecting something wasn’t right, but every time the child’s blood work kept coming back fine. Finally, one night the child was breathing so abnormally, that she took her to the emergency room. She thought the child had pneumonia. But the ER doctor felt that it was something much more serious. The doctors were not sure how she was still breathing. She told them it must be a sign God was not going to take her at this time. She was later told, had she not gone to the emergency room that night, her little girl would certainly have died in her sleep. They soon learned the child had high-risk stage four cancer. They were in the hospital seventy eight days straight, she had a chest tube for weeks and kept getting infections. They prayed for her like they have never prayed before. She was on every prayer list they could imagine. She was told over and over again, “God only gives us what we can handle.” Although it was meant to be supportive, she found it to feel like a hurtful phrase, as if because of her strength her daughter was victimized by cancer. As an alternative, a friend told her, “God gives you what you can’t handle so you have to trust in Him.” Her daughter is now a thriving 11-year-old. They call her their “miracle kid” because that is what she is.” This is just one of hundreds of miraculous healings that are being shared with us even though I believe that there are many more. Spiritual healing is happening much more than we know, but because most people are afraid to talk about it in fear of being labeled some kind of nut, they will not openly discuss it.

Of course, we know all too often the other side of the coin as well, where someone was sick and prayer was administered but for some reason, God chose to take them home rather that keep them here on earth. This is one of those things that we will never understand this side of heaven, but God has a plan through it all for those that are His. This is why it is so important to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and receive the Holy Spirit into your heart, because when someone does pass away unexpectedly or prematurely, we can be rest assured that they are with Jesus Christ. It does not mean that we do not mourn for a lost loved one, it just brings us comfort knowing where they are and that we will see them again. We read in Psalm 116: 15 where Jesus says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” So, when we lose a loved one that is saved,even though we mourn, it is precious in the sight of Jesus Christ!

With all the discussion above about physical healing, there is another healing that I believe is much more important and that is spiritual healing. We are all born with a body, soul and spirit. The physical healing which can occur here on earth with our earthly bodies will only last a short time, but the spirit and soul will live on forever. Jesus tells us in the following verse why it is so important that your spirit gets right with the Lord, ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30; He also tells us in John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Where physical healing can often come through man, spiritual healing can only come by submitting you’re life to Jesus Christ! 1 Corinthians 2:11-13; “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Romans 8:10; puts this in a way that should be quite simple to understand. “And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. Our bodies from birth to death are infected with the worst disease known to man, it is called S.I.N. positive and has eternal consequence if not taken care of. Unlike many of the other serious disease’s that are plaguing our world, S.I.N does have a known cure. The only cure known to man is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and receiving the Holy Spirit into your heart. That is known as spiritual healings which we must all receive in order to be saved from eternal separation from our God.  1 Peter 2:24; says it plain and simple, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” It does not get any simpler than that. Jesus paid for all of our sins, all we have to do is accept His free gift of grace and receive the cleansing blood of His righteousness.

ACTION POINT:

There are so many ways that people deal with the death of a loved one. I’ve seen those who blame God and then say that they hate Him, and then I’ve seen people that lost a loved one and it actually brought them closer to God. The difference in how someone reacts to a death of a loved one depends on their relationship with God almighty, Jesus Christ! If you know someone that is nearing the end of their life for some reason or other, the most important thing that you can do above all else is pray for them and bring them to saving grace of Jesus Christ in repentance. For some reason, that we will never understand, God will heal some people and some people God will take home to be with Him. Try to keep in mind, while we are still on earth mourning for a loved one that loved one is happier than he or she has even been. It is kind of selfish when we want them to come back, but that is our human nature. That is why sometimes when we have a loved one that is passing away, we want them to hang on as long as they can because we cannot accept the fact that we will have to say our final goodbyes. What I hope that you to take away from all this is; when a loved one is suffering from some form of illness, seek first God, and then follow His guiding hand. If for some reason God does not heal them, and decides to take him or her home, know that God is in charge and everything that He does is working out for the good to those that truly love Him. Once again, we read this wonderful verse in Romans 8:28; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” All things, not some! Even in the death of a loved one, if you are a child of God, it is working out for the good. 1 Corinthian 13:12; gives us this truth, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” When we get to heaven everything will be crystal clear!

Commentary from our Chaplin – R. Fritz

The Miracle of Healing

Most people do not understand that Jesus Christ gave the gift of healing to his disciples, and then to his followers. Matthew 10:1 says “And when he called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” 1 Corinthians 12:7, 9 says “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. To another faith by the same spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.” This talks about the Spiritual gifts that have been given to believers. Our Lord has the ability to heal whoever he wants at any time. Ron has brought up about 1 Peter 2:24 where Jesus bore our sins on the cross and by his wounds you are healed. Because Jesus took our sins, we just have to believe to be healed. Matthew 9:20-22 says “And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself, If I may touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned around, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”  This is believing. Believing is not a thought, it is an action. She went out of her way to get a chance to get close enough to him and knew she would be healed.

The gifts that the Lord has given believers through the Holy Spirit are used by the Lord to heal Gods people. I have personally been healed of major issues a few times. I found out that I had a herniated disc in my back about 18 years ago. The doctor said to me that he wanted to do surgery, I said to him that my God would take care of my back problem. A few weeks later I went to a church that believed in healing and they had a visiting pastor show up and he called me from the crowd and told me that I had a back problem. He prayed for me and my back felt better. When I got home I continued to pray and within two days my back was good and I never had a problem with it since. The second time I was healed, I come home from hunting and could not go to the bathroom. The Lord told me “Trust me.” The next night He woke me and healed me and that morning when I got up, I had no problem going to the bathroom.

The Lord still does many healings even after He walked the earth or He may decide to use believers that are filled with the Holy Spirit. The woman that touched Jesus’s hem of His garment was a literal touch. We can “Spiritually” touch his garment today by praying and crying out to the Lord or by going to a church that believes in healing and will pray for you. I was healed of what I call minor issues many times. I just needed to believe and trust in the Lord. If I have been healed many times just by believing, Jesus will do the same for you. The difference is believing. There are many issues, mental or physical that are spiritual diseases and should be healed by the Lord. Doctors always want to prescribe medications to deal with issues that they have no answers for.

If you have read last week’s blog “A Precious Story” you could clearly see why the Lord blessed Angela Johns and her family with the miracle birth of their daughter Izrielle. It was their belief and trust in the Lord. When you have that much belief and trust, God will bless you mightily. This is the first of many times that God will use their story to teach people with what He can do for those who are going through trials that go way beyond their understanding. The Lord will bless this family mightily for being obedient to him.

In Conclusion – R. Nelson

When we get right down to it, I believe that millions of people have been healed by the powerful hand of the all-mighty God, they just did not realized that it was God who did the healing, so in most cases they have chalked it up to nature taking its course. Like Rick said above, our Lord has the ability to heal whoever He may whenever He wants. The power of spiritual healing boils down to how much faith and trust that we have in God. In closing I want to share one more story about a close friend that I have. About two years ago, Harry was diagnosed with a form of cancer that He was told would most likely take his life very soon. He was told that he could go on chemotherapy to allow him a few more months of life. He chose to decline the chemotherapy and trust in God to do what was in Gods will. He was told that without chemotherapy, he would most likely die very soon. I’m not sure of the exact time frame that they gave him, but to make a long story short, Harry is somewhere around seventy three years old and by the grace of God, Harry was given two or more year of quality life. We never expected Harry to golf with us anymore, but once again, by the grace of God, Harry joined us out on the golf course often. Although the cancer never really went away, he would go on living as if it were not present in his body. It’s been about two or three years now and it looks as if God is finally going to call Harry home, but all through this battle, Harry has put all his faith in God and was always willing to accept whatever God decided for his life. I have seen the power of God work in the lives of so many people. Some God healed to the point of complete healing and some, like Harry, He prolonged his life when everybody else in the medical field said he would soon pass away. Everything that God does in the life of a believer is being used for his glory. When God heals us of whatever sickness that we may have, we can be sure that it is all working out for the good as we read, once again in Romans 8:28; “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” To me this is one of the most comforting verses in the scriptures of the Holy Bible. So, if you want to feel the same security as those that have put their faith in the almighty God, turn to the Lord today and give Him all access to your life and believe on Him whom the Father has sent as we read in the following verse, John 6: 28-29;“Then they (The Disciples) said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.” The powers of God lay in the depth our faith. God gave us the power, we just have to know how to unleash it! ” Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!