Healing

by Bryan Craig

Day 5: Use the Power

Brothers and Sisters, there’s something to this whole healing thing.  Jesus said that certain signs should accompany those who believe.  One of those signs is making sick people well.  See Mark 16:15-18  If you are a believer in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have the gift of the Holy Spirit at work in your life.  Hopefully, you have seen evidence of His transformative work.  Where the Holy Spirit is present, there is also Holy Healing Power.

I believe it’s clear that He wants us to bring this healing power to those in need.  If you’ve been to a hospital lately, you probably had a hard time finding a parking place.  Hospitals are packed.  Diseases seem to be rampant.  Birth defects are at an all-time high.  Sickness is Epidemic.  The world is broken and lost.

Could it be that He is using sickness as part of His plan?  Whether that sickness was caused by Satan, by sin or given at birth, these are ministry opportunities for us.  Could it be that a key way we “Live it Out” as Disciples of Christ is by going to people in need and praying for healing for them?

Years ago, a small group of us in Tulsa, OK were captivated by this mission.  We began going on “prayer missions” to spend time with those who were sick.  We would listen to their stories, help them understand what God’s Word said about healing and then, we would anoint them with oil and pray over them for healing.  I can tell you that we have seen amazing things.  We have seen people get well from heart disease, from alcoholism, from stomach issues, from cancer, from depression and many more sicknesses.  We’ve even seen a tumor move from underneath the brain to outside of the brain for easy removal.  

Even in the most serious of situations, when a death sentence was eminent, all of those we prayed for lived longer than doctors expected. Remember, Healing is but an extension to life.  In all the cases, we never saw the results immediately, and most all were being treated medically as well.  I believe God healed in a way that it couldn’t be fully connected to any one individual so He would get all the glory.

We always told the individuals that we didn’t fully understand how God worked, and how He healed them was up to Him.  No matter what happened, we ALWAYS brought the love of Christ into their lives.  Fellow Disciples of Christ, we are Influencers.  Look around you and ask God if there are sick people who need Healing.  These are your opportunities to be a Disciple.  Let’s go live out the promises in Scripture and use the Power that has been given us.