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Category Archives: Healing

Healing Principles – Intercession

02 Oct

HandsThis will be my last post on the principles that govern the healing that Christ provided for us on the cross. In my last article we saw how healing is based upon a Word from God. We need to really grasp this point.

Healing is not based upon my need. Neither is it based upon my love for the sick person or my desire to see them get well. Healing is initiated by a Word from God for me to take authority over that sickness.

That explains what James said in his letter.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:16

We see two important thoughts in this verse. First of all there’s confession of need. I already talked about this one in a former post in this series. If nobody knows about your sickness, how can they be in prayer for you?

The word confess literally means to speak out where you’ve missed the mark. This includes if you are missing the mark of God’s perfect health.

The second thought is just as important, yet highly overlooked in our generation. James says to pray for one another for healing. I believed that we’ve totally misunderstood what he’s saying here.

He’s not talking about laying hands on people to bring healing. This verse is speaking about our daily routines. We should be praying and interceding for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Then, from time to time we will receive a Word for someone’s healing…or other situations they may be going through.

The last line of this verse clinches that for me. It says that the energized prayer of the righteous is a mighty force.

Energized prayer – I believe he can only be talking about prayer in the spirit by using that term. Paul talks about it in that way as well.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Romans 8:26

When I intercede in the spirit for my fellow believers, I’m praying beyond my limited knowledge. Then the Holy Spirit is free to give me a Word for their healing. That’s the precise way that the healing ministry of Jesus took place.

Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
John 5:19

The whole ministry of Jesus was Word based. He heard from the Father, and then did what He saw. Of course, that meant spending a large amount of time in the spirit, listening to the Father’s voice. That’s the biggest hurdle for us. We need to take the time necessary to operate at this level.

I believe that the day is coming when the church will finally be so upset by our lack of power, that we’ll press in and learn to hear God clearly. That’s what will initiate the final harvest before the coming of the Lord.

We need to be a people of prayer. Prayer in the spirit and intercession for others should be a part of our daily walk. This will bring us to where we need to be as God’s people.

Question: What would the church look like if this was in place?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on October 2, 2015 in Healing, Power of God, Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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Healing Principles – The Word

30 Sep

BeamI’m taking a few posts to talk about the Biblical principles surrounding divine healing. I believe that God wants to use the church to the same degree that Christ healed the sick when He walked the earth. The problem is that we don’t understand all of the things involved.

One big key to healing is found in the book of James.

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
James 5:14-15

I feel that in this modern age we really don’t get what James means by the prayer of faith. I get the impression that we think it’s all about quoting the Bible and tacking on “in Jesus name” at the end. James has a whole different perspective.

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
James 5:17-18

The example he uses is Elijah stopping the rain from falling in Israel. What would cause him to do something like that? There’s an assumed chain of events that led to his famous prayer.

He was at home, in prayer, when suddenly he heard a Word from God. That’s the only explanation for the boldness he had. God spoke to him and said that the rain would stop when he delivered the message to the king.

This is the very example that James uses to illustrate healing prayer. The assumption is that to pray this kind of prayer, you must have heard from heaven. It’s based upon hearing a Word from God.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

This verse literally says that faith comes by hearing the rhema – Word of God. That’s the Word that God Himself speaks to us. But in order to hear this Word, we have to spend time in His presence listening to His Spirit.

That’s what we find so hard to do in this generation. We want everything to come instantly. No waiting on the Lord in prayer. We just want the perfect spiritual formula that will assure us the answer every time we pray it.

Unfortunately that’s not how God operates. Over and over again in the Scripture we see that healing is associated with receiving a Word from God.

He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Psalms 107:20

If we want to see more healings in the body of Christ then we have to do it His way. We must spend more time in prayer and prayer in the spirit. That’s how we will position ourselves to hear from God. Faith will rise within us. Then the Word of healing that we speak will be powerful and effective.

Question: How have you seen divine healing operate through God’s people?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on September 30, 2015 in Faith, Healing, Prayer, Word of God

 

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Healing Principles – Truth

28 Sep

MirrorFor the past couple of posts I’ve been talking about God’s divine healing that was provided by Christ on the cross. So far we’ve seen that sickness is a part of the sin nature and our healing is based in the authority of God.

Today I want to talk about a problem I see in the lives of some believers who erroneously believe that denial is the path to their healing. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But first, I need to make it clear that I wholeheartedly believe in the confession of the Word of God. We need to speak out our faith. The words of our mouth must line up with God’s view of life as found in the Scriptures.

That being said, there are those who take this too far. If the doctor gives them some bad news, especially when it’s something like cancer, they start to deny it. When they’re with other believers they’ll act as if there’s nothing wrong. You ask them how they’re doing and they say, “I’m healed and whole.”

It actually all comes down to fear. They’re afraid that if somehow they slip up in their “faith confession”, God will never heal them.

The fact is that because sickness is a part of the sin package, it’s to be treated the same way that any other kind of sin is taken care of.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
I John 1:8

Because sickness is a part of this package, you can replace the word sin with sickness. The principle is that claiming you’re not sick, when you are, means that you’ve deceived yourself. We cannot sweep sickness under the carpet and expect to be healed. Denial is never God’s method for anything that needs to be removed from our lives.

God’s way is just the opposite.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9

Never deny your sickness. Denial is based in fear and it causes us to leave the path of truth. What we must do with sickness is to confess it so that He can remove it. We do this to let Christ purify us – body and soul.

This agrees with the Word in other parts of Scripture.

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:13-14

This verse tells us some good advice. If you’re going through troubled times, then pray. If you’re cheerful, sing. If you’re sick in some way, call elders in Christ.

Please realize that depending on the church this may or may not be the official elder board. This verse is talking about those who know God’s Word concerning healing.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
James 5:15

This is God’s divine order for the sin package. Confession of the problem and removal by the prayer of authority based upon faith in God’s Word. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a physical sickness or a sinful activity.

Question: How have you experienced confession and removal in your Christian walk?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2015 in Faith, Healing, Power of God, Prayer

 

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Healing Principles – Authority

25 Sep

KeyI’m taking a few posts to talk about the guiding principles that surround God’s provision of healing for His people. In my last article I showed that sickness is a part of the sin nature. It misses the best that the Lord wants for us.

Now I want to talk about our authority in Christ Jesus. We’ve been given that name that’s above all other names.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11

The Lord expects us to walk in and use His name in all of our activities. That means I need to strive to live the way He lived. That’s the only way I can adequately represent Christ to the world. It also means that I have a responsibility to seek the Lord’s way of ministry.

How did Jesus heal the sick? He’s our example for how it’s to be accomplished.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Mark 10:51-52

This is one of the many healings that are recorded in Scripture. One thing that strikes me right away is the boldness that Jesus had. We see the same thing in the ministry of the Apostles after the resurrection. Look at what happened in the Temple courts when Peter met a crippled man.

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.
Acts 3:6-8

In both cases Jesus and the Apostles were acting under the authority of God. What we need to understand is that the prayer for healing is a prayer of authority. That means that you don’t have to ask God to do it. It is a command that the healing be manifest.

It’s the same as when demons are cast out of an individual. I’ve had the privilege of delivering someone from the bondage of demonic possession. I didn’t ask God to do it. I took authority over the demon in the name of Jesus Christ.

I commanded it to leave based upon the clear teaching of Scripture that we’ve been given authority over all the power of the enemy. Sickness is the same way. The Word shows us that God hates sickness. It’s a blight on His perfect creation. We have His authority to command it to be healed.

The church needs to once again walk in the authority we’ve been given. Of course, as I’ve said before, this carries a responsibility to live as Christ lived. I think this might be the biggest hindrance to us living it out.

One more thing about our authority in Christ. Some people think that this is the only issue and run off to try it and fall on their face – spiritually speaking. In my next post I’m going to deal with another major principle that needs to be in place for us to see more healings taking place in the church.

Question: How have you used the authority of the name of Jesus recently?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on September 25, 2015 in Healing, Power of God, Spiritual Warfare

 

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Healing Principles – The Sin Nature

23 Sep

TargetI believe that Christ is the Healer. I believe that in His death, burial, and resurrection He paid the price for all sickness and disease to be healed. That being said, I also understand the reality that not everyone is healed at this point in church history.

Just like it’s God’s desire for all to be saved, I believe He wants us all healthy and whole. But please understand, I’m not one of those who lightly says, “You just didn’t have enough faith” when someone’s not healed.

There are certain kingdom principles that I think we’ve missed along the way. I want to take a few posts to talk about some of these as they relate to the healing that’s available to all believers.

The first is the principle of the sin nature. We need to understand how this relates to sickness. I covered this aspect in great detail in a series I posted called Healing 101. To read that series click here.

The bottom line of what Scripture teaches is that sickness is a part of the sin nature. Let me be clear – sickness is not always caused by a specific sin in our life, but it is a part of the total sin package that Adam embraced.

Sin means to miss the mark. Adam was created to never be sick. Sickness misses the mark of God’s desire for our health. Jesus Christ himself made reference to this fact during His ministry on earth. This took place when a group of men lowered their sick friend to Jesus through a hole they cut in the roof.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.
Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Luke 5:20-26

In looking at this event in the life of Jesus, it’s important to note that the Greek word that we translate as forgive literally means to remove. Therefore, according to Jesus’ own testimony, in order to prove that He could remove sin – He removed sickness.

Jesus would not have made such an amazing statement unless it was true. This is one of the most important concepts we need to hear. When a person is healed, a manifestation of the sin nature is removed from their life.

In order to understand how healing works in the church, we must first come to grips with this truth. God feels the same way about sickness that he feels about any other sin – He wants it gone!

That’s good news. I don’t have to worry about whether or not it’s God’s will to heal me. It is. I just need to understand the guiding principles about how that healing is accomplished in me.

Hopefully, over the next few posts I can bring those across. My prayer is that as you read these, you can lay hold of it. If the result is that your healing manifests, please share it with us in the comments so that God can get the glory for His work in you.

Question: How has God healed you in the past?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on September 23, 2015 in Healing, Ministry, Power of God

 

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How Persuaded are You?

11 Sep

Bible 2We sometimes tend to treat the things of God very lightly. We say things like, “Of course I’m trusting God.” But are we really? How far would we let our faith take us? That’s the real test of our belief.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews talked about some Old Testament saints who stood their ground in the spirit.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
Hebrews 11:13

This Scripture says that they saw the promises of God from a distance. Obviously Christ had not arrived on the scene yet. They had to wait for the fulfillment. They went to their graves fully trusting God for the outcome He promised.

There’s actually more to it than that. The word saw in the above verse literally means to become persuaded. These believers become persuaded about God’s power.

How persuaded are you? They were convinced in God’s ability to accomplish what He said He would do. What’s the confession that people hear from your mouth?

It should be: “God can heal.” “God can restore broken homes.” “God can provide for needs.” “God can change people’s lives.”

Not only were these Old Testament people persuaded by God’s abilities, the verse says that they welcomed His promises. That word welcomed means that they embraced those promises even at a distance.

Are you embracing the Lord’s Word for yourself? It’s not enough just to agree that God is able to do something. You need to make it personal.

“God can heal me.” “God can restore my home.” “God can provide for my needs.” “God can change my life.”

We all have to come to the point where we understand that we serve a very personal God. Christ didn’t just go to the cross for the sins of the world. He went to save ME from MY SIN. I need to see Him as the One who is presently working in my life.

That will lead me to the next thing that these bygone saints were known for. They admitted, literally confessed, that they were aliens and strangers on earth. That word, in Greek, means to speak the same as. I need to speak the same Word that the Lord speaks.

I’m an alien here on earth. I’m a part of the heavenly kingdom. I have access to more than our society does. It changes the way I talk.

“God is my Savior.” “God is my Healer.” “God is my Provider.” “God is my Restorer.”

This is where our strength comes from. It’s not from how good I am, but how good my God is.

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

That word confident is the same word persuaded from the verse above. How persuaded are you, not only that God can do the work, but that He will complete it in you? It’s not about us. It’s all about what He has accomplished for us. Let the Word of God fully persuade you to put your whole trust in the Lord.

Question: What are you trusting God to accomplish in you?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on September 11, 2015 in Faith, God's Provision, Healing, Power of God, Word of God

 

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Do You Understand God’s Mercy

22 Jun

ThroneLet us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

This verse speaks about that place of intimacy that’s available to us in Christ Jesus. We have access to boldly enter the throne room of God. It’s a place of rest and peace in the Lord. According to this passage we can confidently approach the throne of grace for two things. The first is to find grace. The second, according to the literal Greek, is to take, lay hold of mercy.

This is one of the greatest yet unused blessings that God bestows upon His people. Unfortunately, we have no idea what God means by mercy in this modern generation.

When we use the word mercy it’s usually when we’ve done something wrong. We want to be shown leniency, so we say, “Please have mercy on me.” This is not the Biblical concept of mercy. The mercy of God is so much higher than that. I want to show you a glimpse of the power of mercy.

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied.
Matthew 9:27-28

This is a very interesting encounter in the life of Christ. It’s unlike any other which is recorded in the Word of God. While it’s true that many people asked Him to have mercy on them, and many blind people came to Him, Jesus never ministered like this any other time.

He waited until they were in a private place. Then the Lord asked them if they believed that He could do this. Believed that He could do what? Since there was no other request, Jesus was asking if they believed that he could give mercy.

I believe that Jesus looked into their heart and saw that they understood the concept of mercy and wanted them to confirm it with their lips. Why is this so important to us?

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”
Matthew 9:29-30

Again we see something out of the ordinary in the ministry of Jesus. He never asked them specifically what they wanted. He simply said that what they believed for was theirs. Apparently, they were trusting God to restore their sight because that was the result.

But the mystery doesn’t end there. Jesus warns them not to tell anyone what happened. Why would He do this? Everyone knew that Jesus gave sight to the blind. Why would He possibly say not to tell anyone about it?

I don’t believe that it was the healing that Christ was referring to. As you’ll see in the next few posts, only God can give mercy. This encounter was proof to the Jews of Jesus’ divinity. Whenever He did a miracle on that level, like raising the dead, He usually instructed the witnesses not to tell anyone about it.

I believe that there’s more to mercy than we could have ever imagined. That’s what I want to share with you in this series of articles.

Question: What’s your definition of the mercy of God?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on June 22, 2015 in Faith, Healing, Power of God, Spiritual Walk

 

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Healing 201 – Let the Crumbs Fall!

22 Apr

CrumbsIn may last post I talked about healing as the children’s bread. I said that this was talking about healing under the covenant we have with God. This is how Jesus healed the sick in Israel.

There were times Jesus healed a sick person even when doubt was there. Some came to Jesus not being sure that He was willing to heal them. But in the end they left healed. Jesus never told them to come back when they had more faith.

The fact is that bread is the right of children. Through Christ I have been adopted into the family of God. As a result, He has agreed to feed me. Those are not my rules, but His.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7:9-11

How much plainer could the Lord have made it? It’s clear that in the Jesus’ mind the Father is obligated to feed His children. The teaching that God only heals under special circumstances or for great faith is man’s teaching, not God’s.

Think about what the woman said to Jesus. How does this apply to the church today?

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Matthew 15:27

Think about the implications here. Having raise three children from infancy I understand the truth of this statement. Crumbs are only falling when the children are eating.

If there’s not much healing taking place in the church…then there are fewer crumbs falling. If fewer crumbs are falling…then there’s not much miraculous healing taking place in the world. All because the children aren’t eating.

We need churches where the table is set. We need pastors and churches who are willing to serve the bread. Then the children will eat and the crumbs will fall.

You may not like what I’m saying or even agree with it. But it’s God who made the rules, not me. He says that if I go to the Lord I will get bread.

Stones and bread. We’ve heard that in another place in the Bible. Jesus was tempted by the devil to take a stone and turn it onto bread. Jesus’ response was, “No, the Father gives bread.”

Satan is the one who gives stones in place of bread. It’s God the Father who give good gifts to His children. You couldn’t ask for a better parent. How could we even imagine that an earthly parent would treat his children better than the Lord? God, forgive us for our unbelief!

Jesus paid for our healing with the stripes on His back. He is the bread of Life. We celebrate this every time we partake of the communion bread. We need a fresh revelation of Christ the Healer.

Spend time in His presence. Look to Jesus, knowing that in your covenant is everything you need for life and godliness. He’s provided the bread, we just need to see the Lord as our Healer and receive what He’s already provided.

Question: What would the church look like if it were walking in this to the extent that Jesus did?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on April 22, 2015 in Faith, Healing, Power of God, The Church

 

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Healing 201 – Our Covenant of Healing

20 Apr

BreadI’ve been posting about the healing that Christ purchased on the cross for us. We saw that sickness is a part of the sin package and that our healing is a part of our righteousness. We will now turn to an incident in Jesus’ ministry.

This encounter was recorded in both Mark 7 and Matthew 15. These two sections together give us the whole picture.

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”
Matthew 15:21-22

Here we see that a Canaanite woman had a daughter with a demon, manifesting in sickness. We know that she begged Jesus to do something about it.

He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
Matthew 15:26

In Jesus’ response, the Bible literally says it is not proper etiquette, not right in appearance to give her the children’s bread. Of course God never worried about surface appearances. Jesus had no problem eating with tax-collectors and prostitutes.

‘Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Matthew 15:27-28

We always use this for an example of supernatural healing, but there’s more going on than meets the eye. Some teachers look at this and say that the daughter was healed because the woman had great faith. So, therefore, it takes great faith for healing. NO!!!! We miss the whole point.

According to Jesus, healing is the children’s bread. In this response we can see God’s priority.

“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
Mark 7:27

Did you hear what the Lord said? First fill up the children with all they want to eat. In other words; first heal the church, then the world. So in this statement of Christ we see two kinds of healing.

The first is a covenant healing which is by right. I’m not trying to be arrogant when I say this. He calls us His children. Parents obligate themselves to feed their children. God decided to do it this way. It’s all a part of a normal faith relationship.

The other healing is for those outside the covenant, by special faith. This is because it originally takes faith to enter the covenant. A majority of Jesus’ ministry was covenant healing.

The sick person came to the Lord, He laid hands on them, and they left healed. There was no stirring up of their faith required – He just did it.

That’s because healing was a part of the covenant that God’s people had entered into. A quick search of the words heal and healing will show the many places that God promises to heal His people in the Old Covenant.

At this point, we have entered a Better Covenant. Through the blood of Christ we have the fulfillment and not just the shadow. How much more does the Lord desire to bring healing to those who are in Christ? In my next post I’ll take this a bit further.

As I’ve said before, the church needs a greater understanding of Jesus Christ the Healer.

Question: How do you see the New Covenant as being better than the Old?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on April 20, 2015 in Faith, Healing, The Church

 

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Healing 201 – Righteousness Brings Healing

17 Apr

BeamIn my last post I started talking about God’s provision to heal His people. But let’s take this a step further. I said that God wants to remove all sin; and sickness is a part of that package.

When God removes something, He always replaces it with something else. What’s the opposite of sin?

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
Romans 6:13

It’s clear from Scripture that the opposite of sin is righteousness. You can read all of Romans, chapters 5-6, and see how God replaced sin with His righteousness.

The fact is that I can’t be righteous on my own – it had to be a work of God’s power.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

On the cross, Christ became sin so that we might become righteousness. This is a divine truth, but how does it apply to healing? If you can grasp this it will set you free.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 2:24

This recaps everything that we’ve been saying. Sickness is a manifestation of the sin nature. In the same way that sickness is a part of the sin package, healing is a part of our righteousness.

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
Malachi 4:2

I’ve heard this verse preached in the past. Usually the preacher or teacher will transform the word sun into the word son and speak about the Son of God. Christ is the Healer, but there’s more to it than that.

In order to really lay hold of what the prophet is saying in this verse, we must understand the ancient Hebrew mindset. Think about what it looks like when the sun rises on a new day. Maybe there’s a small cloud or two in the sky.

As the light of the sun breaks forth you see the rays of light emanating from the sun and reaching to the earth. We call these the rays of the sun or sunbeams. The ancient Israelites didn’t use this terminology. They called these rays the wings of the sun.

The prophet Malachi saw a day when the Messiah would usher in God’s righteousness. He saw it rising like the sun in all of its glory. But he saw something else that should make us rejoice.

Emanating from that righteousness, like the rays of the sun, was healing for all who came into its light. What an incredible truth to lay hold of! Healing emanates from righteousness.

Just as sickness is a part of the sin package, healing is a part of the righteousness that Christ purchased for us. Healing is not something that God decides to do or not do on a case by case basis. It was provided once and for all at the cross.

The church needs a fresh revelation of Christ the Healer. When that happens, His righteousness will bring the healing we seek.

Question: What else has Christ provided through His righteousness?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on April 17, 2015 in Faith, Healing, Power of God, The Church

 

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