DAILY DISCIPLINE #193
By Colleen Donahue

In part 1 of “God Wants Us Well” we looked at the part that God’s Word plays in our being able to stand in faith for anything that God promises us – including healing. Jesus likened God’s Word to seed that needs to get planted in the soil of our heart before it could produce the fruit. Therefore, the healing God promises us, begins with his word to us. Then we must take hold of his promise by faith even before we see any results.

In the last study, we also looked at the way that the church -- instead of simply believing God’s word for what it says --has developed what Jesus called “traditions” that actually nullify God’s word. Therefore, we see many Christians bowed down under sickness and pain -- with lives perhaps cut short from God’s original intent.
I’d like to continue now with the second part of …

GOD WANTS US WELL - PART 2

Healing From the Beginning

1.From the beginning, God has provided healing for his people through his covenants. In this verse what does God call himself?
Exodus 15:26

2. The covenant was a promise between God and his people. According to these verses what did the people need to do and then what would God do?
Deuteronomy 7:12,15

God was placing himself as Israel’s healer (Jehovah Rapha= “I am the Lord who heals you”) but it would not be automatic. It was conditional on diligently obeying His word.

3. For example, disease would come through disobedience to the law…
Psalm 107:17-18

Then, when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble WHAT would God do?
Psalm 107:19

And HOW would he do it?
Psalm 107:20

God’s word was an umbrella of protection for his people. When they took themselves out from under that umbrella, they would also remove themselves from God’s protection and disease would fill their bodies. Without God’s protection, they were like all the other nations – helpless in the face of poverty, sickness, and troubles of all kinds.

4. God had planned that man would have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26,28). But Adam by his own choice made Satan the ruler of it. Satan, through the fall of man, is the origin of the curse God put on the entire earth and that includes us today. Sin manifested itself in our spirit and we were born physically alive but spiritually dead. Sickness manifests itself in our bodies. Both are the result of Satan’s dominion. If sickness and death had been God’s will, he would have put them in the Garden of Eden in the first place. Jesus called Satan a thief and said that he has three objectives. What are they?
John 10:10A

5. Satan will steal your joy, peace, or contentment anytime he can. He wants to kill your hopes and your dreams so that you’ll stop pursuing them. And then, if he can destroy you little by little by making you think it’s just normal to have crippling arthritis, he will do so. The bad news is this:
1 John 5:19

But the good news is this:
1 John 5:20

  1. Jesus overcame Satan at the cross (Hebrews 2:14). He has given his authority to his church – both of Heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18-19). Therefore, Jesus has taken away Satan’s dominion over us. But while this first earth is still in place, Satan roams around like he still owns the place. Who is he looking for?
    1 Peter 5:8That “someone he can devour” includes believers who are ignorant of God’s word and His will. When the church is ignorant of God’s word, then they ALLOW Satan to take dominion back and for the most part to control the earth.

7.Jesus took back by conquest what we lost to Satan because of our sin. He defeated Satan right in his own dominion.
Colossians 2:15

8.Then Jesus gave all believers the power of attorney to use his name, and therefore his power to put a stop to Satan whenever he would rise up to steal, kill, and destroy.
Mark 16:17-18

How will we do these things? Reread:
Mark 16:17

In Matthew 28:18-19 that I referenced above, it’s like Jesus is saying, “All authority has already been given to me. Now, YOU go and exercise on my behalf the authority that I have already won.”
Jesus was authorizing the church to use His name with all its vast authority. In doing so he was telling us that we no longer need to stay under Satan’s dominion. We do not have to limit ourselves by the natural laws that have been in place since Satan began to rule. Jesus gives us four examples of this in the verses we just read in Mark 16:17-18. Let’s look at them closely.

A. Mark 16:17A- “They shall cast out demons.” Men did not have authority over Satan under the Old Covenant. It was only by staying under the protection of God’s laws could there be relief. Now we can have it using Jesus’ name with his authority behind it.

B. Mark 16:17B – “They shall speak in new tongues.” Jesus is removing the natural limitations of speech so that we can talk in the Spirit with the Lord.
1 Corinthians 14:2

C. Mark 16:18A – “They will be able to handle snakes with safety and if they drink anything poisonous it won’t hurt them.” If a believer accidentally drinks poison or gets a snake bite the name of Jesus can stop the deadly effects even though natural law says they shall die. We see this actually was the case with the Apostle Paul.
Acts 28:1-6

D. Mark 16:18B – “They shall place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed. Not all the sick would recover but those on whom a believer would lay hands-on in the name of Jesus. Since the fall of man, sickness and disease have spread practically unhindered. But now, Jesus is telling us that it must cease to operate at the command of a believer in the name of Jesus!

9. The curse upon the world today is still in effect with as much power as when it started. But as believers we have  three mighty tools that can stop the effects of this curse in our own realm:

A. God has given us his Word with the promise that he will fulfill it. As our sovereign God and King, He will do what he says.
Ezekiel 12:25, 28 / Matthew 5:18

B.  Jesus has given us the authority to use his name.
John 14:13-14 / John 15:16 / John 16:23-24,26 / Acts 3:6,16 / Acts 16:18

C. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in every believer so we’ll have the confidence and power to overcome.
Acts 1:8 / 1 Corinthians 2:4 / Ephesians 3:16,20 / 2 Timothy 1:7

10. These three tools used together make every believer more powerful than Satan, sin, and sickness. The “law of the Spirit of Life” is what sets us free from the “law of sin and death”.
Romans 8:2

11. This means that you and I have the authority of Jesus to stop the curse in our own life. Reread:
Matthew 18:18-19

Notice especially the words “whatsoever YOU bind” (or forbid), “whatsoever YOU loose (or permit), and “THEY shall ask”. This is you and I taking dominion over our lives and that of all we are responsible for.

12. When we use our authority to stop Satan’s work, we are doing exactly what Jesus did. According to this verse, what was God’s purpose in sending Jesus to earth?
1 John 3:8

When Jesus got to earth what did He set about doing?
John 6:38

13. Can you see that Jesus’ attitude towards sickness was also God’s attitude and therefore should be our attitude? Jesus could not be against sin without also being against disease. Satan is the author of them both and therefore you and I must be against both of them. Jesus broke the yoke of spiritual oppression wherever he found it.
Acts 10:38
You can search the New Testament yourself to see if Jesus ever asked God if it was His will for someone to be healed. He didn’t. He knew what God’s attitude was towards sickness.

DID ANYTHING HINDER JESUS FROM HEALING?

Jesus in his century healed anyone who came to Him. He wanted to heal everyone because He knew His Father wanted to heal them. But Scripture records that in his own hometown of Nazareth He could not do many miracles of healing. Why?
Matthew 13:58

Depending on the Bible version you are reading it will say Jesus couldn’t do many miracles because of their unbelief or their lack of faith. You can’t have faith in what God will do until you believe in His Son whom God does His work through. So here was Jesus, their hometown kid from Nazareth, coming back as though he was something special. And what were his neighbors feeling?
Matthew 13:57A

The New Living Translation reads, “And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.”
Here we see clearly that it was God’s will to heal them, Jesus wanted to heal them, but He couldn’t. They refused to receive from a man they thought was only a carpenter’s son.

14.Fast forward to when Jesus sent His disciples out. What two things did he instruct them to do?
Luke 9:2

Notice he placed no limits on the sick. Any who were sick, were to be healed if they would receive it.

15. Beyond doubt, Jesus offered to heal unconditionally. By healing the people, He was fulfilling His Father’s will. When the disciples would go out to preach and heal, they were obeying Jesus and therefore also obeying the Father. And so, by the time the first disciples started their ministry, what was happening in that infant, early church?
Acts 5:12-16 (notice especially verse 16).

16. There is no record of Jesus ever telling anyone to keep his disease so that God could teach them something. There is no record of Jesus telling someone he should stay sick because it would bring glory to God. Quite the opposite was true.
Matthew 15:30-31

17.There is no record of someone asking Jesus for healing and being told, “It’s not God’s will to heal you.” Again, the opposite was true.
Matthew 8:1-3

In just 3 words, “I am willing”, Jesus set this man’s thinking straight and it should set ours straight as well. Jesus healed ALL because He was doing what His Father willed him to do.

WHY DO WE GET SICK?

  1. I believe from scriptures that we can say it’s never God that is the source of our sickness. Why?
    James 1:17

“God never changes”
“In Him, there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”
“…who does not change like a shifting shadow.”

This verse is really the key to determining everything that comes your way. Every good gift is from above. Evil and corrupt fruit is from Satan who will use it to steal, kill, and destroy. Therefore, it can’t be from our Father in Heaven, who is always good and full of love towards us.
This leaves only one suspect. Satan will be quick to lay things on us IF WE ALLOW IT. It is you and I who must govern Satan’s activity in our lives and circumstances. It is our own lack of knowledge of God’s word, or our own lack of discipline to act on it, that allows disease to fill our body.

19. It’s true that Satan often sneaks up on us and puts sickness on us without our awareness. As we read earlier, he is always on the move looking for someone he can devour. The Apostle Paul spent all of his ministry fighting Satan with one hand and preaching Jesus with the other. And so, we find Paul giving us important advice for our own lives. Make a list as you read these verses.
Acts 20:28-31 / 1 Corinthians 10:12 / 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 / Colossians 4:2 /
1 Thessalonians 5:5-9 / 1 Peter 5:8-9

  1. Like it or not, you and I are in a battle with Satan who is the enemy of our body, soul, and spirit. If he can’t destroy our spirit, he’ll attack our soul (mind, will, or emotions), or try to destroy our body. He is in a relentless pursuit of us. Read Paul’s words to us with fresh eyes that will enable us to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil.
    Ephesians 6:10-18

Notice especially HOW we are to “stand our ground” in verses 13-17.

We have five defensive pieces of armor: 

A. Belt of truth - (the integrity of our own lives lived in grace and truth).
B. Breastplate of righteousness - (Put on the Lord Jesus Christ)
C. Shoes fitted with the gospel of peace - (Standing with one purpose to do God's business)
D. Shield of faith- (Knowing what God has promised so that lies and half truths will keep from penetrating our hearts).
E. Helmet of salvation -(our thinking protected and put under the blood of Jesus).

And then we have two offensive weapons: 

A. The Sword of the Spirit (i.e. the Word of God)
B. Prayer
This is how we stay alert and ready to resist at all times.

GUERILLA WARFARE

21.T.L. Osborn and his wife Daisy ministered all over the world offering the people healing wherever they went. I would like to quote now from his classic book, “Healing the Sick” – Chapter 30, page 162. He addresses why so many Christians are still sick.

“But why, then, are so many Christians still sick and diseased?  Because, though our property has been liberated from the enemy, though Satan’s reign has been destroyed by Christ, though Satan’s power over our lives has been taken from him, there remains a host of demons who continue to resist our freedom and resent our victory.

Demon spirits have no legal right to continue oppressing and afflicting believers with disease and infirmity, but they know that thousands of people do not know that Satan has made a surrender and has been defeated. Thousands of people do not know that Satan’s forces have no rights over them. Therefore, demons continue their illegal opposition to their heritage in Christ and they may defeat many.

As long as people do not know about Satan’s legal defeat, he can operate unhindered. But our business is to read and know God’s Word and to discover the record of Satan’s complete defeat. Then we can resist the devil, steadfast in the faith, and he will flee from us.”
Colossians 2:15 / James 4:7 / 1 Peter 5:8-9 (especially verse 9)

  1. We can see this guerrilla warfare going on during the time of Jesus and it’s still going on today. Let’s look more closely at it. In this verse WHO was the only class of people brought to Jesus?
    Matthew 8:16

This implies that the sicknesses were caused by demon spirits and once they were cast out, the person was healed. Peter confirmed this.
Acts 10:38

NOTE: This doesn’t mean a person is completely “possessed” by Satan. Often enough, we can say and do things unknowingly that open our door just a crack --- just enough to allow a demon to get his foot into the door of our life and cause some havoc. If we don’t know enough to reject his work from the start, then he is free to carry on quietly until pretty soon we’re talking about “my arthritis”. Once we do that, we have owned it!
Let’s look closer at some of the healing episodes told in the gospels that speak to the fact that Satan is behind sickness just as he is behind sin.

  1. The Case of the Woman bent double. 
    Luke 13:10-16

Verse 11 – What caused this woman to be bent double?
Verse 16A – According to Jesus, WHO had bound this woman?
Verse 16B – The fact that she was a “daughter of Abraham” meant she was a believer
Therefore, this spinal disease had to go when the real cause was cast out. Spinal diseases are still caused by Satan.

  1. The Case of the Blind and Dumb Man 
    Matthew 12:22

A blind spirit was causing this man’s blindness and a dumb spirit was causing this man not to be able to speak. He was healed when Jesus drove out these demons. We know it was the demons behind the sickness by the way Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees.
Matthew 12:24

  1. The Case of a Dumb Man
    Matthew 9:32-33

Who was brought to Jesus?
When was the man able to speak?
Therefore, a “dumb spirit” was behind the man’s condition. When Jesus cast the spirit out, the man could speak.

  1. The Deaf and Dumb Boy
    Mark 9:17-27Verse 25A – What did Jesus see as the cause of this boy’s deaf and dumbness?
    Verse 25B – Notice Jesus then speaks directly to that spirit by calling his name (for demons are persons without bodies, part of Satan’s legions of rebellious angels.)
    Verse 26 – When was the boy actually healed?
  2. The Case of a Man Disrupting the Synagogue While Jesus Was Teaching
    Perhaps you’ve been to a meeting or a service where all of a sudden, it’s hijacked by someone speaking their opinion loudly and disturbing the peace. This was the situation here.
    Mark 1:21-26

Verse 23 – What was behind the man’s disruption?
Verse 24 – Notice that there was more than one demon behind the behavior
Verse 25- What ended the disruption?

When we see someone like this disturbing the peace, we all quietly think the person has a mental illness. This example shows that behind mental problems stands a demon. The cause of a rebellious, unclean character is the devil.

These are but a few examples of what Jesus saw “behind the scenes”. When he dealt with the demon, then the person was healed.

“Doctors may call it arthritis, but a binding spirit of the devil is the real cause. The scientific term may be undeveloped vocal cords and dead nerves in the ear, but the real trouble is a deaf and dumb spirit that should be cast out in Jesus’ name. The specialist may say it is glaucoma or cataracts, but Jesus said it is a “blind spirit”.
T.L. Osborn from “Healing the Sick” Chapter 29, page 156.
_______
A PERSONAL STORY |

Shortly after studying these verses linking Satan as the one behind many of the seemingly “natural things” causing problems in our bodies, I had the opportunity to take action. For almost two years I was noticing that I was always having to clear my throat. Now some clearing of the throat is part of the good reflexes that God has given to us. But mine was frequent and sometimes I had to clear so hard that it was embarrassing. I was on my way to the dentist and having one of these more difficult bouts of throat clearing.

I had just been studying and thinking about what’s behind our physical problems when it occurred to me this problem of my throat may well be from some spirit trying to keep me from operating normally. So right there in the parking lot of my dentist, I rebuked the demon binding my throat, and asked him to leave in the name of Jesus. Then I went in for my appointment. It was gone and it’s still gone. For two years that I had been noticing this, I was wondering about the cause, googling, and gargling for a solution.

I think I am not unlike most of us. We get these seemingly “little things” – more annoyances really – but we put up with them, and this can be a platform for the evil one to lay more things on us.
____________
IS SICKNESS A BLESSING OR A CURSE?

28. For those who suggest that maybe God has allowed some disease so that in the end it will be a blessing in some way, it’s important to see what the scriptures say is God’s attitude. As mentioned in Part One of this study, when the people stayed under the umbrella of God’s protection, what was God’s promise to them?
Exodus 12:13 / Exodus 15:26 / Deuteronomy 7:12, 15

29. Now ask yourself as you read these next verses if these seem like they would be a blessing to you from God?
Leviticus 26:14-17 / Deuteronomy 28:60-61 / Psalm 107:17-18

  1. God calls sickness “captivity” in this verse about Job.
    Job 42:10

It’s the King James Version that uses the word “captivity”.  It says, “The Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.”  If you know the story of Job, then you know that in one thing after another Satan caused calamity on this dear man, finally ending in his own sickness.
Job 2:7

In Job 42:10 scripture calls the undoing of all his calamity, including his sickness, “deliverance from captivity”. Captivity is the state of being imprisoned or enslaved and that’s exactly what sickness does to us. It imprisons us within our own body so that we are no longer free to do the things we would normally do. Captivity can’t be God’s will or he would not have sent Jesus to reverse what Satan brought about.
Luke 4:18 (Jesus is restating what Isaiah predicted about Him in Isaiah 61:1)

  1. What does Jesus call sickness?
    Reread: Luke 13:16

The word “bondage” from the dictionary means:
A. The state of being under a force, or influence, or abstract power
B. The state of being under the control of another person

That’s exactly what Jesus states was happening to this woman bent double and he identifies the controller – Satan. Jesus never infers that his Heavenly Father had something to perfect in this woman that would keep her bound. God does not bind people. He frees them. And so, Jesus immediately did for this woman what He knew was his Father’s will.
Luke 13:12-13

32. Isaiah predicted hundreds of years before, what Jesus’ ministry would be like and as you’ll see, it was all about freeing people. Since we know sickness makes us captives, it includes sickness.
Isaiah 58:6

33. Jesus came as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  What does Jesus say will happen to us when we incorporate the truth about God into our lives?
John 8:32, 36

  1. If God called sickness captivity and Jesus called it bondage, what did the Holy Spirit call it?
    Acts 10:38

Peter was speaking these words, but it was really the Holy Spirit speaking through him at the House of Cornelius, and all who listened were filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:44)

Captivity, bondage, and oppression are the opposites of freedom. Jesus came to reverse all of this. But it’s up to us to …..Galatians 5:1

HAVE FAITH IN GOD’S MERCY

Many of us are like the leper in Mark 1:40-42. We come to God and say, “Father, I have this disease _________. Would you be willing to heal it? We have no doubt that He can heal, but we aren’t sure if he will heal – at least in our situation. We firmly believe in his ability but we doubt his mercy. This indicates a lack of a close relationship with God and knowledge of his word.

35. Our minds find it hard to grasp the deep love and commitment that God has for us. And if we are “sin conscious” instead of “Christ conscious” then always lurking in the background is the fact that we are not worthy for God to heal us so why would he want to? As you look at some of these verses ask the Holy Spirit to give you a revelation of God’s love for YOU. Go slow, and as you read, write out what God is to YOU. The first reference in Exodus is what God proclaims about Himself.
Exodus 34:5-6 / Psalm 103:17 / Psalm 108:4 / Lamentations 3:22-23 / Joel 2:13 / Micah 7:18-20

36. If you are someone who is “sin conscious” or always thinking about how bad or unworthy you are, then you should memorize this verse. What is the only reason that God saves any of us?
Titus 3:5

37. If God’s mercy and compassion flow out to all mankind, then why aren’t all healed regardless of their faith position? God’s mercy flows in accordance with His covenant or His word to us. He has bound Himself to His word. When God sees any one of us acting on His Word, he sees someone who is putting themselves into a position to receive His love, His mercy, and His compassion. God delights to fulfill His word on our behalf and to show us mercy. In fact, what does Isaiah say is God’s longing towards us?
Isaiah 30:18-19

  1. And just picture this fact about God!
    2 Chronicles 16:9a

So, in these last two verses, we see a loving Father just waiting to be gracious to us and keeping his eyes peeled for anyone of his kids believing His word, and acting on it. Just pause for a moment to think about that.

39. Use your lips to praise and thank God for his lovingkindness and mercy even BEFORE you see any results. This shows that you honor God. It’s what Abraham did. What was the result in his life?
Romans 4:20-21

  1. When we continually confess the love and mercy of God, we’ll find what Abraham did. Faith will rise up in our hearts while we wait for God to fulfill His Word to us. Pretty soon you’ll be confessing as David did….
    Psalm 23:6

JESUS BORE OUR SICKNESS

  1. We have read Matthew 8:17 before in this study, but I’d ask you to read it again and this time see the double cure that Jesus has brought to us. When Jesus bore our sins (infirmities & weaknesses), he also bore our diseases. It’s true that a Christian can continue to sin after he/she has been born again, but you don’t have to. Sin can’t enslave us anymore unless we allow it. Read these verses slowly to take in what God is saying.
    Romans 6: 11-18

In the same way, a Christian can continue to be sick after being born again, but he/she doesn’t have to. Sickness can no longer exert dominion over us unless we allow it. This is part of our salvation -- little known or taught -- and therefore many continue to bear their own diseases even while accepting that Jesus bore their sins.
In Isaiah 53:10 it says, “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief….” The word “grief” is from the Hebrew word “challah” and it means to be weak, sick, wounded, afflicted, put to pain, or made sore. If God allowed Jesus to be made sick with your diseases would it be his will that you would carry your own again? No. That would be a most sadistic father that would have his children suffer twice.

  1. What did Jesus come to destroy?
    1 John 3:8b

Jesus came to destroy ALL of Satan’s work. He didn’t destroy the power of sin so that we could be dominated by sickness. He redeemed the whole man:
Man’s spirit: regained righteousness or right-standing with God
Man’s soul: regained peace with God and
Man’s body: was healed

  1. God paid a terrible price for our redemption. How does God say we are to honor him?
    1 Corinthians 6:19-20

The Greek word for body is “soma” and refers to the body as a “sound whole”. When our spirit is full of God’s Holy Spirit, when our soul (mind, will, and emotions) are set on “things above”, and our body is healthy, then we are back to what God originally created man to be. We are back on track to fulfill the purpose we were created for.
Ephesians 2:10

  1. Just as you resist the temptation to sin, you can resist the temptation to be sick. You do the same thing.
    James 4:7

Satan is the source of sickness the same way he is the source of sin. Refuse him in Jesus’ name because it is against God’s will for you to be sick!

45. You must believe that you have received your healing WHEN YOU PRAY, NOT AFTER YOU ARE WELL. It’s what men like Abraham had to do. Reread:
Romans 4:19-21

46. It’s what we’ll have to do even if the symptoms continue to linger after you believe you have received. God’s way is opposite to man’s way.
2 Corinthians 5:7 / Hebrews 10:38

  1. Our belief in God’s word and His ability to do what He says must be one of fearless confidence even in the face of remaining symptoms. What does Paul exhort us to have at this time?
    Hebrews 10:35-36

And what will be our reward?
Hebrews 10:36B

  1. The Bible teaches that by two witnesses a thing is established. E.W. Kenyon taught that in regards to healing there are three witnesses: The Word of God, the pain or the sickness, and YOU. It’s YOU and I who are the deciding factor. If we align ourselves with the sickness and pain then that will rule in our body. But if we align ourselves with God’s Word, then healing will be established. It’s up to us to refuse to be moved by what we see and to hold our merciful and loving Father to keep his word to us. He may do so immediately, or over the course of time, but healing will take place in your body. While you wait, continue to take or do whatever the doctor is asking of you, but above all take God’s medicine and it will mean “health to your flesh”.
    Proverbs 4:20-23

 

SUMMARY

  1. Most believers believe that God can heal them, but they aren’t sure if He will heal them.
  2. The Kingdom of God medical plan starts with God’s Word which Jesus likened to a seed planted in the soil of our hearts. God paid a huge price to make every believer good ground for his Word and for His Spirit to indwell our own. We must guard our hearts carefully because from it the course of our life is determined.
  3. The Word of God is the will of God. A king’s word is the law and can’t be revoked. All God’s promises can be received by us through faith. Our faith then grows by hearing more of God’s word.
  4. Acting on the Word is what makes the difference between good ground and bad ground. Good ground hears the Word, receives the Word, and acts on the Word. We are meant to receive and act on God’s whole truth as a child would. This means being humble so that we can be taught by God.
  5. Instead of taking God’s Word at face value by believing and acting on it, the church has developed various “traditions” that actually nullify the Word of God. Here are two of the most common traditions:

    A. God can heal but it’s not necessarily his will to heal.
    B. God gets glory from the way a Christian bears his sickness or pain.

  6. When Adam turned his dominion (rulership of the world) over to Satan by his sin against God, it was the start of sin, sickness, and death. But, from the beginning of mankind, God has provided healing for his people through his covenants.
  7. Satan and his legions of demons stand behind sin and sickness. If sin and sickness had been God’s will he would have put them in the garden, to begin with. Jesus called Satan a thief and said that he had three main objectives: to steal, to kill, and to destroy.
  8. Jesus came to earth to defeat Satan and gain back for us all that we lost because of our sin. He defeated Satan at the cross. We no longer have to stay under his evil dominion unless we want to.
  9. We have three mighty tools as believers that can stop the effects of Satan’s curse in our own life:
    A. God gave us his Word
    B. Jesus gave us the authority of his name to use against Satan and
    C. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence within us to give us his power to overcome.
  10. Healing is hindered by:
    A. Our ignorance of God’s word and therefore knowing God's will in the matter.
    B. Our unbelief as to God’s love, mercy, and promises to heal us
    C. Our failure to act on the word even if we say we believe it.
  11. Satan will be quick to lay things on us if we allow it. It’s you and I who must govern Satan’s activity in our lives and circumstances. Like it or not, we are in a constant battle. Satan’s legions (called demons) look for any opportunity to cause havoc in our lives. They have no legal right to harass a believer but if we don’t stand our ground in the faith, we can inadvertently allow them to operate unhindered.
  12. When Jesus healed people, he saw the demon spirit behind the symptoms and therefore addressed that spirit. “You deaf and dumb spirit, come out of him!” (Mark 9:25)
  13. Sickness is not a blessing. God calls it a calamity, Jesus called it bondage, and the Holy Spirit through Peter called it oppression.
  14. Jesus’ ministry was all about freeing people. In driving out demons and therefore healing the sick he was doing only what His Father was directing him to do. He wanted all of us to know about the love and mercy God has towards us. In fact, God waits to be gracious to us and his eyes roam the world looking for anyone fully committed to Him that he can strengthen.
  15. Jesus bore our sins and our diseases at the cross so that we would not have to bear them again.

We are healed WHEN WE PRAY, not after we are well. Our healing often occurs before the symptoms go away. If we align ourselves with the sickness and pain -- that will rule the body. But if we agree with God’s word then healing can be established.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Healing the Sick by T.L. Osborn

God’s Will for Your Healing by Gloria Copeland

Divine Healing by Andrew Murray

None of These Diseases by S.I. McMillen M.D.

Jesus the Healer by E. W. Kenyon

Daily Discipline Table of Contents