Just when you think you figured out how God’s going to do something—think again, because He often changes things up. Two incidents recorded in the Old Testament tell of how God’s Anointing came on two men, Sampson and Daniel, who each had a lion problem.
With Samson, the Holy Spirit’s power manifested as supernatural strength to tear apart a fierce, young lion with his bare hands when it suddenly attacked him (Judges 14). For Daniel, who had been thrown into a lion’s den as punishment for worshiping God, the Holy Spirit’s power simply kept all the lions at bay allowing Daniel to get a good night’s sleep (Daniel 6).
Same problem, same God, same results—but, two very different approaches.
Perhaps it was the apostle Paul who said it best (Romans 11:33, TPT):
“Who could ever wrap their minds around the riches of God, the depth of his wisdom, and the marvel of his perfect knowledge? Who could ever explain the wonder of his decisions or search out the mysterious way he carries out his plan?”
If there’s one thing Paul did understand about God, it was that He’s never limited in the way He does things, or the reason for which He does them.
Take the gift of healing: In the same passage where Paul describes different kinds of gifts, different kinds of ministries and different kinds of workings, he also mentions “gifts of healings…” (1 Corinthians 12:9 NJKV).
Notice, Paul didn’t say “gifts of healing” (singular). No, the Greek word he uses is the plural form, healings. The idea being that there are multiple applications for God’s power when it manifests as healing. Multiple applications for multiple reasons.
Short version: God’s got healing coming at you from all different directions—and for all kinds of reasons (some being obvious, others not so much).
So if you want to tap solidly into the “gifts of healings”—for your benefit, as well as the benefit of people around you who are in need—study up on these six reasons divine healing is more than a miracle. They will broaden your understanding of God’s ways and deepen your faith in Him and the reality of the access you have to healing.
1. Divine Healing Delivers the Sick
“In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’ Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened…. But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.” (Luke 5:12-15, NLT)
When you’ve GOT IT, you’ve got it—and Jesus had it…and plenty of it!
As you’d probably expect, the primary reason for divine healing—as manifested in the various gifts of healings—is to heal sick people. Divine healing delivers us from every attempt of the devil to steal, kill and destroy our lives where our health is concerned (John 10:10).
King David’s writings in the Book of Psalms are full of prophecy about the coming Messiah (Jesus), and His healing power:
“Sick and feeble, unable to stand the sight of food, we drew near to the gates of death. Then we cried out, ‘Lord, help us! Rescue us!’ And he did! God spoke the words ‘Be healed,’ and we were healed, delivered from death’s door!” (Psalm 107:18-20, TPT).
Other translations of this passage say, “[God] sent His word and healed them” (verse 20, NASB).
God “sent His word” in the person of Jesus, who showed up at His hometown of Nazareth one day—right after going into full-time ministry—announcing, “[God] has sent Me to heal…” (see Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1).
God’s assignment for Jesus was simple: Preach, teach, heal (repeat). And it was Jesus’ diligence to fulfill that assignment that sealed our deliverance from sickness and disease, once and for all.
With the preaching and teaching of God’s Word—which builds faith—comes healing. Doing what it takes to stay in that Word guarantees a steady flow of divine healing in our lives.
2. Divine Healing Confirms Jesus’ Power To Forgive Sins
“Jesus, aware of their thoughts, responded and said…‘Which is easier, to say: “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ He said to the man who was paralyzed, ‘I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher, and go home.’ And immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. And they were all struck with astonishment.” (Luke 5:22-26, NASB)
The Bible makes a clear connection between forgiveness and healing:
- “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight…. When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away.” (Psalm 32:1, 3, NLT)
- “‘If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV)
- “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and…the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well…If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15, NIV)
Healing begins with forgiveness.
Jesus’ blood was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. His blood sealed His agreement with God, allowing Him to take our sins in exchange for His righteousness (Matthew 26:28). The stripes Jesus suffered from the beatings before He was crucified allowed Him to take our sickness in exchange for His peace and wellbeing (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
Every time we confess and repent of sin, every time we forgive an offense committed against us—that’s another step closer we are to God’s healing power flowing through our lives.
3. Divine Healing Authorizes the Message Preached by Jesus’ Servants
“The council members were astonished as they witnessed the bold courage of Peter and John, especially when they discovered that they were just ordinary men who had never had religious training. Then they began to understand the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with him. Standing there with them was the healed man, and there was nothing further they could say.” (Acts 4:13-14, TPT)
Early on in His three-plus years of ministry on this earth, Jesus called many disciples to “follow” Him, so they could see and experience the plans and power of God firsthand. Then, when the time was right, He sent groups of them out to minister as He stayed behind and watched over them from a distance.
What did they do out there on the road without the Master around?
Simple: Preach, teach, heal (repeat)—which is what they continued to do after Jesus ascended back into heaven. And it continued to produce the same results…
“Believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria…Crowds listened intently to [him] because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did” (Acts 8:4-6, NLT).
Simply by spending time with [Jesus]—through the Word and His Spirit—that same boldness, courage and faith (And divine healing!) can rub off on you, as it did His disciples.
4. Divine Healing Establishes the Resurrection of Jesus
“Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.” (Acts 4: 8-10, NLT)
Just as there’s a clear connection between forgiveness and divine healing, there’s also a strong correlation between divine healing and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
By all accounts in the Gospels, Jesus became famous for all the divine healing He ministered to people while He was on this earth:
“When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill” (Matthew 8:16, NASB).
But then, Matthew goes on to point out: “This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: ‘He Himself took our illnesses and [removed] our diseases’” (Matthew 8:17, NASB).
So, again, while Jesus ministered divine healing so powerfully and extensively during His earthly ministry, He established and secured for all eternity our right to healing—whole, healthy lives—by His resurrection.
Divine healing begins with forgiveness, but it’s sealed by the resurrection (John 11:25).
5. Divine Healing Draws People to the Sound of the Gospel
“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting….At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running….” (Acts 2:1-2, 5-6 NLT)
Kenneth Copeland quotes Brother Kenneth E. Hagin as having said years ago, “Healing is the dinner bell of the gospel—people come running when they hear it.”
Obviously, that was the case when the Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, as promised by Jesus to His disciples:
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NLT).
Imagine all the questions they had as soon as they heard those instructions.
“When will He come?” “How will we know He’s here?” “What will the power be like?”
Well, all God had to do was ring the “dinner bell,” and all those questions got answered!
Acts 2:11, NLT, goes on to tell us that as the crowd started gathering, they were stunned by what they heard:
“We all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”
Eventually, Peter stood up and preached the Gospel—and at the end of the day 3,000 people from around the world believed and were baptized.
Whether it’s “the roaring of a mighty windstorm,” tongues, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, or dead being raised (Matthew 11:4-6), we’re all drawn to the sound of God’s power.
6. Divine Healing Can Be Imparted by the Laying on of Hands
“Then [Jesus] told them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved…. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe…. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.’” (Mark 16:15-18, NLT)
Again, it was James who asked:
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well” (James 5:14-15, NIV).
Brother Copeland tells how a small spot once appeared on the top of his left hand. It was a growth about the size and color of a grain of white rice. It wasn’t really painful as it was a nuisance. A doctor examined it and diagnosed it as cancer.
As soon as Brother Copeland heard the report, he took James’ advice and called the elders of his church. He set up a time with his pastor, George Pearsons, so he could lay hands on him, anoint him and pray for healing.
Brother Copeland says, “The moment Pastor George touched that spot with the oil on his finger, it was like an electric shock hit my hand…and no more cancer!” This report was confirmed by his doctor on a subsequent visit.
Remember, Jesus said, “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe….” He didn’t say, “Divine healing will only accompany those who are called to pastor.”
Are you a believer?
Then like Jesus’ disciples—the 12, the 72 and all the others who followed Him—you are sent by Him to minister His Word and His power to the sick, hurting, dying world around you. To do that you can begin by becoming more grounded in the breadth and depth of divine healing. Divine healing truly is a miracle of God—but its eternal impact is far beyond the healing of our temporal bodies. Divine healing is more than a miracle—it’s God’s calling card to reach deep into the heart of all mankind and transform lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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