Does God want every sick person to receive His healing power? The answer is a resounding YES! The problem most of us have is the immediate follow-up question: then why are we still sick? For a glimpse into the solution, let’s look at Jesus. Jesus is God in the form of a man, so we can see God’s true eagerness concerning healing by the accounts of the apostles.
Acts 10:38 says that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him. Jesus was an equal opportunity healer and deliverer. At one point in Jesus’ ministry, Matthew reports:
"And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people" (Matt 9:35).
But notice what happens just 4 chapters later in Nazareth where they rejected Jesus’s teachings:
"Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief" (Matt 13:58).
So we see that Jesus is eager to heal, full of compassion, but that unbelief stops up the power of God. Faith, on the other hand, activates it. The Faith Principle is one that should be familiar to all of us. We had to have faith to become Christians in the first place. Do you believe that it’s God’s will that all should be SAVED? John 3:16 says that God sent Jesus to the whole world that WHOEVER believes in Him would have everlasting life. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "it’s not God’s will that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance." Yet, as we know too well, many reject the Gospel and fail to walk in God’s plan for their redemption.
So it’s the same with healing! Our faith plays a role. We believe–-then we receive. The same steps that led to our salvation are universal in accessing God’s power for all other blessings he has promised … like healing. The Law of Faith works when we:
1. Hear the good news.
Jesus knew teaching was the anecdote to unbelief. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word. That’s why in every region, he preached, taught and then healed. His healings were a demonstration of the power of His Word, and they still are today. We all come to church to be taught so that we can overcome old doubts and stomp out new ones. The Word erases doubt and paves the way to activate God’s power in our lives.
2. Believe it.
Based on what we heard, we opened our hearts to trust Him and were changed from the inside out. Of the 19 individual healing miracles of Jesus recorded for us in the Gospels, 12 of them mention faith. The person who received healing demonstrated his/her total confidence in Jesus’ ability and willingness to heal them.
3. Confess it.
Romans 10:10 says that with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Confessing our beliefs simply means saying them out loud. We said, Jesus is my Lord, and it released His saving power. This principle works for all God’s promises, including divine healing. In Mark 11:23 Jesus says, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” But we have to say something, out loud, over and over until faith in that Word grows. With patience, the Word of God will push that mountain of sickness into the sea.
4. Act on it.
James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead. When we became Christians, we let God change our behavior. Our desire for sin shrank, and our desire for godly living grew. This can be a continual process, and it’s the same for divine health and healing. Are you currently working steps 1-3 but are still battling symptoms of sickness or disease? Don’t quit! Every day, do something to act your faith. Act like you’re healed. Act like those healing Scriptures that you are saying all the time are true. Do more than you did yesterday. Those Scriptures can’t help but grow and bear fruit in your life. Fruit takes time to grow. By faith and patience, you will inherit God’s promise for healing–-if you don’t give up.
So just like it’s God’s desire to save everyone, it’s God’s desire to heal everyone. The mission of this church and every believer is to fulfill God’s will on the earth by becoming more and more like Jesus. To speak His Word. To do His works– and greater ones, as He commanded. Why not start by releasing healing in your own life or for those around you? God’s power is available for whoever will receive.
[Editor's Comment: John Greiner is the founding pastor of Glorious Way Church in Houston, TX. Lonnie Rex introduced me to John. John was trained by the late John Osteen, the father of Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. As I recall, John served John Osteen for some 18 years. John was in the building business prior to becoming a minister of the Gospel. He is a man who reads and studies the Bible and spends as lot of time in prayer. He became friends with Oral Roberts and Oral selected several young men to mentor and speak into their lives and ministries. John has written a book about Oral Roberts Seed-Faith teaching. John Osteen placed his blessing upon John Greiner to begin his church. He and his wife, Gladys, have been faithful in their ministry to the Glorious Way Church.]
Acts 10:38 says that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him. Jesus was an equal opportunity healer and deliverer. At one point in Jesus’ ministry, Matthew reports:
"And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people" (Matt 9:35).
But notice what happens just 4 chapters later in Nazareth where they rejected Jesus’s teachings:
"Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief" (Matt 13:58).
So we see that Jesus is eager to heal, full of compassion, but that unbelief stops up the power of God. Faith, on the other hand, activates it. The Faith Principle is one that should be familiar to all of us. We had to have faith to become Christians in the first place. Do you believe that it’s God’s will that all should be SAVED? John 3:16 says that God sent Jesus to the whole world that WHOEVER believes in Him would have everlasting life. 2 Peter 3:9 says, "it’s not God’s will that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance." Yet, as we know too well, many reject the Gospel and fail to walk in God’s plan for their redemption.
So it’s the same with healing! Our faith plays a role. We believe–-then we receive. The same steps that led to our salvation are universal in accessing God’s power for all other blessings he has promised … like healing. The Law of Faith works when we:
1. Hear the good news.
Jesus knew teaching was the anecdote to unbelief. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word. That’s why in every region, he preached, taught and then healed. His healings were a demonstration of the power of His Word, and they still are today. We all come to church to be taught so that we can overcome old doubts and stomp out new ones. The Word erases doubt and paves the way to activate God’s power in our lives.
2. Believe it.
Based on what we heard, we opened our hearts to trust Him and were changed from the inside out. Of the 19 individual healing miracles of Jesus recorded for us in the Gospels, 12 of them mention faith. The person who received healing demonstrated his/her total confidence in Jesus’ ability and willingness to heal them.
3. Confess it.
Romans 10:10 says that with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Confessing our beliefs simply means saying them out loud. We said, Jesus is my Lord, and it released His saving power. This principle works for all God’s promises, including divine healing. In Mark 11:23 Jesus says, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.” But we have to say something, out loud, over and over until faith in that Word grows. With patience, the Word of God will push that mountain of sickness into the sea.
4. Act on it.
James 2:20 says that faith without works is dead. When we became Christians, we let God change our behavior. Our desire for sin shrank, and our desire for godly living grew. This can be a continual process, and it’s the same for divine health and healing. Are you currently working steps 1-3 but are still battling symptoms of sickness or disease? Don’t quit! Every day, do something to act your faith. Act like you’re healed. Act like those healing Scriptures that you are saying all the time are true. Do more than you did yesterday. Those Scriptures can’t help but grow and bear fruit in your life. Fruit takes time to grow. By faith and patience, you will inherit God’s promise for healing–-if you don’t give up.
So just like it’s God’s desire to save everyone, it’s God’s desire to heal everyone. The mission of this church and every believer is to fulfill God’s will on the earth by becoming more and more like Jesus. To speak His Word. To do His works– and greater ones, as He commanded. Why not start by releasing healing in your own life or for those around you? God’s power is available for whoever will receive.
[Editor's Comment: John Greiner is the founding pastor of Glorious Way Church in Houston, TX. Lonnie Rex introduced me to John. John was trained by the late John Osteen, the father of Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. As I recall, John served John Osteen for some 18 years. John was in the building business prior to becoming a minister of the Gospel. He is a man who reads and studies the Bible and spends as lot of time in prayer. He became friends with Oral Roberts and Oral selected several young men to mentor and speak into their lives and ministries. John has written a book about Oral Roberts Seed-Faith teaching. John Osteen placed his blessing upon John Greiner to begin his church. He and his wife, Gladys, have been faithful in their ministry to the Glorious Way Church.]