Referred to as the Fall, Adam’s perfect relationship to God was lost and both he and Eve were driven out of the garden, losing further access to the tree of life. To a degree, Satan gained power over the world such that Jesus didn’t dispute this authority when tempted by the devil in the wilderness (Luke 4:6,7). Ever since that trespass by Adam, Satan has continued to deceive the world through a kingdom of evil forces in the heavenly realms described by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians. In this letter, Paul describes these forces of evil as organized into an empire having well defined rank and order much like a military command with Satan as commander-in-chief.

The manner by which these forces of evil bring the “diseases of Egypt” upon the people of God is no mystery. Their malicious methods were used successfully on God’s chosen people in the Old Testament times and we’re to learn from their missteps: “These things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did” (1 Cor 10:6). Paul writes that what took place with the Israelites was written down as a warning so we might be careful to not fall as did they did.  It’s a warning to avoid opening the door to demonic attack by disobeying God’s authority and His revealed will whenever we assume that we are standing firm (10:7-12).

Satan’s scheme has never changed over the ages. Being a “liar and the father of lies,” the devil masquerades as an angel of light in an effort to have us challenge truth as revealed in the word of God. The basis terms of covenant which God has made with His people are given in Deuteronomy 28. “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands…,” blessings are promised. “However, if you do not obey the LORDyour God and do not carefully follow all his commands…,” curses will come (the withdrawing of blessings) including every kind of sickness. Man’s refusal to submit to God’s authority will remove His protective ‘covering’ against Satan. 

We have an illustration of Satan’s deception given by Jesus in a parable of the so-called prodigal son (Lk 15:11-32). Actually both sons demonstrate ways by which the devil is able to keep believers from enjoying their inheritance of being in godly relationship with a loving heavenly Father. In the case of the younger son, he was living under the covering and blessing of his father until he willfully chose to separate from his father’s presence in order to seek the pleasures of the world. Until that time, all his needs had been graciously met and he was able to overcome temptation.

Then he found himself bewitched by lures of a world governed by Satan….the very thing of which John warns believers clearly: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If  anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 Jn 2:15,16). Like Demas who deserted ministry with Paul because of love for the world (2 Tim 4:10), the younger son succumbed to temptation and found himself living in a pigpen.

Temptation will occur for consecrated believers even as it took place for Jesus during His testing in the wilderness just prior to beginning His earthly ministry. Temptation in and of itself is not sin, however. Jesus was tempted in every manner as we are, yet remained without sin because He rejected the enticing of Satan. But the younger son in the parable didn’t reject enticement. Lure of worldly pleasures and perhaps peer pressure led to the squandering of his inheritance in a “distant country,” the latter referring to a separation from previous close fellowship with his father.

As Jesus warns, we cannot serve two masters. Eventually we come to a place of loving one and turning our back on the other. Satan is well aware of this and will employ every imaginable scheme to turn us away from constant fellowship with Jesus as the Lord of everything in our lives. People talk of God hiding His face, but only two things cause God to do such, namely unbelief and sin. “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you” (Isa 59:2). Attraction by the world can prove so gradual and seeming innocent that one is ensnared almost without awareness unless a daily effort is made to examine one’s consecration.

While the younger son failed to remain in constant fellowship with his father, the older son succumbed to a different scheme of Satan. A common failing observed today, it was walking in spiritual poverty instead of appreciating the fullness of salvation and enjoying fellowship with God through union with Christ. The older son failed to appropriate the unlimited partnership with his father as expressed by the words of his father, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (Lk 15:31). There are two things in the older son’s attitude about which we should take note.

The first is a self-righteous attitude toward his younger brother who temporarily had fallen away from faith but now was “alive again” (15:32). Believers must never forget that Jesus came to save the vilest sinner, lest we fail to welcome into fellowship those of ill repute as well as those repenting of failure as did King David. A second point concerns words of the father who tells the older son, “Everything I have is yours.” There was to be  no limit to their relationship. What Christ did isn’t just about forgiveness. He came so we might have His life indwell and prosper in all things.

All riches in Christ are intended to be ours and “everything I have is yours” is not to be afflicted by disease. Scripture is clear that one benefit of being in Christ is being healed by His wounds.  Our responsibility is to search our hearts for spiritual roots that may be hindering God’s healing such as bitterness, anxiety about tomorrow, envy of others and self-rejection, and then to deal with these issues through repentance. To which class of believer do you belong? Living with love for the world, only to end up in a pig pen like the prodigal? Or is it failing to live in rich fullness through Calvary? Whatever is the case, just hear God telling you, “Everything I have is yours.”

Many chase after signs and wonders instead of seeking intimacy with Jesus Christ. But Scripture says signs like healing follow those who believe rather than coming to believe by following signs and wonders. We’re to seek first the kingdom of God and righteousness, for it’s in seeking righteousness that we find ourselves seeking the best God has for us. While I once practiced medicine, I greatly prefer seeking spiritual answers to healing by God. This doesn’t mean I’m against medicine. But I deplore how the Church has failed to deal with the spiritual roots of disease by calling people to repent from sins which are responsible for disease in the first place.

Consider this example during my service as a volunteer physician at a Free Clinic. Rosa, a middle age lady, had been treated for hypertension when she presented with a very high  blood pressure and two-day history of stroke. Her right arm hung limply at her side and she limped badly due to weakness in her right leg. Asked whether she had taken her BP medication, she answered affirmatively in a slurred voice. When I inquired whether she had been recently upset about anything, she spoke of extreme distress over a wayward son who was incarcerated at the County Jail. This opened the door for me to ask if she had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

“Oh, yes!”  she replied with enthusiasm.”He’s my Lord and Savior!” I then asked why she was subjecting herself to such anxiety instead of praying and trusting the Lord to look after the rehabilitation of her son. I suggested she repent and ask forgiveness from her heavenly Father for her fear instead of having faith. After she’d done so, I prayed for the healing of her affliction in the name of Jesus. Immediately she said in a voice that was no longer slurred, “I’m fine now!” Her blood pressure had returned to normal, she instantly regained the full use of her right arm and shortly thereafter walked out of the Free Clinic without the slightest remaining trace of a limp.

In dealing with sin as a condition for healing, we do not infer someone must be sinless. The latter is never true apart from Jesus. But there’s a huge difference between being tempted, falling to sin, and repenting as opposed to living in habitual sin. “What shall we do then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means?” (Ro 6:1,2). To willfully continue in sin without repenting is to separate from relationship with Christ according to the Scriptures (see Gal 5:19-21; 1 Jn 2:15 and 1 Jn 3:6,10). Habitual sin not only risks removing oneself from God’s presence. Another consequence is often that of failing to live in good health (see Deuteronomy 28).

At times, there is no apparent reason why healing doesn’t take place. But it is always prudent to be as certain as possible that our lives are lined up with the will of God as revealed in Scripture. Fear of man or fear of circumstances is contrary to trusting God (i.e., having faith) and must recognized as sin. Such fear kept a generation of Israelites from entering the promised land. Their bodies fell to disease in the desert over the next forty years because of unbelief is spite of redemption from Egypt and having experienced God’s grace. The same can be said of bitterness and unforgiveness due to a past offense or becoming bewitched by love for the ways of the world.

Another circumstance involves the warning of the apostle Paul to examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Supper. This is a warning often not taken with utmost seriousness. “Anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep [i.e., have died]” (see 1 Cor 11:28-30). There is such lack of emphasis today on having a reverential fear of the Lord. As a result, this warning by the apostle is given little attention. At times people fail to demonstrate any significant desire whatsoever to carry out a genuine spiritual inventory.

We have a Creator who is aware of everything that takes place in thought, word and deed. Many a passage in both Old and New Testaments confirm that all of us are under His continual watchful care. It is deception to believe that we can live with one foot in Egypt and the other in the promised land as frequently thought. “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will receive eternal life” (Galatians 6:7,8). This warning is not to heathens but to believers in Jesus, lest you be deceived by the evil one.

One may have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is living in a manner pleasing to God. Thoughts come into our consciousness from both the kingdom of God and kingdom of Satan. Some deny this possibility but are ignorant of Satan’s schemes and do not understand why we’re commanded to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5). In fact, evil thoughts can even penetrate our mind when asleep. You might claim, “Such isn’t possible if a person lives righteously in the eyes of God!” Then you must explain what happened to Job who is described by God as “blameless and upright” (see Job 1:8).

“A word was secretly brought to me, my ears caught a whisper of it. Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end” (Job 4:12-15). An evil spirit brought fear and anxiety, emotions contrary to having a knowledge of God that calls us to live by faith (and emotions known to produce physical illness). Both Old and New Testaments stress that the righteous shall live by faith. But Satan prowls around looking for people to devour (1 Pe 5:8), stealing their peace and joy and killing faith in Christ. His temptations as “prince of this world” (Jn 12:31) constantly confront us and challenge our determination to live by faith.

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.

Years ago the Holy Spirit began to manifest His power with frequent gifts of healing for people with a variety of diseases in my medical practice. Some were medically incurable using available treatment and yet instant and complete healings took place. It was then that certain verses of Scripture became even more alive and vibrant than ever within the depth of my soul, verses such as the following by King David: “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit” (Ps 103:2-4).

This verse was like a spiritual lightning bolt for me! Almighty God was listing benefits for His people: forgiveness of sins, healing of diseases, and the gift of restoration as well as eternal life. Using a Hebrew-English dictionary, I sought the meaning of the word “all” that applied not only to having our sins forgiven but also to having diseases healed. The Hebrew kol translated as “all” was found to mean all, everyone, everything, completely, continually, and the totality of a matter. In short, use of the word kol did not make any allowance for frequent exceptions to a general rule.

The churches attended during those years of my life had no difficulty teaching about the blood of Jesus shed as an atoning sacrifice and complete payment for all my sins. That portion of Psalm 103 was never once heard contested by anyone occupying the pulpit. Neither was the matter of having any person redeemed from the pit of any circumstance or living hell on earth contested. Only that portion about the LORD who “heals all your diseases” seemed to elicit a variety of excuses if not unbelief from the mouths of those ministers given the great privilege of occupying a pulpit.

I soon came to a place where ‘cherry-picking’ only those passages in Scripture with which one was comfortable was no longer acceptable. Other passages were found which were consistent with the healing provisions of God in Psalm 103. Speaking of the coming Suffering Servant, the prophet was seen to have prophesied about Jesus, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted…..the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (see Isaiah 53:4,5).

Peter later wrote, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (2 Pe 2:24). Note that dying to sins and living for righteousness precedes being healed in this verse. And the Greek translated as “healed” is the identical word used by James when he wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about the sick going to their elders for anointing with oil and prayer. But regarding the latter,  I often find repentance of sins as a condition for healing being ignored today. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (see Jas 5:14-16).

Speaking by a prophet, God tells us, “My people are destroyed [or die] from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). This is tragically the case when the Church is not taught about the earnest desire of God to heal our physical afflictions today.  On the other hand, one must be careful to not ignore the biblical conditions required for healing to take place as is too often done: “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body” (Pr 4:20-22).

Both Old and New Testaments bear unequivocal witness to the compassion of God in healing those afflicted with physical suffering. A prominent aspect of Jesus’ ministry as given to the disciples involved healing and He made provision for healing to continue in the church He left behind. Such is the testimony of the early Church as recorded in Acts and should be a testimony of the hurch in our day. “And these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name they will drive out demons…they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mk 16:17,18).

Many in ministry do not believe the words of Jesus when He speaks about His miracles and healing of sickness:“Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing”  (Jn 14:12). Even when confronted by examples, their minds are blinded in refusing to recognize healings are taking place through gifts of healing placed in the church by God. Such leaders are groomed in schools and seminaries where ministry training has fallen under the influence of “deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” as prophesied two thousand years ago by Paul (1 Tim 4:1).

No other explanation is available for spiritual blindness found in certain denominations.  Satan has succeeded in keeping the full provision of Calvary from being appropriated. It should not surprise us that those churches which fail to recognize the desire of God to heal through “gifts of healing” (1 Cor 12:9) are the very same which deny the possibility of demonic influence on a “born again” believer. They dismiss multiple warnings in the Scriptures concerning need to resist the devil and to be aware of his schemes (2 Cor 2:11). That believers struggle not against flesh and blood but against forces of evil seems totally lost to their way of thinking (Eph 6:10-18).

Little did I know how keeping the words of God in my heart would apply to my own life until I developed incurable prostate cancer twenty years ago. God’s words are “life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body,” So I’ve cherished promises that have permitted me to continue sharing the full gospel with the lost and to be a testimony of God’s healing power to the sick over these intervening years. Such was especially true years ago when back pain was diagnosed as spread of cancer to my spine and God saw fit to completely relieve the pain without treatment.

The apostles realized that preaching with wise and persuasive words was insufficient and that a demonstration of God’s power was needed (1 Cor 2:4,5). So it is that they prayed for God to manifest His presence in their midst by confirming His Word through signs and wonders in the name of Jesus (Ac 4:30). In the next lesson we’ll examine what I have long labeled as Principles from the Farm regarding the subject of divine healing. Each of these principles is firmly based on Holy Scripture and consists of very elementary steps: (a) killing weeds of unbelief and doubt, (b) plowing up polluted soil in the heart, and (c) being certain to use the right seed when planting.

It doesn’t usually seem to register with Christian physicians (or many of those in church leadership) that when two million plus Israelites left Egypt with Moses, none were sick or feeble. There were more than enough in number to fill a dozen major hospitals today, yet none were infirm because all of them were under grace. The relationship of physical health to spiritual condition was obvious. Only three days after leaving Egypt, the God who had delivered them from bondage identified Himself as Jehovah-rophi….literally as a God who heals His people from their diseases.

Three days after their remarkable exodus, the Hebrew people arrived at Marah. We can imagine disappointment in finding the water too bitter for drinking. However God showed Moses a piece of wood symbolic of Jesus’ cross. When cast into the bitter water, the water became sweet. It was then that God told the people, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes…..I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD [Jehovah-rophe] who heals you” (Ex 15:26). Here we find the condition for both prevention and management of disease being described for the people of God.

The world rophe appears over sixty times in the OT and is always used in the sense of restoring, healing and cure, not only physically but in a moral and spiritual sense as well. At Marah, God pledged Himself to be their Healer on condition of obedience to His laws. The fruit of obedience would be health whereas sin would have consequences not only for the unsaved but saved alike. And the terrible toll sickness has extracted over the ages, plagues even threatening the existence of nations, demonstrates how the blessing of God assuring health has very often been withdrawn as a consequence of man’s disobedience against the righteous ways of a sovereign God.

The call to righteous living as a condition for good health is confirmed in Deuteronomy 28. Here we find fourteen verses (28:1-14) dealing with a blessing of good health when obedient to the revealed will of God. The remaining fifty-four verses (28:15-68) concern loss of God’s blessing of good health as a consequence of turning from God: “The LORD will plague you with diseases… wasting disease, with fever and inflammation…until you are destroyed.” Both Old and New Testaments emphasize God’s desire that we prosper in spirit, soul and body (3 Jn 2). Yet over the ages, we’ve come to ignore biblical conditions for receiving God’s blessing of health.

Could it really be that most disease has spiritual roots and that the healing, let alone prevention of disease, is directly related to overcoming spiritual issues? We see a direct connection between sin and healing in James 5:14-16: “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”  The condition for being healed is dependent upon first dealing with one’s sin.

I fondly recall sitting at the pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem where my wife took a picture of me reading the story of Jesus healing a man who’d been an invalid for thirty-eight years (Jn 5:1-15). In this particular case, the man was healed without being required to have any faith whatsoever, showing the compassionate heart of God. Indeed the man had no idea who’d healed him. However, Jesus found him later at the temple and said, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Here a  relationship between sin and health is quite apparent.

In these passages of Scripture, we see the direct relationship between physical disease and the spiritual condition of a person. But a relationship between disease and lack of sanctification has been poorly articulated by the Church for generations. So it is that we find believers have the same diseases and just as frequently as unbelievers in present times. It is unreasonable to expect gifts of healing if one is willfully living in a sinful condition. On the other hand, God is sovereign and blesses those He chooses to bless by miraculously healing unbelievers on occasion.

When the Word became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, the compassionate heart of God for healing of physical and emotional issues was fully manifested. There was not a single instance where the Son of God refused to heal a person who had come to Him. That the healing of physical infirmity should be a part of the church’s ministry today is denied by those whose lack of faith has led them to claim that we live under a dispensation where miracles and healing are no longer expected with a “prayer offered in faith.” It’s a most unscriptural way to explain the fact that sickness is just as rampant in the body of Christ today as in the world in general.

This dispensational argument is often associated with the doctrine of Balaam that would falsely teach grace makes allowance for sin without consequences. It’s a claim of false security that salvation is not lost by returning to worldly ways (see 2 Tim 4:9,10) or by abandoning one’s faith (see 1 Tim 1:19,20). But sickness in the physical realm simply can not be separated from sin in the spiritual realm. Rebellion against righteousness is at the root of most diseases experienced by man, be it personal rebellion or by our forefathers (Neh 9:2). However, the doctrine of Balaam has become so pervasive that healing by the wounds of Jesus is rarely in evidence today.

As we continue, we’ll see a connection between repentance of sin and healing of physical affliction. Hopefully we’ll also come to appreciate that the purpose for seeking divine healing should never be to pursue of one’s personal ambitions or indulging in worldly pleasures. Where the gift of healing is experienced, the Holy Spirit is manifesting His nature. And the Spirit of healing is also the Spirit of sanctification. Our sanctification should always be held in greater esteem than healing of any physical affliction. Indeed, “without holiness, no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14). We must not allow ourselves to divide the offices of the Holy Spirit in the same way the offices of Jesus are often divided by claiming Him as Savior independent of His Lordship.

Jesus never suggested a sick person should resign himself to illness. Misguided doctrines have strayed from the fullness of the gospel, neglecting to emphasize that “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 Jn 3:8). Even a casual reading of the gospels and book of Acts in absence of false indoctrination will leave readers clear as to the charge given the church Jesus left behind regarding divine healing. If these lessons do not clarify the matter, I’d simply ask you to be good Bereans and search the Scriptures for yourself instead of reading commentaries written by others.

Jesus taught that sin in the soul and sickness in the body both bore witness to works of the devil. Satan is identified by Jesus as the prince of this world, directing a kingdom of darkness with sickness being a consequence of sin. So it is Jesus healed everyone who came for healing. Yet as the Church has become less committed to the truth of Scripture, faith in divine healing has diminished and healings have all but disappeared from the regular experience of most who make up the body of Christ on earth, especially in highly industrialized nations like the United States, England and France.

As the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16), our bodies do not bring glory to our Creator when afflicted with either sin or sickness. And if we look for healing by a natural means, our attention is directed toward the body and symptoms of disease. But if looking for divine healing, attention becomes directed toward repentance of sins and the yielding of oneself to the tender care of Christ. The focus then becomes that of recognizing and renouncing those issues which separate us from intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus. And should symptoms at first seem more severe than before, one stresses continuing on a faith walk and keeping the focus on righteousness.

This series of lessons is intended as a brief introduction to the reality of spiritual healing as it takes place throughout the world today, despite the disclaimers of naysayers to the contrary. The author of these lessons has witnessed a considerable number of divine healings as described in books available for reading on this website. No doubt many more healings might have been witnessed had the author been more sensitive toward the need to deal with spiritual issues prior to anointing with oil and laying on of hands to pray in the name of Jesus for those with sickness. Nonetheless, I remain so deeply grateful for having been permitted to see the power of the Holy Spirit powerfully at work through my life, even to the raising of a dead man back to life.

That such times are upon us is clear from many standpoints. Major biblical prophecies are being fulfilled as anticipation of the rapture and coming of the antichrist grows by the day. Unrest in the middle east is seen preceding appearance of the antichrist (Daniel 9) as one who negotiates a peace treaty or covenant between Israel and its enemies regarding a land dispute (Daniel 11). As warned by Jesus, there is a multitude of wars and of ethnic cleansings (kingdom against kingdom) as well as wide-spread famine and ever increasing earthquakes (Mt 24:6,7). And we’ve already seen false prophets claiming the authority of Christ, be it leaders of cults or the head of the Roman Catholic church (24:4,5).

There is persecution today with putting to death of Christians in Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu nations. Many are turning away from the faith, not only in Europe and the United Kingdom but in America where false prophets promote a prosperity gospel that deceives multitudes of God-seekers. Wickedness is on the rise and the love of many for Christ is growing cold with ever decreasing church attendance and some 1500 leaving the ministry monthly. Sexual perversion is rampant, the commandments of God are being removed from public places, and the sanctity of the family is increasingly violated to a point that homosexual and lesbian couples are judged fit to parent children by our judicial system.

Were the above not sufficient, most churches do not acknowledge need for a deliverance ministry. Multitudes suffer demonic oppression and depression if not physical affliction. These are consistent with examples described in the gospels of the NT as well as in the book of Acts. And letters of the apostles contain numerous reference to the work of Satan and his kingdom of evil spirits. But deceiving spirits have not only succeeded in causing entire denominations to deny an existence of spiritual gifts today such as gifts of healing. Demonic spirits have infiltrated seminaries and bible schools so as to deflect attention away from believers coming under demonic attack despite warnings of such in Ephesians chapter 6 and elsewhere in the Scriptures.

As a result, untold millions in the church find themselves medicated with drugs for emotional and mental illness and multitudes suffer various types of physical affliction having a spiritual if not demonic basis. If you don’t believe this, simply read the synoptic gospels. As long as need for deliverance remains below the radar screen, casualties will continue to mount. Soldiers in our armed forces are taught to “live and die by the book.” The same must be applied spiritually! The word of God gives clear marching orders and guidelines for captives being set free from every kind of demonic influence. The only question is whether we choose to appropriate the victory which Jesus has won for us.

How then do we appropriate victory and help others do the same? The following are guidelines found useful in the experience of many who serve God with a ministry of deliverance:

(1) The first is remembering that Jesus has already won the victory just as was true for Joshua. “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands” (Jos 6:2). We can verbally confess this today as follows: “Thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57). It’s an issue of genuine faith that we have One in us who is greater than the one in the world who is Satan (see 1 Jn 4:4).

(2) The next step is to take responsibility for and repent of all known sins. God never commits Himself to forgive sins and heal or set us free from demonic influence unless we confess and repent of our sins. We must be willing to turn from sinful behavior to be released from bondage, verbally telling God, “I confess and am turning at once from……(state specifically and verbally what is being confessed).

(3) Forgive everyone who has offended you in the past. Mark 11:25 is a sound spiritual principle: “If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Doing this must be a conscious decision, not an emotion, and it must be a decision which is made sincerely from the heart with an unconditional willingness as well as genuine desire to forgive.

(4) Humble yourself.  The Holy Spirit says through a pen of James, “Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (Jas 4:10). This involves both confessing and renouncing self-righteousness of any kind. Whenever dealing with evil spiritual powers, we are only strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Eph 6:10). Dependence on self and on our own strength must be completely rejected.

(5) Renounce and ask forgiveness for involvement with any past group which required personal loyalty.  This includes any kind of fraternal or secular organization where an oath of allegiance might have been taken as well as any religious affiliation which might have involved devotion or prayers to any person or being including angels other than God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

(6) Pray to be released from every curse. There may have been curses placed on your forefathers in generations past for their sins and such can still play a role in our lives today. Curses are mentioned over 600 times in Scripture which obviously suggests they are not to be taken lightly (see Neh 1:6, 9:2). We’re in error by having neglected the importance of what are often called generational sins.

(7) Stand with God without compromise against evil of every kind and have confidence in the full armor of God. “As for God, his way is perfect…..He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (Ps 18:30) . “Lord, I stand with you against every demonic influence that comes against me and I commit myself completely to not opening any doors which might give evil spirits an unintended access to my life.

(8) Expelling of demons! Use the name of specific spirits when recognized by their activity and command them to leave in the name of Jesus. In preparation, one might well prepare with fasting as well as prayer and have intercessors praying during the time of deliverance. It is critical to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and very helpful to have the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits, always depending on the power of the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead to set the oppressed free from bondage. Remember that we struggle not against flesh and blood but against forces of evil in heavenly realms. So it is that Satan will only flee our resisting him when our lives are genuinely submitted to the lordship of Christ (Jas 4:7).

Indeed the church is failing its Christ in great measure. While many pray for healing, the biblical pattern of instant healing is rarely in evidence. Delayed healing is seen at times and God is certainly to receive the glory. But the kind of healing observed with a woman who had spent all she had on doctors who were unable to cure her bleeding is rarely seen in our churches. Yet all she had to do was touch a hem of Jesus’ robe in faith (Mk 5:29). In spiritual warfare as in divine healing, the greatest weapon of all is Faith. It is essential to be fully confident in the power of our Deliverer to destroy every enemy. “For without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb 11:6).

A second weapon is the Name of Jesus which the Lord has commanded be used in the expelling of demons and healing. Seventy-two disciples returned after being sent out by Jesus and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Lk 10:17). In His commission to disciples before returning to heaven, the Lord commissioned them to preach the gospel of the kingdom, “These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons…” (Mk 16;17). Having authority to use a person’s name means the effect is the same as though that person were present. Our Secretary of State speaks with authority on behalf of the President as though the President himself were present. And so it is meant to be with spiritual warfare.

Independent action or using the name of Jesus as a formula will not result in evil spirits being expelled or a person being protected in spiritual warfare. One must be under the authority of Christ to use His name with authority. Not every knee on earth bows to His name at this time but it’s different in the spirit realm. Demons are aware of the power of Jesus’ name and they are aware of who has the presence of Jesus to use His name in the power of the Spirit. We saw this with sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva as they were beaten by a man with an evil spirit. The evil spirit spoke through the man, saying “I know about Paul.” The demon recognized that Jesus was present in the apostle’s life because Paul was fully submitted to the authority of his Lord and Savior.

Before thinking about setting free others from demonic influence, it’s necessary to get our own spiritual lives in order with help of the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:13). Submitting to the lordship of Christ is critical for authority in the spirit realm, let alone having the blessing of God on our lives. This brings us to the next weapon, the Word of God which is referred to as the “sword of the Spirit” by Paul. We must be intimately familiar with all that Jesus teaches to use Scripture as an effective sword in warfare. If we know and practice what He teaches, our lives will rest on a foundation of rock in the face of storms that life is certain to bring (Mt 7:24-27). We learned about the sword of the Spirit being the rhema word of God: specific verses spoken in faith with anointing of the Spirit.  The sword of the Spirit is a weapon intended not only for defense but also for offense, but is never available to those who fail to ingest the word of God into their inmost being.

A fourth weapon is that of praise, prayer and fasting. Scripture proclaims that God will inhabit the praises of His people, bringing God into every situation. Along with fasting to humble ourselves and to seek special grace to move mightily on our behalf and for the benefit of others, prayer combined with praise is a powerful weapon as illustrated in the story of Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 17:1-6; 20:1-30). God does not intend for us to lose battles against His enemies and this story is a type of God’s battle with forces of evil in heavenly realms. As we learn in Ephesians 6, it may appear that our battles are against flesh and blood, i.e. against other people. But God insists that our struggle is actually against spiritual forces of evil. And it’s a struggle we’ll never win in our own might and power.

It’s time for the church to bring spiritual warfare into the open and stop ignoring if not denying biblical admonitions about the occult. There’s an old saying, “What I don’t know doesn’t hurt me!”  But we’re deceived if we believe that such applies to spiritual warfare. Paul commands us to not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes. And in his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks about forgiving others in order that Satan might not outwit us. In this passage, he is warning that resentment and unforgiveness toward others is a tool exploited by the devil. The Bible warns that a root of bitterness defiles many. Families as well as church bodies are being torn apart by the failure to heed God’s explicit warnings about bitterness and unforgiveness.

I believe it’s far to say that forgiveness is an important weapon in spiritual warfare as it opens the way for setting many captives free. Jesus sets forth the method of restoring believers who have sinned against another member of the church (Mt 18:15-18). We are to show him his fault privately and if he listens, there is to be forgiveness. The same is true even if one or two others are included as witnesses. “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”  (18:l8). The context here relates to the subject of forgiveness and forgiveness is entirely in our hands for disposition when an offense takes place. A significant part of spiritual warfare involves a matter of forgiveness in our lives. Indeed our being forgiven through Jesus’ shed blood is so that we might show forgiveness toward others.

As we go on the offensive against Satan, let us place faith in weapons with “divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor 10:4). It involves taking “captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (10:5). A superb illustration of how to proceed is given in the story of the Israelites’ battle against Jericho, a type of stronghold. First was circumcision (Josh 5:2,3), determining to not depend on one’s flesh but resting in the strength of the Lord. Next was keeping the Passover (5:10) to recall the provision of Calvary that “rescued us from the dominion of darkness” (Col 1:13). Finally, as Joshua came near to Jericho, he encountered the “commander of the army of the Lord” (Jos 5:14). The preincarnate Jesus assured Joshua that victory had already been achieved on his behalf (6:2) if he would depend on the Lord’s heavenly hosts to bring down the walls of the stronghold.

There are many who tickle itching ears in order to attract great numbers to their church: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim 4:3). This explains the development of many if not most megachurches where a “form of godliness” exists but the power of the Spirit is absent to heal the sick and cast out demons to free those under demonic oppression (2 Tim 3:5). Jesus has clearly detailed the reality of Christian life for us, explaining not only the blessings but the cost of discipleship for all those who would exchange their lives for eternal life in Him.

In reading about saints, we find, “Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them” (Heb 11:36-38). One’s faithfulness to God never guarantees either comfort or deliverance from persecution by the world, but it does assure us of God’s grace to help in times of trial. Severe persecution under the new covenant is described in Acts and today there is brutal and even fatal treatment of Christians in parts of the world, especially where the prevailing forms of religious belief are Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism.

The apostle Paul explains that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against… forces of evil in heavenly realms” (Eph 6:12).   When it comes to attack by Satan and his minions, however, we have available both defensive and offensive weapons. This lesson is directed to the former, the latter being the subject of the next chapter. Defensive weapons are alluded to through-out Scripture but the most concise and complete description is in the sixth chapter of Ephesians. Here we find the “full armor of God” which Paul urges us to have in place “so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” (6:13).  Note that Paul does not tell us “if” days of evil attack come but rather “when” they come.

The first piece of armor is to “stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (6:14). The Gk aletheia translated as “truth” has two meanings: that which is truth and our being truthful to the truth. The Gk for “buckled” (“girded” in KJV) means to be dressed ready for service.  So buckling on the belt of truth is knowing truth contained in the word of God and being ready to act on it (Jn 17:17). The next piece is a “breastplate of righteousness in place” (Eph 6:14). The Gk for “breastplate” is thorax, referring to that part of the body containing the heart. And the Gk for “righteousness” also has two meanings: the righteousness received by faith in Christ (see helmet below) and that used here, namely a heart inclined toward righteous living.

Knowing the truth of God’s word and having heartfelt intention to live righteously brings us to the next piece of armor: “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (6:15). The Gk for “fitted” means to put on, implying an active role in “walking the talk”, not just being prepared with knowledge of truth and having good intentions. It is having feet that are fitted with readiness to let the word of God be a light to one’s path (Ps 119:105) and then walking that path. This is contrasted with ‘cheap grace’ that offers a divided Christ – the notion that one can receive Jesus as personal Savior without having to submit to His lordship over one’s life. Unfortunately the latter is where so many in the church are living their lives today.

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (6:16). The conditions for having protection by the shield of faith are what the first pieces concern: knowing truth, determining to live by truth, and feet that are walking in truth (Tit 2:11,12). The Gk for “shield” is thyreos, the only time this word is used in the Bible. It is a shield measuring approximately 2 x 4½ feet in size, not quite sufficient to cover a soldier from head to toe. But when kneeling (representing submission to the lordship of Christ in obedient faith), the entire front is fully protected. Note, however, the complete absence of protection for the back if one should turn away from facing the enemy.

“Take the helmet of salvation” (6:17) uses a different Gk word than used in “take up” the shield. The latter implies personal responsibility for taking up something. The GK for “take” used with the shield means accepting or receiving something done for us instead of doing it ourselves. The Gk for “helmet” literally means around the head. So we are to accept and welcome what Jesus has already done to protect our minds from the lies and thoughts sent by Satan. Nothing shields us like the truth of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. “O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle” (Ps 140:7).

“Take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17) again uses the word for take as receiving something provided, i.e. the word of God as a sword having divine power. The Gk for “sword”  is machaira, a short sword ideal for hand-to-hand combat. And the Gk used for “word of God” is not the general term logos referring to the entirety of God’s word. Rather the Gk rhema is used and refers to a specific Spirit-inspired word given for a particular situation. It was a rhema word of God that Jesus used in ‘hand-to-hand’ combat against Satan’s temptations during forty days in the wilderness prior to start of His ministry (Lk 4:1-13).

A final defensive weapon is to “pray in the Spirit” on all occasions (Eph 6:18). We may look at spiritual warfare as a 3-legged stool with success depending on faith, obedience (dying to self and walking in God’s will as revealed in His word), and prayer. And prayer isn’t just another weapon, but is part of the battle itself.  I personally believe that Paul is speaking here about praying in his prayer language, i.e. praying in tongues. This is supported by Paul speaking specifically of praying in the Spirit (1 Cor 14:13-15) as praying in tongues. Such prayer, carried out by the Holy Spirit, is always certain to be in accord with the perfect will of God.