Determining Your Healing Style

Prophetic Healing Brings Deliverance And Victory!

In 2 Kings 20, Judah was under attack as was the body of King Hezekiah. The King of Assyria was perpetrating the military attack. It had been a slow methodical attack designed to destroy the morale of the nation before plundering its cities. The nation had been the subject of attack and under siege for several years. King Hezekiah would give in to some demands and then the King of Assyria make more demands.

The attack on King Hezekiah's body was similar. It was not a rapidly moving disease that overtook him suddenly. Rather it was a slow moving, flesh eating, morale destroying sickness. It looked inevitable that the kingdom would succumb to the siege on its walls, and the King would succumb to the siege on his body. It was at this stage that the prophet Isaiah was sent to Hezekiah to proclaim and administer healing. He prophesied that Hezekiah would have fifteen years added to his life. He also prophesied that the nation would not suffer attack again throughout Hezekiah's reign. Both the physical and military attack was ended.

Just a physical healing in this case would not have been adequate. The nation would still have been lost. However a military victory would not have been as sweet or as long lasting had the King's life not been restored. Isaiah prophesied both. As a result, Hezekiah experienced fifteen years of health and the nation fifteen years of peace (II Kings 20:6). Prophetic healing has the power to bring about deliverance and victory, as well as physical healing.

Prophetic Healing Is More Than What You See!

Mark 8:22-26 says, "They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When He had spit on the man's eyes and put His hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?' He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.' Once more Jesus put His hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, 'Don't go into the village.' (NIV)

Jesus had just performed the miracle of the bread and fish. His disciples did not understand and Jesus accused them of being spiritually blind. It was in this context that they arrived in Bethsaida, home to three of the disciples. It was a fishing village. An I've-got-to-see-it-to-believe-it kind of town. As they entered the town a group of people brought a blind man to Jesus and asked him to touch the man. Jesus did heal the man, but that is not all he did.

The first prophetic thing Jesus did was he took the man outside of the town. The man had grown accustomed to his surrounding and his condition. When the sense of sight is lost the senses of smell, sound and touch are all enhanced. The man had grown accustomed to smell of fish, the sound of familiar voices and the feel of his friend's hands leading him through the city.

As he felt Jesus' unfamiliar grasp, it did not take long for the soft sand beneath his feet to give way to the unevenness of the rocky terrain at the outskirts of the city. No sooner did he begin to re-gain his sense of balance when he realized the absence of the scent of freshly caught fish, the sound of the softly crashing waves on the shore and the gentle spray of the sea water on his face.

He did feel moisture on face, but it was not sea water. This strange prophet had just spit on him. But what was even stranger was that this act felt somehow, more familiar, more appropriate than the spray of sea water. It was much like a parent who cleanses its child's face with their saliva. Like a lioness cleaning her cubs. It was as if the prophet was using his own saliva to cleanse something out of the man's eyes. Then He placed His hands on the man.

Finally, the prophet spoke. "Do you see anything?" It was almost as if Jesus knew that the man would only have partial vision. He did not say, "what do you see?" or "how does it look?" He simply asked, "can you see anything?" This is our first glimpse into the motivation behind Jesus' methods. He wasn't just looking to perform a quick miracle -- a restoration of eyesight -- and then move on to the next village, the next need, the next disease. His desire was for this man's mind to be healed. Not only was his physical vision impaired, but he lacked the ability to envision himself beyond his current circumstances. Jesus knew that physical vision could be restored in an instant, but "mind sets" change more slowly.

"I see men walking as trees" replied the half-blind man. As his vision was being restored at first he only saw people walking about, and the state he saw them in was less than perfect. We should not think it strange that the first thing this man saw was people. Day in and day out he had to rely on people to feed him, clothe him, and help him relieve himself. He had become so dependent upon others that he could not see or enjoy the rest of the world that was around him.

One more touch from the prophet and his sight was restored. He now saw everything! And he saw it clearly. His eyesight was restored. If this was the case, why did Jesus command him not to return to the village? The answer is prophetic healing is not just concerned with sight, but also vision. The man's lack of physical vision had impaired his ability to see beyond his current circumstances. The solution to this was simple. Don't return to your previous circumstances because they will limit you. The prophetic has the ability to heal physical sight and lifts you out of limited circumstances into a new vision.

Prophetic healing is not concerned solely with the healing the body. Prophetic healing includes emotional, spiritual, relational, even financial healing. Prophetic healing is reparative, and it is restorative.

Prophetic Healing Sees Beyond The Sickness To The Solution

Many times when we view the current circumstances of our bodies, our church, our cities, we accurately understand the problems, but we fail to realize the potential. This is why we so desperately need prophetic healers. Prophetic healers understand that physical sickness is many times the sign of a deeper spiritual or emotional need. I have been in churches and cities where certain illnesses are disproportionately common. For instance, in a particular area where I ministered I noticed a frequent occurrence of bone and joint diseases such as M.S., lupus, fibromyalgia, and arthritis. I also noticed in this area divisiveness in the churches and even the municipalities. I am not saying that a spirit of division always causes arthritis. But I do believe that when there is a prevalent spiritual force over an area, that it will be reflected in physical maladies. I know of areas that have high occurrences of blindness and deafness. I have seen others with large numbers of mental disorders. In general there are some illness that have been growing in large numbers over the years. I know that environmental and social issues play a part in this as well. Many times, however, spiritual issues are behind the environmental and social issues. I believe that this is symptomatic of the spiritual battle that we are involved in. This is a prophetic way of looking at illness.

If we take this approach to healing then we not only take authority over bone diseases, but we also teach and demonstrate unity. If we understand that deafness and blindness are sometimes connected with unbelief, then we will preach recovery of sight and impart faith to bring people out of their current circumstances. If we realize that every healthy organism reproduces, then we will prophesy to barren wombs and empty church pews.

God is raising up a company of prophetic people, armed with prophetic healing. Some will heal individuals, others will heal churches and cities, and still others will heal nations.