“The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.”
1 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)
Have you ever been around a sick friend? If yes, what did you do? As believers, we often forget that we have the gift of healing, and when someone is ill or bedridden, we just say “Sorry, I hope you get better,” or ask, “Have you gone to the hospital?” These are kind and logical things to say, but as people who carry the power of God, we are not meant to stop there.
From our anchor text, we can see that the ability to heal the sick is yet another great gift that the Holy Spirit bestows upon us. We can dispense the gift of healing by the power of God at work in us (Mark 16:17-18). We are not ordinary, and so our response to anyone who needs healing around us is to lay our hands on them and pray for them.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus healed the sick when He came in contact with them.
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”
Matthew 4:23 (NKJV)
We know that Jesus was able to heal the sick by the Holy Spirit. The Bible records:
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 (NKJV)
The Apostles and the early church walked in the same healing ministry by the Holy Spirit. When Peter and John came in contact with the lame beggar at the gate of the temple in Acts 3, Peter exercised this gift of healing. His response to the lame beggar was, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6). Peter took the man by the right hand and lifted him, and immediately the man’s feet and ankle bones received strength!
Have you ever seen a fellow believer, apostle, or pastor minister healing and you wondered if you could do the same? Here’s the good news, you can! You have the same Holy Spirit in you! We can do the same works that Jesus did (John 14:12).
Set good examples before yourself and follow in that pattern. Not only can we minister healing to others, we can also do it to ourselves. If you are sick in your body, place your hand where it hurts and speak words of healing over yourself, in Jesus’ name.
Dear believer, go through your day conscious of this truth: the healing power of God is at work in you mightily. Just think, God is able to save our souls and give us new bodies, how much more healing? Through you, God can dispense healing to those around you! You can heal the sick to the glory of God!
Bible Reading Plan: Leviticus 24-27