God wants to bless His children with good health
in addition to prosperity in all things that include the soul as well. The apostle
John wrote:
“Beloved,
I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 Jn. 2)
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your
flesh, and strength to your bones. (Pro. 3: 7-8)
The “fear of the LORD” is the pathway of good health
and healing. The Hebrew word for "health" comes from the word “rapha” which means "to heal." There is, of course, healing for the inner person - the forgiveness
of sins and the release from bondage and stronghold of the devil. God also promises
healing for the body: “health to your flesh,
and strength to your bones.” God wants every
part of your body to be healthy.
Divine Healing is the supernatural healing of
any sickness or disease by the Lord Jesus Christ who is God manifested in the flesh.
We read in the Holy Bible about His healing ministry.
“Now Jesus
went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness
and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all
Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases
and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics and He healed them.” (Mt. 4:23-24)
The Lord Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever” therefore
what He did two thousand years ago He can also do so today (Heb. 13:8). Jesus consistently showed
God's mercy and compassion by healing all that came to Him, and even after His ascension to Heaven the apostles and early
church continued this healing ministry. The prophet Isaiah wrote:
“Surely
He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; smitten by God, and afflicted. But
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisements for our peace was upon Him, and
by His stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53: 4-5)
This prophetic word clearly teaches that bodily healing
is included in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is verified by what Matthew wrote:
“When
evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all
who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying: “He Himself took our infirmities
and bore our sickness.” (Mt. 8:16-17)
The apostle Peter also wrote about the atonement of
our Lord Jesus Christ “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died
to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24) The scriptures link the grounds of provision
for both our salvation and our healing to the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. However, neither of them
is automatically given to us; for each provision – a soul’s eternal salvation or a person’s temporal, physical
healing – can only be received by personal faith and prayer.
The Lord Jesus Christ heals
through Forgiveness of Sin
Originally there was no death and no sickness in the Garden of Eden. Spiritual
death came after Adam and Eve had sinned against God and physical death followed. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all
men, because all sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) Humankind from then on was subject to
diseases, sicknesses, illnesses and physical deterioration. Sin, which is separation
from God, was the source of all kinds of deadly diseases.
Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated a correlation between sin and sickness when He said to the paralytic: “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mk. 2:5) After Jesus had healed a man
who had an infirmity thirty eight years He said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (Jn. 5:14)
The Lord Jesus Christ heals
through Casting out Demons
“God has anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who
went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)
It is clear that the Lord Jesus Christ was healing the sick that were “oppressed by the
devil”. Sickness was and is still caused by the devil who “oppresses”
the sick folks with it. “Then Satan went
out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”
(Job
2:7) The apostle Paul wrote, “a thorn in the flesh
was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” (2 Cor. 12:7)
The Lord Jesus Christ healed “a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years.” (Lk. 13:11) And when the Pharisees complained about Jesus healing the woman on a Sabbath day, He said to them,
“So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound; think of it;
for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Lk. 13:16) Christians need to realize
and accept the truth that sick folks with terminal illnesses and chronic diseases such as cancer have the “spirit
of infirmity” and are bound by Satan. The spirit of cancer can be cast out.
“As they went out, behold they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.
And the multitudes marveled, saying, ‘It was never seen like this in Israel.” (Mt. 9:32-33)
“Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He
healed him, so the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.” (Mt. 12:22)
The Lord Jesus Christ has given this same power and authority to all true ministers of the Apostolic Church.
“And these signs will follow those who believe:
In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink
anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’ So then, after the LORD had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand
of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the LORD working with them
and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” (Mk. 16:17-17-20)
May God bless you