TEACHING
Can I Be Healed?
By CBN.com
CBN.com - I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26
The Diagnosis
The doctor had a concerned expression, "i've got bad news, you have cancer. ..."
The news couldn't have come at a worse time. Debt had mounted on unpaid bills, there was trouble at work and the family was stressed out. I left the hospital without knowing what to do.
The doctor had scheduled me for a routine examination and chemotherapy. Surgery was still a possibility. It seemed like everything was going the wrong direction, and as I slowly drove home I wondered what I would say to my family.
I began to reflect on the meaning of my life. I had studied hard, finished school and married. I had raised my kids, had a good job and was looking forward to the golden years when retirement would begin. I knew that what I wanted was not going to happen. Now, death stared me in the face. The cancer was spreading, and I doubted that the medical remedies would even work.
That's when I began to think about a remedy which could come from Someone else. I had heard of healings that had occurred through prayer. I remembered the Bible teachings from Sunday School and the hope persons placed in God through Jesus Christ.
As I thought about these things, I remembered the sermon of my pastor who had testified of a personal healing he had received from the Lord. That's when I decided to go and see him.
The Scripture Teaching
"Some well meaning Christians don't believe in healing," the pastor said. "But I know differently!" he said with a smile. "Pastor, what does it take to be healed?" I knew some of the Scriptures which had been quoted, but I needed the full teaching.
"First," the pastor began, "healing from God does not exclude the value and use of medicine."
The pastor opened his Bible. "Even Paul the Apostle recommended a medical treatment for young Timothy's upset stomach." He pointed to First Timothy, chapter five and verse twenty three.
"Sometimes, healing comes from the knowledge of natural remedies. Medicine is also a gift from God."
"But what about the situations medicine cannot take care of," I asked.
The pastor smiled again, "That's when our Lord, Who is called the Great Physician, should most definitely be called upon."
The pastor opened to another Scripture. "In the Gospels, we read of Jesus Christ healing many persons. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter eight and verse sixteen, it says, 'Jesus healed all that were sick, thereby fulfilling the prophecy that he took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.' Those who came to him were healed by His grace and power. It is important to know that there are some instances where healing was limited to only a few persons. The story of the lame man in the Gospel of John, chapter five, verse three seems to indicate that a large multitude of persons were sick, but only one person was healed by Jesus."
"Why was that pastor?" I didn't want to be overlooked.
"The Bible indicates that God is willing to heal persons who seek Him for healing, but that God is not obliged to heal. Why God will heal some persons and not others is often a mystery, but, we are confident that His will is accomplished either way. We should seek God for our healing, but if that healing is delayed, we should seek God for the thing He would teach us through the circumstances of
Our sickness."
The pastor turned to the Scripture in Galatians, chapter four and verse fifteen. "Paul's own eyesight was failing him, and he knew that the Galatian Church would have wanted his eyes to be healed. Sometimes we diligently pray and fast for a healing only to realize that the Lord has another plan. Remember Trophimus who was left behind in Miletum by the Apostle Paul?" The pastor showed me Second Timothy, chapter four and verse twenty. "Trophimus was very ill and was left in Miletum to recover."
"How does that apply to me, Pastor?"
"I only want you to realize that praying for God's healing does not mean that God is obligated to heal you. We approach God with our petition and we believe God for the answer in accordance with His will for each of our lives."
"What about Scripture which teaches us to pray for healing?"
"There are plenty of them, and we don't want to overlook these important truths as we seek your healing."
"In Exodus, chapter fifteen and verse twenty six, the Lord says, 'I am the Lord that healeth thee.' We call God 'Jehovah Rophi' because He is the God of healing. In Psalm One Hundred and Three, verse three, we read again the truth that the 'Lord forgiveth all thine iniquities' and He it is 'who healed all thy diseases.'"
"In the New Testament we read of Jesus Christ who cleansed the lepers, made the lame to walk, opened the ears of the deaf and the eyes of the blind. This same Jesus raised the dead and is Himself
Alive today!"
The pastor continued, "You have access to God the Father through Jesus Christ, and you can petition Him for your healing today. This is made possible through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ."
The pastor opened his Bible to the First Epistle of Peter, the second chapter and the twenty fourth verse.
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
"Does this apply only to our spiritual life?" I asked.
"No, this applies to the whole person, body, soul and spirit. Christ Jesus did not die just for our spirit and soul, but that our bodies might also be healed from the effects of sickness and disease."
"Look at this Scripture," the pastor again pointed to his Bible, "It says here in the Book of James, chapter five and verses fourteen and fifteen, 'Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.'"
The pastor looked at me, and closed his Bible. "Sometimes we need to forgive others or receive forgiveness before we can pray for our healing. This teaching was also emphasized by Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter eleven, when he taught about receiving the Lord's Supper. Some-times, we have unconfessed sin in our lives or we are holding grudges in unforgiveness towards others. These can obstruct our healing."
"Does that mean that if I am not healed it is because of unconfessed sin in my life?" I asked.
"Not necessarily," the pastor said, "sometimes healing doesn't occur because the Lord has something else He wants to teach us or do with us. Some people have even thought that their faith was defective because they weren't healed after their prayer for healing. However, God will let each of us know what His will is as we seek His face in prayer."
The pastor instructed me to go home that night and pray to the Lord concerning His will for my life. I was to look closely at my life and confess all known sin. I was also to forgive any persons who I might have held something against. I was asked to seek the forgiveness of any person I had knowingly offended and who still needed my apology. This would then allow me to petition the Lord with a free conscience.
Prayer For God's Healing
That night I spent time with the Lord seeking His face and examining my life. I was not holding any unforgiveness in my heart as I scheduled time with the elders of the church. Indeed, my life was free to receive the gift of God's healing in accordance with the will of God for my life. When the Sunday service came, my family and I went to the front of the church where the elders and the pastor greeted us. I was asked to kneel as they prayed diligently over me, anointing me with oil and rebuking the cancer that had invaded my body. As a temple of the Lord, I was dedicated to serving Him and I rededicated myself to that purpose during that sweet time of prayer. My attitude was; "Lord, I want to be healed, and I petition You for my healing, however, I will serve You regardless of the outcome."
My Healing
Two weeks later I went back to the doctor to be reexamined. To his surprise, (and mine!), there was no trace of the cancer he had originally diagnosed me with! My God had healed me of the cancer I had been condemned to die with! I know that God does heal and I am sure that you can also be healed! It is very important to confer with your pastor and pray for your healing with reference to the biblical teaching you have just read. But remember, God's healing may include the use of medicine and professional assistance. Don't limit God, but trust Him for your healing today!
My Prayer For You
I want to close this testimony with a prayer for your healing. Please pray with me as we seek God for your healing.
"Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I petition You, the Creator of the Universe and the Great Physician, to hear my prayer for personal healing. I believe that You want me to regain my health and strength, and I request that You touch me with Your grace and power, forgiving me of any sin, removing all obstacles from my life which could prevent my healing. I forgive any who I have held something against. Now, I take authority by Your Name over my sickness and rebuke it. I speak to my illness and command it's departure in the Name of Jesus Christ. Lord, I also recommit my life to Your service and I will glorify Your Name as a part of my testimony. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Amen."
Scripture references are taken form the New American Standard translation of the Bible.
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