This document is written to obedient believers, who want to obey God’s will and command to heal the sick.
Mark 6
A Prophet Without Honor
1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his
disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the
synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
3"Where did this man get these things?" they asked.
"What's this wisdom that has been given him, that
he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the
brother of James, Joseph,[1]
Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense
at him.
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives
and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay
his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at
their lack of faith.
Sometimes God cannot
heal someone. That is not necessarily
because it is His will for them to suffer illness though. Let’s not blame God.
Let’s take it case
by case. In Mark 6 above, Mark tells us
why the Lord could not do any miracles there:
5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Maybe those few sick
people did have faith to believe His healing power. How important is faith?
Luke 17
Ten Healed of Leprosy
11Now on his way to
14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the
priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in
a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and
he was a Samaritan.
17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other
nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except
this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
What did Jesus say
made him well? His faith made him
well. Lack of faith is a common blockade
to healing. Many have so little faith,
that they do not even ask:
Bad things happen to good people, but that does not mean that God is the author of evil—or that evil is “His will”. This type of mentality can lead to the most obvious blockade to healing: not asking for it. This mentality can also lead to the most common blockade to healing among true, sincere believers; doubting, or lack of faith. This “que sera sera” mentality asserts that:
Everything that happens = God’s will
This is a Muslim idea. The bible speaks of God’s perfect will:
Romans
12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect
will.
Romans
12:1-3 (in Context) Romans
12 (Whole Chapter)
If your mind has yet to be renewed as to God’s will on the issue of physical healing, then read the relevant scriptures. Then you will know “his good, pleasing and perfect will”.
Jesus taught us to pray for His heavenly will, assuming that it is not the present reality here:
Matthew
6:10
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew
6:9-11 (in Context) Matthew
6 (Whole Chapter)
His heavenly will includes divine healing for believers. This is His heavenly will that we should pray for.
The Muslim idea of God’s makes asking for healing seem like a silly thing to do. Many Christians don’t as a result in their accidental pagan belief.
Luke 11
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door
will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[6]
a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg,
will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in
heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Sickness is not a good gift that the Father would give his child. I cannot think of a scriptural teaching or even an example where He afflicts His obedient child with sickness. I address three apparent examples in the “anomaly scriptures” section of the “Healing-God’s Will” document—explaining that they are not such examples at all. God promises and sometimes sends sickness as a curse or punishment for disobedience, but that is not an evil thing for Him to do. That is his judgment on sinners. If your sins have been forgiven, He does not remember them, so why would He nail you with sickness?
James 4:2
2You want something but
don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You
quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
1 John 5
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
Notice in verse 15,
it says, “we know that we have what we asked of
him”.
How do we already know that we have what we asked of Him?
Hebrews 11
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain
of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended
for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at
God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Faith is the opposite
of being unsure of what we hope for.
Many Christians are not sure if
God wants to heal them physically or not.
They are not sure of what they hope for.
This is a lack of faith. They pray
for healing but add the caveat, “..if it be your
will”—as if God needed them to add that caveat.
There are two ways
to address this type of prayer and the lack of faith that it supposes:
Here is a biblical
example of someone who was unsure of what he hoped for.
Mark 9
22"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown
him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take
pity on us and help us."
23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is
possible for him who believes."
24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help
me overcome my unbelief!"
Jesus first dealt
with the father’s lack of faith, which was a blockade. Jesus directly confronts the man’s “if”
prayer-style: Implying that the father
should believe in His healing power, instead of praying “if”.
Jesus did not say,
Dear demon possessed child’s father,
Thank you for being humble enough to respect
my multi-faceted will on the issue of healing.
I noticed that you are not being presumptuous or bossing me around, but
instead leaving this issue in my hands.
That shows your true faith in my sovereign will and lordship over the
situation.
Thanks for trusting me,
Jesus of
No, in fact Jesus
said the opposite. He places the
authority for healing squarely on the father’s ability to believe. This responsibility rightly frightens the
father. However, his humble and trusting
heart prevails in faith as shown by his willingness to obey Jesus; and ask for
Christ’s help in obedience.
The father repented
of his uncertainty or double mindedness on the issue of Christ will/power to
heal. This is shown by his request for
the Lord’s help in overcoming his unbelief.
The father admitted that he had unbelief, or doubt. This shows that he
was previously double minded. In fact,
he admitted it in saying: "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!". He admitted
that there was both unbelief and belief in his mind at the same time—this is
two opposing minds—or double mindedness.
James 1
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Psalm
119:113
I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.
(Whole Chapter: Psalm
119 In context: Psalm
119:112-114)
James
4:8
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you doubleminded.
(Whole Chapter: James
4 In context: James
4:7-9)
Yes, his “if prayer”
(ie. Lack of faith/unbelief/doublemindedness)
was a blockade. But Jesus saw past his
weak theology and responded to his trusting and dependent heart. Jesus first corrected his doctrine, then gave him a chance to practice his new belief
system. He believed, and Jesus backed
him. The truth was confirmed with a
powerful miracle.
Mark 9
The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit
14When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd
around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15As soon
as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed
with wonder and ran to greet him.
16"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.
17A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son,
who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18Whenever
it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his
teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but
they could not."
19"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how
long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to
20So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately
threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around,
foaming at the mouth.
21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like
this?"
22"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown
him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take
pity on us and help us."
23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is
possible for him who believes."
24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help
me overcome my unbelief!"
25When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked
the evil[1]
spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you,
come out of him and never enter him again."
26The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy
looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27But
Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately,
"Why couldn't we drive it out?"
29He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer.[2]
"
So don’t ask God for
two opposite things at the same time:
Healing and Sickness. This is
being double-minded. Nowhere is such a
practice commanded in scripture. Quite
the opposite, we are commanded to pray in faith, which “will make the sick person well”.
James 5
14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to
pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And
the prayer offered in faith will
make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will
be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray
for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
It does not say “might make the sick person well”, if it’s “God’s will”. Most Christians do not need to worry about God’s will. He will take care of that. You just pray as you are commanded to; for healing, in faith, and not doubting. If you are advanced enough to move on to the next part of verse 15, where you can accept that there is a correlation between sin and sickness, then you can begin to be concerned with God’s specific will. But this is an advanced issue: That healing is God’s will, and we should pray for it, but sometimes (not all times ) confession and forgiveness of sin must occur before healing comes (v 16).
James 1
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James points out the correlation between doublemindeness and doubt. If you are not sure that God wants to heal an obedient believer, you are doubting.
Matthew
14:31
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
"You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
(Whole Chapter: Matthew
14 In context: Matthew
14:30-32)
Jesus said that they had “little faith”—not that they were faithless, that they had a total lack of faith. So doubt can coexist with small amounts of faith. What if there is no doubt at all?
Matthew
21:21
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt,
not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this
mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.
(Whole Chapter: Matthew
21 In context: Matthew
21:20-22)
But I believe that God wants to heal his children, and pray accordingly, and I also sometimes doubt. I don’t know why I do that sometimes. It’s wrong. It is also a blockade to healing. I wish I never did that. I do it sometimes even when I’m praying for myself to be healed. Now there is no excuse for that.
Mark
5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
The most common
cause of a “lack of faith” is the false theologies on healing that I correct
above. Sometimes they are great
Christians otherwise, and they even ask for me to pray for them. But we cannot really pray in agreement until
we both agree that we are indeed praying for healing—and not some double-minded
combination of these two opposites:
I cannot be
double-minded with a clear conscience, because I know better. Obviously, I
cannot agree with someone who prays that way.
So I don’t. Agreement in prayer
is important. If we disagree with each
other when we pray together, that can be its own little blockade to God
answering that prayer for healing.
Matthew
18:19
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything
you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
Matthew
18:18-20 (in Context) Matthew
18 (Whole Chapter)
If God wants to
overlook their lack of faith and/or their double-minded prayer style, and heal
them, like in Mark 9, only without confronting the lack of faith, then let Him
do so. Why do I need to be involved with
that? I’ll continue to handle it like Christ
did, and correct the false belief (lack of faith) before I pray with someone
for healing. Then we can pray in unity.
At least we know
that there are more miracles (including healing) under such circumstances:
Acts Chapter 2
The Fellowship of the Believers
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was
filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
44All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had
need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple
courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And
the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Also, Paul points
out later, that the opposite of such circumstances actually caused physical
illness, weakness, and even death among believers. This blockade is called:
1 Cor 11:
The Lord's Supper
17In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your
meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that
when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some
extent I believe it. 19No doubt there have to be differences among
you to show which of you have God's approval. 20When you come
together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21for as you eat,
each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry,
another gets drunk. 22Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or
do you despise the
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The
Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he
had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is
my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In
the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new
covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of
me." 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you
proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in
an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the
Lord. 28A man ought to examine
himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For
anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord
eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a
number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we judged
ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by
the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the
world.
33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, he
should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in
judgment.
And when I come I will give further directions.
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