Have you ever wondered why some people bounce back from illnesses, while others stay sick or even get worse? The answer lies not on the physical level, but on the spiritual level.
Religion has given us some warped ideas about healing. We may think that maybe God sent illness as a curse to punish us, or that we can’t get healed because of sin in our lives. That may have been true before Jesus came when people lived under the Law of Moses, but we’re no longer under the old covenant curse. “Who 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” (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus has made healing available to anyone who believes in it strongly enough to accept it for themselves.
During His ministry, Jesus was able to heal entire villages when the people had faith in Him. “…And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all” (Matthew 12:15). He healed not just their bodies, but also their minds. “And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all” (Luke 6:17-19). Sinlessness was not a prerequisite for healing, only belief. This still holds true for us today; it’s a mistake to think we can’t get healed because of some sin we committed.
Faith in God’s willingness and ability to heal us is crucial. We limit His effectiveness in our lives when we let doubt get in the way. The people rejected Jesus when He came to Nazareth, and their stubbornness stood in the way of their miracle. “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58, NKJV). God is well able to work through doctors, but it’s important to remember who is ultimately behind our healing.
Belief in divine healing, however, doesn’t cancel out the need for acts of faith. Grace has certainly made healing available, but it takes faith to lay hold of this healing for ourselves. It’s a mistake to think that doing whatever is necessary is simply a work of self-effort; faith and grace are closely related. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:17, 18).
Believers are the apple of God’s eye; He doesn’t want His beloved children to be sick. Our trust that He really does want us to be healthy and whole connects us to His healing power. It’s time to cast off religious thinking and fully believe what He says to us in this area.
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