HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD:

ATLANTA CENTER FOR BIBLICAL STUDIES HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: A STUDY IN DELIVERANCE DON GRANIERO 2/2/2010 For all those who want to know what the scriptures say regarding God s will for healing and deliverance and the miracles that we can see in our lives through believing God s promises.

2 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: In October of 2002 Patty and I were with our kids at a cabin in north Georgia for the weekend as we often do at that time of the year. As one day came to a close I found myself thinking a lot about healing and deliverance. In my heart I felt a great desire to help build our faith and practice again on healing. Not that we had forgotten that gifts of healing are available to receive now but my desire was to put something together that would be readily available for anyone who had questions or need for deliverance in their lives. So I sat down at the table with my laptop and began writing down my thoughts. I never finished it- like so many things. I looked at it from time to time over the following year or so but not with any real focus and determination to finish it. Looking back I see now that God was moving in great ways to get these truths settled once again in the hearts of believers everywhere. I believe it was in the spring of 2004 that Patty went to Augusta, Georgia to listen to a seminar by Sangat Bains entitled How To Heal the Sick and Cast Out Devils. The following summer we invited Sangat to Atlanta to share that same class. God has done a great deal to once again bring us all to a place in our walk where we each can boldly say, I do the works that Jesus Christ did and greater because I believe on him. The world needs the power of God living in the lives of believers the power of God is present to heal us now just as in the first century. The following is the beginnings of what I set out to write for the encouragement of those wonderful believers in our fellowship and those to whom I have an opportunity to share God s word with over the years. Consider this to be Part One. I am working on Part two. My prayer is that you will enjoy and be encouraged with the truth of God s will for all us who love Him and that you would rise up to believe and receive. Don Graniero February 12, 2010

3 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: A STUDY IN DELIVERANCE Throughout the scripture the subject of health and healing is an ever-present topic. From the miracle of the first Passover and the great Exodus, to the healing of Naaman the leper, to the blind man seeing and the lame man walking at the temple gate Beautiful, healing is an ever present benefit of worshiping the One True God, the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With so much written in God s Word regarding healing and health it would seem only normal for us to expect to see the same great things happening in our lives as we trust God our Father and love and worship Him. When we consider the scripture we see the truth regarding the healing that is to be expected by the believer. With close examination and consideration of the scripture we can see what is required in order to bring deliverance to all those who need a miracle of healing; and desire to receive it. DETERMINING GOD S WILL For many people the quest for health and healing must begin with answering a very simple question; is it God s will for healing? Is it God s will for a person to be healthy or is it His will for him to be sick? Many people believe that when they are sick it is God s doing - God for some reason has made them sick. This is an unfortunate state of mind to be in, for it is a state that accepts sickness, and when sickness is accepted one most certainly cannot be delivered from it. John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. God sent Jesus Christ for a specific purpose - to carry out His will and make known the Father. There are no records in the Gospels that show Jesus Christ deliberately making anyone sick. On the contrary, he brought deliverance to any and all that were sick and came to him seeking to be healed.

4 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: Matthew 4:23,24 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: Matthew 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. Matthew 9:35 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. Matthew 15:30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Luke 9:11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. When Jesus encountered people who were sick he healed them. Jesus Christ did not tell people that they were sick because God wanted them to learn some lesson in their life or to make them humble. No. If they were sick - he healed them. So isn t it abundantly clear then that God s will (which Jesus Christ carried out at all times) is to heal those who are sick? Yes! Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

5 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: Healing is doing good with the power of the holy spirit. Act 10:38 states that Jesus healed all that were oppressed of the devil-- sickness is oppression of the devil. To oppress means to exercise harsh control over them. God never oppresses people. He never controls anyone. It is the devil who oppresses people and it is sickness, both physically and spiritually, which he uses to accomplish that. Sickness is one method the devil uses to control who he can, to frustrate and defeat them - all with a view to get them to deny God and His willingness to bless people (see Job 1:9-11). John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The devil is the thief. He wants to steal, to kill and to destroy. Sickness is one of his weapons. If he can steal your health, he will- if he can kill you with sickness, he will. However, Jesus Christ came to make known the Father s will for His people, to have life more abundantly, and health and healing is most assuredly part of that more abundant life. 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. The first step in receiving healing is knowing that it is God s desire for us to be in health and when we are not when we are sick-- it is clearly His will that we be healed. THE HEALING MIRACLE God designed the body to heal itself. He built within the body the incredible ability to return itself to wholeness. It is the natural process of the body when affected by disease to rid itself of that disease and return to health. It is the natural process for a broken bone to heal; to repair the break and return to wholeness again. When the flesh is cut or damaged by bruise or abrasion it heals itself. This natural process of healing that God enabled the body to accomplish on its own takes time. Some healing takes quite a long time- a broken bone for instance can take several months to heal. This natural process of healing is indeed miraculous in and of itself. This divine design suggests God s desire for people to be in health and when needed, to be

6 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: healed to be returned to a healthy state of being. Why else would God design the body this way? But the miracles of healing described in the Bible are more than the divine design of the human body to heal itself. The records of healing in the Bible are in the category of the supernatural they occurred in an instant, they occurred not relying upon the power of the body to heal itself over a period of time but upon the power of God to supersede the natural process. Whenever the natural laws of healing are subordinated by the power of God the supernatural occurs. When this happens, it is a miracle of healing that takes place. Only the power of God can bring to pass what by natural law is impossible. In the time of Christ it was impossible for a man born blind to be able to see; for the leapers to be cleansed and physically made whole again; for the dead to return to life. Yes these were impossible healings then and they would be impossible now also were it not for the grace of God and His power employed by a believer in order to work miracles for with God, all things are possible to those who believe. Mark 9:23. THE PROMISE OF GOD Healing is not something that first came with Jesus Christ. Healing and health are promised to all those who love God and keep His Word. Proverbs 3:1-8 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health [Hebrew = healing] to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

7 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: What tremendous benefits are promised to the one who does not forget His law. Law is put for what contains it, i.e. the whole Word of God (a figure of speech that puts a part of something to represent the whole thing). There are several imperatives used in this section. Imperatives indicate an order or command. The believer is ordered to do something and when performed, there is a benefit that is promised. In verses 1-8, four orders are given. Following each order or command is a promise. When we look at the commands given in verses 1,3,5 & 7 we see that they all have to do with our attitude toward God s law His Word. They are as follows: Verse 1- Command #1: do not forget my law, keep my commandments with your heart Verse 2- Promise: you will have length of days, long life and peace Verse 3- Command #2: don t let mercy and truth forsake you [leave, abandon, leave you behind] - in other words always remember mercy and truth. You can do this by binding them about your neck [as a precious jewel] and writing them upon the table of your heart-- getting them deep in your heart by reading, study and memorization. Verse 4- Promise: you will be favored and held in high esteem in the eyes of God and your fellow men. Verse 5- Command #3: trust in the Lord God with all your heart stop trusting in your own understanding -- acknowledge God in everything you do Verse 6- Promise: God will direct your paths, He will show you a clearly marked path for you to follow. Verse 7- Command #4: don t be wise in your own eyes but have reverence and respect for God and leave behind every evil thing [the things that keep you from doing all these things God commands you to do] Verse 8- Promise: healing and refreshment to your whole life

8 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: These actions that God commands us to do all have to do with our placing complete trust in His wisdom, His understanding, His mercy, all of which are truth. It has to do with our complete submission to God and HIS WRITTEN WORD. It is our making every effort to write it in our hearts so that His Word becomes our word, to the end that we so respect Him that we leave behind everything that prohibits us or holds us back from truly loving and honoring Him. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Woven into this section is what God promises we will receive if we carry out these commands. These promises are not necessarily directly related to any one of the commands but are a total picture of the blessed benefits of being a true believer. Just look at how blessed God promises our life can be. It is blessed in every category. The promise begins with a blessing of long life and peace. Some people live long but have anxiety at every turn, frustrations, fears, sickness etc. But God says your days will have peace. It is the additional promises (verses 4, 6, & 8) that make this peace for us. We have peace because for all those days we will find favor and good understanding, we will see God making our pathways straight (easy to travel), and we are refreshed and healed as we live in God s light. GIFTS OF HEALINGS Every time Jesus Christ healed someone it was a miracle. Every record of healing in the Old Testament was a miracle. Healing is a miracle. Healing is also a gift. The manifestation of the spirit that brings the miracle of healing to a believer is called gifts of healings. There is an important aspect of healing that is emphasized in calling it a gift. Some would say that because it is a gift that it is not available to everyone. This follows the same train of thought that suggests there are different gifts of the spirit rather than one gift of the holy spirit given to each and every believer. But this would make God a respecter of persons, and that would contradict His Word, which specifically states that He is no respecter of persons (see Acts 10:34,35; Romans 2:11). So, what is it then; does God show more favor to some and not to others with His gifts? No. He does not show favoritism - He is equally gracious to each one who would have unswerving trust in Him.

9 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: The word gift is not used to imply that you cannot expect God to give it to you or that it is not yours to claim. Some think of it this way, but if we keep in mind God s desire for us to be healed then we indeed can and should expect it. There are several things to consider when we think of a gift; three to be precise. There is the giver, the recipient and the cost or value of the gift. Most of the time when we receive a gift we say that the value or cost is not important - it is the thought that counts. That may be true for most of our personal exchanges, but in this case the cost is of utmost importance to consider. The term gift is used to emphasize the willingness of the giver to show favor to the one he loves. Furthermore, it puts the burden of the cost of the gift on the giver not the recipient. The Father has paid for the cost of our healing and that price was high indeed: it cost the life of His son. Now that it has been paid for by his stripes, God desires to show more and more His great love by continuing to give healing to those whom He loves. He has covered the costs. It is a gift to you when you need it. All you need to do is receive it by faith. Take it; it is yours free of charge to you. Now, I do not claim to be a great healer, no more so than anyone else, but I know the one who is. Jesus Christ said the works that he did and greater works we would do if we believe on him. So the truth is that each believer can be a great healer if he will only believe he has the permission and the power. WHY IS THERE SICKNESS? Because of Adams sin, sin passed to all men and ultimately the consequence of that sin-- death. Sickness is simply one of the manifestations of this consequence in part. But sickness need not be a permanent state. Job was sick. He was covered with boils. But in the end God delivered him and brought him great prosperity. It was not that these boils eventually went away as the body went through its natural process of healing. No, the word says God delivered Job. Job 42:10. And has He delivered many others. Miracles are a favorite pastime for God. It has been said that miracles are Gods calling cards. Miracles follow those who believe, not those who pay for them. Healing is the evidence of God s desire to show His favor to those whom He loves and He loves everyone the same.

10 HEALTH & HEALING IN GOD S WORD: THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A MIRACLE What are we required to do in order to be miraculously brought back to health? To receive healing we must understand and keep locked in our mind and heart certain truths. Some of what we must understand and believe are as follows: 1. God did not make you sick. 2. There is no Godly design to being sick. 3. Sickness is a result of the sin nature of man which is the consequence of Adam s sin- not necessarily your sins. 4. Your sin has not brought sickness upon you but your sin can keep you sick. 5. You do not need to pray for healing by his stripes you were healed now you must expect it whenever you need it and know where to go to get it. 6. There is POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST - more power than all of the princes of this world for God gave him THE NAME ABOVE EVERY NAME. 7. It is not your work or your effort that gets you healed but your faith work on your faith. Believe on THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. 8. Faith will evidence itself in actions. We will now consider each one of these things in the Word of God so that we can be sure to understand so that we believe the truth and not lies or misconceptions. Then when we are at a place in life where we need healing we may receive the gift of healing and walk in the deliverance that God paid for and desires for us to have.