Health - Healing - Holiness:  Lesson-6

by A.A. Allen



PREMINISTERIAL AND CHRISTIAN WORKERS’
BIBLE COLLEGE CORRESPONDENCE COURSES
PREPARED BY A. A. ALLEN
COURSE NO. 1 HEALTH - HEALING – HOLINESS
LESSON NO. 6

WHY MANY DO NOT RECEIVE HEALING

If God still heals the sick today, why are so many good Christian people sick? Thousands of sick and suffering people in the world today would love to believe in the teaching of divine healing. It would mean deliverance for them from much suffering and sorrow but they dare not rest their case in the hands of God and trust Him for deliverance until this question is answered.

Thousands more, who already believe in the doctrine of divine healing, are asking almost the same question. “Others are healed. I know that God does heal today. Why do I not receive healing? Is God a respecter of persons?”

These questions cannot be ignored. God has not ignored them, for we read the answer in the Bible.

“For there is no respect of persons with God.” Rom. 2:11.

If God’s promises of healing apply to ANYONE, they apply to EVERYONE.

“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith SHALL SAVE THE SICK, and the Lord SHALL RAISE HIM UP; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:14, 15.

It has been explained earlier in these lessons that healing is not provided nor promised for the enemies of Christ, nor for those who persist in living in sin. It is our purpose here to deal with the reasons that CHRISTIAN PEOPLE fail to receive healing.

If you desire to be healed, and are not a Christian, you must first find healing for your soul. Repent of your sins and seek God with your whole heart. When you have repented of your sins, and believe in your heart the Lord Jesus (not just some things about Him, but believe HIM, trust Him, believe what He says in His word). Then you will be born again by the Spirit of God, born into the family of God, and eligible to ask in faith for any of his promised benefits.

The following discussion on the subject of being “born again” is offered because several have written asking how they can know they have really been “born again”--how they can be SURE. It will no doubt be of great value to Christian workers desiring more information about dealing with those who need to be healed and yet are not “born again.”

“. . . YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.” John 3:7.

Jesus Himself declared “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.

Observing the manner of life of professing Christians, and trying to copy it, will never be enough. Even attempting to live according to the Ten Commandments, or to the moral code of the Bible will not do. The rich young ruler declared, “All these have I kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?” Matt. 19:20.

Rebirth changes the nature of the individual. It changes his interests, his standards, and his outlook. He loves things he once hated, and hates things he once loved.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17.

Through this experience, and it alone, we are empowered to become the children of God, heirs to all that He possesses, in heaven and in earth! (See Romans 8:17; Gal. 3:29).

As His children, we love Him. We desire to please Him, to gain His favor, and above all, to imitate Him, to be transformed into His image rather than be conformed to the image of the world. (Rom. 12:2).

Some may have told you that you can never KNOW that you are saved, and that you are ready for heaven. There are those in the world today who call themselves preachers of the gospel who would say to you, “Just live the best you know how. Pay your just debts. Be kind to your neighbors. Attend the church of your choice. It doesn’t matter so much what you believe, just so you are sincere. And when you get to the other end of this life, then you will find out whether or not you have done well enough. Nobody can ever know until the final judgment whether or not he is going to make it in!”

How utterly foolish! How far from the teaching of scripture! What a devilish deception, to cause people to drift carelessly into hell!

“We KNOW that we have passed from death unto life,” I John 3:14.

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that YE MAY KNOW that ye HAVE eternal,” I John 5:13.

This does not say that you may hope that you will have eternal life, when you have come to the other end of life’s journey! You have eternal life NOW, and know that you have it, or else you have no eternal life! Eternal life begins within you when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and are born again.

“For God so loved the world, that he have his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3.

The life of the unrepentant sinner -- even the best of unrepentant sinners -- is one life; while the life of the repentant, born again Christian is an entirely different life.

The Apostle Paul describes the life of a well-.meaning, self-righteous, religious sinner, in Romans 7:14, 15, 18,24.

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. . . . For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.. .0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

But Paul had found the answer, and reveals it to us in the next verse. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 7:25.

“What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:3,4.

If you have not been set free by the Lord Jesus Christ, you are in prison. You are in bondage. You are bound by sin! You cannot do what you want to do, what you know is right. Many a time you have been ashamed of the things that you have done. Many times you have wanted to stop. You have “turned over a new leaf.” You have made “New Year’s Resolutions.” You have seen the new leaf smudged and the resolutions broken. Sin’s chains are too strong. You may blame your “environment.” You may feel that some day, when you are older, and when your circumstances have changed, you will turn from your wicked ways and do better.

Only Christ can set you free. He whom the Son of God sets free is free indeed. (John 8:36.)

You can no more save yourself by your own efforts than you can lift yourself into heaven by your own bootstraps. A penalty has been placed upon sin by a just and holy God. That penalty Is death! “The soul that sinneth, it shall DIE.” Ezek. 18:4.

NOW, HERE IS YOUR PART:

1. You must realize that you are a sinner, and that your sins are worthy of death. (Death, in this sense, means eternal banishment from God, in hell.)

2. You must come to hate your sin, which is destroying you. You must repent of your sins and, in prayer, confess them to Jesus. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9. Your sins need not be confessed to anyone but Jesus unless they have wronged others; and that can be made right by confession to the wronged one or by restoring to that one the thing of which he has been defrauded. (Luke 19:1-8). If restitution is impossible, God will freely forgive upon your repentance alone.

3. You must, after having confessed your sins to Jesus, believe in your heart that He has been true to His Word, and has washed your sins away.

4. There is one thing more: after you have believed, you must acknowledge Jesus as Saviour. “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Rom. 10:8-10.

Now, at this moment, before Satan can snatch this opportunity from you, cry out to God to forgive your sins. Confess that you are unworthy, that your sins are only worthy of death and hell, but remind Him that the penalty has been paid, that Jesus has died in your place, FOR YOUR SINS! Then, believe that you are forgiven, and thank God earnestly, and aloud, that your sins are gone. Tell your family and friends IMMEDIATELY that a new life has begun for you

“If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17.

The change is so complete that God in His Word has called it a REBIRTH! (John 3:3).

The Scriptures speak of the New Christian as a BABE IN CHRIST. Just as new born babes must receive proper care, proper nourishment, and training, in order to become adults, so the new born Christian must observe certain rules in order to grow up strong and healthy In his spiritual living.

Because I am concerned for every one who has begun this new life, I have written a short booklet to give such a believer a start. It is entitled, “HOW TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.” You may have it for ten cents. This will defray mailing costs. Please write for it if you need this extra help.

IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AND STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED HEALING, examine your life and attitudes in the light of God’s Word. God has not shown respect of persons in your case, for that is contrary to His divine nature. If you are still sick, there is a reason. God’s Word will reveal it to you, if you will diligently seek His face. When you find the trouble, correct it, and God’s healing touch is yours. This is God’s guarantee, and God cannot lie.

SOME REASONS MANY DO NOT RECEIVE HEALING!

1.Lack of Faith:

You may say, “But I have faith. I know God is able to heal me. Then why does he not do it?”

Do you believe He will heal you NOW?

You say, “I hope He will. I know God does heal today. I’ve been to Bro. ________’s big meeting, and have seen hundreds healed, but when he laid his hands on me, I didn’t get healed.”

What you have is NOT FAITH. You have HOPE. You HOPE to be healed. You have KNOWLEDGE. You know God is able to heal, and that He does heal. You believe what you have seen, but you do not have FAITH.

Faith is believing what you have not seen simply because God said it is so. (Heb. 11:1). If you had faith, you would already have been healed.

A dear sister came to us with a deaf ear, which had been deaf for many years. She said, “I don’t see why I don’t get healed. I have as much faith as anyone. I have all the faith in the world.”

We at once carefully explained to her that if she had real living faith to that extent, it would be impossible for her to remain deaf, for real faith works. “Faith without works (faith that doesn’t work) is dead.” James 2:20. Real faith is guaranteed to bring results, for God is faithful that promised. When she recognized the fact that she was lacking in faith and humbly asked God to forgive her for doubting him and to help her unbelief, immediately her ear was unstopped.

This is a thoroughly scriptural approach to God in such a case. Jesus once said to a man whose faith was weak, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23. He replied, with tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Mark 9:24.

Immediately, Jesus first helped his unbelief. His faith sprang up. He received the faith that God gives and the thing he desired became, not only a possibility, but a reality. Satan’s power was broken. This man’s son was delivered.

An honest confession of doubt, coupled with a sincere desire to learn better how to believe, is far better than a loud profession of faith that does not work. It is hard to deceive yourself in this matter, and IMPOSSIBLE to deceive God.

Real faith is not hoping that God will heal you, nor knowing that He is able to heal you. It is joyful assurance that the work is as good because God WHO CANNOT LIE has promised --yes, even GUARANTEED-- to heal YOU!

2. Erroneous Teaching:

Many fail to receive healing because, due to erroneous teaching, they have been made to believe that sickness and physical suffering is God’s way of bringing out the best in them, or of developing the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. They believe that they must be patient in affliction, and wait until it is God’s time to heal them, that perhaps God is working out patience and long-suffering in them, or perhaps God is chastening them for some unknown sin.

It is true that sin opens the door for sickness to enter, but all God asks is that sin be confessed and forsaken. The Scripture in James 5:14-17 applies particularly to this case. God does not say, “Is any sick among? Let him patiently wait until God has finished chastening him.” Rather, “Confess your faults one to another, (Now, TODAY) and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” James 5:16. The promise is, “The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be FORGIVEN HIM.” James 5:15.

He is not glorified by the Christian continuing in the sickness nor in the sin that caused it, but rather by giving deliverance from both.

Patience and long-suffering are the “fruit of the SPIRIT” (Gal. 5:22, 23), not “fruit of sickness and suffering.” They result directly from being yielded to the indwelling Spirit of God. If in some individuals they may seem to result from sickness, it is rather because the sickness has driven that individual to give more attention to his relationship with the Spirit of God than he did when he was well. Any person who has observed sick people will readily agree that in other circumstances the result of sickness is frequently less, rather than more patience.

If God (who never changes) used this method of teaching patience and longsuffering, surely at some time in the earthly ministry of Christ, He would have said to someone who cried out to Him for deliverance, “Go thy way. Remain sick until you have learned patience. Then you may seek me again, and perhaps I will heal you.” Never once did He give such an answer. Not once did He command any person who was well to become sick, nor any who was sick to remain so.

Both sin and sickness are the works of the devil. God certainly has not ordained that the fruit of the Spirit should be developed by the works of the devil. This is the work of the Spirit! Christ was manifested to destroy the works of the devil.

Some may say, “This may not be God’s time to heal me. I will be faithful in my sickness, and God in His own good time will heal me, should it be His will to do so.” It would be just as well for a sinner to say, “This may not be God’s time to save me. I will be faithful in my sin and disobedience, and if I am one whom God wills to save, surely He will save me in His own good time.”

We know that it is the will of God to save everybody, for He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Nevertheless, none will escape except they repent, for Jesus Himself said, “Except ye repent, ye shall ALL likewise perish.” Luke 13:3.

The moment the sinner repents, salvation is his. He need not wait and wonder whether God will save him, for God has said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9.

This is recognized as sound doctrine among all that call themselves fundamental believers. Yet many of them fail to recognize the fact that the same Bible tells us: “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2.

Health is God’s will for His people, conditioned upon the well-being of the soul.

All of God’s promises are conditional. Salvation is conditioned upon repentance. Healing is conditioned upon faith and spiritual health, but when God’s conditions are known and met, GOD GUARANTEES THE ANSWER.

“For ALL the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” 2 Cor. 1:20.

“For he is faithful that promised;” Heb. 10:23

3. Indefinite Prayers:

Many fail to receive healing because they do not ask definitely for the thing they desire from God. “. . .ye have not, because ye ask not.” James 4:2.

Two blind men were sitting by the wayside, and hearing that Jesus passed by, began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, thou Son of David.” Matt. 20:31. Truly they were addressing their plea to the right person, but when their prayer is analyzed, they really hadn’t asked him for ANYTHING! Jesus asked them, “What will ye that I shall do unto you?” Matt. 20:32.

“Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” Matt. 20:33. Thus their prayer was made definite, and “immediately their eyes received sight,” Matt. 20:34.

When you come to God for healing, state your need DEFINITELY. God’s promise is: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13.

In one of our meetings, a man came in the healing line that was deaf in one ear, blind in one eye, and had rheumatism in his knees. As he came, he asked for deliverance for his ear, which had been totally deaf for a number of years. As prayer was offered and Satan’s power was broken, he immediately received his hearing. This so inspired his faith that he had courage to ask healing for his eye. When this prayer also was answered, his faith was strengthened yet further, so that he asked and received deliverance for his crippled knees. There was no real new need in the man or any new willingness to heal on God’s part, but as each need was presented definitely, God was true to His word, and DID EXACTLY WHAT WAS ASKED IN JESUS’ NAME.

Oftentimes the failure to make a definite request is due to lack of faith. The beggar who comes to your back door may say, “Lady, please give me something to eat.” He isn’t sure he will get anything. If he should get something, he doesn’t know what it might be. So he makes his request indefinite, but when you go into the store with money in your purse to buy something to eat, you don’t say, “Give me something to eat.” You give the grocer a very definite list of just the things you want, and the quantity of each. You have no doubt that you will receive the thing you ask for.

Just so, the person who comes to God believing that whatsoever he asks, he will receive, will normally ask definitely for the things he desires. Many times, if the person seeking healing will determine in his mind exactly what healing he truly needs and expects to get, and can be persuaded to ask definitely, the barrier to healing is immediately removed.

Many people believe that it is a sign of meekness or humility to say, after they have prayed, “If it be thy will.” This may be a trick of the enemy to keep you from having real faith to be healed. So long as you are not sure it is God’s will to heal you, you cannot ask in faith, for never in the history of answered prayer has anyone persuaded God to do anything contrary to His will. The central secret of answered prayer is praying IN HIS WILL.

Those who feel they should say, “If it be thy will” quote as an example the prayer of Jesus in Gethsemane, when He cried out in agony of soul, “If thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42.

Note that He was not praying for something that God had promised. He was not praying with a desire to change the circumstances, and although the prayer was prayed by the Son of God Himself, IT DID NOT BRING ABOUT THE CHANGE suggested in the prayer. This was never intended to be a prayer to change things. It was simply the agonizing cry of a struggling soul.

He knew the will of the Father. He had known before He ever came to earth that He was to come for no other purpose than to drink of that cup. Even before Gethsemane, when the disciples had asked for places of honor, He had asked them if they were able to drink of the cup which He must drink. This was a prayer for strength and grace to drink the cup. The hour had come, and the cup was bitter.

Jesus had taken upon Himself the human frailty of the flesh when He became "flesh and dwelt among us," John 1:14. So in being made, in all points, like unto His brethren (Hebrews 2:17), His flesh, naturally, rebelled against the horrible knowledge that in a few hours it would be torn, bruised, bleeding, disgraced, forsaken, and suffering the greatest punishment known to man. He who had known no sin was to be made a public spectacle as a sinner, bearing our sins upon the cross. He knew that His Father, who had been so close by, even as He walked the dusty paths of Galilee, could not go with Him through this, His hour of greatest testing. In agony of soul, He looked about for another way, but His purpose was unshaken, and only for a moment would He even cry out. And God sent an angel to strengthen Him for that dark hour.

Yes, in your life, too, you may many times have good use for the words, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” Save them for the time when your consecration is being tested. Save them for the day when the dark waters have almost swept you off your feet and the devil is tempting you to seek an easier way out! Then, cry out as Jesus did. “Father, if it is all right with you, I will take the easier way, but my mind is made up. My face is set. I am determined to do thy will at any cost.” “NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE,” Luke 22:42, will be the correct prayer at this time.

In your praying, day by day, make it a practice to find out God’s will, and then pray with complete confidence for those things which are His will. When we pray for healing, we are praying for that which God has already revealed to be His will. IT IS GOD’S WILL TO HEAL YOU! Then, why should you say, “If it be thy will”?

It is right that we should be concerned to know the will of God, and that when we pray, we should pray in accordance with His will. We read in James 4:13,15, “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: . . . For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

In this case, God has not promised, nor revealed His will in the matter.

God has promised and revealed His will in regard to the healing of His people. Therefore, we need not say, “If it be thy will;” rather, let us say, I thank you, Father, that you have revealed Your will concerning the matter in Your Word, and that I know I am asking in Your will.”

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” I John 5:14, 15.

The “if” in many prayers not only denotes doubt but is used as a loophole through which many hope to escape any possible charge of unbelief or unconfessed sin. If healing fails to come, the person who prays thus can always excuse himself by saying, “It just wasn’t God’s will to heal me. He heals others, but although I am blameless, God has shown respect of persons, and chooses not to heal me.”

In the light of God’s own plain statement that He is not a respecter of persons (Rom. 2:11), such a statement might well be classed as a slander against God, or “charging God foolishly.”

4. Lack of Understanding of God’s Dealings in Regard to Healing.

A lack of understanding of the way God deals in regard to healing is the cause of many remaining sick. The person who has set a pattern in his mind and feels it is the only way that God can or will work is in danger of losing confidence. When the answer doesn’t come according to his mental pattern, he may also have the feeling that his prayer has not been heard or will not be answered.

Since healing can come only by faith, it is easy to see the importance of understanding God’s methods of dealing in order that faith may not be shaken.

Many have been heard to remark that if God does the healing, it will instantly be complete. This is merely man’s theory, and is not God’s constant pattern.

One outstanding example of non-instantaneous healing from the Old Testament is that of Naaman. (See 2 Kings 5).

Elisha was a prophet of God, and was greatly anointed by God to perform mighty works in His name.

Apparently the people looked to him to heal them (through the power of God) because an obscure captive Israelite maid passed the word to Naaman that he could be healed of his leprosy if he would find Elisha.

Naaman’s king immediately sent him to Israel, the land of the prophet, Elisha, with instructions to the king of Israel to see that he was healed. How frequently our hearts are stirred today, and made to wonder, when we see the “heathen” (those who do not profess to be Christians) quickly accept and believe when they are told of a Saviour who heals the body as well as the soul, while many Christians sit by in unbelief and refuse to acknowledge or enjoy the blessing.

The king of Israel was like these. He became all upset and wondered how he could do the command of the king of Syria. (Vs. 7). He apparently knew so little about what God was doing that he didn’t even know there was a prophet in his land who could heal the sick!

Elisha heard of the matter and sent word that Naaman should be sent to him. When Naaman came to Elisha he was quite disappointed to find that, instead of being treated as the high representative of a powerful government, he was not even approached personally by Elisha. Instead, Elisha sent his servant, Gehazi, to him with a message. Naaman was to go to the Jordan River and wash in it seven times, and he would be healed.

The Jordan was a muddy and unattractive river. Syria, Naaman’s own country had two rivers that were much cleaner and more attractive. Naaman was angry at such treatment, but he allowed his servants to persuade him to do the thing Elisha had commanded, and he was healed!

Did the muddy waters of the Jordan have any healing effect on Naaman? Of course not, but it was necessary that Naaman perform an act of humility and obedience. To do so indicated that he had some degree of faith. This was not the end of the matter. He came back to Elisha to thank him. He told Elisha that he would no longer worship nor sacrifice to the heathen idols of his land. He would serve only the God of Israel from that day.

He offered gifts to Elisha, but he refused to accept them. The power of God cannot be bought, and this heathen captain might have misunderstood If Elisha had taken the gifts.

That instantaneous healing is merely man’s theory and not God’s constant pattern is also borne out in the life of Jesus; healings were not always instantaneous. Often He did heal instantly but other patterns apparent today were also apparent in the ministry of Christ. Let us consider some of these, both in the time of Christ and in our day:

The Healing of the Nobleman’s Son: A certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum, met Jesus and said to Him, “Sir, come down ere my child die.” John 4:49. Jesus said unto him, “Go thy way; thy son liveth.” John 4:50.

According to the words of Jesus, the boy was healed. The work was done. The case was closed. The nobleman’s servants met him along the road before he reached home, bringing him the glad news: “Thy son liveth.” John 4:51. When the father inquired of them the hour when he began to amend, the servant replied, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” John 4:52.

Note that be boy “began to amend.” It would appear that although this boy was truly HEALED, it was not an instantaneous full restoration to his former health and vigor. Rather, the fever left, and he was on the road to recovery.

Even so today, in many cases, the cause of the disease is driven out, yet some time is required before normal processes of growth or convalescence bring about a state of full and normal well being.

The Healing of the Man Born Blind: (John 9). Jesus met a man who was blind from his birth. Jesus made clay and anointed his eyes with the clay and commanded him to “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” John 9:7. The blind man did exactly as he was told. He went his way, washed, and CAME SEEING.

His eyes were opened, WHEN? When he obeyed the command of Jesus and did what He told him to do. Thus, we learn that healing may be down the road of obedience. Jesus can heal you in the same way today. It is important to recognize that this is scriptural.

In our meetings the Lord has dealt with certain individuals concerning obedience, and when they obeyed God’s voice, they were miraculously healed. It is doubtful if any that stubbornly refuse to do God’s bidding can have faith to receive healing.

The Healing of the Ten Lepers (Luke 17): As Jesus entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers stood afar off and “lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” Luke 17:14.

Jesus did not there on the spot tell them that they were healed. But He did tell them to go shew themselves to the priests, which they knew they had no reason to do unless they were healed. They started to the priests in obedience by faith, doing the thing they could not do unless they were healed. When they started, there was no outward manifestation of their healing, but “it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14.

This was not an immediate, visible healing, but was a genuine healing by the power of God. These men took God at His word, and His word did not fall. They acted their faith, while it was yet not seen. As a result, in a very short time they SAW what they had had faith to believe.

If you will do BY FAITH that which you could not do before, God will meet YOU. Jesus said frequently said to the bedfast, “Take up thy bed, and walk.” Mark 2:9. They were healed when they obeyed. Peter said to the impotent in his feet, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk,” Acts 3:6, and obeying, he was healed. Many today are receiving deliverance in the same manner.

The Healing of a Young Lady on Crutches: In one of our healing lines came a young lady on crutches. She had been crippled for four long years. As she came, the glow of faith was upon her face. Before the minister could say one word to her, she beamingly handed him her crutches. She was fully persuaded by faith that she would need them no longer. Of course, she went away walking without the crutches. God never fails to reward real, living faith.

The Healing of a Lady in a Wheel Chair: Another had come in the same healing line in a wheel chair. After prayer, she was commanded to rise and walk. Without making a move, she replied, “You know I can’t do that,” and she couldn’t because she did not believe! However, two nights later, after being more fully instructed in the promises of God, she did arise from the chair, walked, ran, and climbed the steps to the platform. This type of healing seems to have been one of the most prominent in the healing ministry of Jesus, and it is still in effect today.

Like the Fig Tree, Diseases are Cursed and Wither Away! One day Jesus cursed a fig tree because it produced no fruit. (Mark 11:13). Apparently there was no change in the appearance of the tree then, but the next day, when He and His disciples passed again that way, Peter was amazed, and said to Jesus, “Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.” Vs. 21. In this short time, it had dried up at the roots, and was withered away.

Many diseases are healed in the same way. The “root” of the disease is cursed in the name of Jesus. Should it be cancer, tumor, goiter, or some other growth, it must either pass from the body or disintegrate into the blood stream, and be carried away. It is easy to understand that the person could be truly healed and yet continue to suffer some discomfort during the time the process is taking place. The suffering may be even more acute for a short period of time than it was before, as the dead, foreign tissue is being separated and carried away.

IN FAILING TO UNDERSTAND THIS TRUTH OF GRADUAL HEALING, TWO GRAVE DANGERS ARE APPARENT:

1. The person may lose confidence in the healing power of God, due to disappointment in failing to be made perfectly whole as expected. The loss of confidence opens the door for Satan to return and take possession again of that which had been taken from him. (See Matt. 12:43-45.) In that case, even that which was gained is lost. This also accounts for many that testify at one time to having received a “partial healing” and then in a little while are as bad or worse than before. (This subject will be discussed at greater length in one of the future lessons).

2. The person may accept the partial deliverance as being all that God can or will do, and therefore fail to continue to stand against the devil by faith until the healing is complete. If Satan cannot prevent your healing altogether, he will back up one step, and try to hinder you from receiving ALL that God intended for you to have.

GOD’S PLAN FOR HEALING IS COMPLETE HEALING, whether it be instantaneous or a convalescent type of deliverance.

If you do not receive instant healing, do not be discouraged, but keep reaching out to God by faith, and praise Him for that which has already been done in your behalf. Do not only praise Him for the improvements in your condition, which you may be able to feel, but especially for the stripes which He bore at the whipping post in Jerusalem to pay the price for YOUR deliverance. Keep right on looking at Jesus until the manifestation of your deliverance is complete.

FAITH IN GOD IS MORE THAN FAITH IN HIS PROMISES--IT IS ALSO FAITH IN HIS COMMANDS. His commands need not be simple tests of faith, as in the preceding cases. They may be tests of obedience.

5. Rejection of God’s Statutes:

While Elisha refused gifts from Naaman, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, was covetous of those things. He followed Naaman and told him that Elisha had changed his mind and would accept the gifts. The Spirit of the Lord revealed this to Elisha while it was happening. When Gehazi returned, Elisha gave him a chance to confess and repent. Instead, Gehazi told more lies. Then Elisha said, “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed forever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.” 2 Kings 5:27.

A heathen captain, with little or no understanding of God and His Word is healed. Take heed one who has much knowledge and understanding, as did Gehazi, and willfully sins against God’s commandments, is in grave danger of severe judgment. The judgment on Gehazi illustrates this.

There is little doubt that in every place where we hold healing campaigns, we have some Gehazi’s who go through the healing line, desperately seeking from God what can never be.

Somewhere, they have knowingly and deliberately turned aside from following God’s will for them. They have despised their inheritance and sold their birthright. Now they wander, as a leprous Gehazi, seeking for a blessing they no longer have a right to receive. They have rejected the Lord’s statutes.

6. Stubbornness and Rebellion:

“And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. And Asa died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.” 2 Chron. 16:12,13.

Is it a sin to go to doctors? This is a question that has been debated back and forth by people who profess to believe in divine healing. I do not quarrel with the medical profession. I don’t know what the world would do without them. I don’t know what many Christians would do without them either!

Not all Christians die who go to doctors. Many get well, so we will have to look further for the meaning of this Scripture.

Asa was a man who made a very good start in serving God. He was a king of Judah, and his first act as king was to remove all idols from the land and forbid idolatry. We are told that his heart was perfect “all his days.” 2 Chron. 15:17. After the 35th year of his reign, the king of Israel invaded Judah and robbed him of some of his territory. Asa thought that if any other king joined Israel they could quickly overthrow his kingdom, so he sent to the king of Syria--a heathen king of a heathen nation--and asked him to come to his aid. The king of Syria consented.

God was so displeased that He sent Hanani, the prophet, to say to Asa: “Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, . . . Herein thou has done foolish1y: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” 2 Chron. 16:7,9.

Asa became so angry at Hanani that he put him in prison, and we are told that he oppreseed the people of Judah.

Now, four years later, he became sick. God was giving him one more chance, a chance to repent, to turn again to Him in humility, trust, and obedience, but Asa, in his stubbornness and rebellion of heart, refused to seek God for his healing. Man could not help him this time, so he died.

There is a lesson here for those of us who know the power of God. To turn from Him, and look to man and man only for help, whether for healing or for any other need, is displeasing to Him.

7. Disobedience:

God’s power to heal was well-known and recognized by His people in the days of the Old Testament. When He made His covenant with the children of Israel at Sinai, He told them if they would obey His statutes and keep His commandments, He would keep them in health. “I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: FOR I AM THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE.” Ex. 15:26.

When they became critical and murmured against God and against Moses, God permitted “fiery serpents” to come into the camp, and many were bitten and died. (Num. 21:4-9.) The people knew the cause of this and came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, pray unto the Lord, and he will take away the serpents from us.” Num. 21:7.

God told Moses to fashion a serpent of brass and place it upon a pole where anyone who was bitten could see it. He would only have to look at the brazen serpent and he would be healed.

This, of course, was a type of Christ, who was crucified for us that we might be healed, both soul and body.

Many years later, Hezekiah, the king, had to destroy this same brazen serpent. Once it had been a blessing but now had become a curse because the people of Israel “did burn incense to it.” 2 Kings 18:4.

Some who elevate a person, who is used to heal the sick, are guilty of doing the same thing. They are exalting the instrument of healing rather than the Healer. God alone has power to heal. Man is never more than an instrument in His hands.

8. Speaking Against the Lord’s Anointed: (Num. 12:1-13.)

In the above Scripture we read that Miriam, the sister of Moses, criticized him. She didn’t approve of the woman he married! She added the sin of spiritual pride because she said, “Moses isn’t the only prophet around here. Hasn’t God spoken by us (Aaron) also?”

So great was this sin in God’s sight that He smote her with leprosy! It was only through the intercessory prayer of Moses that she was healed. God reminded Miriam how He had chosen and blessed Moses above all others, and God said to her, “were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” Num. 12:8.

Some are unable to receive healing because they are guilty of speaking against the Lord’s anointed!

A CAREFUL STUDY OF THE FOREGOING REASONS along with any others that may occur to you, should help locate the reason you, or those for whom you are praying do not receive healing. By correcting the trouble and turning to God in repentance, you should be able to receive it.

Perhaps you have had prayer for your healing once, or even many times, but failed to believe God for it, You think that perhaps it would denote unbelief to come back for prayer again for the same disease. Please refer to Mark 8:23. Here Jesus took a blind man by the hand and led him out of town. When He had spit on his eyes and put His hands upon him, He asked if he saw anything. The man looked up and said, “I see men as trees walking.” Mark 8:24. It was only after Jesus had laid his hands upon him the second time that his sight was fully restored. Then he saw “every man clearly.” Mark 8:25.

If you have had prayer and have not received healing, do not be discouraged. Rather, start over, reading the New Testament as though it were a new book. Read and study as though you know nothing about divine healing. You have missed a point somewhere along the line. Just go back and start at the beginning, and be very careful to follow God’s instructions in every point, and for you too, heaven GUARANTEES THE ANSWER.

The Bible teaches that we shall prosper and be in health, even as our souls prosper. (3 John 2.) Yet we haven’t any promise in the Word of God that divine healing will give unlimited physical life to any person in this present age. It is still true that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Heb. 9:27.

Some earnest teachers, preachers, and Christian people, in their great zeal for upholding the doctrine of healing, have left the strong inference that if one should exercise sufficient faith he might never die physically.

The Word of God makes it plain that death remains an unconquered enemy. “The last enemy that SHALL BE destroyed is death.” I Cor. 15:26. A careful study of this Scripture and its context will show that while death will eventually be destroyed, destruction awaits a future time. The sting of death is sin. (I Cor. 15:56.) To the person who is saved from sin, death has lost its sting, but death itself is yet unconquered. Until Jesus returns and puts all things under Him, death remains the normal end of all mankind.

Some quote Romans 5:12-14 as proof that physical health can be ours indefinitely to the extent that there should be no physical death. However, Paul was not here referring to physical death, but rather to spiritual death--spiritual separation from God. One can be alive physically, but dead spiritually. “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” I Tim. 5:6. A careful study of Romans 5, especially verses 17, 18, and 19, will reveal that Paul was speaking of this spiritual death and not of physical death. For he says, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Romans 5:19. If the death spoken of in verses 12 and 14 is physical death, then verse 19 should read, “So by the obedience of one shall many be made immune from physical death.”

It is true that physical health during our appointed life time has been provided in the atonement. But the Word does not teach that any person can have such outstanding faith as never to die physically. The exception is those whose normal life span will reach to the time when Jesus will come and those who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. (I Thes. 4:17.)

“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Psa. 90:10.

After having given this general rule in regard to the normal length of life, God gives us this pattern prayer: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Psa. 90:12. According to this verse, even the most consecrated Christian should expect to come at last to the end of his days. This will explain why some in advanced age fail to be raised from their beds. God’s time may have come for them to go.

However, even if it should be the end of days for an individual, God’s word still does not indicate that it is His plan for that person to die in agony and disease, but rather that His servant should depart in peace. (Luke 2:29.) Disease is not necessary to bring about death. God’s pattern for death is found in Psa. 104:29. “Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.”

Even when the time has come for one to die, there is a scriptural example for the belief that in the case of unusual faith, a limited amount of time may be added. Hezekiah was informed that God had commanded him to set his house in order, for he should die and not live. Yet in answer to his pleading, Hezekiah was granted an extension of life for fifteen years (2 Kings 20:1-7). Nevertheless, although Hezekiah was healed and his life extended, when the fifteen years were over, he still had to die. Divine healing does not set aside the law of death. Real faith can be based only upon the word of One who is faithful. We can have faith for healing because God has promised healing, but God has not promised that this physical life shall continue indefinitely.

Build your faith upon the Word of God. Search the Word to find the reason you have not been healed. Get rid of the reason you have not been healed. Then accept your healing joyful in whatever way God may see fit to give it.

God may choose to heal you instantly. He may choose to let the healing be gradual. He may choose to give a sudden manifestation of your healing, but at a time a little later. Or, in the case of one whose time has come to go, he may deliver from pain and suffering, and yet take the person to his eternal rest.

Lay aside your own ideas of how God is going to heal you and accept the healing God’s way. Believe God! Take Him at His word! He says healing is for you. God, who CANNOT LIE, has said, “believe that ye receive . . . and ye SHALL.” Mark 11:24.

 
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