By Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel

Matthew 8: 16-17 “That evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases”. NLT

 Jesus brought healing to humanity and we all have full access to it through salvation in Christ. When we receive Christ in our lives, we receive healing also and all other blessings of God in Christ Jesus. Healing is a gift that has been freely given to everyone by God through Jesus Christ; it cannot be paid for. It is possible to receive healing on another person’s faith. This is especially true for those who do not know the Lord Jesus. At many crusade grounds, many people are healed on the faith of the preacher before they even accept Christ into their lives. Healing is not a reward for anything we do. It is purely a gift of mercy and grace to all mankind and especially to those who have been saved in Christ Jesus. It is the children’s bread and privilege and so God expects his children to be healed on their own faith, unlike people who do not know Jesus that receive on the faith of a believer. Sometimes people hear the gospel and believe it right there and receive on their own faith right there and then too.

1. What is the source of sickness?
     Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Mark 9:25 “When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the  foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.”  Luke 13:10 “One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.” We can see from the above verses that sickness is a form of oppression by demonic spirits.
2. Is it God’s will to heal me?
   Mark 1: 40-41. “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. BE HEALED.” This scripture is proof that God is ever willing to heal you just as Jesus did to this man. He says to you “I AM WILLING. BE HEALED”. God has no favorites.
3. Am I qualified to be healed? Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 8:16-17. “That evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the       Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases”.  Our Lord instructed His disciples to heal people freely! Healing is a free gift from God to all humanity. We also read that He healed them all and He did not put any condition for healing on them. They simply came by faith and He healed them according to their faith in Him.
4. Faith is the only way to receive any blessing from God through Christ. Without faith, you cannot receive anything from God. Matt 9:22 “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Luke 17:19 “And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Luke 18:42 “And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.” Mark 5:36 “As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the  synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.” 
5. How can I believe or what do I believe?
   • Believe that Jesus is able to heal you. Matt 9:28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?” “Yes, Lord,” they told him, “We do.”29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
   • Believe that He is willing to heal you. Mark 1:40-41 “A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. BE HEALED.”
   • Then, receive your healing from Him immediately. And say “Lord Jesus, I believe you are able to heal me and I believe you are willing to heal me and I now receive my healing from you and I expect now to be well according to my faith in you. Thank you for healing me.”
   • Then act like you are well. Get up and walk! Do what healed people do then the power will touch you right away. You may not feel the power, but remember, feelings make no difference! You are healed!!! Acts 14:7 “And there they preached the gospel.8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked:9 The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.” This man who never walked had faith to be healed because he heard the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

 Now let’s list what the crippled man did not hear in the above bible verse. 

• He did not hear that healing is not for him, otherwise, he would not have been healed.
• He did not hear that it is God’s will to make you sick, to teach you humility otherwise this man would not have believed that he was healed.
• Neither did he hear that he is a sinner and so does not qualify for healing otherwise he will remain sick and not believe he is healed. Perhaps even develop resentment for God.
• Paul didn’t preach that healing doesn’t apply to all of God’s children. If he did, the crippled man would have believed this false doctrine and remained sick.
• Paul never preached about his anointing to pray and heal the sick. And as a matter of fact, he did not even mention prayer. He never told them about the special miracles with handkerchiefs God did through him. He preached CHRIST and him crucified. Can we see the difference between preaching the gospel and preaching about men?

It is important to also note what the crippled man heard, that is, what Paul actually preached.

• Paul preached the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; the healer. The gospel is the good news. What is good news to a sick man? The good news is that he had been healed by the Lord Jesus on the cross. The crippled man believed this good news and was able to leap and walk into perfect health.
• Paul must have also preached that Jesus’s death on the cross made healing available to all according to the Scriptures. Remember at that time the New Testament has not been written. This is how we know what Paul told them. He preached from the Scriptures! Not stories about his anointing or about himself but from the Scriptures about JESUS CHRIST. Acts 28:23,” So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening 30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.” Based on the above verse, it is safe to conclude that Paul preached from the book of Isaiah too. He preached that healing had been provided by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The crippled man believed it and received his healing. Isaiah 53:4 “Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains — he hath carried them, And we — we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted.5 And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace [is] on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us.”

You too can believe the above scripture and walk away from sickness. Please share your experience with us in the comment section to help others. Thank God and congratulations on your healing.

Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel is the Senior Pastor at Fountain Of The Living Word Church, New Jersey.