Eight Things We Need to Heal the Sick



Eight Things We Need to Heal the Sick

1. We need to know that God wants to heal the sick

1John 5:14-15-“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

These verses show us that there is a confidence that comes when we know God wants to give us something we are asking Him for, and this applies to healing as well as everything else we can pray for. If we’re not sure God wants to give it, then we will be wishing or hoping, not believing. This confidence is one in which we are not begging, trying to get God to do something, but asking Him to do what we know He already wants to do. If I were asking you to do a favor for me and I wasn’t sure you would want to do it, I would have to try to convince you to do it for me before I would expect you to do it for me. I wouldn’t be sure that you were going to do it for me until I knew you were willing to do it for me. That’s how we are with God sometimes. Sometimes we think we have to convince God to do something and we end up begging because we’re not sure He wants to do it. We would have a lot more confidence if we understood He already wants to heal the sick. Then we will not be begging, but will boldly claim the promise of healing that God has already provided for us and we will begin ministering it to others.

I have often heard people say, “I know God can heal me” but I haven’t heard very many people say, “I know God will heal me.” We do need to know that God has the power, but most Christians will readily admit that God is all-powerful; the issue is whether or not He wants to. If we don’t realize that God wants to heal the sick, we will not pray for them because we don’t expect Him to do it, and that brings me to my next point.

2. Expect God to heal the sick when we pray (“Have faith in God”)

James 5:15 says, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick…” When we are praying “the prayer of faith” we are praying in faith, expecting to receive what we are praying for. Let’s take receiving salvation as an example. When a person comes to Christ and is born again, he doesn’t say, “I hope He’ll forgive me.” No, that person heard someone say that if they confessed their sins and believed on Jesus, they would be saved, and they came to Him, acting on that word. It’s the same when we heal the sick, we must have a confidence that if we lay hands on the sick, they will be healed. Did Jesus say that those who believe would lay hands on the sick and they might recover? No! He said they will recover. Jesus didn’t see it as a maybe thing; He saw it as a sure thing. He expected the sick to be healed when we lay hands on them, and He still expects that today. The Gospels record the account of how Jesus healed the servant of a Roman soldier. Mark 8:7 tells us that Jesus said to the Roman soldier, “I will come and heal him.” Notice that He didn’t say, “I will come and pray for him.” We can say, “I will pray for you” and we may not expect God to heal that person. You may remind me that it is actually God who heals, and I totally agree, but in Matthew 10, when Jesus sent out the twelve He didn’t tell them to pray for the sick, He told them to heal the sick. He later sent out the seventy with the same command (Luke 10:9). I believe Jesus said, “heal the sick” because He expects it to happen and He wants us to expect it as well.

In saying that Jesus commands us to heal the sick, I want to make it clear that it is in His power that we do this. We heal the sick by asking Him to do it expecting Him to do what he promised to do.

Mark 11:22-24, says,” So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Note that Jesus said, “When you pray, believe…” He didn’t say, ‘When you pray and see the answer, believe.” We are to believe even before we see the answer. I want to see people healed immediately, but if that does not happen, then I cannot lose heart. My expectation is not based on what I see, but on what God says. I expect Jesus to heal, not because I always see immediate results, but because He promised that when I lay hands on the sick, they will recover.

3. We need an understanding that healing is part of our salvation.

Another thing we need if we are to heal the sick is an understanding that it has already been purchased for us at the cross. That fact clearly shows that God wants to heal us. He wants it so bad that He suffered to do it for us. We all know Isaiah 53:5, which says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 also says that “by His stripes we are healed” but puts it in the past tense. And Matthew 8:17 tells us that Jesus bore our sicknesses. These and many other verses in the Bible plainly tell us that healing is one of the blessings that have been provided for us in salvation.

Most of the time, when we think of salvation we think of forgiveness and having our names written in heaven. I am glad that God has forgiven me and written my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but that is only part of salvation. Seeing healing as something separate from salvation will greatly hinder our ministry to the sick. Healing is not what God will do in the future, it is something that He already did two thousand years ago, and we are to bring forth the manifestation by praying for the sick. I know that when I got the revelation of healing being part of salvation, it brought a great increase in my faith for healing. Without that revelation I would not have the faith I need to minister in the healing room today.

4. The Lord’s compassion

In Matthew 14:14 we find a statement that expresses a constant fact about Jesus’ ministry: “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.” In reading the gospels, one gets the impression that Jesus was constantly surrounded by multitudes of people in need, and numerous times the Bible says that Jesus had compassion on them and healed them. If we are to heal the sick, it is an absolute necessity that we have the compassion of the Lord. In John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” I want you to notice that Jesus says we are to love as He loved. How did Jesus love? He loved in a way that moved Him to act. When He saw the sick, He did not just feel sorry for them and pray for them to have the strength to endure, He healed them. He also loved unconditionally. Another thing the Bible frequently says is that He healed all who came to Him. If Jesus loved in such a way that moved Him to heal everyone who came to Him, then how are we to love? In a way that moves us to pray for every sick person we encounter.

If you are reading this and you feel that you may be lacking in this area, remember that as a follower of Jesus Christ, you have been made a partaker of the divine nature (2Peter 1:4). You need that compassion, and it has been given to you. If you want to grow in this area, pray and ask God to help you. He is here to help you walk in His compassion to heal the sick.

5. An understanding that we are called to continue Jesus’ ministry

John 20:21 says, “So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And John 14:12 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” We see in these two verses that we are called to continue Jesus’ ministry here on earth. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ…” We are called by God to represent Jesus and continue the work He started during His ministry here on earth. That is why the Church is referred to as “the body of Christ” and it is why, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called us “the light of the world.” We have the promise that we can continue Jesus’ work and actually do greater things than He did! Many people have tried to teach that to mean more in number, but I believe that He meant it to be taken literally. Peter walked by people and his shadow touched them and healed them. Paul sent handkerchiefs to the sick and they were healed. We have no record of Jesus doing any of those things. When we see that we are called to continue Jesus’ ministry, which was a healing ministry, then we will have faith to heal the sick. As I write this, I can feel the Holy Spirit increasing faith in me, and I believe He is doing the same for you as you read it. Notice that in Acts 1:1 it says that Luke’s gospel account (“the former account”) was what Jesus “began to do and teach.” When Jesus said, “It is finished” He was referring to His work of making atonement for our sins. That was a work that only He could do, and it is because of that work that we are able to continue His ministry. He has completely opened the way for us to continue His work of healing all who are oppressed by the devil. What Jesus began, we are to continue. In the book of Acts, the early church kept on doing what Jesus did, and we are to do the same. My prayer is that this not only increases your faith, but also motivates you to go out and continue Jesus’ work of healing the sick.

6. We need to go where the sick people are

Matthew 10: 7-8-“ And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

Mark 16:15-“ And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

In both of these verses, we see that Jesus said, “Go.” In Mark 16:15, He said that as we go, signs would follow. To heal the sick, we need to go where they are. I earlier showed that we need the Lord’s compassion to heal the sick. The Lord’s compassion moved Him to leave heaven and come to us, so as we go where the people are they will see God’s love and healing power. Does this mean it’s wrong to have a healing room open so people can come to us? No! But if we just wait for people to come to us, but we don’t take any steps to reach them, how can we expect to heal the sick?

7. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

If we are to heal the sick, we need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will see this as we read Acts 4:29-31-“ Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” After being arrested for healing a man and being released, the believers prayed for boldness and for God to heal. God’s answer to their prayer was to fill them with the Holy Spirit. In Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8 we are told that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we receive power. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, the gift of healing is mentioned as one of the gifts of the Spirit. It is as we are filled with the Holy Spirit that we receive power to be witnesses. When we think of being witnesses, many of us think of giving people the plan of salvation, but it involves showing people the power of God. Hebrews 2:4 tells us that God bears witness with signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Spirit.

8. Personal time with the Lord (personal prayer and study time)

Luke 5:15-16-“ However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”

With any type of ministry, we must spend time with the Lord through daily prayer, worship, and Bible study if we are to be effective. In fact, ministry comes out of the overflow of God’s presence in our lives. The more time we spend with God, the more effective we will be in healing the sick. This is not to imply that we do it in our own power. Actually, when we pray, worship, and study the Bible on a regular basis, we are getting close to God and He pours into us everything we need to do what He has called us to do. The Scripture quoted above tells us that when Jesus saw the large numbers of people coming for healing, it motivated Him to get alone and pray. It’s interesting that Jesus did not just rely on going to the synagogue and the temple. He spent time alone with God, and we must do the same. I started out by showing that to heal the sick we need to know God’s will in the matter, and as we spend time with God, He shows us His will. He has clearly revealed in His word what His will concerning healing the sick is. I have mentioned many Scriptures, and there are many more. I encourage you to write down promises of healing that you find in the Bible and confess them over yourself and others. I encourage you to pray and ask God to show you anything that may be keeping you from being more effective. What you are reading is something God gave me during my time in prayer, and He did so for me to examine myself to see which of these areas I need to grow in. You will notice that Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to do one thing: how to pray. I believe that they saw the amazing lifestyle of prayer that Jesus lived, and saw that it was something they needed themselves. Jesus was and is the Son of God, but He came to live as a man so He could set an example for us to follow, and His lifestyle of prayer, as well as His ministry to the sick, are part of that example. Worship is equally important. When we are in God’s presence, worshipping Him, there are things imparted to us. We must worship Him daily, not just on Sunday morning!

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