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Does God heal Today?

Robbie L. Rogers

That’s kind of the way I ran into this teaching. I found myself surrounded by some serious questions we all suffer agony over. When you see or hear of God healing someone miraculously.... you are getting a small glimpse of what it is to be like in heaven... when the final redemption of our bodies take place... it’s exciting to think about... no more suffering or pain.

For some of us that is a biggie... right?  Each person could tell a story about a person who was healed. Sometimes they are instantaneous, however, sometimes we are not privileged in seeing in it in our life.

That’s a cope-out some say. God only heals who He will and that’s the end of it.  Turn to Roman 8:22, 23 And I Corinthians 15:50-54  for the answer.

Roman 8:22,23 "For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us."

I Corinthians 15:50-54 "What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These perishable bodies of ours are not able to live forever.

Let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to us. Not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed. It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die.

When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die—then at last the Scriptures will come true:

"Death is swallowed up in victory.

Oh death, where is your victory?

Oh death, where is your sting?""

In our early walk, and sometimes even now if we admit it, we doubt God concerning our prayers to heal. Not that we necessarily doubt His ability; but maybe the faith of the one we are praying for; or our own sinful nature, or something in the past, maybe causing a blockage, or whatever.  

Anyway you look at it... it is doubt that God will truly answer our prayers for any given thing. Rather than expecting it as we should, we are frequently taken by surprise when it happen as we prayed for.  We had a sign at the back of our church.  It was not placed there so we could not see it on the way in by accident; we need to firmly get those words implanted on our hearts as we leave church services and go into the world...EXPECT A MIRACLE, yes even in the world!

However, sometimes we catch ourselves almost intentionally avoiding a person, or when we are face to face, we are fearful of asking, "You and I prayed for a healing in your life... has God healed you?"  We want to know, but our flesh rises up in doubt so we don't even ask the question.

Don’t we do that?  

DOES GOD HEAL TODAY?

A man in our church contracted Leukemia, a very severe case. He was prayed for often, that God would heal him. The entire church came together several times, even asking one time for anyone who did not believe that God could heal him to leave, and some did.

Time after time he went to Biloxi for Chemotherapy treatments. He was often very weak, especially in the morning. The Air Force retired him on disability and a year and a half later, I think it was, he lay in bed in Biloxi, not expecting to live the night out. That night hel was awakened by a sensation of high heat traveling throughout his body, moving as though it were the hand of God.  The next morning there was no trace of Leukemia.

Why does God heal some... and not others, and why on his time table, not ours?  We did all the right things for Bill, yet he lay there dying. We continued to pray, but were sickened with anguish along with him.  

I know we all have felt that same anguish, if indeed we have said prayers for those we love when they are sick.

Watching a loved one suffer is not easy.  Many fall away after such experiences; but, have you ever thought about God’s time verses our time. 

Read II Peter 8:8,9. "But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent."

I’m not to good at math, but a thousand days verses one of His years equates to a bunch of difference. Something like over 8 million of our hours in every day of God’s time. Now that’s what I call a full day.

What couldn’t you do with such a day?  Count all the hairs on my head, listen to us all, heal us, and have plenty of time to run the universe. 

How much time do we exist in God’s time. The time we have here on earth? I don’t know, maybe you can figure it out... maybe a couple of hours on His time.  How long in His time did that problem you are fretting over last?  How long will God love you, an eternity, and that's in His time!

How long is our Christian life span?  There is no end? We will be able to see what is done in His time and our time on earth, the birth-pain years we now struggle through will be but a fleeting time then.  Yet, we are stuck here now.  Right?  We must live it now.  Right?

"Should I expect God to heal today?" That "Should," should be changed to: "If I do not expect God to heal today, then I am saying to God, you don’t care about my situation... virtually I can’t depend on you."   No, always say or think expecting a miracle!

Scripture tells us unless we stand, doing all things in faith (I John 5:17; Rom 14:23)  What are we standing in?  SIN!  But, let’s not get too far into that subject. 

Exodus 15:26. "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and laws, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you."

Or as we often sing, praising, "I am the God who healith thee."

Exodus 23:25,26  "You must serve only the Lord your God.  If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will keep you healthy.  There will be no miscarriages or infertility among your people, and I will give you long, full lives."

Psalm 41:3.  "The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort."

If you are around me much, you will often hear me extol the virtues of learning God’s character. If you know Him, you know Jesus and Holy Spirit, and no one can draw you aside.  The Greek word that means "I save" also means "I heal."

In II Kings 5 we are told the story of Naaman the great warrior who had leprosy. He raged with anger when Elisha sent word for him to wash in the Jordon River seven times. It was not what Naaman expected and he would have gone away unhealed if not for the wise council of his trusted servants. As he washed in obedience, against his better judgement, his skin became like that of a baby’s.

We are not so different than Naaman. We too are often trying to put God in a box, expecting Him to do as we want and on our own time schedule?

A young Hindu, born in Kenya, contracted erythrodermic psoriasis, a chronic skin disease that dropped his weight from 160 to 105 pounds. He was treated all over the world in major hospitals.  After spending eighty percent of his family’s wealth the only difference was that he had a liver disease from strong drugs. He was so horrible to look at he lost his wife and children.  As he lay in hospital bed he wanted to die.

Finally he cried out to a God that he was not sure even existed, saying, "God if you are watching me let me die, I am sorry if I have done something wrong." He opened a Bible and found Psalm 38.  As he read every verse leaped from the pages.  He prayed for God to heal him, falling asleep. The next morning was different, he felt joyful, like a new man, even his body looked different.  

He like Naaman took a bath. Astounded he called for the nurses to come, his skin had lifted off in the water. He told the nurses God was healing him. When he emerged from the water he was like Naaman. He had skin like a baby . He was totally healed.

Since then he has been reunited with his family, but says the inner healing that took place was far greater that the physical healing. Today he lives as a servant to Jesus.

Inner healing... funny he would claim such a thing. Few churches commit much talent and ministry to such.   Speaking of inner healing let's look at Romans 8:1-4. "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit."

  Did you get that? "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  

If you feel condemnation, look to where it is coming from. Satan condemns; Holy Spirit Convicts; there is a big difference.  One brings the possibility of life and healing, that has no ending.  The other death and an unholy shame, an eternal death that has no ending.

I want to talk a little about the flesh here. Look at Romans 8:6 & 7. "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is NOT ABLE TO DO SO." 

"...for it is NOT ABLE TO DO SO."

You and I, as Christians, are aliens to the world, and prisoners in the flesh, your sinful nature.  If you leave with nothing more I want you to take this key with you.  Your flesh wants to hold your spirit captive. That is, the part of our body that is sinful in nature.  No the body itself is not sinful for God declared it good as recorded in Genesis...  just our flesh, our sinful nature part.  Don't get hung up on your skin here scripture is talking about a condition within that if we follow causes us to become sinful.  We all carry a sinful nature within us, our Biblical definition flesh.

Sort of like the little boy in Sunday School who was giving the teacher a fit. She finally grabbed and shook him until his teach rattled. She said, "Boy... I think the devil’s got a hold of you!" He replied, "I think so too!"

Now look at Romans 8:8. "and those who are in the flesh cannot please God." 

Let's read it again, "and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

How many of you are your own worst enemy? 

Look at verse Romans 8:9-11. "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you."

As the old song said, say to Satan, "Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more!  No more! No more! No more!  Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more!"

If you listen to your flesh as though it is telling you the truth, you are being deceived. Satan is all too often given charge of our flesh by us giving him permission, due to a lack of living in the spirit and he, Satan, is the deceiver you are listening to. 

Lift up your shield of faith. Reject those firey darts and recognize where they are coming from; they come from the power of darkness. The wrong side of the tracks within you.

Look at verse Romans 8:12-19. "So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  For if you keep on following it, you will perish.  But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 

So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family—calling him "Father, dear Father."  For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too.  But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are."

In some versions there are the exclamation points here at "Father! Dear Father!""   Or "ABBA! FATHER!" as some have it.

Regardless, He has given YOU the right to call out to Him, your very own Daddy.  That’s what that means.  

How many of you have heard the blood curdling scream of a child that has fallen and scraped the skin off their knee? That’s what He has given us permission to do. Run with all abandonment, because a bully pushed you down and scraped your knee, yelling, "I want my Daddy!"

Look back at verse 17. "And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

From Jesus’ teachings in Mark 1:15 and many other places in the New Testament we know God’s Kingdom, the rule of God, is not only for the future but is for here and now, where we are, yes even here in Santa Rosa Beach, and His Character, His Spirit is fully involved.... wanting to heal our affirmatives, wanting us to succeed in what we are suppose to be about... doing His will.

Matthew 10:7,8 "Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!" and to Luke 10:17-20  "When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, "Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name! "Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan falling from heaven as a flash of lightning!  And I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.  But don’t rejoice just because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven."

Expect a miracle!  No where in the Bible does it say healing was confined to a particular time, instead Jesus teaches us these are the signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God.  We should make it a regular expectation in our prayer life... expecting miracles, not standing in wonderment when it happens.

There is a gift, discernment, or the gift of knowledge, that I am always reluctant to speak of. It can be falsely used to tear down rather than to build up the body of Christ.  Like the gift of speaking in other tongues, or prophesying the word of God in an unknown language... be very careful.

A word of knowledge is extremely powerful when spoken in truth and by those professing and truly displaying the fruits of Holy Spirit.  But I have been on the receiving end of such when it was not.  If you give such a word, and you should if directed by Holy Spirit to do so, do so fearfully, making sure you are standing in faith.  If so, it will not come back void from the life God intended.  As with other gifts practice in proper times before you involve displaying such a gift before the whole body. That is to say, practice them in your private time with God while you are in prayer, your prayer closet.  Then and only then submit yourself and your gift to the leaders of your congregation and accept their direction.   If they do not see or feel you are to use your gifts during church services pray concerning the situation and give it to God.  Let Him handle your battles.

As a servant of God, duly commissioned, accept your position in faith, the position He died on the cross to save you for, bringing you in as adopted heirs into the Kingdom of God.

Now how do you pray for one another for healing?  Whether they are in front of you or thousands of miles away, during your prayer ask God for a picture, or a word concerning that person... what is needed.   Ask the person, if possible, the same questions:

1.) What needs do they have.  What is wrong.  Why do they want or need prayers.

2.) What has caused this condition?

3.) How should I pray for you?

4.) After prayer, ask how do they feel now?  Reassure them or continue to pray for them until you and they both feel right about it.

5.) Be persistent, advise them to do the same.  Tell them to cry out to the one who heals, God, their Father!

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CHECK OUT THIS! GOD HEALS!  and Miracles

Healing of Memories

You can find help in these areas at these sites:

Battling homosexuality?  www.exodus.to

Considering having an abortion?  www.thinkaboutitonline.com

Addicted to pornography and/or promiscuity? www.freedomeveryday.org  

Had an abortion and need help? www.operationoutcry.org

Have an alcohol problem? www.overcomersoutreach.org

Have a gambling addiction?  www.gamblersanonymous.org

Please note: The above list does not imply an endorsement on the part of The Gospel Truth Ministry.   ___________________________________________________

Above all, if YOU have not given yourself over to Christ, do not let this time get away. This is your time to come fully into the Kingdom of God  and live life in a triumphant manner.

If you desire to know more about this Jesus Christ who loves you, and you want to ask Him into your heart, receiving His Saving Grace please click on this Salvation Prayer