2.10. How to Receive Your Healing
CHAPTER 10 HOW TO RECEIVE YOUR HEALING On the Jericho road sat a blind man. His nave was Bartimaeus. He was a beggar. Bartimaeus had heard how Jesus had healed the sick, opened the blind eyes, and caused the dumb tongues to praise the Lord, but this was his first opportunity to meet Christ. When Bartimaeus learned that it was Jesus passing by, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. Mark 10:47. Bartimaeus had met with no opposition as day by day he had sat by the road, cup in hand. People never meet with opposition so long as they suffer and are patient with their afflictions. But when one begins to cry out to Christ for help begins to press his way through to victory - all Satan [s forces are turned upon him in opposition. However, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
Jesus said, "I give you power over all the power of the enemy." Do not be defeated. The Christ within you is greater than the power of the enemy in the world. Do not give up. Be persistent. The moment Bartimaeus cried out to the lord for help, many charged him that he should "hold his peace." They were trying their best to discourage Bartimaeus from receiving healing.
Notice in verse 48, the faith of Bartimaeus. He would not be discouraged. He was determined to have his eyes opened. He knew that Jesus was the only one who could help. The more the people tried to discourage him, the louder he cried, "Thou son of David, have mercy on me." When Jesus saw that Bartimaeus would not be discouraged, He sopped, and commanded him to be called. When they brought him to Jesus, He said to him, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"
Bartimaeus replied, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."
It was then Jesus said unto him, "Go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole." And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. Had Bartimaeus listened to the people he would have been turned away, and never would have been healed.
God is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. One must not be discouraged. A real determination to persist until victory comes is very important.
If a person has prayed through to real victory before he enters the prayer line, nothing will discourage him. He will press right on until he receives healing. As the next step, REMEMBER CALVARY.
David said, "Bless the Lord O my soul, and FORGET NOT all his benefits." Psalms 103:2-3. That is, "REMEMBER all his benefits." To be reminded of all Gods benefits, we must go back to Calvary. The benefits mentioned by David include forgiveness of ALL sins, and healing of ALL diseases. Not part of ours sins, nor part of our diseases, but ALL! Every sin, and every disease! This is the benefit of Calvary.
Seven hundred years before Calvary, Isaiah looked forward to the cross. Upon that cross he saw a man dying for the sins of the World. Not only dying - shedding his blood - for the sins of the world, but dying with His back bruised and bleeding from the stripes which He bore that we might be set free from sickness, as well as from sin. Speaking as he was moved by the Holy Ghost, Isaiah cried out in prophetic utterance "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes WE ARE HEALED." Isaiah 53:3-5. So then, at Calvary we are healed by His stripes.
Sixty years after Calvary, the apostle Peter declares, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye WERE HEALED. 1 Peter 2:24.
What difference does it make whether it be sixty years after Calvary, or nineteen hundred years after Calvary? Time cannot change Gods eternal Word. The fact remains, that at Calvary YE WERE HEALED! The work was finished there. All God asks us to do is to believe it, then receive it.
Only as a sinner believes in Calvary for the atonement of his soul can he receive salvation from sin. And only as you, dear sick suffering friend, believe in the stripes can you receive healing for your body.
Jesus Christ shed His blood to atone for ALL sins. The sufferings of his body were not for that.
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from you fathers, but with the precious BLOOD of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1 Peter 1:18-19.
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, and forgiveness of sins according to his riches of grace." Ephesians 1:7.
"For the life to the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul. For it is the blood (Not the flesh) that makes an atonement for the soul."
Christ did not suffer in His body for our sins. He shed His blood for that. The stripes were for our healing! David says so. Isaiah says so. Peter says so. Christ himself says that it is so. That should b sufficient.
Thank be to God for Calvary! At Calvary we find atonement for the soul, but w cannot stop there. That is merely half of the benefits of Calvary. The other half is healing for the physical body.
Many today have forgotten His benefits. Many remember part of his benefits, but have forgotten that part which provides deliverance for our physical bodies. So far as they are concerned, they make the sufferings of Christ to be in all. Paul refers to this very thing when he tells us why Christians are sick. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (die prematurely). 1 Corinthians 11:30. The cause is found in 1 Corinthians 11:29. Failure to discern the lords body. That is, not understanding, or failing to remember for what His body was bruised and broken. In this scripture Paul is referring to the sacrament. Going back to the teaching of Christ on this same subject, we find that Jesus took bread and blessed is and brake it, and gave it to the disciples. He said, "Take eat. This is my body." Matthew 26:26. In Matthew 26:27, He took the cup, and gave thanks and gave it unto them saying, "Drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for the remission of sins." HereChrist shows a distinction between the body and the blood. This distinction is the reason that both the bread and the wine are included in the symbolism of the sacrament. The wine symbolizing the blood shed four our sins; the bread symbolizing the body broken for the healing of our sicknesses. Failing to discern the lords body (1 Corinthians 11:29) means forgetting half of Calvary. Failing to remember that it was by His stripes ye are healed. No wonder so many were weak and sickly in the church at Corinth, when they had neglected the provision God had made for their healing. And it is for this same reason so many Christian people are weak and sick today. They have forgotten the benefits of Calvary.
Jesus last words on the cross, before He gave up the ghost, were, "It is finished." John 19:30.
What did He mean? He meant just this: He had borne the sins of the world, and carried its sorrows. "Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses." Matthew 8:17.
Since Christ bore your sicknesses, you no longer have to be sick. You can be released from sin and sickness by remembering that Christ finished your redemption ONCE FOR ALL at Calvary.
Now we are ready for the healing line. Ready to come believing that the moment hands are laid upon you in Jesus name, and according to his word, your shall recover, for Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe...They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."
Mark 16:18. Also remember that James said, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the lord shall raise him up." The next step is to recover. The moment that hands are laid upon you, go back to Calvary claim every one of its benefits. Begin by faith to act healed. Do the thing your affliction kept your from doing.
It is important for the person who is seeking healing to recognize the fact that the one who is laying hands upon him is doing so under divine authority. Remember that this believer has been authorized by Christ to loose you from you infirmities. Christ had given him power and authority over your affliction. He is acting under DIVINE COMMISSION. Christ Himself said, "Behold I give you power...over all the power of the enemy." Luke 10:17.
"He...gave them power and AUTHORITY over ALL devils, and to cure diseases." Luke 9:38. The man of God who is to bring deliverance to you has full faith in Calvarys victory over Satan.
He believes in the power of the blood to cleanse for sin and in the power of the broken body of Christ to set you free from sickness. He BELIEVES, and God who cannot lie has said, "These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils they shall speak with new tongues... THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK AND THEY SAHLL RECOVER!"
Mark 16:17-18. He knows that in the name of Jesus, Satan must retreat. By faith, he can bind, rebuke, and command Satan to remove the affliction, IN THEIR NAME OF JESUS, and Satan must respect that name! The victory at Calvary is applied in your case. And then what do you do? Just BELIEVE. Just simply believe! Believing is faith. Faith is not knowing that God is able. Faith is believing that God DOES. Believing it, simply because God said he would do it, and you know that God CANNOT LIE.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. Faith is reaching out into the unseen, getting hold of that which is not, and holding on until it becomes that which is. Faith is believing that ye possesses that which we cannot see, that which we cannot feel. Though it is unseen and unfelt as yet, we believe it is already done. This kind of faint BRINGS DELIVERANCE!
Believe, even though you are in pain. Believe even though you have tried to walk and could not!
Keep on believing, and keep on trying to act upon your faith. It is the believing that drives out the pain, that brings your forth from your bed. The unbeliever says, "Let me feel and I will believe.
God says, "Believe, and I will let you feel." Real faith is believing without being able to feel.
We are healed according to our faith, not according to our feeling. Feeling comes after faith has been exercised. Do not look for feeling, look for HEALING!
Faith for healing is believing absolutely that we are healed in spite of such things as weakness or pain. It is simply believing that we already have the thing for which we prayed BEFORE WE SEE IT OR FEEL IT. This is exactly what john meant when he said. "This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hearth us, and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we HAVE THE PETITIONS THAT WE DESIRED OF HIM. 1 John 5:14-15.
Then without waiting to see of feel, we believe that we have the thing for which e prayed.
"Faith without works is dead." James 2:20. In other words, faith that DOESNT WORK is dead.
Since real faith is ALIVE, it is ACTIVE FATIH. It works. It acts.
You absolutely believe that by His stripes you were healed. Since you absolutely believe it, you begin to act on Gods word. Joy comes into your heart, as the realization of what God has done for our sweeps over your soul. Faith always brings rejoicing. Then as you rejoice in your victory, stand upon your feet! Rise up in Jesus name and walk! DO THE THING THAT YOU COULD NOT DO. Leave your wheel chair. Throw away your crutches. Walk and run and leap for joy!
Speak Hear! See out of obscurity and out of darkness. Do it in Jesus name. Because you believe, you are healed. You can and will do the thins you could not do.
ACT YOUR FAITH. Step out on the promise of God. Quit talking about your faith, and begin to act your faith. If you have real faith you wont have to tell people about it. They can SEE your faith. Four men brought a palsied friend to Jesus to be healed. They had faith that could be seen.
"And when he SAW their faith, he said unto him. Man thy sins are forgiven thee." Luke 5:20.
People who have real fait act instead of brag and talk. do not declare that your have "all the faith in the world," when your are still sick and afflicted. If you have that much faith, YOU OUGHT TO BE BRINGING DELIVERANCE to the multitudes of sick and suffering! Do not say "If I can only believe." Leave the "if" out. Quit "trying to believe." Simply believe, and ACT on the Word of God. "Be ye DOERS of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22-25.
Talk about your healing. Talk about the goodness of God. Talk about Gods promises. Quote every scripture promise of healing that you now. Do not talk of failure. Do not speak of defeat. Quit talking about your doubts. Quit talking about your pains Throw away your medicines. Speak of your faith in Gods promises.
Quit telling people what a wonderful job the devil has done of binding you with sickness. Quit glorifying the devil, and testifying to his power.
Tell people what a wonderful work the lord Jesus has done, in making you whole, and driving away the power of Satan. Let your testimony glorify God. We overcome the devil by the word of our testimony. Revelation 12:11. At this point someone might say, "But Brother Allen, I have pain." The pain declares that the sickness is not healed. We care not what your pain declares, or what your feelings say. GODS WORD SAYS, "BY HIS STRIPES YE WERE HEALED!" Which are you going to believe?
Gods word or your pain!
Gods word declares one thing. your pain declares another. What do YOU declare? What is your testimony? Here is what it should be: "BY HIS STRIPES I AM HEALED!"
Some might think this to be a lie, but it is not. Gods word cannot lie.
Many a time, after a person has gone through the healing line, the devil has some friend or loved one standing close by, who unaware of the fact that they are helping the devil, will ask the person, "how do you FEEL? Do you really feel any better? Can you hear out of that ear now?"
Dont let the devil make you talk in terms of what you feel, unless your feelings agree with what God says. Feelings are good, if they agree with the Word of God. But Gods word is greater than your feelings. If your feelings have not yet been made to agree with the Word of God, ignore them. Refuse to quote them. Quote Gods word. stand upon it by faith. Tell those who ask, "By His stripes I am healed.
You do not have to lie about your pains. This is wrong. It is wrong to lie. Do not say, "The pain is gone," when the pain is still there. Do not say, "I can hear everything clearly," when you cannot. If you feel bad, it is a lie to say, "I feel good." IF YOU STILL HAVE PAIN, DONT LIE
ABOUT IT! Just refuse to discuss aches and pains. Quote Gods word. His word is truth. Real faith must be based upon the word of God EXCLUSIVELY. you are not to believe you are healed because the pain is gone, not to refuse to believe you are healed because you still feel the pain. That pain has nothing to do with your faith. Feeling is not faint, and faith is not feeling.
Faith is believing that you are healed BECAUSE GOD SAYS THAT YOU ARE HEALED.
If a person should say, "I believe I got healed because the pain is gone," that person would immediately lose faith should any sign of that pain return. Surely he would say, "I thought I was healed, but I was not. The pain is back again."
Faith is never afraid to take a stand with the word of God. "Let God be true and every man a liar." Romans 3:4. If my own feelings do not agree with what God says, then my feelings lie. A person who walks by faith ignores the testimony of his senses, unless it agrees with the word of God.
Make this your testimony. "God say it is done. I believe it...it is done! It is finished. I AM HEALED, BECAUSE GOD, WHO CANNOT LIE, DECLARES THAT I AM HEALED!" This is the way to receive healing. Not by feeling, but by faith. If you do this, God GUARANTEES TO HEAL YOU!