In my many years of ministering healing, I’ve discovered that the number one hindrance to receiving healing—you could call it the number one enemy to healing—is not knowing that it is God’s will to heal. This is usually the issue you have to deal with in order for people to be healed. You have to get them to see that it is God’s will to heal them!
I’ve also found that there is one group of people who do not believe that healing is for us today at all. In fact, they’re sure it is not God’s will to heal.
Then there is another group of people who believe in healing, all right—but they are certain that God won’t heal them! They think they’ve been too evil, mean, or unworthy. (The devil will always bring up something.)
But we must not be found in either of these classes. We must get in the “Bible class” and find out what the Word of God teaches about divine healing.
My wife and I pastored for about twelve years, and during those years we never buried a church member. I just kept working with them until they were healed! I found out from experience how to help people receive their healing. Of course, sometimes it took me six months to help some people receive their healing, but eventually they were healed.
As I said, the main obstacle is getting people to believe that it is God’s will to heal—that He wants to heal—and that they should be healed because it is His will.
Believe You Receive When You Pray
Let me share with you a scriptural reason why it is God’s will to heal you: God promised to grant the things you ask for in prayer—when you pray believing that you receive. Let’s examine what Jesus said about this subject in Mark 11.
MARK 11:23,24
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray. . . .
Notice verse 24 particularly. Jesus is talking about prayer here.
People who do not accept the Bible say, “Mark 11:24 isn’t for everyone.” In fact, I once heard a minister say, “Well, now, Mark 11:24 won’t work for everyone.”
I always respond to this argument with the question: “Is prayer for everyone? Or is it that some are supposed to pray and others are not?” You see, the subject in Mark 11 is prayer; it’s not simply gaining the desire of your heart. Jesus tells you how to get “what things soever ye desire” through prayer, doesn’t He?
How many should pray, then? Everyone. Well, if everyone should pray, then this verse belongs to everyone—because prayer belongs to everyone.
Let’s look at verse 24 again: “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” The King James Version says, “when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” This is talking about the things you desire.
For now, we’ll just consider one desire—healing for your body—and insert it into this verse. Now it reads, “When you pray, believe that you receive healing.”
“But there’s no physical change yet,” some will argue.
I know it. Jesus said, “And then you’ll have it.” But first you must believe you receive healing!
“But I’m not healed!”
People who say this have already missed it, bless their hearts. They’re going by their heads instead of their hearts.
When you pray, you have to believe that you receive healing, and then you will have healing. When are you going to have healing? After you believe you receive it. When do you believe you receive healing? Before you have it!
“But that doesn’t make sense,” someone will complain. “That’s not even common sense.”
I know. It’s way above common sense. Did you ever read Isaiah chapter 55, where God said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (v. 9)? This kind of thinking is as high above common sense as the heavens are above the earth!
If you’re a faith person (if you walk by faith) and someone is critical of you, don’t feel embarrassed. The problem is that they can’t see what you see, because God’s Word is so far above their sight.
“That faith business! I don’t believe in that!” People who say this are confessing that they’re not saved, because the Bible says, “For by grace are ye saved through FAITH . . .” (Eph. 2:8). Doesn’t it say that? Certainly, it does.
When you pray, believe that you receive healing and you will have healing. That’s the revelation I received years ago as I lay bedfast and almost totally paralyzed on the bed of sickness. But I discovered that Mark 11:24 belongs to me! I still have the Bible I owned during that time, and you can see where I wrote in red ink beside that verse, “This means me!”
‘All’ Includes Healing
Now the Bible states that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established, so let’s turn to Matthew 21 and see what Jesus said about believing:
MATTHEW 21:22
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
How many things will you receive? All things except one? All things except healing? No, all things. If this promise did not include healing, then it would read “all things except one.”
What if Jesus had said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, ye shall receive?” Then we’d automatically have it made, wouldn’t we? Why did Jesus put that one little word—“believing”—in there? Because the promise won’t work without it! Believing, believing, believing!
Believers Already Have Faith
Some say, “That’s my trouble. I don’t have any faith.”
Why don’t you get saved, then? Saved people have faith. That’s who we are—
saved people, believers.
Once during a crusade, a woman stopped me after a morning class and said, “Brother Hagin, I want you to pray for me.”
I asked, “What for?”
She said, “I’m seventy-two years old, and I have high blood pressure and a severe heart condition. In fact, the doctors have just given up on me. They say I can’t live much longer.”
“Well, what do you want me to pray about?” I asked. “I want you to pray that I’ll have faith to be healed.”
I said flatly, to get her attention, “Well, I’m not going to do it!” It worked. She said, “You’re not?”
“No, ma’am, I’m not.”
“You’re really not?”
“No, ma’am. I’m really not.” “Well!”
I saw I had gotten her attention, so I asked, “Aren’t you a believer? Aren’t you
a child of God? Aren’t you saved?” “Oh, yes, yes! I’m a believer.”
“Well,” I said, “whoever heard of a believer who didn’t believe? You’ve already believed for the biggest miracle there is. Believing for the New Birth and being made a new creature is the biggest miracle there is. If you’ve already believed for that, you can’t believe for anything bigger than that!”
I continued, “Now suppose you had a grandson away at college, and you wrote him a letter every once in a while. Would you always add the postscript,
‘Be sure not to forget to breathe’? No, you wouldn’t remind him to breathe, because if he’s already breathing, he’s going to continue—and if he’s not, all of your reminding won’t help him!”
I explained, “You see, you are a believer—that’s who you are. And all things whatsoever you ask in prayer believing, you shall receive. I lay hands on people because I believe.’’
She responded, “I’ll be in the healing line tonight.” And she was. When I got to her, I said, “Well, I see you’ve come.”
“Yes,” she said, “and I’ll be healed too! You just lay your hands on me.” (You can see how she had changed since our conversation that morning.)
I laid my hand on her head and ministered healing to her, but I perceived that she didn’t have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (She was born again—born of the Spirit—but being filled with the Spirit is a different thing.)
I said, “You don’t have the Holy Ghost.”
She understood what I meant. “No,” she said.
So I laid my hands on her head again and said, “Be filled with the Holy Ghost!” And instantly, without stammering or stuttering, she lifted both hands and began speaking in tongues fluently.
The point I’m making is, this woman already was a believer because she was born again. And once you’re a born-again believer, all the promises in the Bible belong to you. This woman wanted me to pray that she would have faith to receive from God. But she had His promises all the time. She just didn’t realize it.
There’s an interesting sequel to this woman’s story. Twenty-three years later, my wife and I were preaching in a nearby state, and after one of the night services, my wife asked me, “Wasn’t that Sister So-and-so [this woman’s daughter] in the service tonight?”
“Yes, it was” I said.
She had left the church before my wife was able to talk with her that night, but she was there the next morning, and Oretha and I were able to visit with her. We wondered if her mother was still alive. She was seventy-two years old when I prayed for her healing, and if she was still alive, that meant she would be ninety- five.
We asked, “Is your mother still alive?” “Oh, yes.”
“How is she?”
“She’s in the best of health. Do you know, Brother and Sister Hagin, she’s ninety-five now, and she only recently quit driving her car at night!”
I’m glad we didn’t let her die at seventy-two when the doctors gave her up to die! Here she was at ninety-five, “still kicking,” glory to God, and driving her own automobile! Why? Because she found out that when you pray, “all things” include healing: All things, whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive. And that’s who she was—a believer. So she could receive!
Say this out loud: “I’m a believer.” Well, it shouldn’t be hard for you to
believe, then, should it? Start believing that healing is God’s will for you!
Healing Is a Good Gift
A key verse in the study of why it’s God’s will to heal is a familiar one found in Acts 10:38: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about DOING GOOD, AND HEALING all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
Some people say, “I don’t know whether it’s the will of God to heal me or not.”
Jesus said, “. . . I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). What did Jesus do here on earth? We read in Acts 10:38 that He went about doing good and healing. Since that is so, then doing good and healing have to be the will of God.
People sometimes get confused about the character of God because they believe something other than what the Bible says about Him. But if you want to
see God in action, look at Jesus! Jesus said, “. . . he that hath seen me hath seen the Father . . .” (John 14:9).
Always remember that Jesus’ actions reflected the will of God in action. And what did Jesus do? He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him. That means healing is good, doesn’t it?
This can be summed up in the text, Matthew 7:11: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give GOOD gifts [we found out that healing is good] unto your children, HOW MUCH MORE shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
No Quick Fixes
Before studying something else in Matthew, let’s look at three questions
James asks:
JAMES 5:13-15
13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 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:
15 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.
Notice that James is talking about three different things here: Is any afflicted? Is any merry? Is any sick?
The Greek word translated “afflicted” means to go through a test or trial orto be depressed or oppressed. The word “afflicted” does not mean sick. Also notice that the individual who is afflicted is to do his own praying! So James is really saying, “Is anyone being tested? Is anyone going through a trial? Let him pray.” Notice it doesn’t say, “Let him get someone to pray for him.” No, James said, “Let him pray.” (Another person could never be as concerned about your problems as you are.)
People today are looking for a “quick fix.” But God doesn’t have any “quick fixes”! He’s not putting on any 99-cent sales. And He doesn’t have blessings priced two-for-a-quarter. I don’t mean to be funny about this, but it’s absolutely the truth. That’s the reason James asked, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray!” (Him who? The one who’s afflicted—and that means “her” too.) Then James adds, “Is any merry? Let him sing.”
Isn’t it strange that when someone is afflicted, that person usually wants you to do the praying for him. However, when he’s merry, he doesn’t want you to sing for him—he wants to do the singing himself!
Many times people are looking for someone else to tell them what to do. But you can’t be responsible for other people, and you can’t tell them what to do.
If a person will just listen to the Bible, he’ll know what to do. “What if he doesn’t know what the Bible says?” you may ask. Then if he’ll get alone with God, the Holy Spirit will speak to his spirit!
The Bible says, “The spirit of man in the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov. 20:27). In other words, God will direct you through your spirit.
I know from experience that this works. People have come to me for advice, and I’ve said, “Well, let’s pray.” And we got down on our knees and prayed for as much as an hour. Afterwards, when I asked them what their problem was, they replied, “Oh, I already have the answer, bless God. I got it while we were praying.” I never did have to counsel them.
Our Counselor
JOHN 14:16,17
16 And I [Jesus] will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth. . . .
The Greek word translated “Comforter” in verse 16 is paraclete, a word that has a sevenfold meaning: Comforter, Helper, Counselor, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, and Standby. What more would you need?
That’s why James said, “Is any afflicted? Is any going through a test? Is any in trouble? Let him pray?” Why? Because when you’re in prayer, the Holy Spirit, who is your built-in Counselor, will give you direction!
Have you ever noticed how many times the Holy Spirit will take the Word and open it up to you while you’re praying? Jesus promised His disciples that the Holy Spirit would bring His words to the remembrance of those who believe in Him.
Whatever God said in His Word, He said to us. It belongs to us. And the Holy Spirit will bring God’s words to our attention while we’re praying. But He can’t bring them to our attention if we ignore Him and run to other people for help!
Don’t misunderstand me—others ought to help us if they can. But if we do what the Bible says, it will solve our problems. We will get permanent help.
Well, what does the Bible say? It says, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray.”
Do you need comfort? There’s a Comforter on the inside of you—the Holy
Spirit. Do you need help? The Helper is inside you. Do you need counsel? The Counselor is inside you. Do you need an advocate—one who pleads your case? The Holy Spirit is your Advocate. Do you need an intercessor? He’ll help you intercede. Do you need strength and someone to stand by you? He’s your Strengthener. He’s your Standby. That means He’s just standing by in case you need Him. He’s there.
Now let’s look at something else in James.
JAMES 5:14-16
14 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:
15 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.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Many years ago, the leading Greek scholar in the United States told me that verse 14 in the original Greek literally says, “Are any beyond doing anything for themselves? Let them call for the elders of the church.”
There are many directions we could go here, but the point I’m making is based on verse 16: “. . . pray one for another, that ye may be healed. . . . ” Healing must be a good thing, because God wouldn’t tell us to pray for something that wasn’t good, would He? And if it’s good, then healing must be the will of God—especially for Christians.
Would God tell you to pray for something that wasn’t His will? That would be stupid, wouldn’t it? And I don’t believe God is stupid!
What Is a Good Gift?
MATTHEW 7:11
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more [some of you need to say that to yourselves until you start shouting about “how much more”] shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
From the standpoint of the Fatherhood of God, Matthew 7:11 says that God will give good things to us. But God told us to ask for them. And He said, “Pray one for another.” So healing belongs to us. Say this out loud: “Healing belongs to me. God wants me well!”
Our Heavenly Father gives good things to them that ask Him. Well, what is good? Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went about doing good—and healing. Healing is good!
I want to ask you another question, since we’re talking about healing: Is sickness a good thing? If it is, we ought to never want to get rid of it. We ought
to want to keep it. But it’s not a good thing to be sick and off work, to lose your job, to see your children go hungry, and to lose your automobile and home. (You could ask just anyone on the street about that, and they would know better!)
Likewise, Is healing a good thing? Well, if you’re hurting, doesn’t it feel good when the hurting stops? Yes, it is a good thing to be well and healthy, to be able to stay on the job, and to provide for your family. Anyone would know that’s good, even from the natural standpoint.
Let’s see what else the Bible says.
JAMES 1:17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
The Heavenly Father never changes. He doesn’t vary the least bit. And every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
That means sickness and disease could not be good gifts, because sickness and disease don’t come down from Heaven. It would be
impossible—because there’s no sickness or disease up there!
In what is commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” the disciples are told to pray, “. . . Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Now if it is the will of God for His children to be sick on earth, then it has to be His will for them to be sick in Heaven. And we’ve already learned that they can’t be sick in Heaven, because the Bible says there is no sickness there. If we are told to pray, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven,” then we are told to pray that there not be any sickness on earth. It is just that simple.
If sickness can’t come from Heaven, then it could not be a good gift, according to the biblical
definition. Yet I’ve actually heard ministers say, “Well, we don’t know what’s good for us—God does. And He sometimes puts sickness on people.”
God certainly doesn’t put sickness on people, because He doesn’t have any! You can’t give someone something that you don’t have. So if there’s no sickness in Heaven, where would God get it in order to put it on you? He’d have to steal it from the devil, and God’s not a thief!
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. This must mean the healing comes from Heaven, because Jesus came from Heaven, and He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Matt. 8:17)! Start believing this today!
