Bible

Healing Study Course

Kenneth E. Hagin


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


Bible Healing Study Course
ISBN-13: 978-1-60616-747-2
ISBN-10: 1-60616-747-2


Copyright © 1999 RHEMA Bible Church
Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc.
AKA

All rights reserved.

Electronic Edition Published 2013

The Faith Shield is a trademark of RHEMA Bible Church, Kenneth
AKA

Hagin Ministries, Inc., registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office and therefore may not be duplicated.
 Chapter 1
Healing: God at Work

Some Christians who need healing have said to me, “Maybe God put this
sickness on me for some purpose.”
Did Jesus ever put sickness on anyone? When people came to Him for
healing, did He ever turn even one away saying, “No, it’s not My will. Just suffer
a little longer. You’re just not pious enough”?
No! Not once!
And the Scriptures tell us that to see God, we look at Jesus. Jesus Himself
said:

JOHN 14:9,10
9 . . . Have I [Jesus] been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he
that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto
you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

God at Work
Do you want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus. Do you want to see
God at work? Look at Jesus. Do you want to know the will of God? Look at
Jesus. Jesus is the will of God in action (John 6:38). Did Jesus go about making
people sick? No! He went about doing good and healing!

ACTS 10:38
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. . . .

From the natural standpoint, it is difficult for people to understand that most
of the laws governing this earth today came into being through the fall of man—
when Adam sinned and the curse came upon the earth. Because people don’t
understand this, they accuse God of accidents, sickness, and the death of loved
ones. And God is not the author of any of these things.
People also blame God for the storms, catastrophes, earthquakes, and floods
that occur. Even insurance policies call these “acts of God.” No, they are not acts
of God. They are acts of the devil. Their author is Satan.
All of these natural laws as we understand them were set aside by Jesus,
whenever necessary, in order to bless humanity. Bear in mind that Jesus said,
“He that has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Well, we don’t see Jesus
bringing any storms on people. We see Him calming the storms!

Rebuker of Storms
A storm had arisen on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus was in the back of the ship
asleep on a pillow. The disciples awoke Him and said, “Master, carest Thou not
that we perish?” They thought they were going down at sea. But Jesus arose and
rebuked the wind. He wasn’t rebuking something God did. He was rebuking
something the devil had stirred up.
You see, Adam was originally the god, so to speak, of this world. God made
the world and the fullness thereof (Ps. 89:11). Then He made man, Adam. He
said to Adam, “I give you the authority to rule this earth. You are the one who
dominates.” But Adam sold us all out to the devil. (He didn’t have the moral
right to do it, but he had the legal right, because the earth was his—God put it
into his hands.)
Adam committed high treason and sold out to the devil. And the Bible tells us
that now Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). When did Satan become the
god of this world? After Adam sinned.

Under Control?
We need to get some of these things straight in our minds, because many in
the church world are confused. People have all kinds of unscriptural ideas. Some
think, Well, God’s got everything under control. But that may or may not be so,
according to how you mean it. If you mean that God is ruling the earth right now
—no, He isn’t! He’s going to rule it again one of these days, but He’s not right
now.
During the Korean conflict, I read an article by a well-known newspaper
columnist. He said, in effect, “I don’t claim to be a Christian, but I’m not an
atheist or an agnostic. The atheist says there is no God. I believe there is one.
The agnostic says there may be a God; he doesn’t know. I believe there is.
“I don’t believe everything just happened into being,” he continued. “I believe
some Supreme Being created everything. But what hinders me from being a
Christian is what I hear preachers saying. I’m confused because they say God is
running everything. And if He is, He sure has things in a mess.”
Then the man alluded to wars, children being killed, poverty, disease, and
sickness, saying, “I believe that there is a Supreme Being somewhere and that
everything He made was beautiful and good. I just can’t believe those things are
the work of God.”
Well, the truth is, those things came with the Fall when Adam sinned and
Satan became the god of this world. When Satan is finally eliminated from the
earth, there will be nothing that will hurt or destroy. And then it ought to be
obvious where all those things came from.
Jesus’ statement, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father,” and His
description of the Father make it impossible to accept the teaching that sickness
and disease are from God. The very nature of God refutes such an idea, for God
is love.
Let’s go back to Acts 10:38 for a moment. Who anointed Jesus of Nazareth?
God did! And Jesus said, “. . . the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the
works” (John 14:10).
How did God do these works of healing through Jesus? By anointing Him
with the Holy Ghost and with healing power. What did Jesus do with the
anointing with which God had anointed Him? He went about doing good! What
was the good that He did? Healing! So God was healing when Jesus healed,
because it was God who anointed Him.
God is in the healing business, not in the sickness business! God is in the
delivering business, not in the bondage business!
Jesus Healed All
Notice in Acts 10:38 who was healed by Jesus: “. . . ALL that were oppressed
of the devil. . . .” Now, that’s a plain statement—all. A-l-l! That means everyone
who was healed under the ministry of Jesus was oppressed of the devil. In other
words, the devil had something to do with their sickness. That doesn’t mean an
evil spirit was always present. It just means the devil was behind the whole
situation. They were oppressed of the devil—every one of them.
Yet to hear some people talk nowadays, even ministers, you would be led to
believe that God and the devil had swapped jobs for the last 2,000 years! You’d
think God was putting sickness on people and the devil was healing them. No,
the devil is the same devil he always was. And God is still the same God.

MARK 16:15,17,18
15 And he [Jesus] said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. . . .
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils. . . .
 18 . . . they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Let’s stop and analyze this. Which one of the sick did Jesus say to lay hands
on? He just said the sick, period. Well, if God were the author of sickness, if He
did put sickness and disease on people, and if it were His will for some to be
sick, then this statement would be confusing—because Jesus authorized us to lay
hands on all the sick and said they would recover.
If it were God’s will for some to remain sick, Jesus would have had to have
said something like, “Lay your hands on those whom it is the will of God to
heal, and they shall recover. And those whom it isn’t God’s will to heal, they
won’t recover.” But that wasn’t the case. God set the Church against sickness,
period!

JAMES 5:14,15
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.

Verse 14 asks, “Is any sick among you?” Among whom? The Church. So it
must be God’s will to heal any of the sick in the Church. Therefore, it can’t be
the will of God for “any” in the Church to stay sick.

Suffering With Jesus

“Brother Hagin,” one individual said, “you’ve forgotten that the Bible said, ‘If
we suffer with Him, we’ll reign with Him.’” No, I haven’t forgotten. Let’s look
at that verse. “If we SUFFER, we shall also reign with Him . . .” (2 Tim. 2:12).
Suffer what? Pneumonia? Cancer? Tuberculosis? No! What did Jesus suffer?
Persecution! And you will too, if you live right.
You’ll suffer persecution if you preach divine healing, the gifts of the Spirit,
and faith. I’ve suffered persecution for preaching the Word in these areas. But I
haven’t suffered sickness and disease.
Another person said to me, “You’ve forgotten something else.”
“What did I forget?” I asked.
“Why, in the Book of Hebrews it says, ‘Whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth’” (Heb. 12:6).
No, I didn’t forget. That’s still in there. But it doesn’t say whom the Lord
loveth He makes sick. You see, people have just put their own interpretation on
that verse.
The word “chasten” in the Greek means to child train or to educate. You train
your children, don’t you? And you send them to school to be educated. But have
you ever told a teacher, “If my child doesn’t do right, knock his eye out”? Have
you ever said, “If he is disobedient, break his leg” or “Give him cancer”? No!
That isn’t the way you discipline or train a child. And that’s not the way God
does it.

Job’s Problems
God doesn’t use sickness and disease to teach His children a lesson.
“But God made Job sick,” someone said.
No, He didn’t. The devil did.
“Yes, but God gave the devil permission.”
True, but God didn’t commission it. You see, God will permit you to rob a gas
station, but He won’t commission you to do it.
No, the Bible is plain about why sickness came upon Job. Job had said, “. . .
the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of
is come unto me” (Job 3:25). So he himself had opened the door to the devil by
being afraid.
Bible scholars agree that the entire Book of Job took place in nine to eighteen
months. And in chapter 42, you can read about the works of God! For example,
Job 42:10 says that God turned Job’s “captivity.” That means when Job was sick,
he was in captivity to the devil. When he was in poverty, he was in captivity to
the devil.
But God turned Job’s captivity and gave him twice as much as he had to begin
with (v. 10)! Job lived 140 years after he got healed! That’s God’s work!

Paul’s Thorn
Someone might say, “But, Brother Hagin, don’t you remember that Paul was
sick all his life?”
No, I don’t remember that. And you don’t either.
“But he had a thorn in the flesh.”
Where did you ever read in the Bible that a thorn in the flesh is sickness?
Nowhere. Go back to the Scriptures and see how that term is used. In the Old
Testament, God said to Israel, “If you don’t kill those Canaanites when you
possess the land, they will be thorns in your side. They will torment you” (Num.
33:55; Joshua 23:13; Judges 2:3).
Paul tells exactly what the thorn was—the messenger of Satan sent to buffet
him (2 Cor. 12:7).
Everywhere Paul went to preach, this evil spirit stirred up everything he could.
He buffeted Paul in the flesh. And Paul couldn’t command him to leave the
earth, because he has a right to be here until Adam’s lease runs out.
You can’t separate sickness and disease from Satan. Disease came with the fall
of man. The Fall was of the devil. Sickness and sin have the same origin—the
devil.
Jesus’ attitude toward sickness was an uncompromising warfare with Satan.
His attitude toward sin and sickness was identical. He dealt with sickness the
same way He dealt with demons. Since sickness and disease are of the devil, we
must follow in the footsteps and attitude of Jesus and deal with disease as Jesus
dealt with it.

Healing Is God’s Provision

God always has been opposed to sickness, not in favor of it. Even in the Old
Testament, He always made provision for His covenant people to be healed. If
sickness was His will, He wouldn’t have made that provision.
When Israel crossed the Red Sea and started toward their homeland, the Lord
said:

EXODUS 15:26
26 . . . If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is
right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put
[literal Hebrew, “I will permit”] none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought
[permitted] upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

Notice it isn’t the Lord who made them sick. He said, “I am the Lord that
healeth thee.” God didn’t put diseases upon Israel, nor upon the Egyptians. It is
Satan, the god of this world, who makes man sick. Jehovah declares that He is
Israel’s Healer.

EXODUS 23:25,26
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will
take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I
 will fulfil
As long as Israel walked in the Covenant, there was no sickness among them.
There is no record of a premature death—no babies, young people, or middle-
aged people dying. With sickness taken away from the midst of them, the
children of Israel lived out their lives without disease. They just fell asleep.
When the time came for them to go, they would lay hands on their children and
pronounce blessings upon them. Then they would gather their feet up into bed,
give up the ghost, and go home.
“What does that have to do with us?” someone asked. “That was back then.”
Well, God is the same God now as He was then. The Bible says He doesn’t
change (Mal. 3:6). God was against sin in the Old Testament, and He is against
sin in the New Testament. He was against sickness in the Old Testament, and He
is against sickness in the New Testament. He made provision for healing in the
Old Testament, and He made provision for healing in the New Testament.
Deuteronomy 7:13 says, “And he [God] will love thee. . . .” Love thee! Love
thee! Love thee!
But some people must not be reading the same Bible. They read, “And He will
put sickness upon you and cause some of you to be stillborn and some of you to
die when you’re babies and some of you to be sick and crippled all your life.”
No! No! No! That’s not the Holy Scriptures. Here is the Word of God:

DEUTERONOMY 7:13-15
13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy
womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine,
and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you,
or among your cattle.
15 And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put [permit] none of the evil
diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee. . . .

“But that promise is not for us today, Brother Hagin,” someone said.
Are you sure? First Corinthians is in the New Testament, isn’t it? Well, First
Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened unto them [Israel] for
ensamples [examples or types]: and they are written FOR OUR ADMONITION .
. .”!

Examples for Us
Glory! Deuteronomy 7:13-15 was written for my benefit! I think the Holy
Spirit knew there would be those who would jump up and say, “That’s just for
the Jews. It’s not for us!” So He wrote that what happened to them happened as
examples to us. Those things “written aforetime,” talking about the Old
Covenant, were written for our learning (Rom. 15:4). Deuteronomy 7:13-15 was
written for my admonition!
Do you think those people back then would be more blessed than the Church
of the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you think they could be blessed financially and
could prosper and be well, but the Church couldn’t? Do you think that the
Church—the Body of Christ, the Body of the Son of God, the Body of the
Beloved—would have to struggle through life poverty-stricken, sick and
afflicted, emaciated, and wasted away with starvation, singing, “Here I wander
like a beggar through the heat and the cold”? No! That’s not us!

We’re Not Beggars

The Bible says we are joint-heirs with Christ, sons of God! We’re not beggars!
We’re new creatures, blessed above all people!
You can see from the Scriptures that it was God’s plan for everything
connected with Israel to bear the stamp of prosperity and success.
Disease and sickness were not to be tolerated among the Israelites, so the Church
shouldn’t tolerate sickness and disease either. Everything connected with the
Body of Christ—the New Testament Church—should bear the stamp of
prosperity, success, healing, surplus, and health.
What God said concerning Israel, He said in so many words concerning the
Church. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it
is the power of God unto salvation. . . .”
I don’t agree with all of Dr. Scofield’s notes in his Reference Bible. But he
was a Greek and Hebrew scholar, and his footnote on this verse in reference to
the word “salvation” is excellent. Dr. Scofield says, “The Greek and Hebrew
words translated salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation,
healing, and health.”
Glory to God! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto
deliverance! The Gospel is the power of God unto safety! It is the power of God
unto preservation! And it is the power of God unto healing and health!
God Was Israel’s Healer
The Psalms were Israel’s prayer and song book, and they continually mention
that God was Israel’s Healer. Psalm 103 is a classic example.

PSALM 103:3-5
3 Who [the Lord] forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender
mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Disease came to Israel through disobedience of the Law. So forgiveness for
their disobedience meant healing of their diseases.
After God told Israel that the reason for their sickness and disease was that
they had rebelled against His words and against the counsel of the Most High
(Ps. 107:11), He said:

PSALM 107:17-20
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

You see, the children of Israel took themselves out from under the protection
of their covenant by wrongdoing. Well, we have a New Covenant. The Bible
says that it’s better than the Old Covenant (Heb. 8:6). And we too have divine
protection.
But it is possible to take ourselves out from under the protection of this
covenant.
I’m not judging you. I’m judging me. I learned the truth years ago as a
teenage boy on the bed of sickness. I was raised up after sixteen months of being
bedfast: I was healed of two serious organic heart conditions, an incurable blood
disease, and almost total paralysis. In the years following, the only time some
physical disorder touched me was when I got out from under the protection—
from under the cover. And, brother, I got back under it in a hurry!
When I say I got from under the cover, I don’t mean that I stole something or
told a lie on somebody. I just wasn’t obeying God as I should. Perhaps He said to
do something, or He told me to minister a certain way, and I went ahead and
ministered the way I’d learned to minister instead of the way He said to minister.
So I had to repent and get back in line. And the minute I did, I was immediately
all right again physically.
For more than sixty-five years I haven’t even had a headache. I’ve walked in
health. And I’m not planning on being sick—I could be, but I’m planning on
obeying God until I die. If Jesus tarries, I don’t mind telling you that I’ll live to a
great age.
I’ll know before I go, and I’ll tell everyone good-bye before I leave. I’ll look
over on the other side and say, “There it is, folks!” And then I’ll be gone! I want
to leave everyone shouting and happy, because that’s the way I’m going.
“But, Brother Hagin, you can’t ever tell.”
Oh, yes, you can tell. You can have exactly what God said you can have!
We have a better covenant than Israel had. If it was God’s plan for the
Israelites to live out their full length of time without sickness (who, by the way,
were servants and not sons, under a covenant not as good as ours!), then imagine
what His plan is for us, the sons of God! If God didn’t want His servants sick, I
don’t believe He wants His sons to be sick.
I believe it is the plan of God that no believer should ever be sick. I believe
every believer should live out his full length of time and, if Jesus tarries, actually
wear out and then fall asleep in Him. It is not—and I state boldly,
not—the will of God that we should suffer with cancer and other dreaded
diseases which bring pain and anguish. No! It is God’s will that we be healed.
How do I know? Because healing is provided for us under the New Covenant.
 Questions for Study

1. If you want to know what God is like, who should
you look at?
2. Who is the author of storms, floods, earthquakes,
and all other catastrophes?
3. When Satan is finally eliminated from the earth,
what kinds of things won’t exist anymore?
4. What two things make it impossible to accept the
teaching that sickness and disease are from God?
5. What does the word “chasten” mean?
6. In Second Corinthians 12:7, what did Paul tell us
his “thorn in the flesh” was?
7. For whose benefit was Deuteronomy 7:13-15
written?
8. What do the Greek and Hebrew words translated
“salvation” imply?
9. How did the children of Israel take themselves out
from under the protection of their covenant?
10. How do we know that it’s God’s will that we be
healed?
 Chapter 2
Healing: God’s Will for You

In church meetings, I’m sure many of us have seen marvelous healings and
miracles occur as the Spirit of God manifested Himself through the gifts of the
Spirit. But I believe we sometimes think the only way God heals is through
manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit.
According to First Corinthians 12:7-10, gifts of healings and the working of
miracles are manifestations of the Spirit of God. However, we can’t always
guarantee that God is going to move spectacularly through the gifts of the Spirit,
because the Bible says, “But all these [gifts] worketh that one and the selfsame
Spirit, dividing to every man severally AS HE WILL” (v. 11). Therefore, we do
not always know when God will move spectacularly through the gifts of the
Spirit. However, we do know that God’s Word always works.

The Word Works

We need to keep in mind that when the gifts of the Spirit are not in
manifestation, people can still be healed through faith in God’s Word. Therefore,
we can always teach people the Word of God. In fact, I’ve seen just as many
marvelous healings and miracles occur as a result of teaching people the Word of
God, as I have when God moved miraculously through the gifts of the Spirit.
Healings and miracles can occur simply by teaching people the Word of God
and by getting them to exercise their own faith for healing. You see, the Word is
anointed. God’s Word is the same whether I feel the anointing or not, and the
Word always works!
Many times I think people are waiting for a manifestation of the Spirit of God
to heal them. But they don’t have to wait for a manifestation of the Spirit
because the Word of God will always work for them!
For example, if doctors told you that you were going to die, would you just
wait for a manifestation of the Spirit of God before you accepted the healing
Jesus already provided for you? No, of course not!
Thank God, the Bible says, “. . . Himself [Jesus] took our infirmities, and bare
our sicknesses” and “. . . by whose stripes ye were healed” (Matt. 8:17; 1 Peter
2:24)! If you were healed by Jesus’ stripes, then you are healed now by His
stripes.
 I’ve seen more people healed in my ministry because they heard the Word and
acted on their own faith than by any other way. Praise God, the Word works!
That’s the reason Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word . . .” (2 Tim. 4:2). Also,
it’s through the Word that we can be assured that it is God’s will to heal us.

Satan Is the Author of Sickness

We know that it’s God’s will to heal His people because healing is in God’s
redemptive plan. We already read the scripture, “. . . Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:17). So we know that healing is in
the redemption that Jesus provided for us.
We also know that it’s God’s will to heal His people because sickness and
disease come from Satan, and God does not want us to have anything that comes
from Satan. We really don’t have any business with something that doesn’t
belong to us. Sickness and disease don’t belong to us—they’re of the devil. By
the same token, healing does belong to us. Jesus purchased healing for us in the
plan of redemption through His death, burial, and resurrection.
Unless our minds are renewed with the Word of God, we won’t understand
that Satan is the author of sickness, disease, and everything that destroys. Our
thinking will be all wrong. But once our minds are renewed with the Word of
God, we will be able to see that Jesus came to redeem us from Satan’s power and
to give us life more abundantly.
JOHN 10:10
10 The thief [devil] 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.

Jesus’ Earthly Ministry

According to John 10:10, anything which kills or destroys is from the enemy.
The Bible also plainly tells us that when Satan is finally eliminated from the
earth, the law of sin and death will stop functioning: there will be nothing that
will hurt or destroy (Isa. 65:25).
Jesus came to do the will of God and to set men free, not to hurt or destroy
lives. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to say that God hurts or destroys people’s
lives.
Jesus healed people in His earthly ministry, taking sickness from people, not
putting sickness on them. That makes it impossible to accept the teaching that
sickness and disease come from God. Jesus plainly taught by His words and His
actions that sickness and disease come from the enemy, Satan.

ACTS 10:38
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.

Be Loosed From Satan’s Bondages

LUKE 13:11-16
11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was
bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed
from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on
the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in
them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the
sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these
eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

Verse 11 says this woman had a spirit of infirmity. Where did the spirit of
infirmity come from? Notice the phrase in verse 16: “. . .whom SATAN HATH
BOUND. . . .” In verse 16 Jesus also declared that this woman should be loosed
from this infirmity and gave two good reasons why.
One reason was that Satan had bound her. We know that sickness and disease
are bondages. God’s people should not be bound by sickness or disease because
Jesus already paid the price for our redemption in the New Covenant.
The second reason Jesus said the woman should be healed was that she was a
daughter of Abraham. I’ve heard people say, “Yes, but that’s Old Covenant.”
Well, we’re under the New Covenant, and it’s a better covenant established upon
better promises. Certainly, if God’s people can be healed under the Old
Covenant, we can be healed under a new and better covenant!
To say that we have to be bound by Satan is wrong thinking! Galatians 3:29
says, “. . . if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to
the promise.” And Galatians 3:7 says, “Know ye therefore that they which are of
faith, the same are the children of Abraham.”
The woman in Luke 13 with the spirit of infirmity was a daughter or child of
Abraham, and so are we—if we are in Christ! Jesus said this woman ought to be
loosed. Well, if she ought to be loosed, then we ought to be loosed! Therefore, if
Satan tries to bind us with sickness or disease, we don’t have to accept that! We
can be healed.

The Issue Is Settled

God calls sickness and disease satanic oppression. But, thank God, we read in
Acts 10:38 that Jesus went about doing good in His earthly
ministry, healing all who were oppressed by the devil! So many times people get
confused and think God is the one who puts sickness and disease on them. But
Acts 10:38 plainly states that Satan is the oppressor and that Jesus is the
Deliverer! Let the Word of God—not man’s ideas or opinions—settle this issue
once and for all. Healing is the will of God for you!

EXODUS 23:25
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will
take sickness away from the midst of thee.

God told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 28:15, “. . . it shall come to
pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do
all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all
these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.”
This verse doesn’t mean that if the children of Israel disobeyed God, God
would send curses upon them. It simply states that if they disobeyed God, the
curses would be able to come upon them, because disobedience takes God’s
people out from under His protection!
By way of illustration, if you saw your child about to put his hand on a hot
stove, you’d warn him, “Honey, don’t do that! You’ll get burned!” But if your
child disobeyed you, and he put his hand on the stove anyway and burned
himself, that wouldn’t mean you commissioned or authorized that. Indirectly you
permitted him to choose whether or not he would obey you, but you warned him
what would happen if he did touch the hot stove.
Well, it’s the same way with God. And it’s only in that sense that God permits
certain things to happen in our lives, because He has already warned us in His
Word about the consequences of disobedience. He said in essence, “If you walk
in My statutes and keep My commandments, then I’ll take sickness away from
the midst of you, and the number of your days I will fulfill” (Exod. 23:25,26).
I’ve also heard people say, “I was sick and I learned a great lesson from it.”
Well, I’m sure that any child who has ever burned his hand on a hot stove
learned a lesson too. He learned not to put his hand on a hot stove! But that
wasn’t the way his parents would have chosen to teach him. And sickness and
disease are not God’s way of teaching us either. That would be cruel, and God is
not cruel.
The Word of God should settle the issue of God’s willingness to heal you. Say
it out loud: “Satan is the oppressor. Jesus is the Deliverer. With Jesus’ stripes I
am healed.”
Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Because God’s Word declares that healing is in God’s plan of redemption and
that sickness and disease come from Satan, not God, you can know and be
assured that healing is God’s will for you!
 Questions for Study

1. Why can’t we always guarantee that God is going to
move spectacularly through the gifts of the Spirit?

2. What do we need to keep in mind when the gifts of
the Spirit are not in manifestation?

3. When the gifts of the Spirit are not in
manifestation, how can healings and miracles occur?

4. People who need healing don’t have to wait for a
manifestation of the Spirit to be healed. Why?

5. List two reasons we know that it’s God’s will to
heal.

6. What will happen once our minds are renewed with
the Word of God?

7. In Luke 13:11-16, Jesus gave two reasons why the
woman with the spirit of infirmity should be loosed.
What are they?

8. What does God call sickness and disease?

9. Why do we know sickness and disease are not God’s
way of teaching us?

10. According to John 10:10, why did Jesus come?
 Chapter 3
Two Streams of Healing

I’ve noticed that in the church world, people tend to treat important subjects
like faith and prayer in a very general way. I think the same thing has happened
with the subject of healing. Many times people just put all the scriptures on
healing in the same sack, shake it up, and pour them all out together. It’s no
wonder that folks have become confused.
We need to learn to rightly divide the Word of God on every subject. For
example, when we look at prayer, it’s important to recognize there are different
kinds of prayers. One kind of praying won’t work where another kind of praying
should, so it’s necessary to find out what kind of prayer will work in each
situation.
Well, when you study the subject of healing, you’ll begin to see that there are
two streams or methods of healing found in the Scripture.

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.

MARK 5:25-30,34
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was
nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she
was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue [power, anointing] had gone out of
him, turned him about in the press. . . .
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole
of thy plague.
In these scriptures we see these two streams of healing: one is prayer, and the
other is being ministered to under the anointing. Both will bring you the same
results, but you need to understand that there’s a difference between the two.
 The Stream of Prayer
We know it’s thoroughly scriptural to pray for the sick. Mark 11:24 says, “. . .
What things soever ye desire, when ye PRAY, believe that ye receive them, and ye
shall have them.” That would include healing, wouldn’t it? Otherwise the
scripture would have said, “What things soever you desire except healing. . . .”
No, Mark 11:23 and 24 includes all things—whatsoever you desire when you
pray—as long as they’re in line with God’s Word!
These same two verses of Scripture brought me off the bed of sickness as a
teenage boy. I had been bedfast for sixteen months with a deformed heart and an
incurable blood disease. Five different medical doctors said I had to die because
medical science couldn’t do anything for me.
But something inside of me, the inward witness, said, “You don’t have to die
at this early age. You can be healed.”
I began to meditate on Mark 11:23 and 24, because something inside of me
told me I would find the answer for my healing there.
Now God may use some other passage of Scripture to lead you. You can’t just
lay some pattern down and say that’s the way it’s going to work with everybody.
But with me, He used Mark 11:23 and 24. When I acted upon those verses,
believing I received my healing when I prayed, I was healed!

The Prayer of Faith

You can be healed through prayer. In my case, I prayed the prayer of faith for
myself. And you can do the same thing, because prayer is one stream of healing
that’s available to all of us!
On the other hand, you may not be in a position to pray. Your faith may not be
at that level, or perhaps you haven’t been taught along those lines. Then the
Scripture also says, “Is any sick among you? let him CALL FOR THE ELDERS
of the church; and LET THEM PRAY over him. . . . And THE PRAYER OF
FAITH SHALL SAVE THE SICK, and the Lord shall raise him up . . .” (James
5:14,15).
I want to point out three things here that will be a blessing to you. First, the
very fact that James asks the question, “Is any sick among you?” implies that
there should not have been any sick among them.
Second, it proves that healing is for everyone. He didn’t say, “Let them call
for the elders of the church, and those whom it’s God’s will to heal will be
healed, and those whom it’s not God’s will to be healed won’t be healed.” No, he
said, “Is any sick among you?” So then, healing must be for “any” who are sick
among us.
Then we also see that it’s the prayer of faith that saves the sick. The same
Greek word “sozo” translated save here is also translated heal. In other words,
you could read it: “The prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and the Lord shall
raise him up.”
A person can pray in faith and receive healing for himself—the same way I
did as a young boy when I was raised up from the bed of
sickness by faith in Mark 11:23 and 24. A person can also call for the elders of
the church and let them pray over him—and the prayer of faith shall save the
sick (James 5:14,15)!
James 5:16 goes on to say that believers can pray for one another that they
might be healed, because “. . . The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a
righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]”
(Amp.)!
As Christians, we need to get this revelation down on the inside of us. The
Bible says our effectual, fervent prayers can cause God’s healing power to be
manifested!

The Stream of the Anointing

The other method or stream of healing mentioned is being ministered to with a
tangible anointing (Mark 5:30). In other words, you don’t have to pray for God’s
healing power because it’s already present to minister to people.
This is the stream of healing power that Jesus flowed in here on earth. Jesus
never had to specifically pray for the sick because He was already anointed to
minister healing to them (Acts 10:38).
Don’t misunderstand me. It’s thoroughly scriptural to pray for the sick, and
the Scriptures instruct you to do so. But, you see, there was no need for Jesus to
pray for something He already had—the healing anointing!
Jesus said in John 14:12: “. . . He that believeth on me, the works that I do
shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do. . . .”
Well, if we’re going to do the works of Jesus in any measure, then it has to be
with the same anointing. Therefore, we should learn something about how the
anointing works.
Jesus used many methods of ministering healing, but the most prominent one
seems to be the laying on of hands. You might say it was a point of contact
through which the anointing could be transferred.
Also in connection with the laying on of hands, the Bible mentions two
different times when people touched Jesus’ clothes and they were healed (Matt.
14:35,36; Mark 5:30).
As we saw earlier in Mark 5:30, when the woman with the issue of blood
touched Jesus’ garment, “. . . Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that
VIRTUE had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who
touched my clothes?”
The Greek word translated “virtue” throughout the King James Version means
power. What was the power that went out of Jesus? It was healing power. It was
the power with which He was anointed.
ACTS 10:38
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.

We know that Jesus works the same today because Hebrews 13:8 says that
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if in His physical body Jesus
was anointed with the Holy Ghost to heal and do good yesterday, then He’s
doing the same thing today through His Body, the Church. Therefore, He is still
healing people by the anointing or power of the Holy Spirit!
Where did Jesus’ power come from? God anointed Him with it!
Someone said, “But Jesus is the Son of God. He was God manifested in the
flesh!” Yes, but the Word of God tells us that when Jesus came into this world,
He laid aside the use of His mighty power and glory (Phil. 2:6-8). The Amplified
Bible says that He “. . . stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity],
so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and
was born a human being” (v. 7).
Think about that for a moment. At age twenty-one, Jesus didn’t heal anybody
or work any miracles, yet He was just as much the Son of God then as He was
when He was thirty years old. But the Word tells us that the Son of God laid
aside the use of His mighty power and glory.
It was only after the Holy Ghost descended upon Jesus and He was anointed
that He began to minister in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:1-14). No miracles
of healing took place until He was anointed.
So you see, it’s the anointing of the Holy Spirit that brings the power! And
this stream or method of healing—healing ministered by the anointing or power
of the Holy Spirit—is still available today.
Faith Gives Action to the Power
Now there’s something you need to understand about this stream through
which the healing anointing is ministered: There is a role that you play as a
receiver!
You see, even though God has anointed people to minister healing to the sick,
folks must understand that healing is by degree. Therefore, it is based upon two
conditions: the degree of healing power administered and the degree of a
person’s faith to receive.
When healing is ministered with a tangible anointing, the power of God is
present to heal, but the person has a part to play too. It’s the person’s faith that
gives action to the healing power of God that’s transmitted to him.
Remember Jesus said to the woman with the issue of blood: “. . . Daughter,
THY FAITH hath made thee whole . . .” (Mark 5:34)! Someone might say, “I
thought it was the anointing that healed her.” Well, yes, it was, but it was the
woman’s faith that gave the healing anointing action.
Thank God, there are several methods of healing available to us because God
desires for us to be whole and well. Prayer and the ministering of the tangible
healing anointing are two of them. And with proper understanding, we can learn
to flow with the Spirit of God in these two streams. Then we can use our faith to
give action to God’s healing power in our lives. But the main thing God wants us
to know is that He wants us well and free!
 Questions for Study

1. What are two streams of healing found in
Scripture?

2. Prayer is one stream of healing that’s available to
whom?

3. Give two possible reasons why you may not be in a
position to pray.

4. According to James 5:15, what kind of prayer saves
the sick?

5. What does the Bible say our effectual and fervent
prayers can cause?

6. What seems to be the most prominent method of
ministering healing that Jesus used?

7. How do we know that Jesus works the same today
as He did in the New Testament?

8. What do you need to understand about the stream
of healing through which the healing anointing is
ministered?

9. Healing is by degree and is based on what two
conditions?

10. What gives action to the healing power of God?
 Chapter 4
You Can Receive If You Believe

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 or to
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!
 Questions for Study

1. What is the number one hindrance, or enemy, to
receiving healing?

2. When you pray, you have to ___________ that you
___________ healing, and then you will ___________
healing.

3. According to Matthew 21:22, how many things will
you receive when you ask in prayer?

4. What kind of people have faith?

5. When do all the promises in the Bible belong to
you?

6. Why do people sometimes get confused about the
character of God?

7. What does the Greek word translated “afflicted”
mean?

8. What is the sevenfold meaning of the word
“paraclete”?

9. According to Matthew 7:11, what kind of things will
God the Father give to us?

10. Our Heavenly Father gives good things to them
that ask Him. According to Acts 10:38, what is good?
 Chapter 5
Is It God’s Will To Heal You?

Scripture reveals the nature of God to us. It also reveals the attitude of God
toward sin, sickness, and disease. God’s nature has not changed through the
ages. Neither has His attitude changed toward sin, sickness, and disease.
You need to know this in order to understand divine healing. In fact, the first
principal fact you should know about divine healing is: It is God’s will to heal
you, because healing is in His redemptive plan.
The Bible says that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be
established (Matt. 18:16). Notice that the following texts from Isaiah, Matthew,
and First Peter all agree that Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.
ISAIAH 53:4,5
4 Surely he [Jesus] hath borne our griefs [sicknesses], and carried our sorrows [diseases]: yet we
did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
This passage of Scripture is taken from the King James Version. A good
reference Bible will have a marginal note by the words “griefs” and “sorrows”
(v. 4) to tell you that the Hebrew words are literally “sicknesses” and “diseases.”
Dr. Isaac Leeser’s translation of The Hebrew Bible, a translation authorized for
use by Orthodox Jews, reads: “Our diseases did he bear himself, and our pains
he carried: while we indeed esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and
afflicted.”
MATTHEW 8:17
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
This text is clearer yet. Matthew is quoting Isaiah. If you check the reference,
you’ll find that he is quoting Isaiah 53:4. I like to say it this way: “Jesus took my
infirmities and bare my sicknesses.”
I read this verse for years before I understood what it was saying: Jesus
actually—literally—took the cause of our sickness and disease. He took our
infirmities and bare our sicknesses.
We know that Jesus was made to be sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). The object of His
sin-bearing was that we might be free from sin, and the object of His sickness-
bearing was that we might be free from sickness. This truth is also reflected in
First Peter 2:24:
 1 PETER 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Thus, three witnesses—Isaiah, Matthew, and Peter—tell us not only that Jesus
shed His blood for the remission of our sins but that with His stripes, we were
healed. Some people do not believe this. I once read a commentary whose author
said that “by whose stripes ye were healed” does not mean physical healing; it
means spiritual healing. So according to the commentary, your spirit is healed by
His stripes.
God, however, does not heal the spirit of the sinner. He recreates it and makes
the person a new creature.
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, prophesying in the Old Testament, said, “Behold, the
days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel. . . .”; “. . . and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony
heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” (Jer. 31:31; Ezek.
11:19).
Those who believe that God heals man’s spirit do not believe that man ever
failed or sinned. Their unscriptural propaganda says that all of us have a spark of
divinity that God needs to perfect. No! A sinner needs to be born again to
become a new man—the new creature described in Second Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (The marginal note here says
that he is a “new creation.”)
When a person gets healed, however, old things do not pass away and become
new—just the sickness passes away. The part that was diseased becomes new. (If
I have a boil on my nose and that boil gets healed, I don’t get a new nose. It’s the
same nose I always had. Just the diseased part is gone.)
Therefore, First Peter 2:24 does not mean spiritual healing; it means just what
it said. As I read further from this gentleman’s commentary, I thought, If this
means spiritual healing, then the Lord Himself didn’t know it and He made a
mistake. I was recalling an incident that happened during a meeting I held in
Oklahoma.
If We Were, Then I Am!
One of the seven cooperating churches was pastored by a couple I had known
in Texas. They said, “We’re going to bring a woman from our church for prayer
one night, Brother Hagin. She’s crippled and hasn’t walked a step in four years.
We’ve taken her to the best specialists in the state, and they all say she’ll never
walk again ‘the longest day she lives.’”
Ordinarily I minister under the anointing. But on the night she came, I had
ministered to so many people that by the time I got to her, I was exhausted. (The
Lord is the same all the time, but I am not. Potentially, the anointing is present
all the time, but in manifestation, it’s not—and when I grow weary, it is difficult
to yield to God.)
Since the anointing was no longer in manifestation by the time I got to this
woman, I couldn’t conscientiously minister to her as I normally would. Her
pastors had brought her to the meeting from a distance, and what was I to do?
Just send her away?
No, there was still a way to minister to her—because God’s Word never fails!
The manifestation of the anointing may wane, disappear, and be gone. But the
Word of God is anointed forever, and His words are Spirit and Life! Hallelujah!
So I sat down on the altar beside the woman, opened my Bible to First Peter
2:24, laid the Bible on her lap, and asked her to read it.
Then I asked her, “Is the word ‘were’ past tense, future tense, or present
tense?”
A look of recognition flashed across her face like a neon light lighting up in
the dark. “Why,” she said, “it’s past tense. And if we were healed, I was healed!”
(That is believing in line with God’s Word.)
I said, “Sister, will you do what I tell you to do?”
“Well,” she said, “I will if it’s easy.”
I said, “It’s the easiest thing you ever did in your life. Just lift up your hands
and start praising God, because you are healed—not going to be—are!”
I wish you could have seen that crippled woman. She had no evidence of
healing. She had not yet walked a step. But she lifted her hands, looked up, and
as a smile broke across her face, she said, “Oh, dear Father God—whooo! I’m so
glad I’m healed! Oh, Lord, You know how tired I got sitting around these last
few years. I’m so glad I’m not helpless and I don’t need to be waited on
anymore.” (You see, she was acting on the Word. That’s what faith is.)
I stood and told the congregation, “Let’s all lift our hands and praise God with
her, because she is healed.” (And yet, from all observation, she was still sitting
on the altar, crippled.)
After we stopped, I turned to the woman and said, “Now, my sister, rise and
walk in Jesus’ Name!”
God and hundreds of people are my eternal witnesses that she instantly leaped
to her feet, and she jumped, ran, and danced—just like the lame man who went
into the Temple, walking, leaping, and praising God (Acts 3:8).
We all shouted and cried with her. Then someone went and told a lie about
me! He said, “That fellow, Hagin, healed a crippled woman last night.”
But I didn’t have any more to do with it than you or anyone else could have.
Jesus healed that woman nearly 2,000 years ago, and she just found out about it
that night!
The point I am making is that although that so-called minister said, “First
Peter 2:24 doesn’t mean physical healing,” it was the only verse I gave the
crippled woman! I thought to myself, If that verse means only spiritual healing,
then God made a mistake. He should have healed her spiritually, not physically!
Friends, First Peter 2:24 means just what it says, and it belongs to us now.
Bless God, by Jesus’ stripes we were healed!

Our Rights To Be Healed

Jesus not only redeemed us from sin, He redeemed us from sickness. So it is
God’s will to heal you. Never doubt it, because healing is in His redemptive
plan.
Not only is healing in God’s redemptive plan, but because Jesus sealed the
New Covenant with His own blood, we also have a legal right to divine healing
(Heb. 8:6; 12:24; 13:20)!
The New Covenant guarantees us the rights and privileges that Jesus secured
for us, which include divine healing. In Mark 11:24 He said,
“. . . What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them.” Therefore, we have a prayerful right to divine healing!
Then in Psalm 23, the psalmist talks about Jesus as our Redeemer, saying,
“Thou PREPAREST A TABLE BEFORE ME in the presence of mine enemies . .
.” (v. 5). Therefore healing is our provisional right—our Heavenly Father has
prepared a table of provision for us, and it includes healing!

Incline Your Ear

The Master is calling you to take your place at the banqueting table and dine!
He invites you to partake of divine healing and every other privilege that belongs
to you in Christ! How? By inclining your ear to God’s Word, because God’s
Word is His will.
Since God’s Word is His will, you could say, “The Bible is God personally
speaking to me.”
Someone said, “Yes, I know what the Bible says about healing. But I don’t
believe it just that way.”
Well, if you have that attitude, you are not inclining your ear to God’s sayings
—to His Word. Instead, you are inclining your ear to your own beliefs and
opinions.
Some Christians don’t incline their ears unto God’s sayings because they
always want to hear something new from the Word. When someone preaches or
teaches on the subjects of faith and healing, they say, “Oh, I’ve heard all that
before.” But those folks aren’t inclining their ears to God’s sayings!
You see, the Word doesn’t work for you because you have inclined your ear
once or twice to God’s sayings. No, “incline your ear” is present tense. That
means it’s an ongoing, continual action.
Proverbs 4:20 and 22 says, “. . . INCLINE thine ear unto my sayings. . . . For
they are life unto those that find them, and HEALTH [medicine] to all their
flesh.” Why should you incline your ear unto the Word of God? Because God’s
Word is medicine. It’s a never-failing remedy for all your flesh, which includes
everything that pertains to your life.
 Questions for Study

1. What does Scripture reveal to us?

2. What is the first principal fact you should know
about divine healing?

3. What three scripture texts all agree that Jesus took
our infirmities and bore our sicknesses?

4. In the King James Version, Isaiah 53:4 has the
words “griefs” and “sorrows.” But how are these
Hebrew words literally translated?

5. What does Matthew 8:17 say that Jesus actually—
literally—did?

6. What was the object of Jesus’ sin-bearing? His
sickness-bearing?

7. God does not heal the spirit of a sinner. What does
He do?

8. What does First Peter 2:24 mean?

9. Because Jesus sealed the New Covenant with His
own blood, we have three rights to divine healing.
Name these rights.

10. Why should you incline your ear unto the Word of
God?
 Chapter 6
God’s Word: A Never-Failing Remedy

God wants us to understand the life and power that’s in His Word. When God
made the world, He created the earth, the sky, and the great expanse of this
universe with words.
But God’s words are a never-failing remedy for any situation or circumstance
that might come your way in life, including sickness and disease. Proverbs 4:22
says God’s words “. . . are LIFE unto those that find them, and HEALTH to all
their flesh.”
PROVERBS 4:20-22
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
JOHN 6:63
63 . . . the words that I [Jesus] speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
God’s words are full of life, health, and healing, and they act like medicine. In
fact, the margin of my Bible reads, “My words are medicine.” Medicine for
what? For all your flesh!
Proverbs 4:20 says, “...attend to my WORDS. . . .” That means give God’s
Word your undivided attention. In other words, put God’s Word into your heart,
and put out of your heart everything that exalts itself against the Word.
The rest of verse 20 says, “. . . incline thine ear unto my sayings.” That means
take in God’s Word through your ear gates, or open your ears to God’s sayings.
If you’re attending to God’s Word and opening your ears to His sayings, you’re
closing your ears to other sayings, such as fear, doubt, and unbelief.
We are to look at God’s Word as well as listen to God’s Word. Proverbs 4:21
says, “Let them not depart from thine eyes. . . .” This scripture doesn’t mean we
are to be continuously looking at the Word so that we never do anything else. It
means we are to always look to the Word of God instead of at the circumstances.
In the good times and in the bad, we are to just keep looking at God’s words—at
His sayings.
There’s power in God’s Word! There’s healing in His Word too. Notice
Proverbs 4:22 again: “For they [God’s words] are life unto those that find them,
and health to all their flesh.” God’s words are full of life, health, and healing!
 The Children’s Bread
The Word has a lot to say about divine healing. For instance, in Matthew
15:21-28 we read that healing is the children’s bread.
MATTHEW 15:21-28
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her
away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s
table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as
thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Healing is the children’s bread! These are Jesus’ own words! You can incline
your ear to the fact that healing is your bread, because Jesus said it. That means
if you’re born again, then you’re God’s child, and healing belongs to you! It
would help you to say it out loud: “Healing belongs to me. It’s my bread!”
Some of you need to incline your ear unto that and say it long enough for it to
register on the inside of you, in your spirit. The Word won’t work for you if it’s
just in your head. But when the Word gets on the inside of you—in your spirit—
then results are forthcoming!

God’s Medicine
Proverbs says, “. . . incline thine ear unto my sayings. . . . For they are life
unto those that find them, and health [medicine] to all their flesh” (vv. 20,22).
Since God’s Word is medicine to all our flesh, we need to know how to take
God’s medicine, His Word, and appropriate it for the healing of our bodies.
We take God’s medicine by doing what Proverbs 4:20 and 21 says to do: (1)
Attend to God’s Word; (2) incline our ears unto it; (3) let it not depart from our
eyes; (4) keep it in the midst of our heart. All these instructions imply a
continual, ongoing action, not something we do one time or every once in a
while.
In the natural, suppose you had an illness last year, and your doctor prescribed
a certain kind of medicine for you to take. Then suppose you got sick again this
year with the same illness, and the doctor prescribed the same kind of medicine
for you. You wouldn’t tell him, “Oh, no, Doctor! I can’t take that medicine. I
took some of that last year!”
The dose you took last year isn’t going to do you a bit of good if you need
medicine again this year. It’s the same way with God’s Word. For example,
God’s Word won’t benefit you if you have the attitude, I’ve heard all that before.
No, in order for God’s Word to do you any good, you have to stay with it. You
have to keep taking God’s medicine.
You see, the Bible says faith is the victory (1 John 5:4). And faith comes by
hearing the Word of God, not by having heard it (Rom. 10:17)!

Great Faith
MATTHEW 8:5-10,13
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching
him,
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my
roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he
goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I
have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. . . .
13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto
thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Jesus called the centurion’s faith great faith! What is great faith? The answer
is found in verse 8. The centurion said to Jesus, “Speak the word only, and my
servant will be healed.” Great faith is simply faith in God’s Word. It’s taking
God at His Word.
God wants us to have the same great faith that the centurion had. He wants us
to have confidence in the authority of His Word. Because of the centurion’s great
faith, Jesus said unto him, “. . . Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it
done unto thee . . . ” (v. 13). I believe Jesus is saying to each of us today: “Go
your way, and as you have believed, so be it done unto you.”
The Bible says God never changes (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8). What He has done
for anyone else, He will do for you, if you will believe Him and take Him at His
Word. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He doesn’t favor one person
more than another. He favors anyone who is committed to believing His Word.
God’s Willingness To Heal
 MATTHEW 8:1-3
1 When he [Jesus] was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst
make me clean.
3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And
immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

MATTHEW 8:14-17
14 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a
fever.
15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and
he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
There are a lot of truths we could expound on in these verses. But I think one
great truth that outshines the rest is God’s willingness to heal everyone. Notice in
the first passage that the leper believed Jesus could heal him, but he questioned
whether or not Jesus would heal him. The leper said, “. . . Lord, IF THOU WILT,
thou canst make me clean” (v. 2). Jesus settled the issue once and for all when
He plainly answered the man, “I will” (v. 3). Yet many folks today follow the
leper’s unbelief about healing rather than Jesus’ willingness to heal.
Now take a look at the second passage of Scripture from Matthew 8. In verses
14 and 15 we read that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law.
Many believe it is God’s will to heal some people or a selected few, such as
the mother-in-law of one of Jesus’ disciples. But they don’t believe it’s God’s
will to heal everyone.
But notice that the same day Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, He also
healed all those in need: “When the even was come, they brought unto him
MANY that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word,
and healed ALL that were sick” (v. 16).
Why did Jesus heal the multitudes? The very next verse says He healed them
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (v. 17). Jesus was moved
by compassion to heal the sick (Matt. 9:36).
So we know from the Word that healing does not belong to just a selected few.
God doesn’t favor some but not others. For example, the Bible doesn’t say,
“Himself took Peter’s mother-in-law’s infirmities and bore her sicknesses”! And
it doesn’t say, “Himself took the centurion’s servant’s infirmities and bore his
sicknesses”!
 No, the Bible says, “. . . Himself took OUR infirmities, and bare OUR
sicknesses” (Matt. 8:17)! And it was on the basis of this truth that Jesus healed
the multitudes. Jesus healed “all that were sick” who came to Him (v. 16).
I’ve been in the healing ministry for quite some time now, and I have found
that the biggest difficulty to getting people healed is to convince them that it is
God’s will to heal. Many Christians make some effort to approach God and
receive healing, yet many times the thought lurks in the back of their minds, I
know God does heal people, but it might not be His will to heal me.
But, you see, these folks aren’t inclining their ears unto God’s sayings. When
you incline your ear to what God says, you know the will of God concerning
healing. And over and over again, God’s willingness to heal is expressed in the
pages of His Word.
Let’s listen to God’s Word continually and incline our ears unto His sayings.
I’ve said many times that just because I ate one T-bone steak doesn’t mean I’m
never going to eat another one. In a similar sense, just as continually feeding
your body with good food keeps it strong, continually feeding your spirit with
God’s Word keeps your spirit strong and your faith alive.
When you feed your spirit on God’s Word along the lines of healing, you are
building health and healing into your body, because God’s Word is health to all
your flesh!

God’s Word Is His Will

We can know the will of God in the situations and circumstances of life by
inclining our ears to God’s sayings (Prov. 4:20)! God’s Word is God’s will.
There is peace and comfort in knowing the will of God. As the psalmist of old
said, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum
of them!” (Ps. 139:17).
In a few earlier chapters, we learned that Jesus’ earthly ministry was the will
of God in action on the behalf of mankind. Jesus said in John 6:38, “. . . I came
down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
ACTS 10:38
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.
Was Jesus doing God’s will when He went about doing good and healing all
who were oppressed by the devil? Certainly, He was!
God Never Changes!
 Has God’s will changed about healing all those who are oppressed by the
devil? Of course not, because the Bible says God never changes (Mal. 3:6; Heb.
13:8). So we can know for certain that it is God’s will to heal everyone.
Acts 10:38 should be enough to convince us that it is God’s will to heal today,
but there are many other verses that also reveal to us God’s will concerning
healing. That’s why we should incline our ears to God’s Word—to His sayings—
because His words are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh
(Prov. 4:22). God’s Word is medicine!
I’ve said before that the Bible is God speaking to each one of us personally,
and that Jesus’ earthly ministry was the express will of God in action. Since
Jesus was God who came in the flesh (John 1:1,14), we could also say that Jesus
is God speaking to us personally.
HEBREWS 1:1,2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things,
by whom also he made the worlds.
If Jesus is God speaking to us, what is God saying? Is God saying it is not His
will to heal or that it is His will to heal only a few? Certainly not. God reveals in
His Word that He never changes. In other words, whatever He has done for
anyone else, He will do for each of us, if we will take Him at His Word and trust
Him.

Are You Limiting God?

In His Word, God also reveals to us that He is a kind, loving Heavenly Father.
MATTHEW 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
How much more will God give good things to us! This passage of Scripture is
saying that as a natural father loves his children and desires the best for them,
our Heavenly Father loves His children much more and desires to give us good
things in life.
For instance, if your child was burning up with fever, how many of you
parents would heal him if you could? Certainly you would make your child well
if it were in your power to do so. Well, thank God, God wants to do the same for
His children, and God is able!
Someone asked, “If God is able, then why doesn’t He just heal every sick
person?”
God is omnipotent or all-powerful. But He can only do in a person’s life what
that person allows Him to do.
Some will argue that since God is omnipotent, He can make people do
anything He wants them to do. But if that were true, He’d make all sinners get
saved, and He’d make all Christians pay their tithes!
No, God can’t do any more in your life than you permit Him to do. Jesus said,
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man [will] hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”
(Rev. 3:20).
Man is a free moral agent—he has the ability and the right to make his own
choices. He can choose to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and be born
again, or he can reject Jesus.
Even after you are born again, you don’t lose your will or right to choose. You
have a choice as to what you will do with God’s Word. Will you attend to it?
Will you incline your ear to it? Will you keep it before your eyes and in the
midst of your heart?
If you do, God’s Word will become life and health to you. God’s Word is a
never-failing remedy for all your flesh and for all the problems of life that may
try to come your way!
People bring a lot of trouble on themselves. And, of course, the devil
accommodates them in wrongdoing too. People get into trouble when they don’t
do what the Bible says to do.
You can spare yourself a lot of misery in life by just doing what the Bible says
—by inclining your ear to God’s sayings!
Inclining Our Ears
You need to incline your ear to what God’s Word says about every area of
your life. When you obey one part of the Bible, it makes it a whole lot easier to
obey other parts of the Bible.
On the other hand, if you disobey God’s Word along one particular line, it
makes it easier to disobey God’s Word in other areas. And when you’re in
disobedience, it opens the door for the devil to try to work in your life. It’s just
better to listen and pay attention to what the Bible says.
We need to incline our ears to all of God’s Word and let it be the final
authority in our lives. God’s Word is God Himself speaking to us. And the Word
plainly reveals God’s will, including His will to heal sickness and disease.
Some people read God’s Word and still miss the fact that Jesus is the Healer.
They ask, “If Jesus is the Healer and the Word is life and health to all our flesh,
where do sickness and disease come from?” They think that if they’re sick, God
must have put sickness on them because He’s trying to teach them something.
But if you’ll get into the Word, the Holy Ghost will illuminate your mind and
your spirit, and you will see that God is the Healer. Satan is the defiler—the one
who tries to hurt people with sickness and disease. Satan is the author of
sickness and disease, not God.
JOHN 10:10
10 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.
Remember, the Bible says that Satan is the thief that steals, kills, and destroys.
And when Satan is finally eliminated from the earth—from all human contact—
there will be nothing that will hurt or destroy (Isa. 65:25). So we know that
anything that hurts or destroys is of Satan, not God. Sickness hurts and destroys,
but God heals sickness. He doesn’t put sickness on people.
I’ve seen people get attacked by sickness and disease and say, “Well, God
must have put this on me for some purpose. He probably has some great,
mystical purpose in mind.” Bless their darling hearts. But folks who believe this
way are playing right into the devil’s hands. They are being robbed of the
blessings of healing and health that God wants them to enjoy.
It stands to reason that healing must be God’s will or He wouldn’t have given
us instructions in Proverbs 4:20-22 to tell us how to experience life and health in
our bodies.
People who don’t believe it is God’s will to heal have a distorted mental
picture of the character of God. And the only way they can remedy that is to
incline their ears to God’s Word. If they would listen to what the Word says,
they’d get the right picture of God in their hearts and minds, and their spiritual
viewpoint wouldn’t be distorted.
Light and Life
PROVERBS 4:20-22
20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
I get more thrilled teaching healing from Proverbs 4:20-22 than I do from any
other standpoint, because this is the way I was healed and raised up from a
deathbed as a teenager. I had a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease
from birth. I never ran and played as a child like the other little children did. I
used to just sit inside and watch from the window in awe as other children ran
and laughed and played outside. I didn’t have a normal childhood.
I know what it’s like to have no hope for a better tomorrow. Five medical
doctors told me I had to die because medical science couldn’t do a thing for me.
And I know what people who are dealing with sickness and disease in their
bodies are going through, because I’ve experienced that too.
While sickness and disease ravaged my body, I would just stare at the ceiling
hour after hour, day after day, wishing more than anything else just to be able to
live. I agonized as I searched my mind for answers. I knew there had to be an
answer somewhere.
I remember those days when the sun was shining brightly outside, but the
room where I was imprisoned by sickness and disease seemed to be filled with
darkness and death. Gloom hung like a shadow over me as I lay there on my
sickbed and planned my own funeral. I was only a teenager. I hadn’t even begun
to live, yet medical science said I had to die.
But, glory to God, I also remember when the light of God’s Word came
shining in! The psalmist said, “The entrance of thy words giveth LIGHT; it
giveth understanding unto the simple” (Ps. 119:130). I couldn’t even understand
the Bible, but I kept reading it because I knew my answer was somewhere in
God’s Word.
MARK 11:24
24 Therefore I [Jesus] say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them.

I had read Mark 11:24 before, but I didn’t know what it meant or how to act
on it. In the nighttime as I lay dying, I would repeat that verse over and over
again all night long. I did that thousands of times.
At first Mark 11:24 was just words to me, but some way or another I knew
there was healing for me in that verse. Finally, the light shone through, and the
truth of God’s Word dawned on my heart. I received healing from the top of my
head to the soles of my feet. I got up off that bed of sickness completely well—
and I’ve been well ever since!
 “Yes, Brother Hagin,” someone said, “that happened because God called you
to preach.”
But Mark 11:24 didn’t work for me because God called me to preach. It
worked for me because I inclined my ear to God’s sayings. And it will work for
you, too, if you will put God’s Word first above every situation and circumstance
that comes your way.
If you’re struggling today with the tests and trials of life, stop your struggling
and start inclining! Put God’s Word first, and you will live the abundant life!
 Questions for Study

1. God’s words are full of __________________,
__________________, and __________________?

2. In Proverbs 4:20, what does the phrase “. . . attend
to my WORDS . . .” mean?

3. We take God’s medicine by doing four things listed
in Proverbs 4:20,21. What are they?

4. In order for God’s Word to do you any good, what
must you do?

5. When you feed your spirit on God’s Word along the
lines of healing, what are you doing to your body?

6. How can we know the will of God in the situations
and circumstances of life?

7. You can spare yourself a lot of misery in life by
doing what?

8. What happens when you obey one part of the
Bible?

9. Who is the thief that steals, kills, and destroys?

10. People who don’t believe it is God’s will to heal
have a distorted mental picture of the character of
God. How can they remedy that?
 Chapter 7
Roadblocks to Healing - Part 1

The road to divine healing is seldom an expressway. More often than not, it is
strewn with roadblocks placed in our way by the devil to keep us from the
blessing of health that God has provided.
These roadblocks wear subtle disguises and come from many sources. Some
have their basis in tradition, others in superstition. Still others are based on
misquoted and misunderstood scriptures.
But God’s Word clearly reveals the tactics Satan uses to keep us off the road
to healing. This two-part lesson examines the seven most common roadblocks to
divine healing that the believer must understand in order to remove them from
his life.

Roadblock Number One: ‘God Sends

Sickness Upon People’
The first roadblock to healing that people encounter is the idea or teaching
that God sends sickness upon people.
Some people have said that the Old Testament declares that God sent sickness
upon people. Those who say this usually quote Exodus 15:26.
EXODUS 15:26
26 . . . If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is
right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put
none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord
that healeth thee.
Similar scriptures are Isaiah 45:7: “I form the light, and create darkness: I
make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things,” and Micah 1:12,
which says, “For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil
came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerusalem.”
Obviously, these passages in the King James Version of the Bible do not give
the true meaning of the original Hebrew, for we know that God doesn’t create
evil. Evil can’t come from Heaven, because there is no evil there. God only
permits evil. He doesn’t create it. Nor does He create sickness—He only permits
it to come as a result of man’s disobedience.
 Does God Have a Purpose in Permitting
Sickness?
As I’ve already said in previous chapters, I was healed of a deformed heart,
paralysis, and an incurable blood disease as a teenager. Some folks said to me
“Well, maybe God didn’t exactly send the sicknesses on you, but he permitted
it,” implying that since He permitted it, He had some purpose in it. But just
because God permits something doesn’t mean He has a purpose in it.
God only permits sickness to come. Sickness is not His will. God’s will is for
you to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments. Then He will take
sickness away from the midst of you. As I said before, sickness comes as a result
of man’s disobedience.
The key to understanding these different passages of Scripture lies in knowing
that the active verbs in the Hebrew have been translated in the causative sense
when they should have been translated in the permissive sense.
Dr. Robert Young, the author of Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible
and an outstanding Hebrew scholar, points this out in his book Hints and Helps
to Bible Interpretation. He says that in Exodus 15:26, the literal Hebrew reads: “.
. . I will permit to be put upon thee none of these diseases which I permitted to
be brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
We must bear in mind that the Bible is progressive revelation. We don’t get
the full revelation of the Bible in either the Old Testament or the New Testament.
Neither is fully understood without the other. It’s been said that “The New is in
the Old concealed and the Old is in the New revealed.” So when we examine
both the Old and New Testaments, we come into a full revelation of the Bible.
Where Does Sickness Come From?
We’ve looked at some verses of Scripture on sickness and healing in the Old
Testament, now let’s look at some verses in the New Testament.
First, let’s take another look at Acts 10:38 and review a few things we learned
in previous chapters.
ACTS 10:38
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.
Notice that Jesus went about doing good and healing. This important scripture
shows that Jesus is the Healer and that Satan is the oppressor. This verse also
points out that every person whom Jesus healed had been oppressed by the devil.
As we have seen, healing is connected with doing good. Healing is a good gift
from God, and healing belongs to God’s children.
The Bible says, “. . . in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established” (Matt. 18:16). Let’s read another account of how Jesus did good by
healing one of God’s children.
LUKE 13:10-17
10 And he [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was
bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed
from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on
the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in
them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the
sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not THIS WOMAN, being a daughter of Abraham, WHOM SATAN HATH
BOUND, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people
rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
Verse 16 plainly tells us that Satan was the one who bound the woman with
sickness for all those years. But Jesus was the One who healed her!
Then First John 3:8 tells us that Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of
the devil. And the New Testament makes it clear that sickness is a work of the
devil.
Here’s further proof that sickness is the work of the devil:
JOHN 10:10
10 The thief [Satan] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I [Jesus] am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Jesus didn’t come to destroy. He’s not the destroyer; Satan is! You need to
understand that fact, because if you think that God will put sickness on you for
some divine or supernatural purpose, then that roadblock will stand between you
and your healing.
Remember that when God commanded Moses to go down into Egypt and lead
the children of Israel out of bondage, He sent Moses to plead with Pharaoh to
release the people. God didn’t want the plagues to come upon the Egyptian
people. But when Pharaoh hardened his heart, God withdrew His protecting
hand and permitted the plagues to sweep over the land of Egypt.
When the final plague—death, the messenger of hell—was permitted, death
went forth and destroyed the firstborn of every Egyptian household. Only then
was Pharaoh compelled to yield and let the children of Israel go.
Where did the plague of death come from? Did it come from Heaven? Are
there any dead in Heaven? The answer to these questions is no, of course. Death
has never entered there, and it will never enter there. There will be no death in
Heaven (Rev. 21:4)!
God is not the author of death; He’s the author of life. God hates death. Where
does death come from, then? It comes from Satan, who has the power of death.
HEBREWS 2:14
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [Jesus] also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the devil.
You see, the law of sin and death is the devil’s law. But the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus is God’s law. Romans 8:2 says, “For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Death is
our final enemy. And we have the promise that when Jesus comes again, this last
enemy shall be put underfoot (1 Cor. 15:26).
Christ came to destroy “him that had the power of death” (Heb. 2:14). Satan
isn’t destroyed yet, but he will be put in the bottomless pit for a thousand years
after Jesus returns. After the end of all things, Satan will be put in the lake of fire
and brimstone forever (Rev. 20:10)!
So the plague of death that came upon Egypt did not come until God withdrew
His hand of protection and permitted it. His permission, however, should not be
confused with commission. For example, God permits people to establish bars
and nightclubs. He permits people to steal and kill. But He certainly doesn’t
commission those actions. There is a vast difference between permission and
commission.
Now on the Day of Pentecost, Peter declared that Christ was crucified by the
hands of wicked men: “Him [Jesus] . . . ye have taken, and by wicked hands
have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). In other words, it was the devil’s work
done by his own children.
When the Pharisees stirred up the high priesthood against Jesus, He said, “Ye
are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do . . .” (John
8:44). It was not the work of God that the Pharisees turned people against Jesus,
even though God permitted it.
But the fact that God permits wickedness doesn’t mean that people have to
commit sinful acts, any more than it means that people have to turn against
Christ. Many people are crucifying Jesus afresh today because they are rejecting
Him. Yet God doesn’t commission them to reject Him; He just permits them to
make their own choice—He gave man the free will to accept or reject His Son.

Roadblock Number Two: ‘My Healing May

Not Be God’s Will’
The second roadblock to healing that people encounter is: “My healing may
not be God’s will.”
When some people pray for healing, they think they should pray, “If it be Thy
will.” Many times that’s the reason their prayers don’t work—they’re using the
wrong method of prayer.
There was only one instance when Jesus ever prayed that way. When Jesus
was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed a prayer of consecration and
dedication. That’s not the same as a prayer of petition or asking God for
something.
In Matthew 26:39, when Jesus “. . . fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou wilt,” He was dedicating Himself to the will of God. Jesus prayed this
prayer the same way we might pray, “Lord, I’ll go wherever You want me to go.
If You want me to go to Africa, I’ll go.”
But when the Bible already tells us God’s will for us, we don’t have to pray,
“If it be Thy will.” For example, if a man’s rent is due and his children need food
to eat, he doesn’t have to pray, “Lord, if it’s Your will, please supply my needs.”
Why? Because the Bible says, “. . . my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19)! That man should pray and
believe God to meet his needs.
Some people just tack the phrase “If it be Thy will” on the end of their prayers
out of tradition. They think they’re being humble, but they’re really robbing
themselves of the blessings of God. Anything the Bible promises you or says
belongs to you is yours. You don’t have to put an “if” in your prayers when you
pray according to God’s Word!
That’s why praying, “Lord, if it be Thy will, please heal me” is unnecessary.
God has plainly told us in His Word that it is His will to heal us.
A sinner wouldn’t pray, “Lord, save me, if it be Thy will.” That kind of prayer
would be ridiculous, because God’s Word declares that He is “. . . not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
God’s Word also states that “. . . whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely” (Rev. 22:17). Therefore, the sinner doesn’t have to pray “If it be Thy
will.”
Similarly, it is just as ridiculous for a child of God to pray, “Lord, heal me, if
it be Thy will.” Why? Because the Bible tells us that Jesus already paid the price
for our healing!
MATTHEW 8:17
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself [Jesus]
took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Now just because you read Matthew 8:17 doesn’t mean it’s going to work for
you. A lot of times people think the Word is just going to work for them
automatically. For example, some Christians who know that the Bible says Jesus
“. . . took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:17), expect the
results of that verse to just fall on them. They say, “Well, if that verse is so, why
don’t I have divine health?” They’re not experiencing divine healing and health
because they don’t really believe and accept God’s Word. The truth of God’s
Word won’t do them any good until they know it, believe it, and accept it.
It’s hard for some people to see what the Scriptures are really saying because
they’ve been “religiously trained” instead of scripturally taught. In other words,
they read the Bible with glasses colored with religious tradition.
I know, because I had to read Matthew 8:17 over and over again myself before
I thoroughly understood it. But when I fully understood what this verse really
meant, I rejoiced in it, for then I was able to emphasize the word “our.” He took
our infirmities and bore our sicknesses—and I am included in that word “our.”
Therefore, I can say that He took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses.
That brings it right down to where I live! In other words, I don’t have to bear
my sicknesses anymore, because Jesus bore them that I might be free!
When I made this discovery, I decided there wasn’t any need for both Jesus
and me to bear my sicknesses. And if Jesus bore them that I might be free, why
should I pray, “if it be Thy will”? The Bible states that it is His will!
Most people who don’t believe in divine healing stay away from Matthew
8:17. However, occasionally a brave soul will come up with what he thinks is the
answer to this scripture once and for all.
One person said this verse meant that Christ took the sicknesses of the people
who lived at that time, but it doesn’t apply to us today. But he forgot that
Matthew wrote his Gospel after Jesus died. If healing had applied only to those
living while Jesus was on this earth in the flesh, Matthew would have written,
“He Himself took their infirmities and bare their sicknesses.” However, Matthew
didn’t write it that way. The Holy Spirit, through Matthew, wrote, “He Himself
took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.”
Someone else advanced the theory that this particular verse doesn’t refer to
the past, but refers to the future; therefore, it will come to pass during the
Millennium. That can’t be true, however, because there will be no need for
healing then. Why? Because the curse will be lifted!
Paul said we will all be changed, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye . .
.” (1 Cor. 15:52). We’ll have new bodies fashioned like unto Jesus’ glorious
body (Phil. 3:21). Our bodies won’t be plagued with sickness during the
Millennium, so we will not need this provision for healing then.
No, the promise of divine healing belongs to us now—because we are subject
to sickness in this life, not in the life that is to come. The promise that Jesus
Christ took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses belongs to us today.
Therefore, we don’t need to pray, “If it be Thy will.” God’s Word has clearly
shown us His will.
Still, someone else might ask, without quoting the entire verse, “But didn’t
Christ teach us to pray in Matthew 6:10, ‘Father, Thy will be done’?” However,
to use just one portion of that scripture is to use only half a truth. And as
someone else said, “Beware of the half-truth. You may have gotten the wrong
half!”
Christ taught us to pray, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.” As I
said in a previous chapter, Jesus wasn’t teaching us to pray, “If it be Thy will”
when it comes to healing. He was teaching us to pray that God’s will might be
done here on earth just as it is done in Heaven. There is no sickness or disease in
Heaven. So if it’s not His will that there be sickness and disease in Heaven, then
it’s not His will that there be sickness and disease on earth. If His will is truly
done on earth as it is done in Heaven, there will be no sickness or disease among
us.
Again, when it comes to divine healing, people have all kinds of different
ideas. Some people don’t believe in divine healing at all. While others say, “God
can heal, if it’s His will. And it might be His will to heal some people or some
sicknesses, but not all of them.”
A man once told me he knew it wasn’t God’s will to heal a certain condition in
his body because of an experience he had. He explained saying, just as he awoke
one morning, his room lit up and someone in a long white robe appeared to him.
He thought it was Jesus, although he did not see the person’s face. The person
said to him, “It is not my will to heal you,” and then he disappeared. Ever since
then, the man had accepted the idea that it wasn’t God’s will to heal him.
 I asked him, “What if one of your unsaved loved ones told you that through a
similar incident, God had revealed to him that it was not His will to save him?
You would immediately point out scriptures to prove to him that it’s not God’s
will for anyone to perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9;
John 3:16). You would explain that the person he mistook for Jesus was really a
messenger of Satan, for Jesus wouldn’t contradict His own Word, would He?”
I got that man to see that Jesus had already taken his infirmities and borne his
sicknesses, and he got healed! Praise God!
Satan will try to defeat us every way he can. That’s why it’s so important that
we know what the Word says. I tell you, we can be just as certain that divine
healing is God’s will as we are that saving the lost is His will. And we know it
by knowing His Word. God’s Word is His will.
The same Bible that gives us John 3:16 also says, “Surely he hath borne our
griefs [sicknesses], and carried our sorrows [diseases]: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for OUR
transgressions, he was bruised for OUR iniquities: the chastisement of OUR
peace was upon him; and with his stripes WE ARE HEALED” (Isa. 53:4,5).
Remember, the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. And the
Hebrew words for the words translated “griefs” and “sorrows” in the King James
Version of this verse mean sicknesses and diseases.
The Bible also says that Jesus “. . . bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye
were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
That’s good news! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb.
13:8). He never changes. He can and will make believers whole today!
We’re discussing the seven most common roadblocks to healing. We’ve seen
that sickness and disease do not come from God, and that God doesn’t use
sickness and disease to teach people a lesson. We’ve also seen that it is God’s
will to heal every illness and infirmity. We’ll continue our discussion of these
roadblocks in the next chapter.
 Questions for Study
1. What is the basis of the roadblocks the devil uses to
keep us from enjoying the blessing of health that God
has provided?

2. Name the two roadblocks discussed in this chapter.

3. Some people say that Exodus 15:26, Isaiah 45:7,
and Micah 1:12 declare that God sent sickness upon
people. Why is it obvious that these passages in the
King James Version of the Bible don’t give the true
meaning of the original Hebrew?

4. Why does God permit sickness?

5. What was the final plague that God permitted to
sweep over the land of Egypt?

6. Complete this sentence: God is the author of
__________________.

7. What is our final enemy?

8. When some people pray for healing, they think they
should pray, “If it be Thy will.” Why is that prayer
unnecessary?

9. When did Matthew write his Gospel?

10. Why does the promise of divine healing belong to
us now?
 Chapter 8
Roadblocks to Healing - Part 2
The previous chapter covered two of the most common roadblocks to healing.
In this chapter we will deal with five more roadblocks the devil uses to try to
keep people from enjoying their God-given right to divine healing and health.

Roadblock Number Three: ‘Hezekiah Used a

Poultice’
The third roadblock to healing that people encounter is: “Hezekiah used a
poultice.”

ISAIAH 38:1-5
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came
unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die,
and not live.
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord,
3 And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth
and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept
sore.
4 Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,
5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy
prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

We read later in verses 20 and 21 that Hezekiah said: “The Lord was ready to
save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days
of our life in the house of the Lord. For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of
figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.”
Some have wondered why God told Hezekiah to put a lump or poultice of figs
on the boil. One very able Bible scholar who was a medical doctor, minister, and
Hebrew student says that according to the Hebrew translation, Hezekiah had a
carbuncle on his neck, which can be very serious.
God already told Hezekiah that he would not die but would live for fifteen
more years. Therefore, the poultice of figs was not necessary as a medicinal aid.
It had no curative powers whatsoever. It served no medical purpose.

Sometimes It Takes an Act of Obedience To

 Release Your Faith
Many people through the years have used different poultices as cleansing
agents, and some feel that Hezekiah’s poultice may have been used in this
manner. I am convinced, however, that God told Hezekiah to lay a lump of figs
on the boil as an act of obedience and faith, just as He told Naaman the leper to
dip in the Jordan River seven times so that his leprosy would be cleansed.
Dipping in the muddy Jordan didn’t have any curative value. It didn’t heal
Naaman any more than the poultice healed Hezekiah.
In my own ministry, the Spirit of God will lead me at times to tell sick people
to do something as an act of faith. For example, in one service the Lord led me
to minister to some people who were crippled. He didn’t tell me to pray for them
or to lay hands on them. He directed me to tell them to run.
Well, the first man who came up for healing couldn’t even lift his feet off the
floor. He just scooted along and stood with his knees bent. It looked as if he were
still sitting down, because his knees were drawn up. When I asked him if he
could run, it startled him. He answered, “Oh, my God, no. I can’t even walk,
much less run.”
Then I told him that the Lord had shown me that if he would run, he would be
healed. I never saw anyone turn around and scoot away so fast in my life! That
fellow took off and scooted down one aisle and back up the other as fast as he
could go. When he returned to the platform, he was still scooting. He wasn’t a
bit better.
I told him to do it again, and this time I went with him—up one aisle and
down the other. When he got back this time he was perfectly healed and walking
as normally as I was! God had told him to do something seemingly
impossible as an act of faith and obedience, and the Lord honored his simple
faith.
When the Spirit of God tells someone to do a certain thing, it usually involves
an act of obedience to release that person’s faith. That doesn’t mean that
everyone who does what the Lord tells a certain person to do will be healed. But
it does mean that if God says for you to do something and you act upon it, you
will be healed.

Roadblock Number Four: ‘Paul Left

Trophimus Sick at Miletum’
 The fourth roadblock to healing that people encounter is: “Paul left Trophimus
sick at Miletum.”
2 TIMOTHY 4:20
20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I [Paul] left at Miletum sick.
Some quoting this verse argue that divine healing must not always be God’s
will since Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletum. But they fail to understand that
Paul did not carry healing power around with him. Trophimus’ faith played a
part in his healing.

Your Faith Plays a Role in Your Receiving

Healing
Healing is primarily a faith proposition on the part of the individual who
receives. No matter how much faith a minister may have, the effects of an
individual’s doubt will nullify that minister’s faith.
This is another area where some folks have made a great mistake. They think
that if a minister has faith and he prays the prayer of faith for them, they’ll get
healed—whether they have faith or not.
Even under Jesus’ ministry not everyone was healed. On one occasion in his
own hometown of Nazareth, only a few people received healing.
MARK 6:1-6
1 And he [Jesus] went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow
him.
2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing
him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this
which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and
Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4 But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and
among his own kin, and in his own house.
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and
healed them.
6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

The original Greek translation of verse 5 says that Jesus laid hands on a few
sick folk with minor ailments and healed them. So in this case, the few who did
get healed only had minor things wrong with them. Well, why couldn’t Jesus
heal everyone there who needed healing? Because of their unbelief (v. 6)!
You see, Jesus couldn’t just override their unbelief. Someone might ask, “But
isn’t Jesus the Son of God? Isn’t He Sovereign?” Emphatically, yes! But Jesus
can’t override someone’s unbelief. He won’t do it. He would have to violate His
Word to do that. So how did Jesus help people? He went around their villages
teaching them the Word of God to cure their unbelief.
In nearly every one of my meetings, there are some people who don’t receive
their healing. But many people do get healed. Just because some do not, doesn’t
mean that it’s not God’s will that they be healed.
That’s the reason I said that healing is primarily a faith proposition on the part
of the individual who receives.
The Bible says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
And Jesus said in Matthew 18:19, “. . . if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father
which is in heaven.” (The negative side of this verse would be, of course, that if
they don’t agree, it won’t be done.) Your faith plays a part in your healing.

Healings vs. Miracles

In his writings, Paul differentiated between miracles and healing. Miracles
involving healing are instantaneous healings. Other healings are gradual, but
they are still of God. For example, the Bible says that when Jesus prayed for the
nobleman’s son, the boy began to amend from that hour (John 4:46-53). It may
be that when Paul left Trophimus, Trophimus was still sick from all outward
appearances, but the healing process had already begun.
In 1953, a 28-year-old man who had never walked in his life was brought to a
service I was holding in Dallas, Texas. Doctors who had examined him could
find no physical reason for his inability to walk. As far as they could tell, he was
normal.
As I laid hands on him, the Lord showed me that an evil spirit oppressed his
body. This was the reason doctors could not help him. I rebuked that spirit. Then
I told the young man that the demon that had been oppressing him was gone and
that he could walk.
I knew he would not get up and start walking immediately; his healing would
come gradually. A year and a half later, I was back in Dallas and learned that the
young man was walking everywhere on his own.
Often gradual healings are greater than instant healings, because some people
who are quickly healed forget God. On the other hand, those who are healed
gradually as they continue to believe God’s Word often develop strong faith.

Roadblock Number Five: ‘Paul Had a Thorn

 in the Flesh’
The fifth roadblock to healing that people encounter is: “Paul had a thorn in
the flesh.”
2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
7 And lest I [Paul] should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be
exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Because of this passage of Scripture, the thought is widely held that Paul had
a sickness which God refused to heal. This teaching has led many to believe that
it must be God’s will for some of His saints to be sick, and it has held people in
bondage when they should be delivered.
One common belief is that Paul suffered from some disease of the eyes and
was nearly blind. The Bible states that the Lord Jesus appeared to Ananias in a
vision and told him to go lay hands on Saul (Paul) that he might receive his
sight. Ananias did and God healed Saul (Acts 9:12-18). Therefore, to conclude
that Paul had eye trouble because of that brief blindness would be to belittle the
work of God.
Also, when Paul was on the island of Melita, he preached to the people and
told them about the redemptive work of God. If his eyes had been full of pus, as
some claim, would those people have believed God for healing? Yet the Bible
says that when Paul laid hands on them, they were healed (Acts 28:8,9).

What Was Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh?

It is true that God permitted this “thorn in the flesh” to come upon Paul, but it
was not from God. The scripture says that a “messenger of Satan was permitted
to buffet him.” The Bible does not say that this thorn in the flesh was a sickness.
I mentioned in a previous chapter that the expression “thorn in the flesh” is
used elsewhere in the Bible. Before the children of Israel went into Canaan’s
land, God told them to destroy the inhabitants of the country, the Canaanites. He
said if they didn’t destroy the Canaanites, it would cause them trouble in the
future—the Canaanites would be a thorn in their side.
 NUMBERS 33:55
55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to
pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your
sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
There is no reference to sickness in this scripture at all. Neither was Paul’s
thorn sickness. It was a messenger of Satan to buffet him. Everywhere Paul
went, the devil stirred up strife against him.
Paul wrote of the many times he had been whipped and imprisoned. He was
even stoned and left for dead. Yet in all of his writings about persecutions and
tribulations, not once does he include sickness among them. Nowhere in the
Scriptures do we find where Paul was ever disabled by sickness during his
ministry.

What Purpose Did Paul’s Thorn Serve?

Why, then, did God permit this thorn in the flesh to buffet Paul? The
Scriptures say it was to keep Paul from developing a tendency to be prideful
about the revelations and visions he’d had (2 Cor. 12:7).
Before anyone claims that he has a “thorn in the flesh,” it might be well to ask
how many revelations and visions he has had! Most people who think they have
a thorn in the flesh haven’t had any kind of revelation or vision. They’re simply
permitting Satan to defeat them and keep them from the blessings of God
because of their ignorance and doubt.
However, there are some who do have a thorn in the flesh in some of the ways
Paul did, because the devil is ever present to stir up trouble and hinder them in
the work they are doing for God. But notice that God said, “. . . My grace is
sufficient for thee . . .” (2 Cor. 12:9). Glory to God! God’s grace gives us power
to rise above the buffetings of Satan.

Roadblock Number Six: ‘I’m Suffering for

the Glory of God’
The sixth roadblock to healing that people encounter is: “I’m suffering for the
glory of God.”
Those who support this belief usually point to the scripture in John chapter 9,
when Jesus passed by a man who had been born blind.
JOHN 9:1-4
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was
born blind?
 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God
should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man
can work.

Jesus’ disciples asked Him who had sinned and caused the man to be blind—
the man or his parents? Jesus said, “. . . Neither hath this man sinned, nor his
parents: but that THE WORKS OF GOD should be made manifest in him” (v.
3).
Therefore, some people reason from this verse that the man was born blind in
order that God might get glory from it. But Jesus went on to say, “I must work
the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man
can work” (v. 4).
Well, the works of God weren’t made manifest in that blind man until Christ
did what He was sent to do. Jesus healed the man’s blindness. So “the works”
that Jesus was referring to was healing, not the man’s blindness.

What About Lazarus?

Someone might ask, “What about Lazarus? Doesn’t the Bible say he was sick
for the glory of God?” No, people just put their own interpretation on that.
Remember when Jesus got word that Lazarus was sick? Jesus purposely tarried
instead of hurrying to His friend’s bedside. Then He told His disciples: “. . . This
sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be
glorified thereby” (John 11: 4).
Later when Jesus arrived in Bethany with His disciples, Lazarus had been
dead four days. Lazarus’ sister Martha told Jesus that if He had been there, her
brother would not have died. Then Jesus told her that her brother would rise
again.
JOHN 11:24-26
24 Martha saith unto him [Jesus], I know that he [Lazarus] shall rise again in the resurrection at
the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Shortly after this, Martha protested Christ’s command to roll away Lazarus’
gravestone. She knew that after four days, Lazarus’ body would have already
begun to decompose and stink. But notice Jesus’ response: “. . . Said I not unto
thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see THE GLORY OF GOD?”
(v. 40).
Jesus was really telling Martha that she had not yet seen the glory of God.
Martha couldn’t have seen the glory of God in her brother’s death, because
God’s glory hadn’t been made manifest yet. The glory of God was not
manifested in Lazarus’ being sick and dying. The glory of God was manifested
in Lazarus’ resurrection and healing! (Lazarus not only had to be resurrected, but
he also had to be healed of whatever had caused his death. If he wasn’t also
healed, he would have died again immediately.)
God is glorified through healing and deliverance, not through sickness and
suffering!

Roadblock Number Seven: ‘Sickness Is God’s

Chastening’
The seventh roadblock to healing that people encounter is: “Sickness is God’s
chastening.”
It is true that the Bible says, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth . . .”
(Heb. 12:6). However, it does not say, “Whom the Lord loveth He maketh sick!”
It is a mistake to take a small portion of Scripture and try to prove something.
There is no reference to sickness in this text, and there is no implication of
sickness or disease in the word “chasteneth” in the original Greek.
As we studied previously, the full meaning of this word can be gleaned from
the writings of Dr. Robert Young, a recognized Greek scholar, and W. E. Vine,
author of An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
We learn from them that “chasten” literally means to child train, educate, or
teach. Just as babies need to be taught and corrected so that they can grow to be
healthy children and adults, baby Christians need to be taught and corrected so
that they can grow to be spiritually healthy Christians. God’s children need to be
disciplined and governed, which is what the word “chasten” means in the
original Greek.
How Does God Chasten His Children?
Children must be disciplined, corrected, and trained in love. As we said, one
meaning of the word “chasten” is to educate. Parents send their children to
school so they can be educated. But, again, parents don’t tell the teacher, “If my
child doesn’t act right, just knock his eye out or break his leg.” That isn’t the
way to educate a child. And that’s not how God educates His children either!
 MATTHEW 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
You wouldn’t need any other scripture in the Bible to preach divine healing
(and we have plenty of them) than verse 11. Let me show you what I mean. How
many of you parents want your children to be sick? Not one of you. You’ll do
everything in the world that you can to provide for them so that your children
will eat well, live well, and stay well.
Well, what is Jesus saying in Matthew 7:7-11? He’s saying that if earthly
parents, who are carnal, know how to give good gifts to their children, how
much more will our Heavenly Father give good things! God gives His children
beyond what earthly parents could even think or do! That’s because “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” (James 1:17).
God doesn’t change. He always gives good gifts!
We’ve already learned that healing is connected with doing good. The Bible
says, “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).
The Bible tells us that healing is good, but we don’t have to read the Bible to
know that’s true. We just have good sense, we know that.
Have you ever been sick? Have you ever been well? Which one is better?
Being well is much better, isn’t it? Healing is a good gift from God, and healing
belongs to God’s children!
 Questions for Study
1. Name the five roadblocks to healing discussed in
this chapter.

2. How many years did God say He would add to King
Hezekiah’s life?

3. When the Spirit of God tells someone to do a
certain thing, what is usually involved in releasing
that person’s faith?

4. Healing is primarily a faith proposition on the part
of whom?

5. What is the difference between miracles and
healing?

6. According to Second Corinthians 12:7, what was
Paul’s thorn in the flesh?

7. Why did God permit this thorn in the flesh to buffet
Paul?

8. What are the “works of God” that Jesus referred to
in John 9:3?

9. What is the literal meaning of the word “chasten”?

10. What do baby Christians need to grow to be
spiritually healthy Christians?
 Chapter 9
Spiritual Healing?

In God’s plan of redemption, not only is there the remission of sin, Jesus also
provided healing for our physical bodies. The Bible contains many scriptures
that prove Jesus not only carried our sins on the cross, but our sicknesses as well.

MATTHEW 8:17
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.

1 PETER 2:24
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

In our first text, Matthew is quoting Isaiah, saying, “. . . Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Let’s take a closer look at the passage
Matthew quotes from Isaiah.
I call Isaiah chapter 53 “The great redemptive chapter.” In this chapter, we see
Isaiah prophesying about the coming Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:4
is a verse that should be familiar to you since we’ve studied it in previous
chapters.

ISAIAH 53:4
4 Surely he [Jesus] hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:4 says, “Surely he hath borne our GRIEFS, and carried our
SORROWS. . . .” Again, this translation is from the King James Version. But as
the marginal notes in many study Bibles point out, a more accurate translation of
the words “griefs” and “sorrows” would have been “diseases” and “pains.” So in
the original Hebrew, this verse actually reads: “Surely He—Jesus—hath borne
our diseases and carried our pains. . . .”
This is the way Dr. Isaac Leeser translated those two Hebrew words for his
Orthodox Jewish translation of the Bible. But you really don’t need to know
anything about Hebrew in order to gain a clear understanding of what this
scripture meant, because you can simply read what Matthew said about Jesus,
quoting Isaiah:
“. . . Himself took our INFIRMITIES, and bare our SICKNESSES” (Matt. 8:17).
Let’s go back to Isaiah chapter 53 for a moment. Verse 10 reads: “Yet it
pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief. . . .” Where the King
James Version says, “. . . he hath put him to grief . . .” other translations say, “he
hath made him sick.” According to this verse, God delighted to bruise Jesus and
make Him sick. Why? Because it meant healing for all mankind!
Jesus Christ bore our sins and paid the penalty that we might be free from sin.
He also bore our diseases and carried our pains that we wouldn’t have to bear
them.
After I read in my Bible that Jesus Himself took my infirmities and bare my
sicknesses, I decided there wasn’t any need for both Him and me to bear them,
and I’ve been free from sickness ever since!
In our third text, First Peter 2:24, we read, “Who his own self [Jesus] bare our
sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: BY WHOSE STRIPES YE WERE HEALED.” Here Peter is
looking back to the sacrifice of Christ when he says, “by whose stripes ye were
healed.” Notice that “were healed” is past tense.
Now consider those last two scriptures together: “Himself took our infirmities
and bare our sicknesses; by whose stripes you were healed.”
That verse in First Peter has been misunderstood by many in the past, so I
want to look at it closely for a moment. I was reading after a supposedly
outstanding Bible scholar who said, “First Peter 2:24 doesn’t mean physical
healing; it’s referring to spiritual healing: ‘By whose stripes you were healed
spiritually.’”
Now this man was supposed to be a great authority on the Scriptures. But he
must not have been reading the same Bible that I was reading. According to
Second Corinthians 5:17, a sinner does not get healed spiritually.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.
The human spirit of the lost man or woman is not healed—it’s reborn. Second
Corinthians 5:17 says that once a person is in Christ Jesus, he becomes a new
creature. Old things are passed away and all things become new. So First Peter
2:24 does not refer to spiritual healing.

Dispelling the ‘Spiritual Healing’ Myth

If you stop to think about it, there is no such thing as spiritual healing
mentioned in the Bible. The concept of spiritual healing probably came into
being when some psychologists got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, and
then they tried to consolidate the teachings of the Bible with psychology. They
were born again and filled with the Spirit, all right—wonderful, sincere
Christians—but they got confused.
You see, when your body gets healed, you are just healed of a sickness or
disease. You don’t get a brand-new body, do you? No, of course not. You still
have the same body you had before you were healed. You just got healed of the
sickness or disease that afflicted your body.
Well, similarly, if your spirit were healed when you got born again, you would
still have the same spirit too. It would just be healed. But the Scriptures don’t
teach that at all.
The Bible says that if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are
passed away and all things become new—not half of them, all of them (2 Cor.
5:17)! This verse is clearly talking about the inward man not the outward man.
When you’re born again, you’re not the same spirit that you once were.
Jesus explained the New Birth to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews,
saying
“. . . Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John
3:3). Then Nicodemus, being natural, could only think naturally, so he asked
Jesus, “Is it possible for a man when he is old to enter the second time into his
mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “. . . Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is
born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (vv. 5,6).
In other words, there is a natural birth whereby the flesh is born; and there is a
spiritual birth whereby the spirit is born. You see, when a baby is born into this
natural world, we don’t say he was healed. No! We say he was born. In the same
way, when a person becomes a new creature in Christ, his human spirit is not
healed; it is born again.
While we’re on this subject, let me also say that when a person is born again,
his soul doesn’t become new either. That’s another place where folks miss it:
They don’t distinguish between the soul and the spirit, because they think that
they are the same. But the soul and the spirit are different. In fact, man has a
threefold nature. According to the Bible, man is a spirit who possesses a soul and
lives in a body(1 Thess. 5:23). The soul of man is the mind, will, and emotions.
Many people have missed it because we talk about the soul being saved when
a person gets born again. James 1:21 does say: “Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to SAVE YOUR SOULS.” But we’ve taken that
verse out of context. Here the word “save” means to renew or to restore.
Psalm 23:3 says that God restores your soul and Romans 12:2 says
that you must renew your mind with the Word of God. Your soul can’t
be born again. The spirit is reborn, but the soul is renewed or restored.
Notice what Ezekiel prophesied under the Old Covenant:
EZEKIEL 36:26
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
In this verse, God was saying, “The time is coming when I’ll establish the
New Covenant, and I’ll take out that old stony heart and put a new spirit within
you. Then I’m going to put My Spirit in you.”

Healing Is Part of God’s Redemptive Plan

That’s why when I read where that fellow had said the Bible was referring to
spiritual healing, I thought to myself, Well, if that’s the case, God made a mistake
down there in Oklahoma!
I mentioned in a previous chapter that during a meeting I held in Oklahoma
years ago, a little 72-year-old woman was healed. The best doctors in the state
said she would never walk another step the longest day she lived. She had been
confined to a wheelchair for four long years.
When she was brought to my meeting, I just laid my Bible on her lap and had
her read First Peter 2:24. And in ten minutes’ time, she was jumping around,
healed!
So if that verse meant spiritual healing, then God made a mistake. He ought to
have healed her spiritually. But He healed her physically.
No, bless God, First Peter 2:24 means just what it says: “By whose stripes, ye
were healed.” That’s talking about the healing of our human body, not our spirit!
There is only one sense in which divine healing could be called spiritual
healing—if “spiritual” is being used to describe the work of God.
You see, in referring to divine healing, God is the One who heals your body,
and He is a spirit (John 4:24). Therefore, in that sense you could say divine
healing is spiritual healing. But that is not talking about the healing of the human
spirit.
To put it another way, divine healing does not refer to being healed spiritually.
However, it is spiritual because it refers to being healed by the power of God.

True Spiritual Healing

In ministering the tangible healing power of God, I have laid hands on people
and felt the power of God go into them—then come right back out. Why?
Because they didn’t take hold of it!
This usually happens because folks are trying to receive healing with their
mind. But divine healing is not mental. You can’t contact God with your mind
because He is not a mind. He is a spirit.
You see, when man heals (and man can heal, whether you realize it or not), he
must either do it through the mind or through the physical senses. But when God
comes on the scene as the Healer, He heals through the person’s spirit.
Let me explain. God contacts us through our spirit, not through our mind or
body—because, as we said, God is not a mind. Likewise, He is not a man (Num.
23:19). Although He has a spirit-body over in the spirit world—angels do too—
God is not a physical being. He is a spirit. Therefore, He contacts us through our
spirit, just as we contact Him through our spirit.
Now when God heals, He does heal physically, but it’s through the human
spirit or man’s heart, where faith dwells. You see, God heals people through their
faith—and the Bible says that faith is of the heart, the human spirit.
So divine healing is not mental as Christian Science, Unity, and other
metaphysical teachers claim. Neither is it only physical as many in the medical
world claim. It is spiritual—but only in the sense that it involves faith in the
power of God as God’s Word proclaims.
I’ve seen it happen again and again: When people quit trying to contact God
with their mind and believe they receive in their heart, they are healed instantly!
You have to believe you receive the things of God by faith—and you believe
with your heart (Rom. 10:10)!

With the Heart Man Believes

MARK 9:23
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

 In chapter 9 of Mark’s Gospel, a man came running up to Jesus, telling Him
about his son who was possessed by a demon that would throw the boy into fire
and water. The disciples had been unable to deliver the boy, so the father begged
Jesus, saying, “. . . if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help
us” (v. 22).
Jesus replied, “. . . If thou canst BELIEVE, all things are possible to him that
BELIEVETH” (v. 23).
Notice that Jesus started working immediately on the man’s believing, which
had to do with his spirit. Jesus turned the father’s plea for help around and said,
“It’s not a matter of what I can do. It’s a matter of what you can believe: If thou
canst believe, all things are possible!”

Your Faith Will Make You Whole

We see this same emphasis on faith repeated again and again in the ministry of
Jesus. For example, read the following accounts of Jesus healing the two blind
men in Matthew chapter 9, the woman with the issue of blood in Mark chapter 5,
and the centurion’s servant in Matthew chapter 8.

MATTHEW 9:27-30
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son
of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto
them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
30 And their eyes were opened. . . .
MARK 5:25-34
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was
nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she
was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him
about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou,
Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down
before him, and told him all the truth.
 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole
of thy plague.

MATTHEW 8:5-10
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching
him,
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my
roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he
goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I
have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

What do all these people have in common? They received God’s provision of
physical healing through their spirit, because they believed with their heart!
 Questions for Study

1. What is a more accurate translation of the words
“griefs” and “sorrows” in Isaiah 53:4?

2. Why don’t you need to know anything about
Hebrew in order to gain a clear understanding of
what Isaiah 53:4 means?

3. Complete this sentence: The human spirit of a lost
man or woman is not healed—it’s
__________________.

4. According to Second Corinthians 5:17, when you
are in Christ, how many things become new?

5. What does First Peter 2:24 mean?

6. What is the only sense in which divine healing could
be called spiritual healing?

7. How does man heal?

8. How does God heal?

9. What happens when people quit trying to contact
God with their mind and believe they receive in their
heart?

10. What do the two blind men in Matthew 9, the
woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5, and the
centurion’s servant in Matthew 8 have in common?
 Chapter 10
Walk in the Light of God’s Word

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Jesus is the will of God in action! If
you want to see God work, look at Jesus; if you want to hear God talk, listen to
Jesus.

JOHN 14:9
9 Jesus saith unto him [Philip] . . . he that hath seen me hath seen the Father. . . .

Well, what do we see Jesus doing in His earthly ministry? We see Him going
about doing good and healing (Acts 10:38). So if Jesus is the will of God in
action, then it must be the will of God to heal.

Healing Is God’s Will

Healing has always been in God’s plan of redemption. But many people don’t
receive their healing because of unbelief.
As we saw in the previous chapter, healing is no longer a matter of what God
can do; it’s a matter of what we can believe. We looked at Mark chapter 9 and
the man who came to Jesus, telling him about his demon-possessed son who
threw himself into fire and water. The disciples had been unable to deliver the
man’s son.
The father begged Jesus, “. . . if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on
us, and help us” (v. 22). Remember what Jesus replied: “. . . If thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (v. 23). Jesus immediately
started working on the man’s believing, which had to do with his spirit. Jesus
turned his plea for help around and said, “It’s not a matter of what I can do; it’s a
matter of what you can believe.”
We see this emphasis on faith repeated again and again in the ministry of
Jesus. We looked at three specific examples in the previous chapter: the healing
of the two blind men in Matthew 9, the healing of the woman with the issue of
blood in Mark 5, and the healing of the centurion’s servant in Matthew 8. These
people received healing through their spirits, because they believed with their
hearts!
Notice what the psalmist of old said in Psalm 107:

PSALM 107:20
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

The word that God sent under the Old Covenant was spoken by the prophets.
But the word that God sent under the New Covenant was the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Word of God (John 1:1,14). God sent His Word—the Living Word—and
healed us.
Therefore, in the mind of God, we’re already healed! He’s already sent His
Word and healed us.

We’re Already Healed!

God has given us the written Word so that we’ll know what the Living Word
has done for us. And we know that the Living Word healed us: He took our
infirmities and bare our sicknesses; and by His stripes we were healed (Ps.
107:20; Matt. 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24).
Well, “were” is past tense. That means we’re already healed! (You have to get
your believing in the right tense for it to work for you!)
Now God will often let another person believe for you when you don’t know
the Word or you’re still in the babyhood stage of Christianity. He will meet you
on a lower level of faith.
Once we receive light from the Word concerning God’s will to heal, He
expects us to walk in that light. God expects mature believers to walk in the light
of what they know. That’s why it’s the most difficult thing in the world for some
Christians to get healed—because they already have light concerning healing,
and God expects them to walk in that light, but they’re not!

God’s Word Is a Seed

God’s Word contains all you need for a successful Christian life. But it won’t
work for you if you just place the Bible on your coffee table. God’s Word will
never produce for you until you plant it in your heart and cultivate it.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:6-9
6 I [Paul] have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth
the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own
reward according to his own labour.
 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

The word “husbandry” in verse 9 is a little blind to us. The Greek translation
of this phrase is “ye are God’s tillage.” That might still be a little blind to some
people. Other versions of the Bible translate “husbandry” as farm or garden. So
Paul was really saying that the Church at Corinth was God’s garden.
Well, that’s true concerning the Church today; we are God’s garden or farm. A
gardener or farmer tills the soil; that’s why Paul said, “I planted.” But the seed
that Paul planted (in the hearts of the Corinthians) was the Word of God.
In Luke 8:5-18, Jesus told the parable of the sower, and in explaining it to His
disciples He said, “. . . The seed is the word of God” (v. 11). Let’s take a closer
look at this parable as it is recorded in the Gospel of Mark because it gives a
little more detail than Luke’s account.

MARK 4:3-8
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and
devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up,
because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought
forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
You see, the different types of ground didn’t all bring forth a hundredfold—
not even the good ground (v. 8). I guess that was the best they could do. But,
thank God, some did bring forth a hundredfold! It’s not up to God to decide
which type of ground you’re going to be. It’s up to you.
I remember preaching in a certain place years ago; it seemed like my
preaching wasn’t doing much good. So I started doing a little extra praying and
fasting. Then one day the Lord said to me: “I told you ahead of time that only
one out of four people is going to catch on to what you’re saying.”
I said, “What?”
The Lord said, “I told you ahead of time that only one out of four will
understand what you’re saying. And of the one-fourth who get it, only a third of
them will bring forth full fruit, or a hundredfold.”
Well, I didn’t catch on right away to what He was saying, so I asked, “What
are You talking about?”
 Then the Lord asked me a question: “Don’t you remember the parable of the
sower?”
“Yes,” I said, “I remember that.”
Then the Lord explained that parable to me, saying, “The sower went forth to
sow. Some seed fell by the wayside and the fowls of the air devoured it. Those
are the one-fourth who heard the Word but didn’t understand it, and the devil
came and stole it away from them. Of course, they had to permit that because the
devil can’t steal from you unless you let him (1 Peter 5:8).
“Some seed fell on stony ground, and it sprung up right away. Did you ever
see those folks who looked as though they were going to become spiritual
‘giants’ overnight? They’re responding to the Word so well, but they don’t have
any depth. They don’t have any root. So when the sun rises and beats upon them,
the Word in their hearts just dies and withers away. Then they disappear and you
wonder where they went. That makes two-fourths who didn’t get it.”
Then the Lord said, “Some seed fell among the thorns and the thistles—the
cares of this life. Many people become too concerned with the cares of life. That
care chokes out the seed, and it dies without producing any results. So that
accounts for the three out of four who didn’t get it.”
But, thank God, some seed fell on good ground and brought forth, some
thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold!
I knew the parable of the sower, but I never had seen it that way before. What
the Lord said really surprised me, but it also encouraged me. I found out that I
was doing better than I had thought!

It’s Your Responsibility To Walk In the Light

of the Word
Jesus told us ahead of time that not everyone would walk in the light of the
Word (Mark 4:3-8). But what most people don’t realize is that what you do with
the Word is up to you, the hearer.
At the last church I pastored, there was a fellow who wasn’t a member of our
church, but he visited our church regularly. One day he said to me, “I would sure
hate to be in your shoes.”
Well, I looked down at my shoes, because I didn’t know if he was talking
about the pair of shoes I had on.
So I asked him, “What do you mean you’d ‘hate to be in my shoes’? Are you
talking about the shoes on my feet? Or do you mean you’d hate to be in my
place—married to the woman I’m married to or driving the car I’m driving?
What do you mean by that statement?”
Then a really serious look came on the man’s face and he said, “Why, don’t
you know that you’ll have to give an account to God for everything you preach
and teach?”
I said, “Don’t you know that you’re going to have to give an account to God
for everything that I preach and teach?”
He said, “What! Me!”
I said, “Yes! And I’ll prove it to you by the Word.” I went over the parable of
the sower with him. Then I asked him, “Did you notice that in all the time Jesus
spent telling that story He only mentioned the sower once? Jesus never said
anything about the sower’s responsibility. He spent all of His time talking about
the hearer. He wound up talking about the hearer’s responsibility by saying,
‘Take heed therefore how ye hear . . .’” (Luke 8:18). You see, it makes all the
difference in the world how you hear!
Of course, ministers are responsible for what they preach and teach, but where
does the greater responsibility lie? With the hearer!
Take Heed How You Hear
Several years ago, my wife took responsibility for how she heard when her
doctor discovered a blockage in her heart. The doctor wanted to run further tests
to see whether he could treat it with medication or if he would have to perform
surgery.
So my wife started listening to my “Healing Scriptures” audiotape. She
listened to it almost constantly, and she meditated on the Word day in and day
out. In other words, she was taking heed how she heard. She always gets up
before I do. When I woke up in the morning, I saw the light on in the bathroom,
and I heard the tape playing.
She spent hours on end just listening to the Word. (I don’t mean hours at one
time, but when you add up the time.) Then the Holy Ghost took certain verses
and quickened them to her. My wife began to confess those scriptures, and that
blockage just disappeared! Her doctor told us, “This is the first miracle I’ve ever
seen. I want you to know there is nothing wrong with your heart. Your heart is
perfect in every way. You don’t need medication, and you don’t need any
surgery. Your heart is perfect, and you can tell people your doctor said so!”
 My wife took heed how she heard and it produced healing for her. Jesus said,
“Take heed therefore how ye hear . . .” (Luke 8:18). Well, how did my wife
hear? The answer is found in Romans 10:17.
ROMANS 10:17
17 So then faith cometh by HEARING, AND HEARING by the word of God.
This verse is talking about hearing, isn’t it? Does faith come by hearing one
time? No, faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing. My wife kept
hearing, and she received her healing.
A few years after my wife received her healing, she found out that a friend of
hers also had a critical condition that could prove to be fatal. In talking with her,
my wife asked, “Do you have Brother Hagin’s ‘Healing Scriptures’ tape?”
Her friend said, “Yes, I believe I do have it.” But when my wife asked her if
she was listening to it, her friend said, “Oh, I’ve heard it. I listened to it years
ago.”
Romans 10:17 doesn’t say, “So then faith comes from having heard.” No. It
says that faith comes by hearing. Then you have to take heed how you hear.
Well, my wife told her friend what she had done, but the woman didn’t catch
on to what my wife was saying. That woman esteemed the Word lightly, so it
never produced healing in her life. My wife esteemed the Word highly, and it
produced highly in her life!

An Elder’s Story
In September 1954, I was holding a three-week revival in a Foursquare church
in California. The pastor’s father-in-law would come regularly and sit in on the
day services. He was an elderly gentleman—about eighty-two years old.
When we got into the third week of the meeting, this man came up to me after
the morning service and asked, “Brother Hagin, may I speak to you?”
I said, “Yes.” And he told me his story.
He said, “I came to California from Indiana in 1923. I had a physical
condition that was terminal. The doctors told me that if I’d move out West where
the winters weren’t as severe, I might live another two years. So I packed up—
lock, stock, and barrel—and moved my family to Los Angeles, California.
“That was the year Mrs. Aimee Semple McPherson built the 5,000-seat
Angelus Temple in Los Angeles. Someone told me about her healing meetings,
and I went. Of course, I was desperate, because the doctors had said nothing
more could be done for me.
 “So I got in Mrs. McPherson’s healing line and was healed by the power of
God! Then I found out that I wasn’t saved. I had always been a good church
member, active in church work, and had just supposed that I already was a
Christian. But I got saved and baptized with the Holy Ghost at her meeting too.
“I went to church there every week afterward and continued to hear the Word
taught until we moved to northern California in 1933. Then in 1938 I developed
a hernia. I said to my wife, ‘I know all I have to do is have Mrs. McPherson lay
hands on me, and that rupture will disappear.’
“While I was making plans to go to Los Angeles, I developed another rupture.
Now I had a double hernia. When I did get back to the Angelus Temple, folks
were beginning to come from everywhere for the daily healing meetings. It took
me five days to get in the line, but finally Mrs. McPherson ministered to me—
and I didn’t get a thing!”

‘Aimee’s Lost It’

“I thought, Mrs. McPherson didn’t have it tonight. If she had it like she did
fifteen years ago, I would have gotten healed. But she didn’t have it. So I’ll just
have to wait here until she gets it.
“I stayed another five days with some kinfolks. That’s how long it took me to
get back in the healing line again. When she laid hands on me the second time, I
didn’t get a thing.
“My relatives asked me, ‘Well, did you get healed?’
“I said, ‘No. Whatever Mrs. McPherson had, she lost it. I went through her
line twice. I guess she doesn’t have it anymore.’”

‘The Evangelists Don’t Have It Either’

“Brother Hagin, I carried my double hernia ten more years, from 1938 to
1948. Then while I was in the San Joaquin Valley, I happened to pick up a paper
and noticed that some fellow was putting up a tent in Stockton. The ad said,
‘Bring the blind, see the lame walk,’ and so on. Well, all I had to do was get to
Stockton!
“I went to this evangelist’s meeting several times. He laid hands on me, but I
didn’t get a thing. I finally decided, He doesn’t have what he claims to have. If
he had what Mrs. McPherson had—well, she had it, but she lost it—then I would
have been healed!
“Not too long after that, I saw in the paper that another fellow was holding a
tent meeting in Sacramento. I knew all I had to do was get over to those
meetings. So this other evangelist in Sacramento laid hands on me too, and I
came away with both of my hernias. I said, ‘He doesn’t have it either.’”

Wasted Time
“I wound up going to several other meetings to be prayed for, and every time
I’d go away saying, ‘They don’t have it!’ Then last year in Santa Cruz, a famous
prophet and evangelist was scheduled to preach at our church’s campmeeting. I
went to the meeting, got in his healing line, and without my ever telling him a
word, he told me exactly what was wrong with me by the word of knowledge.
But I didn’t get healed.
“I went away once more saying, ‘This brother doesn’t have it. If he’d had
what Mrs. McPherson had, I’d have gotten healed. Of course, she had it—but
she lost it.’
“Then this year, Brother Hagin, you were advertised to preach at our
campmeeting. I had heard about the vision you had of Jesus and how He
appeared unto you, because it was published all through the church. I knew all I
had to do was get to Santa Cruz and get in your healing line.
“I don’t know how many times you laid hands on me in that campmeeting and
later here in my son’s church. But I wasn’t healed. I said, ‘I guess Brother Hagin
doesn’t have it. If he had what Mrs. McPherson had back in ’23—of course, now
she’s lost it—I’d have gotten healed.’”
Then this elderly man said to me, “But, you know, Brother Hagin, since I’ve
been sitting here in these day services listening to you, I’m beginning to see
something.”
“What?” I asked.
“I’m beginning to see that God requires something of me.”
I said, “Yes, brother. I don’t mind telling you, you’re wasting your time
getting in healing lines. You’ve wasted sixteen years trying to get healed on
someone else’s faith. Why, instead of having to be prayed for, you ought to be
out praying for the sick yourself. No, brother, you’re going to have to get healed
on your own faith!”

You Have a Part To Play

You see, I was teaching on the subjects “How To Put Your Faith To Work”
and “How To Confess With Your Mouth and Believe in Your Heart” in those
daytime sessions. By sitting in on the services, that gentleman had begun to learn
that he had a part to play.
That was in September 1954. In July 1955, ten months later, I went up to the
Old Oak Ranch in the Sonora Mountains to preach for some Foursquare
churches in that district. And one of the first fellows I saw was this elderly man.
He was now eighty-three.
He waved at me from a distance and called, “Brother Hagin, Brother Hagin!”
I waited for him to catch up with me.
Here he came running—at eighty-three! He threw his arms around me and
hugged me. “Brother Hagin,” he shouted, jumping up and down, “I’m
completely healed! Both of my hernias have disappeared. I carried them around
all those years, but now they’re gone—and I got healed on my own faith!
“Not only that,” he said, “but I’m doing just what you said. I’m eighty-three
and retired, you know. So I’m out visiting the sick every day, praying for them
and getting them healed!”
Praise God! That man was healed of his terminal illness back in 1923 through
Aimee Semple McPherson’s ministry because he was new in the faith. But years
later when he developed those two hernias, something was required of him. God
was requiring him to exercise his own faith.
You Have To Exercise Your Own Faith
When I minister healing, I lay hands on the sick in obedience to the spiritual
law of “contact and transmission”—the contact of my hands transmits God’s
healing power into their bodies to undo that which Satan has wrought and to
affect in them a healing and a cure (Mark 16:18; Acts 19:11,12).
Once I’m conscious that God’s healing power has gone into them, I say,
“There it is.” That’s as far as I can take people. That’s where my responsibility
ends and theirs begins.
You see, divine healing has to be appropriated by faith. You may be able to
receive it through another person’s faith for a while. But sooner or later you’ll
have to learn to exercise your own faith.
The Word of God is clear—God’s will is healing. Now it’s time to walk in the
light of the Word you’ve received.
 Questions for Study

1. What do we see Jesus doing in His earthly
ministry?

2. If Jesus is the will of God in action, what does that
tell us about healing?

3. What does Psalm 107:20 say about healing?

4. Under the Old Covenant, the word that God sent
was spoken by whom?

5. Why has God given us the written Word?

6. When will God let another person believe for your
healing?

7. What does God expect mature believers to do?

8. Why is it the most difficult thing in the world for
some Christians to get healed?

9. What is the spiritual law of contact and
transmission?

10. How is divine healing appropriated?
 Chapter 11
Knowing and Acting on God’s Word
By putting God’s anointed Word in your heart, you can learn to walk in
freedom in every area of your life. When you believe and act upon God’s
anointed Word, the anointing will break the yoke of bondage and set you free in
every area of your life!

ISAIAH 10:27
27 . . . the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
We often hear it said that it’s the anointing that breaks every yoke. But what is
a “yoke” in present-day application? A “yoke” is anything that binds people. For
example, a yoke can be sin, sickness or disease, poverty, or oppression by evil
spirits. But, thank God, the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing!

My Testimony of Healing
I was sickly until I was seventeen years old. I didn’t grow up normally
because for the first sixteen years of my life, I couldn’t run and play like other
children. I played very limitedly because I had a deformed heart and an incurable
blood disease. The blood disease made my blood pale orange in color instead of
red, and there were other complications. I never had a normal childhood, and
about four months before my sixteenth birthday, I became totally bedfast.
Several doctors had been called in on my case. The great Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minnesota, hailed one of the doctors on my case as one of the best
surgeons in the world. This doctor said that no one in my condition in the history
of medical science had ever lived past the age of sixteen.
But, thank God for the Bible, which is God’s holy written Word. The Word is
anointed! It’s filled with God’s power, and God’s anointed Word destroys every
yoke of bondage, including the yoke of sickness and disease. That’s how I was
raised up off the bed of sickness—by acting on God’s anointed Word.
I had read the Bible as a young Baptist boy, but I didn’t know much about
acting on the Word. For example, I knew that the Holy Spirit lived inside me.
But I didn’t know at first that I was supposed to listen to Him or that He would
guide me to act on God’s Word.

JOHN 16:13
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH: for
 he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will
shew you things to come.

I’ve thought about it many times since then that if I had listened to the Holy
Spirit sooner, I would not have stayed bedfast for those sixteen months. But I
was so busy trying to get someone to help me that I failed to listen to the Holy
Spirit on the inside of me. That’s where we miss it so many times. Most of us are
looking for something in the natural to help us. But if you are saved, the Holy
Spirit abides in your spirit, and the Bible says He’ll guide you into all truth.
God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).

‘It’s All in the Book’

During the time I was bedfast, the Holy Spirit kept trying to tell me I could be
healed. Finally one day, I heard something on the inside of me—that still, small
voice—say, “You don’t have to die at this early age. You can be healed.” Well, if
I could be healed, I wanted to know how. I knew medical science couldn’t do
anything for me. So I asked the Lord, “How can I be healed?” And that same
inward voice said, “It’s all in the Book.”
When I heard the words, “It’s all in the Book,” I knew the Holy Spirit was
talking about the Bible, so I began to diligently study the Bible day and night.
When I read Mark 11:23 and 24, those words were branded on my spirit like a
branding iron brands cattle.
MARK 11:23,24
23 For verily I [Jesus] 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 [and that includes healing], when ye
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Those words, “. . . What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them” (v. 24), became indelibly imprinted on my
heart. You see, the greatest desire of my heart was to be healed. More than sixty-
five years ago, as I acted on God’s anointed Word, His Word brought healing to
my body. And I’ve been healed ever since!

We’ve Already Been Redeemed From

Sickness!
Healing belongs to us as believers. At the time I was healed, I didn’t know
about our redemption from sickness and disease. I didn’t know about Isaiah 53:4
and 5 and other scriptures about Christ’s redemptive work.

ISAIAH 53:4,5
4 Surely he [Jesus] hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows [the original Hebrew says He
bore our sicknesses and carried our pains]: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and
afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

MATTHEW 8:17
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet, saying, Himself
[Jesus] took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

1 PETER 2:24
24 Who his own self [Jesus] bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Many times, this is where folks miss it. They say, “I know God promised to
heal me, but He hasn’t done it yet.” This causes folks to become confused. But
God didn’t promise to heal them someday. He said in His Word that they are
healed now!
To say that God has promised to heal us is like an unsaved person saying, “I
know God has promised to save me.” No. God didn’t promise to save the sinner.
The Word says that salvation belongs to every unsaved person right now!
Second Corinthians 5:19 says, “. . . God was in Christ, reconciling the world
unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. . . .” Salvation is a gift. It
was paid for by Jesus Christ. It belongs to us.
Healing belongs to us too! And receiving healing, just like receiving salvation,
is simply a matter of appropriating what already belongs to us because of
Christ’s redemptive work.
Someone might say, “I’ve read all those wonderful promises in the Word.”
But these scriptures on healing that we just read are not really promises; they are
statements of fact. Remember, in the mind of God, you’re already healed. God
has already healed you because He laid sickness and disease on Jesus. Jesus has
already borne sickness and disease for you. You need not bear what Jesus
already bore for you.
When Isaiah wrote about Jesus’ redemptive work, “Surely he hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows . . .” (Isa. 53:4), he was prophesying about the
future. He was looking forward in time to the Cross. Some people say that verse
was only prophesying concerning salvation. However, we know the words
“griefs” and “sorrows” are literally translated from the Hebrew as “sickness” and
“pain.” So our redemption included both remission of sin and physical healing.
When Peter later wrote about Jesus’ redemptive work, “Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree . . . by whose stripes ye were healed” (1
Peter 2:24), he was looking back in time to the Cross.
Peter wrote, “. . . by whose stripes ye WERE healed.” Since you were healed,
you are healed. In other words, you’re not going to be healed. You are healed!
And as you stand in faith on God’s Word, your body has to come in line with
God’s Word, and every symptom has to go!
Someone might say, “I just believe God is going to heal me sometime.” Well,
that’s not agreeing with God. In fact, to say that is really taking sides against
God because God and His Word are one. God’s Word is God speaking to us, and
God’s Word says we were healed (1 Peter 2:24)!

Feed Your Spirit Continually

Some people are always wanting God to speak to them, but if they’d get in the
Bible and read it and meditate on it, they’d find that God is speaking to them
from every page. They’re always looking for some “new” revelation, yet they
haven’t mastered walking in the light of what they already know. But when you
walk in the light of what you know, more light will be given to you. You see, it’s
the truth of God’s anointed Word, not some “new” revelation, that sets people
free and destroys every yoke of bondage.
Sometimes when I’ve tried to read scriptures to people on healing, they’ve
said, “Oh, I’ve already heard that.” That’s like a man sitting down at the table to
eat, but when a big T-bone steak is put on his plate, he says, “No thanks. I’ve had
T-bone steak before”! Just because you ate a T-bone steak one time doesn’t mean
you’re never going to eat one again!

MATTHEW 4:4
4 . . . Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God.

What is this verse saying? It’s saying that what natural food is to your body,
the Word of God is to your spirit. The Word of God is “food” or nourishment, for
your spirit. Just because you ate a certain kind of natural food one time doesn’t
mean you’re never going to eat it again. No, you’ll come right back to the table
and eat the same kinds of food again and again.
 The Truth Will Set You Free!
When it comes to spiritual things, a preacher can teach on faith and healing
and sometimes people say, “Oh, I’ve heard that before.” But in much the same
way that we eat the same kind of natural food again and again, we need to come
right back to God’s table and eat His food—the Word of God—again and again.

ROMANS 10:17
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. In other words, faith
doesn’t come by hearing it just once or even by hearing it occasionally. The
Word of God is anointed and if you get that Word in your heart by hearing it
again and again, the anointing will set you free.

JOHN 8:32
32 And ye shall KNOW the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The truth sets you free. We know that God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). The
truth of the anointed Word will set you free, but the truth can’t set you free until
you know the truth. The way you know the truth is by putting it in your heart—in
your spirit. And the way you do that is by hearing the Word continually.
As I shared in a previous chapter, several years ago, my wife Oretha became
physically weak and just kept getting weaker. When she went to have a medical
exam, her doctor discovered a blockage in one side of her heart and immediately
ordered more tests. He also told her not to exert herself physically at all. So she
spent time in the Word constantly, putting God’s medicine—His Word—in her
spirit. She listened to my tape called “Healing Scriptures” almost constantly.
Oretha was scheduled to go back to the doctor for more tests to see whether
she would need surgery or if medication alone could help her. One evening
before her return visit to the doctor, she was meditating on the Word, thinking
about the goodness of God, when she felt something like two hands reach down
into her heart and take something out.
She went back to the same doctor for more tests, and he couldn’t find a thing
wrong with her heart! He said the blockage was gone and that her heart was
perfectly normal! Her doctor was a Christian, and he said that was the first
miracle of that sort he had ever seen. He had seen other people helped through
both prayer and medicine, but he had never seen a miracle like hers. What had
happened? She just kept putting that Word in her spirit, and God healed her
through His anointed Word.

You Must Do Your Part

Healing belongs to us, but most folks miss it because they think, If healing
belongs to me, why don’t I have it? In other words, they think the blessings of
God are just going to automatically fall on them like ripe cherries fall off a tree.
But that’s not true. The blessings of God must be appropriated by faith in God’s
written Word. In other words, we must receive by faith the blessings that God
has already provided for us in His Word.
The same is true with salvation. For example, have you ever stopped to think
about the fact that the New Birth, the remission of sin, belongs to the worst
sinner, just as much as it belongs to the Christian? The remission of sin belongs
to people in jail or prison—even those who are on “death row”—just as much as
it belongs to the most faithful churchgoer. Why? Because the Bible says, “For
God so loved THE WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
(John 3:16).
Jesus paid for salvation for every man, woman, boy, and girl who would ever
live on this earth. But people must believe on Jesus and receive Him as their own
Savior before salvation can benefit them.
So, you see, salvation belongs to the sinner. Then why doesn’t every sinner
get saved? It’s either because no one has shared the Gospel with him, so he
doesn’t know about salvation, or because someone has told him about salvation,
but he didn’t believe it or accept it.
The same thing is true with healing. One reason many Christians haven’t
received healing is they haven’t heard the Word, and they don’t know healing
belongs to them. They thought they had to stay sick. But healing still belongs to
them. There are other reasons Christians don’t get healed as well, but the point
is, healing belongs to them.
We know it’s the anointing that destroys every yoke of sickness and disease.
But actually, the anointing is released by acting on God’s anointed Word—that
is, by believing it and applying it to your own life.
It’s a Done Deal!
Years ago a crippled woman who hadn’t walked in four years attended a
meeting I held. She was seventy-two years old and doctors said she would never
walk another step. I read Matthew 8:17 and First Peter 2:24 to her. She said,
“Yes, I know those scriptures, and I believe them.”
I asked her to read aloud the last part of First Peter 2:24, and she read, “. . . by
whose stripes ye were healed.” I said, “Read it again,” and she did. Then I asked
her, “Is ‘were’ past tense, present tense, or future tense?”
She looked at me in amazement, and I could see that the light had suddenly
dawned on her. She said, “Why, it’s past tense. And if we were healed, then I
was healed.”
“That’s right,” I encouraged her. Then I said, “You’re still sitting there
crippled. You haven’t moved a bit. You need to start believing that you were
healed when the stripes were laid on Jesus. If you believe that, then begin to say,
‘If I was healed, then I am healed.’ Start believing you are healed now.”
I talked to this crippled woman about what the Word says, and just kept
quoting the Word to her on healing. After about ten minutes, she was leaping and
walking and praising God! Some people in that church said, “That Hagin fellow
healed a crippled woman in church the other night.” But I didn’t do any such
thing! I can’t heal anyone. Jesus purchased her healing more than 2,000 years
ago. She just found out about it that night!
God’s anointed Word will work for you, too, and set you free from every yoke
of bondage—sin, sickness or disease, poverty, or anything else the devil tries to
bring against you. But you must act on God’s Word by agreeing with it. You
must believe it and feed upon it. That’s how you get it into your heart or spirit.
As God’s Word becomes a part of you, the anointing will deliver you and bring
freedom to every area of your life.
 Questions for Study

1. When will the anointing break the yoke of bondage
and set you free in every area of your life?

2. What is a yoke in present-day application?

3. According to John 16:13, what are three ways in
which the Holy Spirit helps believers?

4. What similarities are there between salvation and
healing?

5. The scriptures on healing are not really promises.
What are they?

6. Some people are always looking for some “new”
revelation, yet they haven’t mastered walking in the
light of what they already know. When will more light
be given to them?

7. In what way is natural food similar to the Word of
God?

8. When will the truth of the anointed Word set you
free?

9. Does the remission of sins belong to people in jail or
prison? Why or why not?

10. List two reasons why many sick Christians don’t
get healed.
 Chapter 12
There’s Healing Power in the Name of
Jesus!
The Name of Jesus belongs to you as a Christian, and you have a right to use
that Name. But you need to know the power and the authority that’s in Jesus’
Name, and you must learn to exercise that authority.
JOHN 14:12-14
12 Verily, verily, I [Jesus] 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.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in
the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
Many times, when we just sort of “skim” over the Word of God, we miss the
impact of what the Word is saying. For example, many people believe that John
14:12-14 is a reference to the subject of prayer. However, a closer examination
of this passage will reveal that it is really referring to the believer’s right to
exercise spiritual authority in the Name of Jesus.

Make a Demand in the Name of Jesus

According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the meaning of the Greek
word “ask” in John 14:13,14 implies a demand of something due. Jesus told the
disciples, “If ye shall ASK [demand] any thing IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT”
(John 14:14). Jesus was not talking about prayer here; He was talking about
using His Name as a basis for authority.
In the Early Church, healing was used as a means of advertising the Gospel as
well as a means of blessing and helping people. The Apostle Peter knew that
there is power in the Name of Jesus. Peter used the authority in that Name to
command sickness and disease to go.

ACTS 3:1-16
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth
hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the
gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
 6 Then Peter 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.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle
bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and
leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they
were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto
them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at
this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made
this man to walk?
13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his
Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was
determined to let him go.
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are
witnesses.
16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know:
yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Peter didn’t demand anything of God when he commanded, “. . . In the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (v. 6). You see, God never made
that man crippled to begin with—Satan did. Peter used the Name of Jesus to set
the crippled man free from the bondage of Satan. Peter demanded that the man
arise and walk in Jesus’ Name, because Jesus said, “Whatever you demand in
My Name, I will do!”
When the man was healed, the crowd thought that Peter and John had healed
him. If people aren’t careful, they will look to man to heal them. Later in Acts
3:16, Peter told the people exactly how the crippled man had been made whole.
He said, “And HIS [Jesus’] NAME through faith in HIS NAME hath made this
man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given
him this perfect soundness. . . .” You see, it is that Name—the Name of Jesus—
which guarantees the answer!

The Name of Jesus Belongs to You!

As Christians, the Name of Jesus belongs to us. Yet many times, that Name
doesn’t mean as much to believers as it should because their thinking is wrong.
If your thinking is wrong, your believing will be wrong; and if your believing is
wrong, then what you say will be wrong too. It all goes back to your thinking.
You’ve got to get your thinking straightened out in order for the Name of Jesus
to mean what it should mean to you.
The Bible says, “. . . faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God” (Rom. 10:17). You’ve got to have faith in the Name of Jesus before that
Name will produce results for you. When your faith in the Name of Jesus
increases, then the results will increase!
Some Christians think of the Name of Jesus in the same way they think of a
good luck charm. They have about as much faith in the Name of Jesus as they
have in a rabbit’s foot! They say, “Maybe it will work,” or “I hope something
good comes out of it.” As long as they just try the Name of Jesus as though it’s
some sort of good luck charm—nothing will happen for them, unless God in His
mercy intervenes on their behalf and does something for them in spite of
themselves.

Using the Name of Jesus To Obtain Healing

The Name of Jesus belongs to you as a Christian, and you have a right to use
that Name. When sickness or disease tries to attack you, you can command it to
leave your body. That’s how I’ve been able to live for more than sixty-five years
now without having a headache. I didn’t say symptoms of a headache never tried
to attack me. I said I haven’t had a headache in more than sixty-five years. When
a symptom came, I demanded it to leave in Jesus’ Name, and it left!
If sickness or disease comes to you, instead of accepting it and talking about
your troubles, say, “In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, leave my body!”
And the sickness or disease must go! You may say, “I tried that, and it didn’t
work.” Using the Name of Jesus doesn’t work by trying it; it works by doing it!
Your spirit man—the real you on the inside—is the ruler of your body. In other
words, you are the ruler, or the caretaker of your own body. You are the one who
must exercise dominion over it—not someone else.
I once read about a man who was the caretaker of some landscaped property.
After repeated efforts to stop people from walking on the grass, this caretaker
posted a sign that read: “Gentlemen will not, and others must not trespass on this
property.” You see, you—not someone else—are the caretaker of your physical
body, and you have a right to forbid Satan to trespass against your body with
sickness or disease!
The Apostle Paul said, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself
should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27). To bring something into subjection means
to rule over something or to take authority over something.
I like what Smith Wigglesworth said: “If someone asks, ‘How is Smith
Wigglesworth feeling today?’ I tell him, ‘I never ask Smith Wigglesworth how
he feels; I tell him how he feels!’”
That’s right in line with what Paul said: “I bring my body into subjection.”
Some Christians don’t bring their bodies into subjection—they are body-ruled.
That’s what it means to be
carnal. Yet every Christian has the ability to bring his or her body into
subjection, as Paul did. Just because Paul was an apostle, doesn’t mean he was
any more saved than you are; he didn’t have any more authority over his body
than you do over yours. But Paul exercised his authority. He brought his body
into subjection.

ROMANS 12:1
1 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.

Paul addressed the Book of Romans to believers. Romans 1:7 says, “To all
that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. . . .” So Romans 12:1
applies to all the beloved of God, called to be saints—whether they are in Rome
or in your own hometown. Paul admonished all believers: “. . . present your
bodies a living sacrifice . . . which is your reasonable service” (v. 1). One
translation says, “which is your spiritual service.” Paul said presenting your
body to God as a living sacrifice is your spiritual service, and that applies to
every believer.
You are the ruler of your own body. If you weren’t the ruler of your own body,
then you couldn’t bring it into subjection, and you couldn’t present it to God as a
living sacrifice according to Romans 12:1. You wouldn’t be able to take
authority over any sickness or disease that might try to harm you. But you are
the ruler of your own body, and, thank God, you have a right to freedom from
pain, sickness, and disease in the Name of Jesus! But you must exercise the
authority which belongs to you in that Name.
When you take authority over sickness or disease in your body and command
it to leave in Jesus’ Name, you are demanding something due you: freedom from
whatever it is that has attacked your body. John 14:14 says, “If ye shall ask [or
demand] any thing in my name, I will do it.” You’re not demanding anything of
God; you’re demanding something of demon forces because sickness and
disease come from the devil, not from God.
Jesus told the disciples to pray, “. . . Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven” (Matt. 6:10). There isn’t any sickness in Heaven, and God doesn’t want
you to be sick here on earth. When you take authority over sickness or disease in
your body, you’re just taking your place as a child of God with certain rights.
You’re just exercising your authority and demanding your rights!
Many times, however, Christians will just slip back into the natural, or back
into religious thinking which tells them they don’t have a say-so about anything
that happens to them. Rather than dominating their circumstances, these
Christians are being dominated by their circumstances. They have been
religiously brainwashed instead of New Testament taught.
We need to know the authority God has given us, believe in that authority, and
exercise it. If we don’t know the authority God has given us as we should, we
need to meditate upon the Scriptures which tell us who we are in Christ, and the
authority which God has given us in the Name of Jesus.
The Name of Jesus won’t work just because you saw or heard someone else
use it. That’s where folks miss it sometimes. They say, “Well, Brother Hagin said
such-and-such.” But they don’t study the Word for themselves.
You must be convinced of the Word of God yourself and then act on the Word
because you believe it’s true. The Name of Jesus will not work for you as it
should until you apply yourself to the study of its meaning and its worth.

Using the Name of Jesus To Break the Power

of the Devil
When you understand the authority you have in the Name of Jesus, you can
also use that Name to break the power of the devil over unsaved people,
particularly your unsaved loved ones. I began to study along this line in 1952,
and I began to understand the authority we have in Jesus’ Name. Now I had been
using the Name of Jesus for years, commanding sickness or pain or whatever
tried to come against me to leave, and as I used that Name, it left. But I began to
see that I could use Jesus’ Name to break the power of the devil over my loved
ones, and then claim their salvation.
Before I began to see that I could use the Name of Jesus to break the power of
the devil over my loved ones and claim their salvation, I spent a lot of time
praying that my loved ones would be saved. One day the Holy Spirit showed me
something about what I had been doing. The Holy Spirit made it clear to me that
if people knew the truth about Heaven and hell and if they understood that Jesus
died to save them and give them eternal life, they would not go down the path,
so to speak, that they normally would.
Then the Holy Spirit gave me this example: “No one in his right mind would
drive his automobile 100 miles per hour past flashing red lights and signs that
read, ‘WARNING! BRIDGE OUT!’ without stopping his automobile in order to
avoid destruction.” But a person who was not in his right mind would! A drunk
person, for example, is not in his right mind. A drunk person is not as alert as
someone who is sober, and, consequently, he might not heed the red flashing
lights and warning signs. The Bible says, “. . . the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4:4).
As the Holy Spirit spoke to me about this, I could see in my spirit a multitude
of people going down what appeared to be a highway. The multitude came to a
place where the highway ended, and they plunged right over what looked like
the edge of a cliff and went down into the pit of hell! The god of this world,
Satan, had blinded their minds.
The Word says, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth
understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). Many times, if you expose a
person to the Word, the Word will give him light, and spiritually he’ll be able to
see the truth. But sometimes, the power which is controlling an unsaved person
needs to be broken, or rendered ineffective before he can see the truth and act on
it.
When I understood that I could use the Name of Jesus to break the power of
the devil over my unsaved loved ones, I immediately said to myself, “I’ll do just
that.” The meanest relative I had, my brother Dub, came to my mind. I thought if
it works on him, it will work on anyone!
I had been reading the Bible, meditating, and praying. My Bible was opened
to the Book of Philippians, so I stood and read Philippians 2:9.
PHILIPPIANS 2:9
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him [Jesus], and given him A NAME WHICH IS
ABOVE EVERY NAME.
God highly exalted Jesus the Person and gave Him a Name which is above
every name. And the Name and the Person are one. For example, if your name
were John Smith, people wouldn’t think of you as Harvey Alligator. No. If they
know your name, then when they think of you, they think of your name. Or, if
they know your name, when they think of your name, they think of you. The
name and the person are one. Thank God, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Name
are one!
Now let’s go on reading in Philippians chapter 2.

PHILIPPIANS 2:10,11
10 That at THE NAME OF JESUS every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.

Verse 10 says, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of THINGS
in heaven, and THINGS in earth, and THINGS under the earth.” Other
translations say “beings” instead of “things.” So we could read verse 10, “. . .
every knee should bow, of beings in heaven, and beings in earth, and beings
under the earth.” Beings in Heaven, in earth, and under the earth include angels
and demons. In other words, angels and demons alike are subject to the Name of
Jesus. They must surrender to that Name, because the Name of Jesus is superior
to every name that can be named!
As I said earlier, I was standing with my Bible in my hand, opened to that
portion of Scripture in the Book of Philippians. So I raised my other hand to
Heaven and said, “I take the Name of Jesus and break the power of the devil
over my brother Dub, and I claim his deliverance and salvation.”
When I took authority over the demons influencing Dub’s life and then
claimed his salvation, that settled it for me. I didn’t even think about it or pray
about it anymore. My brother Dub was the “black sheep” of the family. I didn’t
even know where he was at the time I used the Name of Jesus on his behalf, but
to me it was settled, and within three weeks he was saved!
Use the Name of Jesus in Faith
When you get the revelation of the power and authority you have in the Name
of Jesus, no one can steal that revelation from you. You must use the Name of
Jesus in faith; otherwise, you will be ineffective and you won’t get results.
Unbelief cries and begs and pleads, but faith speaks and then shouts the victory!
Through faith in the Name of Jesus, you can exercise authority over the power
of the enemy in your life, and experience deliverance, healing, and victory! Jesus
said, “If ye shall ask [demand] any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14). I
didn’t get the revelation of that scripture just by reading it once or twice; I didn’t
get it by hearing someone else’s testimony of how it worked for them. I got the
revelation of the power of the Name of Jesus by careful study, meditation, and
application of the truth of God’s Word.
Someone might say, “Well, I don’t know about that. I tried using the Name of
Jesus once, and it didn’t work.” Once the reality of the authority that’s in the
Name of Jesus has dawned on
you—once the authority that’s in the Name of Jesus has become a reality in your
spirit—your days of trying will be over, and your days of doing will begin!
Every believer should clearly understand the power and authority in the Name
of Jesus and the believer’s right to use that Name. Meditate upon the scriptures
that tell you who you are in Christ and what authority you have as a believer. As
you do, those scriptures will become a reality to you. And you will begin to
exercise your right to perfect deliverance from the bondage of Satan—for
yourself and for your loved ones—in the Name of Jesus!
 Questions for Study

1. Who does the Name of Jesus belong to?

2. John 14:12-14 does not refer to prayer. What does it
refer to?

3. What is the Greek definition of the word “ask” in
John 14:13 and 14?

4. In Acts 3:2-8, when Peter demanded healing for the
lame man in the Name of Jesus, he didn’t demand
anything of God. To whom was he making the
demand?

5. Why doesn’t the Name of Jesus mean as much as it
should to some believers?

6. What must you have before the Name of Jesus will
produce results for you?

7. As long as people just try the Name of Jesus as
though it’s some sort of good luck charm, what will
happen for them?

8. As the caretaker of your physical body, what right
do you have?

9. In Romans 12:1, what did Paul say the believer’s
reasonable service is?

10. According to Matthew 6:10, how can you know
that God doesn’t want you to be sick here on earth?
 Chapter 13
Prayer for Healing

The Bible teaches that there are several kinds of prayer. However, I will not go
into detail on all of them in this chapter. (I do have several books on prayer
which discuss them in more detail.) Right now I just want to concentrate on
prayer for healing.
Pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus
JOHN 16:23,24
23 And IN THAT DAY ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye
shall ask the Father IN MY NAME, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing IN MY NAME: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may
be full.
What day was Jesus talking about when He said “. . . in that day ye shall ask
me nothing . . .” (v. 23)? He was talking about the day that we are living in right
now. Praying to the Father in the Name of Jesus belongs to us now—in this day.
Jesus said “. . . in that day ye shall ask me nothing . . .” just before He went to
Calvary. After which a new day dawned, and we came into the New Covenant.
Notice John 16:24 says, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name. . . .”
The word “hitherto” means until now. Jesus was really saying, “Until this time
you have not prayed in My Name.” It wouldn’t have done the disciples or
anyone else any good to have prayed to the Father in the Name of Jesus while
Jesus was here on earth, because, under the Old Covenant, they prayed to the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
You see, when Jesus was here on earth, He had not yet entered His mediatory
(high priestly or intercessory) ministry at the right hand of the Father, so it would
not have done any good to have prayed in His Name.
But just before He went away, Jesus changed His disciples’ way of praying.
During the interim when the Old Covenant was going out and the New Covenant
was coming in, Jesus taught the disciples to pray what we call “The Lord’s
Prayer” (Matt. 6:9). He did not teach us to pray this way; He taught His disciples
to pray this way.
I did not say The Lord’s Prayer isn’t beautiful. I did not say we cannot learn
something from it—because we can learn much from it. But where is the Name
of Jesus in it? The disciples didn’t pray one thing in the Name of Jesus, did they?
They didn’t ask for one thing in the Name of Jesus. This is not the New
Testament Church at prayer! This is not the New Testament norm for prayer.
There’s something we need to see here in John chapter 16: Just before Jesus
went away, He changed the disciples’ way of praying. Under the New Covenant
between God and the Church, we are to come to God by Jesus Christ. One
reason we have missed a great deal is that we have tried to pray as they did back
in the days of the Old Covenant.
Notice Jesus said, “. . . ASK, and ye SHALL RECEIVE, that your joy may be
full” (v. 24). Of course, this includes all prayer, and it includes praying for
healing as well. How could your joy be full if you or your loved ones were home
sick? That would be impossible, wouldn’t it?
You see, every believer has a right to ask God the Father for healing or for any
other blessing mentioned in God’s Word. And if a believer asks in the Name of
Jesus, he has an absolute guarantee that God will grant him the answer to his
petition.
If we were getting more answers to prayer, we would have more joy. And if
more of our joy were showing, we would get more people saved and healed.
Healing is involved in these verses. We have a right to ask for healing in the
Name of Jesus. God does hear and answer prayer.
Agree in Prayer
MATTHEW 18:19,20
19 Again I [Jesus] say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing
that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Frequently we take verse 20 out of its setting and apply it only to church
services—but that really isn’t what it’s talking about. You see, verses 19 and 20
go together. According to verse 20, wherever two people are, agreeing in prayer,
Jesus is there to see that what they agreed on happens. Jesus is not talking about
a church meeting here, although He is present in church meetings.
Where two people are united and are demanding healing for themselves or
their loved ones in Jesus’ Name, their prayers are bound to be answered, because
God watches over His Word to make it good (Jer. 1:12)!
Matthew 18:19 says “two of you on earth,” not “two of you in Heaven.” Just
two. And the phrase “anything that they shall ask” could include healing,
couldn’t it?
Well, the “two of you” could be husband and wife. My wife and I have had
marvelous answers to prayer by agreeing together. Yet people tell me, “Brother
Hagin, we tried that, and it didn’t work.” My wife and I didn’t try it. We did it!
Jesus didn’t say that two should try to agree; He said to do it.
Sometimes we get into the natural and think, Now, if I could get enough
people—maybe a thousand—agreeing; maybe ten thousand praying, that would
really get results! That is human reasoning. God said that two could get the job
done. Two is the most that He ever mentions we need! He didn’t say to get the
whole church to agree on it. (You couldn’t get a whole church to agree on
something to save your life!) But if two of you agree, that’s all it takes.
Jesus said, “. . . if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing . . . IT
SHALL BE . . .” (v. 19). Jesus didn’t say it might be or it’s a possibility. He said,
“. . . IT SHALL BE DONE for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
Often people ask me to agree with them in prayer for financial, physical, and
spiritual needs. I usually join hands with them and pray: “We are joining hands
here physically to denote the fact that our spirits are agreeing. We agree that this
need is met—not that it is going to be, because that is not faith, that would be
future tense. That would be hope, not faith. We agree that the need is met, so we
are praising God because we have agreed that it shall be done. By faith it is done
right now, and we count it as done.”
After praying like this I ask the person, “Is it done?”
Eight times out of ten the person starts bawling, “Brother Hagin, I hope it is.”
I have to tell them, “It isn’t. I’m believing and you’re hoping. There is no
agreement here. It didn’t work.”
There is no use in our going around blaming God and casting bad reflections
on the Bible if it didn’t work. Friends, if it didn’t work, we didn’t work it,
because Jesus Christ cannot lie! We must admit that we didn’t do it and then
correct ourselves.

Add Praise to Your Prayers and Get Results!

When I tell people they don’t have to pray to be healed, they look at me in
amazement. Many have failed to receive healing because they have based their
faith on prayer instead of on God’s Word. They expected prayer to do for them
what God’s Word will do for them. But prayer is successful only when it is based
on the promises in God’s Word!
It seems that most of our prayers are prayers of petition—asking God to do
something for us. And, of course, it’s scriptural for us to pray that way, but we
also need to add praise to our prayers, because it’s in an atmosphere of praise
that God can move more readily in our midst.
A young Pentecostal evangelist found that out when he was dying of
tuberculosis back in the early 1930s. He told me his story firsthand.
He had become bedfast and was hemorrhaging from both lungs. He had had to
take his family to live on his father-in-law’s farm.
One day his father-in-law was out in the fields plowing, and his wife and
mother-in-law were behind the house doing the wash. So this young evangelist
begged God for enough strength to get out of bed and make it to a clump of trees
and bushes a quarter of a mile down the road. He purposed in his heart, I’m
going to pray until I pray through and God heals me, or until they find me dead
—one of the two.
He reached the thicket and fell down exhausted. He couldn’t have cried for
help if he had wanted to. No one knew where he was.
“They won’t find you until the buzzards lead them to you,” the devil assured
him.
“Well,” the evangelist said, “that’s all right, devil. That’s why I came out here.
Just as soon as I can regain a little strength, I’m going to pray until I’m healed or
die at this spot.”
The young man said, “As I was lying there, trying to muster enough strength
to start praying, I got to thinking about it: Everywhere I had been, I had turned in
prayer requests for my healing. Hundreds of people had prayed. Thousands of
people had prayed. Every healing evangelist in America had laid hands on me.
Everybody had prayed.
“If you put all those prayers together, it would add up to hundreds of hours of
prayer. Many great men of faith had laid hands on me—and God uses healing
evangelists. I finally decided, ‘I’m not going to pray at all. There is no use in my
praying. I see where I’ve missed it. I shouldn’t even have turned in all those
prayer requests. I’ve been trying to get a bunch of people to pray for me. I’ve
been trying to get God to give me what He said is already mine!’
“‘The Bible says I’m healed. So, Lord, I’m going to lie here flat on my back
and praise You. I’m going to praise You until my healing is manifested.’”
That young evangelist told me, “I just started whispering, ‘Praise the Lord.
Glory to God. Hallelujah. Thank You, Jesus.’ After about ten minutes of
whispering, I got enough strength to lift my arms up by propping my elbows on
the ground. And I praised God for another ten minutes or so. Then I got enough
strength to lift my hands, and my voice got louder. At the end of two hours, I
was on my feet hollering, ‘Praise God,’ so loudly that someone heard me several
miles away!”
You see, when he began to agree with what the Word of God says and acted
on God’s Word, he got results!

The Prayer of Faith

First-century believers did not have a complete New Testament. They had
some letters that could be passed around from church to church, but they did not
have an entire Bible to study as we do.
They did not know that Peter had written by the Spirit of God “. . . by whose
stripes ye WERE HEALED” (1 Peter 2:24). But we know that. If they could walk
in divine health, how much more should we in this generation, with all the
knowledge we have, walk in divine health?
The following passage of Scripture reveals that there are many elements to the
prayer of faith.

JAMES 5:14,15
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.

There really ought not be any sick among us—but James asked, “Is there
anyone sick among you?” James was clearly talking to the Church here, because
he said “. . . let him call for the elders of the church . . .” (v. 14). If you can’t
pray for your own healing, God has made provision for you where you can find
help. And, thank God, even if people have missed it and have sinned, there is
help for them. Notice in verse 15, James says, “If he has committed sins, they
shall be forgiven him.”
James 5:16 clearly shows us that healing can be obtained through prayer.
JAMES 5:16
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.
James 5:16 is talking about believers praying for one another that they might
be healed. The thought I want to impress upon you is the last part of this verse:
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” This is just
another way of saying that prayer works!
 Who Is Righteous?
But here is where many people run into difficulty with this verse. They say,
“Well, if I were righteous, I could get my prayers heard and answered.” That’s
the lie the devil used on me.
As I’ve stately previously, I was sickly until I was seventeen years old. I
didn’t grow up normally because for the first sixteen years of my life, I couldn’t
run and play like other children. I played very limitedly because I had a
deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. I never had a normal childhood,
and about four months before my sixteenth birthday, I became totally bedfast.
Several doctors had been called in on my case. And one of the best surgeons in
the world said that no one in my condition in the history of medical science had
ever lived past the age of sixteen.
I had gotten born again, and I knew that the Holy Spirit lived inside me. But I
didn’t know at first that I was supposed to listen to Him or that He would guide
me to act on God’s Word. I just knew in my spirit that I didn’t have to die at such
an early age.
During the time I was bedfast, the Holy Spirit kept trying to tell me I could be
healed. Finally one day, I heard something on the inside of me—that still, small
voice—say, “You don’t have to die at this early age. You can be healed.” Then
that same inward voice told me that there was help for me in the Word of God.
So I began to diligently study the Bible day and night. I had read the Bible as
a young Baptist boy, but I didn’t know much about acting on the Word. The
doctors had said that I might not live very long so I ran the references on faith,
prayer, and healing. Finally, I got over to the Book of James. When I read “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 . . .” (vv. 14,15), I was
heartbroken.
I began to cry. I told the Lord, “If I have to do that, I can never be healed;
because I don’t know anyone—no preacher, minister, deacon, Sunday school
superintendent or teacher—who believes in or practices anointing with oil and
praying for healing.” Then the Spirit of God spoke to my spirit these words:
“Did you notice that verse says the prayer of faith will save the sick?” I said,
“No. I didn’t notice that.” I read it again, and sure enough that’s what it said.
That still, small voice said, “You can pray the prayer of faith as well as anyone
can.” At that moment, I started to believe I could pray the prayer of faith for
myself and be healed.
Then I heard another voice say, “Did you notice what the next verse says?” So
I read James 5:16: “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.” The voice continued, “You could pray the prayer of faith, if you were
righteous. But you’re not righteous.”
I didn’t realize that was the voice of the devil, so I more or less accepted what
he said. I sided right in with him and said, “You’re right. I sure am not
righteous.” The devil brought to my remembrance an incident when I was
irritable and knocked my tray off the bed. There was food everywhere. He said,
“That wasn’t any way for a righteous person to act, was it?”
I thought being righteous meant you had attained some great degree of
spiritual growth, that you always had right conduct. I said to myself, If I can
keep from dying, maybe I can eventually grow to become righteous.
So there I was. I was sure that because I wasn’t righteous, I couldn’t get my
prayers answered. I laid there bedfast for another three months. I continued to
read and study the Word. One day I was reading those same verses in James
chapter 5 again, and the Holy Ghost led me to read further. I read verse 17,
which says, “Elias [Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he
prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the
space of three years and six months.”
I began to analyze that verse for a moment. Verse 16 tells us to confess our
faults to one another and pray that we might be healed, because the effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Verse 17 points out that Elijah
was human and that he was subject to like passions as we are to show us that he
had faults and shortcomings just as we do. And James listed Elijah as an
example of a righteous man whose prayers were answered! Then I realized that a
person who has faults can still be a righteous person. I hadn’t seen that three
months earlier, and the devil knew it.
Elijah’s prayers were answered because he prayed effectually and fervently.
That’s why many people’s prayers go unanswered—people are not effectual or
fervent when they pray. The Greek word translated “fervent” really means white-
hot. When a blacksmith is working with a piece of metal in the fire, the metal
gets hot and turns red. After a while, the metal becomes so hot that it turns
white. So it’s the white-hot prayer of a righteous man that avails much!
We Are Righteous in Christ!
 My definition of righteousness was all wrong. So I found out what the Bible
had to say on the subject.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17,21
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new. . . .
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
When I read those verses this time, I realized that the blood of Jesus had
washed my sins away, cleansed me, and made me a new creature. It didn’t make
me an unrighteous new creature. I became the righteousness of God in Christ!
You see, we can’t make ourselves right with God. Only the blood of Jesus can
make us right with God. We simply accept His righteousness.
But the devil didn’t give up so easy. He knew that I didn’t know as much
about righteousness as I should. The devil told me, “You’re right about that.
Jesus made you a new creature; and He didn’t make you an unrighteous new
creature. But after you were made a new man in Christ, you lost your temper and
knocked the tray off the bed. Is that any way for a righteous man to act?”
Well, the devil had me under condemnation again. I thought my prayer
wouldn’t work, so I didn’t even try to pray. But, thank God for the Holy Ghost!
He will always lead you back to the Word, because that’s where the answer is.
The Holy Ghost led me to First John 1:9, which says, “If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” John wrote this to Christians, not sinners.
When I read that verse, I started hollering, “Mr. Devil, I’ve got you now! You
already admitted that when I was born again, I became a new creature in Christ;
and He didn’t make me an unrighteous new creature. But you told me that when
I did wrong and missed it, I lost my righteousness. But the Bible says that if I
confess my sins to God, He is faithful and just to forgive my sins and cleanse me
from all unrighteousness.
“If God only forgave my sins, I’d still be in a dilemma, because I would still
be in a state of unrighteousness. My prayers wouldn’t work, because I’d be
under condemnation. But God forgives me and cleanses me from all
unrighteousness! And if I’m cleansed from all unrighteousness, that means I’m
righteous again!” And since the prayer of a righteous man avails much, I prayed
the prayer of faith for myself, and I was healed!
 Questions for Study

1. When is prayer successful?

2. According to John 16:23, what day does praying to
the Father in the Name of Jesus belong to?

3. Why wouldn’t it have done the disciples or anyone
else any good to have prayed to the Father in Jesus’
Name while Jesus was here on earth?

4. How did Jesus change the disciples’ way of praying
in John 16:23 and 24?

5. Why isn’t The Lord’s Prayer for the New
Testament Church?

6. Under the New Covenant between God and the
Church, how are we to come to God?

7. According to Matthew 18:19 and 20, what happens
when two or more believers agree in prayer?

8. Why is it unnecessary to try to get the whole church
to agree in prayer?

9. When it comes to prayer, what is the difference
between believing and hoping?

10. Why do many people fail to receive healing even
after they have prayed?
 Chapter 14
The Laying On of Hands - Part 1
A Pentecostal minister once told me: “Twenty-five years ago, God spoke to
me about a ministry of laying on of hands, but I backed off from it. Even though
God used me in it, some of the brethren didn’t understand it, and I didn’t want to
make a doctrine out of it.”
“You didn’t have to,” I said. “Jesus made a doctrine out of it.”
The laying on of hands is a fundamental principle of the doctrine of Christ.

HEBREWS 6:1,2
1 Therefore leaving THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, let us go on unto
perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward
God,
2 Of THE DOCTRINE of baptisms, and OF LAYING ON OF HANDS, and of resurrection of
the dead, and of eternal judgment.

“Laying on of hands” is one of the fundamental principles of the doctrine of
the Lord Jesus Christ listed in Hebrews 6:1 and 2. Those principles are:
1. Repentance—This leads to the New Birth experience.
2. Faith Toward God—The Bible says we can’t be saved without faith: “. . .
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).
3. Doctrine of Baptisms—Notice this is in the plural. There are three baptisms
spoken of in the New Testament. First, there is the New Birth. When a person is
born again, he is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. Second,
there is water baptism, which is an outward sign of an inward grace. Third, there
is the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Bible evidence of speaking in other
tongues.
4. Laying on of Hands—We will examine this doctrine later.
5. Resurrection of the Dead—Notice Hebrews 6:2 does not say “the”
resurrection. It says,
“. . . and of resurrection of the dead. . . .” Had it said “the resurrection,” there
would be just one resurrection; but there is more than one resurrection, so it says
“resurrection of the dead.”
This includes the first resurrection, the second resurrection, and all other
resurrections. It includes the fact that the dead in Christ shall be raised first; then
we who are alive and remain at the coming of Christ will be caught up too (this
is the rapture of the saints).
6. Eternal Judgment—Again, it is not “the” doctrine of “the” eternal
judgment; it is simply “doctrine of eternal judgment.” This is because there is
more than one judgment, and all are involved in this doctrine.
These six fundamental principles are the foundation upon which the Church is
built. Therefore, not one of them should be treated lightly or cast aside as
something unimportant to the Body of Christ.
If I were to say, “I don’t much believe in the New Birth, water baptism, or the
baptism in the Holy Spirit,” you’d be ready to quit me right now and run me out,
and I wouldn’t blame you. And you would be certain something was wrong with
me if I were to say, “I don’t think the dead will ever be resurrected.” Or “I don’t
go along with this judgment business. I don’t think there’s going to be any
judgment.”
You would say, “There’s something wrong with that fellow. He’s not solid. He
doesn’t believe the fundamental principles of the doctrine of Christ.”
Well, no matter what else we believe, we must believe the fundamentals. (I
can fellowship with anyone who believes the fundamentals.) And if one of the
fundamental principles is right, they are all right. You can’t leave any one of
them out.
The Doctrine of Laying On of Hands
The Bible has a great deal to say about the doctrine of laying on of hands.
That’s why it’s surprising to me that some Christians see no significance at all in
this scriptural ordinance and doctrine. We hear lots of sermons on repentance,
and we hear much preaching on faith. Thank God for it! But we rarely hear any
teaching on the laying on of hands. The lack of teaching on the subject has given
many believers the wrong impression that it’s unimportant and of no particular
value to us. But if it’s a fundamental principle of the doctrine of Christ, it is
valuable!
I suppose the lack of teaching on the subject is the reason why so many
Christians regard the laying on of hands with something like astonishment.
Others regard it with fear. But the laying on of hands is one of the half dozen
fundamental principles of the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ!
I have even heard Full Gospel ministers say, “I don’t much go along with the
laying on of hands.” To deny one of the fundamental principles of the doctrine of
Jesus Christ is a serious matter.
 Scriptural Purposes for the Laying On of
Hands
Actually, the laying on of hands is a theme that runs through the entire Bible.
There are several scriptural purposes for employing the laying on of hands. Let’s
examine some examples from both the Old and New Testaments.

Old Testament Examples

In the Old Testament, we see that the laying on of hands was used for several
different purposes.
The Book of Genesis reveals that the laying on of hands was used to impart
blessings. Genesis 48:14 says, “And Israel [Jacob] stretched out his right hand,
and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon
Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.”
Israel laid his hands on his grandsons and spoke words of blessing over them.
In Exodus 29, we also see that God instructed the Levites to use the laying on
of hands during the worship service.

EXODUS 29:10,15,19
10 And thou [Moses] shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the
congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall PUT THEIR HANDS UPON the head of the
bullock. . . .
15 Thou shalt also take one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of
the
ram. . . .
19 And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the
head of the ram.

We read here that the imperfections of the worshippers were transferred by
faith to the sacrifice. The sacrifice was a type of Christ. The perfections of the
sacrifice were received by faith by the man who laid hands on the sacrifice. It
was God’s power that effected the two-way transmission.
The Bible reveals that another purpose for which the laying on of hands was
used was to equip men to serve God. The following passage of Scripture tells us
that when the time had come for Moses to leave this earth, God directed Moses
to lay his hands upon Joshua, Israel’s next leader, to impart a measure of his
honor to him.

 NUMBERS 27:18-23
18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the
spirit, and LAY THINE HAND UPON HIM;
19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a
charge in their sight.
20 And THOU SHALT PUT SOME OF THINE HONOUR UPON HIM, that all the
congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the
judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall
come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.
22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before
Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:
23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the
hand of Moses.
Later in the Book of Deuteronomy, we read that Joshua had the same spirit of
wisdom that Moses had because Moses had laid his hands upon him. This
implies that what Moses had was transferred to Joshua by the laying on of hands.
DEUTERONOMY 34:9
9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; FOR MOSES HAD LAID HIS
HANDS UPON HIM: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord
commanded Moses.
Today through the ordinance of the laying on of hands, God’s power is
transmitted by faith through the minister to the seeker. Something mighty occurs
when men of faith lay hands in the Name of the Lord upon those who, by faith,
receive the impartation.

New Testament Examples

In the New Testament, we see some distinct purposes for which the laying on
of hands was used. The number one reason the laying on of hands was used in
the New Testament was to minister healing. There are more scripture references
concerning healing in connection with the laying on of hands than concerning
anything else. But we’ll skip over healing right now and look at the other
purposes for the laying on of hands.
Another use of the laying on of hands in the New Testament was for helping
believers receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8:17, when Peter and John laid their
hands on Philip’s Samaritan converts, they received the Holy Spirit.
ACTS 8:14-17
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word
of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the
 Lord Jesus.)
17 THEN LAID THEY THEIR HANDS ON THEM, AND THEY RECEIVED THE HOLY
GHOST.
Then in Acts 19:6, Paul laid hands on the disciples at Ephesus, and “. . . they
spake with tongues, and prophesied.”
ACTS 19:1-6
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the
upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto
him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s
baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people,
that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And WHEN PAUL HAD LAID HIS HANDS UPON THEM, THE HOLY GHOST CAME
ON THEM; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

In nearly every instance in the Book of Acts where people were filled with the
Holy Spirit, they received by the laying on of hands. (Exceptions were the
spontaneous outpourings of the Spirit in Acts 2 and Acts 10.) Of course people
can be filled with the Spirit in other ways, but the laying on of hands is one
scriptural method.
Another common New Testament practice was laying hands on those who
were being ordained and separated unto the ministry.
ACTS 13:2,3
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and
Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
The laying on of hands was also used in imparting spiritual gifts. Now when I
say “spiritual gifts,” I’m not talking about what we call the gifts of the Spirit.
What I’m talking about is similar to what took place in Exodus chapter 29, when
Moses imparted some of his honor and wisdom to Joshua. In the New Testament
example of this, Paul told Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which
was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery” (1
Tim. 4:14). Later Paul exhorted Timothy, “. . . I put thee in remembrance that
thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2
Tim. 1:6). Timothy had received special giftings to minister through the laying
on of hands.
The doctrine of laying on of hands does not end with the ordination of
ministers, however, as so many denominations believe. That is only one facet of
laying on of hands.
There is also scriptural precedent for laying hands on those being installed in
certain church offices. In Acts chapter 6, seven men were selected to wait on
tables, freeing the apostles to give themselves continually to prayer and the
ministry of the Word. The apostles laid their hands on the seven, who were
called deacons—“helpers” in the Greek.
So you see, the laying on of hands has several distinct purposes.

Laying Empty Hands on Empty Heads

I realize that there is an unprofitable kind of laying on of hands. There are
extremes of it in the church world.
One extreme is a mere ritual. There are churches that have a ritual of laying
hands on people to confirm them. According to some church creeds, one
receives the Holy Spirit at this time. But this is a mere ritual and formality, and
nothing happens.
On the other hand, there have been extremes even in Full Gospel circles.
People have had hands laid on them for nearly everything you could mention—
and some you couldn’t.
For example, a woman told me that she went to a meeting where hands were
laid on her. She was prophesied over, and she supposedly was given “the gift of
casting out permanent waves.” I told her if she could have gotten the gift of
putting them in, she would have had something!
Once a man came up to me after a service several years ago and asked,
“Brother Hagin, could you help me?”
I said, “I’ll be glad to if I can.”
He told me he had been in a meeting where someone laid hands on him and
gave him the gifts of healing, the gift of the word of knowledge, and two or three
other spiritual gifts. He said, “I can see that these things are manifested in your
ministry. Maybe you could tell me how to operate them. I know I’ve got them,
because that fellow said I did.”
I asked, “How long has it been since hands were laid on you?”
“Well,” he said, “over six months ago.”
I said, “Has there ever been any kind of manifestation?”
“Not that I know of,” he replied.
 I said, “I’d forget it if I were you. You don’t have anything. If it’s there, it
would rise to the surface.”
Then in another place I preached, a woman sat on the second pew, right in
front of the pulpit, and rocked just like she was in a rocking chair throughout my
sermon. I thought the poor dear was afflicted with some kind of serious physical
ailment.
Afterwards I asked the pastor, “What’s wrong with that woman? People were
looking at her. She was distracting from the message.”
“Oh,” the pastor said, “Brother Hagin, that’s a sad case. There’s nothing
wrong with her physically. She’s not a member here, but she does come to
church some. I’ve been intending to talk to her about it, but I just haven’t had
time. She attended a meeting somewhere, and someone laid hands on her and
gave her ‘the gift of rocking.’”
Several nights later that woman came up to me after the service accompanied
by a woman who had told her there is nothing in the Bible about “the gift of
rocking.”
She said, “Brother Hagin, explain my gift to this woman.”
Well, I thought that would be a good opportunity for the pastor to talk to her! I
said, “I’m on my way out of the building. You go to the pastor of this church.
He’s a man of God and knows the Bible quite well. He’ll be glad to help you.”
Afterwards, the pastor said, “You dog!”
I said, “Well, you said you wanted to talk to her, so I arranged it. Were you
able to help her?”
He said, “Certainly not. No one could help her.”
I asked, “Well, what did she tell you? What is the purpose of this so-called
gift?”
The pastor answered, “She said that God had given it to her so the pastor or
the guest speaker could tell when things were in the Spirit. If she is rocking
when we’re singing, testifying, or preaching, then everything is in the Spirit.”
I know this sounds ridiculous, but it is true. I’m not making it up.
I call all these examples laying empty hands on empty heads.
I am not going to be frightened out of a New Testament practice, however,
because of fanaticism, nor am I going to be frozen out because of formality. The
real is not done away with because of excesses. I’m going to practice the New
Testament doctrine of laying on of hands and it’s going to produce New
Testament results!
 Questions for Study
1. Name the six fundamental principles of the doctrine
of Christ.

2. What are the three different baptisms spoken of in
the New Testament?

3. Name two reasons why the laying on of hands was
practiced in the Old Testament.

4. What was the animal sacrifice a type of?

5. In Deuteronomy 34:9, when Moses laid hands on
Joshua, what did Joshua receive?

6. How is God’s power transmitted from the minister
to the seeker today?

7. What is the most common practice of laying on of
hands in churches?

8. What was the purpose of laying on of hands in Acts
chapter 6?

9. In nearly every instance in the Book of Acts when
people were filled with the Holy Spirit, they received
by the laying on of hands. List the two exceptions in
the Book of Acts when believers were filled with the
Holy Spirit through spontaneous outpourings of the
Spirit.

10. What are the two extremes of the unprofitable
kind of laying on of hands in the church world?

Chapter 15
The Laying On of Hands - Part 2

In Chapter 14, we discussed the fact that there are several distinct purposes for
which the laying on of hands was used in the New Testament. The number one
reason was healing. There are more scripture references concerning healing in
connection with the laying on of hands than concerning anything else.
As I said in the previous chapter, we can’t stop practicing the New Testament
doctrine of laying on of hands just because some people fall into a ditch on one
side or the other. We need to study the New Testament carefully to see how Jesus
and the apostles practiced this doctrine.
Every Christian should practice the doctrine of laying on of hands on the sick,
because Jesus said we should (Mark 16:18)!

The Example of Jesus and the Apostles

Jesus Christ Himself freely employed laying on of hands in healing people. In
Mark 6, we see Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth:
MARK 6:5
5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that HE LAID HIS HANDS UPON A FEW
SICK FOLK, AND HEALED THEM.
Notice this text is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself—the Son of God.
It doesn’t say He wouldn’t do mighty works in Nazareth; it says He couldn’t. It
seems, therefore, that the laying on of hands will work when nothing else will!
The few who were healed that day were healed by the laying on of Jesus’ hands.
There are several accounts of Jesus’ laying hands on people in the New
Testament. Matthew 8:15 says that when Jesus entered Peter’s house, He found
Peter’s mother-in-law sick with a fever. “And he touched her hand, and the fever
left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.” Let’s look at a few more
examples.
MARK 8:22-25
22 And he [Jesus] cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, AND
BESOUGHT HIM TO TOUCH HIM.
23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit
on his eyes, AND PUT HIS HANDS UPON HIM, he asked him if he saw ought.
24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
 25 After that HE PUT HIS HANDS AGAIN UPON HIS EYES, and made him look up: and he
was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Praise God, the blind man was healed by the laying on of Jesus’ hands. Some
will say, “Jesus prayed for that blind man twice.” I do not know that He prayed
for him at all, for the Bible does not say He prayed. The Bible says He laid
hands on him twice! Therefore, it is scripturally correct to lay your hands a
second time on a sick person, if necessary. It is good to know what Jesus did in
certain circumstances. Then we will know what to do.
MARK 7:32,33,35
32 And they bring unto him [Jesus] one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech;
and they beseech him to PUT HIS HAND UPON HIM.
33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and
touched his tongue. . . .
35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake
plain.

In the case of the deaf man, the scriptures do not say that the people asked
Jesus to heal the man, although it is implied. It says they asked Him to put His
hands on him.
In these two cases, notice that groups of people brought the blind man and the
deaf man to Jesus. These people, as well as the sick themselves, believed in the
laying on of hands. The multitudes expected healing through the laying on of
hands—and they got the desired results!
I’ve had people tell me, “I had hands laid on me for healing, and I didn’t
recover.”
I always ask them, “Well, did you expect to recover?” They usually answer,
“No. I just thought I’d try it out and see if anything would happen.”
People who are just “trying it out” are not going to get healed, because they’re
not in faith.
You see, if you don’t expect to be healed or delivered through the laying on of
hands, then having hands laid upon you will be in vain. If you want the laying on
of hands to work for you, you’ve got to believe in it. Without faith, the laying on
of hands is a mere ritual, and nothing happens.
Jairus’ Daughter
Mark chapter 5 tells us that Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue in Galilee, also
believed in the laying on of hands.

 MARK 5:22,23
22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he
saw him [Jesus], he fell at his feet,
23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee,
come and LAY THY HANDS ON HER, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

You see Jarius believed in the laying on of hands. He didn’t say, “Come and
pray fro her.” He didn’t even say, “Come and heal her.” He said, “. . . come and
lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed . . .” (v. 23). Jairus believed his
daughter would be healed when hands were laid on her, and he made a
confession of his faith.
We know from Scripture that Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house when
some people came from Jairus’ house and said, “. . . Thy daughter is dead: why
troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was
spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe”
(vv. 35,36). The child had died before Jesus reached Jairus’ house, but Jesus still
went to the house. Verse 41 says Jesus “. . . took the damsel by the hand. . . .” In
other words, Jesus touched her. He took her by the hand, and she was raised
from the dead healed (v. 42)!
Some might try to argue that since this healing took place during Jesus’
earthly ministry, it has no application for us today. Yes, Jesus laid hands on sick
people, but He exhorted all believers to lay hands on the sick too! In Mark 16:18
Jesus said, “. . . they [believers] shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.”
Who shall lay hands on the sick? It’s not just the preachers or those called to
the ministry. The answer is in Mark 16:15-18, where Jesus declared The Great
Commission:

MARK 16:15-18
15 And he said unto them, Go YE into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow THEM THAT BELIEVE; In my name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues;
18 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.

Notice that verse 18 says that the sick shall recover. Yet some folks think it
says, “Lay hands on the sick, and they’ll get worse,” or “Lay hands on the sick,
and if it’s the will of God, they’ll recover. If not, they’ll die.” No! Let’s be as
definite as Scripture is about it. Let’s just say what the Bible says: “Believers
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover!”
People still preach repentance and water baptism. No one objects to that. Well,
why not preach all of The Great Commission? Why stop with just part of it?
Why not preach the laying on of hands? Laying on of hands is part of The Great
Commission too!
The disciples obviously took Jesus seriously. Acts 5:12 says, “And by the
hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. .
. .”

The Apostle Paul and the Laying On of

Hands
In Acts 28:8 and 9 we find the Apostle Paul shipwrecked on an island. The
father of the ruler of the island was ill, so Paul went to his house “. . . and
prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him” (v. 8). The man was healed
by the laying on of hands. Then the Bible tells us that the islanders brought their
sick to Paul, and he ministered to them. Obviously, Paul ministered by the laying
on of hands.

ACTS 19:11,12
11 And God wrought special miracles BY THE HANDS OF PAUL:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases
departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

Not only were the sick healed, but the demon- oppressed were delivered as
cloths Paul had laid his hands on were laid upon their bodies. These cloths were
anointed with the same power Paul was anointed with. When we talk about
anointed cloths, however, we do not mean cloths anointed with oil.
God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul (v. 11). Paul laid his hands
upon the cloths. God uses men’s hands. He works through men’s hands.
Some will say, “The apostles could do that, but it is not for us today.” It seems
to me that intelligent people should have caught on to that worn-out lie by now.
Jesus didn’t say these signs would follow just the apostles. He said these signs
would follow those who believe!

The Whole Doctrine of Christ

When I found out the truth about divine healing through the laying on of
hands, I knew that I didn’t have to run around looking for someone special to lay
hands on me. It doesn’t make me any difference who lays hands on me for
healing, because I know what the Bible says. I know that if anyone who believes
in healing through the laying on of hands lays hands on me, I’ll be healed! You
see, my faith is not in the person praying for me; my faith is in the Word of God!
To say that any believer cannot lay hands on the sick today is to say that one
of the other fundamental principles of the doctrine of Christ has been done away
with. And if laying on of hands for healing has been done away with, no one
would have a right to believe in the doctrine of repentance or any of the
fundamental principles of the doctrine of Christ.
For example, the doctrine of baptisms includes water baptism. If you attended
a church service where people were baptized in water upon the profession of
their faith, you would probably never doubt the efficacy of that ceremony
because you read about this ordinance in the Word (Heb. 6:1,2). Well, the
doctrine of laying on of hands is just as holy and sacred as the other fundamental
principles of the doctrine of Christ!
I’m not going to take anything away from the doctrine of Christ. I believe all
of it. I am a follower of Christ. I am a stickler for the doctrine of Christ. And one
of the doctrines of Christ is laying on of hands.

‘These Signs Shall Follow’

As I said before, Jesus did not say these signs shall follow just the apostles,
the preachers, or the teachers. He said, “. . . these signs shall follow them that
believe . . .” (Mark 16:17).
When I was a Baptist boy, I knew nothing about divine healing, for I had
never heard it preached. I just knew what Mark 11:22-24 says about faith and
prayer.
My body was almost totally paralyzed. I had a serious organic heart condition
and an incurable blood disease. The doctors said I had to die, but I prayed the
prayer of faith for myself and was healed. I came off that deathbed as a Baptist
boy who preached faith and healing. I didn’t know anyone else who believed in
divine healing, but it never bothered me.
I stood on the Word of God and said, “Come hell or high water, I’m standing
on it. No one is going to move me off of it!”
One day back in 1935, a Presbyterian woman told me her Pentecostal mother-
in-law was coming for a visit. “You’ll be interested in meeting Grandma,” she
said, “because she believes like you do. She believes in divine healing.”
 She told me how her 82-year-old mother-in-law got people healed while
visiting them in their homes and laying hands on them. What a healing ministry
this elderly Pentecostal woman had!
I never was so thrilled in my life to finally meet someone who had enough
sense to believe the Bible! I knew she was arriving on a certain day, so I went
over late that afternoon. After I was introduced, I said to this dear old lady,
“Grandma, tell me your story.”
“Well,” she said, “we came out here to Texas many, many years ago (about
1865). My dad settled on some land that was forty miles from the nearest school,
so I didn’t go to school. I didn’t get any education.
“I grew up, married a neighbor boy whose folks also owned a lot of land, and
we had our family. I still didn’t know how to read or write, but I sent our
children to school. They were all grown when some people came along and
started what they called a brush arbor meeting. They put up some posts, strung
some wires from post to post, and put brush on top of it. I got saved and baptized
with the Holy Ghost during that meeting.
“When I got baptized with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues, God
taught me to read the Bible. I can read the Bible and never make a mistake, but
it’s all I can read. I can’t read anything else.
“Then we moved to town. My husband and the boys would go out to work the
farm in the daytime, and I’d be left alone. I got to asking the Lord, ‘Lord, is
there something I can do?’ I couldn’t sing in the church, because I didn’t have a
voice for music. I couldn’t teach a Sunday school class because they used a
quarterly, and I couldn’t read the quarterly.
“One day I was at home praying and reading the Book of Mark in the Bible,
and I read,
‘. . . these signs shall follow them that believe. . . . they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover.’ And I thought, It doesn’t take any education to lay
hands on folks.
“The Bible says believers will lay hands on the sick. So I just went through
the neighborhood and inquired about any sick folk I could find. I would spend
from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon every day visiting sick
people and reading the Bible to them on the subject of healing. Usually they had
never heard about it.
“After reading to them about three days, I would ask, ‘Now would you like for
me to lay hands on you?’ You know, practically everybody I laid hands on got
healed! The amazing thing about it is that most of the people I was laying hands
on were bedfast and given up to die by the doctors.”
Here was an elderly uneducated woman who wasn’t a minister of the Gospel
—she had never even taught a Sunday school class—but she was laying hands
on the sick, and they were recovering!
Laying on of hands belongs to all of us. Remember now, this dear old lady
was not a preacher; but she was a believer. God is the same God now as He was
then. He hasn’t changed. And when He finds someone He can work with, God
and man can do it again.
Who can lay hands on the sick? Believers can!

Methods
Laying on of hands can be done in two ways:
First, any believer can lay hands upon a fellow believer as a point of contact to
release faith and expect that person to be healed.
There are some people—friends and neighbors, for example—you can pray
for whom no one else could. It also is scriptural for husbands and wives to lay
hands on each other and for parents to lay hands on their children when they are
sick and expect them to be healed in the Name of Jesus.
Second, there is such a thing as a ministry of laying on of hands—a special
anointing. As God wills, a person can be supernaturally anointed with healing
power like Jesus or Paul was anointed.
When the person who has a ministry of laying on of hands lays hands on the
sick in obedience to the spiritual Law of Contact and Transmission, his hands
transmit God’s healing power into the body of the sick person, effecting a
healing and a cure. I explain this method further in another chapter.
 Questions for Study

1. Why should every Christian practice the doctrine of
laying on of hands on the sick?

2. Mark 6:5 doesn’t say that Jesus wouldn’t do mighty
works in Nazareth; it says He couldn’t. What does this
seem to say about the laying on of hands?

3. What Bible proof do we have that it is scripturally
correct to lay your hands a second time on a sick
person, if necessary?

4. When the people brought the deaf man to Jesus in
Mark chapter 7, what did they ask for?

5. If you want the laying on of hands to work for you,
what do you have to do?

6. Without faith, what is the laying on of hands?

7. What does the term “anointed cloths” refer to?

8. According to Mark 16:17 and 18, who should lay
hands on the sick?

9. List the two methods of laying on of hands.

10. How does the spiritual law of contact and
transmission operate?
 Chapter 16
Faith and Power - Two Ingredients for
Receiving Healing - Part 1

We need to realize that there is no set way by which people may receive
healing. In other words, a number of methods for receiving healing are recorded
in the Word of God.
One way you can receive healing is by what I call simple faith—when you
hear the Word of God yourself, believe that what it says is true, and receive your
healing by faith in God’s Word.
A second way is to be ministered to with the laying on of hands—the healing
anointing flows through another person to you.
A third way to receive healing is in conjunction with what older Pentecostals
often called, “praying the power down”—receiving your healing when the
supernatural power of God is manifested upon you.
All of these methods are scriptural, all of them require faith, and, thank God,
all of them work! In the next two chapters, we are going to discuss these three
methods, with our main focus on the two ingredients which are required for each
of them to work—faith and power.

The Healing Power of God

Concerning the power, Acts 10:38 indicates that the terms “the anointing,”
“the Holy Ghost,” and “power” are virtually synonymous. This means that we
are able to use these terms interchangeably when discussing the subject of the
healing anointing and the power of God.
A good analogy for understanding the anointing or the power of God was
made by the late Rev. John G. Lake when he said, “Electricity is God’s power in
the natural realm; Holy Ghost power is God’s power in the spirit realm.”
You see, just as electricity is in existence in the natural world, the power of
God is in existence in the spirit world. And just as there are laws that govern the
operation of electricity in the natural realm, there are also laws that govern the
operation of spiritual power. The problem has been that in times past, we have
thought that if the anointing was present, it would automatically manifest itself
and just work automatically. That’s just not so.
 For example, electricity has been in existence in the earth since God created
the universe. But did that electricity just automatically light up a house, cook a
meal, or warm or cool a house? No, because for many years, man didn’t even
know electricity existed.
Even after electricity was discovered and man knew it existed, it didn’t
automatically begin to operate. Man had to come in contact with it somehow to
make it work.
Well, if we could just get into our minds the fact that the healing power of
God is in existence in the spirit world and that it also has laws that govern its
operation, then men and women could learn to tap into that power and be blessed
by its benefits.
I’ve heard people ask, “If the power of God to heal exists, why doesn’t it just
move on our behalf?”
That’s where we’ve missed it. We’ve thought, Well, if it’s so, it’ll just manifest
itself.
But, no, there’s something that has to be done on man’s end before there will
be a manifestation of the healing power.
In the natural, there came a time when man knew about electricity; it had even
been manifested in a measure. But man had to learn more about electricity and
the laws that governed it before he could fully enjoy it—before he could gain the
greatest benefit from it.
It’s the same way with God’s power—the anointing. That simply means that
as we learn more about the anointing and what the Word of God says about it,
we will be able to flow with the anointing, tap into the power, and gain greater
benefits from it.

The Switch of Faith

Now that we understand something about the power of God as “heavenly
electricity,” as it were, let’s extend the analogy a step further concerning faith.
Another thing about the laws that govern this heavenly substance is this fact:
The thing that turns the heavenly power on in the spiritual realm can be
compared to an electrical switch on a wall that turns on the earthly power—
electricity—in the natural realm.
In the natural, when you turn a light switch on, electricity flows right into the
lighting fixtures and lights up the room. When you turn the switch off, the lights
go out. So in the spiritual realm, the thing that turns on the heavenly power could
be called the switch of faith!
Remember Jesus said to the woman with the issue of blood, “. . . Daughter,
THY FAITH hath made thee whole . . .” (Mark 5:34). Jesus said that her faith had
made her whole. In other words, she had turned on the switch of faith for healing
and activated the power of God!
When I was a teenager, I was bedfast for sixteen months with an incurable
blood disease. Beside my bed was an electrical outlet. Anyone could have
plugged a light in there, and it would have lit up the room. The electricity was
there, but there was no manifestation of it whatsoever because no one had
plugged anything into the outlet.
Well, by the same token, the power of God to heal was present in my room
every single day, because God is everywhere present, and whatever power He
has is with Him!
But there was no manifestation of it. Why not? Because I didn’t plug in to it! I
didn’t know how!
But, you see, on the eighth day of August, 1934, I learned how. By faith, I
plugged into God’s power to heal! And I began to say, “Now I believe I’m well.”
If a man believes he’s well, then he’ll act like he’s well. Even though I was
paralyzed, I had regained some use of the upper part of my body, so I pushed my
feet off the bed. They fell to the floor like a couple of chunks of wood. I could
look down there and see that they were down there on the floor, but I couldn’t
feel them. I was “dead” from my waist down. Then I managed to get hold of one
of the bedposts and scoot my body off the bed. I wrapped my arms around that
post, but my knees sagged to the floor.
Out loud, I said, “I want to announce in the Presence of Almighty God, the
Lord Jesus Christ, the holy angels, and the devil and all of his cohorts that
according to the Word of God, I am healed!”
Now when I said that, I “plugged in.” I felt that power strike me in the top of
my head and ooze down all over me. It felt like someone was above me pouring
a pitcher of warm honey on me. It went down my body and my arms. When it
got to my waist and down my legs, it felt like ten thousand pins were sticking in
my legs. It felt so bad, I could have cried if it hadn’t felt so good at the same
time! When you have had no feeling at all, it feels good to feel anything!
After that happened, I was standing up straight! Hallelujah! I plugged in to
that power. You can plug in to God’s power on your own faith!
Now you can teach people the Word, and they can believe God’s Word and
receive healing. I was healed as a young boy by simply believing and acting
upon God’s Word.
However, not everyone is at the level in his faith where he can just believe
God’s Word for himself and receive healing through faith in the Word alone.
Therefore, we should endeavor to teach and preach all of it—every side of divine
healing—and to minister to people on all levels of faith and by all methods of
healing.

Faith in the Anointing

Let’s look again at the fifth chapter of Mark’s Gospel about the healing of the
woman with the issue of blood. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this same
incident, but Mark goes into a little more detail about it and gives us more input
than the other two Gospels.
MARK 5:25-34
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was
nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she
was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, IMMEDIATELY knowing in himself that virtue [power] had gone out of him,
turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou,
Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down
before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole
of thy plague.

I want you to notice that Jesus immediately was aware that the anointing
flowed out from Him. Also, notice that the woman with the issue of blood
cooperated with the anointing that flowed from Jesus into her, and she was
healed.
The healing anointing flowed out of Jesus’ clothes and into the woman with
the issue of blood. But Jesus said to her, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” It
wasn’t the healing anointing alone that healed this woman. It was her faith in the
healing anointing that healed her. Or we could say it like this: It was her faith
and the healing anointing that healed her!
 The healing power of God—the anointing—is a tangible substance. It is a
heavenly materiality. Believe that, and it can begin to work for you.

Turn on the ‘Switch of Faith’!

We know that a person can receive divine healing any number of ways. We’ve
talked about simply receiving healing by faith in the Word without any transfer
of power, and we’ve talked about receiving through the healing anointing.
But notice something in the case of the woman with the issue of blood who
was healed through the healing anointing. It wasn’t the healing anointing alone
that healed her. Something else was working with the anointing to bring about
the healing. What was that something else? It was faith.
Jesus said to the woman, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” Some might say,
“I thought it was the power which flowed out of Him that made her whole.”
Well, really, it was a combination of the two. Both of them—faith and power
—are important in their place. Someone who is anointed might minister the
power of God, and the anointing may flow through him or her just as electricity
flows through a conduit. Yet, although electricity is present all the time, unless
someone turns a switch on, there’s not going to be any manifestation of it.
In the same way, you have to turn the switch of faith on to receive a
manifestation of the healing power of God!
Many people have thought that if the power of God was present, it would just
manifest itself, regardless of whether or not anyone believed in it or believed for
it. Then if there was no manifestation, they’ve thought, Well, the power is not
here. They’d start singing, “Oh, Lord, send the power just now.”
Because they couldn’t see the anointing or feel it in manifestation, they
thought it wasn’t there. But the power of God is always present everywhere. God
didn’t leave most of His power over in one state and then leave only a little bit of
it wherever you are! No, wherever God is, all of His ability, all of His power, all
of His capabilities are present.
Mixing Faith With the Power
So you can see that it’s not a matter of the power getting the job done by itself.
No, a person must appropriate or activate the power for himself for it to work for
him. Certainly, it’s true that it’s “. . . Not by might, nor by power, but by my
spirit, saith the Lord . . .” (Zech. 4:6), but we still have to cooperate with God’s
Spirit by believing in Him if we want to get the blessing. We’ve got to learn to
mix faith with the power.
Now I tell this story sometimes, and it will further illustrate what I am talking
about. In one church I pastored years ago, there was a woman, Sister , who had
rheumatoid arthritis and was in a wheelchair. Her body had become as stiff as a
board. You could take her out of the wheelchair, but you had to hold her and
stand her up. She still looked like she was sitting down because her body was
frozen in that stationary position.
We had a little prayer group that met every Wednesday afternoon at the church
and prayed, and while we were praying one day, I said to the group, “Let’s go
down to Sister ______’s house and pray for her.”
Everyone agreed, so I walked down to Sister’s_____ house with my wife and
the seven other ladies in the group. We knocked on the door, and Sister_____
invited us in.
We talked a little bit, and I said, “Let’s pray.” I told the ladies to keep their
eyes open because I expected
Sister ______ to be healed, and I wanted everyone to see it.
Now, as I said earlier, a person can be specially anointed to minister healing—
he or she can pray and seek God and minister with that anointing. But, then, you
could also, as we sometimes say, “pray the power down.” And that’s what we
did at Sister ______’s house—we prayed until the anointing came into
manifestation. Then I pointed to her and said, “Now, my sister, arise and walk in
the Name of Jesus!”
The power of God came, and all those ladies, including my wife, are witnesses
that Sister _____ rose up out of the chair until she was hovering about two feet
above it! And then that same Holy Ghost power brought her forward and she
was just suspended in the air.
The Spirit Upon
Now if one is anointed with the Spirit, the anointing would flow through him,
as we saw in Mark chapter 5. The anointing flowed through Jesus to the woman
with the issue of blood. But in Sister _____ ’s case, this anointing came down, as
it were, as a result of our praying. It came upon us.
Sister _____ looked around and saw that she was up above that wheelchair,
and she began to whine and cry. She reached back and got hold of the arms of
the chair and pulled it up under her. Then she fell back down in it.
Speaking by the Spirit of God, I said, “Sister, you don’t have an ounce of
faith, do you?” (Of course, I knew she had faith because she was a Spirit-filled
Christian. What I was really saying was, “You don’t have an ounce of faith when
it comes to being healed of rheumatoid arthritis.”)
She answered, “No, Brother Hagin, I’ll go to my grave from this chair.” And,
I’m sad to say that she did.
But the power of God was there! It was that power which lifted her up. Now if
she had responded to that—if she would have believed it and accepted it—it
would have healed her. That’s the reason Jesus said in Mark chapter 5,
“Daughter, thy faith hath made you whole.”
The power was there at Sister ______’s house. It didn’t come out of me. The
anointing was in the room. We were all anointed with the Spirit as we “prayed it
down,” so to speak.

Prayer Avails Much

The easiest explanation for “praying the power down” comes by reading
James 5:16. But let’s start with verses 14 and 15.

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 [does a little good. No!] AVAILETH MUCH.

The King James Version says, “availeth much,” but how much? I like The
Amplified Bible, because it tells us how much. It says, “. . . The earnest
(heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power
available [dynamic in its working].”
Now notice that the prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power
available. This tremendous power is in the spirit realm all the time, isn’t it? But
the prayer of the righteous makes it available. Or, let’s say it another way. The
prayer of the righteous brings it into manifestation.
James says to pray one for another! That means it was scriptural for us to go
down and pray for Sister ____ . Pray one for another. Why? That you may be
healed. Then it must be the will of God to heal, or He wouldn’t tell us to pray for
it.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. It makes
tremendous power available, dynamic in its action. I like that. Well, you see, we
did just what the Scripture said. We went down to Sister ______’s house, and we
all prayed. And the power of God came into manifestation.
What was that power that lifted Sister ______ up out of the chair? What was
that power that pulled her away from it so that she was sitting in front of it,
suspended in the air? It was dynamic Holy Ghost power!

Healing Power Is Always Present

Now, you see, that power is always present. Power is always present
everywhere, because God is always present everywhere. But just because the
power is present doesn’t mean it’s in manifestation. However, we know from
reading James that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man makes
tremendous power available! Well, we made it available in Sister ______’s case,
but that was as far as we could go. We made it available, but she didn’t take hold
of it.
I couldn’t take hold of it for her—I would have if I could have. Jesus Himself,
couldn’t have taken hold of it for her—He would have if He could have. That’s
the reason He said to the woman with the issue of blood, “Daughter, thy faith
hath made thee whole.”
Even though the power is in manifestation, faith has to be exercised. For it’s
by faith that we receive any and everything that comes from God.
God moved in a spectacular supernatural way on Sister ______’s behalf. Why
wasn’t she healed then? What did Jesus say to the woman with the issue of
blood? “Daughter, thy faith. . . .” Whose faith? Jesus’ faith? Peter’s faith? The
apostles’ faith? No! “THY faith.” It was the woman’s faith that gave action to
God’s power!
Remember, God’s power is present everywhere! But the fervent effectual
prayer of a righteous man makes that tremendous power available! That’s what
we in Pentecostal circles called “praying the power down.” But another way to
say it is “praying the power into manifestation.”
Well, thank God for the Word. And thank God for every avenue of healing: for
simple faith in the Word of God; for the laying on of hands by believers and by
those specially anointed to minister to the sick; and for supernatural
manifestations of the healing power of God. We know that each of these
methods of healing is scriptural and that they all work mightily on our behalf
—when we mix faith with the power!
 Questions for Study

1. Name the three ways you can receive healing
mentioned in this chapter.

2. What are the two ingredients required for each of
these methods to work?

3. In the spiritual realm, what can you call the thing
that turns on the heavenly power?

4. Why should we endeavor to preach and teach every
side of divine healing?

5. It wasn’t the healing anointing alone that healed the
woman with the issue of blood. What was it that
healed her?

6. What do you have to do to receive a manifestation
of the healing power of God?

7. Where does the easiest explanation for “praying the
power down” come from?

8. Complete this sentence: Even though the power is
in __________________, faith has to be
_________________.

9. By what do we receive anything and everything that
comes from God?

10. When will the three methods of healing mentioned
in this chapter work mightily on our behalf?
 Chapter 17
Faith and Power - Two Ingredients for
Receiving Healing - Part 2

In the previous chapter, we began to look at two vital ingredients for receiving
healing: faith and power. I mentioned that there are a number of methods for
receiving healing recorded in the Word of God, such as: simple faith; the laying
on of hands by believers and by those specially anointed to minister to the sick;
and supernatural manifestations of the healing power of God. But I also noted
that all of them require your faith and the power of God.
Remember concerning the power, Acts 10:38 indicates that the terms “the
anointing,” “the Holy Ghost,” and “power” are virtually synonymous. This
means that we are able to use them interchangeably when discussing the subject
of the healing anointing and the power of God.
Remember that a good analogy for understanding the anointing or the power
of God was made by Rev. John G. Lake when he said, “Electricity is God’s
power in the natural realm; Holy Ghost power is God’s power in the spirit
realm.” As I stated previously, just as electricity is in existence in the natural
world, the power of God is in existence in the spirit world.
And just as man had to learn how to “plug in” to electricity and make it work
for him, we much learn how to “plug in” to the heavenly electricity—the healing
power of God—for it to be manifested in our life.
In the natural, when you turn a light switch on, electricity flows right into the
lighting fixtures and lights up the room. When you turn the switch off, the lights
go out. So in the spiritual realm, the thing that turns on the heavenly power could
be called the switch of faith!
We’ve got to learn how to mix faith with the power!
Let’s look at Acts chapter 6, and you’ll see that what I’m saying is proven by
God’s Word.

ACTS 6:3-6
3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of FAITH
 and of THE HOLY GHOST, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and
Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

Just to give you some background and history, here in Acts chapter 6 during
the early days of the Church, the believers had “all things in common” (Acts
2:44). The disciples, the twelve apostles, were the only ministers the believers
had at the beginning of the Early Church. It was a baby Church, just starting, and
the Church didn’t exist anywhere except in Jerusalem at that time.
You see, Jesus had said to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature (Mark 16:15). He also said in Acts 1:8 that “. . . after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you . . . ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Yet
the believers hadn’t witnessed to anyone anywhere except in Jerusalem.
So there in Jerusalem, the believers had all things in common, but some of
them felt as though they were being neglected in the daily ministrations. So the
Twelve said, “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of
HONEST REPORT, FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST and WISDOM, whom we
may appoint over this business” (Acts 6:3).
The men they were looking for had to meet three requirements. They had to:
1) have an honest report; 2) be full of the Holy Ghost; and 3) be full of wisdom.

Full of Faith and Power

Verse 5 goes on to list the seven men who were chosen to oversee the daily
ministrations. Now all seven of these men were full of the Holy Ghost. That was
one of the qualifications—that they be full of the Holy Ghost. But it says about
Stephen that he was full of faith and the Holy Ghost or power. And there were
certain miracles and signs that followed Stephen’s mix of faith and power.

ACTS 6:8
8 And Stephen, FULL OF FAITH AND POWER, did great wonders and miracles among the
people.

You see, if you are full of the Holy Ghost, you’re full of power. I mean,
you’ve got the Powerhouse in you! Well, every one of those seven men were full
of power. But that doesn’t mean that every one of them was full of faith.
Did you ever stop to think about the fact that every Spirit-filled believer—
every believer who maintains the Spirit-filled experience—is full of power. He
doesn’t have to get full; he is full.
 Now to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with power. Jesus said in Acts
1:8, “But ye shall receive POWER, after that the HOLY GHOST is come upon
you. . . .”
So we read in Acts 6:3 that the apostles said, “. . . look ye out among you
seven men of honest report, FULL OF THE HOLY GHOST [power] and wisdom,
whom we may appoint over this business.”
All seven men listed in Acts 6:5 were full of the Holy Ghost. That means that
all seven of these men were full of power. But apparently, there was only one of
them who did any miracles and signs among the people, and that was Stephen.
Every one of them had the power to do the miracles and signs. Why didn’t
they do them then? Because it takes faith to give action to the power!

Faith Activates the Power

You can see where we as Spirit-filled believers and Pentecostal people,
particularly in days gone by, have missed it. We’ve thought that if we had the
power, the miracles and the wonders would just automatically follow.
But they won’t. We saw that in Acts chapter 6. All seven of those men were
full of power, but only one of them did any miracles or wonders, and that was
Stephen. And Stephen wasn’t even one of the Twelve. He wasn’t a preacher or
an apostle or an evangelist. In fact, according to the Scripture, he never did
become an evangelist or an apostle or pastor; he lived and died a deacon.

ACTS 6:8
8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

Stephen didn’t do great wonders and miracles just by being full of power. No,
he was full of faith and power. And so we know that power by itself won’t get
the job done. You have to mix faith with the power to get the power to work.
Did you notice that the same thing is true in the case of an individual’s
healing? For example, in the case of the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus
knew immediately that power had gone out of Him. But He didn’t say,
“Daughter, My power hath made thee whole.” No, He said, “Daughter, thy faith
hath made thee whole” (Mark 5:34). It was her faith mixed with the power that
healed her.

Faith Comes by Hearing

Also, notice that when Jesus and His disciples crossed over the Sea of Galilee
to the land of Gennesaret in Matthew chapter 14, the people of that place “had
knowledge of Jesus” and brought the sick and diseased to Him. As the sick and
the diseased touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, they were made whole (vv.
35,36).
But notice the men of Gennesaret did that when they “had knowledge of
Him.” They had to have heard about Jesus to have knowledge of Him. Well, we
know that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom.
10:17). So again, faith was involved.
Then in Luke chapter 6, it says the multitude came to hear Jesus and to be
healed of their
diseases. It said they sought to touch Jesus, for there went virtue or power out of
Him and healed them all. But notice they came to hear and to be healed. They
heard first, then faith came, and then they sought to touch Him.
People need to understand the healing anointing. They need to know that it
exists, but just as importantly, they need to know how to get that anointing to
work and produce results in their lives. They need to believe or have faith in the
healing power of God.
Sometimes, the healing power of God is ministered to a sick person so that the
person is manifestly supercharged with heavenly electricity. Yet no real or final
healing takes place until something occurs that releases the faith of the
individual.
After I started preaching, I would teach people faith. Once in a while, we’d
have manifestations of the Spirit or the anointing, and folks would receive
healing as a result of their faith mixed with the power of God. But I’d see a lot of
people healed when we didn’t feel anything. We just believed, and it happened!
Yet, right on the other hand, even back then, people I’d pray for would say
sometimes, “Something’s all over me!” Well, I knew they were talking about the
same thing that happened to me when I was healed. And those people were
healed, because the Spirit was present! And they mixed faith with the power and
were healed!
Manifested Power
Now I want to show you something about mixing faith with the power to
receive healing. When I was young and the new pastor of a Full Gospel church
in northcentral Texas, we had just moved into the parsonage and were unloading
boxes and straightening things up.
There was a knock on the parsonage door. I went to the door and there stood a
little cotton-headed boy. Now someone asked me, “What do you mean, ‘cotton-
headed’?” Well, I just mean his hair was white like cotton. He was about nine
years old. He said, “Momma wants you to come and pray for her.”
I said, “Who’s momma?” because I didn’t know him—I had only been the
pastor for two Sundays. I hadn’t gotten acquainted with everyone yet.
The little boy told me his momma’s name, and I recognized her as being one
of the Sunday school teachers. So I said, “Son, stand right there. I’ll put on my
tie and coat, and you can show me the way to go because I don’t know where
you live.”
I took the little bottle of anointing oil that I had, and we went to the little boy’s
house. I anointed this boy’s momma with oil, laid hands on her, prayed, and got
up to leave.
She said, “Brother B______ [and she gave the name of the former pastor]
always prayed till the power fell.”
I knew that the power of God does “fall” because the Bible said that while
Peter yet spake unto them, the Holy Ghost fell on them (Acts 10:44). And Acts 8
also refers to the Holy Ghost this way.

ACTS 8:14-16
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word
of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was FALLEN UPON none of them...)

That’s the part I want you to get. The Holy Ghost does fall on people—like
rain. In fact, the latter rain is a type of the Holy Ghost.

‘Praying the Power Down’

Back in 1939, I didn’t know exactly what to do when she said “pray the power
down” because I was new in Pentecostal circles. I didn’t know how they did
things. But I figured if that was the way the former pastor did it, then that was
the way to do it. So I got back down on my knees and prayed till the power fell.
It took me an hour and a half, but I prayed the power down! The house shook,
the bed shook, and the woman shook.
It was summertime—the sky was blue with just a few white clouds. There
wasn’t a leaf stirring on any tree. And yet the windows rattled! Well, I got up off
my knees and went home to the parsonage.
 That afternoon there was a knock on the parsonage door. I went to the door
and there stood that little cotton-headed boy. He said, “Momma wants you to
come and pray for her.”
I said, “I thought she got healed this morning.”
He said, “She did, but she’s worse now.”
So I went down there and prayed the power down again—the power fell, she
shook, the bed shook, the house shook, and the windows shook. So I went back
to the parsonage.
The next day there was another knock on the door. I went to the door, and
there stood that little cotton-headed boy. He said, “Momma wants you to come
and pray for her.”
I said, “I thought she got healed twice yesterday.”
“Well, she did, but she’s hurting worse today.”
So I went down there again and prayed the power down. By that time, I was
becoming an expert at praying the power down, so it didn’t take an hour and a
half to pray it down. I did it in an hour, and then I went home.
The next day there was a knock on the door, so I went to the door, and there
stood that
cotton-headed boy! The same scenario happened again and again until I finally
got to where I could pray the power down in thirty minutes. She shook, the bed
shook, the windows rattled, and the house shook. And that went on, and on, and
on.
If you think I’m exaggerating, we’ll skip ahead to three years later. This went
on for three years! We had been building onto the parsonage, and there was a
little work left to finish. I worked a little late on it one night because I didn’t
want to have to work the next day. After I finished, I was getting ready for
church because we were having revival that night. As I was quickly getting
ready, I heard my wife let someone in the house. I looked up, and there was that
cotton-headed boy.
Now he and I had been working together so long that we knew what the other
was thinking. So I said, before he could say it, “Yeah, I know, momma wants me
to come and pray for her.”
When the cotton-headed boy arrived, it was only about ten minutes until the
church service was supposed to start. (The parsonage was right next door, so I
still had plenty of time to get to the church.)
I was about to say, “Will it be all right to come after church?” I had just started
to speak when he said, “No, she said to come before church. She’s hurting
awfully bad!”
I wondered how in the world I was going to get down there, pray the power
down, get back, and start church in ten minutes. I quickly put my tie and coat on.
I had a car, but I knew I could get there faster by going down the back alley.
So I ran out of the parsonage, ran behind the church, down one alley, back up
another alley, across the street, down another alley, and knocked on the door.
She told me to come in. I had my bottle of oil out before I even got in the
door. I went in and anointed her with oil. I said, “Oh, God, heal this woman in
the Name of Jesus. You said if we’d ask in Your Name, You’d do it, so You’ve
done it. Amen.” That’s exactly what I said, and I said it double time!
I put the top on my bottle of oil and headed for the door—I had to go back and
start church! She started to say something, but I said, “I know, Sister, you’re
hurting worse now than you did when I came in here a few seconds ago. But
you’re healed, and the next time I see you, you’ll tell me it’s so.” And I ran out
and slammed the door.
I ran up one alley, across the street, up another alley, behind the church, and
went in through a side door. I looked at my watch—it was exactly time to start.
We started church, sang, took up an offering for the evangelist, and made the
announcements.
Just before the evangelist was going to speak, I said, “Let’s have about three
testimonies, one from each section. Someone who has been saved, healed, or
baptized with the Holy Ghost during this revival, stand up and give your
testimony.”
So one person stood and testified. Then another one from a different section
stood and testified. About that time, the double doors in the back of the church
opened. And this lady, Sister S______, who’d been having me pray the power
down for three years, came in. I guess she thought we were having a testimony
meeting, because she came down the aisle waving her arms and said, “It’s just
like you said, Brother Hagin. You hadn’t been gone ten minutes when every pain
and every symptom left me.”
Hallelujah! I pastored that woman nearly eighteen more months and never did
have to go pray for her again!

Keeping Your Healing

Thank God for the power. But remember this, if you don’t believe God—the
power can shake the house and everything else, and still nothing will happen to
you. This lady received her healing and finally kept it because she believed God
herself.
The reason I tell this story is to show that although the healing power may be
ministered to a person, and though that person may manifestly be supercharged
with the power of God, no real and final healing will take place until something
occurs that releases the faith of the individual.
The Bible says in Hebrews 4:2, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well
as unto them [talking about Israel]: but the word preached did not profit them,
NOT BEING MIXED WITH FAITH in them that heard it.”
One way to receive the healing power, of course, is through the laying on of
hands (Mark 16:18). Or you could receive it from a cloth or a handkerchief that
has absorbed the anointing (Acts 19:11-12). On the other hand, receiving healing
that way is only one way to receive. Remember I said you could receive healing
by acting in simple faith on the Word of God, as I did to receive my healing
(Mark 11:22-24).
The Holy Ghost is ever-present with all the power He has! You can mix your
faith with the power that is present, whether the power is in manifestation or not,
and receive your healing by faith.
In conclusion, let’s sum up a few things about the healing power of God.
When we understand some things about the anointing, we can appropriate it for
ourselves and reap the benefit of this power in our own lives.
The healing anointing is a tangible substance. And the Word of God reveals to
us the rules and laws that govern its operation.
The Lord Jesus Christ revealed and applied the laws of the Spirit, which
demonstrated the fact that the healing power of God is a tangible substance, a
heavenly materiality.
Now you’ll not receive any of this power from Heaven if you don’t believe
there’s any there. If you don’t believe it exists, you’ll never get it applied to your
circumstances so that it will do you any good. The healing power of God will not
benefit you until you believe in it, lay hold of it intelligently by faith, and simply
receive it.
But, thank God, through your faith in the holy written Word and in the mighty
power of God, you can receive divine healing! By believing what God’s Word
says about the healing anointing, you can enjoy all the blessings and benefits of
this power from Heaven that is available to us today.
 Questions for Study

1. We’ve got to learn how to mix __________________
with the power.

2. If you are filled with the Holy Ghost, what are you
full of?

3. According to Romans 10:17, how does faith come?

4. In Luke chapter 6, what two things did the
multitude come to do?

5. What two things do people need to know
concerning the healing anointing?

6. No real or final healing takes place until what
happens?

7. What are two ways the healing power can be
received or transferred?

8. How must faith be released?

9. What reveals to us the rules and laws that govern
the operation of the healing power of God?

10. The healing power of God will not benefit you
until you do what three things?
 Chapter 18
The Gifts of the Spirit

We are discussing biblical ways to receive healing. There are many different
methods listed in the Bible whereby you can receive healing. One way to receive
healing is through the manifestation of one of the gifts of the Spirit.
The nine gifts of the Spirit listed in First Corinthians 12:8-10 are often divided
into three separate categories, because they naturally seem to fit there. Any one
of the nine gifts may be used, as the Spirit wills, to aid in the area of healing.
The most common spiritual gifts used concerning healing are the power gifts: the
working of miracles, the gift of faith, and the gifts of healing. And these “power”
gifts will very often work together.
Working of miracles is defined as a divine intervention in the ordinary course
of nature that can’t be explained in the natural. For example, the dividing of a
stream by the sweep of a mantle is an example of the working of miracles in
operation (2 Kings 2:14). After Elijah ascended into Heaven in a chariot in the
whirlwind, Elisha received his mantle and smote the Jordan River. Dividing the
waters by a sweep of his mantle was the working of miracles because that was a
supernatural intervention in the ordinary course of nature.
In the area of healing, many times miracles are received. However this is not
necessarily the working of miracles but is simply called healing miracles.
Everything that God does is miraculous, in a sense, but receiving healing by
supernatural means is not a miracle in the same sense that turning common dust
into insects just by a gesture is a miracle (Exod. 8:16), or turning common water
into wine just by speaking a word is a miracle (John 2:7-11). Those two
occurrences are examples of the working of miracles.
Although in the Old Testament people were healed and the gifts of healings
were in operation, gifts of healings were more commonly in operation in the
New Testament than they were in the Old Testament.
On the other hand, the working of miracles was more prominent or more
commonly manifested in the Old Testament than in the New Testament, with the
exception of the gift of working of miracles in Jesus’ ministry.
The Gift of Faith
Now I want to focus on the gift of faith. I like the Weymouth translation of
First Corinthians 12:9, because it calls this spiritual gift “special faith.” You see,
this faith is special faith because every believer already has faith (Rom. 12:3).
For example, there is saving faith, or faith to receive salvation, which is also a
gift of God.

EPHESIANS 2:8
8 For by grace are ye SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God.

The faith by which you are saved is a gift of God, but it is given to you
through hearing the Word. The Bible says, “So then faith [saving faith] cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the WORD OF GOD” (Rom. 10:17). But the gift of
faith is distinct from saving faith. It is a supernatural manifestation of one of the
nine gifts of the Spirit.
The gift of faith is a gift of the Spirit to the believer that he might receive a
miracle, whereas the working of miracles is a gift of the Spirit to the believer
that he might work a miracle. (One gift receives something, and the other does
something.) But these gifts are very closely related. We’re just differentiating
between them for the purpose of defining them.
So then, we said that the gift of faith is separate and distinct from saving faith.
It is also distinct from the fruit of faith that we’re taught about in the New
Testament.

GALATIANS 5:22
22 . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, FAITH.

Galatians 5:22 says that faith is a fruit of the spirit. However, if you look up
this word in the original Greek translation, you will find that it refers to
faithfulness.
The fruit of the spirit are for character, but the gifts of the Spirit are for
power. A fruit is something that grows. So faith, or faithfulness, is a spiritual
fruit that grows in the life of the Christian to establish him in spiritual character.
The gift of faith, however, is given supernaturally by the Spirit of God, as He
wills (1 Cor. 12:11).
So you can see that there are different kinds of faith. Saving faith comes
before salvation, and the fruit of faith comes or develops after salvation. But the
manifestation of the gift of faith comes after the baptism in the Holy Spirit, as
the Spirit wills.
 Many times people—even Christians—who haven’t studied the Bible say,
“Well, if God gives me faith, I’ll have it. And if He doesn’t, I won’t.” They read
in First Corinthians 12:9, “to another is given faith,” and they may think that’s
how all faith works. But that verse is talking about the gift of faith, which is
separate from all other kinds of faith. The gift of faith is a gift of the Spirit to the
believer that he might receive a miracle!
Remember, the working of miracles employs faith that actively works a
miracle. But the gift of faith employs faith that passively expects a miracle as a
sustained or continuous action. There may not be anything that the person sees at
the moment to confirm that he has his answer. But special faith will carry over a
long period of time. In other words, its manifestation can be sustained or
continued for the purpose of receiving a miracle.

A Supernatural Endowment
The gift of faith is also a supernatural endowment by the Holy Spirit whereby
that which is uttered or desired by man, or spoken by God, eventually comes to
pass. In other words, when this power gift is in operation, you believe God in
such a way that God honors your word as His own and miraculously brings to
pass whatever you believe or say. So the miracle, utterance, assurance, curse or
blessing, creation or destruction, or removal or alteration has to manifest when it
has been spoken under the inspiration of this gift.
In my own life, I’ve always been one to believe God’s Word and act upon it.
But I’m conscious of times when special faith is operating in my life. And it
doesn’t bother me a bit in the world whether or not I see anything. I’ll just laugh
right in the face of the circumstances, because I know that the Word has been
spoken, and it shall to come to pass!

Faith To Raise the Dead

Smith Wigglesworth said that if you will take a step of faith—use the measure
of faith you have as a Christian—when you come to the end of that faith, very
often this supernatural gift of special faith will take over.
Under Wigglesworth’s ministry, at least three different people were raised
from the dead. In his book Ever Increasing Faith, Wigglesworth related one
instance of his neighbor being raised from the dead.1
One day Wigglesworth visited a sick neighbor who had been close to death.
After coming home from an open-air meeting the following day, Wigglesworth
learned that his wife Polly was at this neighbor’s house. As Wigglesworth
approached the house, he heard screaming. He went inside and found the sick
man’s wife, crying, “He’s gone! He’s gone!”
Wigglesworth said, “I just passed by the man’s wife and went into the room.
Immediately, I saw that he was gone. I could not understand it, but I began to
pray. My wife was always afraid that I would go too far, and she laid hold of me
and said, ‘Don’t, Dad! Don’t you see that he is dead?’ But I continued praying.
“I got as far as I could with my own faith, and then God laid hold of me. It
was such a laying hold that I could believe for anything. The faith of the Lord
Jesus laid hold of me, and a solid peace came into my heart. I shouted, ‘He lives!
He lives! He lives!’ And my neighbor is still living today.”
Well, you know as well as I do, that receiving the dead back to life is beyond
anyone’s ordinary faith. In our ordinary faith, we could pull a dead person off his
deathbed, stand him up, and tell him to walk. But that doesn’t mean he would
begin to walk. Why not? Because it would take a miracle—and it takes a
supernatural manifestation of God’s power to receive a miracle from God!
As I said before, the working of miracles performs a miracle, but the gift of
faith receives a miracle. So the working of miracles is more of an act, whereas
the gift of faith is more of a process.
We can see that by the gift of faith, the miraculous was manifested in the
Scriptures. People were supernaturally fed and sustained. Angels stood guard
over and protected the servants of God. Men were delivered from the ferocity of
beasts. And the dead were raised to life. But the present-day use of this power
gift is still the same.
In the same way that the gift of faith was manifested in Bible days, it can be
manifested to receive supernatural blessings, protection, or sustenance today. By
this power gift, evil spirits can be cast out and the dead can be raised. But it
takes supernatural faith—special faith—for those things to happen!
The Gifts Work Together
As I have mentioned, the three power gifts—the working of miracles, the gift
of faith, and the gifts of healings—will very often work together. In the case of
raising the dead, all three of these power gifts operate together.
First of all, in raising the dead, it takes supernatural faith—the gift of special
faith—to call a person’s spirit back after it has left the body. Then it takes the
working of miracles because the body would have started to deteriorate, as in the
case of Lazarus (John 11:39).
 And then raising the dead also takes the gifts of healings because if the person
who was raised from the dead wasn’t healed, whatever he died from would still
affect his body and he would die again. So the person would have to be healed
too. Therefore, all three of the power gifts are in manifestation when someone is
raised from the dead.

Gifts of Healings
We have looked at the “power” gifts of the Spirit—the gifts that do something
—mentioned in First Corinthians 12:9 and 10. We have discussed the working of
miracles and the gift of faith. Now I want to focus on the gifts of healings.
In the original Greek translation of First Corinthians 12:9 and 30, this gift is
listed as “gifts of healings”—both gifts and healings are plural. Therefore, we
will refer to this spiritual gift as the gifts of healings.
As we study the gifts of healings in Scripture, we see that they are manifested
for the supernatural healing of diseases and infirmities without natural means of
any sort.
For example, Luke, the writer of the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel that
bears his name, was a medical doctor by profession. He accompanied Paul on
many missionary journeys and was traveling with him when they were
shipwrecked on the island of Melita. When we read the account in Acts 28,
nothing is ever said about Luke ministering to anyone while they were there. But
the Bible says that Paul ministered to several on the island who were sick or had
diseases, and they were healed. How? By the supernatural power of God!
ACTS 28:8,9
8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to
whom PAUL ENTERED IN, AND PRAYED, AND LAID HIS HANDS ON HIM, AND
HEALED HIM.
9 So when this was done, OTHERS ALSO, WHICH HAD DISEASES IN THE ISLAND,
CAME, AND WERE HEALED.

Now some have mistakenly thought that the gifts of healings refer to the fact
that God has given us doctors and medical science. Of course, we believe in
medical science and doctors, and thank God for what they can do—we are
certainly not opposed to them. But the gifts of the Spirit are supernatural. They
have nothing to do with medical science.
Healing that is supernatural doesn’t come by a diagnosis and the prescribing
of treatment. It comes by the laying on of hands, anointing with oil, or
sometimes just speaking God’s Word in faith! So we not only believe in natural
healing, but we also believe in supernatural healing!
How Jesus Ministered
The Bible is full of examples of the gifts of healings in operation—delivering
the sick and destroying the works of the devil in a person’s human body—
especially through Jesus’ ministry. However, I often point out the fact that Jesus
ministered as a prophet anointed by the Holy Ghost.
Notice, for instance, what Jesus said of Himself in the synagogue, reading
from the Prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because HE HATH
ANOINTED ME . . .” (Luke 4:18). Then in Acts 10:38, Peter said, “. . . GOD
ANOINTED JESUS of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all. . . .”
Jesus never healed anyone until after He was anointed with the Holy Ghost
and power. And yet He was just as much the Son of God when He was twenty-
five years old as He was at age thirty. So Jesus didn’t heal the sick by some
power that was inherent in Him as the Second Person of the Trinity. He healed
them the same way anyone else would minister to the sick today—by the
anointing of the Spirit or the manifestation of the gifts of healings!
Now the main thing we need to understand is that there is a difference
between the manifestation of the gifts of healings and receiving healing by one’s
own faith in God’s Word.
When I teach, I emphasize that people can receive healing simply by
exercising faith in the Word of God—because it always works. Many of you
know my testimony of how I received healing as a young Baptist boy reading
Grandma’s Methodist Bible. I wasn’t healed because I believed in divine
healing, necessarily. I was healed by acting and standing on Mark 11:24!
I read in Mark 11:24 that Jesus said, “. . .What things soever ye DESIRE,
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Well, I
desired healing. So I prayed and began to say: “I believe I receive healing for my
deformed heart, I believe I receive healing for my paralyzed body, I believe I
receive healing for my incurable blood condition,” and so forth.
To make a long story short, God’s healing power was manifested in my body.
No one laid hands on me. That power came unto me directly from God. But
when the gifts of healings are in operation, they’re manifested through another
person unto you, as the Spirit wills. That’s the difference. The healing always
comes from God, however.
 Healing as a Gift vs. Gifts of Healings
Now some have said, “Any time you receive healing, it’s a manifestation of
the gifts of healings.” But I disagree with that statement. Healing is a gift, all
right, in the general sense that anything you receive from God would be a gift.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that these spiritual gifts are in operation. For
example, that wasn’t the case when I received healing as a young boy on the bed
of sickness.
Others have taken this reasoning one step further, saying, “Healing is a gift.
So anytime you get healed, you have received a gift of healing.” But I can’t
accept that explanation either, because it doesn’t line up with Scripture. Take a
look at First Corinthians 12:28-30.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:28-30
28 And GOD HATH SET SOME IN THE CHURCH, first apostles, secondarily prophets,
thirdly teachers, after that miracles, THEN GIFTS OF HEALINGS, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 HAVE ALL THE GIFTS OF HEALING [healings] . . .?

Notice in verse 28 that God set “some” in the Church. Paul isn’t talking about
spiritual gifts, because he said in verse 27, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and
MEMBERS in particular.”
No, Paul is referring to men equipped with spiritual gifts. God set members
equipped with spiritual gifts in the Church—first, apostles; secondarily,
prophets; thirdly, teachers; and so forth.
You see, the “gift” of the apostle, prophet, or teacher is a ministry gift given to
the Church, not an individual gift that someone might receive (Eph. 4:8,11). In
other words, it’s not given to bless you! It’s given in order to bless others. It’s a
ministry!
First Corinthians 12:28 goes on to say, “after that miracles,” meaning: “After
those who are equipped with the ministry gifts which Paul just mentioned, there
are some in the ministry who are equipped with the gift of the working of
miracles.” (A better way to say it would be that the gift of the working of
miracles operates by the Spirit more consistently in some people’s ministries.)
Next Paul mentions the gifts of healings, and he asks a few rhetorical
questions: “Does everyone have the ministry of an apostle?” Certainly not.
“Does everyone have the ministry of a prophet?” No. “Does everyone have the
ministry of the teacher?” No. We could all teach to some extent, of course. But
there are those whom God has put in the Church who are specifically equipped
or anointed by the Holy Spirit with a teaching gift.
So, you see, the gifts of healings are not referring to gifts given to individuals
to bless them personally. They are ministries of healing that are given to some in
order to bless others. I like to say it this way: The gifts of healings are
supernatural manifestations of the Spirit that are manifested through someone to
someone else!

Laying On of Hands
When I started out in the healing ministry as a Baptist boy preacher, I wasn’t
conscious of any kind of anointing or special manifestation of the Spirit. I just
prayed for people in faith through the laying on of hands and anointing with oil.
I received the baptism in the Holy Ghost later, but I continued to pray for the
sick the same way.
Then in 1938, I accepted the pastorate of a little Full Gospel church in the
blacklands of northcentral Texas, where I met my wife Oretha. After we were
married, Oretha and I lived with her folks, who owned a large farmhouse.
Neither she nor her parents had received the baptism in the Holy Ghost yet, so
when we all gathered to pray, I did my best to behave myself.
But one night we got to praying and I unconsciously started praying in
tongues right out loud. I prayed in tongues approximately 45 minutes, and then
the Spirit of God said to me, “Lay your hand on your wife, and I’ll fill her with
the Holy Ghost.” So I reached out my hand and laid it on top of Oretha’s head.
Oretha had never sought the Holy Ghost a minute in her life, but the second I
laid my hand on her head, she threw up both hands and started talking in tongues
instantly. She never stammered or stuttered. She just began speaking fluently in
other tongues as the Spirit of the Lord gave her utterance.

Special Anointing
Well, that same night around midnight, the Lord ministered to me by His
Spirit concerning the gifts of healings and His sending me out to minister to the
sick. Now as I said, I would anoint people with oil and lay hands on them for
healing, simply praying with them in faith. In other words, none of the gifts of
the Spirit were in operation. God’s healing power would manifest itself directly
unto them.
But on occasion I would be conscious of a manifestation of God’s power
working through me. That didn’t always happen (it was as the Spirit willed), but
I was aware of it when it did. I really didn’t do a whole lot about it, though,
except yield to the Spirit of God.
Ten years later I was pastoring a church in east Texas, and I started to become
dissatisfied spiritually. Naturally speaking, I had every cause in the world to feel
good and rejoice. Folks had been getting saved, filled with the Spirit, and healed
in the church. But I was just flat dissatisfied.
So I spent some concentrated time shut up in the church, praying, reading my
Bible, and seeking God about ministry. While I was at the altar praying one day,
the Lord asked me: “What are you going to do about the healing ministry and
what I said to you ten years ago in that little farmhouse in northcentral Texas?”
I said, “To tell You the truth, Lord, I didn’t intend to do anything about it.”
He said, “You’re going to have to—or else.”
Well, I had run into some of the Lord’s “or else’s” through the years, so I said
to Him, “Yes, Sir! I believe I will.” And I left the last church I pastored in
February 1949 to go out into field ministry and endeavor to do what God had
called me to do.
Heart Trouble
One night while holding a meeting in a Full Gospel church in Henderson,
Texas, I was praying for the sick by the laying on of hands. A woman from the
church came up, and the Spirit of God gave me a word of knowledge concerning
her: “Thy heart is not right with God.”
I knew I should have spoken that word out, but I was reluctant. (That’s a
terrible thing to have to tell someone.) So I bit my tongue and shut my mouth to
keep from saying anything. And, suddenly, the anointing lifted from me like a
cloud and floated away.
I had been staying in the parsonage as the pastor’s guest, and the minute I lay
down to go to sleep that night, it felt as if my heart just stopped. I reached up to
feel my chest and couldn’t feel any heartbeat, just a faint fluttering or shaking. I
rolled out of bed and hit the cold linoleum floor, yelling at the top of my voice:
“Lord, I’ll obey You next time! I’ll do what You want me to do!” I was so loud
that I woke the pastor and his wife in their bedroom at the opposite end of the
house!
I made my way to the dining room and called out to the pastor to come pray
for me. As death fastened its final throes on me, I could feel myself slipping out
of my body. I’d had the same experience twice before, so I knew that death had
come.
I wanted to leave a word for the pastor to tell my wife and children. But when
I opened my mouth to speak, I began to prophesy instead. I had never done
much prophesying before, but I started to prophesy out of my spirit—and God
began to speak to me through my own words.
You see, I had not fully obeyed Him in some areas concerning the gifts of the
Spirit, because I was afraid what people would think. I thought they’d think I
was trying to attract attention to myself if I ministered the way He was leading
me when His gifts were in manifestation.
But the Spirit of the Lord said to me: “When Peter and John saw the man who
was crippled at the gate called Beautiful, Peter stopped and said to him, ‘Look
on us!’ ” (Acts 3:4).

ACTS 3:2-6
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the
gate of the temple which is called Beautiful . . . ;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, LOOK ON US.
5 And he gave heed unto them, EXPECTING TO RECEIVE SOMETHING OF THEM.
6 Then Peter 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.

Expectancy
As I continued to speak out of my spirit, the Lord explained: “Peter didn’t say
that to draw attention to John and himself or to brag about something they had.
He said it in order to raise the man’s expectancy - so that he would expect to
receive what Peter and John had from God” (v. 5).
Then the Spirit of the Lord said to me, “It wouldn’t have done any good for
Peter to say, ‘The gifts of healings are in operation,’ because the man wouldn’t
have known anything about that. The New Testament had not yet been written.”
The Spirit of the Lord continued, “You see, people can be healed directly from
Me because they believe and exercise faith in the promises of God, just as you
did. But many people are not at the place spiritually where they can receive
healing on their own. Therefore, I want you to tell them that I have anointed you
and sent you to minister to the sick.
“When you do that, you’re not attracting attention to yourself, you’re arousing
the people’s expectancy. If you can just arouse their expectancy, they wouldn’t
need any more faith than just to expect Me to heal them through you as My gifts
are in manifestation.”
I saw the difference then. And that’s what I want to get over to you. You can
be healed directly, simply by believing God—and I believe that’s the best way to
receive healing. But everyone is not going to receive that way. That’s why we
need to pray along these lines.
Pray what? That all would have the gifts of healings? No, we already saw in
First Corinthians chapter 12 that not everyone will have the gifts of healings
operating through them. But thank God, some will!
Well, thank God for the privilege to believe and act on God’s Word. We
should be doing that continually. But we can also pray that the gifts of healings
would be supernaturally manifested among us even more, and expect God’s
power to flow unto others through members of His Body, as the Spirit wills!
1 Smith Wigglesworth, Ever Increasing Faith, (Springfield, Missouri: Gospel Publishing House, 1971), pp. 138,139.

 Questions for Study

1. Which group of spiritual gifts are most commonly
used concerning healing?

2. List these three “power” gifts.

3. What kind of faith is used to receive salvation?

4. What is the gift of faith?

5. Complete this sentence: The fruit of the spirit are
for __________________, but the gifts of the Spirit are
for __________________.

6. What did Jesus minister as?

7. Where does healing always come from?

8. What are gifts of healings?

9. According to Acts 3:5, when the man gave heed
unto Peter and John, what was he expecting?

10. We can act and believe on God’s Word, and we
should be doing that continually. But what else can we
be doing?
 Chapter 19
The Healing Anointing

In previous chapters, we discussed how faith will activate the healing power
of God. You can activate the healing power by your own faith in the Word of
God, as I did on the eighth day of August, 1934. By faith, I “plugged in” to the
healing power of God that was present in my room and was raised up from the
bed of sickness.
We have also discussed how you can receive healing by the laying on of
hands. We know this method is scriptural because we are told in Mark’s Gospel
to lay hands on the sick (Mark 16:18). Any believer can lay hands on the sick
based on this particular verse of Scripture. But there are also those who are
specially anointed to minister healing to the sick.
In this chapter, I want to further discuss the healing anointing, with a focus on
the ways the anointing may be transferred by a person specially anointed to
minister healing.
As I said in a previous chapter, Acts 10:38 indicates that the terms,“the
anointing,” “the Holy Ghost,” and “power” are virtually synonymous. This
means that we are able to use these terms interchangeably when discussing the
subject of the healing anointing and the power of God.
Concerning the individual anointing, we know that God anoints individuals to
minister. There are different offices in which God calls them to minister—the
office of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. Jesus stood in all
five of them, so He had the anointing that goes with every office.
Jesus had the anointing without measure (John 3:34). Members of the Body of
Christ have the anointing in a measure.
Of course, Jesus was and is the Son of God. But Jesus was not ministering as
the Son of God. He was ministering as a mere man anointed with the Holy
Ghost! If Jesus was ministering on the earth as the Son of God and not as a man,
then He wouldn’t need to be anointed. But the Bible plainly says Jesus was
anointed to minister on the earth (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38).

Characteristics of the Healing Anointing

I want to look at some characteristics of the anointing, which will help you
understand the way it works. First, the anointing is transmittable.

MATTHEW 14:35,36
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him [Jesus], they sent out into all that
country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36 And besought him that they might only touch the HEM of his garment: and as many as
touched were made perfectly whole.

You’ll notice that in Matthew chapter 14, those people sought to touch the
hem of Jesus’ garment. They didn’t touch Him; they just touched the hem of His
garment, and they were healed!
Then in Mark’s Gospel, we read that the woman with the issue of blood “. . .
came in the press behind, and touched his [Jesus’] garment” (Mark 5:27). Well,
evidently, Jesus’ garment became charged with that same power or anointing
with which He Himself was anointed.
Also, the cloths that Paul laid hands upon became charged with the same
anointing that Paul was anointed with, which was the healing and delivering
power of God (Acts 19:11,12).
Then it seems that the healing power of God can be absorbed by certain
materials, namely cloths. And that healing power or anointing can be transmitted
or transferred from the cloths into the bodies of the sick.
The anointing is also measurable. We read in the Old Testament that God
commanded the prophet Elijah to anoint Elisha to take his place, and it says
Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s anointing (2 Kings 2:9).
Then in the Gospels we saw that Jesus was anointed to minister as He walked
upon the earth. And John 3:34 says that Jesus had the anointing without measure.
The anointing is also tangible. The word “tangible” means perceptible to the
touch. In other words, something that is tangible is capable of being touched.
For example, we know that the anointing that went into the woman with the
issue of blood in Mark chapter 5 was tangible because Jesus knew immediately
when that power went out of Him. Jesus was aware of an outflow of that healing
power, and the woman was aware of the reception of that power. So the power
had to have been tangible.
Ways the Anointing Is Transferred
Now that we’ve looked at the characteristics of the healing anointing, I want
to focus on the ways it is transferred. One way is by the laying on of hands.
In His own ministry, Jesus used many methods in ministering to the sick.
Sometimes He just said, “Arise and walk,” and they arose and walked. But one
of the main ways He ministered healing was by the laying on of hands.
For example, in Mark chapter 5, Jesus laid hands on Jairus’ daughter, and she
was healed. All through the New Testament, there are a number of instances
where Jesus laid His hands on the sick and they were healed. The contact of His
hands with the sick one permitted the healing anointing, or the power of God in
Him, to flow into the sick one.
The healing anointing can also be transferred, as I mentioned earlier, through a
cloth, such as a garment or handkerchief.
In Mark chapter 5, the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus’ clothes
and found the power of God emanating from His Person. The Apostle Paul,
knowing this same law of contact and transmission that governed the operation
of the Spirit of God in healing, laid his hands on cloths or handkerchiefs (Acts
19:11,12). Those cloths were taken to the sick, and the diseases departed from
them.
Some people in modern times might think that the transfer of the anointing
through cloth is only superstition. But it’s not superstition; it’s a viable fact. It
happened just the way the Word of God said it happened.
In other words, the healing anointing, emanating from Paul, transformed those
handkerchiefs into “storage batteries” of Holy Ghost power. When they were
laid on the sick, they charged the body with the healing anointing, and the
diseases departed from them.

Healing Anointing vs. Ministry Anointing

As I said at the beginning of this chapter, the anointing for ministry
automatically comes with the calling to stand in whatever office God has called
you to. But the healing anointing is something different and separate from a
ministry anointing.
For instance, Jesus said to me when He appeared to me in the vision in
Rockwall, Texas, in 1950: “I have called you before you were born. I separated
you from your mother’s womb. Satan tried to destroy your life before you were
born and many times since then, but My angels have watched over you and
cared for you until this present hour.”
Well, when Jesus said, “I have called you,” that didn’t mean He called me on
that very day, September 2, 1950. He had called me to the ministry before I was
born. I understood what He meant when He said, “I have called you.”
 After Jesus said, “I have called you,” He said, “and I have anointed you.”
Well, again, I knew He wasn’t talking about anointing me for the ministry that
very day. No, the anointing came with the calling, and I’d already been
ministering with that anointing for many years.
But when Jesus said to me, “And I have given unto you a special anointing to
lay hands on the sick,” I knew He was talking about giving me a special
anointing on that very day, September 2, 1950.
Now I had been laying hands on the sick for years and had seen them healed.
But I wasn’t ministering with a special anointing; I was just ministering to the
sick through the laying on of hands according to the Word of God.
After Jesus gave me a special anointing in that vision to lay hands on the sick,
He said to me, among other things, “This special anointing will not work for you
unless you tell the people exactly what I’ve told you; that is, tell them you saw
Me. Tell them I spoke to you, and that I laid the finger of My right hand in the
palm of each of your hands. Tell them that the anointing is in your hands. Tell
them exactly what I’ve told you. And tell them if they’ll believe it—that you’re
anointed—and receive it, then that power will flow from your hands into their
body, and will undo what Satan has wrought. It will effect a healing and a cure
therein.”
Now, the laying on of hands isn’t the only way to minister, but it’s one way.
And it’s a scriptural way.
Laying on of hands is a point of contact that releases the healing power.
Sometimes the healing power of God is ministered to a sick person to the degree
that he is manifestly charged with the power of God, just like a person might be
charged with electricity. Yet no real or final healing takes place until something
happens that releases the faith of the individual.
Healing Is by Degree
We need to understand that healing is by degree. And the degree of healing is
determined by two conditions. Number one, the degree of healing power
administered to the body. A person
can be less anointed or more anointed to minister healing just like a preacher can
be less anointed or more anointed to preach.
In the same way, a person can be less anointed or more anointed with the
healing anointing. I’ve noticed that when the anointing upon me is manifested in
a greater degree, we have more healings take place in the service.
 The second condition that determines the degree of healing is the degree of
faith released by the individual to give action to that healing power.
You can see this in Mark chapter 5, in the case with the woman with the issue
of blood. Jesus said, “. . . Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole . . . ” (v. 34).
Someone might say, “I thought it was the power that flowed out of Jesus that
made her whole.” Yes, it was. But it was her faith that gave action to that power.
Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul revealed and applied the laws that govern
the operation of the healing anointing—the power of God. They demonstrated
that the healing power of God is a tangible, transmittable, and measurable
substance.
What was the power that flowed from Jesus’ hands or was stored in His
garments? Was it power that was inherent in Him as the Son of God? No. Acts
10:38 says, “. . . God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the HOLY GHOST and
POWER: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil. . . .”
Where did that power come from? It came from God. And that same power—
the healing power of God—is available today.
 Questions for Study

1. Any believer can lay hands on the sick according to
what scripture?

2. Complete this sentence: Jesus had the anointing
__________________ measure. Members of the Body
of Christ have the anointing __________________
measure.

3. List the three characteristics of the anointing
mentioned in this chapter.

4. What were the people seeking to touch in Matthew
chapter 14?

5. Name two ways the anointing may be transferred.

6. In Acts 19:11 and 12, Paul laid his hands on cloths
or handkerchiefs. What happened when those cloths
were taken to the sick?

7. What is the laying on of hands?

8. Name the two conditions by which the degree of
healing is determined.

9. In the case of the woman with the issue of blood,
what was it that gave action to the healing power?

10. Where did the power that flowed from Jesus’
hands or was stored in His garments come from?
 Chapter 20
Healing in Relations to Words
The subject of healing in relation to words is very important because it will
help you understand how to turn your faith loose in the area of healing. Although
there are many scriptures that reveal how important our words are, we will study
only some of them in this chapter.
Our main focus in this chapter is to understand how we are healed by hearing
and speaking words. Before we study healing in relation to words, let’s look at
salvation in relation to words because the principle is the same.
Acts 11:14 says “Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house
shall be saved.” This verse is from the passage of Scripture that relates how
Cornelius and his household were saved. It implies that there are words a person
must hear in order to be saved.
In Acts chapter 11, we learn that Peter was called to stand before the brethren
in Jerusalem and explain why he was preaching to the Gentiles. In this passage,
Peter relates the vision he saw and tells how he went down to Cornelius’ house.
Once Peter arrived at Cornelius’ house, Cornelius explained how he had seen
an angel stand in his house and say “Send men to Joppa and inquire at the house
of Simon the tanner for Simon Peter, who when he is come will tell you words
whereby you and all your house shall be saved” (Acts 11:13,14).
Someone might say, “Why would Cornelius need to hear words in order to be
saved? I thought we were saved by grace through faith.”
Well, that is true. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” But, how does “faith to be
saved” come to us? It comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17). So we
must hear the Word of God in order to have faith to be saved. And according to
Romans 10:9 and 10, a person is not saved just by hearing the Word of God, but
by also speaking the Word of God. In other words, a person is saved by hearing
and speaking words.
ROMANS 10:9,10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation.
In Romans chapter 10, we see how men are saved by hearing and speaking
words. By the same token, people are also healed by hearing and speaking
words. You see, faith for healing comes the same way that faith for salvation
comes, and that is by hearing the Word of God. And it is always with the heart
that man believes and with the mouth that confession is made.
You see, you can have faith in Jesus, both as Lord and as Savior, but if you
don’t confess it as so in your life, it won’t change anything. It won’t come to
fruition in your life. There’s no such thing as a “secret believer.” The Bible says
that it is with the mouth that confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:10).
And Matthew 10:32 says, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men,
him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” It is very
important to confess with your mouth what you believe in your heart.
Most Christians know this principle of believing with the heart and confessing
with the mouth when it comes to salvation, or what we call the New Birth. But,
this principle is also true when it comes to receiving anything from God. Healing
is in the same plan of Redemption that the New Birth is. Just as we are saved by
hearing and speaking words, so are we healed by hearing and speaking words.

Divine Intervention
Many Christians who desire healing are waiting for the intervention of divine
sovereignty—for God to initiate something on His own. Of course, God does
occasionally move in a sovereign way, but that is not His ordinary way of doing
things. I’ll show you in the Bible what I mean by the intervention of divine
sovereignty, or God initiating something on His own.
JOHN 5:1-4
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue
Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the
moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever
then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he
had.
In this passage, we read that the first person who stepped into the pool of
Bethesda after the angel had troubled the water was healed of whatever illness
he had. It didn’t make any difference what the illness was, and it didn’t make
any difference whether the sick person was an adult or a child, a man or a
woman. It didn’t make any difference whether they were God-fearing or not—or,
as we would say, saved or unsaved. It didn’t make any difference whether they
were pretty or ugly, rich or poor. And it didn’t make any difference what color
their skin was. The first person in the pool got healed and was the only one to get
healed. It was that simple.
In the case of the pool of Bethesda, God worked the healing miracles on His
own. It’s true that if God wants to work a miracle, He can. He doesn’t have to
ask me or you or anyone else permission to do so. And that’s what is meant by
the intervention of divine sovereignty or God initiating something on His own.
When God initiates something on His own and there is an intervention of
divine sovereignty, very often only one person gets healed. Someone may ask,
“Why?” Well, I don’t know. If I knew, I could tell you why, but I’m not the one
who is doing it! God is.

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark chapter 4 gives us another example of divine intervention.
MARK 4:35-40
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the
other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And
there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now
full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say
unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind
ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
This miracle didn’t happen on account of the disciples’ faith, because in verse
40, Jesus asked His disciples why they didn’t have any faith. Jesus expected
them to have faith because He had told them, “Let us pass over to the other side”
(v. 35). He hadn’t said, “Let’s go halfway and sink.” No, this miracle didn’t
happen because the disciples had faith. The Lord just did it on His own.
God will do that sometimes. Unfortunately, many Christians are waiting for
some kind of divine intervention to happen in their lives. It may happen, but it
may not happen. But one thing I’m sure of: God’s best, God’s greatest, and
everything God has is at our disposal by the claim of faith. We don’t have to wait
for His divine intervention, which may or may not happen. We don’t have to
wait for God to initiate something in a special way.

Walking on Water
We find another illustration of a divine intervention in Matthew chapter 14.
MATTHEW 14:25-31
 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit;
and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water,
to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying,
Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou
of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
It wasn’t Peter’s faith that saved him. He had a little faith to walk on the water
for a while, but then he started to sink. The Lord, through His own kindness and
goodness, saved Peter.
There is something about God initiating something on His own that none of us
can understand. There is a mystery about it. If we could understand everything
about God, He would cease to be God. We don’t even understand everything
about humans, much less God. Why do we try to figure God out when we need
to just accept Him as God? We ought to let Him tend to His business, and we
should tend to ours.
Remember, in the case of the angel troubling the water in John chapter 5, only
one person got healed. This is one example of God initiating something on His
own in the area of healing. We’ve studied other examples of divine intervention
including the time Jesus stilled the water and caused the storm to cease in Mark
chapter 4 and the time He saved Peter from drowning in Matthew chapter 14.
These two acts of sovereignty were in the area of saving people.
While God does occasionally intervene on His own initiative, we need to
understand that it is not God’s ordinary way of doing things. He ordinarily does
things in our lives through our faith—by us believing Him and taking Him at His
Word. The reason He has given us His Word is so that we can have faith, for we
know that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom.
10:17).

Are You Waiting for God To Intervene?

Unfortunately, many Christians are waiting for divine intervention. They are
waiting for God to initiate something out of the ordinary, which He may or He
may not do, while all the time, God’s best—everything He has for us—is at our
disposal by the claim of faith.
I remember a dear lady who was bedfast with terminal cancer. Medical
science did all they could do for her, and then they gave her up to die. This lady
was not a member of the church where I was preaching, but the pastor had
visited her and she told him that she wanted me to come and pray for her.
I went with the pastor to visit her. As always, I looked to the Lord to see if He
would initiate or say something. He didn’t say anything. I didn’t have any kind
of manifestation of the Spirit.
Well, what do you do if the Lord doesn’t initiate something? You give people
the Word of God. You put the Word into them in order to get them to believe
God. And if you can get them to believe God, then you can agree with them.
So that’s what I began to do with this lady who was dying of cancer. I began
to give her the Word so that she could believe and be healed. But she wasn’t
interested in believing the Word of God. She was convinced that there was a
person somewhere who was going to heal her.
I told her, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, sister, but there is no one anywhere
who can heal you or anyone else. No person can do it.”
She said, “Well, I’ll just lie here and hope that there will be.”
I said, “You will die in hope then.”
And I’m sad to say that she did die.

Healing by a Manifestation of the Spirit

I knew another woman who was bedfast and dying with terminal cancer. She
had deteriorated to the point where she couldn’t even feed herself, much less get
up out of bed. As we prayed together, there was a manifestation of the Spirit. In
other words, the Lord initiated something.
Now, please understand this: I can’t initiate a manifestation of the Spirit. I am
not God. But, as I prayed for this woman, I heard the Lord speak to me and tell
me to do something. So I did what He said to do; I went to the head of the bed
and said, “Come out, you spirit of doubt and fear in the Name of Jesus.”
The woman rose up shouting and jumped out of bed. She went from not being
able to get out of bed to being instantly healed. She went out in the backyard and
sat down and ate watermelon with us that very afternoon! Glory to God!
The Lord initiated something on His own that day. Now, I’d be a fool to tell
everyone who has cancer that that’s the way healing is ministered. I’d be a fool
to tell people, “I found out how to get people healed. Just cast the spirit of doubt
and fear out of every one of them.” No, that may not be the problem with every
person.
 Again, if the Lord doesn’t tell you anything, just put the Word into people.
There is a connection between God’s Word and healing. People are healed by
hearing and saying words.

Healed by Hearing and Speaking God’s Word

I knew another woman who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was
told by her doctor that medical science had done all they could do for her. When
I went to pray for her there wasn’t any manifestation of the Spirit—the Spirit of
God didn’t say anything to me. What did I do? I did the same thing I tried to do
with the first woman who was dying; I gave her the Word.
But unlike the first woman, this woman decided she would put God’s Word
into practice for herself. She received the Word as I gave it to her and began to
speak it.
And do you know what happened? The same doctors who diagnosed her
couldn’t find any cancer in her body—it had
disappeared! She was healed by hearing and speaking God’s Word!
Years later, I went back and preached in that woman’s home church. Even
then, the doctors still couldn’t find anything wrong with her. When the cancer
disappeared, the doctors told her that if it didn’t reoccur after a certain number of
years, she would be home free. And about the time I revisited her church, the
doctors had told her, “That’s it. You’re home free. That cancer won’t ever occur
again.”
Remember, I didn’t lay hands on that woman and pray for her to be healed. It
was her faith in God’s Word that made her whole.
You see, all of God’s provision is ours by the claim of faith. But faith must be
released through the words of your mouth. Let me remind you of what Jesus said
in Mark 11:23: “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.” While doubt can cause you to receive
something less than God’s best, faith will cause you to receive God’s best. And,
remember, faith must be released through your words.
The Importance of Words
As I said at the beginning of the chapter, the Bible makes it clear that the
words we speak are very important. Let’s look at just a few verses that reveal the
importance of our words.
 Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they
that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Instead of saying, “death and life,” you
could say, “sickness and disease and healing and health are in the power of the
tongue.” Matthew 12:37, which says, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified,
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,” also shows the importance of our
words.
Proverbs 21:23 says, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his
soul from troubles.” This verse implies that we create our own troubles with our
mouth and tongue. Many Christians think that someone else creates all their
troubles. So these Christians are always complaining and blaming someone else
for their problems, but this verse says that they created their own troubles.
Proverbs 12:18 says, “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but
the tongue of the wise is health.” The tongue of the wise is health because the
tongue of the wise says the right things. You’re going to produce either sickness
or health with your tongue, mouth, and words. They all go together.
We need to understand that faith will cause the power of God to move in our
behalf, and faith will cause us to receive the miraculous into our lives. But faith
has to be released through the words of our mouth. Remember Mark 11:23 says,
“. . . he shall have whatsoever he SAITH.” Faith is released through words. It’s
so with salvation, and it’s so with healing.
Faith for salvation is released through the words of your mouth. We’ve
already looked at Romans 10:9 and 10, which says, “That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
With your heart you believe unto righteousness—you believe you are right with
God because Jesus paid the price and made you right. And with your mouth
confession is made unto salvation—with your mouth you confess that you are
saved.
It works the same way with healing. With the heart man believes unto healing,
and with the mouth he confesses he is healed. And even if a person gets healed
by God initiating something on His own or by a manifestation of the gifts of the
Spirit, he will not maintain that healing without maintaining a positive faith
confession, because the devil will come and take it away. I’ve seen it happen
again and again. We are healed by the words we speak, and we maintain our
healing by the words we speak.
What Are You Saying?
 Again, faith is released by words—whether it’s faith to be saved, faith to be
healed, or faith for any one of God’s provisions. So it’s important that you learn
to use words so they will work for you and not against you. We know from the
Word of God that your words will either make you a victor or keep you a
captive.
Words like these will make you a victor: “I am more than a conqueror through
Him that loved me and gave Himself for me” (Rom. 8:37). “If God be for me,
who can be against me?” (Rom. 8:31). “My Father is greater than all” (John
10:29). “The Name of Jesus has authority and power in Heaven, on earth, and
under the earth—among angels, men, and demons. And that Name belongs to
me” (Phil. 2:9,10; Matt. 28:18). Speaking the right words—God’s Word—will
set you free and keep you free.
But your words can also keep you captive. If you keep on talking about how
you are defeated, saying, “Poor old me. I’ve tried and tried. Everything is against
me. The devil keeps me sick all the time,” things will stay just as they are or get
worse.
You see, friends, if we’re defeated, we’re defeated with our own lips. People
will lay their problems off on the devil or on someone else; sometimes they will
even lay them off on the preacher. But we might as well get down to brass tacks,
so to speak. If I’m defeated, I’m the one responsible. If you’re defeated, you’re
the one responsible. Why? We are defeated with our own lips.
There is another verse in Proverbs having to do with words that has always
been a favorite of mine. Proverbs 6:2 says, “Thou art snared with the words of
thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.” The margin of my King
James Bible reads, “Thou art taken captive with the words of thy mouth.”
Someone once said, “You said that you could not, and the moment you said it,
you were whipped.” I like to say it like this: “You said that you did not have
faith, and doubt rose up like a giant and bound you.” You see, you are
imprisoned with your own words. If you talk failure, failure will hold you in
bondage, for Proverbs 6:2 says, “You are snared with the words of your mouth.”
As Christians, we should never talk failure or defeat. I don’t know about you,
but I don’t believe in failure or defeat. And I don’t believe that God is a God of
failure or a God of defeat. Since we are children of God, we ought not be
children of failure. I believe God is a God of victory and success, prosperity and
plenty.
If you talk about your trials and difficulties or your lack of faith, your faith
will shrivel, and the devil will rise up and dominate you. Confessing sickness
will develop sickness in your system. Confessing doubt causes doubts to grow
stronger. How well I have learned this truth through the years!
If you talk about your doubts and fears, it will destroy your faith. But if you
reverse what you are talking about, it will change the order of things. What
should you talk about then? You ought to talk about your wonderful, lovely
Heavenly Father. You should talk about the Word of God. But, you see, if you
don’t know God, you won’t be able to talk about Him. You need to get
acquainted with God through His Word and through prayer. God is everything
the Word says He is, and He can do everything the Word says He can do. So find
out what the Word says!
Spend your time talking about who God is and what He can do. Then look
defeat in the face and cry out, “My God is greater than you!” Look failure in the
face and declare, “My God is greater than you!”
Remember, you can’t be defeated because greater is He that is in you than he
that’s in the world (1 John 4:4). God is greater than sickness and disease. He is
greater than troubles and trials. He’s greater than any power that can come
against you. You can’t measure how great God is!
Begin talking about your wonderful Heavenly Father. Begin saying, “God is
everything the Word says He is. God can do everything the Words says He can
do.” Start talking about how big God is, and quit talking about how big the devil
is. What does the devil amount to in the sight of God? Nothing! Jesus already
whipped him! Start talking about that!
When you read God’s Word, believe it, and begin to confess it. Remember,
your words are important. Use them to work for you as you receive by faith
everything God has provided for you—including healing!
 Questions for Study

1. What does Acts 11:14 imply?

2. How does faith to be saved come to us?

3. How does faith for healing come?

4. What are many Christians who desire healing
waiting for?

5. In the case of the angel troubling the water in John
chapter 5, how many people got healed?

6. How does God ordinarily do things in our lives?

7. How is all of God’s provision yours?

8. How must faith be released?

9. Why is the tongue of the wise health?

10. What will cause the power of God to move in our
behalf and cause us to receive the miraculous into our
lives?
 Chapter 21
God’s Great Mercy - Part 1

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great
mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. —
Psalm 145:8,9
Nothing reveals the character of God more than these two verses of Scripture.
The Lord is gracious! And He’s full of compassion. The dictionary tells us that
“to be full of compassion” means to be merciful. So “compassion” and “mercy”
are companion terms, we might say.
And, if you look up the words “compassion” and “mercy,” you’ll find that
often the same Hebrew or Greek word is translated one time “mercy” and
another time “compassion.”
Therefore, “to have mercy” means to be full of compassion. God is full of
compassion, He is of great mercy, and His tender mercies are over all of His
works.
I want to talk to you about the subject of mercy. It’s such a big subject that I
can’t cover it all in one chapter, but I want to emphasize one certain part of it.
Usually we think of “mercy” only in connection with the Lord having mercy on
the sinner and saving him. Well, that’s a part of it, but we also need to think of
God’s mercy in connection with healing.
The first text we will look at is in Mark chapter 1. I want you to notice some
things about the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is the will of God in action, we
can look at God’s compassion manifested in the Person of Jesus.
MARK 1:40-42
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto
him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto
him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was
cleansed.
Notice that compassion moved Jesus to heal the leper. Healing is a display of
God’s compassion.
Compassion Compelled Jesus
Let’s look at another example of the Lord’s compassion in relation to healing.
 MATTHEW 14:13,14
13 . . . [Jesus] departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard
thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward
them, and he healed their sick.
Verse 14 says that Jesus was moved with compassion. Well, what did
compassion move Him to do? It moved Him to heal! Verse 14 says, “. . . and he
[Jesus] healed their sick.”
I think that the compassion of the Lord in connection with healing has been
hidden from us because it has been taught that Jesus healed the sick only to
prove His deity. Yet that kind of statement isn’t in the Bible. Not once, in all the
recorded cases of healing, does the Bible ever say, “. . . and to prove His deity
and divinity, Jesus healed them.” And if the Bible doesn’t say it, then we
shouldn’t say it either.
According to the Bible, Jesus healed the sick because of His compassion, not
because of His deity or divinity. His compassion compelled Him to do it. And,
thank God, He’s the same compassionate Lord today.
God never changes. He’s the same now as He was back then. So if He was
gracious then, He’s gracious now. If He was full of compassion then, He’s full of
compassion now. If He was merciful then, He’s merciful now.

Healing Is a Mercy
The third example of God’s great mercy manifested in the Person of Jesus
Christ in the area of healing is in Matthew chapter 20.
MATTHEW 20:29-34
29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by,
cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the
more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes
received sight, and they followed him.
The two blind men in this passage cried out for Jesus to have mercy on them.
When Jesus asked these men what they wanted, they did not say, “That our sins
may be forgiven.” You see, we usually think of mercy in connection with the
forgiveness or remission of sins. We think of the mercy of God extended toward
the sinner. But is He any less merciful to the sick? These men were asking for
mercy in connection with healing.
If they had asked for their sins to be forgiven, that would be mercy all right.
But when Jesus asked them what they wanted, they answered, “That we might
receive our sight.” Healing is a mercy, too.
Verse 34 says that Jesus had compassion—or mercy—on them and “. . .
touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed
him.”
Now, let’s review what happened in this passage. These two blind men asked
for the mercy of having their eyes opened. Jesus granted unto them the mercy of
healing, proving that healing is a mercy just as forgiveness is a mercy.

The Father of Mercies

Mercy isn’t just something that God has or shows; it’s part of His nature.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:3
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES, and
the God of all comfort.
This verse of Scripture reveals the character of my Father God. So many times
we as Christians don’t see God our Father in the light that we should. As I’ve
said many times before, some Christians picture God as a sort of traffic cop who
is just waiting for them to do something wrong so He can blow the whistle on
them. Or they picture God as an austere judge who is waiting, with gavel in
hand, to smite them the minute they do wrong. Or they picture God as waiting
with a giant flyswatter, ready to swat them as soon as they stop moving.
Yes, God is against wrongdoing, and He is a God of justice. But Second
Corinthians 1:3 tells us that He is also the Father of mercies.

‘Guilty, Your Honor’

I remember holding a meeting in a particular Full Gospel Church and
traveling to the meeting one night with a gentleman who I had asked to be a
special singer. One night while we were driving to the revival meeting that was
some distance away, he began telling me a story about something that had
happened to him recently.
This was back in the Depression days, and this man owned a little business.
He was what we call a “lay preacher” because he was never in full-time ministry.
Usually, this man would sing in meetings, but sometimes pastors would ask him
to preach if they had to be gone from the church.
A pastor contacted this man because an emergency arose and asked him to
take care of the Wednesday night service. And so this gentleman said he would
do it.
Well, back in Depression days, places of business didn’t operate for just eight
hours. This man’s business was open nearly every hour it could possibly be
open. So on the day the pastor asked him to take the service, this man was busy
working. He didn’t have time to do a lot of praying or studying for that night’s
service.
As this man left for the service, he realized he was running late and was going
to have to rush in order to make it on time. He had to drive through two or three
little towns to get to the church. And while he was driving, he tried to meditate
on scriptures for that night’s message.
One of the small towns he drove through didn’t have but two red lights in the
whole town. Preoccupied with preparing for the service, he ran one of them.
About that time, he heard a siren and looked up to see flashing red lights right
behind him.
He pulled over, and the policeman came up to him and said, “Do you realize
what you did? You not only ran a red light, but you were also driving thirty miles
an hour in a twenty-five mile an hour zone.” The man answered, “Well, Officer,
if you say so, then it must have been so. I didn’t even know there was a red light
back there. I’ll be honest with you. I was on my way to preach, and I should
have been paying attention, but I wasn’t. I’m in the wrong; that’s all there is to it.
Go ahead, and write me a ticket.”
The officer said, “Well, you did run the red light and break the speed limit, but
I’m just going to give you a ticket for speeding. We’ll forget about the other.”
Well, this man didn’t have the money to pay for the ticket, so he had to appear
before the local judge who would decide what he would have to do to work off
what he owed.
When he stood before the judge, the judge asked, “How do you plead?”
He answered, “Sir, I’m guilty if this young man [the policeman] says so.” And
then he went on to explain the situation to the judge exactly how he had
explained it to the policeman.
The judge said, “Just because you were going to a service and so forth is no
excuse.”
The man replied, “Judge, I don’t have the money to pay the ticket. You’ll just
have to put me in jail. That’s all there is to it.”
(In those days they had what they called the “county farm” or the “pea patch.”
And anyone who couldn’t pay his fine was required to work on the county farm
in order to pay it off.)

Justice or Mercy?
Then the man went on to say, “Judge, I didn’t come here to plead for justice; I
don’t need that, because if I get justice I’m going to jail. I came here to plead for
mercy.”
Then he added, “Sir, I don’t know whether or not you’re a Christian.”
The Judge said, “Yes, I am. I teach a Bible class at Such-and-such church.”
The man continued, “Well, then you ought to know the Bible. Do you
remember the story in John chapter 8 about the woman who was caught in
adultery? Under the law she was supposed to be stoned to death. As the people
prepared to stone her, they asked Jesus about the law. He answered them by
saying, ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone’ (v. 7). Then Jesus
stooped down and wrote something in the sand. When He looked up, everyone
was gone. He said, ‘Woman, where are your accusers?’ She said, ‘I have none.’
So Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.’
The man continued, “Now, I did wrong all right, but if you’ll have mercy
upon me, I’ll promise you I won’t do that anymore. I’ll go and sin no more.”
The judge replied, “You mean that story is in the Bible?”
The man happened to have his New Testament with him, so he opened it to
John chapter 8 and showed it to the judge. The judge read the passage and said,
“Case dismissed.” And then he added, “I’m going to teach that to my Sunday
school class next Sunday.”
This man asked the judge for mercy because that’s what he needed. He didn’t
need justice; he needed mercy.

‘Mercies’ Is Plural!
Isn’t it good to know that God is the Father of mercies? Yes, He is a God of
justice, but He is also the Father of mercies. If He wasn’t, none of us would be
alive today.
Let’s take a closer look at Second Corinthians 1:3.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:3
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the FATHER OF MERCIES, and
the God of all comfort.
Notice this verse doesn’t say that God is the Father of mercy, singular. It says
He is the Father of mercies, plural! You see, if He was just the Father of one
mercy—the mercy of forgiveness toward the sinner, for example—then Paul
would have called Him the Father of mercy. But, thank God, He’s the Father of
mercies, and one of His mercies is healing!

Telling of the Lord’s Compassion

In Mark chapter 5, we read that Jesus delivered a man possessed by a devil. I
want to call your attention to the fact that Jesus had compassion on this man who
was possessed by a devil, who broke the chains that bound him, and who
wandered among the tombs, crying out day and night while cutting himself with
stones. Jesus had compassion upon this man, and the man was delivered, healed,
clothed, and restored to his right mind.
We know that Jesus healed him out of compassion, because Mark 5:19 says,
“Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and
tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion
on thee.” This verse implies that the Lord did great things for the man because
the Lord had compassion on him.
The man did just as Jesus told him to do. Mark 5:20 says, “And he [the man]
departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done
for him: and all men did marvel.” And because this man told others about the
Lord’s compassion (Jesus told him to “tell what things the Lord has done for you
and how He had compassion on you.”), multitudes came to Jesus to be healed.
How do we know that? Matthew chapter 15 tells us so.
MATTHEW 15:30,31
30 And great multitudes came unto him [Jesus], having with them those that were lame, blind,
dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:
31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be
whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Now it’s important for us to realize that the setting of this passage is Decapolis
—the same place the man in Mark chapter 5 was to go and tell about the Lord’s
compassion. You may not realize that it is the same place without a close study
of the Word, but it is (see Mark 7:31-37 for the parallel account of Matthew
15:30 and 31).
As a result of this man publishing, or telling about, the Lord’s compassion,
great multitudes came to Jesus and were healed. Again the Word says, “And
great multitudes came unto him [Jesus], having with them those that were lame,
blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and
he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb
to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and
they glorified the God of Israel” (Matt. 15:30,31). All those healings came about
because of the testimony of this one man, because he published, or told about,
the Lord’s compassion.

Is God Still Merciful?

Some people say healing isn’t for us today. Well, is compassion for us today?
Of course, it is! And is the Lord still compassionate and merciful? Of course, He
is! We have seen in the New Testament that the words “compassion” and
“mercy” are consistently mentioned in connection with healing. So we know that
because God’s mercy is still for us today, healing is also for us today!
Remember, God is the Father of mercies. Not only is the forgiveness of sin
and the remission of sin a mercy, but healing is a mercy! If you will simply think
of healing as one of God’s tender mercies, you’ll find right away that you’ll get
somewhere.
God is merciful to save, and He is merciful to heal. Thank God for the mercy
of healing!
 Questions for Study

1. What does “to have mercy” mean?

2. What do we usually think of mercy in connection
with?

3. What moved Jesus to heal the leper in Mark
chapter 1?

4. Complete this sentence: According to the Bible,
Jesus healed the sick because of His
__________________, not because of His
__________________ or __________________.

5. When Jesus asked the blind men in Matthew
chapter 20 what they wanted, what did they answer?

6. Complete this sentence: Mercy isn’t just something
that God has or shows; it’s

7. God is a God of justice, but what is He the Father
of?

8. Because of what Scripture verse do we know that
Jesus healed the devil-possessed man because of
compassion?

9. After the devil-possessed man was healed, what
happened as a result of him publishing, or telling
about, the Lord’s compassion?

10. Complete this sentence: Because God’s
__________________ is still for us today,
__________________ is also for us today.
 Chapter 22
God’s Great Mercy - Part 2

In the last chapter, we began studying God’s great mercy. We read several
New Testament examples of how Jesus displayed mercy during His ministry on
the earth. In this chapter, we are going to show that God’s mercy hasn’t been
modified since Jesus’ ascension but rather is still being manifested in Jesus’
present-day ministry as our faithful High Priest.
The first text I want to look at is John 16:7.
JOHN 16:7
7 Nevertheless I [Jesus] tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
The word “expedient” in this verse means profitable. So in other words, Jesus
told His disciples, “It’s profitable for you that I go away.” That means Jesus
thought it was a good thing that He go to Heaven and the Holy Ghost or
Comforter be given unto man. In his book Christ the Healer, F. F. Bosworth
points out that Jesus’ going away could not be profitable (and thus Jesus’
statement proved untrue) “if His going away would withdraw, or even modify,
the manifestation of His compassion in healing the sick.”1
Brother Bosworth went on to say, “Every man who teaches that healing is not
for all who need it today, as it was in the past, is virtually teaching that Christ’s
compassion toward the sick has been at least modified since His exaltation.
Worse yet, others teach that [Jesus’] compassion in healing the sick has been
entirely withdrawn. To me, it is a mystery how any minister can take a position
that veils and interferes with the manifestation of the greatest attribute of deity,
God’s compassion which is Divine Love in action.”2

Jesus Is the Same Yesterday, Today, and

Forever
Why would Jesus be any less compassionate in His present-day ministry as
our faithful High Priest than He was in His earthly ministry? Jesus is the same
now as He was when He was on the earth. He never changes. He’s the same now
as He was back then. So if He was gracious then, He’s gracious now. If He was
full of compassion then, He’s full of compassion now. If He was merciful then,
He’s merciful now.
 HEBREWS 2:17
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a
MERCIFUL and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the
sins of the people.
The same Greek word translated “merciful” in this verse is also translated
“compassionate” in other passages. We’ve already brought out the fact that both
the words “merciful” and “compassionate” can be used interchangeably.
Therefore, the Greek adjective translated “merciful” in Hebrews 4:17 could also
be translated “compassionate.” Both of these words accurately describe Jesus
our High Priest.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus our High Priest understands what we’re going
through and has compassion on us.
HEBREWS 4:15
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be TOUCHED with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
We know that this verse refers to the compassion of Jesus because the same
Greek word translated “touched” here in verse 15 is translated “have
compassion” in Hebrews 10:34, which says, “For ye had COMPASSION of me
in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves
that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.” You see, Jesus is
touched with, or has compassion for, the feeling of our infirmities. He’s no less
compassionate now than He was two thousand years ago.
So if Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday—if He is the same now as
our exalted High Priest sitting at the right hand of the Father as He was when He
walked the shores of Galilee— then He is full of just as much compassion now
as He was then. That means Jesus is full of just as much compassion and mercy
today as He was in Matthew chapter 20 when He departed from Jericho and two
blind men cried unto Him, “Have mercy on us, thou Son of David.” He stopped
and asked them, “What will you that I do unto you?” They said, “That we might
receive our sight.” And Jesus had compassion, or mercy, on them and healed
them (Matt. 20:29-34).
If Jesus is the same now as He was then, then He’s still full of compassion.
And the Bible tells us that He is the same now as He was when He was on the
earth (Heb. 13:8). When you can get people to see that, getting them healed is no
problem at all.
The Lord Wants You Healed
Very often I tell people who want healing that the Lord wants to heal them
even more than they want to be healed. Most of them look at me in astonishment
when I say that. I tell them, “He wants you to be well more than you want to be
well. He yearns to heal you.”
I have asked individual people, “Do you believe in divine healing?”
And I’ve had born-again, Spirit-filled people answer, “Oh, yes. My church
believes in divine healing.”
I tell them, “Just because your church believes in divine healing doesn’t mean
you’re going to get healed.”
So they reply, “Yes, sir. I believe in divine healing.”
But then when I tell them that God wants to heal them even more than they
want to be healed, some of them, without even thinking, blurt out, “Oh, I wish I
could believe that.”
People who are wishing that they could believe that the Lord wants to heal
them, don’t really know that the Lord wants to heal them. Well, how can I get
them to see that God does want to heal them? There is only one way, and that is
to just keep giving them the Word of God.
During the many years I’ve been in ministry, I’ve had to give people the Word
of God again and again. Some people I prayed for told me to leave them alone. I
just said, “No, I’m not going to leave you alone,” and then I’d hold them against
the Word. In other words, I kept telling them what God’s Word says about
healing, and after a while, it registered in their hearts.

Compassion in Jesus’ Present-Day Ministry

Because of the Lord’s compassion and mercy, He wants to heal you. Just
because Jesus has been exalted doesn’t mean He’s lost or modified His mercy.
The Bible doesn’t teach that His mercy has been done away with or modified.
Rather, the Bible teaches that God’s mercy has been increased. John 14:12 says,
“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.”

Peter’s Shadow
Acts chapter 5 gives us an example of Jesus’ compassion being displayed in
His present-day ministry. It’s another wonderful proof of Christ’s compassion
toward the sick and another proof that He is the same now as He was when He
was on the earth.

 ACTS 5:15,16
15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and
couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick
folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.
Many Christians miss it here because they say, “Well, yes, that happened, but
Peter did that.” No, Peter didn’t heal those people. And Peter’s shadow didn’t
heal them either. It was Jesus, full of compassion, who healed them. Sometimes,
our thinking is so limited that we get our eyes on people. Remember Jesus is the
Head of the Church (Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18), and He is the Healer!

God Wrought Special Miracles

In Acts chapter 19, we find an example of the Lord’s compassion being
displayed in the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
ACTS 19:11,12
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases
departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Who healed the sick in this passage? Was it Paul? No, it doesn’t say, “Paul
wrought special miracles by the hands of God.” Verse 11 says, “. . . GOD
wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.” It was God who healed the sick.
If we’re not careful, we can get our eyes on man and think that man works the
miracles.
Someone might say, “The handkerchiefs are what caused the miracle.”
No, the handkerchiefs themselves didn’t work the miracle. If that were the
case, then any handkerchief could do it. No, God has to be involved.
Likewise, if it was just Peter’s shadow in and of itself that healed the people,
then years later, people would have still been getting healed by being in his
shadow. But we don’t see that happening. It was God who healed the people! He
simply chose to do it through Peter’s shadow. The Lord wanted to help the
people so badly that He wrought special miracles as a display of His compassion
and mercy.
The Lord’s Compassion Is Manifested
Through Believers
In Acts chapter 28, we find the Lord’s compassion manifested again through
Paul in the healing of all the people on the island of Melita.
ACTS 28:8,9
 8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to
whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed.
Publius’ father was healed after Paul laid hands on him, but it wasn’t Paul who
healed him. It was God. The man wasn’t healed because Paul was a mighty
apostle or because of any human ingenuity from a natural standpoint. Paul didn’t
minister to those people just as Paul the man or the apostle. He ministered to
them empowered by the Holy Ghost and directed by the Lord Jesus Christ—the
Head of the Church.
Notice that Paul entered in, prayed, and laid his hands on the sick man, and
the man was healed. Why did Paul pray and lay hands on the man? Do you think
he just thought that up himself? No. Remember what Jesus, the Head of the
Church, said: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name . . .
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17,18).
The Lord is still healing through His Name and through His followers. Are
you going to do the greater works Jesus spoke of in John 14:12 because of your
natural abilities? No, you will do the greater works because of Jesus and because
He went unto His Father.

God Has More Than One Tender Mercy

We studied Psalm 145:8 and 9 in the previous chapter, and I want to look at it
again in depth. In the light of all that we’ve studied, I think these verses will take
on new meaning or will become more meaningful to you.
PSALM 145:8,9
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Think about that last phrase for a moment: “His tender mercies are over all
His works.” Were His tender mercies over His works of healing the sick? Yes,
they were! The Bible tells us that Jesus was “moved with compassion” for the
leper and healed him (Mark 1:40-42). We also read in the Bible that when Jesus
saw the multitudes, He had compassion on them and healed their sick (Matt.
14:13,14). We know that “mercy” is another word for “compassion.” His tender
mercies are over all His works!
It is time to start believing in the Lord’s mercy of healing. You probably don’t
have any problem at all believing in God’s mercy of forgiveness because you’ve
heard the message of forgiveness preached all your life. And you probably don’t
have any problem at all believing in God’s mercy toward the sinner. If a sinner
came to the altar and you were praying with him and he said, “Well, I don’t
know whether the Lord will save me or not,” you’d be quick to tell him that the
Lord would certainly forgive him. You might give him scripture after scripture
about the Lord’s mercy.
But, you see, that’s as far as our thinking goes. We need to expand our
thinking. We need to think God’s thoughts after Him. How are you going to
think God’s thoughts? Think in line with what the Word says.
Someone may ask, “Is the mercy of healing available to me?” Well, is God’s
mercy of forgiveness available to the sinner? Yes, thank God. Is His mercy of
forgiveness available to the Christian who has sinned or failed? Yes, thank God.
But God’s mercy doesn’t stop there; His tender mercies are over all His works.
Well, we can thank God for the remission of sins and the New Birth. But that’s
not all His works. Notice again that Psalm 145:9 says “tender mercies,” which is
plural. The word “mercy” in this verse has to be plural because the verse says
that God’s mercies are over all His “works” which is plural. God’s works are
plural, and His mercies are plural.
Where does His mercy reach us? It reaches us in the spiritual realm, and it
also reaches us in the natural realm. And, thank God, it reaches us in the
financial and material realm. Because of God’s mercies, not because of justice or
because we deserved anything, we are blessed in every area of our lives.

The Lord Is Good to All!

Let’s read Psalm 145:8 and 9 again and study it phrase by phrase.
PSALM 145:8,9
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Psalm 145:8 says that the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. When I
think of something being full, I automatically think about a glass being full of
water. When a glass is full of water, then there isn’t room for anything else. Well,
the Lord is full of compassion!
Verse 8 also says that the Lord is slow to anger. I’m glad that He is! And I like
the next phrase too: “He is of great mercy.” If it just said that God was merciful,
that would have been good, but this verse says that God is of great mercy!
Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to ALL.” “All” means everyone! I’ve
heard Christians say, “The Lord’s been better to So-and-so than He’s been to
me.” As a matter of fact, in times past, I’ve actually told the Lord, “You were
better to So-and-so than You were to me.”
You might ask, “Were you saved?” Yes, I wouldn’t have been talking to Him
if I hadn’t been. Then you might ask, “What did He say to you?” Nothing. He
just let me gripe and complain and fuss until I repented, and then He talked to
me.
It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. I’ve heard some people say, “Well,
it looks like the Lord is better to everyone else than He is to me.” And I’ve heard
other people say, “The Lord is good to some people and bad to others.”
People who say these kinds of things haven’t experienced God’s goodness for
themselves, not because God isn’t good to them, but because they haven’t
received His goodness. Even in the natural, there are some people who won’t let
you be good to them. Have you ever tried to be kind to someone, and they
wouldn’t receive it? Well, people can also reject God’s goodness.
Again, Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all.” Now, we might think
about someone as being a good person and say, “He’s a good man,” or “She’s a
good girl,” or “So-and-so is a good person.” Although God is good in the sense
that we might say a person is good, that’s not what this verse is saying. This
verse is talking about God’s goodness or His compassion toward us.
Naturally speaking, it’s easy to be good to some people. But then there are
others who make it difficult to be good to them. But, God is good to all!
Notice that “good to all” is in connection with the Lord being gracious and
full of compassion. If God is good to all, then His compassion and mercy are
available to all. In other words, God has made the same provision for every
single one of us.
We know that God has made the same provision for everyone in the area of
forgiveness of sins. No one doubts He has made the same provision for us in
connection with the remission of sins. But, in His goodness and mercy, God has
also made the same provision for us in the area of healing.
Matthew 8:17 says, “. . . Himself [Jesus] took OUR infirmities, and bare OUR
sicknesses.” Who is the “our” in the verse referring to? All of us! And that
includes you!

1 F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer, (Michigan: Fleming H. Revell,
1973), p. 73.
2 F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer, (Michigan: Fleming H. Revell, 1973), p. 74.
 Questions for Study

1. Complete this sentence: God’s mercy hasn’t been
__________________ since
Jesus’__________________, but rather, it is still being
__________________ in Jesus’ present-day ministry as
our faithful __________________
__________________.

2. What does the word “expedient” mean?

3. How can the Greek word translated “merciful” also
be translated?

4. Complete this sentence: People who are
__________________ that they could believe that the
Lord wants to heal them don’t really
__________________ that the Lord wants to heal
them.

5. Because of the Lord’s compassion and mercy, what
does He want to do?

6. Give an example of Jesus’ compassion being
displayed through Peter’s ministry.

7. Give an example of Jesus’ compassion being
displayed through Paul’s ministry.

8. Complete this sentence: God’s __________________
are plural, and His __________________ are plural.

9. Where does God’s mercy reach us?

10. According to Psalm 145:9, how many people is the
Lord good to?

About the Author
Kenneth E. Hagin
Kenneth E. Hagin ministered for almost 70 years after God
miraculously healed him of a deformed heart and an incurable blood
disease at the age of 17. Even though Rev. Hagin went home to be
with the Lord in 2003, the ministry he founded continues to bless
multitudes around the globe.
Kenneth Hagin Ministries’ outreaches include The Word of Faith, a
free magazine; Rhema Bible Training Center; Rhema Alumni
Association; Rhema Ministerial Association International; Rhema
Correspondence Bible School; and the Rhema Prison Ministry. Rev.
Hagin’s son and daughter-in-law, Kenneth W. and Lynette Hagin,
cohost Rhema Praise, a weekly television broadcast; Rhema for
Today, a weekday radio program; and Living Faith Crusades held
around the world.

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 Table of Contents
Bible Healing Study Course
Questions for Study
Healing: God’s Will for You
Questions for Study
Two Streams of Healing
Questions for Study
You Can Receive If You Believe
Questions for Study
Is It God’s Will To Heal You?
Questions for Study
God’s Word: A Never-Failing Remedy
Questions for Study
Roadblocks to Healing - Part 1
Questions for Study
Roadblocks to Healing - Part 2
Questions for Study
Spiritual Healing?
Questions for Study
Walk in the Light of God’s Word
Questions for Study
Knowing and Acting on God’s Word
Questions for Study
There’s Healing Power in the Name of Jesus!
Questions for Study
Prayer for Healing
Questions for Study
The Laying On of Hands - Part 1
Questions for Study
The Laying On of Hands - Part 2
Questions for Study
Faith and Power - Two Ingredients for Receiving Healing - Part 1
Questions for Study
Faith and Power - Two Ingredients for Receiving Healing - Part 2
Questions for Study
The Gifts of the Spirit
Questions for Study
The Healing Anointing
Questions for Study
Healing in Relations to Words
Questions for Study
God’s Great Mercy - Part 1
Questions for Study
God’s Great Mercy - Part 2
Questions for Study
About the Author
More Information from KHM