A Layman's Approach to Divine Healing

Sometimes our health problems can be attributed to demon activity. There are many Christians that would prefer not to acknowledge the existence of demons, but Christ talked about them and dealt with them during His ministry. If Jesus had to deal with them, this not only gives credence to the existence of demons, but it shows us that we may have to deal them as well A good example is found in Luke 13: 10-17:

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound--think of it--for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

This woman had been literally "crippled by a spirit" for 18 years, and she was bent over. She was no way for her to raise herself up. Jesus acknowledged that Satan had bound her, and that she needed to be "set free" (verse 16). He ministered deliverance to her, and she was immediately healed from her crippling condition. Notice that Jesus did not pray, He just told her she was loosed from her infirmity, or her condition. I believe that Jesus had a word of knowledge about her condition and knew what was causing the problem--Satan.

A couple of years ago, my step-son needed a psychological evaluation. We took him to the doctor's office and dropped him off because there were a series of battery tests that he needed to take and the doctor did not want his answers to be influenced by our presence. So we left him at the doctor's office and we decided to walk around a store that was nearby. As I was walking down the hallway, something wrapped itself around me. I turned around and looked to see if there was someone or something that had come up behind me, but there was no one. I could feel this heaviness around my waist. It felt like someone had wrapped one of those heavy wet quilts around me. The weight of it slowed me down a bit but the longer it stayed; the more depressed I started to feel. I surmised that it was a spirit of depression that had wrapped itself around me and was trying to cause my mood to be one of despair and depression.

The question is: why did this spirit find and attach itself to me? Or more important, how do I get rid of it! I was a child of God and I don't like demonic spirits of any kind, especially ones that attach themselves to me! I thought maybe if I left the building/area it might fall off or leave but as I walked to my car, it came with me. I drove to the store and when I got out of the car, it was still with me.

I started praying quietly and softly for it to leave. {After all I didn't want to do demonic deliverance right there in the middle of the store.} But it continued "hang" onto me. A thought came, 'try praising the name of Jesus.' I thought, yeah, I could do that. So I started to praise and thank Jesus for everything He did, His life, His Word, His sacrifice, His shed blood...then all of the sudden it was gone. Demons can't stand the blood of Jesus and the more I praised Jesus, the more agitated they become.

I was glad it left, but I started to be concerned that the demon was now 'loose' again and would be looking for someone else to attack or attach itself to. I felt bad because it may affect someone who wasn't saved, baptized with the Holy Spirit, and they would end up feeling depressed and not know how to get relief.

Here's another example discussed in Mark 9:14-29:

14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"

17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."

19 He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me." 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."

23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!" 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"

29 So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

This is another example of someone who was sick because of an evil spirit. The boy had this problem since birth and it would cause him to roll on the ground, foam and gnash his teeth. The disciples had tried to cast the spirit out of the boy without success. And when Jesus comes on the scene, He wants to know what's going on.

But notice in verse 20 where "the spirit saw Him" (Jesus) and caused the spirit to tear at the boy and he fell on the ground foaming at the mouth. This gives us evidence that sometimes when we come into the presence of evil spirits; they may act up, which gives them away. In verse 25, Jesus calls out the "dumb and deaf spirit" and tells the spirit to come out of him and enter no more. It could be that this evil spirit was not resident in the boy all the time but would come and go. And when the spirit came, it would torture the boy. But Jesus commands the spirit to leave and when it was gone, the boy lay on the ground like he was dead. But Jesus lifted him up by the hand.

Later, the disciples were wondering why they couldn't cast out this dumb and deaf spirit. And verse 29 gives Jesus' response: this kind can only come out by prayer and fasting.

There are times when people are not open to being set free from demonic oppression and health problems. We will look brievly at that in our next lesson.