Teaching Article #20
by Bill Nugent
I’d like to talk to you about how to release your faith to obtain your healing. Now before you click delete or get ready to toss this article into the recycling bin and before you sigh and say “I’ve studied faith for decades and I don’t need a primer” just give me a few paragraphs and you’ll see some insights on faith you haven’t seen before.
To get us to walk in truly powerful faith that really gets hold of God we’ve got to start with something basic. I have to confront you with the truth of who you are in Christ and, more importantly, who Christ is in you.
Imagine I’m standing in front of a class of Christians and I say “How many priests are here today? Will all the priests please raise your hands so we can all greet you.” The people look around the room dumbfounded and wonder if there were some men wearing clerical collars sitting on the back row. The truth is, every hand of every Christian in that room should be raised. The Bible plainly teaches that born again Christians are priests of God. The Bible says that we are kings and priests (Rev. 1:6).
Next I ask “How many evangelists are here today? Could I have a show of hands? I get the same befuddled looks from people in the classroom. Somebody mumbles “Evangelism is not my ministry. What’s this guy trying to prove? I’ve got news for you, evangelism is your ministry! Evangelism is your ministry because Christ is in you and Christ is an evangelist. Evangelism might not be your specialty. You might not have a particularly heavy burden to evangelize your town but you are an evangelist.
Next I ask “How many teachers are here today? How many prophetic people are here today? How many of you are holy? How many of you are righteous? How many of you are healers?” That last question really is a zinger. How many of us are healers? We are all healers because Christ is the ultimate healer and He lives in us. The Bible says “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” (I Cor. 6:19 NASB) and “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
When you were born again your spirit, that is your human spirit, was regenerated and you became a child of God. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16 NASB). The Spirit of Christ dwells in us. “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13 NASB). The Spirit of Christ is a healer and therefore you have the healer dwelling in you. This makes you a healer. Healing is your ministry whether you like it or not and whether you know it or not. Healing is your ministry but not necessarily your specialty. You might not have a ministry emphasis of healing but you can still heal every time you lay hands on a person.
Did you know that every time you lay your hands on somebody and pray for healing, the person receives healing power from you? Healing virtue proceeds out of you and enters the body of the sick person and to a greater or lessor degree causes healing to take place in that sick body. How do I know this? It’s because Christ is in you!
Never never never say that the person you laid hands on was not healed just because the person says they still feel pain. Never say “I guess it didn’t work this time, the pain is still there.” Did you ever hear of a process healing? A process healing is a healing that takes place over time. Healing is not always instant.
I cared for my mother while she was dying of cancer. I prayed and prayed for her to be healed. I believe that my prayers extended her life and gave her better quality of life and pain reduction. I will never never never say “Well, I prayed for mom and she still died of cancer, I guess my prayers were futile.” My prayers and the healing virtue of Christ that flowed out of me gave her more time and less pain.
I believe I can lay hands on myself and receive healing. I believe that every time I go forward for prayer for healing by the elders of the church I receive healing from Christ. Christ indwells the elders who prayed over me and the healing virtue of Christ came through the elders to me. Never never never would I say that I didn’t receive healing if I still felt the pain. The pain would be worse if I hadn’t gone forward for prayer.
Every time you lay hands on a person and pray for healing, one of four things happen:
1) The person is instantly healed.
2) A process of healing has begun in the person’s body.
3) The overall quality of the life of the sick person has improved.
4) The life of the sick person has been extended.
Do you know that every prayer you ever prayed has been heard by God? How do I know this? The Bible teaches that God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). God has heard every word you have spoken and He certainly has heard every word of prayer you have uttered. This includes prayers for healing. God has heard every prayer and He answers every prayer. I believe that every answer to a prayer for healing is a “yes.” Yes, healing virtue has entered the sick person’s body and reduced his pain and shrunk the tumor and extended his life. God is a healer. Isaiah 53 tells us Christ died for our sins and by His stripes we were healed.
You’ve got to start by knowing who you are. You are a spirit, you have a soul, you live in a body. Your spirit is regenerated and is a holy child of God. Your soul is being sanctified as you repent of sin day by day. Your body will be glorified at the resurrection of the just. Christ is in you and He is an apostle, He is a prophet, He is a teacher, He is an evangelist, He is a healer. When you lay hands on someone, healing virtue flows out of you into that person every time.
When you go to an elder of your church or to any Christian with a special gift of healing, then be in a state of faith and be ready to receive. Know that the healing minister has a special, strong healing gift from God. Don’t get into unbelief or cynicism if you don’t experience an instant healing. Always stay in faith. The way to stay in faith is having a firm understanding of who you are in Christ and having a firm understanding of who Christ is in you.
Steps to salvation:
Jesus said “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).
Prayer to receive salvation:
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:
“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!