Keys to Healing - Part 6

Key #6 - Understand your authority over sickness

If you search the entire New Testament, you will find that there is very little said about praying for the sick. As a matter of fact, I am only aware of one scripture that even uses the words praying for the sick and that is James 5:15. All of the other scriptures and examples we find in Jesus' ministry and that of the early church has to do more with using authority and speaking commands to be healed. Jesus never prayed to the Father asking Him to heal somebody, He spoke to the person and said something like, "Raise and walk!" The early church did the same thing, except they added the name of Jesus. Peter didn't pray for the lame man to be healed, he spoke to the man saying, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." (Acts 3:6)

What is the point in all this? It has to do with our authority over sickness and disease. Authority doesn't ask or beg God to move on our behalf, authority speaks commands in faith. Jesus gave us authority over all manners of sickness and diseases, because we are seated with Him in heavenly places. Jesus wouldn't tell us to heal the sick if we had no authority to do so (Matthew 10:8).

"And these signs shall follow them that believe...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:17-18)

"For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch." (Mark 13:34)

To beg God for something that has been provided to us in the covenant we have with Christ, is a demonstration of unbelief in that covenant blessing.

Since healing is indeed part of our covenant with God, it changes the way in which we call for a healing. In order to please God, we must be in a place of faith, and faith believes the promises and provisions of the covenant that we have through Christ. Begging for a healing is certainly not the prayer of faith we find in James 5:15. Notice that the only time we find the word prayer used for healing, we also discover that prayer for a healing is called a prayer of faith. "If it be God's will" is not a prayer of faith, but rather prayer of petition.

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