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The Gift of Supernatural Healing

What does God say about divine supernatural healing and the gift of healing?  What is the bible's stance on 'inner-healings' like the Sozo Prayers?  And are healings today the same as healing of the Apostles and the disciples of the apostles?  It is important to state that it is not the position of The Gospel 4All that the gift of healing has completely ceased; however, due to recent history we do believe that it has changed but God reserves the right to gift it as he pleases, even to this day.  This article will address the biblical understanding of divine healing and why this gift has changed to this date.


Jesus and The Apostles

The moment Jesus began his ministry work, he was teaching and healing (Matthew 4:23).  It is very important to notice that The Gospel message accompanied his healings. Then Jesus gave the authority to heal to his Apostles and the gospel message was part of their healings as well (Luke 9:1-2).  After Jesus ascended to heaven, the Apostles retained the authority and power to heal
(Acts 5:12-16).  Then the gift of healing was given to other disciples as well (1 Corinthians 12:9). 

Other Religions and Healing

Islam teaches incantations to heal bad jinn.   Buddhist use meditation and mantra for inner healing. New Age and mystic healings use physical ritual to coerce a deity (or Universal Energy) into action or to manipulate an impersonal healing force.  The biblical healing is much greater than what all the other religions try to imitate.  Shamefully modern Christianity wants instant results and gratification so they will use new age rituals and ideas to 'help' the process of healing.  What those Christians and everyone a part from Christianity who heal fail to see is that The Holy Spirit is not the only spirit that will use people and do amazing things.

Also read Supernatural Positive Thinking

The Other Spirits who 'heal'

2 Thess 2:9
"that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
Before the Holy Spirit descended after Jesus, even Egyptian scourers could mimic powers of God (Exodus 7:11-12).  The people of God were even warned of people who could preform miracles that were not from God (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).  Jesus even says that some will come doing miracles that don't even know Jesus (Matthew 7:15-23).  Jesus makes it clear there will be miracle workers who are not from God in the coming future (Matthew 24:24).  Therefore a miracle healing IS NOT PROOF OF GOD if false prophets and false miracle workers can do it without God.  Satan WILL disguise his efforts to lead people away making it appear they were from God (2 Corinthians 11:14)

The Holy Spirit's Healing

Looking at what Jesus and the Apostles did, helps us see a difference between healings now and healing then. 

Matthew 4:24; 15:30
"So his fame spread throughout all hSyria, and gthey brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and ipains [paralyzed with pain], jthose oppressed by demons, kepileptics, and lparalytics, and he healed them."
And great crowds came to him, bringing with them uthe lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 
Acts 5:16
"The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, pbringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed."
There are many other examples but there is one common detail about all these healings; they were chronic, undeniable, in some cases terminal.
  • Paralized
  • Possessed with Demons
  • Epileptics
  • Lame (mental retardation)
  • Blind
  • Crippled
  • Deaf
  • Mute
  • Verge of death
  • Actually dead
"Chronic and undeniable" can be understood as an health issue that causes dramatic and clear complications in physical mobility or appearance.  Serious physical afflictions that cause impairment of proper body movement and use.

For headaches and stomachaches, the Apostle prescribed medical treatment; but why not a dramatic healing?  Because it was not a visible affliction that people would undeniably see as an absolute healing from God. It could be treated without a miraculous healing (1 Tim 5:23).

Also read God, The Holy Spirit | By Christ's Work Alone

What are the differences between Satan's healing and God's healing?

Since other spirits besides The Holy Spirit will do miraculous things, how are believers suppose to know when the Holy Spirit acts and when an ungodly spirit tries to do things to deceive people.  The Holy Spirit makes it clear what HE will make known:

1 Peter 1:24
" eHe himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we fmight die to sin and glive to righteousness. hBy his wounds you have been healed."
Isaiah 53:3
"oBut he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
pand with his wounds we are healed.
 Luke 9:2
"And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing."
Matthew 4:23
"teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people."
The healings of Satan WILL NOT proclaim the gospel.  His (Satan's) healings will not accompany the gospel message!  They will lead people into believing anything -even seeming spiritual in every way- so that those who buy into his healing, do not hear the gospel message WITH and IN the healing.  That they eventually believe they do not need the gospel message to be healed.

When the Holy Spirit heals or uses a believer to heal another person; the healing WILL have these 5 elements:
  1. It will proclaim the Gospel message and bring glory of the healing and from the healing to Christ Jesus and what he did on the cross.
  2. It will heal a chronic and undeniable health issue that will be obvious to all so that God will be glorified by everyone who witness the transformation.
  3. The individuals are fully and completely healed.  People are not half way healed but fully restored. Exorcisms were and are also instant; and not a long drawn out process.
  4. The healing process does not require chants, rituals, or any means outside of prayer and fasting.
  5.  The healing is a permanent SPIRITUAL healing which is the primary reason for the bodily healing (Romans 12:1-2).
What Do Ungodly Healings look like?

Ultimately ungodly heaings will make the person feel like THEY have the power based on what THEY do and how hard they try.   They will not proclaim the gospel message in association with the healing and will focus primarily on the phyiscal/emotional aspects.  Emotional satisfaction is the goal and the feeling of self fulfillment is the confused sensation of being healed. 

1 John 4:1
"Beloved, tdo not believe every spirit, but utest the spirits to see whether they are from God, for vmany wfalse prophets xhave gone out into the world."
Due to this easy confusion and easy deception we are commanded by God to TEST the Spirits.  Why? Because the Holy Spirit is not the only spirit doing healings and miracles.

Also read The Self and The Center of Everything

Modern "Healings"

The common and modern phenomena of 'healings' are those who 'feel' they have been healed from 'pains' in their body in certain areas whether it is the neck, back, or other places.  These modern healings are not obvious, not viable, not tangible, and not undeniable like the healings recorded in the Bible. They claim to be healed from shoulder pains, migraines, stomach aches, headaches, and so on. 

The healer will apply physical pressure in the painful areas, babble a special chant and use phrases like "in the name of Jesus" and perform nonbibical rituals.  The person would feel a rush of adrenaline and have a flood of optimistic feelings allowing them to feel 'healed' thus believing they are healed.  The rush of excitement and inspirational feelings empower them enough to change habits in their life.  But without the gospel message understood and associated to the purpose and reason for the healing; it is nothing more than emotionalism with no spiritual value.

Also read Your Feelings Do Not Determine Truth | Health, Wealth, Happiness, and Prosperity Teaching | Follow Your Heart?

The Sozo Prayer (Inner Healing)

This ritualistic psychological prayer system of 'healing' can be defined as “a unique inner healing and deliverance ministry in which the main aim is to get to the root of those things hindering your personal connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

The Sozo Prayer requires the presence of a certified mediator or guide who is trained to walk participants through a time of prayer and reflection that is supposed to facilitate intimacy with God. Intimacy with God is definitely something to be sought; however, the method of attaining intimacy via "a journey through the subconscious" is highly questionable extra-biblical concept.  Intimacy with God is truly achieved by Bible study, prayer, fasting, regular church attendance, and obedience; not by a mystical “journey” through our past.  Sozo Prayer attempts to enable participants to “heal your relationship with God to enable you to fulfill your destiny.”[1] 

Our own sinful mind, sinful thoughts, and how we imperfectly perceive ourselves and listening to our corrupted subconscious is NOT intimacy with God.  This is looking inward to ourselves for guidance and 'truth'. It is a attempted to take the control of the healing for ourselves by ourselves without God.  The source of truth and control for our lives and for our spiritual growth and healing is: God's Word, which is holy scripture alone.   

John 16:13; 17:17
"17 lSanctify them2 in the truth; myour word is truth."

13 When tthe Spirit of truth comes, uhe will vguide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but wwhatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Without focusing on The Gospel and abiding in the Lord, we can do nothing (spiritual). We can influence and encourage a change of behavior or habits but our spirits go nowhere without abiding in Jesus (John 15:5).

Hebrews 12:1-2
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and wsin which clings so closely, and xlet us run ywith endurance the race that is zset before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, awho for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising bthe shame, and cis seated at the right hand of the throne of God." 
Eph 4:14
" so that we may no longer be children, wtossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."
Only focusing on the words of Jesus and knowing, studying, and understanding his truths can heal us from our past mistakes, traumas, and emotional scars.  Any idea, doctrine, and scheme derived from mankind, is nothing without coming from Jesus for Jesus and by Jesus.

Also read Scripture Alone | The Holy Spirit or Emotionalism? | The issue of the Prosperity Gospel

The Gift of Healing
 God did not explicitly state that the gift of healing has ceased.  Do we see people raising from the dead? No.  Do we still see people with extreme physical deformities, being physically regenerated and completely healed? No. So we DO see a change in the gift of healing.  But God reserves the right and authority to give and not give the gifts of healing as He alone sees fit.

1 Cor 12:6-9
"9 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith [a]by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of [b]healing [c]by the one Spirit,"
There are different kinds of healing gifts but they are all for the common good.  There is no 'healing yourself privately' as some healers claim;  The Holy Spirit can work through people WHEN it benefits everyone for God's Glory alone.  The gift is willed by The Holy Spirit, and not the individual who tries hard to will it themselves.

Notice the plural gifts of healing.  People can have the gift to heal emotionally and or physically but all of them come by The Holy Spirit to benefit everyone.


The Real Healing We Truly Should Long For

2 Cor 5:17
"17 Therefore, if anyone is iin Christ, he is ja new creation.2 kThe old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Rev 21:4
"4hHe will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and ideath shall be no more, jneither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
The true awesome and amazing healing is being completely healed from our old selves and our slavery to sin; being reborn as a new creation to become slaves to righteousness. The ultimate healing will come when EVERY pain, emotional and physical, will "be no more" and will pass away forever, the whole world, for all eternity!

Paul stated it best:  
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)
 Also read The New You Forever | The Glorious and Blessed Hope

SUMMERY

Miraculous healing can be preformed by both godly and ungodly sources but only the godly source will proclaim the gospel with and in the miracle.  The miracles are not willed by mankind but only come by and from The Holy Spirit and some times through mankind.

The healing we should be focusing on is not a carnal healing but a eternal spiritual healing and the coming absolute and ultimate feeling at the end of the age.  The carnal healings in the Bible were to point us to the power and authority of Jesus Christ which was later given to the apostles.  The healings now should still point us to the spiritual reality of our need for spiritual regeneration and the gospel message and not a carnal end result.  

Miraculous healings are alive and well and have not ceased. Satan and evil spirits perform these every day around the world.  The Holy Spirit will heal and use people to heal in different more subtle ways today as well.  Would you know the difference? Do you know the gospel?

Also read The Gospel



Source:
1.  http://www.gotquestions.org/sozo-prayer.html


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