Faith in His promises of healing

Jesus connected healing with faith.  It is not a matter of faith-healing, it is a matter of faith for healing!  We understand that faith in Jesus has a powerful impact on what we experience.  The more we learn and experience in God, the deeper our faith becomes.

Faith is a pretty simple thing.  We make it more complicated than it is.  The same faith that ushers salvation allows for healing.  It doesn't even take a lot of faith!  Jesus said if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can move a mountain.  Sometimes we think we need the faith of a mountain to move a mustard seed! 

Here is another neat thing about faith: faith is a gift from God.  He gives us faith, we don't  have to manufacture it.  It grows, if we let it.  The New Testament describes people with no faith, little faith, and great faith.  Faith is not stagnant in our lives; it is growing or becoming stale.  Faith grows as we walk with God, and explore His promises.  James tells us that our trials and problems are perfect avenues for faith to develop.  We may have small faith today, but we can have great faith tomorrow! 

Take the gift of faith God has given you already and connect it with His promises.  This is faith for healing! 

Sometimes our lives are filled with doubts.  Have you ever thought about the kind of  doubts that might be embedded in your life, as well as your prayers?  Are my healing prayers embedded with faith, or doubt!  As I look at prayer, I can view three levels of embedded attitudes. 

Prayer (with embedded doubt)

One thing that can be lurking in our healing prayer life is doubt. There were occasions when the disciples tried to believe God for healing, but absolutely nothing happened!  When they asked Jesus about the problem, Jesus gave them the answer.  He said they had so little faith!  Little faith usually contains a lot of room for doubt!

With embedded doubt we are talking to God, but we are not really sure He is going to do anything about our concerns.  We are filled with uncertainty, and may question if He is listening at all.  We are not sure of our judicial standing in prayer, because we have never learned about our entrance before the Throne.  We are not sure of the authority given to us in the name of Jesus, and we therefore do not stand on it when we pray.  Maybe we mistakenly think God files our requests away, and only when they are overflowing are things set in motion!  God is moved by chosen words of faith rather than the thickness of a particular file!

For me, doubt enters my prayers because when I am not aware of His promises!  I wonder if sometimes we are operating more out of wishful thinking than prayer believing.  We are wishing because we are not sure of our praying ground before the Father. 

Doubt often surfaces when we choose to look at our circumstances, rather than His promises.

Looking the circumstances generally takes our eyes off His promises.  When we do not see what we think we should, we lose confidence in His promises.  Like Peter on the waves, we start to sink!  When we sink we feel wet!

Doubt also can be intensified by listening to the skeptics.  Psalm One tells us to avoid being taken in my those that mock God, or have no faith.  The person who wants to rise about doubt must be aware of the influences on his or her life.

The way to overcome this is to ask God to address the doubt areas of our lives.  The Holy Spirit can help us isolate doubts and replace them with promises.  It is hard work, but reaps tremendous benefits.  It is taking every thought captive to Christ.  Praying back a promise of God rather than hold on to doubt places us on firm ground.  God’s word reminds us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Oh, we often pretend that doubts do not exist.  The Lord knows our human nature tends toward disbelief!  God knows our heart.  Even the disciples doubted, and Jesus was with them at the time showing them miracles!  He understands our doubts, and leads us to deeper faith.

What is great about God is that He often moves as He sees the smallest advance in faith. 

Take that mustard seed of faith and believe!

Prayer (with embedded hope)

Did you ever read the story of the Little Engine that could?  When attempting to climb the hill the Little Engine would say, “I think I can, I think I can”.  It seemed to propel him up and over the obstacle.  This reminds me of prayer with embedded hope.  It has advanced from the “I think I can’t, I think I can’t” mentality of doubt.  Still, like the Little Engine, there is a degree of uncertainty about it all.  The differences between our lives and the Little Engine are profound. The Little Engine had no promises or faith in God.  Its vacillating hope was based upon its own resources.  God wants us to move from our own resources to depending upon His.  If I look at myself, I have no certainty.  When I look at God and His promises, I can rise to faith.

One of the benefits of being in a local church is being able to watch God work in many people’s lives over a period of time.  As He touches people’s lives, we are able to watch Him again and again.  Doubt starts to give way to a growing conviction of His intimacy and power.

We move into prayer with embedded hope as we have begin to see God work around us.  We are reading His Word, and applying the promises around us.  Maybe, like the Little Engine, we are saying, “I think He can, I think He can”.  With this new confidence of what we are praying, we now have embedded hope.  We hope He can, rather than doubt He can!  We have learned a few things about prayer, but not yet to the point of knowing that every word we speak in His name reverberates in heaven.  Instead of faith I can be healed, right now I have hope that I can be healed.

Paul tells is in 1 Corinthians 13:13 to abide in three things: faith, hope, and love.  Faith will take hope and make it certain. Hope is great, but faith must be added to the mix.  Hope is not enough!  Jesus never said, “according to your hope so shall it be done!"  It is faith He is developing in our lives.

Prayer (with embedded faith)

Suddenly we reach a place where we begin to understand praying ground.  We learn that we have passed beyond the veil into the presence of God.  We have learned that we stand in grace, and the Father beckons us into His very presence.  He has called us to intercede, and to believe Him for miracles.  We begin to understand that the Word of the Lord does not fail.  We can pray God’s Word back to Him.  We are now realizing that the promises of God are given so that we can know the heart of God.  We begin to soar as if on the wings of eagles!

It has been said that we Christians are like a bunch of beggars sitting on a pile of gold!  We are not aware of the incredible power and treasure that is already given to us in Jesus.  But now, as spiritual beggars, we are beginning to realize the treasure has been given to us.  We are stewards of His promises, and we can pray them into action.  As we pray, we have a deepening assurance, conviction, and confident expectation.

Hebrews 11 has been called the Hall of Fame of Faith.  It opens with a definition of faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  The entire chapter examines men and women and the challenges God brought before them.  In each case, it was faith that enabled them to overcome obstacles.

Maybe you are saying, how can I really be sure of things as I pray?  We wonder if we are praying according to the Lord's will.  If you are praying according to God’s Word then it  is his will.  If God has spoken on the topic, then it is His will.  We may not know the means, but that is up to God.  Spend more time praying the ends, and let Him have room to choose the means.  I think we often get too centered on particular means.  When God moves the means in a different way, we think He failed.  He has not failed; He has just declared his sovereignty over the means!  When God told Joshua to attack Jericho, Joshua and the people simply prayed the ends.  God decided the means and then gave instructions to the people.

Let Him choose how He is going to heal you.

Imagine coming to the place of believing that every word uttered from your mouth in Jesus name reverberates in heaven and moves the hand of God!

When I pray, I believe it is going to happen.  I let God choose the timing. 

Do you have faith for healing?  God gave you faith as a gift.  It only takes what He has already given you to move a mountain.  Get connected to the promises and step out in faith. Let God decide the timing and the means.  Let Him decide if He has heart work to do first in our lives.  Don't listen to the voice of unbelief.  A friend once remarked, "if you are out on a limb with God, then you are not out on a limb."

Some ask if they should throw away medications as a step of faith.  Jesus healed people, and then told them to show themselves to the priests.  The priests would confirm it.  When God heals, it is appropriate to let the doctors confirm it.  Only a doctor should advise you to start or to stop medications!  It is not a lack of faith to take medications, it is submission to medical authorities.  When the time comes you don't need it, they will affirm it.