God is still in the business of healing people.

James 5:13-14, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” 

James makes a distinction between suffering and sickness. In suffering, you pray to get through it and that God will help you endure it. But in sickness, you pray a prayer of faith so you can receive healing. 

Six Stances On Miracles

1. Anti-supernaturalists  

They believe that anything supernatural in the Bible is fabricated. God doesn’t do miracles; God just uses science or natural processes.

2. Hard-Core Cessationists.

They reject supernatural manifestations. They don’t embrace miracles or believe in demonic possession today. Their view is that God can perform miracles and He did only to help write the Old and the New Testament.

3. Soft-Core Cessationists.

They believe that God can do miracles but we shouldn’t expect them. God can do miracles but mainly uses a miracle to get through people and once He gets to them, He connects them to the Word and miracles are no more.

4. Believing Continuationists. 

Believing continuationists are those who believe that miracles have continued since the days of the death of the apostles and the writing of the New Testament. They believe that miracles, healings and deliverances can happen, they just don’t happen with them, through them or by them.

5. Practicing Continuationists.

They believe that God can do miracles, expect these miracles and take steps of faith to see these miracles happen.

6. Abusing Continuationists.  

These are the people who will heal only if you give them a certain amount of money, exalt prophecy above the written Word of God and are people who have abused the ministry of the supernatural. But just because there’s an abuse of something, does not cancel the use of something. Just because the devil abused the scriptures taken out of the context in the wilderness, Jesus didn’t drop the scripture. We stick with the Word of God and believe God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He still heals, delivers and saves.

Apostle Paul’s Thorn

So many Christians trip up over Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh. We don’t know exactly what Paul’s thorn was. It is most likely that the thorn in Paul’s flesh was the persecution he endured but let’s just say for a moment that it was a sickness. We don’t look at Paul’s thorn; we look at the stripes of Jesus.

We don't look at Paul's thorn; we look at the stripes of Jesus. Healing comes from what Jesus did on the cross, not for what happened to Paul or Job. Click To Tweet

2 Kings 5:3, “She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 

This is the story of Naaman who was a leper and even though he was a leper, he was still a successful soldier and general. I love the fact the Bible highlights that Naaman was not stopped by his sickness. Sickness may restrict you but it shouldn’t stop you.

When you don’t see healing for a long time, you start developing philosophies. The problem is that when you begin to give sickness this improper place, it’s hard to fight against something you deemed as good for you. Now, it’s true that God can teach us a lesson through it but please be careful not to make a doctrine out of your prolonged experience. It’s important to believe the Bible even if it seems to contradict what you are going through. Just because I’ve learned something, got sanctified, became more patient or humble, it does not mean that God has sent it, condoned it or wants it in my life.

I want you to be aggressive against sickness because your body is. As Christians, we are to embrace suffering. We are not running from hardships and sufferings but when it comes to sickness, James tells us to call the elders, not so they can pray a prayer of strengthening but so they can pray a prayer of faith and God can heal you in Jesus’ name.

Three Thoughts Concerning Healing

1. ‘Healing comes by faith and faith comes by hearing.’

Naaman’s faith, that God can heal him came from a little girl he had in his house. The Bible says that each one of us as believers have a measure of faith. This faith can grow through hearing.

Every one of us has a ‘little girl’ in our house which is the Word of God. Some of us do not trust this Word because we think the doctors’ reports and symptoms are more real and this distrust makes the Word of God of no effect. If you humble yourself and you accept what the Word of God says, you will have faith and faith will lead you to your miracle. 

When a leper came to Jesus and said, “Jesus if you’re willing, heal me,” Jesus says, “I am willing, be healed!” That settles it for us. Does God want to heal you? He already answered that He’s willing; God wants to heal you.

Where my faith comes from is the fact not only that God promises but that He paid for it on the cross in advance.

2. We Must Release Our Faith By Speaking To Our Disease.

Not only must we get our faith for a miracle from God’s Word but we must release our faith by speaking to our disease. We must release our faith. We receive our faith by God’s Word; we release our faith by exercising our authority.

When you don't walk in authority, you're only talking to God about the issue; when you walk in authority, you talk to the issue about God. Click To Tweet

When you begin to feed yourself with God’s Word, you will come upon the instruction in God’s Word. In the New Testament, Jesus did not pray for the sick; He healed the sick. When blind people came to Jesus, He didn’t say, ‘Father, if it’s Your will,’ He said, ‘Be opened.’ Jesus’ disciples did the same. The difference between the king and the prophet was one simple thing: the king was aware of what he did not have and who he was not. The prophet was aware of who he was and who God was in him.

The more you focus on your godliness, faith and goodness, you will always feel inadequate, but when you take your eyes off yourself and fix your eyes on Jesus and His Word, His power will begin to flow.

The Bible says the name of Jesus is power. When Jesus went to heaven, He left us His name. That’s why sickness has to obey because sickness understands not your power but the power of Jesus’ name backed up by the Holy Spirit. That’s why the Bible says, if anybody has faith and they speak to this mountain it shall be moved, you can prophesy to dry bones, you can speak to that situation and it will happen.

I am always reminded that the first healing that is mentioned in the Bible happened when Abraham prayed for the wives of Abimelech. Abraham has never seen a healing; his own wife is barren. That tells me that just because you’re still battling with a sickness, it doesn’t mean that God cannot use you. You may feel inadequate but it’s never about you; it is about your identity in Jesus Christ.

3. Miracles Happen When We Don’t Give Up Until We Get An Answer.

The Bible says Naaman had an expectation. Elisha doesn’t even come out. He sends one of his servants with simple instructions to wash seven times and he would be healed. That was so offensive to Naaman. Here was the test of faith. When what you were expecting it’s not happening, ask yourself a question: do I still want to be healed or do I want things my way?

Healing can happen instantly; healing can happen progressively. That’s why the Bible says that they shall recover. Recover is a process. We have to be more committed to experiencing God’s healing in our body, than the means by which and how it’s going to take place.

Today can be the day of your healing. If you’ve been waiting or expecting, maybe you’re fighting for the health of your body, family and you have learned to manage it live with it, it still doesn’t change the fact God loves you so much and He wants to heal you.

Sermon By Vladimir Savchuk; Blog By Ed Gardiner

Watch The Whole Sermon Here: