Chapter 9
Spiritual Healing

Most of us, when we feel ill or have some symptoms of illness that may seem serious, we look to the medical system of the material world.  We think of going to the doctor to find out what is wrong.  We want to get a diagnosis from a professional that knows all about the body. After the diagnosis the medical professional usually will prescribe some drugs or perhaps a surgical procedure.  We typically accept the doctor’s diagnosis and treatment and hopefully we get well again.  Sometimes the doctors just don’t have an answer and that is when people look for another approach.

This reminds me of when I was going to school.  It was necessary to take a health class to graduate, and there was only one class available.  I had just finished a week long seminar that taught of health and healing from another perspective.  It taught that our thoughts had a lot to do with our health.  During the seminar people were getting healed of minor and major health problems by getting into a meditative state of mind and seeing the solution and end results of being well instead of focusing on the problem.

Unfortunately the health class had a much different approach.  Instead of thinking about health it focused on all the possible diseases we might be subject too.  It was a totally material approach and didn’t even consider that there might be another and even better way.

There are three approaches to spiritual healing.  First there is the approach of prayer.  We pray, and get others to pray with and for us to heal whatever the issue may be.  From a cold to a cancer we ask God and/or Jesus to heal us.  We may use verses from the Bible to support our prayers and petitions, and we may get some results.  It depends on our own faith and belief that God and/or Jesus is willing and capable of healing us.  This approach is talking to God about your problem.

Another approach takes a little more confidence.  In this approach we take authority over whatever condition we are dealing with.  We can use the name of Jesus.

Philippians 2:10
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

If we are dealing with cancer we might say something like this:

 “Cancer, you are a name, and there is a name that is above all names.  That name is Jesus and I come against you in the name of Jesus and command you to leave this body and never return.  In Jesus name, Amen.” 

Instead of talking to God about our problem we are talking to the problem about God.  We are taking authority.

The third approach is to just get to that Secret Place of the Most High, under the Shadow of the Almighty.  When we are there sickness and disease disappear.  They cannot exist in that environment any more than a fish can survive out of water. 

Let’s look at some Bible verses we can use in our prayers for healing.  Let’s start with Exodus where Moses is leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Exodus 15:26
…. I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

The Lord not only can and will heal, he does heal.  Don’t be too concerned about Him having brought disease upon the Egyptians.  God is Love and Love does not put diseases on anyone.  However He does allow Satan to do it.  We can see that from the book of Job.  Satan is asking God to do harm to Job, but God won’t do it.  He will however allow Satan some limited authority to harm Job.

Job 2:5-6
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.   And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

God didn’t touch Job but He did allow Satan to mess with him but not to kill him.  God allows us to do things that are not good for us, but He does not force us to do what is right.

Exodus 23:25
And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.

Is there any disease that God can’t heal?  No, He can and will heal ALL of our diseases.

Psalm 103:3
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Psalm 107:19-20
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

In Proverbs Chapter 4 the prophet shows us the power of words.  When we put the healing verses from the Bible in our mouths, and keep them there, healing is inevitable.

Proverbs 4:20-22
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

When we pray for healing it doesn’t stop when we finish praying.  God is omniscient and He knows every word we utter, whether we are praying or just talking.  He even knows our thoughts.  When we pray for healing and then go about complaining that we are sick we cancel out our prayer.  This is probably the biggest obstacle to being heal through prayer.

Proverbs 13:3
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Proverbs 15:4
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

The book of James also shows us the power of the tongue.  He compares the tongue to the bit in a horse’s mouth and to the rudder of a ship.  The bit steers the horse and the rudder steers the ship.  Our tongues, the words we say, can steer our lives.

James 3:3-4
Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

We learn from the book of Isaiah that God will strengthen us, but we might have to exercise some patience.

Isaiah 40: 31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Here is a verse from Isaiah that is very powerful for healing, but it needs some interpretation and personalization.

Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

This verse is talking about Jesus.  We can understand that Jesus went through a lot of bruising and was beaten up and hung on a cross to die.  We think of stripes as being whipped, but how does that heal us?  Think of it this way.  His stripes is what he did for us and the world.  He could have called legends of angels to save him from that fate, but he didn’t.

Matthew 26:53
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

When he allowed them to crucify him on the cross it ripped the curtain that separated the material world from the spiritual world.  It made the Omnipotent Christ Consciousness available to anyone that would attune to it.  He pierced the human thought structure to allow the power of the Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent trinity of God to saturate the earth.  Those are his strips that made it possible for us to receive spiritual healing.  We can condense this down to “By his stripes I am healed” and put it in our mouths every day.  This thought goes through my mind at least once every day.

God is Love.  Not all words in the Bible come from Love, but when God is speaking to His prophets, Love is there, and so is wisdom.  When we use the true words of God He will do what He says.

Jeremiah 1:12
Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

God said to Jeremiah that He would heal him and restore his health.  He will not only restore our health, He will keep us in good health as long as we keep Him on our minds.

Jeremiah 30:17
For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD;

When we are feeling weak we can turn it around with our words by saying “I am strong.”

Joel 3:10
… let the weak say, I am strong.

Now let’s look at some healing verses from the New Testament.  We can start by seeing that Jesus heals.  It was a big part of his mission on the earth.

Matthew 4:23
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.

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:

He didn’t leave anyone out.  He healed all physical, mental and spiritual illnesses and he did it with his words.

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.

Not only did he heal everyone, he also taught them about the new covenant that God was making with man.

Matthew 20:34
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

Even eyesight was healed.  They didn’t have the advance technology for vision that we have today, but he didn’t need it.  He healed vision with a touch.

Going though all of these verses and more will help us strengthen our faith; our belief and trust that God and/or Jesus can and will heal us.  Remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years.  Let’s look at what Jesus said to her in the Amplified version of the Bible.

Mark 5:34 (AMPC)
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your distressing bodily disease.

When we pray for healing we need to use more than just words.  We need to add faith, belief and confidence.  When we finish with the prayer we also need to watch the words that we use.  We don’t want to cancel out the prayer with words and thoughts that are against our prayer.

When we approach that Secret Place of the Most High we begin to be able to fulfill the great commission that Jesus gave to his followers at the end of the book of Mark.

Mark 16:17-18
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

This is similar to when Jesus sent his disciples out to do what he was doing; to preach the good news and heal the sick.  Notice that this verse mentions speaking in tongues.  To many people speaking in tongues seems a little weird.  So let’s see if we can demystify it and take the mystery out of speaking or praying in tongues.

There was a scientist that got involved with a prayer group where some of the members prayed in tongues.  It aroused his interest as a scientist so he recorded some of the sessions.  He then sent them to another scientist that happened to be a linguist.  After studying the recordings the linguist learned that they were praying in several different languages and they were praying for rain in Somalia.

The prayer team didn’t know what they were praying for, but God did.  They just allowed the spirit to use their voices to pray for whatever needs the spirit wanted to be fulfilled.  Praying in tongues isn’t something that you make happen, you let it happen.  If you are willing a good way to get it started is with praise and worship and just let the spirit take over.  You may or may not know what you are saying or why but you will probably feel uplifted by the experience.

Luke 10:8-9
And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

We have the authority to heal when we are in God’s will for us.  When we are righteous we are in right standing with God.  When we can accept it, the Kingdom of God is within us.

Luke 17:21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

After Jesus had left the earth his apostles continued his healing work.

Acts 9:32-34
And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.  And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy.  And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately.

Peter was attuned to the Christ Consciousness through Jesus, he was able to share that attunement and the palsy had to leave.

Acts 14:8-10
And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

Notice in this example that Paul recognized that the man had the faith needed to be healed.

The apostle Paul in his zeal became so saturated with the power of God that it could be transferred to things that he touched and used to heal.

Acts 19:11-12
And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:  So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

We are not in this alone.  If we belong to or attend a church we can get help with our prayers for healing.  We can also pray for others.

James 5:14-15
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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

So we can use the first two approaches to spiritual healing with our own prayers and with the help of others.  Whether we are asking God or Jesus to heal us we have verses we can use to build our faith to the point that we can receive healing.   God has already done His part.  He promises healing, but it is up to us to receive it, and that takes faith and belief. 

With the second approach we also need some real confidence. We have to accept the fact that God has given us the power to heal.  He has given us the authority over sickness and disease and we can exercise that power for our own well being as well as the well being of others.  When we want to use that authority to help heal others they still must have the faith to receive.  They must believe that God will work through you to help them in their need.

The third approach is the best, but it takes dedication to achieve and maintain.  We have to get to that Secret Place of the Most High, and we have to stay there.

Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

We can’t just say it, we have to mean it.  We have to make our connection to God the most important thing in our life.  The first verse of Psalm 91 says:

 Psalm91:1
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

We have to be that “He that dwelleth.” Remember, out of 1,101 there is only one that dwells there.

Psalm 91:7
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

And that is the one that receives all the benefits of dwelling in the Secret Place under the Shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:5-6
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

No fear, no pests; even insects won’t come near you.  You will be protected from all the evils of the world.  You will be covered like a mother hen covers her chicks.

Psalm 91:4
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Sounds great, but how can we do it.  Well, we are humans and we make mistakes.  We don’t always express God’s love, even if we really want to.  We may not be able to dwell there, but we can get close to it and we can touch on it from time to time.  The benefits of just that much are well worth the effort.

We have discovered that our words are powerful and they can set the direction of our lives.  A good place to start is with Psalm 91.  We can personalize it and repeat it to ourselves over and over every day. We can say something like this:

“I dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High, I abide under the Shadow of the Almighty.  I say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress.  A thousand will fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand but it will not come near me.”

Memorize it and make it a part of your consciousness.  Here is a way to memorize this and many other verses.  Write them down on a piece of paper.  You can put as many as you want to memorize that will fit on one side of a sheet of paper.  Start with the first line or two and read it about 10 times.  Then turn the paper over and try to repeat it from memory 10 times.  If you can’t do it, try again.  Just rinse and repeat until you are successful.   Once you have the first line or two locked into your memory, sleep on it.  When you wake up see if you can repeat it from memory.  If you are successful, then add some more verses.  Start from the beginning every day and keep adding more verses until you have made a full page of verses a part of your consciousness. Then start another page.

Add saying verses to yourself to things that you do daily.  For example, when you open your car door you could say from Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”  Then you can expect your driving experience to be uneventful.

The first five verses of Psalm 103 are a great addition to your memorized verses.  It starts with praise, helps you make that connection with God and reinforce some of the benefits that God wants to bless you with.  If you just do one verse a day you will have these powerful verses built into your consciousness in five days.

Psalm 103:1-5 

1 - Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2 - Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 

3 - He forgives all my iniquities; He heals all my diseases;

4 - He redeems thy life from destruction; He crowns me with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 

5 - He satisfies my mouth with good things; so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's.

These are just a few examples.  As you continue to read through the Bible add verses that are meaningful to you.   It is good to set aside some time each day for Bible reading, but sometimes life gets in the way.  You can make it a point to read at least one chapter a day.  There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible so at one a day you will have read the whole Bible in a few months more than 3 years.  Then you can start over and make it a lifetime practice.  One way you can do this is to keep a Bible in the bathroom.  Many people take a magazine or newspaper into the bathroom to read while on the toilet.  If you are one of them, just switch it out for the Bible.

That shouldn’t be the only time to read and study the Bible.  It is good to have a time when you can read some verses and contemplate what you have read.  Maybe you could even take some notes and have a time when you go over your notes.

Talking to God about your health issues and talking to the health issues about God are good ways to get well, but walking in divine health is better.  When we fill our consciousness with thoughts and praises for God, and the benefits of being in His presence we are well on our way to that Secret Place of the Most High. Good health becomes natural and expected.  Sickness and disease become foreign because they are just not allowed under the Shadow of the Almighty.

And so it is.