Christ told His disciples, as you go, HEAL the sick. He didn't say,
as you go PRAY for the sick. But sadly, this is what we do: pray for
the sick. Is it therefore surprising that we are not getting the result
He said we will? It is not a mark of humility for us to renege on doing
what God commands because it seems pompous to say that I am going to
heal the sick. This is what Christ commanded us to do: as you go, heal
the sick.
But someone may ask, what is the
difference between praying for the sick and healing the sick? To answer
this question will require taking a look at the ministry of Jesus Christ
to see how He did what He did when He ministered to the sick. There
never was an instance that He prayed to the Father to heal the sick.
Each time He healed the sick, He did so by the exercise of divine
authority. In sending us out heal the sick, He authorized us to use His
name to do so. This was what His apostles did, and this is what we are
to do.
To pray for the sick is to ask the
Father to do it. Unfortunately, this is what most of us do when we come
to minister to the sick. This method will not get the job of healing
done because we are not asked to pray to the Father to help us heal the
sick, we are asked to heal the sick.
The other
problem that has hindered most people ministering to the sick is that
they are waiting for the healing gift to be given to them before they
step out and minister to the sick. But nowhere are we told that healing
is dependent on having the gift of healing. Rather, what we are told is
that these signs shall follow those who believe, not those who are
gifted to heal. The truth of the matter is that most people who have the
healing gift manifesting in their lives first began where everyone must
begin from: by faith. Upon being faithful in stepping out in faith,
more grace is bestowed upon them because to him that is faithful with a
little will more be given. So are you desiring to see people healed
through you? First, stop PRAYING for the sick, and start HEALING the
sick by stepping out in faith and laying your hands on the sick
according to the command of Jesus.
Finally,
don't judge yourself by the outcome, but rather, by the fact of your
obedience. You have done what you are commanded to do. Live the rest to
God. Even if no one ever gets healed through the laying on of your hand,
don't be discouraged. Just stay in the place of obedience. This is what
will get rewarded. As you persist in obedience, you will soon begin to
see what you have never seen before. Unfortunately, this is where most
people miss it. When people don't get healed, they conclude that they
are not called to do this. But the promise is given to anyone that
believes and not just to those that are gifted.
Toni
