Divine Healing - Ronnie Trice

Divine Healing

RONNIE TRICE

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this volume are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Printed in the United States of America Copyright © 1982 Ronnie Trice All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents An Introductory Message........................................................5 Chapter One God Is for Our Healing............................................................7 Chapter Two Faith for Healing....................................................................13 Chapter Three As You Think, So You Are....................................................19 Chapter Four Walk Out of Your Sickness Into God's Divine Health.......29 Scriptures to Lay a Foundation for Divine Healing...........37 Seven Scriptural Ways to Healing........................................39

An Introductory Message "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases ..." (Psalm 103:2, 3). So many Christians today are not informed about how to receive healing or how to keep their healing once they have received it. I have seen people who have received healing and lost it. That is a very sad thing, for God's Word is explicit concerning healing. Every born-again Christian needs to know how to accurately handle the Word of God concerning healing. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15). When we are standing by faith on God's Word for healing, it does not always come instantly. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Between the time you pray and believe God, and the time you receive the physical manifestation, stand on the Word of God in faith and continue to praise Him for the manifestation. Healing is an important subject. It is important to me that I be strong and healthy, and it is important to you that you are strong and healthy. It is important to God that we are strong and healthy. Our health is so important to God that His Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, was striped and

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bruised and beaten so that you and I might be healed (I Peter 2:24). You and I, as born-again believers, should desire to be in good health, so we will be able to go about doing the work of our Lord and Savior. A sick person has difficulty fulfilling all the things the Lord has called us to do in the Great Commission (Mark 16:15-18). Jesus came and died that we might have abundant life (John 10:10). Abundant life does not consist of sickness, pain, or disease. It is God's desire that we be healed and be made whole. As a born-again child of God, we have a right to enjoy the blessings and the benefits of God. Before we can enjoy the benefits of God, we must learn the benefits of God. As you read the pages of this book, I pray that God's healing power will become a reality in your life. "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (III John 2). —Ronnie Trice

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Chapter One

1

God Is for Our Healing

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). Jesus said that He came to give us abundant life. Anything that kills, robs, or destroys spiritually, physically, or financially is not of God. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth; as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). It is God's will that we have the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. For us to enjoy the abundant life, we must be healthy. Disease was not part of God's original creation plan. "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). All the things that God made was good; therefore, God is not responsible for sickness. Sickness is an enemy that comes to rob us of the abundant life. It is important that every born-again child of God know that God is not the one responsible for sickness. When we recognize this, we can release our faith to overcome the sickness. After ministering the Word of God one night, a man came forward for healing. His arm was bent with arthritis and would not straighten out. This man was a hard working West Texas farmer, and this condition was not only painful, but it was hindering him from doing his 7

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work. As I prayed the prayer of faith, his arm straightened out, the pain left, and he had an instant manifestation of healing. This arthritis had come to rob this man of abundant life, and he recognized that it was of Satan and not of God. Therefore, he was able to release his faith to overcome the sickness. When we do not know who is responsible for sickness, then we waver in opinion. If we waver in opinion, we are double minded. We cannot believe God for healing, if we do not know who is responsible for making us sick. Remember, the double-minded man receives nothing from the Lord (James 1:7). Genesis 3:1 talks about the serpent, "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God made." In other words, the serpent was cunning, crafty, apt, skilled, and clever in the area of deceit. The Bible says Satan is a master deceiver. That is why the Bible tells us that we are to test the spirits. Disease came as a result of man's fall. We know from Genesis 1:26-28 that Adam and Eve had total authority on this earth. Psalm 8:6 says, "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet." Then where did Satan get his authority and power? In Luke 4:6, 7, the devil said to Jesus that it had been delivered to him. When was it delivered to him? It was delivered to him in the Garden of Eden. Why would Adam and Eve turn loose of such a possession of authority and power? What did Satan bargain or tempt with? "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your 8

God Is for Our Healing

eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). God had given Adam and Eve everything. They had complete rule, complete authority, complete power, and divine health. They had everything at their disposal, but they were to leave that one tree alone. Adam and Eve listened to the deceitful lie of the devil and ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Some of us have done the same thing. God tells us to stay away from certain things. We get involved in those things, then we wonder what is going wrong in our lives. That is giving place to the devil. If we give place to the devil, he is going to kill, rob, and destroy. The result was death; man fell. "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:19). The perversion of Satan began to kill and brought on disease. Therefore, reason and senses developed as resources now limited to the mind and body. God is for our healing. "If God be for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31). God is for our healing spirit, soul, and body. God sent His Son that we might be healed (I Peter 2:24). The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18, 19)

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Divine Healing 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. (Acts 10:38)

Jesus' mission was to go about doing good, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore (Hebrews 13:8). Some people have the erroneous idea that healing is not for today. Some people wonder if it is God's will to heal everyone. Some people think healing is only for a select few. Our heavenly Father is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). 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. (James 5:14-15)

Notice this Scripture says, "Is any sick among you." We can see clearly from this Scripture that it is God's plan and His will for anyone to be healed. If it was not God's will to heal everyone, the Scripture could not say "ANY." Not only was Jesus anointed by God to do good, but the believer is anointed according to II Corinthians 1:21. As born-again believers, God has anointed us and given us authority. 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 shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover/ (Mark 16:17, 18)

These Scriptures say that believers will lay hands on 10

God Is for Our Healing

the sick, and they shall recover. It does not say that believers will lay hands on only the saved, the evangelist, the rich, or the poor. It says they shall lay hands on the SICK. God wants to heal everyone! All the sick person has to do is respond to the Word of God that the believer is bringing. There was a lady in one of our services who responded to the Word of God and came forward to the altar for prayer. When I asked her what she needed God to do for her, she said that she needed a physical healing for knots on the upper portion of her body. Because of this infirmity she was emotionally distraught and oppressed by the devil. Satan had come to steal, to kill, and to destroy in this lady's life. Remember, the Scripture says that believers will lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. I laid my hands on her and prayed for her healing. I then sent her into the back to examine herself in private. She came back rejoicing. Every knot had disappeared! Folks, God's Word is true. God is for our healing. God does not put sickness on anyone. God gives us power to overcome sickness. God is in the delivering business, not the oppressing business. He is setting people free today like never before.

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Chapter Two

2

Faith for Healing

Before faith can be exercised properly, we need to know that faith is intertwined with God's Word. God's Word produces faith. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Believing God's Word is believing God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). God and His Word are one. Faith begins at God's revealed Word. The Word of God is so powerful that it can transform any life. Psalm 107:20 says, "He sent his word, and healed them...." I have heard many testimonies of people who were healed while they were sitting in church listening to the Word of God being preached. One of the most powerful testimonies that I know, is about a lady in our congregation who was healed of cancer. She was under the care of physicians, and they had confirmed that she had cancer in her body. As the Word of God came forth, she began to feel a warmth in her body. She knew that her body was being healed. On her return visit to the physicians, they could find absolutely no trace of cancer; her body was totally and completely healed. God sent His Word and healed this lady of cancer. Jesus' words are Spirit and life to those who will receive them. When Jesus approached the people who were sick, blind, lame, and withered at the pool of 13

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Bethesda, their eyes were on the pool and not on Jesus (John 5:1-18). So many people today have their eyes on natural things. Their confidence is in things and not in the Word of God. If we will get our eyes on Jesus, His Word will drive every disease away from our bodies. There is healing through the blood of Jesus and deliverance for every captive. God wants His people to believe His Word and be free. Psalm 105:7 says there was not one feeble person among them (God's people coming out of Egypt). Healing is for the glory of God. The Lord heals for His glory, and our lives should glorify Him. And there they preached the gospel. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet .... 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. (Acts 14:7-10)

A casual reader of these Scriptures once said, "Isn't it wonderful how Paul healed that man?" Brethren, Paul did not heal that man. That man was not healed because Paul was an apostle. He was not healed through Paul's great and mighty faith. That man was healed because he had faith for his healing. God loves us, and He is interested in everything about us. He is interested in our healing, and He wants us well. God has made provision in His Word for us to be healthy. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith . . . . " Through Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Word of God, faith can arise in us so that we can lay hold of healing for our bodies. 14

Faith for Healing

In Acts 14:7-10, Paul did three things. First, he preached the Gospel. Second, he perceived that the man had faith to be healed. Third, he told the man to stand and walk. Paul perceived that the man had faith to be healed. Where did the man get the faith to be healed? In verse seven it says that Paul preached the Gospel. This man was listening to Paul preach. This man was hearing the Word of God, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God. In Mark 5:25-34 is the familiar account of the woman who had the issue of blood. Verse twenty-seven of this passage of Scripture says that she heard about Jesus. She came to Jesus for her healing. As she touched the hem of His garment, Jesus perceived that virtue and power had gone out of Him. Jesus said to the woman, "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague." Jesus said her faith made her whole, not His faith! Like the man in Acts, she heard about Jesus, she heard the Word. When we hear the Word of God, faith comes to us. The Word of God is not without power. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

It is God's plan that you hear the uncompromised Word of God and allow faith to arise in your heart, so that you can lay hold of the promises and the benefits that He has for you. Faith is a way of life according to God's Word. 15

Divine Healing

"... The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17). In Acts 14:7-10, Paul did three things, but the man did three things also. First, he heard Paul preach. He heard the Word of God. Second, he had faith to be healed. Third, he leaped and walked. I know there are some people who get tired of others encouraging them to go to church. All Scripture is Godinspired, and Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us, And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

God did not put that Scripture in the Bible just so we would have something to do on Sundays. God wants us to attend church regularly so we will hear the Word of God. God wants us to know who we are and what we have in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. In so doing, we will live the victorious abundant life. God wants us informed, for we are children of light, not children of darkness. The coming of the Lord should not come upon us suddenly like a thief in the night. God wants us available to hear His Word. If we are not making ourselves available, faith is not going to be coming to us, faith will not be stirred up on the inside of us, and we will not be renewed and refreshed in faith. Like the man in Acts, once we have our faith built up by hearing the Word of God, we must do the Word of God. "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). We can believe God heals, and be sick. We must have corresponding action through 16

Faith for Healing

anointing with oil, the laying on of hands, or some other Scriptural way to healing. The apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." The Greek and Hebrew word for salvation implies the ideas of deliverance, healing, safety, and security. Paul preached the full gospel, not just part of it. P.C. Nelson, many years a Baptist minister, said: "Healing is part of the Gospel package." While he was pastoring a church in Detroit, Michigan, in 1921, he was run over by a car. While in the hospital, the doctors said that his right leg would probably have to be amputated. They said even if it was not amputated, it would be paralyzed. As he was lying on his bed, God began to speak to his heart. This man knew the Word of God. The Scripture God spoke was 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." Although his church did not practice this, he believed the Word of God. He found someone who did practice this Scriptural way of healing, and he was healed. This man was acting on a Bible principle. He had heard the Word of God concerning healing, and his faith had been stirred up on the inside. P.C. Nelson put his faith into action. He was a doer of the Word and not a hearer only. Faith without works is dead. God is no respecter of persons. God healed the man in 17

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Acts. God healed the woman with the issue of blood. God healed P.C. Nelson, and God will heal you as you hear the Word of God and respond in faith to the Word of God. It is just as much God's will that we be well as it is for us to be saved. Never doubt God's willingness to use His power to heal.

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Chapter Three

3

As You Think, So You Are

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he ..." (Proverbs 23:7). As you think, so you are. Certain things affect your thinking. What you hear, what you say, what you see, and what you do affect your thinking more than anything else. Many people do not think about healing, but in this day and hour people cannot ignore the fact that God is still in the healing business. When we begin to think healing, we will begin to enjoy healing. When we begin to think Divine health, we will begin to enjoy Divine health. As we think healing, the creative force of God is activated. In the spirit of a man is the home of sensitivity and creativity. As we begin to think in line with the Word of God concerning healing, we are sensitive to the things of God, and the creative force of God is loosed to operate in our lives. When this creative force of God is operating in our lives, God will give us His ideas and His thoughts. He will give us revelation knowledge that we might be blessed, in order that we might be blessings to others. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Thessalonians 5:23)

Man is a triune being, made up of spirit, soul, and 19

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body. When you make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, your spirit is set apart and made perfect. The spirit man does not think any wrong or do any wrong, but we still have a problem with the mind area. The mind is the soulish area. The soulish area is made up of the mind, the will, and the emotions. The soul and the body are not yet perfect, but it is the will of God that our soul and body be sanctified wholly. Brethren, we are delivered from the curse. Jesus Christ became a curse for us when He hung on the cross, and we are redeemed. We have been redeemed wholly by the blood of the lamb. Psalm 107:2 says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so ...." It would be good for us to say daily that we are redeemed from sickness, poverty, and spiritual deadness. We are free in the Lord Jesus Christ. God desires to sanctify our minds. How are our minds sanctified? Our minds are sanctified and renewed by the Word of God. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind …. (Romans 12:1, 2)

As God's Word comes to us, His truth comes to us. When God's truth concerning healing comes to us, we will begin to think truth concerning healing. Remember, as we think, so we are. For many years I did not think about healing, because the church I attended did not teach God's Word 20

As You Think, So You Are

concerning healing. I did not know Jesus still healed today. I did not know Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. As a born-again believer, you need to hear the truth, believe the truth, speak the truth, and act on the truth. When you do, you will not stay bowed down by infirmities. It may take some time for the manifestation of healing to come, for it is through faith and patience that we inherit the promises of God (Hebrews 6:12), but you will not stay that way. It is impossible for a person to stay sick if he is hearing the truth, believing the truth, speaking the truth, and acting on the truth, for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. That is God's Word; God's spiritual law, and God hastens His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). As we think God's Word, it goes from our minds into our spirits. When God's Word is in our spirits, we will receive healing, for in our hearts are the issues of life and the creative force of God. 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. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:20-23)

The mind that does not think on the things of God is a mind that is wasted. It is a terrible thing to waste the mind that God created. Philippians 4:8 instructs us on what things we are to think: 21

Divine Healing Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

We are to think life and not death. Sickness, regardless of how minor, causes death to cells in our bodies. Our minds should be on health and not sickness. Thinking on sickness does not bring life. We are all familiar with the passage of Scripture in Mark 5:25-34 about the woman with the issue of blood. After suffering much at the hands of the physicians and after spending all her money, she came to Jesus. Verse 28 in the New American Standard Version of the Bible says, "For she thought, If I just touch His garments, I shall get well." This woman was healed as a result of what she was thinking. She was thinking in line with God's Word, because she had heard the truth about Jesus. Not only did this woman hear the truth and think in line with God's Word, but she had corresponding action; she pressed behind and touched Jesus' garment. Another example is the story of Naaman in the Old Testament (II Kings 5:1-14). Naaman was a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. Naaman's wife was waited on by a little maid taken captive out of Israel, who said to her mistress, "Would God my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy." When Naaman heard that, his thinking started changing. Naaman began to think healing. He took his chariot and horses and went to the house of Elisha. He 22

As You Think, So You Are

had heard the good news concerning healing, and he took corresponding action. The prophet, Elisha, sent word for Naaman to wash in the river Jordan seven times. Naaman obeyed the word of the prophet and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan River, and he was totally healed. Many of the people in the body of Christ are sick. Many people are spending thousands of dollars on drugs and medical bills. A large percentage of the people are under the care of a physician due to the way they think. The medical profession term it psychosomatic. Why? "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he .... "

This is a spiritual law that is just as real as the law of gravity. It is very possible for a person to be sick in his mind. It is directly related to the way that person thinks. The thinking of a Christian is influenced by the ministry that person sits under. Jesus, Himself, said, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:7-8). This commission has never changed. Jesus still desires to manifest His power in every person's life. Jesus is not a respecter of persons. If you are being fed the Word of God concerning life, healing, and prosperity, you will think life, healing, and prosperity. If you are not being fed the full counsel of God concerning these things, you will not be thinking in line with the Word of God. Thinking in line with God's Word brings victory! 23

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Every believer has a commission, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.... 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. (Mark 16:15-18)

Some people do not know that God heals today. Some people are not aware that demons exist. Some people do not have knowledge about speaking in tongues. Praise God we can talk in tongues and be edified, but we must first believe. We are not going to believe these truths in God's Word, if we are not thinking on these truths. It is the believer's responsibility to tell people the good news; to tell people about Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Jesus' disciples were believers. They were doers of God's Word. In Acts 3:1-8, we read about two of Jesus' disciples. Peter and John went up together into the temple one day. There was a certain man, lame from his mother's womb, asking alms at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful. Peter and John seeing the man said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Peter took the man by his right hand, and the man leaping up, stood, and walked, and entered with Peter and John into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. God's Word was performed that day, because someone believed the Word of God. God wants us to hear the Word; the devil does not want us to hear the Word. There are some people who are 24

As You Think, So You Are

not disciplined enough to be still and give their minds to what the Word of God has to say. Why? It is because the devil comes along and tries to influence their thinking with thoughts concerning circumstances and situations they may be faced with—the housework that needs to be done, the phone call they want to make, and various other things. The list goes on and on. These thoughts will hinder people from giving themselves to the Word of God. If they allow these thoughts, they will read a few minutes, get up and leave, not even knowing what they read. Then when things in their lives start going wrong, they just cannot understand why. They wonder why they think defeat all of the time, why they are sick, why their children are rebellious, or why their business deals are going wrong. I can tell you why. It is because they have not fed their minds the Word of God to think on. When we give ourselves to the Word, we will be thinking on the truth. When we are thinking on the truth, the truth has the power and the ability to make us free. The truth will set us free from sickness and disease. The Word of God heals! We must give our minds to something that will profit us. Do you know why the Scriptures are given to us? The Scriptures are given to us to profit us, to help us, to uplift us, to encourage us, and to cause us to be overcomers. 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 …. (James 5:14, 15)

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I have had individuals say to me, "I just don't understand healing. I don't understand how the anointing of oil works." Well, I don't understand how it works either, but I don't have to understand how it works for it to work in my life. I don't understand how an automatic transmission works, but I don't allow that to stop me from driving my automobile. I really do not care how the mechanics of my automobile work, just so long as it works. The Scriptures do not tell us to understand the Word and then do the Word. The Scripture says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). We do not have to understand the mechanics of healing to be healed, but we are to believe and receive what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. We must give God something to work with. He is the potter, and we are the clay. "But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand" (Isaiah 64:8). As we think on the truths of God's Word, we are yielding ourselves to Him, and we are giving Him something to work with. Brethren, it is important. for us to understand that man is not the healer, the church is not the healer, and the preacher is not the healer, but God is the healer. God uses these instruments to transmit His healing power to people. We do the easy part. We preach healing; God causes faith to come forth for healing and causes people to think healing. We lay our hands on the sick; God causes them to recover. We anoint with oil and pray the prayer of faith; God causes the person to rise up. God does the hard 26

As You Think, So You Are

part. Do you believe Hebrews 13:8, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore? If Jesus was willing to heal the lady with the issue of blood, to heal Naaman of leprosy, to heal the lame beggar at the gate Beautiful, He is willing to heal you. Jesus has not changed, and His Word is forever settled (Psalm 119:89). Jesus, Himself, bore our sicknesses and our infirmities. (Matthew 8:17). Are you thinking sickness? Do you think you must stay in the physical condition you are in? Stop thinking like that! You do not have to stay sick, for Jesus wants to heal you. Jesus wants to heal you right now. Begin to think healing instead of sickness. As you think healing, faith will rise up in your heart for you to receive healing that rightfully belongs to you as a born-again child of Almighty God. As you think healing, you will be healed, for as you think, so you are.

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Chapter Four

4

Walk Out of Your Sickness Into God's Divine Health Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. (Psalm 103:2, 3)

We are going to focus our attention on the latter part of verse three. It says that God heals all your diseases. There are many Christians who are sick in body. God does not want us sick. God wants His people well. Why? One of the many reasons is that God wants us to be more effective witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ, able to minister the gospel unhindered by physical infirmities in our bodies. Please notice that the Scripture says that God heals ALL diseases. That means cancer, heart problems, eye problems, ear problems, colds, flu, and I could go on and on. When God said "ALL," He meant "ALL." He heals all diseases, and this is a benefit you and I are not to forget. It is a benefit of God to be healed and to be whole. God expressed His desire through the apostle in III John 2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." As we are learning the Word of God, our soul is prospering. As our soul is prospering, we are learning of the benefits of God. As we learn of the benefits of God and 29

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act in faith according to the Word of God to receive the benefits of God, we will receive them and live the abundant life Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). There are many Christians today in similar conditions as the woman in Luke 13:10-17. This passage of Scripture shows us many things. In verse twelve it says that Jesus saw the woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. Jesus sees me today, and He sees you today: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him ..." ( I I Chronicles 16:9). God is looking for a people who will believe His Word and act on His Word. When Jesus saw the woman, He said, "Woman, thou are loosed from thine infirmity." Then Jesus laid His hands on her. Jesus saw this woman, and He responded according to the Word of God. The laying on of hands is Scriptural. This is something that Jesus did. Jesus said in John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." The things Jesus did, we can do also. The apostles believed this, and they practiced this. We, too, are to believe the Word of God, in the laying on of hands, and we are to do the Word of God: "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall 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" (Mark 16:17-18). As believers, we have our part to do. We are to lay hands on the sick in faith. They shall recover, 30

Walk Out of Your Sickness Into God's Divine Health

because God will hasten His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). We are to be imitators of Jesus and go about doing good and destroying the works of the devil (Acts 10:38; I John 3:8). There are three important things to notice about this woman in verse sixteen. First, she was a daughter of Abraham. Second, it was Satan that had her bound, not God. Third, she was to be loosed from the sickness. Healing was for the Jew under the Old Covenant (Exodus 23:25-27). Healing is also for every born-again child of God (Galatians 3:13, 14). We, as born-again believers, are from the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:29), and we are redeemed from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13, 14). We must believe we are redeemed from spiritual deadness, poverty, and sickness! A part of Jesus' sacrifice was for our healing. We are healed by the stripes of Jesus (II Peter 2:24). God's Word tells us how to get healed and how to stay healed. There are certain conditions in God's Word that we need to meet if we desire to be healed and to stay healed. The first condition is to be converted, to make Jesus the Lord of our lives. The born-again child of God has a right to all of God's promises in His Word. The second condition is to have faith in God for healing. Faith is required if we are to receive from God. This is a spiritual law. Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be

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Divine Healing thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:21, 22)

If you have God's Word for something, you can believe. If you ask according to God's Word in faith for something, you will receive. Have faith in God for healing. Without faith it is impossible to please God. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). The third condition is to totally trust God. Proverbs 3:5-8 and Psalm 37 teach us to trust God. Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary was not only for our salvation, but also for our healing. Wholly trust God to heal your body as you act in line with His Word. The fourth condition is to obey God and His Word. "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" (Proverbs 4:20-22). The fifth condition is to be forgiving. "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses" (Mark 11:25). Do not harbor unforgiveness, but be forgiving.

I remember one service in which I had ministered from the Word of God concerning healing. At the altar call God was hastening His Word to perform it with signs, wonders, and miracles. As I looked down the aisle, I saw several people coming forward. The first three people to come were ladies. The Lord spoke to me and said that 32

Walk Out of Your Sickness Into God's Divine Health

they each had unforgiveness in their hearts and that it had and would continue to hinder them from receiving their healing. Before I prayed for any of them, I told them quietly (where no one else could hear) what the Lord had told me. They each said that they had unforgiveness. I asked that they talk to the Father about this and get their hearts right before we prayed. I then prayed for them, and they each one received an instant manifestation of their healing. Praise the Lord! The sixth condition is to believe in the prayer of the one ministering. The latter part of Mark 16:18 s a y s , " . . . they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." This Scripture is referring to believers. Go to a person you have confidence in to pray for you, and have faith that when they lay their hands on you and pray the prayer of faith, you will receive your healing. The seventh condition is to control your tongue. "The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life" (Proverbs 10:11).

Proverbs 12:18 s a y s , "... the tongue of the wise is health." Brethren, you are not going to be able to enjoy health and the abundant, victorious life if you have a negative confession. When you make statements such as: "Well, my daddy died of cancer when he was 52, and I guess I will, too," you are calling things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). Chances are, you are going to receive it. That is not the tongue of a wise man. When you talk like you are healed and act like you are healed, you will enjoy the benefits of healing. The eighth condition is to abide in God and in His protection.

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"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). "He that dwelleth" means he that remains, settles down, or takes up homestead. Brethren, we need to settle down in our Christian life. It needs to be settled in our lives that we are going to go to church where the Gospel is taught and preached in an uncompromising way; that we may grow in the wisdom, the knowledge, and the understanding of the Lord. The ninth thing is to praise God in faith for healing. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases" (Psalm 103:2, 3). Praise God that we are healed by the stripes of Jesus. The tenth condition is to serve God earnestly. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). Jesus said in John 5:14, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." Do not get your priorities mixed up, but seek ye first the kingdom of God. The eleventh condition is to resist the devil. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:7, 8). Sometimes symptoms come, but we must resist the devil and draw nigh to God. We draw nigh to God by drawing nigh to His Word. Look to the Word of God and do what the Word of God says. God is not going to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). The twelfth condition is to observe the laws of God and of nature. Your body and my body are the temples of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19-20). We are not to abuse

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Walk Out of Your Sickness Into God's Divine Health

our bodies physically, but we are to nourish and take care of our bodies. As I was praying before the service one time, God spoke to me and said I was going to pray for a young man in a wheelchair, and he would be healed. When the service began, I looked out over the congregation, and there sat a young man in a wheelchair. Later I called this young man forward. I shared with the congregation what God had shown me. I prayed for him, genuinely expecting him to receive an instant manifestation, but he still could not get up. He was still completely paralyzed from the waist down. I began to share with him some of the truths concerning trusting God, confessing the Word, and resisting the devil. I asked him if he believed he was healed and that he would soon have the manifestation of his healing, and he said he did. He left the service that day in his wheelchair, but about a month later, I saw him and he was out of the wheelchair and using a walker. Approximately a month later, he was not using the walker, but he was on crutches. Another month passed and he was walking without any assistance. This young man applied these twelve conditions to his life. God healed him, and today he is still healed and serving God diligently. If you will apply these twelve conditions to your life, I believe that not only will you receive your healing, but you will stay healed. It is God's will for you to be healed, and for you to stay healed. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and

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Divine Healing this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (I John 5:4)

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Scriptures to Lay a Foundation for Divine Healing I. IS GOD OR SATAN THE AUTHOR OF DISEASE? A. Job 2:7—Satan smote with boils. B. Mark 3:24-25—House divided against itself. C. Luke 13:11, 16—Verse 11—Spirit of infirmity. Verse 16—Satan hath bound. D. John 10:10—Sickness—steals, kills, and destroys. Jesus went about doing good: 1.

Acts 10:38—Went about healing all.

2.

I John 3:8—Jesus destroyed the works of the devil.

3.

Galatians 3:13—We have been redeemed from the curse of the law (Deuteronomy 28).

II. IS DIVINE HEALING BIBLICAL? A. Exodus 15:26—I am the Lord that healeth thee. B. Exodus 23:25—I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. C. Psalm 103:3—Who healeth all thy diseases. D. Psalm 105:37—Not one feeble among their tribe. E. Malachi—3:6—God changes not. F. Isaiah 53:4, 5—We are healed by His stripes. G. Matthew 9:35—Healed every sickness and every 37

Divine Healing

disease. H. Matthew 8:17—Himself took our infirmities. III. WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO GO ABOUT HEALING. A. Mark 6:56—Disciple (also). B. Luke 10:9—Also 70 more people. C. Mark 16:16—Believers. D. John 14:12—Ye shall do also. E. James 5:14—Call elders. F. I Peter 2:24—We were healed.

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Seven Scriptural Ways to Healing 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. (Proverbs 4:20-22)

I.

ANOINT WITH OIL—James 5:14-16. Mark 6:13—"And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them."

II. LAYING ON OF HANDS—Mark 16:17-18. Mark 5:21-23—Jairus believed in the laying on of hands. Mark 8:22-25—Note: It does not say he prayed. It says he put his hands on him. III. GIFTS OF HEALINGS—I Corinthians 12:8-11. Keep in mind the gifts operate as the Spirit wills and not as we will. Acts 3:1-8, John 5:1-9. IV. SPECIAL ANOINTINGS—Acts 19:11, 12. Touching cloth—Matthew 14:34, 36. Lady with the issue of blood—Mark 5. V. IF ANY TWO SHALL AGREE AS TOUCHING ANYTHING—Matthew 18:19. Anything includes healing—must be in agreement. VI. JUST SAYING IT—Mark 11:23; Mark 5:25-28; 39

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Matthew 8:5-13. Note: This is not praying, it is just saying.

VII. WHEN YOU PRAY BELIEVE THAT YOU RECEIVED IT—Mark 11:24. This method is probably operating in the highest kind of faith. Is Jesus a liar or does He tell the truth? "What things" includes healing. This I pray for you, that you may grow in the grace and the knowledge of God and that peace be multiplied to you through God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. I pray that you remain steadfast and single minded, being enriched in all things, spiritually, physically, financially, and socially by Jesus Christ our Savior. May you continue to be rooted and built up in Him and established in faith, abounding with thanksgiving. May God's Word work effectually in you, that you be strengthened with mighty power by the Holy Spirit, that you will fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, so the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, according to the grace of our God. As you go forth daily, I pray the Lord shall deliver you from every evil work and preserve you unto His heavenly kingdom, to whom be the glory forever and ever. In the majestic name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray. Amen. —Ronnie Trice

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