The Mystery of the Power of Faith To Heal The Sick

The Big Stick Called Faith

By Jim Lynn for God's Healing Word (posted on OFW with permission)

A great mystery

I want to tell you about a great mystery that has perplexed

Christians of our generation. This mystery stirs fear and

creates unrest within the Church. What mystery do I speak

of? It is the mystery of the power of faith to heal the sick.

The mystery of the power of faith to heal the sick is not

ours alone. For despite the power and authority given to

the twelve disciples to drive out demons and heal the sick,

they, too, struggled to administer that power and authority.

In other words, twelve handpicked men of Christ struggled

with the issue of faith to heal the sick just as we do today!

Let's review some known facts:

We know Jesus sent His disciples out, two by two, to preach

the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. But before doing so,

He gave them each a huge stick to carry. That huge stick is

God's authority and power (Matthew 10:1).

Armed with this big stick, the disciples were able to drive

out demons and heal the sick of every known disease.

Without the stick, these ordinary men were powerless.

But as we shall soon learn, just because these twelve were

given God's power and authority to heal didn't mean they

would always be successful. That's because Jesus required

the twelve to possess one thing more, which only they

themselves could supply.

That one thing was their faith!

In spite of having God's power and authority to heal the sick,

the disciples were powerless without their personal belief

and faith that God would do as they asked of Him.

Mark 6:13 tells us when the disciples went out, they drove

out many demons and healed the sick (Mark 6:13). Praise

God! Imagine their joy and the great enthusiasm which

followed. They must have had many wonderful stories

to tell as a result.

But wait:

On at least on one occasion, things didn't go so well.

Not everyone was healed. The disciples had tried

unsuccessfully to drive a lunatic demon from a boy

(Matthew 17:16).

When the boy's father related this information to Jesus,

He replied, "O faithless and perverse generation...How

long shall I put up with you?" (Matthew 17:17) Obviously,

Jesus' statement was not directly pointed toward the

disciples, although it most certainly included them.

When the disciples later came to Jesus in private to ask

Him why they couldn't heal the boy, He answered them

by saying, "because you have so little faith"

(Matthew 17:19-20).

That's the mystery, the great mystery called faith, which

the world fears yet today and has created division and

strife within the Church.

Faith is the keystone that empowers God's authority and

power to heal the sick. How much faith? Jesus said with

just a little faith nothing will be impossible for you

(Matthew 17:20-21).

Many years later, the Apostle James would admonish

Church elders to pray over their sick in faith, and to anoint

the sick with oil for healing (James 5:14-16). James had

obviously learned the lesson of faith well from his own

failure while in training with Jesus years before. For he

was with Jesus the day the father of the lunatic boy

approached Jesus.

Faith in God's promise to heal is what separates men

of faith in God, from carnal men who cower in fear or

disbelief. This kind of faith is not intellectual or born of

doctrine. It is a soul searching conviction (born of God's

Word) which touches the very heart of God.

Church elders today, who dismiss James 5:14ff, of course

do not practice James' admonition. To make themselves

feel comfortable about their dismissal (and to be accepted

by the world) they have Church doctrines which effectively

puts God out of the healing business, and healing out of the

Body of Christ (The Church).

The real question we should be asking ourselves is not

whether God heals. The real question should be are we

willing to believe and put our faith in God's promise to

exercise His power and authority on our behalf?

That's a big question because faith to heal places God

squarely into our midst, not far off in some unseen world.

It puts Him right into our lives and world, much like our

mother, father and children are part of our lives.

I have to tell you, many Christians are not comfortable with

that thought. They fear God. They are more comfortable

with a God that is somewhere over there, not here.

You see, faith for many Christians consists of believing in

Jesus Christ as their Savior. That's good, but think about it.

Faith to save one's soul is a far cry from faith that falls

upon Jesus Christ for healing.

The former is benign and requires little beyond intellectual

acceptance, kinda like acceptance that the earth spins one

revolution every 24 hours on its axis. People accept the

earth spins and go on with their lives. No biggy. We regulate

our lives by this spinning, and that's about it.

Likewise, many people willingly conform their lives as

Christians to live a moral existence with a hope for the

resurrection. They count themselves faithful if they attend

Church regularly. That's the extent of faith for many Christians.

Unless they are forced to renounce their faith or be killed,

there is little to challenge their faith.

The latter, however, goes much farther. It actively calls

Upon God's power and authority with unwavering certainty

to restore the human body to wholeness free of disease.

That's not something the world likes or accepts.

The implications of this kind of faith goes far beyond intellectual

faith and being faithful to attend Church. This kind of faith stands

squarely against the world and medical tests that says a person

has cancer and has two months to live. It defies Church doctrine

which does not believe in divine healing. It falls with conviction

and certainty upon an unseen all powerful God that He will

fulfill His Word to us. That, friends, is the kind of faith Jesus

had in mind when he lamented, "O faithless and perverse

generation."

One of America's Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt, had a saying

about America's role in the world. He said America should

walk softly and carry a big stick. Of course, that big stick

was America's military might.

As Christians, we are to walk softly and also carry a big stick,

The big stick of faith that believes God's Word. That many

Christians have entrusted the world to the care of their

bodies at the expense of forsaking God's power and authority

to heal speaks volumes about the size of the stick they carry.

 May the God of Peace fill your heart

and soul with faith.

Jim Lynn

God's Healing Word Ministry

437 E. Auklet Ave., Palmer, AK 99645

World Autism Awareness Day

As a wellness educator, I believe that promoting "awareness" about a disorder or disease is not enough to make an impact in the healing process. First, belief that healing is actually possible (vs managing symptoms) is the first hurdle. Second, investigation of contributing factors that may indicate the origin of the disorder and disease is key. Then, the faith to take the road less traveled on the quest for restoration of health. Little mainstream research money is spent on drug free methods of healing. So, as we think about autism "awareness", let's dig a little deeper to avoid it becoming a meaningless cultural buzzword that makes society feel better about how little we may really embrace our personal health care responsibilities. Here are some previous Oils For Wellness posts about following the natural path in addressing autism. Be well, Jen

A Holistic Approach To Autism

Aromatherapy For Autism and ADD/ADHD

If My Child Had Autism.....

Subscribe to the Oils For Wellness free e-newsletter to learn more about how therapeutic essential oils can transform health!

Quote of the Week

"Essential Oils are a profound addition to my practice. Simple gifts from nature with seemingly boundless healing capacities. They provide an excellent way to begin to encourage people to become involved in their own healing process."

D.J. Hinders, DC, Pueblo, Colorado

Can Hate Make You Sick?

Whenever I visit a church, one of the first things
I look at in the church bulletin are the number of
people on the sick list requesting prayer. Often
the list is quite long. This is very troubling to me,
because over the years I know many of my brothers
and sisters in Christ have died from sickness. Others
remain sick and unhealed even after much prayer.

Why is that? Why is it so many Christians remain
unhealed after so much prayer and anointing with
oil. It's not only frustrating to everyone involved,
it challenges whether spiritual healing is real or
not...even ones faith in God.

Like in so many other things in life, it all comes
down to what's really going on within our heart and
soul. I mean people are really good at playing games
with themselves and others. This includes our
relationship with God.

I'll never forget what one of my Bible Professors
mentioned one day in class on the subject of loving
God. He said:

"We love Jesus only as much
as we love the least of men."

What he said, of course, is very true. Here's a
sampling of verses you may want to review on the
subject.

Matthew 5:43; 19:19; 22:39
I John 3:10, 3:23, 4:19-20

This is a hard teaching for some people who claim to love
God. For they may still carry deep-seated hatred and
unforgiveness in their hearts toward others who have
wronged them. Sometimes this hatred lies so deep within
their soul, it is overlooked in their daily lives. I mean
their hatred lies so deep within it is part of who they
are as human beings. They don't give it thought unless
they are personally confronted in a way they must deal
with it. Otherwise the subject is unconsciously dismissed.

I have no doubt this is one reason why many Christians
remain unhealed and wonder why. God is not a respecter
of persons, nor will He be mocked or fooled (Galatians 6:7)
We simply cannot be right with God and harbor hatred
toward those who wrong us (Those God loves as much as
He does us) if there is to be healing.

But there's another side of this truth which teaches we
must love one another. That other side is self!!!

As much as the roots of hatred toward others can run
deep within hearts and souls, hatred toward self
can run as deep and be even more complex.

This is why forgiveness lies at the root of healing.
For unless our heart and soul is free of the sin of
hatred, there can be no healing, physically or
spiritually. This applies as much to hatred of
self as it does toward hatred of others.

We need to understand Godly love is the opposite of
hatred. We need to understand love is only made possible
through Jesus Christ. For without God's love for us,
there can be no love in this world. This is why the
Bible says...

"We love because God first loved us. If anyone says,
"I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.
For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has
seen, cannot love God. Whom he has not seen."
- I John 4:19-20

Again, this is a hard teaching for some to accept
and live by. However, without forgiveness, there is
no salvation, no healing, no eternal dwelling with
God. All of us know John 3:16. But it is John 3:19-21
that explains why. I hope you read those verses.

The process of healing involves cleansing. Hatred is
an evil. It is a sin of the heart and soul, be it
toward others or self. No man can walk in the light
of God's truth and hate others or him or herself.
Neither can he or she be spiritually healed of
physical sickness.

Deep-seated hatred destroys the body as much as it
does the soul. Hatred (an emotion) interrupts the body's
ability to maintain homeostasis. This, in turn, creates
conditions within the body for disease to take hold.
Our body is very complex and works in ways doctors
even to this day can only marvel about.

God, however, is our creator. He knows you and your
body like no one else can or ever will. The Psalmist
wrote:

"...You created my inmost being; you knit me together
in my mother's womb...My frame was not hidden from you
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth."
-Psalm 139:13-16

Only God can heal and restore our once innocent souls
on such deep levels. Why then should we dismiss Him
or His ability to spiritually heal us physically?

Satan knows our every weakness and propensity. He
works full time to corrupt them for our eternal
destruction...even to the point of self-deceit.

Folks...I'm not saying unforgiveness and hatred explains
every case why someone remains unhealed. There are numerous
causes that must be examined. But what I am saying is
it is our worldly nature to be the master of our souls.

Giving ourselves over to God and letting go of controlling
our lives will not happen unless we are completely broken
of that selfish spirit. That is the crux of the matter.
That is what lies at the center of the great spiritual
battle for our souls.

God mends broken spirits. He cannot mend self-centered
spirits bent on hatred and deceit of self or hatred
toward others. Before you come to the Lord of life
for healing and salvation, know yourself and where
you stand.

A woman who suffered with breast cancer sought spiritual
counseling. The disease was in stage III and she was
scared to death. She said she and her church had prayed
for her healing many times, but that she had never
received spiritual counseling. It wasn't until then
when she received counseling that she realized and
confessed hated toward her now dead mother. She said
she had done so for the way her mother had treated her.

She said she knew hatred is a sin, but had never
reflected upon it in her own life. She never realized
that she was leading a self-centered life, even
though she had long ago obeyed the Gospel of Christ.
Neither had she connected her hatred with the cancer
in her breast.

In prayer she repented asking God for forgiveness, and
renewed her commitment to Christ (to live for Him
and not for herself). She did so, first and foremost
not to be healed physically but to be healed spiritually.
It was an emotional time and she cried. Tears poured
forth amidst her sobs.

Her emotional release signaled healing had begun. God
was healing her both spiritually and physically in that
moment of release. With hatred gone from her heart and
soul, her body could heal and it did. The very next
test she took showed no sign of the cancer previously
documented. May God be praised! Amen!

I'm not saying healing will happen for someone else
like it did with this woman. But, this is the power
of God to save (heal). If we as a people of God are
ever to reach others outside of Christ, we must first
know who we are and how God's power will only work
with broken spirits to heal the sick. For the proud
and haunty He will not.

All men must die. Death is God's judgment for sin
(Ezekiel 18:4). But those of us in Christ should
die from old age (free of sickness), not from a
disease supported by sin in our life.

May the God of healing fill your life with
blessings, and Peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Jim Lynn
Director
God's Healing Word

Marketing, Magical or Medicinal?

Did you know that they make "aromatherapy" TRASH BAGS??? Sadly, these commercial advertising schemes have created a whole lot of confusion about what the difference is between "scented" versus "aromatherapy". Hence the reason why I often get THE LOOK when introducing myself as an aromatherapy practitioner.The only way to attempt to describe it is a combination of puzzled amusement and skepticism.


Aromatherapy....the definition is so murky these days! Those beautiful packages decorated with a twig and a leaf in the "wellness" section of the store may not even contain a single drop of pure essential oils yet it is touted as aromatherapy product. Nope, those candles don't have any therapeutic benefit either. In fact, they can be more polluting to our bodies and atmosphere than we realize.


History is a great place to find clues about true aromatherapy. It is certainly NOT a New Age idea, but has been the medicine of many cultures since ancient times. Mysticism and magical attributes have been assigned to herbs and essential oils over the ages. As one browses the internet sites that come up with a search for "aromatherapy", there it can be found alongside the tarot cards, magic rocks, and Goddess t-shirts. In fact, a teacher at my massage school initially turned me off to aromatherapy by encouraging the female students to brew up potions to cast evil spells on the men in their lives!

Later on when I was introduced to therapeutic and medicinal essential oils, I started focusing on WHO made the plants that produced these oils with healing properties. As I delve further into botanical chemistry, I am in awe at the sheer complexity of these created molecules which were so compassionately designed to work in perfect synergy with the human body, enabling the innate healing process we all possess.

Pagans and saints alike used essential oils for healing, much like we understand the common use of toothpaste today. The Egyptians utilized oils and spices for their temple rituals and mummification processes and the Levitical priesthood were given this instruction to appoint makers of ointments for the Tabernacle in 1 Chronicles 9:29-30. "And some of them were appointed over.....the oil and the incense and the spices. And some of the sons of the priests made ointment of the spices." What an honor to be an aromatherapist in the LORD's service!