BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

As most of us have discovered, however, that just doesn’t work. God never changes (Malachi 3:6) because He’s always right. His ways are always perfect. He’s never the One who’s missing it, so when our prayers for healing aren’t producing results, where the change needs to take place is in us. This is what Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 13:15. He said the reason the religious people of His day were failing to receive from His ministry was because “…their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted [or changed], and I should heal them.” While that’s a sobering statement, it actually gives us some very good news about healing. It tells us that any time we see, hear and understand with our heart what the Word of God is saying, if we will change our thinking in accordance with it, we’ll be healed. Think of it! Anytime we’ll agree with God, we can receive healing! Anytime we’re willing to set aside the circumstances, or the doctor’s report, or the religious doctrines we’ve been taught and just take God at His Word, His healing power will be released in us. We don’t have to wait for our church to have a special healing meeting or for some special anointed person to come pray for us. We don’t have to wait for anything. We can just find out what the Bible says, change what we believe so that we’re in agreement with it and be healed. Anytime! “What does the Bible say about healing that I need to agree with?” you might ask. For one thing, it says that healing is always God’s will; He always wants His people well. He’s always saying to us, as His people, the same thing He said to the Israelites in Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Contrary to what some have been taught, the Scriptures don’t say anywhere that it’s God’s will for His people to be sick. There’s not one verse in the Bible that indicates He ever gets glory out of sickness, or that He puts it on people to teach them something. Those are just religious traditions the devil concocted to make the Word of God “of none effect” in our lives (Matthew 15:6). What the Bible reveals is that wherever God’s will is done unhindered, sickness doesn’t have any place at all. There’s no sickness in heaven, for instance, where everything goes exactly the way God wants. And in the beginning, when things on earth were going according to God’s will, there wasn’t any sickness here, either. God didn’t put any diseases in the Garden of Eden when He created it for Adam to live in. He created everything on earth to be “very good” (Genesis 1:31). That goodness got messed up, of course, when Adam sinned and the devil usurped his authority. But when Jesus came on the scene He showed us God’s perfect will once again. He did things exactly the way God wanted, which meant when great multitudes of sick people came to Him for help, “he healed them all” (Matthew 12:15). I’ve never understood how anyone could read about the ministry of Jesus and still think it’s God’s will for some people to be sick. It doesn’t make sense. If God wants some people sick, certainly Jesus would have come across at least one of them when He was on earth. He surely would have said to at least one of the multiplied thousands who asked Him to heal them, “No, I’m sorry. It’s not My Father’s will for you to be well. You’ll have to stay sick.” But Jesus never said that! Not to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Instead, He responded to everyone who reached out to Him in much the same way He responded in Mark 1:41 to the leper who said to Him, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” “I will;” Jesus answered, “be thou clean.” ***** article continues on next page ***** Points to Get You There It’s really not hard to receive healing. All you have to do is believe God’s Word and refuse to let the devil talk you out of it. Here are some points to get you there: 1) Find out what God says about healing and agree with it and you can be healed anytime. Matthew 13:15 2) Healing is always God’s will. Psalm 103:2-3 3) When Jesus was ministering on earth He never refused to heal anyone. Luke 6:19 4) Not only did Jesus pay the price for sin, He liberated you completely, spirit, soul and body. Isaiah 53:5 5) Sickness is as much a work of Satan as sin itself, and Jesus has defeated it and given you dominion over it. 1 John 3:8 BVOV : 29

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