Faith in healing

Faith in healing

Was listening to Pastor Robert Ssesanga’s message during the Healing Service in SIBKL recently and there were several important lessons for us to take note of.

When Jesus came and ministered upon the earth, He healed all the sick and cast out all the demons from those who came to Him. This established the fact that it is God’s will to heal everyone. The leper who came to Jesus said “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean”. However, this is not the correct way to pray, because it is the Lord’s will to heal because it is written, by His stripes, we are healed.

Jesus showed God’s will to heal when He walked upon the earth, and when He went back to the Father, He then sent His Holy Spirit to His disciples, that they may continue His ministry of healing. Who is able to heal others? Those who believe, as it is written, these signs will accompany those who believe – in my name, they will cast out demons, in my name, they will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover.

When we study the pattern of Jesus’ healing in the gospels, we see at least three distinct ways that the Lord healed people. Firstly, Jesus laid His hands on the sick and they were healed. In the book of Acts, we see the same pattern. Through Peter’s hands, people were healed. Through Paul’s hands, people were healed. Our hands are a conduit of God’s healing power, from point A to point B, from the living God to the person who is sick. When we lay our hands, we sometimes feel heat, which is the power of God, and sometimes we don’t, but the important thing is for us to believe. We are laying hands in Jesus name according to the Word of God, and so that person must be healed.

Secondly, Jesus at times spoke and brought about healing purely through His Word. He spoke to the paralytic “Stand up, take up your mat and go home”, and he did!  He spoke to the man whose hand was shriveled, “Stretch our your hand” and he did. We can receive healing by hearing and believing the Word of God even without any physical touch. The centurion believed Jesus’ word that his servant would be healed and he was healed that very hour.

Thirdly, Jesus healed even when someone touched his cloak. The woman with the issue of blood believed that if she could only touch his cloak, she would be healed and the moment she did, she was. The Lord felt power go out of Him and called out the woman and confirmed her healing. Later, in the Acts of the apostles, people brought the sick so that perhaps even Peter’s shadow might fall upon them and they were healed. Articles of clothing that Paul touched were also able to transmit healing to people far away. The healing passed from God to Paul to the article of clothing or handkerchief and brought healing to the sick person who touched the same article in faith.

In respect of receiving healing and imparting healing, the most important factor is faith. We must believe and keep believing that God’s Word is true, and healing is happening. In Jesus’ time, He could not do miracles in his hometown because of their lack of faith. We need the power of God and faith together to see miracles. The power of God without faith does not work. Sometimes, healing is not immediate. Some people comes back for prayer three, four times. Do not give up, but press on in faith. Believe that you are healed despite the symptoms and eventually God’s Word must come to pass!