Aloha Dearest Family,
Recently
we started watching this British TV show called The Repair Shop where
folks from all around the country bring their treasured items to have them
repaired by experts. Whether it is a piece of antique furniture, a priceless
painting, a broken stained-glass window or a miniature clock, the Repair Shop
has the artisans to fix it. And the work that these repairers do is nothing
short of astounding. These experts are so good at their craft that most times
you cannot even tell that the piece was ever damaged in the first place.
But
what if someone has something that needs repairing in their body? Most people
go to the “body expert”, the doctor. After all, they have studied the human
body for many years and they should know how to fix it-right? In truth all the
doctor can do is recognize the problem and “treat” the symptoms. But the doctor
cannot heal. He (or she) can set the body in such a state where the body
can heal itself. But there IS another alternative for true healing. Why not go
to the ‘manufacturer’, the one that designed you, so that He can heal
you?
Many
people, Christians and non-Christians alike, do not think this is a possible
solution because most believe that God used to do those things in years past,
but He doesn’t anymore. Most believe that God is able to heal, but does
not want to heal. Let’s look at one of my favorite verses.
“Behold, I am the LORD, the
God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)
If
God designed the body then He would also know how to fix it. God knows how the
chemicals in the body work. He knows how the proper placement of bones and
ligaments should be. He knows how every organ should properly work. There isn’t
anything that God doesn’t know about your body and He knows how to fix it.
After all, HE is the designer. Nothing is too hard for God to fix. God can heal
stage 4 cancer as easily as He can a headache. He is able. But does God want
to heal? III John has an incredible verse about God’s greatest desire.
“Beloved, I wish above all
things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospers.” (III John 2)
God wishes above all things that we prosper and be
in health. This is God’s top priority. He wants us to be healthy and not sick.
The teaching that God gives us sickness to “test our faith” is hogwash
and is not Biblical. God wants us healthy - always.
Great.
God is able to heal, and He wants to heal. But would He want to
heal ME? The ultimate answer is YES! The next question asked is
always, “How can I receive God’s healing?”
God’s Provision for healing.
Most Christians know that Jesus died for our sins, but many do not know
that he also suffered for our sickness.
“Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him,
and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for
our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his
wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4 and 5)
Looking forward to what the Messiah would accomplish, Isaiah wrote that
by the wounds that he would receive during his suffering, our healing would be
paid for. He suffered so we would not have to. Looking back at his suffering,
Peter wrote, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we
might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been
healed.” (I Peter 1:24)
Jesus took the payment for our sins and sickness
by what he suffered. Now we can claim this healing for ourselves. If he
paid for our sicknesses, why do we want to carry our own sicknesses? I
don’t.
How to Be Healed.
Remember that God is not only able to heal you, He wants to heal you. The
first step in healing is to ask God. Second step in healing is to thank
Him that he has already done it. To God, the payment has already been made
for your healing. So we are thanking Him for what He has already done.
“Therefore I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will
be yours.” (Mark 11:24)
If we continually thank God that He has already given us
our healing, we will absolutely receive what we are requesting. This is a great
key in receiving healing from God.
Here are some other great keys to receive healing from
God.
-After you ask God for healing, you cannot
allow negative thoughts about your situation to enter in. You must control your
thinking and only speak victory. Replace any negative thoughts you have with
healing scriptures from God’s Word. Let these be your reality. Repeat these
over and over to yourself.
-Another key is to not give up. This is where most people fail.
Jesus taught his disciples about persistence in prayer.
“Ask
and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who
seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew
7:7 and 8) The words ask, seek and knock, in the Greek, means to
ask- and keep asking; seek- and keep seeking; knock- and keep
knocking. Persistence in prayer for healing is vital to receive healing
from God. How long will it take? It doesn’t matter. We don’t ever give up until
we receive our healing. God promised it to us in His Word.
-Get a clear mind picture of yourself healed. Claim that this picture of
yourself is already yours. If you have an unclear picture, you will have an unclear
answer to your prayer. The way you picture yourself, is what you will see in
your life. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7)
-Thank
God often and praise Him continually. Whenever you think of your situation,
thank Him that you are receiving your healing. Remember we are thanking Him for
what Jesus Christ already paid for.
-The
last and probably most important key to receive healing is to not rely upon how
we feel. Healing is not contingent upon how we feel but is contingent
upon what God has already declared in His Word. If God has declared that “by
his wounds we have been healed”, then that is our reality. I have heard of
dozens and dozens of people who were in pain who declared their healing as
their reality and not the pain they were experiencing and this brought about
their healing. We need to believe what God has said and not how
we are feeling. After all, without believing, none of this is possible. It is
not our believing that brings the impossible to pass. But faith (believing) in
God’s promises.
“Now
faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty
that what we cannot see exists.” (Hebrews 11:1 International Standard
Version).
God
wants you healed – even more than you do. Why not go to Him, ask him and then
believe that He has already given it to you. If He has done it for others, He
can do it for you. Remember, your health is His top priority.
Love Always, Ray
“For I
will restore health to you and I will heal your wounds,’ says the LORD…”
(Jeremiah 30:17a)
