The "How" of Divine Healing - Part 1

When your body breaks down, it can feel like the ground shifts under your feet. We start with the hard question many people are afraid to ask out loud: what do you do when you have tried to get well and it is not working, or when medical science has no clear answers? We believe God is mindful of our need to be well, and that Scripture lays out real pathways to divine health and healing that touch the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of life.

We define divine healing as a supernatural act of God that restores and makes whole through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Then we go straight to the “how”: praying in faith for God to reveal your personal path to healing, expecting wisdom, and refusing the double-minded uncertainty James 1 warns about. We also talk about settling the issue of God’s will to heal, standing on Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24, and doing the practical work of researching what God’s Word says about your specific situation so you can obey it with consistency.

From there, we walk through several biblical methods for receiving healing: calling for the elders to pray and anoint with oil from James 5, dealing with guilt and confession without assuming every illness is personal failure, and staying alert to the enemy’s devices. We also explore why healing services can be powerful through worship and God’s manifested presence, and why communion is more than a ritual when we discern the body of Christ and receive with reverence and faith. We close with an invitation to put spiritual healing first by making Jesus Christ Lord of your life.

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Transcript

Show Opening And Mission

Lynne 0:00

You are listening to Higher Realm with Lynne Little. Our program highlights Biblical strategies for moving through life's difficulties and finding your path to healing. We tackle issues particular to those who have experienced painful loss in any form. Lynne is the founder and president of Lynne Little Ministries and the author of Missing Lisa, A Parent Grieves, and Finding God in Death and Life, A Passage Through Grief. Now, here's Lynne.

Why Health Gets Our Attention

Lynne 0:30

Hello and welcome. Enjoying good health is arguably one of the greatest benefits a person can have. On that I'm sure we can all agree. The proper functioning of our bodies is essential to so many aspects of our lives. Even so, we often take good health for granted. That is, until we lose it. When we are challenged with health issues, we often have no idea where to turn. What happens when our attempts to get well are not successful? When medical science has no answers. What then? Thankfully, our Heavenly Father is mindful of our need to be well and has already set systems in place to help us. In the past several episodes, we spent a great deal of time outlining the provisions he instituted for our health and well-being in both the old and new covenants. In this series, we will explore in depth the various pathways to divine health and healing. We will discuss what divine healing is, the methods for obtaining it, and how to walk in it for a lifetime. Many years ago, a guest speaker came to our church to teach on the subject of divine healing. After he had been preaching and teaching for a little while, he paused and then made several statements that I still remember all these years later. "Brothers and sisters, he said, we all know the "what" of God's word. Everyone can tell us "what" Scripture says about our circumstances. We have the "what" nailed down. Just then he suddenly jumped off the platform, startling the congregation, and in a dramatic whisper spoke these words. "But for heaven's sake, will somebody please tell us how?" Well, today we're going to address the how.

Defining Divine Healing

Lynne 3:14

So let's first define what we mean by divine healing. Surprisingly, a Google search of all things provides a fairly accurate definition. And it is this. Divine healing is the belief in a supernatural act of God that resolves physical, emotional, or spiritual sickness. It is often viewed as a core part of the Christian gospel, atonement, and the current ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is considered a gift of God's grace with healing often accessed through prayer, faith, and the application of Scripture. This goes beyond medical remedies or even natural remedies. Under the heading Key Aspects of Divine Healing, they list these four things. One, Definition, it is a supernatural intervention that goes beyond natural or medical remedies. Two, Source. In a Christian context, it is performed by God, the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ's authority. Third, Purpose. It aims for holistic restoration, body, mind, and spirit, and is sometimes viewed as part of the redemption package secured by Jesus' death and resurrection. And fourth, Differentiation. It is often distinguished from "faith healing," which may focus on self-generated efforts or the human healer, whereas divine healing centers on the Holy Spirit's power. Well said, and generally scriptural to boot. The Assembly of God Church has posted a wonderful position paper that provides a clear scriptural exposition of the belief that divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. I will link it to this podcast, and I highly recommend that seekers of healing read and study it closely. This exposition is soundly scripturally based, but too long to discuss in this episode. https://ag.org/Beliefs/Position-Papers/Divine-Healing

Asking God For The How

Lynne 5:54

That said, let's turn our attention to the question "how?" How do we find our path to healing? How do we get free from affliction? How do we walk in divine health? Please don't misunderstand me to imply that medical science should be discarded in the pursuit of health. We'll not throw the baby out with the bath water. Medical science through surgical and medicinal interventions do have their place. However, our journey to divine health begins in the Spirit. Specifically, the moment we go to the Lord and pray for Him to reveal our personal path to healing. As in all things, when we pray, we need to pray in faith, believing we can receive a customized plan from our loving Heavenly Father. We pray with anticipation and are prepared with a pencil and paper to write down what the Lord is telling us. Because our expectation is that He is going to speak. Believe that you will receive them and you shall have them. Remember the definition of faith? "Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Eventually, our faith will give substance to the things we don't yet see. Additionally, we take God at His word regarding his willingness to share wisdom. According to James chapter 1: 6 through 8. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt. Because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." A double-minded man won't be able to receive anything from the Lord. Notice it doesn't say God is not going to give the double-minded anything, but rather that uncertainty will interfere with our ability to receive.

Settling God’s Will To Heal

Lynne 9:24

The second step or phase is to settle once and for all any doubts as to whether it's God's will to heal us personally. Until we're sure there is no sense proceeding in believing for something that we're not certain of. That would be an exercise in futility. Those who understand our covenant know that Jesus Christ already paid the price for sickness and disease when he bore the stripes on his back. An inability to believe that will hold us out. Consider this. If we're prepared to believe that God loved us at our worst and provided for our salvation, then it should not be too much of a stretch to believe 1 Peter 2:24, which states that "with his stripes we were healed." If our thoughts become as the waves of the sea, "maybe I'll be healed, maybe I won't, maybe I'm not worthy, maybe this, maybe that." All that does is locate us as people who have not yet understood that healing is an accomplished fact. This kind of thinking can block a person's ability to stand firm and unwavering while their faith is becoming sight. Which brings us to point four.

Obeying Scripture And Personal Changes

Lynne 11:24

Find out what Scripture has to say about our specific case and then obey it. There's no shame in going back to the drawing board, so to speak, and reviewing and researching the promises in God's word until we thoroughly comprehend them enough to appropriate them. None of us would ever want to be in the camp of those described in Hebrews 3:12. "See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God." In this endeavor, we should be prepared for change. We may have already perceived in our spirits several changes that we need to make. This could be a combination of diet, exercise, spiritual renewal, medication, surgery, aspects of spiritual warfare, sincere repentance, changes in behavior, and so on. The point is there is a path for every individual. Otherwise, God would be unjust when he tells us that "he's no respecter of persons," in Acts 10: 34. He doesn't regard one of his children more worthy than another. And our only claim is through our Lord Jesus Christ anyway. And in that we're all equal. And so be consistent to walk the path that God reveals. God wants us well. When sickness and disease raise their ugly heads, we have recourse. The word of God details many paths to healing. Scripture speaks of God's methodology for health from the Old all the way through the New Testaments.

Prayer With Elders And Clearing Guilt

Lynne 13:36

For instance, we can call for the elders of the church to anoint us with oil and pray over us. The word details this in James chapter 5, verses 14 through 16. "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." Now let's take a moment to unpack this, particularly the sin part. Just because a person falls ill does not mean that they're deliberately sinning. Jesus made it crystal clear that Satan is the author of sickness and disease. In John 10: 10, he states, "the thief comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that you might have life and have it to the full." Sometimes the enemy attacks individuals physically because of what they're doing right. The point is, believers need to be on guard against what the Apostle Paul refers to as the enemy's "devices." So, on the other hand, someone through sin may have opened the door to the enemy's attacks. Recall the story in John 5:14, where Jesus had healed a paralytic who had been afflicted for 38 years. When Jesus found him later in the temple, he said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you." One can hardly imagine what could be worse than being paralyzed for 38 years. If sickness has come as the result of a sinful fault or faults, there's still a remedy, in which case the confessing part in James 5:15 would apply. Sin consciousness can interfere with our ability to receive what God has already bestowed. Dealing with the sin is not going to make God love us more or help us faster. When we feel guilt or unworthiness due to sin, this hinders our ability to move in full assurance of faith. All the more reason to continue to live a life that's pleasing to God.

Healing Services And God’s Presence

Lynne 16:52

Another assist to healing is attending healing services where the power of God is in manifestation to heal. The mass faith that is ushered in through worship can result in miraculous moves of God. Why? Because the people are more holy? No. Because Psalm 22: 3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of his people. Inhabit is the Hebrew word Yahshab, which implies sitting, reigning, or dwelling. Thus, God is "enthroned" on the praises of his people. And the word tells us in 2 Corinthians 3 :27 that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. "His manifested presence ushers in freedom from anything that holds us in bondage, and that includes oppression, sickness, and afflictions of every kind.

Communion As A Healing Practice

Lynne 18:06

Third, we can receive healing through the act of communion. Before Jesus went to the cross, he instituted this memorial of his flesh and blood sacrifice for the remission of sins and also the healing of our bodies. Remember, his broken body did not deal with our sin. It required his blood sacrifice to do that. So what was the point of his body being scourged? He was not whipped for our sins. The scourging is viewed as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53: 5, which states, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed." In 1 Corinthians 11: 27 through 30, the Apostle Paul rebuked the congregation for their careless disregard of the communion table. He writes, "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That's why many of you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." Pay attention to the specific phrase discerning the body of Christ. Discerning in this context means to reverence, understand, respect, and appropriate the sacrifice of God's Son. Our comprehension of this is evidenced in the way we receive communion. To partake of it unworthily means to not discern what it actually means. In this instance, the early church was treating communion like a ritual, or worse, like a common meal. They became ill and some died prematurely because of their lack of understanding of what the sacrament meant, which was the precious and sacred, twofold benefit of the forgiveness of sins and the healing of our bodies. Every time we take communion should be an opportunity to reflect, to offer thanksgiving and worship, and also appropriate by faith the benefits that came as a result of Jesus' immense and costly sacrifice. The Lord Jesus said, "as often as you do this, do it in remembrance of me." It's not out of bounds to take communion every day. When I am being challenged with sickness in my body, I come to the Lord's table. I come reverently and worshipfully, asking him to search my heart if there is any barrier on my part that needs to be removed. I then partake of the cup with a verbal affirmation of what his stripes accomplished. It isn't long before the symptoms are on their way out! There are more ways to receive healing that we will discuss in upcoming episodes.

Invitation To Salvation And Next Steps

Lynne 22:04

But meanwhile, our need for spiritual healing tops the list. Will you decide today to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? One simple prayer makes the difference between spiritual life and spiritual death. The word tells us that if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart God raised him from the dead, we would be saved. Pray with me and mean it with your heart. Heavenly Father, I believe you sent Jesus to die on the cross and pay the penalty for my sins. I believe you raised him to life on the third day. I know I am a sinner who needs a Savior. So Jesus, I invite you into my life and into my heart. Forgive me of my sins and make me brand new. I confess you as my Lord and Savior. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, write to us linlittle ministries at gmail.com. Have a wonderful, blessed week. Thank you so much for listening. Lynne Little Ministries is a 501c3 whose mission is to assist those who have suffered loss and to help them discover hope, peace, and restoration. For books, resources, or to make a tax deductible donation, go to lynnelittle.org.