To read Part One, click here.
Category #2: By Faith A Believer Initiates Their Healing.
When a believer initiates their own healing through exercising their faith, we see God responds to faith and people are healed. We see a dozen examples of this type of healing in the Bible. This is the primary way that Jesus healed people in His ministry—by responding to their faith! Jesus did not sovereignly heal very many people in the New Testament, but in response to simple faith Jesus healed over a dozen people. These are not random Sovereign acts per se, but rather an act of the believer's faith in agreement with God's Sovereign Word and promises.
For example, the woman with the issue of blood who heard of Jesus and who said within herself, "If I can but touch the hem of His garment I will be healed" and who then found that when she touched Jesus (with her faith—not her hand) that she was completely healed of an issue of blood that she had for 12 years. Jesus said that "He felt virtue (or the anointing or power) go out of Him."
It was His healing power that she latched on to with her faith. She had been to every specialist in the greater Jerusalem area—Mayo, John Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, U of M, and not only could they not help her, she got worse and spent all her money and was broke and bankrupt. (Bless her heart—she needed the healing message and the prosperity message! But, we'll save that for another posting.) The most interesting thing about this story is Jesus' response.
Jesus DID NOT SAY:"Women ... God is sovereign and today is your lucky day ... God has decided to touch you, lady, and you will be healed ... ." Here's what Jesus DID SAY, "Daughter, your faith has made you whole." Interesting ... Jesus put the "credit" for her healing on His healing power being released due to her faith. We see this theme of "your faith has made you whole" or "be it unto you according to your faith" or "according as you have believed be it unto you" over and over in the healing ministry of Jesus.
Blind Bartimaeus is another classic case, Mark 10:46-52, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road." Jesus did NOT say, "Blind Bartimaeus, this is your lucky day God is Sovereignly healing you ... ." He said, "Your faith has healed you ... ." (For other faith stories: Matthew 8:1-13, 9:1-6, 20-29, 15:22-28, Mark 2:1-12, 5:22-42, 10:46-52, Luke 5:12-26, 7:1-10, 8:43-48, 17:11-19, 18:35-43, Acts 3:16, Acts 14:8-10 ... these will give you plenty of "faith" verses!)
There are many factors, but the biggest hindrance to a believer initiating their own healing by faith is unbelief. Listen to Mark 6:1-6,
But Jesus said unto them, "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.Here's a great story of how Jesus could not do any mighty works! He laid his hands on a few sick people ... but He couldn't do too much with this crowd because of their unbelief! Unbelief hindered Jesus from doing any mighty works. The answer to unbelief is what Jesus did next ... He went round about the villages teaching! Teaching people God's Word on the subject is always the answer!
So, it's important to recognize these first two categories of the way God heals today ... either by His sovereign act or by a believer exercising their faith. The good news for sick people is this: if God does not choose to sovereignly heal a person ... they still have the option of using their faith for healing just as Jesus said. This is soooooo huge and so overlooked by many. It's unfortunate that people have only been taught about God's sovereignty and have never been taught that they have the option of laying claim to God's promises of healing and health by faith. Let's look at a third category ...
To read Part Three, click here.
Copyright © 2007 Beth Jones Ministries All rights reserved.
