Healing- God Help Our Unbelief

**Disclaimer:

I had shared a thread on Twitter that sparked a wonderful conversation concerning healing for believers. Whereas the thread's purpose was to inspire and encourage believers' faith in Christ's healing power, a few Christians were not very pleased to see me speaking out on the topic.

There were a few opposing views concerning healing belonging to believers. Those in opposition of this truth believe that although Christ can heal, He does not choose to heal all believers. A few of my brothers and sisters in Christ feel that healing is obtainable but not a right of believers- It is available to some but not all.

A few felt that by me discussing faith in healing, I was indirectly saying that those who aren’t healed don’t have faith in Christ. Their concern was that I was offending followers who are still sick or paralyzed. And others felt as though I was damaging Christians by sowing false hope about healing.

I must say that these responses were puzzling to me. Although I anticipated such a response from the world, I by no means expected and was troubled by the fact that such things were being said by brothers and sisters in Christ. I respect everyone's beliefs on the matter. There are no hard feelings towards those who don't believe in healing and/or don't believe that healing is a right of every blood bought believer. However, I did want to present my stance in a clearer format on Sowfull because 140 characters indeed aren't enough to answer the questions I have received on the topic.

This post may appear lengthy but I do ask that you find the time to read it in its entirety, even if you must break it up into parts. There is a lot in here, some from me but also a lot of feedback from others. Most importantly, it is full of the Word of God. I hope that this post finds you all well and blesses you as it has blessed me. Please read with an open heart and mind. There is no hate, disrespect or belittling within this post. I pray it strengthens your faith. May God be glorified through it.

Polls:

To begin, I would like to present the results of the 3 polls I decided to run concerning the healing power of Jesus Christ after some of the responses I had received. Pictured are the questions asked and the outcome, along with the number of those who participated in the poll.

22 “...But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”

24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”

Mark 9:22-24

I would like to say that Jesus is a Healer. It isn’t just what He can do, it is Who He is. He is the Great Physician, Jehovah Rapha- The Lord your Healer. It doesn’t matter if you’re battling, anxiety, depression, cancer, AIDS, diabetes, herpes, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, are blind, paralyzed, etc. JESUS HEALS. It is an insult to Him when we doubt healing for He already came, purchased it and demonstrated it throughout His Word. Something else I’d like to point out is that the man in the above scripture asked Jesus to “have compassion on us and help us”.

Compassion is defined as,

sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

We serve a God Who is Love (1 John 4:8). He is Compassion. He cares for the sufferings and misfortunes of all His children. No earthly mother or father would choose to leave their child sick and ridden with disease so why do we feel as though God would choose that for His own children? He is far more loving, far more gracious, far more compassionate and far more merciful than we could ever be. It must break His heart to hear His children say that it is His will for them to remain sick when He already sent His Son to purchase our healing.

God Help Our Unbelief...

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes WE ARE healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NKJV

Many are familiar with Isaiah 53 (especially believers). It's an Old Testament text that prophesied the coming of Jesus, the torture He was going to endure and His death and resurrection...all to reconcile us back to God.

Although we love to use this verse to speak on how Christ took care of our sins and how we are no longer under the curse, we often skip over it when it comes to healing.

Many of us walk around submitting to the bondage of sickness because we have been taught to believe that "healing isn't guaranteed".

This verse tells us that WE ARE ALREADY healed.

We get mad at people who preach healing and feel as though they're sowing false hope by teaching the Word...the Word preaches healing.We honestly see Christ healing the sick more than we hear Him telling people that their sins are forgiven.

To use the fact that some Christians we know have died from sickness as the reason why we don't believe that healing is a right for believers is an insult to God and only causes us to settle for less than what Christ already died for us to have.

Millions die from sickness even though they take medication, get surgeries and go through chemo therapy but when people get sick they still use these same methods with faith that it will work for them.

Why is it that when it comes to God we count Him out based on someone else's experience and won't try Him for ourselves??

We take medicine even though it didn’t work for the last person because it may heal us. We date the same guy who cheated on every girl we know because we think he will be faithful for us. We mess with the same girl as the last dude who got used by her because we think she will do us right. We ignore other people’s experiences and try things for ourselves all the time. But let one person give a report that they aren’t healed and now we doubt God’s healing abilities. We ignore the fact that ALL who came to Christ in faith in the Word were healed. We bypass the fact that daily people are still miraculously being healed by faith in Christ.

Do we not realize how insulting it is to doubt God's healing power because of the experience of someone else rather than to take God at His own Word?

How dare we??

Some have expressed that they do believe  Jesus CAN heal but they do not believe that healing is for all believers.

If we are to say that healing isn't for every believer, then we might as well say that salvation and forgiveness of sins isn't for every believer as well. Both are addressed in the same text.

We can't accept part of the Word and not all of it. Either we accept it all or reject it all.

I rather accept it all.

I'm taking Christ at His Word!! WE ARE HEALED!

“If you believe only what you like in the Gospel and reject what you do not like, it is not the Gospel you believe in but yourself.” - St. Augustine

We love to use this quote when attempting to get on people who accept the parts of the Bible about blessings and ignore the parts about obedience but we believers have been doing the exact same thing.

We accept forgiveness of sins but we don't accept healing.

As a man thinketh, so is he. (Prov. 18:22)

If you think that it's God's will for you to be sick, you will remain sick.

"If you think it's God's will for you to remain sick, then stop taking medications and having surgeries to try to be healed/cured. Let God get the glory in your sickness." -Sheri VanHook

That's profound. Some of us feel it's God's will for us to be sick yet we keep taking medication to be healed. Why work against the glory of God if He intended for you to be sick?

It's because deep down we know that we aren't meant to be sick.

We have so much faith in man-made medications healing us but then when it comes to Christ healing us, we feel His healing is for a select few. But no. Not at all. His healing is for all who believe.

23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.” Mark 9:23

2 My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits. 3 He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases. Psalm 103

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5 

The truth is, we don't truly believe that it's not God's will for all to be healed or that He can't heal all...we just don't have faith that He will heal us. It's easier for us to give into the devil's lies that healing isn't necessarily ours instead of pushing forward in faith?

Many God-fearing Christians miss it. It does not mean that they didn't believe in Christ. It doesn't mean that they weren't powerful for the Kingdom. When it came to Christ's healing power they just missed it.

Don't miss it. Please don't miss it.

What makes us believe that a believer isn't entitled to healing?

It isn’t demanding something from Christ but rather walking in what He has already purchased for us. It is a birthright as sons and daughters of God. What does it look like for God to choose to keep His children sick when He is a Healer? There’s no love in that.

Sin and sickness are part of the curse that came upon us when Adam ate the fruit however Jesus came back and freed us from the curse. If we have forgiveness of sins and can enter the Kingdom of God, why would He not also freely offer us freedom from sickness and disease?

No one ever approached Jesus with faith for healing and was not granted healing. The disciples didn't walk around sick. The Church in Acts wasn't battling diseases. We have been taught that healing isn't guaranteed. But my question is, why would God intend for His children to be overcome and killed by sickness? Christ already handled that. Sickness is from the enemy. God may allow sickness temporarily and use it as a test of our faith (as He did with Job) and/or for a testimony of His healing power to others (as He did with many in the Word) but God does not intend for His children to live under the curse of sin and sickness. If He did, He would have never sent Jesus. Jesus would have never endured the whipping. He would have never endured the Cross. We must stop willingly paying for things that Christ already paid for.

God isn't a respecter of person. He wouldn't grant one believer healing over another if they both have faith for it. Jesus didn't heal some who came to Him in faith and not heal others who approached Him in faith. The only ones who didn't receive healing were those who did not believe in that healing.

And because of their unbelief, He couldn't do any miracles among them except to place His hands on a few sick people and heal them. Mark 6:5

“When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before Him. “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed. Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out? ” “Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting. ”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:14-21‬ ‭HCSB‬‬ "The man stated the disciples couldn't heal the boy....now before we start assuming and saying it was because "it wasn't the right time" wait...Jesus COMMANDED His disciples to go out and heal the sick prior...IT WAS A COMMAND...with NO limitations. In war it would be wrong for ANY commanding general to give an order that cannot be carried out other than himself...Jesus is our Commander. To back this up with Scripture....look at Jesus's response to the man who brought his boy to Jesus...You FAITHLESS and PERVERSE generation. Or as the HCSB bible states...UNBELIEVING and REBELLIOUS (Strong's shows these words fit even better actually) generation. If that reply was to come from ANYONE else...we'd call that person insensitive...arrogant....we would even call them a religious pharisee. We would call that person all types of wrong, and say they "could have had a better approach"...but let's see what happens next. Jesus heals the boy and something I find RARE & amazing happened after. His disciples asked a direct question and Jesus gave a DIRECT ANSWER. His disciples asked why wasn't the boy healed? Jesus simply said because of your littleness of faith....your lack of it. Faith BEGINS at the size of a mustard seed. ANYTHING living grows. Prayer and fasting WATERS your faith. You know what Jesus didn't say? Jesus DIDN'T say "It wasn't the appointed time for him to be healed" or "I chose to heal him by My hands". He showed us how to heal...explained why it didn't happen....and placed the accountability right back on us. It is 100% arrogant to assume it is God's will for a sickness to stay just because you prayed...without considering your lack of faith. It doesn't matter if a congregation of 50k prays. If ALL lack faith...nothing is going to happen. That's right...this is on YOU...not God. God ALREADY gave the Yes and Amen for healing....but if you as a believer cowardly relax this truth because it's not your reality...Then YOU will have to answer for that on Judgment Day. You will still be saved...but that won't be pleasant on that Day. It's amazing how many of us want to combat healing...just because of what we have experienced in the physical. The Bible didn't say have trust and confidence in your experiences....but to have trust and confidence in The Son. To make this simple...Everyone isn't healed because everyone doesn't believe. Our actions...Our walk...and our Our lifestyle will testify louder than our lips...many of us don't believe God by His Word. If you don't believe in God's healing power...that's your privilege. But don't try to tear down their faith because of your lack of it.”

- Justin Smith

We don’t want to preach healing because then it addresses our lack of faith but that is the very reason why it must be discussed. We must talk about it so we can strengthen each other in faith.

Iron sharpens iron. (Prov. 27:17) If we are not addressing and challenging one another’s lack of faith, we are doing each other a disservice.

I would like to close with some remarks and feedback from a few people who read the thread.

Feedback and Remarks

"Sickness and sin are both parts of the curse that fell upon mankind when Adam at the fruit. They are sisters. When Christ came and died for our sins He took care of all sickness and disease as well.

In Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus was challenged about how could He tell someone that their sins were forgiven, He said that telling someone they were healed was the same as telling them their sins were forgiven.

Healing is a right purchased by Christ for every believer.

In Matthew 15:21-28 the Samaritan woman asked Christ to heal her daughter and Jesus told her that healing (the bread) was only for God's children meaning that it isn't her right to have healing because she is not a child of God. The woman replied that even dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall from the Master's table. Because of her faith, Jesus healed her daughter even though they weren't believers. Blood bought Believers who have been given the power to become sons and daughters have a right to the Master's bread. If Jesus would even heal this unbeliever because of her faith, how can we doubt that He will heal those who actually belong to Him?

In Matthew 4, satan attacked/tempted Jesus after 40 days of fasting because he felt Jesus would be weakened in His will because of the weakness of His flesh. Because Jesus walked/lived in His Spirit, the weakness of His flesh did not impact His will. This is one reason why the devil wants us sick. We walk so much in our flesh that when we are sick, many tend to become totally wimped out and submit to not walking in faith. Stand strong and walk in the healing Christ already purchased for you!"

-Sheri VanHook, Assistant Pastor and Evangelist

"I love that you have been talking about healing. Just today, as I was thinking, this came to mind, "It is finished". Those words that Jesus uttered made sense to me. I thought about Isaiah when He prophesied about the Savior of the world. And I pictured Jesus telling Isaiah, 'hey, look at the stripes on My back, it's finished". We don't have to work or earn healing because it is a finished thing. I think we don't actually believe it with our hearts- faith matters, that actually, God has provided healing for us. You are so right, we own things that aren't our portion. I talked to a friend once about the wedding vows, that the, "in sickness" part is rubbish, because what we are actually doing, is speaking sickness over our marriage. And for me, it's important what we speak. Like you said, the tongue has so much power.

I think those words, "It is finished.", reminded me that God has seen everything in our lives and He came up with a solution, thee Solution, Jesus. And Jesus knew it, that everything was finished on that Cross. The reason we can't truly believe that the Cross is the answer for absolutely everything, is because we have gotten too familiar with the Cross, we have gotten to familiar with the resurrection, we have gotten too familiar with forgiveness, and ultimately, we have gotten too familiar with Jesus. The reason Jesus could not do much in His hometown as the Bible says, it wasn't because He had no power, it was because those people had gotten too familiar with Him, they grew up around Him and so they lost the wonder. They got content.

And maybe Jesus can't do much in our lives because we've gotten too familiar. It was crazy to me that God, in the new covenant, is the One Who makes the sacrifice, even tho He is the One Who needs to be doing the forgiving. Like, man, It Is Finished, whatever is it in this life and I get it now."

-Anonymous by request

"I loved your thread on healing - just a few things I'd like to say for the doubters and those who say God doesn't heal.

From what I've read Jesus never failed to heal anyone except through unbelief.. like you said. He said He does only what He sees the Father do... from that I gather the Father always heals because Jesus did and Jesus is God.

He always asked before, "do you believe I can do this?" And often said, "YOUR faith has made you well"... also I notice the people saying God brought about glory in their sickness to be a testimony to others ... that's a religious lie!! God never takes glory from our sickness or poverty He is a Victory God, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Jireh. He is limited nowadays as being a God Who only did miracles thousands of years ago because we would rather put our unbelief and lack of faith as being God's decision rather than our decision.

Keep saying what you do as God is speaking a great message through you and it blessed me too."

- Josh Sandles

I had a dialogue with 3 powerful woman of God concerning healing and these are their responses...

Aliyah Butler: Well in my opinion, I believe that healing and deliverance is necessary for every believer. But that's obvious.

Sowfull: Some believe it is God's will that some of His children remain sick.

Aliyah Butler: I wouldn't make the claim, "God's will". Sometimes God just works in ways that we don't understand, and we're not suppose to understand.

Sowfull: ...God may allow sickness to test our faith as with Job or use it to bring Him glory THROUGH HEALING US, as He did many times when Christ opened blinded eyes and made the lame walk.

Erin Coleman: No no no. The Bible says that by, "His stripes we are healed". It doesn't say, "by His stripes these people are healed and those over there aren't."

Aliyah Butler: Ok question...Would you consider dying a part of healing?

Sowfull: I believe dying from an illness isn't healing. You just died from it and transitioned to a place where there isn't sickness.

Erin Coleman: Idk about dying being healing. To me, healing means you're returning back to a state of comfortabilty or wholeness. When you die, you're not returning to any state on this earth. You're leaving this realm and moving onto life with Christ .

Sowfull: I like how one girl commented on the thread on Twitter saying,

"'HEAL THE SICK' Jesus literally said that"

I think we forget all the scriptures where Christ gave us authority over demons and disease and where He said,"greater works will you do" and told His followers to "heal the sick".

Eboni Hosch: Well I remember during spring break how badly I was struggling with school and anxiety. I was experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety and it had me really scared. My mom had been experiencing the same too. I can't remember the exact wording but she sat me down one day and was like, "Eboni, God is truth and therefore His Word is too. If it wasn't going to happen or be experienced, He would've never spoken a Word over it. Because God knew you would struggle with anxiety, He gave us a Word of peace." *drops mic* So that was like the start of me overcoming anxiety this year lol. I also went to counseling. But like y'all were saying, speak God's word over your situation. Be honest with God about what you're dealing with but then be honest with your struggle about Who God is.

Aliyah Butler: Ok so the definition of healing -

the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.

Meaning that first and foremost healing is a process. I think especially now when Christians think of healing they think somebody just gone pour some oil on your head speak in tongues and you're healed.. but it doesn't work like that. Example (and this may be bad) when you have a cold, it's something inside of you that's effecting your ability to operate normally. How you get a stuffy nose, etc., etc. those things stop you from being able to operate how you would normally. Like I said earlier I believe that every believer needs to be healed or delivered from something. Because there's something inside of us that stops us from operating how we are suppose to. The symptoms that we get are signs that we need healing. And it doesn't have to be from a SICKNESS. It can be from depression, from low self-esteem, from thinking the wrong thoughts. Healing is basically trying to make yourself become whole again. You can't function when you're not whole.

Eboni Hosch: YES! A huge part of healing is the renewal of your mind. I know God has physically healed some folks before but they didn't stay long enough to allow Him to heal their mind from the trauma. Our thoughts effect our physical health too.

Sowfull: I feel you on what you said Aliyah. We live in a "microwave generation" as my mom says. We want things instantly. Now, I would like to say that Jesus can heal instantly and did numerous times in the Word and does so even today. However I also agree that a lot of healing is a process. Healing from past pain, neglect, abuse, etc. It may not always happen at the snap of a finger but it doesn't mean that God hasn't already sent healing.

We have to stop putting God on a time limit and then counting Him out when He doesn't operate on our time.

Eboni Hosch: Sometimes you have to renew your mind first tho to be healed physically. Like what I experienced with anxiety.

Erin Coleman: We can literally think ourselves into sickness if we aren't careful. Because the Bible says, "as a man thinketh, so is he". And what you think with your mind settles into your heart. And once it's in your heart, you need God to HEAL you of that. You need total restoration.

Eboni Hosch: Deliverance BEGINS at the altar. But full deliverance is a process.

Aliyah Butler: My mom thought herself sick because she was given a report from somebody who didn't even create her.

Pastor G was talking about protecting your gates (ears, eyes, mouth) because those are the things that enter your mind and after it enters your mind it's into your heart.

Eboni Hosche: About protecting your gates...some deliverance won't come until you get off social media. You can't be filled with godly/heavenly thoughts if you're filling your mind with worldly things all day long. Stevenson said that.

Erin Coleman: They rely on the power of the Cross but they see it as 1 dimensional.

Eboni Hosch: That's it's. They only accept God's forgiveness and God shonuff ain't one dimensional. We limit ourselves by putting a limit on what God can do. Yikes. And this is why allowing God to renew our minds is so important.

AND facts vs. truth. Fact: the doctor might've diagnosed you with something. Truth: By HIS stripes, you are healed!

Erin Coleman: To accept salvation is to accept healing. Because by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior we are allowing Him to heal and restore our sin filled bodies. To renew and purify yourself in Christ is a form of healing in my opinion. So if they don't believe Christ heals then how can you believe he saves as well? It's all coming from the same Source of power.

Eboni Hosch: How we accept God and not accept the totality of Who He Is?