By Jim H. Yohe, Jr.
After a soul-stirring message on the promises of God concerning healing for your body, the evangelist invokes the name of Jesus over you, laying hands upon you in an atmosphere of faith. You open yourself up to God and though you have seen other physical healings occur right in front of you…you eventually leave the service with a spiritual touch but with the same physical sickness or disease with which you came.
Did God fail you? Have you failed God? Are you one of the “chosen few” who must suffer physically for God? Are you being chastised by the Lord?
As an evangelist used in the healing ministry, I have often rejoiced with those who have received the instantaneous miracle. With many sick and afflicted the Lord chooses to begin a healing process. Several times I have received calls from pastors who say, “Bro. Yohe, that lady who had the throat tumors and goiters has reported they are disappearing every day! ” And this is in line with Paul’s teaching on the gifts of healing.
The Gospels record 41 different instances of physical and mental healing by Jesus. In fact, of the 1257 narrative verse in the Gospels, 484 verses – 38.5 percent! – are devoted to describing Jesus’ healing miracles. So, when Jesus commissioned the disciples to “preach the Kingdom and heal the sick” as well as declaring that “These signs shall
follow them that believe…in my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”…those are commands of Jesus that he practices…38.5% of his recorded ministry verifies that fact. Note, the command to preach and heal has never been withdrawn!
So, why does the prayer line seem to fail?
We have been taught that salvation is for ‘Whosoever believeth,” but healing is conditional that God has his own criteria for whom he heals and whom he doesn’t. Though I don’t agree with these faith limiting statements, one thing is true…God does have a criteria in dealing with the needs of His people, and it’s this honoring the promises of His word!
The reason more people have not received their healing is because the truths in the Bible concerning healing have not been taught! It’s one thing to believe that God has healed others and another to believe that God will heal you.
We had stood by sickbeds, sympathized with the sick and diseased, when the word of God wants us to declare war on every form of sin and sickness! After we are saved, we are not to tolerate sin in our spirit, or sickness in our body! These two fiery darts that Satan hurls at us, SIN and sickness are countered by Jesus with salvation and healing!
From where does healing come? The same place as salvation, the blood of Jesus Christ. I Peter 2:24 informs, “Who (Jesus) 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.”
Let me challenge you with this question? How many sinners would ever repent, be baptized in Jesus Name, receive the Holy Ghost if no one every preached sermon or taught on salvation? Or if he did preach on salvation, he would teach that it was conditional…having points like this, 1) Maybe the day of salvation is past; 2) Be patient in your sin
until God decides to save you; 3) Your sin is for the glory of God; 4) It may not be God’s will to save you. Doesn’t that make you angry to preach such blasphemy? The Bible declares that salvation is unto “whosoever believeth on him,” and that same Bible declares that “the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up. However, this is usually how healing is taught.
I’ve heard several dynamic definitions of faith. Pastor A.D. Spears used to preach: “Faith is attempting something so big that unless God intervenes it’s bound to fail.” Faith is fear in reverse. But I believe faith is simply this…believing that God didn’t tell a lie. In Exodus, God proclaimed, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” In Psalm 105:37 we read the results of that proclamation: “He (God) brought them forth, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” Fantastic. Not one sick person among 3 million people. And that was under a new covenant with Better promises, a better priesthood, through a more excellent ministry (Heb. 8:6). So why, even in a church of 100 persons or less, do we fed so many sick among us?
Why didn’t the prayer line “work” for your healing? You are not alone in not receiving an instantaneous miracle. You may have received your deliverance from a gift of healing, that has begun a work of healing in you. In the New Testament, four persons, such as yourself, did not receive instant healing. One was Epaphroditus who was ill, and almost died, but eventually was healed. (Phil.2:27). Another instance involved Timothy. In I Timothy 5:23, Paul advised him to drink something other than water for medicinal purposes, implying that the prayer of faith had not immediately healed Timothy.
The third case was in the illness of Paul’s traveling companion, the Gentile from Ephesus whose name was Trophimus. Scholars have theorized from the Greek work translated “sick” that Trophimus had overworked and
weakened his body. In II Tim. 4:20, Paul wrote he had left Trophimus sick in Miletus. From that we must assume that Paul’s prayers were ineffective, and that if Trophimus was healed, it came after a restful, healing process of restoring the strength of the body.
Lastly, Paul himself. In Galatians 4: 13- 14, he refers: “As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel unto you….” Because this illness is never mentioned again, it’s a safe assumption God delivered Paul from it. All four of these men, Paul, Timothy, Trophimus and Epaphroditus were church leaders. Explanations such as personal sin, defective faith, or ignorance in those who were sick or those who prayed for them are not plausible for such Apostolic men. And we know that Paul and Timothy had continued success in praying for the sick.
Spiritual reasons why healing does not occur usually involve some form of sin or unbelief. Author John Wimber suggests:
1. Some people do not have faith in God for healing. (James 5:15)
2. Personal, unconfessed sin creates a barrier to God’s grace. (James 5:16)
3. Persistent and widespread disunity, sin, and unbelief in bodies of believers and families inhibit healing in individual members of the body of Christ. (I Cor. 11:30)
4. Because of incomplete or incorrect diagnoses of what is causing their problems, people do not know how to pray correctly.
5. Some people assume that God always heals instantly, and when he does not heal immediately they stop praying.
Many who have not received healing have been comforted with false Bible teaching, however well intentioned. Such as telling someone they are sick “for the glory of God.” When the blind man was healed, and the disciples asked if his blindness was because of his sin, Jesus declared that “Neither did this man or his parents sin, but that the glory of
God should be manifested in him.” Let me ask you a pragmatic question. When did God get the glory? When he was blind? Or when he was healed?
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” It doesn’t say, “Many are the sicknesses and physical diseases of the righteous…” The original languages imply nothing to do with sickness or physical disability, Instead the original text implies afflictions to mean trials, hardships, persecutions, temptations, etc…not sickness.
Christ did not bear our trials, hardships, persecutions, temptations or troubles, but he did bear our sins and sickness, (I Pet. 2:24). The same rule follows in James 5: 13, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. In the same passage, he tells the sick to call the elders for healing prayer. But, you are afflicted beset with trials, tribulations, hindering, etc., pray that God may deliver you.
What about Hebrews 12:6-8, “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” The word “chasteneth” means to “instruct, train, discipline, teach or educate” like a teacher teaches a pupil, or a father instructs his child. The scripture here does not say…Whom the Lord loveth he maketh sick or smiteth with disease.
Lastly, what about “suffering” for Christ. In I Pet. 5:10, some insight into this is revealed “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while” Again, sickness and disease are not indicated here.
What is revealed is persecution for the name of the Lord. We are not going to receive a crown of righteousness for being physically sick, which keeps us from witnessing and living the Christian life to its fullest. We are enjoined to partake of the fellowship of Christ’s suffering. You mean to tell me that Christ suffered with sickness and disease on this earth? Suffering is persecution, hard knocks, trials and tribulations. Christ banished sickness once and for all at
Calvary.
As you enter the prayer line, once again take this promise with you, I Corinthians 6:20. And apply it to yourself, personally, quoting it like this: “I am bought with a price. Therefore I will glorify God in my body and in my spirit, which are God’s.”
How can you glorify God with a sick body? God is glorified when you are healed. You are bought with a price, glorify him in your body and spirit. By his stripes, you are healed. So, when the prayer line seems to fail you, go home, and re-read the promises of God’s word. Psalm 103:2-3 assures you” Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all thine iniquities, and healeth all thy disease.”
Faith is believing that God cannot lie and is watching over his Word to perform it” Read Jeremiah 1:12, and believe it and apply to your own needs and pray:
“God, you are the Lord that healeth me. By your stripes, I am healed. My soul is blessing you, my Lord, who forgives all my sins, and heals all of my diseases Father, I believe in the promises of your word, which you are watching over to perform it…because you are my God, and you cannot lie.”
THERE IS PEACE IN THE TIMES OF TROUBLE
by Marcella Simmons Owens
“…Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalm 34:l4.
We live in a troubled generation. The front page of newspapers all across the world are proof of the troubled times of which we are a part. Crime, violence, murder, drugs, divorce, abortion, aids – these are only some of the troubles of the time in which we live. There are people in our own country who are starving to death, people who have lost their jobs, suicide – yes, friends, trouble brewing all over.
There is peace in the times of trouble and that peace can only be found in Jesus Christ. Numbers 6:26 tells us: “…The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in ourselves and our own problems that we seldom notice our neighbor whose troubles are much greater than our own. We Christians know that the Lord will give us peace in our time of trouble – we need to share that peace with the person whose troubles are greater than ours. Share a little of our Jesus with them.
When a person’s need gets great enough, he will fall upon his knees and seek God. Trouble has a way of waking up the conscience. We should never forget God’s mercy when we’re in trouble. “…The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, 0 LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138:8).
People from every walk of me face problems and difficulties. They ask themselves, “Why do I have to live? Why must I go on? What do I have to live for?” A person must have enough faith to call upon the name of Jesus in their time of trouble. Isaiah 26:4 points out: “…Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”
There are no mountains of trouble too high or too wide for the Lord. God hears our prayers. His unchanging love will never forsake us. We’ll never hear the Lord say, “Don’t pray anymore! No more prayers!” No one but God will hear our prayers. No one but God could ever be that wonderful.
When someone is facing a trial too great to bear, a few words of encouragement from a Christian can make the world of difference. A simple reminder that God loves him and that he can count on the Lord for help in times of trouble can mean a lot to a person.
Troubles and perplexities can come upon anyone at any time. But in the midst of the storms of life, we still have a hope for peace – Jesus Christ. As long as we are in the shelter of Jesus’ arms, He will give us the strength and peace to overcome any trouble that might come our way. Through all of our weaknesses (whatever they may be), Jesus will make us strong. There is peace in the time of trouble.
(The above information was published by the Louisiana Challenger)
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