Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Working with the Healer

Hello Everyone,

Is there anyone on this earth who doesn’t need the healing touch of God in some area of their lives? Would anyone willingly not choose to live in divine health? I think the answer is obvious, don’t you? We all need the healing power of God to not only bring healing, but sustain the wholeness it brings. Because of the shed blood of Jesus, and the presence of the Precious Holy Spirit in our lives, we can experience this! Now, contrary to what some Christians may think, I wholeheartedly agree with the Word of God that clearly tells us Jesus suffered the severest flogging prior to His crucifixion so that we can be healed and made whole in this life. The Word declares that God is our healer; that He is impartial on this matter and not a respecter of persons when it comes to His will for ALL people to be healed and made whole. God is the Divine Healer and it is His divine will that every one of His creation walks healed and whole!

Jesus Christ went to the cross and endured so much suffering so that we could receive healing from every disease. 1 Peter 2: 24 says, “He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” Matthew 10:1 says, “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal ALL kinds of sickness and ALL kinds of disease.”  

Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our guilt and iniquities; and the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him, we are healed and made whole.” The Hebrew word for healed here specifically means physical as well as mental and emotional healing. Jesus died for the complete healing of our bodies, souls and spirits.  

Now, having said that, since the Word of God tells us His Spirit lives on the inside of us – and that His power to heal is alive and active in Him – we can expect that healing power to be alive and active in us too. I understand that this may be a bit of a mind bender for some.  But the time has come for the church to see God’s Word for what it says and what it is, and acknowledge it as the ultimate truth concerning us. When we agree with the Word, believe it and begin to appropriate it as the final authority for all things, we will experience a shift in our mindsets where we begin to see and believe things as God does. This shift is where faith in God’s Word becomes the dominating influence in our lives, instead of the natural circumstances that seem to limit us.

Smith Wigglesworth strongly reminded believers of our responsibility in this regard. He said where much is given, much is required. In other words, if we don’t move forward and walk in the light of the truth that has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit from His Word, we will forfeit living in the supernatural here on earth. If living supernaturally is something we can actually experience, would we really want to opt for anything less? Would you be content to live at the mercy of your circumstances, letting the devil reap havoc in your life, while you suffer and say, “God is in control, so I’ll just sit by and let things happen.”? Really…is that in line with God’s Word? Absolutely not! Jesus said while we are here on earth, we are to be vitally abiding in Him, filled with His Word and power, taking authority over the devil and ministering the life and peace and miraculous in people’s lives. We are supposed to be His representatives by bringing the reality of the supernatural into this natural world. Many people say we are to only represent Jesus in His character traits by being peaceful and kind and tolerant of all people. But when you take a look at the nature and character of Jesus in the Word, as much as He loved people, He had no tolerance for sin or powerless religion. He had no tolerance for deception that kept people in bondage and lack, or sickness and pain and suffering. And neither should we.  

Our enemy is not flesh and blood, but principalities and rulers of darkness that manipulate and keep people in bondage through sickness. If we are to fight the good fight of faith and overcome the attack of the enemy in this life, do we even suppose we will do it without being skilled in operating in the supernatural power of God? Do you think being a passive Christian who tolerates every kind of evil, and just looks the other way saying “God is in control” is going to make any difference in this world? Yes, God is in control; that’s why He sent Jesus so that whoever receives and believes on Him will walk in His authority to stand up to the devil, supernaturally turning the tables on him and all the evil he spews out on people in this world.

We are the light of the world, we are the salt of the earth and we need to supernaturally influence it if we are going to be counted as Christ’s representatives. In John 15 Jesus tells us we must abide in Him by having the truth of His Word mould and shape the way we think and speak and act. When we do, there will be real evidence of what that abiding Word produces in our lives. That evidence is called fruit and it fills our lives with the actual substance of what the revealed truth has promised. In other words, when we understand and agree and believe what the Word says about God being our healer and that His Holy Spirit has empowered us with spiritual gifts to operate in partnership with Him to bring healing to all who need it; then we will begin to do just that! And as we do, there is actual evidence of God’s Word being alive and productive in us.  

Listen, Jesus said if we don’t bear evidence of what His Word says, we will be cut off as a withered branch; and if we don’t allow our saltiness to influence this world, we are of no significant value to the kingdom of God. But, on the other hand, if we do abide in Jesus and have His Word remain and produce fruit in our lives so that we begin to live supernaturally by the power of His Holy Spirit, He said “Ask whatever you will and I will give it to you” (John 15:7).

God has given us all these powerful and marvellous gifts of the Holy Spirit as tools to manifest His goodness and love on this earth. They are such a dynamic way to supernaturally represent the truth of Who He is to all people. When we stop being ignorant about them and learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to teach us how to sharpen our sensitivity to remain in tune with Him, He will do His supernatural work through us! Can you imagine to what extent we can destroy the work of the devil and extend the kingdom of God if we live this way? All we need to do is be willing and obedient to the Spirit of God Who lives inside us.  

Now, when we explore the gifts of healings, there is a reason for the plural use of the words gifts and healings. That’s because when people need the healing power of God in their lives, every situation is different, which means different gifts will work together to bring different healings. Smith Wigglesworth operated in the gifts of healings in such a powerful way, and he said the Holy Spirit would always reveal and teach him how to deal and work with each individual person that he would minister to. He said the most important requirement for this gift to work is to feel and be led by the compassion of God for the person who is in need of healing. He also said it’s vital to exercise the fruit of patience while ministering to them. He said he would always see the person through the eyes of God, being ready with a word of comfort for them, encouraging them in their faith. But he said he would always have a Holy anger towards the devil and the pain and suffering he inflicted on them. 

He said we are to deal with sickness as we deal with the devil. There will be times when the Holy Spirit will reveal that something is amiss in the person’s life, either through a word of knowledge or the gift of discernment. In some cases they may have neglected certain things in their lives which gave place to the devil, and they first need to deal with that before healing can take place. Things like unforgiveness, or known sin, can certainly give the devil permission to hold them in bondage through sickness. Once that is quickly taken care of, he would feel the faith of God rise up inside him, and his own faith would rise up to embrace that conviction and he would curse the sickness or cancer or whatever was plaguing that person and holding them in bondage.  

The Bible says we have been given the power to bind and loose on earth, whatever is bound and loosed in heaven, and it’s important to remember that it’s not our power that deals with the devil, but the power of the Living God that lives inside us. We are a temple; a vessel filled with the Holy Ghost Who longs to operate His supernatural healing power through us!

The Holy Spirit is the part of us that connects us to all the power and resources of heaven, while we are on the earth! God wants the very atmosphere of heaven to touch and influence people; without the manifestation of these supernatural gifts, heaven is only going to be what they read about in the pages of the Bible.  

Most importantly, we must understand that faith is what is required for us to receive healing, and operate in the gifts of healings. In Luke 8:42-48, we read how Jesus felt the healing power go out from Him when the woman with the issue of blood’s faith put a demand on that healing power. Then, after she received it, she openly declared her healing. This is very important. The Bible says we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! Whenever the healing power of God is manifest, we must testify of it because that testimony becomes a powerful weapon against the devil. It not only builds our faith, but builds the faith of others to believe God for their healing too. 

Now, to close off this powerful letter, for those of you believing God for healing in your own body, here are three primary ways to receive healing…

To being with, we must have the Word of God as our authority to believe for our healing. We went over some powerful promises for God’s healing at the start of this message. These promises provide the concrete foundation for our faith to receive and enable us to resist the devil’s attempts to convince our minds otherwise. The devil cannot dispute the truth of God’s Word; in fact, he’s defenceless against it.  

Secondly, when we pray in agreement with another believer, our faith is strengthened to receive the outcome of God’s promise. Matthew 18:19-20 says, “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them.”     

Thirdly, the Bible does say we can go to the elders or pastors of the church so they can lay their hands on us to receive healing. This way we can combine our faith with theirs to receive healing.

Now I’ve given you more than enough material to meditate on concerning the spiritual gifts of healings. Until next week, choose to be sensitive to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and practice working in partnership with the One Who is our Healer.

Much love,

Jenny


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