There are several principles in Scripture which apply directly to this subject of divine healing through “gifts of healing” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Taken together, these principles form the environment wherein the manifestation of “gifts of healing” are far more likely to be seen than in the absence of these principles. These principles are not to be considered a formula for success however. While God promises to bless all those who fear Him and are obedient to His ways, Jehovah-rophe does not operate like a spiritual ATM machine if certain procedures are followed.
There are circumstances where a committed saint of God continues to suffer physical infirmity when all appears to be right in the natural. There seems no apparent reason as to why Jehovah-rophe does not extend His hand and bring immediate healing. It is here in particular that faith not only finds itself tested but where faith can shine brightly like a city high on a hill in the darkness of this world. The ability of believers to endure their adversity while continuing to trust in the sovereignty of God serves as encouragement and inspiration to others in similar circumstances.
God is not only compassionate but faithful to hear and act upon cries for help from His faithful ones – providing genuine faith exists and roadblocks to receiving healing are not acting as an obstacle. While I’ve witnessed numerous instantaneous healings, some of which are described in books found on this website, I’ve never considered myself to have a “gift of healing.” Were it so, I’d hasten to empty every hospital in America and risk my assassination by hospital administrators if not by the doctors themselves. The “gifts” are rather for those persons who receive the healings.
What I have found is that three principles apply as taught by the apostles and by Jesus Himself. Referred to as Principles from the Farm, the first of these is the all-important Killing Weeds of Unbelief. It is clearly recorded that even Jesus could not carry out miracles or healings in His home-town of Nazareth because such lack of faith existed. These people had known the Lord Jesus from childhood and had difficulty accepting that He was the long-awaited Messiah prophesied about by many prophets. Instead, the Lord experienced rejection by people He came to serve.
Faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1) and one who seeks healing must have utter confidence that God has the power to do what is being asked. What James writes of in seeking wisdom is also true for divine healing: “When he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord” (Jas 1:6,7). God does not heal to produce faith. God has sent His Word to produce faith in the hearts of believers.
When a farmer plants seed in his field, he’s glad to complete planting and has faith in nature to grow the seed by providing moisture as well as sunshine. So with divine healing. Those sick must have faith in the Son-shine of Jehovah-rophe and not permit doubt to fester. I’ve seen instant healing begin following prayer with laying on of hands, only to watch doubt develop and people seek medical attention instead of asking for more prayer. Let us not forget that Jesus prayed twice for the blind man whose restoration of sight was only partial at the beginning (Mk 8:22-25).
Not only is doubt and unbelief a great obstacle to receiving “gifts of healing” from God whose desire is for His children to be healthy. A second principle is a need to Plow Up Polluted Soil. There are often hindrances existing in the soil of the heart of those who ask God for healing. Their life is far from being in compliance with the revealed will of God. So it is James instructs that we are to first confess our sins before praying for one another so healing can take place (Jas 5:16). For God to heal, yet allow the very sin to remain that led to disease in the first place is unreasonable.
The psalmist tells us, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Ps 66:18). No one should expect Jehovah-rophe to destroy the work of Satan in our bodies while we cling to his work in our hearts. A major obstacle in this regard is the holding of resentment or unforgiveness toward someone because of a past offense. This is an obstacle not only preventing healing of sickness. Unforgiveness prevents a person from receiving forgiveness for their own transgressions from God, thereby risking eternal damnation at the day of judgment (Mt 6:14,15).
Polluted soil includes self-abuse. I’ve watched patients pray for healing of lung cancer as they continued to smoke and seen still others suffer with complications of diabetes while eating habits were totally undisciplined. The same is true for those controlled by fear and worry over what tomorrow holds for their lives. The command of Jesus is that we would not worry about tomorrow or the many issues that tend to consume our attention daily (see Mt 6:25-34). When we allow fear, stress and anxiety to manifest in our lives, we are polluting our faith by agreeing with a spirit of fear.
Self-indulgence is another common obstacle when healing is sought: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives” (Jas 4:3). Peter’s mother-in-law is an example of godliness in this regard. Scripture tells us that she got up to wait on others after being healed by Jesus (see Lk 4:38,39). What the Holy Spirit had James write about having wrong motives should always be kept in mind as one petitions God the Father for divine healing. Our continuing in good health received depends on seeking the pleasure of the One who heals by living in submission.
This brings us to the third principle from the farm, that of Planting with the Right Seed. The seed about which we speak here is not prayer but rather the Word of God. Many request prayer to be healed when in fact they should be asking to be instructed on what God tells us about healing in His Word. It is quite amazing that so few appear to understand God’s provision for healing is an integral part of the gospel of the kingdom which Jesus came to bring. They don’t seem to question that God is fully prepared to forgive the sins of all who seek His pardon and will turn from their sins (1 Jn 1:9). But when it comes to healing, a multitude of doubts exist.
The prophet writes, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He was pierced for our transgressions….and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:1,5). It was centuries before the incarnation of Jesus that the prophet described Jesus’ ministry. And decades after Jesus’ return to heaven, John wrote, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). This involved not only becoming a sacrifice for the sins of the world, but taking on Himself sickness as a consequence of sin. Yet though repeatedly stated in Scripture, Satan has successfully blinded the eyes of so many to this message.
