Whatever your need is, whatever deficit you have, whatever pain or wound or sickness you’re dealing with today, God wants to heal you. Do you believe that?
While most of us would like to believe God for physical healing, somewhere along the way we’ve adopted mindsets and beliefs that hold us back from praying for, and receiving, God’s healing.
It’s easy to pray for carnal things. We pray feverishly for the new job, or for a raise, or a more reliable car. We don’t have any problem praying for that kind of stuff. And we expect God to hear us. And He does.
We don’t even have a problem praying for spiritual things. It’s nothing for us to ask God for wisdom or knowledge or self-control. We ask God all the time to help us with our temper or to help us get along with others. That’s easy.
But for some reason we have a hard time praying, and believing God, for physical healing. Why is that?
Here are 5 false beliefs that could be holding you back from God’s healing:
- God doesn’t heal people like He used to
- God is using my illness as a testimony
- God only heals certain people
- God won’t heal me with sin in my life
- God can save me, but not heal me
Let’s explore each of these ideas, one by one, shall we?
“God doesn’t heal people like He used to”
The most frustrating thing about this answer is that “religious people” are usually the ones saying it. Somewhere along the way, somebody lied to them, and they believed it. Or maybe they lied to themselves in a desperate attempt to rationalize why God hasn’t healed them yet.
Either way, this is dangerous territory. We must be careful not to rationalize or reason away the Word of God. I know this is tough for our finite mind to comprehend, but if God hasn’t healed someone, or if their prayers haven’t been answered yet, it’s not because He lied. And it’s not because His Word is somehow flawed.
The Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” That’s all we need to know. If He healed people in the days of the Bible, then He heals people now.
The real question is not whether God still heals people but rather whether we believe the Word of God.
“God is using my illness as a testimony”
It sounds noble. And to the untrained ear, it might even seem right. But if it doesn’t agree with Scripture then we need to be careful. Let’s search the Word of God and see if this lines up.
3 John 1:2 says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”
If God desires “above all things for us to prosper and be in health” how could our illness be a testimony unto Him?
And Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Sickness is the opposite of prosperity. How could that glorify Him?
The idea that God uses our illness as a testimony isn’t found in Scripture. If it’s God’s will for us to prosper, then He can’t be glorified in our sickness.
“God only heals certain people”
Matthew 8:16 says, “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.”
And Matthew 12:15, “But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.”
And Luke 6:19, “And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.”
The idea that God only heals certain people is not supported in Scripture. It’s a lie from the enemy. In passage after passage, Jesus healed everyone that came to Him for healing.
“God won’t heal me with sin in my life”
The Bible does say, “The penalty of sin is death.” And we know it only took one sin for Adam and Eve to be separated from God.
But James 5:15-16 explicitly says, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”
The Bible does not say that sin will prevent God from healing you. But it does say that we should confess our sins and pray for one another. Because the prayer of faith brings both healing and forgiveness.
“God can save me, but not heal me”
(Nobody actually comes out and says this but that’s how we act.)
Of course we believe God for salvation. Jesus died on the cross. He shed His blood. He forgave our sins. We agree with all of that.
But when it comes to healing, we act like God is still undecided on whether He wants to heal us or not. Like Calvary wasn’t enough. Like we’re still waiting for some other separate act of God.
But the Scripture says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His stripes you were healed.” – 1 Peter 2:24
Notice the phrase, “were healed.” Past tense. The work of healing has already taken place at Calvary. The price has already been paid, not just for sin, but for sickness too.
In Matthew 1:21, it says, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
In the original greek, the word save, or Sozo, doesn’t just mean salvation. It also means healing and deliverance. All in the same word.
As we trust the Word of God, and believe the Scriptures, it breaks the power of false beliefs so we can receive God’s promises.
God didn’t just come to save our soul, he also came to heal our bodies. It’s a package deal. Your healing has already taken place at Calvary. It’s already done.
Be healed, in Jesus name.