How To Receive Healing

Here is the contents of a booklet titled, ‘The Step Between You And The Cure’ written by Prophet TB Joshua

INTRODUCTION
There is a step between you and the cure, the healing, the blessing and salvation. That step is faith in Christ. Jesus is one side offering healing, blessing and salvation and you are on the other side in need of healing, blessing and salvation. There is a gap in between which must be filled and the only thing that can fill the gap is faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith then becomes the bridge, the link, between you and Jesus. If you must receive of Jesus the healing, the blessing and salvation which you seek, you need to act faith. I mean, you need to take that step. Here is Jesus offering all you need to live for Him. To take the step: this is done by stepping our and taking God at His Word.

DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?
In John 5:6, it says, “When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’ “ Meaning, you can choose to get well or remain in that state.

God created man and gave him the right to live – I mean the right to life. Within that right was discretion – the power to choose your course of action. Without that discretion, life is meaningless.

“ ’Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’ “ JOHN 5:7

For example, when we say somebody is arrested, we are saying that the right to choose what to say, what to do and where to live, is lost. In fact, freedom is taken away from that person. When Jesus met the invalid at the pool of Bethesda, HE obviously knew that this man was in of a Comforter, of someone who would relieve him of the pain of staying by the pool indefinitely, I mean, it might not be forever, the time was not known, as suggested by the invalid’s response.

In other words, he was expressing his fears that the situation might continue indefinitely unless someone volunteered to help. This was his own way of telling Jesus, “Yes, sir, I want to be healed.” Jesus understood this to mean a complete exercise of one’s will – I mean, one’s discretion. Assume the man answered Jesus to the contrary, Jesus was ready to respect the man’s right to his will, knowing that salvation, redemption, is not by force.

Remember, our Lord Jesus Christ foreknew the man’s situation and its cause before HE asked him the question, “Do you want to get well?” To the ordinary ear, this question would sound unreasonable, considering the man’s obviously deplorable condition. To the ordinary man, I mean the carnally minded, the question would portray Jesus as one who was insensitive to the plight of others.

The question would portray Jesus as one who could not help, but was just looking for excuses for His inadequacies. It was glaringly clear that the man needed help, so to as such a question would have been quite provoking.

To the spiritually minded, Jesus’ question meant much more than meets the ordinary eye. In other words, HE was asking the question not based on what is seen, but on what is unseen – the cause of the affliction. Jesus knew that if the man were to be healed indeed, HE needed to strike at the root, which was the cause of all the pain.

IT IS GOD’S DESIRE TO HEAL YOU
Those who have been suffering for a long time, I am here today to tell you that Jesus is as close to you as HE was to the man at the pool of Bethesda. He had been suffering for a long time and had been waiting there for many years.

Hear Jesus asking you, “Do you want to get well?”

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, healed and still heals all manner of sickness and disease. This means, healing belongs to you; it is a gift; it is yours. Jesus Christ paid for your perfect and complete healing when HE died on the cross.

If God gave you and me the most priceless possession HE had – HIS only Son, Jesus Christ – why would HE withhold from you and me anything of less value? The healing you are praying for is of less value compared to HIS only begotten Son.

Jesus Christ is committed to your healing (Isaiah 53:5). HE came to re-establish the wholeness that man had before the fall. You were created in the image and likeness of God – you are like unto God. This means it is unnecessary to suffer whatever you are suffering now.

Never confuse these two: God desires an abundant life for you; the devil wants to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). It is not all up to God. Certainly, it is not all up to you. Your role is to have faith in the finished works of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s duty is to keep HIS promise. In God’s way of doing things, these two things never conflict. Obeying God’s Word at first seems hard, until we come to see that all HE asks is for our good.

Brethren, be encouraged; Jesus is aware of your affliction and will not leave you without healing. Jesus is aware of your poverty and will not leave you without blessings. Jesus is aware of your problem and will not leave you without a solution.

When a man of God says, “You are healed”, you are healed indeed, but you have a role to play. When a man of God says, “You are blessed”, you are blessed indeed, but you have a role to play. When a man of God says, “You are saved”, you are saved indeed, but you have a role to play.

When Jesus met the man whom HE healed at the pool of Bethesda, HE said to him: “See, you are healed now, but you have a role to play or else you will not only lose this miracle, worse things will happen to you”.

You have a role to play. What is this role Jesus is talking about? Jesus was telling him to accept the miracle by faith. How do you accept a miracle by faith? We accept a miracle by faith when we recognise the reason for the miracle. The Bible says the only genuine reason for receiving is salvation.

When we receive a miracle by faith, the Lord promises to see us through. Persecution does not impair anyone who receives by faith, rather, it improves them.

When a man of God says, “Be healed”, you cannot be healed in the true sense of it unless you believe (have faith). In other words, faith in Jesus is a necessary condition to true spiritual healing. True spiritual healing means being healed indeed.

PURPOSE
Now that you are healed, you have the opportunity to show your loyalty to God again; learn from your past and move on.

Many today are seeking the face of God for one thing or the other, in terms of blessing, deliverance, healing and prosperity. By the time their needs are met, they tend to forget their Source too soon. Remember, blessing and prosperity attract friends and relations and carry along with them much responsibility.

Prosperity and miracles usually carry along with them new status, new responsibilities and new connections, which tend to take one’s mind off the Source of the blessing. When a miracle comes, old things pass away so soon. The way you used to speak is no longer the way you speak now.

When you were poor and sick, your speech was mostly appealing and petitional, but now you are strong and healthy, your speech is commanding, forceful and instruction.

Previously, you had enough time to spend in the church fasting and praying. But now, you have no time to even listen to sermons (God’s Word) and read the Bible with devotion – let alone, fast and pray.

RECEIVING BY FAITH
Jesus’ power to deliver, heal and save depends on one’s faith to receive. This means, when a man of God says, “Be healed”, you cannot be healed in the true sense of it, unless you believe. In other words, faith in Jesus is a necessary condition to true spiritual healing, blessing and salvation. When a man of God says, “You are healed”, you are healed indeed, but you have a role to play in your miracle – you need faith.

Faith in Jesus is a necessary condition to true spiritual healing. Spiritual healing is healing indeed. Your sickness would be healed not only spiritually but also physically.

This is what the Bible means by being healed indeed. Being healed in the physical sense is being saved in the spiritual sense.

Jesus cannot save the soul of a man until the man himself knows God’s will in the matter. Salvation is by faith. That is, by trusting the known will of God, whatever matter is at hand. It could be a matter of sickness or of poverty.

In Mark 9:22-23, Jesus agreed to deliver, but with necessary conditions. In other words, Jesus was saying HE has enough power to deliver if only the demon-possessed boy’s father had the necessary faith to receive. On hearing this, the man shouted, “I have faith!”

MAINTAINING BY FAITH
When a man of God says, “You are healed”, you are healed indeed – but you have a role to play. To maintain your miracle, you need faith.

In the book of John 5, the man at the pool of Bethesda received the miracle he had been waiting for. Let’s listen to what Jesus told him:

Christ saw it necessary to give this warning because it is common for people when sick to promise much, but to do little when they are well. It is common for people when poor to promise much, but to do little when they are blessed. In other words, it is common for man to promise much when asking, but to do little or nothing after receiving. Those healed of the punishment of sin are likely to return to sin when the pain is over.

Why would anybody promise much and do little? For example, to promise, “I will sin no more”. Remember what happens when we are blessed. When we are poor, we say to God, “Lord, if You would bless me, I will sin no more”. Now, we are blessed, we find ourselves in the midst of privileged people who are most committed to worldly things.

What do I mean by ‘worldly things’? For example: Going to parties, whereas, before the blessing, you were fasting and praying in the church all day.

Sin is the disease of the soul. When the soul is pardoned, it is healed. When Jesus said, “Go, your sins are forgiven”, HE equally meant to say, “Go, you are healed”.

Satan is synonymous with sin; in other words, satan is sin. Put in another way, whatever sin is capable of doing, satan is also capable of doing. Remember, sin brings sickness and death. Satan is the author of them all.

God freely gives HIS grace to all who rely on HIS Words.

Live your Christian life the same way you began it – by trusting Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let Your Word abide in us and we in it.