Healing Is For Today

I have been reading many blogs concerning the healing revival events going in Lakeland Florida. There are a number of issues being raised, but the point I am concern with today is the issue of healing. I have serious questions concerning some of the Lakeland stuff myself, which I have occasionally expressed elsewhere on this blog. There are those with the "extreme prophetic" view, and then there are those who say spiritual gifts and supernatural healing has been done away with. Forget at the moment the issue of false prophets, false healing revivals, angels, or whether the revival there is true or not. What does the Word of God say concerning healing?

Starting back in Genesis we see God is concerned about the health of people. He had Abraham to pray for Abimelech, and he was healed. Not only is a warning given to Abimelech by God, but it was given to him through a dream:

Genesis 20:3-7
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

*Sorry, I only got a King James Version on my hard drive for now.

Genesis 20:17
So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bore children

People may say “look at some of these people supposedly called by God. Some are sick themselves.” Consider Elisha the prophet, a faithful servant to God, who died ill yet performed mighty miracles through the power of God (II Kings 13:14-20). And he gave a prophetic word as he was dying, obedient to the very end. And despite dying ill, when a persons body was cast into a grave unto Elisha’s bones, the person arosed from the dead:

2 Kings 13:21
And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulcher of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.

Epaphroditus, was a faithful companion with Paul in labor, became sick, but the bible says “God had mercy on him”, and he was eventually healed (PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30). I don’t understand this issue myself, I just think its something we should not be presumptuous about. Keep in mind, afflictions come to every believer. Paul was constantly afflicted because he was a threat to satan’s “territories’.

In Matthew 8:17, it says “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Awesome. He bore our sicknesses. This is cross-referenced to Isaiah 53:5 in my bible:

Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

There are many Christians who believe supernatural healing does not happen today, nor do they believe its God will. Then you have some who erroneously petition healing through dead saints which is gross error and idolatrous. That will open the door to the enemy, as well as a person with a false healing gift.

Acts 10:38 indicates sickness is oppression from the devil:

Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Some will say, Jesus healed to demonstrate his power to the unbeliever. True, He wanted to demonstrate the power of God to the unbeliever, and confirm Himself as the Messiah.

John 10:38
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Some people say healing is not for those who already have accepted Him as Lord over their lives. If that is true, why are there gifts of healings? And why does James instruct the Church to pray for the sick, and go on to say, the Lord will raise them up. Obviously, healing is God’s will for His people.

1 Corinthians 12:9
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

James 5:14-15:
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

I felt a need to bring these issues up, because I believe according to the Word, and also to the miracles I have seen in my own life, that God heals today and that it is His will to heal. I think when people see events going on in a circus type atmosphere, it causes a lot of people to doubt and discount the supernatural things of God.

For more on this topic visit:
What The Word Of God Says On Healing