Divine Health - Ii

Introduction: Let us take a second look at divine healing and divine health. We would like to look at some hindrances to healing: wrong beliefs about the subject and expose them in the light of God’s word. Then we would like to see how to make our confessions of healing based on God’s word.

I Hindrances to Healing

As revival slowed down and the church lost it’s power, less miraculous healing was seen. Consequently wrong ideas and traditions developed to explain away divine healing. These were attempts to water down the Word of God to the level of human experience.

i) Healing is not for today: It stopped with the apostolic age and is not part of this dispensation. Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, c.f., Jam 1:17.

ii) God is glorified in sickness: Joh 9:1-4 often interpreted to mean that sickness has the purpose of giving God glory. The truth is glory to God comes through healing. God is glorified as we bear fruit (Joh 15:8) and as we let our light shine before men (Mat 5:16)

iii) Need to pray if it is thy will: We cannot pray in faith if we do not know God’s will. We must first renew our minds then we will understand God’s will. (Rom 12:1-2) Double mindedness about healing is a great hindrance (Jam 1:5-8)

iv) Paul’s Thorn: 2Co 12:7-10 thought to be a sickness, eye problem. Messenger, Gr. Angelos translated 179 times as angel and 7 times as messenger. Paul’s thorn was a devil not a sickness. God does not use Satan’s messenger service. Thorn in flesh is a metaphor is scripture meaning an enemy, e.g., Num 33:55.

v) It is normal to get sick when you get old: This comes from the pattern of the world around us: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis. We become accepting of these as normal. We need to renew our minds and focus on God’s vision. We can die in health when God calls us.

II Confessions unto Healing

As we overcome hindrances to healing, we need to learn to confess the Word of God unto healing. Here are six personal confessions you can make. We overcome by the Word of our Testimony (Rev 12:11). We need to hold fast to our testimony and not throw away our confidence (Heb 10:35)

1. God is my Jehovah Rapha, my healer!

Exodus 15:26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."

2. By the stripes of Jesus I was healed. I am healed by the stripes of Jesus!

Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. (5) But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

1 Peter 2:24 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.

3. Sickness is a curse. I have been redeemed from the curse. The blessings of Abraham are mine.

Deuteronomy 28:15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Galatians 3:13-14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." {[13] Deu 21:23} (14) He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

4. My body belongs to the Lord and the Lord is for my body. My body is a holy temple. No sickness can dwell in it.

1 Corinthians 6:13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"— but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual {[1] Or } act of worship.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;