Apocalyptic Hope ............................ Jesus Heals


LAYING HANDS UPON THE SICK AND INJURED


Mark 16:18 " ...they [ Believers in Jesus ] shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Many of us have loved ones who are ill or injured. We need to know how to pray with wisdom for their healing, as God wills.

"My people perish for lack of knowledge" -- Hosea 4:6

Jesus is the Healer. He showed all of us in the Word how we are to follow His instructions.

First, He taught us to cleanse ourselves before we lay hands on the infirm. This is not the same cleansing that a doctor does before an operation. This is the cleansing of our soul by confession of our sins in order to fine tune ourselves to be in a closer union with God and His grace. That means that we ask for His forgiveness for all of our failings and weaknesses, and we also make firm our commitment to amend our lives, by His grace.

We do that each time we receive Communion ...

1 Corinthians 11:28 ....

" Let a person examine himself" ( itemize our sins) , "and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily ( without contrition for sin ), eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body ( not having respect for the price Jesus paid for our sins )
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep " ('sleep' meaning to die ).

"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" -- Psalm 66: 18

"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear." -- Isaiah 59:2

We want the Lord to hear us at all times, and especially when we are interceding for the health of our loved ones.

PRAYER IS WAR

When a loved one is ill, he is in need of our prayers. And we must realize that we are in a spiritual battle with the forces of evil. How do we do battle with demonic forces ?

Well, our Lord tells us to FIRST bind the Strongman over the situation ..... that is to say we are to ask God to bind all the demonic forces over the illness of our loved one.

".. if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he FIRST bind the strongman? and then he will spoil his house. --
Matthew 12:28, 29 and Mark 3:27

Luke 11:21, 22
"When a strongman ( Satan ) armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a Stronger ( Jesus ) than he ( Satan ) shall come upon him ( Satan ) , and overcome him, HE ( Jesus ) taketh from him( Satan ) all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. "

" Greater is HE ( Jesus ) that is in you, than he( Satan and his associates ) that is in the world." -- 1 John 4: 4

"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal ( earthly ), but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds"
( "strongholds" meaning Satanic, demonic forces ) --- 2 Corinthians 10:4

Here are the weapons of our warfare as found in Ephesians 6:10--18
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood ( the physical ) but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ( demonic forces ).

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day .... and having done all,
to stand. ( having boldness and confidence before the throne of God ....( Hebrews 4:16 )
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with Truth, and having on the breastplace of Righteousness;
and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace ( the Good News that Jesus cleanses us from all sin ) ;

Above all, taking the shield of FAITH ( believing and trusting in God's power to heal, no matter what ) ,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." ( the wicked is Satan and his associates )

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the WORD of God :
( We find it helpful to bring our Bibles with us: it is even better to Memorize verses of Scripture )

"Praying always -- with all prayer and supplications in the Spirit--, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplications for all saints. " Ephesians 6:10--18
( Meaning never give up praying, and to pray without ceasing, even when awake at night ...
1 Thessalonians 5: 17.

OBEYING INSTRUCTIONS

OK, we have asked forgiveness for our sins, and we have put on the whole armor of God in spiritual battle. What next ?
Well, James 5:14-16 tells us ....

"Is any sick among you ? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil, in the name of the Lord. ( The Name of JESUS saves us from all things. We must always pray in the Name of Jesus. Acts 4:12 )
( We keep a miniature bottle of cooking oil on hand to bring with us to administer in the form of a cross upon the forehead-- or where ever possible-- for the sick and injured while praying for them).

"And the prayer of FAITH ( believing, trusting ) shall save the sick, and the LORD shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.

"THE EFFECTUAL FERVENT PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS PERSON AVAILiTH MUCH." -- James 5:14-16

How do we know that prayer brings healing ? Because we are told in Matthew 8:17 and in Isaiah 59:2 and in 1Peter 2:24
that "By your stripes, we are healed "
( "stripes" meaning the bloody whipping that Jesus took for us at His unjust trial .)
Because there was Divine-blood shed at that time -- not unto death -- it became a healing blood for our bodily infirmities.
The blood shed on Calvary was unto death, and for our spiritual and eternal Salvation.

We overcome the evil one and his forces by pleading for the blood covering of our Lamb Jesus over ourselves and our loved ones .( Rev. 12:11 )

Please see the Blood Covering of Jesus www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/blood.html

"When I see the blood ( covering by prayer ) , I will pass over you" ( meaning the death-angel will be instructed to abstain from taking your loved-one's soul ) "and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you" -- Exodus 12:13
( You shall live, and not die ) .
" I AM thy Shield and exceeding great reward " Genesis 15: 1

God tells us that He kills, and that He also makes alive ( Deuteronomy 32:39 ); that He wounds, and that He heals.
When God kills, that means to me that He kills all the bad bacteria, germs and viruses that attack us, and that He sends healing cells into our bodies.

We know that God kills germs in food when we pray before meals. 1 Timothy 4:4,5

When we pray for healing, we are following the command given by our Lord in Deuteronomy 30: 19, 20
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you Life and death, blessing and cursing:
THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE, that both thou and thy seed may live."

That thou mayest LOVE the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him:
For HE IS THY LIFE and the Length of thy Days."

And finally, we pray that the LORD restore all that the devourer hath taken away -- Joel 2:25.

Now let us GO -- in the Name of Jesus -- and anoint our loved ones and pray for his or her healing.
Let us pray without ceasing, always remembering that God is Sovereign. Isaiah 40 and 43.

"I AM the LORD that healeth thee" -- Exodus 15 : 26

LINKS

Praying for the Sick -- David Powlison
"God meets us in sickness, and we experience new dynamics through that meeting.
Sickness can force us to stop and face ourselves, to stop and find the Lord.

We discover sins we’ve been too busy to notice: neglectfulness, irritability, indifference, self-indulgence, unbelief, joylessness, worries, complaining, drivenness in work, trust in our own health and ability.
As our need for Jesus’ mercies is quickened, our delight in God deepens. We will develop fruit of the Spirit that can develop no other way than by suffering well:
endurance of faith, hope and joy that transcend circumstances, mature character, richer knowledge of the love of God,
living for God not self, the humility of weakness, the ability to help others who suffer. "
(See Jam. 1:3; Rom. 5:3-5; 1 Pet. 1:6-8, 4:1-3; 2 Cor. 12:9f.) "

Sickness provides one of the richest opportunities imaginable for spiritual growth and pastoral counseling, as James 5 makes clear. Is God interested in healing any particular illness? Sometimes, sometimes not.
But is He always interested in making us wise, holy, trusting, and loving, even in the context of our pain, disability, and dying? Yes, yes again, and amen.

When you pray for the sick, and as you teach the sick to seek God for themselves, it ought to be a fiercely thoughtful firestorm.
http://byfaithonline.com/page/ordinary-life/praying-beyond-the-sick-list

Healing -- the Elders of the Church ; Dale A. Robbins
http://www.victorious.org/chur73.htm

Faith for Healing
http://books.google.com/books?id=DA8xl4eagDcC&pg=PA1065&lpg=PA1065&dq=let+him+call+for+the+elders&source=web&ots=hBSyy8T2R_&
sig=fikw4broU1z3jKdNOZIbMoADbjs&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result

The Unanswerable
http://www.prayerguide.org.uk/healingprayer.htm

" I was sick and you visited Me" -- Matthew 25: 36

Salvation www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/sal.htm
Bible www.blueletterbible.org