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Over the years I have prayed for thousands of people to receive healing. God has blessed many with not just a healing but even a miracle. However, after a little time or after a long time of being healed, the symptoms sometimes return and some have given into the pain and proclaim, "Oh, I thought I was healed but now it is back!" At this point they should fight in faith and not receive the pain or sickness back. The Apostle Paul says we must fight the good fight of faith. I have discovered several truths in my own life when I am fighting the good fight of faith believing for healing. I would like to share my discoveries and also share some wisdom from T. L. Osborn.
I would like to recommend that you read other books on this subject of healing and miracles written by these authors: T. L. Osborn, Smith Wigglesworth, Mary Woodworth Etter, John G. Lake, F. F. Bosworth, E. M. Bounds and many others. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, His Bible. The testimonies of these writers will stir your faith to believe that God can heal you but even better, God can use you to pray for the sick with results.
T. L. Osborn wrote a book titled Healing the Sick. In chapter 25, he shares:
God declares His Word: 1 Peter 2:24: "By His stripes we were healed." The pain declares that the sickness and disease is not healed. The pain is severe and the sick one feels nothing but the pain. The sick person should declare, "By His stripes, I am healed," placing his testimony along side the declaration of God's Word. He refuses to take back his testimony. He declares in the face of pain -- in the face of sense evidence -- that he is healed. He holds fast that confession of faith, and God makes it good. God always stands by those who stand by His Word. He says: "My Word shall not return unto Me void without accomplishing what I sent it for" (Isa. 55:11).
The Word of God is given to us for our healing, direction, deliverance and to lead us into all the Truth of who we are and who we should become. We have been given a new covenant in Jesus blood made on the sacrifice of His cross at Calvary for all mankind.
In the area of need for healing, God's Word is rich with remedy, encouragement, and truth that if we will accept and believe and not doubt in our hearts, we will possess all that God declares belongs to us.
We are a spirit living in a body. Our bodies have five senses that dictate to us good or bad, pain or freedom from pain. Our senses make loud declarations. Most people believe readily what the body tells them. We are often convinced by what our body says and believe it to be true. However, if we only believe what we feel it will be hard to overcome the pain or the sickness.
When we submit to a doctor and his medicine, the doctor's words become a powerful source that can encourage us to take medicine, rest, and or change the habit patterns of our life for some remedy. Or in some way we are encouraged that we will become better with their remedies. The results vary. Sometimes the sickness leaves on its own with or without the help of medicine because the duration of its existence was short.
What changed your mind from sickness and set you on a course to recovery? The words of a faithful doctor, who knew more than you? Maybe, or was it faith in his words? "You won't die, you will recover," he says. And then faith in the medicine he prescribed. The medicine is a revelation from God in my understanding because of its premises toward healing.
The Bible says, "The thief [i e. devil] comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and life more abundantly" John 10:10.
Satan's main goal is to afflict man with pain and suffering, sickness and finally death. His ultimate desire is to destroy humans. But before he does that, he has another goal. He wants to possess a human, if not totally, at least in some form. Why? Because demons are personalities that long to express themselves. The human is the highest form of life with the most ability of expression. We are after all made a little lower than the angels and in the likeness of God.
That is why some sicknesses are caused by demon oppression or even possession in unbelievers. Therefore, we need to use the gift of the discerning of spirits and possibly cast a spirit of infirmity out or other spirits and then pray for healing through Jesus' blood and the cross. God's will for us is wellness. Satan's will is sickness. If a demonic spirit tries to cause sickness, in direct opposition to God's will, then cast it out and get rid of it.
Whose words will I believe? Or will the pain or symptoms in my body become louder than the Words from God? We have a choice to make here. Never deny that you are experiencing pain, but when the pain is there begin to apply the Word of God for healing. You have need of praying and binding the pain or binding the evil one for inflicting you. Check to make sure you have not harbored bitterness or resentment against anyone, or other sins. If so, repent. But believe and speak out loud the scriptures.
In my own life, I have several times stated out loud, I am healed by the stripes of Jesus, His blood shed on the cross paid for all my pains and sicknesses. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength, greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. As I continued speaking the scriptures, my faith rises up and the pain and symptoms don't stay long, because I chose to believe God's Words over the pain.
Upon application of the Word several things begin to happen.
It is time to step out in faith and pray for people while believing that your words will have weight and worth in heaven and God will intervene and bring His miracle of healing to pass. Nothing is impossible to him who believes!