Two books on healing
When you’re sick, the last thing you want to hear are pithy, powerless platitudes from people who are healthy. What you want to hear is good news from someone who has experience healing the sick. This is why I recommend two outstanding books on healing.
Diving Healing Made Simple, by Praying Medic
The first book is probably the most practical, down-to-earth book on healing you’ll ever read. There’s no hype, just good instruction from a paramedic who has met and healed many sick people. (An ambulance medic who wrote a book about divine healing. Brilliant!) Here’s a taste:
God is the only one who receives the glory for the works that we do. But the fact remains that Jesus told his disciples to heal the sick. He did not tell them to ask the Father to heal the sick. He told them to do it. (p.129)
Divine Healing Made Simple deals with a number of myths (“God gave me this sickness to teach me character”) and misperceptions (“I’m not good enough to be healed”) that some have about healing. It also addresses lame excuses (“I don’t have the gift of healing”) and puzzling questions (“Why do people known for their healing success sometimes get sick?”).
But the best thing about this book may be the many practical suggestions on how to minister and receiving healing – suggestions that are based on Praying Medic’s own experience in the field. Here are two:
Among my friends who have the highest success rates in healing, there is agreement on one approach that seems to work best. It involves commanding sickness or pain to leave and commanding healing to take its place. Don’t beg or plead with God to heal anyone. The most common mistake people make is begging God to heal. The second is quitting too soon… The vast majority of healings I’ve seen came because I stood there looking like an idiot, repeatedly commanding an injury to be healed until it finally was healed. (p.105)
There aren’t any formulas to this – it’s all faith – but there are definitely some poor ways to pray for healing. As I have explained elsewhere, you can pray like a beggar (“Oh please God”) or a commander (“Sickness be gone!”), but the former approach is seldom based in faith.
Divine Healing Made Simple is a practical and prophetic book that will inspire you to rise out of the rut of powerless religion and take the sort of faith-risks that were commonplace for Jesus and his first-century followers.
Healing the Sick, by T.L. Osborn
With more than a million copies in print, chances are you’ve read this book. It’s a classic. Like the book above it’s a solid introduction to the subject of healing written by someone with considerable experience. TL Osborn regularly ministered to tens of thousands of people at a time and typically saw amazing healings in his meetings (cripples running, blind seeing, etc.).
In the Bible we are told that supernatural signs and wonders will follow the preaching of the gospel (Mark 16:20). Miracles happen among those who hear the gospel because the gospel is the power of God for salvation and healing (Rom 1:17). The vast majority of people who were healed at TL Osborn’s meetings weren’t prayed for. They simply received the gospel with faith and were healed. It’s a sign to make you wonder.
At the end of this book (I have the 1992 edition), there is a long chapter called “Our Witness.” It’s a record of evidence of supernatural healings, such as this one:
Juan Santos… had been shot through the spine, destroying his spinal column and the nerves below his waist. It left him totally paralyzed… He dragged himself on the ground with his hands… His head also shook because he had attempted suicide by hitting himself with a club; but the blow only caused the palsy. He could hardly talk because his tongue and throat were partially paralyzed… He was instantly healed and is now as perfect as any man could be. (p.290)
This book is a stick of dynamite for blowing up the dams of doubt in your mind. The stories in it will stir your faith. You’ll read them and think, “If one man can get healed, so can I!”
And this attitude is important because faith and doubt are contagious. As the saying goes, “Feed your faith and starve your doubts.” These books will feed your faith. They’ll do it by painting a picture of life as Jesus defines it.
The last time I saw a healing was this morning. Healing the sick should be normal for a follower of Jesus – Jesus said so (Mark 16:18). But it won’t be normal for you if don’t believe it or if you don’t know how to go about it.
You may think, “This is not for me. I’m not that kind of person. I don’t heal people.” Don’t you believe it! Healing is your Christ-bought prerogative. It is your blessed right as a dearly-loved child of God. If you’ve never seen a healing, don’t feel condemned. Instead, renew your mind and start thanking Jesus in advance for the gift that is already yours in Christ.
Escape to Reality 
Another good book on healing is Christ the Healer by F.F.Bosworth!
Thanks. I will be purchasing these two books.
Amen and amen! Both should be required reading for every newborn Christian, and every pastor.
Thank you for sharing!!!!
I am tired of hearing, “If you are a believer, you ought to heal the sick, cast out devils, and raise the dead.” I am certainly open to the idea, and I have prayed for the sick myself many times, though with hardly any success. To me, making healing and raising the dead a requirement is just like putting believers under the law again – this time one where the bar has been raised even higher. To me, faith for healing the sick has to come from within, from the Spirit, instead of my hammering myself with Scriptures and arguments until I feel guilty enough to believe it. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ … and until I hear it spoken by the Spirit to my heart that I am to heal somebody, I won’t have the faith for it.
Healing the sick is not a requirement, it’s a privilege.
Hanna I would not get discouraged about attempting to heal the sick, if results haven’t been forthcoming. They haven’t been for me either, BUT, at least you’re getting out of the gate and increasing in faith in that area. Believers do have to expand their vision in this area though, as people are physically hurting more than ever before. I share your sentiments.
It’s not a matter of thinking you have TO heal somebody. It’s more realizing that the person has already had healing downloaded into them when they received Jesus, It’s a free gift He already happily paid for. Seems a pity to let it go to waste as an unused feature already on their life’s desktop. No pressure on you for the faith. Meditate on how confident Jesus was that His stripes were going to be effective. After watching the flogging scene in The Passion of the Christ I realized how rock confident He was that those stripes would heal us. If he’d had even a shadow of a doubt then on lash number 2 He would have cried out and put a stop to it. He had 12 legions of angels (6000 per legion) at His disposal. So do we. (1John 4:17b) I no longer try and build up MY faith. I bind myself with Galatians 2:20. The original Greek says faith OFJesus – i.e. His own personal faith. Per 1 Corinthians 6:17 that’s one impressive faith I now have downloaded, one with my spirit, that I live by! I’m no longer an orphan spirit, I never pray alone, Jesus’ voice is IN my voice to trigger the voice/touch activated Healed software that’s already downloaded at the cross.
Lisa Jane, Inspiring post. Thank you for sharing this thought.
What do I do when I command healing and rebuke symptoms many times but nothing happens…everything is the same, and I’m too ill and weak to keep praying? Even others have come against it and commanded healing, for many years, without any healing being manifested. I’ve had a chronic medical issue for a very long time and am so disappointed and discouraged because there has been no improvement even though MUCH prayer and calling forth healing and strength has been done. I feel as though I will be relieved of the symptoms once I have a glorified body!
Like Joseph Prince, I believe we have to go for righteousness consciousness, not healing. And we need to use the power of the Holy Communion. I could send you some tapes. And I would keep cursing that illness by its roots and commanding it to be plucked up by the roots and thrown into the sea in Jesus name. The Anointing Oil is another powerful weapon against sickness.
I’ve been taking Communion often and using anointed oil, as well as cursing the infirmity and casting it out…anything else? I just am so discouraged and feel like I am to remain like this until Jesus returns and I just wonder what’s wrong with me?
There is NOTHING wrong with you Paulette. The biggest mistake we can ever do is go for the healing, the prosperity, the favor, etc. as opposed for Jesus. And the biggest mistake we can make is use faith for so many things when the ONE thing we must use our faith for is to believe we are righteous by faith. And that’s really where the battle is every day. Its where I think so much healing teaching, has failed. No fault of those preachers. They’re doing their best. Do you hear regular Christ exalting sermons on righteousness, Communion & Anointing oil? You know you can turn anything into a work or start to do things mechanically, as opposed to by faith. And sometimes you simply have to walk with Jesus, while you receive your restoration. I think Pastor Prince teachings healing from the perspective the Lord presented it through the Apostle Paul. The blessings of the righteous, including healing, manifest when you are established in righteousness.
Most Christians overlook the power of hearing about Jesus and being shown Jesus in the scriptures. And I think that’s what makes pastor Joseph Prince so unique. No one shows Jesus better in his sermons than JP. I’ve heard a lot of preachers and the Lord has shown JP what power there is in BEHOLDING Jesus as you hear about Him and see Him in the scriptures. Totally revolutionized my life. I’ve been battling a chronic illness myself and have still not seen my 100fold but its coming. I know what you must feel like. I’ve gone through your frustrations. Anyway, if you want to hear how powerful his teaching is on those subjects just email me your contact info: kleenex244robert@aol.com. I don’t do much for Jesus, but I try to get the Word into people’s hands from preachers who understand how we see the manifestation of God’s promises. And many of us still don’t understand that only ONE thing is needed. Hearing about Jesus. JP is a gift from God. His sermons will supercharge your faith and destroy your discouragement. Don’t give up Paulette. The Lord didn’t send you that illness and help is on the way.
I have also needed healing and have struggled with the same frustrations as you. I have confessed the word, commanded sickness to leave, commanded the devil to leave, spoken healing over my body etc, etc. One day as I was reading the scriptures, God spoke to my heart and said, ‘you are still working for your healing, I have already healed you when I died at the cross.’ I then felt to look up Andrew Womack, whom I had only briefly heard once before speak on Christian T.V.
At that time, I was struggling with guilt, condemnation and works righteousness. He was talking about sin consciousness which really got my attention as that was me. I thought to myself, ‘could he be right. I’ve never heard anything like that before.’ I believe that was a set up because years later I was prompted to look him up. I could barely remember his name. This healing testimony came up on good ol’ google. As I listened to it I realised this is where I had been missing it. This is exactly what God was communicating to me through this man’s healing journey. That I was already healed. (Isaiah 53 and Matthew 8:16-17). My healing isn’t something I have to work for, but something I am to receive by grace. All our diseases were placed on him at the cross. We are healed.
That doesn’t mean we sit back and do nothing. Everybody’s healing journey will be different. The key is to learn to hear the holy spirits leading for what we are to do for our healing to manifest. Here is the testimony:
http://www.awmi.net/extra/healing/hoesch
hope40, Paulette, Robbie,
I do not believe that “we are already healed” because this idea is not demonstrated when the apostles prayed for the sick in Acts. In one case they said to Aeneas “Jesus Christ heals you”. That was in the here and now. They did not say “Jesus Christ healed you”. Also when God healed Epaphroditus, Paul said that God had mercy on him. He did not in any way say that it was “already done” or even suggest it was guaranteed to him because of what Jesus had done. I realize I’m on a hyper-grace, Finished-work blog, so I guess I should not be surprised by the given responses to Paulette. 🙂 However sometimes instead of trying to give “revelation” or diagnose what is wrong, someone just needs a hug. They need to know that God is with them through the journey whether sick or healed.
Since Andrew Wommack says “it is already done”, then of course he has to make “receiving the healing” the hurdle. To me it’s so see-through…I gave up on his teachings awhile ago because I found no life in them. Just lots of blame shifting.
I truly believe God can use sickness for His purpose. It doesn’t mean He’s made you sick to teach you, but sickness does change a person’s heart. Those who have had good health their whole life, they will never understand what it is like to be chronically ill. They will never have the same compassion and care. I truly believe that God will use that in all of your lives (everyone who is here and sick) for His purposes. So I agree… Keep focusing on Jesus. See what it is He is doing in your life right now and follow His lead, wherever that takes you. I’ve been trusting God for healing for about 3 years now and He’s had me on a journey. He’s been changing my beliefs about a lot of things in this. We have to learn to trust Him in the journey. God bless you all.
Yes, Dana…it is so true…I am so tired of hearing that I don’t have enough faith…my faith has been worn down by that teaching…and it makes me even wonder if my faith is sufficient enough to be saved if I don’t have enough faith to be healed!
People who are healthy or who have had immediate healing do not recognize or appreciate the emotional and spiritual struggles of those who suffer with chronic illness…and then adding to all that is the enemy whispering to you that you are underprivileged and of “low class” in the kingdom of God (if you’re in it at all!) as you look on and see marvelous healings take place in others who are prayed for. It takes a hard toll on one’s faith in the love and grace of God.
But, it is true, as you stated, it does give you great compassion and empathy for others who are suffering. I’ve never been as sensitive and caring of others as I am now…I can truly say I understand and pray for them from a deep sense of appreciation of their sufferings, and you can “weep with those who weep” and share their burden. It sure has given me a deeper understanding and love for people who are suffering. It is so unfair and unkind to place the blame for not being healed on those who are sick. We don’t need cut and dry theological answers…we just need love and support…and prayers from our brothers and sisters.
It helps to ask God for strategy for the individual case. I had prayed “with His stripes” and commanded healing on a few occasions for severe chronic allergies for a guy but with minimal results. The most recent time I asked Abba for strategy and was given to speak,” Body, I command you not to react to pollen because…” prophesy 1 Tim 4:4-5, and Col 1:19-21 directly to the body, not even talking to the guy himself, and prophesy to the body that pollen was now its friend, servant, helper and a blessing; command the immune system to not reject the pollen, command the pollen to minister to him as a friend; speak shalom peace to the body envisioning Jesus calming the storm. Then asked the guy to lay his hand on his heart and feel himself receiving it. Finishing up with some, “I speak life to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I speak quickening and refreshment and so on. I decreed void any words spoken by parents about inherited allergies. Maybe a 5 minute prayer tops. He carried on sneezing like mad, eyes and nose running. But I felt a supernatural relaxed feeling to let it go, that we had cursed the fig tree and that it was dead in the water. The next morning he woke up completely healed. I was amazed at how matter-of-fact the Holy Spirit made it.
Ask for specific verses and imagery and realize that the healing is already downloaded into him, a free gift with Jesus, and it was a matter of clicking on the specific app and loading it up.
lisa jane, yours is the best example of how to do it.
Paul, I found your site last night and was so excited to read the teachings on grace. I have been a christian for almost forty years and am just now learning about the greatness of God’s grace. Thanks so much. Joy Brothers
Paul, I have a great respect for your understanding of the grace of God. Perhaps you would be willing to answer a simple question for me…
Does it take the same faith to be healed as it does to be saved?
I don’t believe Jesus died two different deaths – one for healing and one for salvation – and I don’t believe there are two different faiths – one for each. Since I fear your question is a set-up for another, I will simply say that all the blessings of salvation are found in Jesus. 🙂
You are correct, it was to set up the obvious next question:
If someone is not healed what assurance do they have that they are saved?
And I agree with you that Jesus died once for our sins, and that we are saved by grace through faith in His finished work.
Taking your question to the next step, we might as well go the whole way and ask “Why do we still die?” If death is sin’s wage and sin was dealt with at the cross, why are we still burying people? Does that mean Christ’s work is insufficient or our faith is lacking? I answer that question here.
Yes, Paul, I agree (and have been also been teaching these last 30 years) that we are not our body. We are awaiting the redemption of our bodies, and yet as Jesus said “those who believe in Me will never die”. Who we are (the new creation in Christ) will never die. And no disrespect, but your blog did not address my question, and I’m not challenging the fact that God heals. I’m challenging those who say that it is His will to heal, or a promise that accompanies salvation to heal. In fact, I’ve also written a great deal about this subject, and was once preaching the same message as those you are recommending.
As I see it, you correctly point out that the body will die, yet you somehow attribute salvation to the body when it comes to health. If that were true, then just as our spirit’s are made alive, our bodies would be whole based on the same promise, and we know they are not. The problem is (and it’s a big one), when you (or anyone) suggests that we receive His life (salvation) by grace through faith, and that healing also comes by grace through faith, then when someone does not receive healing you rob them of their assurance of salvation. There is no other possible conclusion. Jesus never promised that those who receive salvation would be healed, and I believe that making such a claim is the most egregious evil doctrine in the church today. I consider those who do to be enemies of the cross.
Strong words, Dave. Permit me to ask a question: when I have prayed for the sick and seen instantaneous and miraculous healings, who gets the credit if not the Lord?
Are you asking if it is by OUR FAITH we are healed or saved? Galatians 2:20 says it is the faith OF Christ.
No, Nizam, I’m not. I’m questioning the claim that healing is a promise to those in Christ.
Healing is not so much a PROMISE TO those in Christ, more a matter of it’s already happened to you, a done deal, signed, sealed, delivered, it’s yours. When you received Jesus, you received it with Him as part of the package deal. The stripes were effective, they got the job done. Having his body hanging on the tree effectively redeemed us from the curse of the law, all the icky stuff in Deuteronomy 28. He earned all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 and gave them to us as a free gift. All sickness was destroyed at the cross. It’s now a matter of restfully meditating on that until it springs up and becomes wildly alive in you.
Perhaps the better question would be do all the promises of God in the Bible just magically materialize when you become a believer? There are people who get saved, never spend time in the Word. Don’t learn the powerful truths about meditating on the Word, speaking those scriptures and planting that Word in their heart. I mean there are Christians who just believe they are not going to hell and have never embraced their new identity in Christ. And to that degree, they are living in darkness in so many areas believing what the world says about their situation, is the final word in their situation.
I believe jesus heals us because it never said when we would be healed so at the moment of death we would still be healed wouldn’t we? Any way I have ordered the books because I had forgot that jesus gave his diciples the power to heal and told us to heal the sick and I think a lot has to do with faith has to if you believe you have the gift of healing. Remember not all of us have the same giftd so not all of us will be healers so people shouldn’t think they have to be able to heal someone because that might not be there gift they will have other gifts in christ. I like many people have always prayed to God to heal someone but I’m intersted to read the book because I’d not really thought much about the fact that jesus followers were told to heal the sick, and if I can’t heal the sick that’s ok because that just means that’s not the gift God gave me and I have to work out what gifts he gave me in order to build on them for the kingdom of God love jenny
Gifts are awesome, nothing wrong with that. After describing them, Apostle Paul does go on to say that there is a still more excellent way, the way of Love. It’s when you’ve been convinced Jesus dwells in you with every possible gift and every possible anointing and every possible resource in heaven and earth and that He loves freely and is super generous to all. Love is a need ‘meeter.’ Love runs into a person in any state of suffering/lack and tunes into indwelling Jesus and without overthinking it, reaches out as a conduit and lets that supply flow. It helps to walk around the house prophesying to myself, “ I’m NOT an orphan spirit, I’m one spirit with You, Jesus, flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone. I don’t have to fend for myself, I’m not undefended, I’m not unprotected, You garrison my heart with your faith, you are the strong man of my heart house, the power of God to perform is always present, I’m so healed I’m contagious with healing, wherever I go I carry you…” And so on. Then when you run into someone in need, awareness of Jesus’ indwelling liveliness has already been activated in you and everything is lively and good and ready to meet that need.
Great post, very encouraging!
Also timely as I have the book by Praying Medic on my Kindle but have yet to read it. Will also have to have a look at TL Osborn’s book as well.
Another great book is Healing and Wholeness through the Holy Communion by Pastor Joseph Prince. The Holy Communion is the most overlooked method of receiving healing from the Lord. Not everyone has the faith to receive through the Prayer of Faith.
Great books – also what might help is to view anything by Dan Mohler on Youtube, talk about helping to raise your faith, his teachings will help to demonstrate that it is indeed an honor and privilege to minister healing, and that it is available to us as followers of Jesus.
Why did Paul encourage Timothy to use wine for his frequent illnesses in 1 Timothy 5:23? Why did Paul leave Trophimus sick at Miletum in 2 Timothy 4:20? Why was Paul under the care of a physician in Colossians 4:14? Is not Grace Sufficient (enough) even in sickness as taught in 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10? Does not God promise to recompense the perishing outward man with glory as taught in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18?
It’s no coincidence that Romans 12:2 and 2 Co 3:18 use the Greek word for metamorphosis, for I surely was a caterpillar with no hope of doing butterfly stuff. But by gobbling up leaves of the gospel of grace I was able to go in to the Chrysallis (Charis-allis, Christ-allis) of his work on the cross, and all the promises of God that are yes and amen. Sure, when I first go in I’m almost all caterpillar, very little butterfly. Therefore I still need ‘a little wine for the stomach’ and other helps, no problem. But every day I’m in here there is a little more butterfly until eventually I’m out and flying. All the disciples had a lot of metamorphosis to enjoy undergoing. At the time of that letter, Timothy had revelation-transformation in other areas, healing was still on the way. There are so many areas of life that need to move out of caterpillar thinking, we transform as a process, for some rapid in some areas, slower in others. But it’s still called the life cycle of the butterfly, not the caterpillar. That I’m a butterfly (healed) is true whether I see it yet or not. If you aim for the stars you may hit the moon, but if you aim for nothing…well nothing. I know that I know that I know that I’m healed whether I see it manifested yet or not. The stripes worked.
Forgot to say the butterfly is inside the caterpillar – the butterfly is never NOT inside the caterpillar. That I am healed is in me. It is never not in me. Expecting it to manifest soon. The stripes worked.
Lisa Jane your words have greatly encouraged me. Thank you.
Haven’t read the first book, but have read TL Osborn’s book in 1994. One of the best books on healing ever! TL Osborn also taught God is good, never bad. He taught New Covenant grace in the light he had. He even said the price for the anointing to heal was paid for by Christ on the Cross!
Healing is in the finished work. We simply receive it by grace through faith. I have received healing many, many times. I have ministered healing many, many times and seen many, many healed and restored. All because Jesus took it all upon Himself and declared it is finished!
Ian Andrews book Eqipped To Heal is an excellent book which has helped many move into healing.His passion is that every believer from the youngest child to the oldest can heal sick people and has been equipping for over 40 years
Check out iequippers.org
When ppl tell you you’re “already healed”, they mean it was PAID FOR already- not that you have it already. It’s like getting a paycheck at the factory: the money has been set aside for that purpose, but you still have to pick up the check & cash it,etc. Other factors have to be considered at the same time: IE, love your brothers & sisters. If you’re having trouble forgiving a few ppl, you may have the answer as to why you can’t seem to get healed. Remember the parable about the man being ‘turned over to the tormentors’ because he hadn’t “paid the debt” (IE- “owe no man anything but love”). If you refuse to forgive ppl like you’ve been told to Satan has a RIGHT to attack you. Likewise, ppl keep getting sick because Satan hasn’t gone away just yet, so we keep having to fight him off. You’ll just have to learn to be persistent (like the widow woman pestering the unjust judge). Norvel Hayes helped me more than anybody in this area, teaching that you can pray once & then thank God for it relentlessly until you actually see it happen. It works- I’ve done it. God is a ‘rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’; it’s a part of the covenant, & He’s no liar. ANYBODY can get healed; never let anybody tell you different.
I joyfully agree w/ everything except for 2 respectful differences:
I do believe being healed is already in me (Eph 1:3; 1 Peter2:24).
Satan has no right to attack me. That’s old covenant. God was in Christ reconciling me to Himself, not imputing my sin to me. Unforgiveness is a sin. It is not imputed to me. (2Cor 5:19) It was consumed in the body of Jesus. It died at the cross. It has no living energy. As the Israelites looked at the bronze serpent in the wilderness, I look at my unforgiveness as bronzed (dead) on the cross, no longer a living serpent to bite me. (Num 21:8-9: John 3:14) As far as the east is from the west that’s how far He has removed my unforgiveness from me. New Cov: God in Christ also has) forgiven us.(Eph 4:32, Eph 1:7, perfect tense – completed action!). If Jesus didn’t successfully destroy the power of unforgiveness, He would have had to stay on the cross as it was His God-given assignment to be the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, destroying the works of the devil.(1John3:8b)
As often as I find unforgiveness manifesting in my heart, I refuse to accept condemnation for it. I believe and decree that unforgiveness is as dead at the cross as all my other sins. I then find unforgiveness miraculously stops manifesting in my life. It may take a few weeks of thanking God relentlessy, as you put it, to kill all unforgiveness manifestations off, but I call it dead, powerless.
Amen. Nice comment.
How would you go about working in a toxic work environment where co-workers constantly make dirty jokes like teenagers, encourage each other in being evil as if it was something good all in the name of acceptance. I try to forgive them and stay silent. I am more of a calm guy and not the one to stand up when I seem to be the only one being effected. But it effects me bodily. I need to know how I can survive around unbelievers. I am currently lost on that one. It is like a cycle, I pray, forgive and it gets better. Some days later it gets worse again. Is there something I am missing?
Is healing promised to all? My thoughts are yes and amen! If not, then how should we take Psa 103 that says..”who heals all our diseases”? I speak from experience because in 2010 I received a healing miracle when I was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of breast cancer that had been misdiagnosed for nearly a year. Without any cancer treatment prior to surgery, they removed a DEAD tumor! I have the pathology reports to prove it! Keep up the faith for healing and don’t give up!
In 2012, I discovered a lump in my breast. Doctors were not my favorite so for a few months I pondered how to approach this situation as I have always believed in the healing Jesus gave us through His sacrifice and resurrrection. I went to God in prayer, He spoke to me that the lump was cancer, that it was not unto death and to let go.
I did go see a doctor and the diagnosis was verified. I made my stand for the healing power of God’s promise and refused chemo, radiation and drugs; although for my husband’s sake I compromised and had a lumpectomy. He didn’t know Jesus and was freaking out.
Two months after the lumpectomy, lab tests proved the healing power of Jesus; I was cancer free. I remain cancer free after two and a half years.
I was not supported by Christians, and was repeatedly told that God uses doctors to heal. I was called selfish and foolish and persecuted for my beliefs. The fact is I did not have to do anything except stay surrendered to Jesus, my healer; and allow His gift in me to be stirred up. It is not about us, it is about Jesus. It is not about what we “can” believe, it’s about receiving what He suffered and died to give us. I know He died and rose again and sits at God’s right hand making intercession for us. I know His promises never fail.
We don’t have healing power, it is Christ in us that heals.
Having faith to be saved involves believing for something to happen in the unseen realm but believing for a physical healing involves believing for something in the seen realm. Since salvation is a transformation that doesn’t necessarily have a physical manifestation but physical healing does, there is something different between having faith for salvation which is unseen as opposed to having faith for something that is seen. Not sure how all of this works, but walking by faith as opposed to walking by sight has to play into the difference to having faith to be saved, yet not having faith to be physically healed.
My dear friends in Christ,
The Lord answered this question for me very clearly in 2011. I hurt my back something serious at work. I could barely walk. We did all we had learned, cast out pain, curse the pain, rebuke the pain, command healing to come, etc. etc. and every other METHOD we had learned.
Then on the 3rd day of no success, I was crying to the Lord and I heard “jumping jacks” WHAT?? I felt in my spirit jumping jacks. So I followed through and had no pain. He gave me(felt in the spirit) a series of stretches and exercises that finished with a full sprint around the block. Afterwards praising and thanking Him, I asked “why didn’t I get healed back when we were doing all we knew to do?” His reply has changed my life— He said “Scott, I want you to hear ME”- that has forever changed how I pray. Friends, it is about hearing from the Lord, not methods and practices, it is about a relationship with our Healer that will lead us to our healing. I wish I could say I take the time to sit and listen all the time, but I haven’t. Very often I just do what we do and hope for results. (Hebrews 3:7- Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says “Today if you hear his voice”) We must develop our relationship with Him so that we can hear Him for every situation.
That’s an awesome story, Scott. You are right – there are no magic formulas and if we claim that there are we risk alienating people from the only true Healer.
I Want Divine Healing Made Simple Is It At B&N>
I find your website really strange Paul. On one hand you have excellent articles about grace, and then you seem to indicate your leanings toward the “name it and claim it” healing teachings which IMHO is terribly wrong.
My faith is in a Person, Jesus Christ.
If I pray for healing I don’t push God to do it. I simply ask and hope He will do the work.
Whenever I hear or see Christians claiming healing “in Jesus’ name” I shudder on the inside.
For anyone to claim that God heals us by our faith (how much do I need to conjure up for Him to act) is making it seem like it’s up to us to somehow do something to make God do something. It’s absurd.
If anyone thinks they have power to heal the sick, there are many hospitals to go to.
Go raise the dead.
But this teaching is honestly so bizarre Paul.
I’m not sure why you think I have faith in someone other than Jesus. Have you read these books? Which are you disagreeing with and why?
Hi Paul,
I’m not disagreeing with your books. I don’t read many books these days. I have read many of your articles and it’s the comments from readers which seem to indicate a “name it and claim it” attitude regarding healing.
This Charismatic style way of approaching God for healing is mightily off putting.
I totally agree. I have seen my share of weird stuff just as I have seen some amazing healings. Recently I read an article entitled “20 Observations On Supernatural Healing After 20 Years In Charismania” that you might find interesting. Personally I live in the fuzzy space between my conviction that God’s will is always for healing and my experience that not all I pray for are immediately healed.
Incidentally, the books I was referring to are the two books reviewed above.
Thanks Paul, I’ll read the article. I’m sorry for the rude tone in my first post. Not cool. I spent my first few years as a new believer in the most famous Pentecostal Church in Sydney (hint). When I left there I was a mess. I believe their ‘slaying in the spirit’ no longer occurs (maybe I’m wrong). I associate healing with my time there. I believe 100% God can do miracles and heal… According to His will, not my own. I’m always happy to ask. FWIW: I have 3 small kids. God is my healer. Every labour experience he has brought me back to full health. That’s healing power we overlook daily. Next time you reach for that bandaid… Remember who the real Healer is! Haha
Will someone please explain to me this ! I have read and heard about T. L. Osborn, did he die from sickness?
Sorry for the post about T.L. Osborn I just read he lived to be 89 , good long life! Jesus
I have been reading the comments here as I am desperate for some clarification as I am stuck in this… isn’t it works to have to be believing and confessing and never quitting and never giving up to get healing to manifest?
My question is: if we are the healed, why are we still sick? If healing is a done deal because of His stripes and salvation is instant, why aren’t we instantly healed when we get saved? Isn’t laying hands on the sick and confessing our healing and continually thanking God and all that still just the same old works…mixed law and grace message? You know what I mean…the ‘you are blessed but here is what you need to do to be blessed’ mixed and confused message that is preached in faith circles everywhere. I feel like we are just following a formula all over again when we are saying this is what we must DO to receive healing.
Joseph Prince was who we found the gospel of Grace through. We were part of the mixed law and grace faith stuff. Grace has brought us freedom in knowing we are His beloved NO MATTER WHAT. But we also love Andrew Farley and he agrees that healing isn’t an automatic part of salvation otherwise people would be healed when saved. He asks the same question…why are people sick if God has already healed us? AND if all we need do is believe to receive, here again the burden falls on us and our faith…we are basically saying it is because people.dont have enough faith.
Please help me get this straight.
You are right. We can turn healing into a works-thing and blaming people for their lack of faith is totally unhelpful. I’ll give you my honest answer to your question: Why are people still sick? I don’t know. I don’t know why some of the people I pray for are healed and some aren’t. I don’t know why Jesus healed 100% but I hit less than 100%. But I do know I’m hitting more than 0% and that more people are healed when I pray than when I stay silent. In my own life I have experienced instant healings after prayer sometimes, but not every time. I wasted a lot of time trying to figure this out, time better spent just praying for people. Rummaging around in the attic of my intellect looking for answers to spiritual questions is seldom fruitful. I’m just going to run with the revelation I’ve got.
Hi Paul,
I thank God, for this blog on healing and the many and varied comments people have made since 2015. It is interesting to note that in the household of FAITH, there are all kinds of people and all kinds of belief on the subject of healing. We are discussing healing on the radio. We normally don’t pray for people over the air for healing, but toward the end of our time, we will pray for the sick. All those we pray for may not get healed, but that thought is not going to stop us from praying for the sick.
I like the fact that you have not stopped praying for the sick because you did not hit it 100% of the time like Jesus. 5% success is far better than 0% success. We preach Jesus whether people understand or not; whether they believe in Him or not.
I believe that salvation has many benefits. One of the many benefits we have is OUR UNION WITH CHRIST. As He is, so are we in this world. Like the prodigal son’s brother who didn’t know that all his father had was his, there are many things about the healing of the body that are yet to be revealed in individual cases. However, as we keep reading and allowing the Holy Spirit to help us, He will reveal to us why some of us get healed and some don’t.
HINDRANCES TO HEALING ARE MANY!