Easter: The Day Death Was Defeated

Easter is the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. And He didn’t come back empty-handed.

“I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
— Revelation 1:18 (NLT)

So yes, you were dead because of your sins. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”
— Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT)

Jesus didn’t stop there.

“In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”
— Colossians 2:15 (NLT)

Easter is the day we remember that since Jesus rose from the dead, we too have risen. Since Jesus defeated hell, we are completely set free from sin and its consequences.

You Are Free

I’m here with good news: the power of sin is broken. You have been set free from the power of sin and every effect it brings.

Now, when temptation comes, you have the upper hand. You have the power to overcome. You win every battle!

Not only that, but you’ve also been released from the consequences of sin. You don’t have to live with shame, regret, sickness, or generational curses. You’ve been redeemed.

Jesus Lived the Life We Couldn’t

Before the cross, Jesus revealed what it looks like to live free from sin. He never sinned—not once. He lived without shame, never got sick, and carried no regrets.

He was so far removed from sickness that He drove it out of everyone He encountered. He showed us a picture of abundant, sin-free life.

When we believe Jesus was raised from the dead and make Him Lord, we step into that same abundant life.

It’s a Trade, Not an Add-On

We couldn’t live sinless lives, so God made a way for us through Jesus. Now we are made righteous and can enjoy a life without sin.

No shame. No regret. No confusion. No condemnation. No sickness. No lack. Not a single worry.

A life of power and authority, where we bring healing, freedom, and joy to those around us. That’s what happens when you submit your life to Jesus.

What You Gain in Christ

When you submit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, here’s what you receive:

• Forgiveness of every sin.

• Power and desire to live free from sin.

• Release from guilt, shame, and regret.

• Freedom from sickness.

• Access to the Holy Spirit, who gives you wisdom and understanding.

• Continual guidance, correction, and power to fulfill your calling.

The Holy Spirit reveals God in an intimate way and keeps you grounded with the fear of the Lord so you don’t fall into pride.

The Cost of New Life

But it comes at a cost. Jesus had to die to be raised. He paid the ultimate price and also showed us the way.

We must die to ourselves to be raised with Christ. It means trading everything we are now to become everything God intended us to be.

Jesus is not an add-on. It’s all or nothing.

And yet, we’re the ones benefiting. We trade brokenness for wholeness, sin for righteousness, weakness for power.

When You’ve Strayed

For those who once followed Jesus but have wandered—there is still good news.

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
— Luke 22:31-32 (NLT)

Even after Peter denied Jesus three times, Jesus wasn’t done with him. He prayed for Peter’s faith and expected his return.

Maybe you were once on fire for God but now find yourself lukewarm. Jesus has already made provision for your return.

He doesn’t want you moping around in regret. He wants you to return strong—so you can strengthen others.

Healing Has Already Been Purchased

Let’s address one last thing: healing.

Why did Jesus heal so many before going to the cross?

“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.”
— John 14:10 (NLT)

The ministry of Jesus revealed God’s perfect will—and that will includes healing.

“Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.”
— Matthew 4:23-24 (NLT)

He healed every kind of disease and healed everyone who came to Him. That is God’s will—healing for all, every time.

Doubt Is the Real Obstacle

The only thing standing between you and healing is doubt.

Maybe you’ve waited for healing, prayed, fasted, and still suffer. Maybe you lost someone you prayed for. These moments introduce doubt.

But God is not the source of doubt—so stop blaming Him.

Let Him off the hook so He can deliver the answer. Whether it’s a miracle, deliverance, or wisdom for lifestyle change—He wants to give it to you.

“‘What do you mean, ‘If I can’?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’”
— Mark 9:23 (NLT)

Faith brings healing. Doubt blocks it.

Humility Unlocks Healing

To receive from God, we must humble ourselves.

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
— 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NLT)

Pride masks doubt. Humility reveals it and allows healing to flow.

Remember the parents of the mute, deaf boy?

“The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!’”
— Mark 9:24 (NLT)

That’s humility. That’s faith.

Faith That Moves Mountains

“Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, “May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.’”
— Mark 11:22-24 (NLT)

Healing is guaranteed to those who believe without doubt. Even when others had doubt, Jesus healed the boy. But how do we live in that kind of faith?

“Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, ‘Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?’ ‘You don’t have enough faith,’ Jesus told them. ‘I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.’ ‘But this kind of demon won’t leave except by prayer and fasting.’”
— Matthew 17:19-21 (NLT)

It wasn’t a lack of faith—it was the presence of doubt.

Fasting for Intimacy, Not Works

Prayer and fasting aren't religious acts—they’re the gateway to intimacy with God.

Like in marriage, true connection comes from humility, honesty, and communication, not just physical actions.

That’s what Jesus meant. When you humble yourself and pursue Him deeply, that’s where doubt is stripped away—and healing flows.

You’re Already in Position

Don’t wait. You’ve already been fasting—at least for an hour. You’ve been in prayer throughout this message. God’s been speaking to you. You know it’s Him, because it’s hitting places only He could know.

So let Him resolve every doubt right now. Receive the healing that Jesus already paid for. It’s yours. It always was.

Introduction

Many people question God’s timing regarding healing miracles. They believe that God wants to heal them, but they aren’t confident that He wants to do it right now.

This timing issue is a source of doubt that hinders healing miracles. And the miracle not showing up seems to confirm what you believe about God’s timing.

When you question God’s timing regarding healing, you’ve engaged in a form of doubt that prevents the miracle from happening. The miracle not happening proves what you believe about God’s timing, even though what you believe is not true.

I will help you overcome this doubt so you can receive the healing miracles that belong to you. Physical healing is one of the benefits of your salvation. It is always God’s will to heal.

To start, you should know that we have no example of Jesus delaying a healing miracle. He never said, “Well, today’s not your day. Come back tomorrow.”

Jesus Christ is God's goodness made manifest. If we want to know what God wants and how He does things, look no further than Jesus's example.

Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. Nothing else. He only said what the Father said. Nothing else. Jesus was in perfect alignment with God. He revealed to us the mystery of God.

So, the fact that Jesus never delayed a healing miracle is enough proof on its own that God doesn’t delay healing miracles. This reveals that any delay we experience is not God’s doing.

Because of what Jesus revealed regarding healing, we can be absolutely confident that God always wants to heal right now. It’s always His will to heal, and He always wants to heal right now.

The absolute void of Jesus delaying healing is enough proof on its own. But, I will take it a step further to ensure you get rid of this doubt once and for all.

Turn with me to Matthew chapter eight.

Matt 8:28-29 NLT - When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area. They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”

So, let me get this straight. A man comes to Jesus to be delivered from demons. The demons start throwing a fit, trying to prevent Jesus from casting them out.

Did you catch the bait they used to try to trip Jesus up? They said, “Have you come to torture us before God’s appointed time?”

This ought to encourage you! Jesus faced the same deception we do today. When we go to receive healing, one of the oppositions we face is, “Are you trying to receive before God’s appointed time?”

Let me ask you this. Can you trust what a demon says? Do you think these demons had insight into the timing of God that Jesus was unaware of?

Clearly not. If you keep reading, you will find that Jesus cast out the demons. They tried to get Jesus to believe it wasn’t time, but Jesus didn’t give in to their deception.

So, what is God’s timing regarding healing?

Scripture makes it plain:

1 Peter 2:24 NKJV - …by whose stripes you were healed.

From God’s perspective, healing is in the past! The provision for healing has already been made through Jesus Christ. He is just waiting for you to receive what rightfully belongs to you.

It’s like an inheritance. Everything within that inheritance is from the past. All that money your ancestor acquired is sitting in the bank waiting for you.

If you don’t receive it, it doesn’t mean the inheritance is not real. You just don’t enjoy the benefits until you partake of the inheritance that already belongs to you.

The provision of healing has already been made. Jesus Christ acquired it for us and then gave it to us as part of our inheritance. What a slap in the face when we don’t partake of our inheritance!

I’ve now proven to you in two different ways that delayed healing is not God’s doing. First, there is no mention of Jesus delaying a healing miracle. Second, demons are the ones who lie about God’s timing to delay healing.

It is always God’s will to heal, and He always wants to heal right now. Are you tracking with me?

I still have one more way to prove to you that delayed healing is not God’s doing. This one is like an atomic bomb to this kind of doubt.

The first miracle Jesus ever performed was turning water into wine. They ran out of wine at a wedding party Jesus was attending, and His mom prompted Him to do something about it.

Take a look at His response:

John 2:4 NLT - “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

Jesus’ mom wanted a miracle, but Jesus told her it wasn’t time. Many would use this to prove it may not be God’s time to heal. But that would be a dumb thing for us to pull out of this scripture.

Seems logical, but it is actually really dumb. Why? Because you didn’t take into consideration what happened next.

When Jesus said it wasn’t time, His mom doubled down. She gave Jesus the silent treatment, turned to the nearby servants, and said, “Do whatever He says.”

Her faith put a demand on Jesus to do something.

Did you know that God is obligated to respond to faith? Take a look:

Mark 11:24 NLT - I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

When you ask in faith, without doubt, and free from unforgiveness, God is obligated by His Word to respond. God is obligated by His own Word to respond to pure faith.

So, what happened here? Jesus’ mom had pure faith. She didn’t doubt one bit, even after Jesus told Her it wasn’t time. She put a faith demand on Jesus, and He was obligated to respond.

Jesus had the servants fill huge jars with water. Then, He had them dip water out and take it to the master of ceremonies. It was the best wine he had ever tasted.

If you want to use this story to confirm the doubt that it isn’t God’s time to heal, think again. Even if it wasn’t His time, if we ask Him in faith, He will give us what we ask for.

Let me say that again. Even if it wasn’t His time, if we ask Him in faith, He will give us what we ask for. Why? Because God is obligated by His Word to respond to our faith.

This hits hard, doesn’t it? I just blew that doubt to smithereens.

God’s will is always to heal, and He always wants to heal right now.

If we experience a delay in our healing miracle, it’s not God’s doing. Instead of blaming Him, it would be much better for us to humble ourselves and ask where we are missing it.

Humility is required to receive from God. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. You might as well learn to admit that you don’t have it all figured out. You need God’s help.

Some of you think putting a faith demand on God is prideful. If that were the case, Jesus would have rebuked his mom instead of responding to her faith.

It’s never prideful to do what God has instructed us to do in His Word. He said we can pray for anything, and if we believe we received it, it will be ours.

What’s prideful is when we blame God for a lack of healing. When we say, “It must not be God’s time”, pride is at work. You are leaning on your own understanding. You are trying to define God by your own standards.

Pride is sneaky. Telling someone, “It must not be God’s time,” sounds like a humble statement, but it is full of pride. We only say things like that when we have become wise in our own eyes.

Pride is like a wet blanket to the fire of faith. We have all the faith we need right within our spirit. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.

But for faith to come out of our spirit and into this natural realm, it must first renew our minds and then be spoken. When pride is present, it prevents our minds from being renewed.

Pride is only obvious in others. We are blind to our own pride but fully aware of everyone else’s. But if we humble ourselves, the Holy Spirit makes us aware of our own pride so we can get rid of it.

That’s what He is doing for you today. The Holy Spirit is working to uproot all forms of doubt so you can live in ALL the promises of God. He wants you to experience ALL of His goodness.

A Healing Evangelist's Battle with Cancer

I recently heard of a healing evangelist who went to the doctor and found out he had cancer. It wasn’t some light form of cancer either. He only had a few months left to live.

This is a man who devoted his life to the Lord’s work. God used his hands and his words to heal and deliver thousands of people.

Most would look at this situation and say, “How could God allow this to happen? Doesn’t He see what a good man this is? Why do bad things happen to good people?”

But that’s not what this man did. He went straight home from the doctor's office and began to pray. He said, “God, you don’t miss it. So clearly, I have. Show me where the problem is.”

Holy Spirit revealed two things to him.

First, the Lord had been urging him to rest for years. He obeyed for a while but then returned to his old habits of working too much.

Second, the Lord had been instructing him to say things he didn’t want to say in his sermons. He hadn’t got around to it quite yet because people wouldn’t like what he was supposed to say.

These were two areas of disobedience in his life. This is not to say that perfect obedience is required to receive a healing miracle. That’s not the case. Healing is a free gift.

What the Holy Spirit was helping him with in this case was diagnosing where the sickness came from.

I don’t want to live my life needing healing miracle after healing miracle.

I would rather step into God’s flow of health. To do that, obedience to His instructions is required.

If we want to flow in the promises of God, we must flow with God. We can’t be off doing our own thing. We can’t ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Do you think He instructs us for no reason? The leadings from Holy Spirit are preventative measures. Sure, you can receive a healing miracle, but it’s much better not to get sick in the first place.

This healing evangelist knew that cancer was not part of God’s plan for his life. So, he humbled himself and asked, “God, you don’t miss it. So show me where I missed it?”

Then he humbled himself again and repented. I’m not talking about saying sorry. I’m talking about abandoning yourself to God’s way and doing exactly what He says.

This man went back to the doctor a few weeks later, and they could find no evidence of cancer in his body. The cancer that was supposed to kill him in a matter of months was completely healed.

It is always God’s will to heal, and He always wants to heal right now. When we are not seeing the right now healing of God, we should take a tip from this man of God.

Humble yourself. Recognize that you don’t have it all figured out. Admit that you are missing something and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. And when He does, correct it quickly!

Holy Spirit already did that for some of you today. The “God’s timing” issue has been the doubt tripping you up.

If that’s you, I invite you to repent from all the times you’ve said, “It must not be God’s time to heal.” Repentance is an act of humility that destroys pride.

So, go ahead and destroy that pride by choosing to right where you are.

You’ve just removed the wet blanket. Now the fire of faith can do its work. I’m going to throw some perfectly seasoned wood on the fire and you are going to receive your healing miracle today.

I came across this guy on Instagram who has made it his prerogative to criticize every minister he doesn’t agree with. That’s the only type of video this guy posts.

Of course, he feels he is doing everyone a favor by “exposing false teachers”. I’m sure his motives are genuine, but his zeal is a bit misguided. Criticism is not a spiritual gift.

We are to guard ourselves against false ministers, especially in these last days. How do we do that the right way? Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 7. Let’s read it.

Matthew 7:15-20 NLT - “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Jesus says we will know them by their fruit. In other words, we can examine their actions to determine if they are godly ministers or deceiving ministers.

What kind of fruit are we looking for? The fruit of the spirit, which the Bible lists as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

This is how you test me to know if I am the real deal or not.

What kind of fruit does a false minister produce? The fruit of the flesh, also listed in Galatians chapter five as sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.

It’s pretty simple to spot a false minister. It’s not necessarily someone you disagree with. Rather, it is someone who promotes sin, or at the very least minimizes it.

There are quite a few false ministers these days, aren’t there?

The guy on Instagram is calling out some of this stuff, but he is also calling out things that don’t align with his theology or denomination.

In the most recent video, he played a video of someone offering to pray for those with lactose intolerance. She prayed, “I rebuke this intolerance. Your body will digest dairy without problem in the name of Jesus.”

In his rebuttal, he said, “I thought you were going to pray. Where was the prayer, exactly? And, what happens to those who watch this video, go eat a big bowl of mac and cheese, and then end up miserable for the rest of the night?”

Come on man, go ahead and make your doubt visible for all to see. And he feels so justified in his doubt. He is fully convinced that his doubt is helping people.

At some point along this journey, we have to get rid of the fear of people not getting healed. I mean, do you really think we are going to get anywhere if we let that fear stick around?

Have you noticed how we tend to exalt fear as some kind of protective mechanism? Keeping fear around is not what protects you. Your response to fear is what protects you.

God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and a sound mind.

So when fear comes knocking, it should activate power within us. We’re talking about the kind of power that produces miracles and morality and wealth and authority.

But, we’ve been conditioned to tolerate fear. We think that the fear itself is the protective mechanism, so we run, or hide, or waste time and energy trying to protect ourselves from things that could be obliterated by the power of God.

When we tolerate the fear of someone not getting healed, we pray pitiful prayers like, “God, if it be your will… God, if it be your timing… we petition you to please heal. But if you don’t we understand.”

What if we use that same fear to activate miracle-working power instead?

When that thought arises, “What if they don’t get healed?”, use it as an indicator that God wants to heal! Why else would the enemy send the spirit of fear in this moment?

Instead of playing it safe, tap into that same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. It’s already in us, we just have to draw it out. And fear is a great reminder to let that power flow!

When you tolerate fear, you stop the flow of faith. Faith is trying to get out of your spirit. But fear comes like a lid on a jar. When you tolerate it, you are tightening down that lid so faith can’t get out.

We’ve all done this time and time again. But you know what I love about this message that the Holy Spirit is giving us today? You’ll never do it again.

The next time the enemy throws fear at you, he’s going to wish he didn’t. Because now, you are going to turn it on him.

Fear will no longer be tolerated in your life. Now, it will simply become a reminder to let the miracle-working power of God flow through you.

When fear comes your way, rejoice! The enemy just spilled the beans. You are right over the target. So, go ahead and tap into that miracle-working power the Holy Spirit already put in you.

The other thing that bothered this guy on Instagram was that this lady didn’t necessarily pray. Rather, she commanded the sickness to leave. This is a solid teaching moment.

We are disciples of Christ, correct? That means that we watch what He did, and we do it exactly the same. We don’t try to make up our own way. We simply follow Him exactly.

Why do you think culture has you so worked up about doing things your own way? Because if you get in that place of pride, it will absolutely hinder what you can accomplish for the Lord.

How did Jesus Heal?

In regard to healing, how did Jesus do it? Did He pray and ask God to heal? Did He ask if it was God’s will? Did He verify it was the right timing for healing? Did He even pray at all?

If we want the same results as Jesus, we must do it just like Him. He demonstrated the way, and we must follow it, exactly. If we deviate in any way, we hinder the results.

Here’s how the Holy Spirit explained it to me. He said, “You don’t pray to ask God to heal. You command the sickness to leave. You use authority to get rid of sickness, not a desperate plea to God.”

Immediately after the Holy Spirit explained this to me, He sent me to Matthew chapter 8.

By the way, for those of you looking to hear the voice of God, you are already hearing it. The way you gain confidence in what He is telling you is by allowing Him to prove it with the Word of God.

The Holy Spirit can prove anything He says with the Word of God. And He knows the chapters and verses. If you allow Him, He will tell you exactly where to go.

Or, you can do it the hard way and search for it yourself. Either way gets the job done. But I urge you to use the Word of God to verify what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. It will increase your confidence in hearing the voice of God.

The Holy Spirit sent me to Matthew 8:6 to confirm what He spoke to me about using authority to get rid of sickness. Turns out, the whole chapter is a confirmation. Let’s read it.

Matthew 8:1-3 NLT - Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside. Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared

Did you notice that Jesus didn’t take a moment to check in with the Father to see if it was His will to heal? Nope. He took full authority. Didn’t even mention God. He said, “Yep, I am willing. And then what did He do?

He commanded the man to be healed.

He didn’t pray. He didn’t ask questions about the sickness. He just relieved the man’s doubt by saying, “I am willing”, and then commanded him to be healed.

It was like a one-two punch. In his first swing, He said three words to eliminate the doubt. Then, He went it for the knockout with two simple words, “Be healed!”

If we want the same results as Jesus, we must do it just like Him. He demonstrated the way, and we must follow it, exactly. If we deviate in any way, we hinder the results.

Let’s head to verse five. Now we are getting into where the Holy Spirit led me to learn about using authority to get rid of sickness.

Matthew 8:5-7 NLT -When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

Once again, Jesus didn’t take time to consult with the Father. He already knew that it is always God’s will to heal. And He was so confident in it, that He offered to heal the man himself.

Matthew 8:8-9 NLT - But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

This man recognized that healing was an exercise of authority. He knew, without a doubt, that if Jesus said the sickness had to go, then it had to go. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Mattew 8:10-13 NLT - When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

Most Christians would handle this situation completely contrary to what Jesus did. They would say, “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. We’ll add him to the prayer chain. Hopefully he gets better!”

And if it got to the point where a Christian was asked us to heal from a distance, they’d say, “Oh, I’m not sure we can do that. Doesn’t that sound a little like magic or something? Maybe you should just tell them to go to the doctor.”

If we want the same results as Jesus, we must do it just like Him. He demonstrated the way, and we must follow it, exactly. If we deviate in any way, we hinder the results.

Jesus owned the power that was given to Him. He didn’t take time to explain that it came from God and say, “We don’t when God’s power will show up, but when it does we are thankful.”

No! Jesus owned the power that was given to Him. He said, “I WILL COME and heal him.” He knew what the Father wanted, so He did what the Father wanted without delay or apology.

As you can see, You don’t pray to ask God to heal. You command the sickness to leave.

You use authority to get rid of sickness, not a desperate plea to God.

Let’s continue to find out if this was some kind of fluke in the ministry of Jesus, or if He continued in power and authority.

Matthew 8:14-26 NLT - When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him. That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

You’ll find it interesting what the word “rebuked” really means. Take a look, according to the Strongs Concordance:

Rebuked - to tax upon, censure, admonish, forbid, charge, rebuke.

What happens when the government raises taxes? You have to pay them. They are the ultimate authority regarding taxes. You don’t have a choice in the matter.

That’s the weight this word “rebuke” carries in the Bible. It’s when someone in ultimate authority, the one at the top, issues a command. It must be followed.

So, once again, Jesus owned the power and authority that was given to Him by God.

Even the wind and waves had to obey.

Let’s keep going.

Matthew 8:27-9:8 NLT - The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area. They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” here happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.” “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone. Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” But some of the teachers of religious law said to themselves, “That’s blasphemy! Does he think he’s God?” Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up and went home! 8Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for giving humans such authority.

Who did God give authority to? Humans. Are you a human? Why, yes you are. Does that mean you should be walking in the same authority as Jesus did? Yes, you should.

This is why we don’t pray to ask God to heal. We command the sickness to leave. We use authority to get rid of sickness.

It’s time for us to own the power and authority given to us by Christ. He doesn’t expect us to explain where it came from before we use it. No, He wants us to own it as our own.

Our response must become, “I will go heal the sick. I will go forgive sins. I will go cast out devils.”

If you are struggling with this, a deceiving spirit is trying to influence you. Anything keeping you from becoming one with Christ is a deceiving spirit. If you are tired of it, let’s get rid of it.

We are one with Christ. He is the head. We are the body. We are seated with Him. We are co-heirs to the kingdom of God.

What Jesus does, we do. What He says, we say. Our identity is in Christ. We are His representatives. We mimic everything He did. We do it just as He did it.

And as we do, we see the same results as Jesus. This is how we bring glory to God!

Let me tell you the story of Jesus.

He’s been with God since the beginning, all the way back when God created the heavens and the earth. The final thing He created was us, His prized possession.

We are so special to God that He gave us the entire Earth. He didn’t dump us in an empty wasteland. No, He created a beautiful, abundant, life-filled earth, and then gave it to us.

We didn’t do so well with the gift. God told the first man and woman they could enjoy everything except one tree. And you know what happened, they disobeyed God.

That is when we stepped out of God’s plan and into our own. And I know this will shock you, but man’s plan ends in destruction.

God had to watch as His prized possession wallered around in sin. They were created to be like God, but they were living sick, destructive lives. Our Heavenly Father couldn’t leave us that way.

First, He made a way to cover our sins through the blood sacrifice of animals. But this was only temporary. It had no lasting impact. We needed a more powerful blood sacrifice.

In order for us to be made right with God, a miracle had to happen. A seed from God must collide with a woman’s egg to produce a man who is fully God and fully human.

But God couldn’t do this without the consent of a woman. When God gave us dominion, He meant it. He doesn’t force anything on us. We must willingly receive.

So an angel was sent to a woman named Mary. The angel prophesied what would happen through her, that she would give birth to the Son of God.

You may have never noticed this, but she had to accept what the angel said for it to pass. Take a look at her response:

Luke 1:38 NLT - Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”

What we see in this verse has always been true. For God to accomplish things on earth, a willing human must rise to the occasion by submitting to what God wants.

People love to blame God for all the evil that happens in our world. They say, “Why does God allow this? Why doesn’t He stop abortion? Why did He not heal my loved one?” 

God would love to intervene, but He can’t until we do what Mary did: “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come to pass.”

God will do nothing on the earth on His own. He can’t. He is bound by His Word. He gave us dominion, and He can’t take it back.

If you want to see God’s goodness in your life, look in the mirror. If we want to see His goodness in our city, our church must rise to the occasion, submit to God, and allow His power to flow through us.

That’s what Mary did, and our savior was born—Jesus Christ, fully human and full of God at the same time. The seed came from God, and the egg came from woman. Absolutely amazing!

Jesus lived life as a human, just like we do. He was tempted with all the same things we face, but He never sinned. And that’s a good thing, because a sinless sacrifice was required for our salvation.

At age thirty, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and power and went around healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

Whatever the sickness or disease, no matter the cause, even if they were demon-possessed, He healed them all.

There was not one time that Jesus refused to heal. Healing was a free gift for all who would receive.

Some people wonder if it is God’s will to heal everyone, every time. Well here’s what we know about Jesus: He only did what the Father wanted. He was in perfect alignment with the will of God.

Some things about God are a mystery, but healing is not one of them. Jesus revealed the will of God when He went around performing an endless supply of healing miracles.

You can probably come up with numerous reasons why God wouldn’t heal you. But all of them are lies. Jesus made the will of God clear, it is always God’s will to heal.

If you wash away the doubt by believing the simplicity of what I am telling you, you will be healed. And then, you will take that healing power and give it to others.

You’ll have an opportunity to receive your healing miracle here in a bit, but I need you to cooperate by disciplining your mind. Don’t allow those thoughts of doubt to continue. Trust what Jesus revealed to us: It is always God’s will to heal.

Jesus performed miracle after miracle after miracle for three years. Miracles were so numerous that all the books in the world couldn’t contain them. Only a tiny fraction of them are in the Bible.

Then, the time came. A blood sacrifice was required for the redemption of mankind. Even though this was the plan all along, Jesus still had to submit to God.

Think about this. Even after the miraculous birth of Jesus and all the miracles the power of God worked through Him, Jesus still could have used His own will to stop the sacrifice. Take a look:

Matthew 26:39 NKJV - Jesus fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Think about it. Jesus lived a sinless life. He lived in perfect harmony with God. And now, the entire combined sin of the world was to be put on Him. Who would want that?

He had the choice not to do it. He had free will just like we do. God was not making Him do anything. Yet, Jesus chose to submit to the will of God even when it was contrary to His own will.

Are you seeing a theme here? So many people think that God superimposes His will on the earth. That’s not true! God can only work through those who submit themselves to His will.

Thankfully, Jesus submitted. Shortly after this prayer He was arrested, and then beaten beyond belief, and then hung on a cross—not for His sins, but for ours.

All of our sins and penalties of sin and sickness were put on Jesus, and then He died in our place. We should have been on the cross, not Him. But He did it for us.

When Jesus died, our sin died with Him. It lost its power over us. Our sickness died with Him. It lost its power over us. Our shame, and guilt, and regret, died with Jesus.

Then, on the third day, the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. He walked out of that grave with all authority in heaven and on earth. He was holding the keys of hell and of death. He conquered them both.

Just as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, we also have been given new life in Christ.

Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power over us. We are no longer slaves to sin! We have been set free from the power of sin!

And since we died with Christ, we know we also live with Him. We have been made right with God and guaranteed the gift of eternal salvation through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

If you are unsure of your salvation, let’s take care of that right now. You don’t have to get everything together first. You don’t have to clean up your life first. Salvation cannot be earned.

Salvation only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. You must believe what I’ve told you, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He died for our sins, and He rose again.

If you are unsure of your salvation and want to solidify it today, there’s only one more thing you need to do. You seal the deal by speaking what you believe. Say this.

“Jesus Christ, I believe you are the Son of God. When you died on the cross, I died with you. I am now free from sin! When you rose from the dead, I rose with you. I now have new life. You made me clean. You made me pure.”

Now, on this Easter Sunday, Jesus wants nothing more than for you to access all the benefits of your salvation. I am talking to both those who just got saved and those who have been saved for a while already.

There are four main benefits to your salvation. Jesus wants you to receive all of them today. Don’t leave anything on the table.

1. Freedom from sin

Salvation is more than forgiveness of sin. It is freedom from sin. You don’t have to sin anymore!

You will still be tempted to sin, but now you have the power to overcome every temptation. Because for every temptation, God provides a way out.

Jesus faced all the same temptations we do. There’s not one temptation you face that Jesus didn’t face. The difference is, Jesus never sinned. He was tempted, but He never gave in.

People who don’t struggle with the same temptations you do tend to hold it over your head. They say things like, “I just don’t even understand why you struggle with… fill in the blank.”

Jesus never says that. His response is always, “Yep. I know about that one. And I know the way out, so let me show you.”

If we have been freed from sin, why do Christians still sin? Easy. We still have free will. God doesn’t make us do anything. We can still choose to sin, and many Christians do.

Most Christians who continue to struggle with sin do so because they have yet to align themselves with the truth. The church has lied to them and told them they will always sin.

That’s not what the Word of God says. Let me show you:

Romans 6:11-13 NLT - So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 

All you have to do is CONSIDER yourself to be dead to the power of sin. Once you align yourself to this truth, you’ll find that you live free from sin.

When you face temptation, you have not sinned; you have only been tempted to sin. You have not sinned until you give into the temptation.

So, what do we do when we are tempted? Run to God with great boldness and ask for His help to overcome temptation. He shows us the way out every time!

When tempted, reckon yourself to the truth, “I am dead to sin. I have no obligation to give in to this temptation. God has already shown me the way out.”

Listen carefully. You don’t have to sin anymore! Sin is no longer your master. You have been completely freed from the power of sin.

Never give in to temptation again. God has already given you the power you need to overcome, and He is always there to help you when you need it most.

One of my greatest testimonies is that Jesus freed me from homosexuality more than eighteen years ago. Since then, people often ask, “Are you ever tempted to go back?”

What does that matter? Does temptation mean that we are not truly free?

When we ask people a question like, "Are you ever tempted to go back?”, we are actually speaking for the enemy. The enemy wants you to believe facing temptation means you are not free.

That’s a lie from the pit of hell and I break it off you right now! You will face temptation in this life, even as a saved person. But for every temptation, God provides a way out.

Don’t give in, and don’t give up when you are tempted. Face that temptation with great boldness and say out loud, “I am completely free from the power of sin.”

I’m not saying you must live perfectly to earn God’s approval. If that’s what you hear right now, it’s a lie. I’m simply telling you that you can live a sinless life by the power of God.

His forgiveness is readily available when you sin. But isn’t it better to not sin in the first place? Let’s take the better. This is one of the benefits of your salvation: freedom from sin. Here’s the next one:

2. Consequences are fulfilled

You’ve done some things wrong. Actually, you’ve probably done a lot of things wrong. And for all of it, there’s a consequence, there’s a curse that belongs to you for what you’ve done.

There are actually curses that belong to you because of what your father did wrong, and your grandfather, and your great-grandfather.

The wages of sin is death. Sin has miserable consequences that ultimately end in death. You fully deserve every consequence.

I know I don’t have to work hard to get you to understand this. Most of us already know we deserve to suffer for what we’ve done.

What many people fail to realize is that Jesus Christ already fulfilled these consequences. Not only did Jesus set you free from the power of sin, but He also set you free from the consequences of sin.

This is one of the benefits of your salvation! Everything you’ve done wrong, the consequence has already been fulfilled. The curse has already been eliminated.

If you abused your body with drugs or sex or bad eating habits and are suffering the consequences of your sin, I have good news for you today. Jesus fulfilled the consequence. You can be completely healed! You don’t have to live sick.

If you suffer under demonic oppression because you got into witchcraft or sorcery or some other demonic nonsense, I have good news for you today. Jesus fulfilled the consequence! You can be completely free.

If you’ve ruined every relationship because of your bad choices, I have good news for you today. Jesus fulfilled the consequence! Those relationships can be restored!

The blood of Jesus paid for the forgiveness of sin. He set you free from sin. And He fulfilled the consequence of sin.

You don’t have to live in shame. You don’t have to live in regret. You don’t have to live sick and lonely. You don’t have to pay for your sin. You don’t have to live out the consequences of your sin.

Galatians 3:13 NLT - But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Jesus rescued you from the curse you deserve! This includes generational curses. Every curse was broken off your life when Jesus hung on the cross two thousand years ago.

The only curse that is able to remain active in your life is the one you allow. It has to have your permission. Remember, God has given you dominion. If you welcome a curse that doesn’t belong to you, God can’t take it away.

So, how about we honor Jesus today by kicking out every curse. If you’ve been living in bondage because you thought you had to but you are ready to be free today, say this.

“Jesus Christ rescued me from every curse. He fulfilled every consequence of my sin. With the authority of Christ, I destroy every curse and consequence. I will no longer allow any curse to operate in my life.”

This Easter, we are receiving all the benefits of our salvation. We receive freedom from sin. We receive freedom from curses and consequences. Here’s the next one:

3. Peace with God

Through our disobedience and sin, we were all enemies of God. We rebelled against Him by living our own way, doing our own thing. 

Just like the song we sang earlier, Sin separated us from God. The breach was far too wide. But from the far side of the chasm, God held us in His sight.

So He made a way across the great divide. He left behind Heaven's throne to build it here inside. And there at the cross, Jesus paid the debt I owed. He broke my chains, freed my soul, and gave me hope.

You are no longer an enemy of God. You are now His prized possession. In His eyes, you are completely holy and without fault. When He looks at you, He sees the perfection of Jesus.

Jesus provided the perfect performance and attributed the applause to us.

We don’t have to wonder how God feels about us. We already know. Just like He said to Jesus, He says to you, “You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. You are my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased.”

We have peace with God. Not because of what we’ve done but because of what Jesus did. That’s great news because it means that you can’t mess it up.

God is always smiling at you because when He sees you, He sees the perfection of Jesus.

Let today be the day that you take hold of all of the benefits of salvation: freedom from sin, freedom from curses and consequences, peace with God, and here’s the fourth:

4. Physical healing

Some people think that God uses sickness to make you more like Jesus. They say He allows it in your life to develop character and patience and to give you compassion for others who are sick.

I’m not sure why we buy into this. I mean, how can sickness make you more like Jesus when Jesus was never sick?

If God uses sickness as a tool of development, why do we not have a record of Jesus saying, “Oh, I’m sorry! You can’t be healed quite yet. God is not done building character in you.”

Oh, but what about Paul’s thorn in the flesh? Well, that’s not even a mystery. The Bible tells you what it is in the same sentence: a messenger of Satan.

In other words, Paul’s thorn was people who delivered a message from Satan trying to undo the message He preached from the Lord.

You can even get more through and read the whole chapter where the thorn is mentioned, including the previous chapter, and find out that sickness is never mentioned as one of Paul’s trials.

Oh, but didn’t he have some kind of eye disease? I can prove to you that Paul did not have an eye disease. Here’s how we know for sure: Timothy let Paul circumcise him.

That’s proof enough for me. Even if you need more, study the scriptures and realize how much speculation is required to support the theory that Paul had some type of eye disease.

What about Job? Yeah, we know that satan made him sick. But it ended in complete healing and restoration. So, if you want to be like Job, be like Job and be healed!

But what about all the people who wanted to be healed but then died? Well, it would be quite foolish of us to determine God's will based on other’s circumstances. 

We tend to look at notable people who did notable things even while sick, or blind, or deaf, and determine that God must have used that sickness to make them great.

Really? Because I know many more people who lived pitiful lives because they were sick. Therefore, I am happy to report, that this theory about sickness making us great has no leg to stand on.

What about the healing evangelists who died from sickness? I don’t what happened with them. But I am sure not going to use their circumstance to determine the will of God.

No one has revealed the will of God except Jesus. He is the only one we should be looking to. And when it comes to physical healing, the will of God is no mystery. Jesus made it plain and simple:

Matthew 4:24 NLT - Whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all.

Notice that the type of sickness or disease didn’t matter. Also notice that the cause of sickness or disease didn’t matter. Whatever the sickness, whatever the cause, Jesus healed them all.

Maybe you caused the sickness. Jesus wants to heal you today.

Maybe you were born with sickness. Jesus wants to heal you today.

Maybe you have a terminal disease. Jesus wants to heal you today.

Maybe you’ve been trying to get healed for years. Jesus wants to heal you today.

Maybe you’ve been healed before, but then it came back. Jesus wants to heal you again today.

Physical healing is one of the benefits of your salvation. It is always God’s will to heal. His answer is always yes.

The date for your healing miracle is today. You don’t have to wait. Healing is readily available in Christ. The Holy Spirit is ready to bring a continual flow of healing into your life.

The only condition for your miracle is faith. You must truly believe He wants you to have it.

At this very moment, God is holding out His healing power. It’s yours for the taking. Recieve it.

Introduction

The moment you believed Jesus was raised from the dead and confessed Him as Lord of your life, the very spirit of God was deposited within your spirit.

That heavenly deposit transformed your spirit into something brand new. No longer condemned to eternity in hell. No longer bound by sin. Your spirit was cleansed and perfected in a moment.

Now, within you, resides the wisdom of God. Everything you read in the Word of God has already been deposited in your spirit. That’s the deep connection you feel when you hear the Word of God.

I love how the Apostle Paul explains it in first Corinthians.

1 Cor 2:11-12 NLT - No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

As I said, the Spirit of God has been deposited inside us. Therefore we can know God’s thoughts. We can discover and experience all the wonderful things God has freely given us.

We are talking about freedom from sin. Healing from all sickness and disease. Abundant resources. Rich relationships. 

God has given us these wonderful things. This is the gospel truth! It is good news. So why is it not a reality in your life?

Hosea 4:6 NLT - My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.

We can know God’s thoughts. But that doesn’t mean that we will know God’s thoughts. 

But wait? Didn’t we just read that God deposited His spirit inside us? Yes. And it’s absolutely true. But knowing happens in your mind, not your spirit.

When we get a revelation from heaven, we explain it has something dropping down into our spirit. It’s like it had been hovering around our heads and finally settled in.

And once it drops into place, there ain’t no going back. You carry that heavenly truth with you for the rest of your life, no matter what others say or what happens around you.

I get why we explain it as something dropping down into our spirit. But that is not what is going on.

What is Revelation?

As Christians, our spirit is not looking for truth. Our spirit has been united with God’s Spirit, which means that every bit of truth already exists within our born-again spirit.

So when we have those moments of heavenly revelation, it’s not that we’ve used our minds to enlighten our spirit. Oh no. Rather, our minds are finally aligned with our spirit.

That is the connection you feel. Your mind connects with your spirit. What already existed in your spirit has now become a revelation to your mind.

We can know God’s thoughts. We simply have to align our mind with our spirit. How do we do this? Easy. By hearing the Word of God.

Many of you will experience revelation in your mind today as you hear the Word of God. Your mind will finally align with your spirit, enabling you to live in God’s promises.

Do you want to know how to accelerate this process? Or would you rather drag it out and delay the promises of God?

There are two primary ways to accelerate the process of aligning your thoughts with what already exists in your spirit.

First, every time you show up to church, expect this to happen. Expect revelation. Expect your mind to come into alignment with the Spirit of God.

Why wouldn’t you do this? Well, maybe I’m talking about something you’ve heard a hundred times already, so you just tune me out. Enjoy delaying the promises of God.

Maybe you’d rather be critical of what I am saying rather than leaning in for your moment of revelation. Let me help you.

The Danger of Criticism

Criticism is not a spiritual gift. God is not critical. He is not looking for a perfect performance. He is not even bothered when I don’t say something quite right. 

God has a way of making up for my imperfections. I think He enjoys it, actually. I can sense His smiling approval as I endeavor to do my best. And He is so gentle in His correction along the way.

If you think that criticism is of God, you’ve been deceived by a religious spirit. Once again, you’ve made it about the performance of man.

This reminds me of a vision the Holy Spirit gave me a few months back. We were in a big performing arts theater. Jesus had just finished putting on the most incredible performance.

At the end, He motioned for me to join Him onstage. He brought me to the middle and then walked off to sit in the audience. 

Then, He joined the audience in wild applause for me. It pleased Him so much that I got the applause for His performance.

This will never be about my performance. It will never be about your performance. Jesus has already finished the perfect performance and attributed it to us.

You don’t have to be critical. Maybe this is your moment of revelation today. Allow the love of God to cast out that fear of messing up.

God is not afraid of you making mistakes. He’s not afraid of me making mistakes. He knows that mistakes are part of working with mankind, and that doesn’t bother Him.

It bothers God when you think that He requires a perfect performance. Because what you are really saying is that His Son’s performance wasn’t good enough.

So you have an ongoing choice to make. When those critical thoughts come up, what will you do with them?

Will you cast them down as the ungodly thoughts they are? Or will you use them to puff yourself up as a know it all?

You might think you are doing God a favor, but He doesn’t even listen to you when you point out my imperfections. Why? Because He sees me as holy and without fault, and you can’t convince Him otherwise.

As the leader of this church, there are a lot of eyes on me. As an apostle, which God has called me to be, there is no shortage of criticism from those around me.

You can join the critics if you’d like. But just know, if you do, you’ll miss out on what God wants to do in your life through my life.

Accelerate the renewal of your mind

We’re talking about how to accelerate the process of aligning your thoughts with what already exists in your spirit.

First, every time you show up to church, expect this to happen. Expect revelation. Expect your mind to come into alignment with the Spirit of God.

Expect this to happen even when we’re talking about something you’ve heard before. And most importantly, expect it to happen despite the imperfections of the one standing on the stage.

The second way to accelerate the process is to be disciplined in hearing the Word of God every day. Whether you read it to yourself or watch a sermon on YouTube, make it a part of your daily rhythm.

Beth and I are so hungry for the Word of God that we haven’t watched secular TV in over three years. It’s not because we are trying to impress God or others. We simply want to hear the Word more than we want to be entertained.

Every single night, we are watching other ministers on YouTube. We sit and talk about the Word. We let the Bible app read to us. There are so many ways to hear the Word of God.

It’s no secret that the more often you hear the Word of God, the more accelerated the process is of aligning your thoughts with what already exists in your spirit.

Now, all of that was to prepare the ground for the Word God has for you today. This Word is going into fertile ground and will produce a hundredfold harvest of faith in Jesus' name.

As I release this Word from God, it will confirm that you are dead to sickness. As your thoughts align with your spirit, healing will manifest in your body this day.

1 Peter 2:24 NLT - Jesus personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

Jesus didn’t just forgive your sin. He made you dead to sin. He freed you from the power of sin. Now, when sin looks at you, it says, “Ulgh. I think I’ll find somewhere else to go.”

You are dead to sin. Sin doesn’t even consider you anymore. You are not even attractive to sin once you are born again.

The only reason sin remains in your life is because you entice it to return. You give it permission. You welcome that slimy, nasty thing into your clean house.

Kick it out! You are dead to sin. Jesus gave you the power to live pure. Don’t make this about your performance. No. Simply tap into the power Jesus gave you to live for what is right.

Jesus personally carried our sins on the cross. When He died, we died to sin. When He rose from the dead, we rose with Him to new life. Now, we can live for what is right.

What else did that verse say?

By His wounds, you are healed.

Jesus doesn’t just want you free from sin; He wants you free from sickness as well. In His eyes, they are one and the same.

Why get freedom from sin and not sickness? Are not both from the pit of hell? Are not both a part of the curse?

Some people think that God uses sickness as a teaching tool. He allows it in your life to help you develop character and patience and give you compassion for others who are sick.

Every person who teaches this should be cast out of the pulpit. It is a doctrine of demons. It is one of the most antichrist teachings we have ever heard.

If God uses sickness, that means He is working with the devil. I mean, can you imagine God having a meeting with Satan as they discuss how to make you a better person?

If God uses sickness, that means Jesus was in opposition to God the whole time He was on the earth. Do you really think that Jesus was out undoing God’s handiwork by healing the multitudes?

Stop believing that lie. God does not use methods of destruction to teach you. He instructs you with His Word. His Word is all you need to become who He’s called you to be.

Let’s say you allow sickness in your life. By the way, that’s the only way it can come into your life. If you allow sickness, will God find a way to use it for good? You better know it!

God takes what the enemy meant for evil and turns it for good. But that doesn’t mean God made you sick. Don’t be dumb. Think this through.

You allowed the devil to make you sick. But God is so good and so awesome that He can take that evil that should have never been a part of your life and turn it for good.

There’s a divine backfire coming for those of you who are sick. The devil thought he was going to take you out, but God is going to turn it around.

As your thoughts align with the reality in your spirit that you are already healed, that healing will manifest in your body. And you are going to use that testimony to take healing to others.

Say this: I am dead to sin so I can live pure. I am dead to sickness so I can live whole.

Galatians 2:20 NLT - My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

If Christ was in charge of your physical body, would it be sick?

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. He loved me so much that He died for me. Through His death and resurrection, He provided four things for me and you.

Isaiah 53:5 NKJV - But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

We have been completely forgiven. We have been totally released from the penalty of our sins. We have been freed from guilt and shame. We have been healed of all sickness and disease.

Some people look at this verse and say, “Ah, this isn’t about physical healing. This is a metaphor for spiritual healing.”

Shut up! Why is it so hard to believe that Jesus wants to heal your physical body? Did He not demonstrate it over and over again? Are all those healings in the gospels metaphors, too?

Take your unbelief back to hell and leave it there.

It’s time to stir up your faith!

Jesus came to forgive you! Jesus came to release you from the penalty of sin. Jesus came to break the chains of guilt and shame. Jesus came to heal your physical body!

By His stripes, you were healed! And it’s not just something that we read about. Jesus demonstrated healing as many times as He possibly could, and then He gave us the power to do this same.

Every time the sick came to Jesus, He healed them. It didn’t matter how minor or how major the sickness was, He healed them.

Paralyzed from birth? No big deal. Healed instantly. Stage four cancer? No big deal. Healed instantly. Demon possessed? No big deal. Healed instantly.

Jesus healed every kind of sickness and every kind of disease. There is not one type of sickness that can stand against the power of Jesus Christ.

What about the people in His own hometown? Didn’t the Bible say Jesus couldn’t work miracles there? Yeah. Because of their unbelief.

Everywhere else, the multitudes were showing up with their faith, and everyone was getting healed. Jesus wanted to take the same thing to His own hometown, but they said, “Aren’t you just that silly boy we knew growing up?”

Even so, in the midst of extreme unbelief, Jesus was still able to accomplish something. Take a look:

Mark 6:5 NLT - And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

In the other places, Jesus didn’t even have to lay his hands on the sick for them to be healed. He simply taught them the Word of God, and they received healing through their faith.

But even when unbelief is present, we can lay our hands on the sick, and they will get healed as long as the person laying the hands on the sick is operating in faith.

Every time the sick came to Jesus, He healed them. It is always God’s will to heal. Always.

The Chosen TV series is mostly a good thing to watch. But they have this wrong. In more cases than one, they have painted this picture that there were times Jesus chose not to heal.

This chaps my hide. I work hard to deposit faith inside of you. Then the Chosen comes and tries to steal it in this area. I ain’t having it. I rebuke this antichrist doctrine.

We all know someone who wanted to be healed but died instead. Most of us even have firsthand experience of wanting to be healed but failing to receive it.

Then, we try to fit God into our experiences. We test the Word of God with our experiences. If I see it, then I will believe it.

Doesn’t this very thing reveal the reason we aren’t receiving healing? We are clearly not in faith when we have to see it to believe it.

We are clearly not in faith when we hold God accountable for what someone else said. “Well, they said they were believing! But then they died!”

Yeah, so are you going to hold God accountable to what they said, or are you going to hold God accountable to His Word?

Let God be true, but every man a liar.

People lie, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. I mean, have you ever convinced yourself that you were in faith just to find out later that you weren’t?

My belief about healing will come only from the Word of God. I will not base my belief on what I see with my own eyes.

What I see could be the result of a lie. But God’s Word is always true.

Friday morning, I was lying in bed thinking about the Word and talking to the Lord about it. It was very peaceful, so I was dosing off and on. Then, I slipped into a vision or a dream.

I was hovering with Jesus in the corner of a chapel at a funeral home. It was full of people. I looked in the casket, and my body was lying there.

Very quickly, the whole process unfolded to where my body was being placed in the ground and covered with dirt. At this point, I looked over and Jesus with a concerned look on my face.

Then, Jesus asked, “What happens to sickness that you take to the grave?” I answered, “It all dies. It withers away. It can’t survive without a source of life.”

When I woke up, the scripture rose out of my spirit, “You are dead to sin and alive to God.” Then I heard the Holy Spirit say, “That means you are also dead to sickness.”

In Christ, you are dead to sickness. That’s the gospel truth. Sickness has no chance in your body. Put Jesus Christ in charge by releasing your faith. He will drive out every bit of sickness.

I want to show you how God’s abundance isn’t just financial. It also includes your health. Let’s start with the scripture where we find out that Jesus came to give us abundant life.

John 10:10 NKJV - The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

When Jesus gives you eternal life, it includes this life. This isn’t just a ticket to heaven, it is an immediate transition into abundant life that will last forever.

If you are not walking in it, it’s because you allow the enemy to steal, kill and destroy by getting caught up in all the noise of this life.

Turn off the noise and get with Jesus. He will lead you down the path of abundant life.

Is there anyone who wants to do more than just survive? Any takers for abundant life? Jesus wants you to have it. In other words:

To follow Jesus, I must walk in abundant life.

It’s such a bummer when Christians believe the lie that we are supposed to live a barely enough life. We think, “How could I ask God for anything in this life when I’ve already been given the gift of heaven?”

It sounds so sacrificial. But in reality, it is selfish. On top of this, you are belittling the power of God. He wants to do these incredible things in your life and you just stick out your hands and say, “Nope. I don’t deserve it.”

Jesus came to give you abundant life.

It starts the moment you say yes to Jesus and follows you all the way into eternity. Quit letting the enemy steal this from you and receive what Jesus gave you: abundant life.

God has given me the ability to look at you and see your potential. You feel like you are stuck, but when I look at you, I can already see who you are meant to become. It’s right there on the surface, ready to come out of you.

You are called by God. His assignment for you in this life is incredible. And to walk in it, you just have to decide, “I’m not living a pitiful life. I’m living the abundant life Jesus gave me.” 

I know your potential. God knows your potential. And it's up to you to boldly become who God called you to be. The world will be a better place if you choose to walk in abundant life instead of a just enough life.

Lazarus

What I am going to show you today is that this abundant life isn’t just financial, it also includes divine health. Let’s go to the account of Lazarus as an example.

Jesus gets the news that His friend Lazarus is really sick. His sisters thought it was extremely urgent, as if Lazarus could die any moment, but here is how Jesus responds:

John 11:4 NKJV - This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

Someone needs to write that first part on their bathroom mirror:

“This sickness is not unto death.”

But people get messed up on the rest of this scripture. This is where the whole idea comes from that God will allow people to get sick so He can get glory for the healing.

Again, this is one of those things that sounds good, but it doesn’t agree with the rest of scripture. 

But if this is the only scripture you read, you’ll believe a lie. And if you are lazy with your Bible instead of loving your Bible, that’s exactly what will happen.

Healing scripture references

I am going to give you a flurry of scriptures that prove how silly it is to believe that God would allow sickness for His glory.

Psalms 103:3 NLT - He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

Psalms 107:20 NKJV - He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

Isaiah 53:5 NLT - But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

Matthew 8:16 NLT - Jesus cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.

Clearly, God is in the healing business. He doesn’t want you to be sick. He wants you to be well!

See Jesus, see The Father

Let me continue to prove it to you by showing you what Jesus said:

John 14:9 NLT - Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!

Jesus only did the will of God. If we want to know God, all we have to do is look at Jesus. When we see Jesus, we see the Father.

Did Jesus ever refuse to heal? No. Did He ever “bless” someone with sickness? No. Did He ever give someone sickness to teach them something? No.

This is how we know that it is ALWAYS God’s will to heal. Jesus displayed the will of the Father for us!

If we want to know how God feels about sickness, just read the gospels and find out how Jesus handled sickness. I’ll give you a hint: He was on a mission to destroy sickness.

The origin of sickness

So where does the sickness come from?

We just read it early. Satan is the one doing the killing. But here’s another scripture to prove it:

Acts 10:38 NLT - And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Healing all who were what? Oppressed by the devil. Sickness is oppression from the devil, not a lesson from God. God doesn’t put sickness on you to teach you.

We just read the story a few weeks ago about when the disciples asked Jesus the cause of the man who was born blind. They asked if it was his fault or his parents' fault. What did Jesus say?

John 9:3 NKJV - Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

What would YOU do?

Wait… so is this saying that God made him blind so that Jesus could heal him later? Y’all, that doesn’t even make sense when you understand the character of God.

If we, as imperfect people, know how to give good gifts to our own children, how much more will our Father in heaven give us good gifts?

How many parents in the room would put sickness on your kid to teach them something? None of you! That’s child abuse! Yet, are we going to believe the lie that God brings sickness into our life for His own glory or to teach us something?

No. We’re not going to believe that. God is a good father. He sent His word to heal us. He sent Jesus to heal us. And He only gives good gifts. For the record, sickness is not a good gift.

So, with God’s character in mind, we have to read this scripture again. Honestly, I think the translators just messed up the punctuation.

John 9:3-4 NKJV - Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent me...”

That’s how you’ll find it in the NKJV version. But look at what happens when you use different punctuation:

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, I must work the works of Him who sent me.”

Now, this is what agrees with the rest of God’s Word. God didn’t make this man sick. Neither did his parents. Sickness is oppression from the devil. That’s where it comes from. And Jesus is going to glorify God by knocking the devil out.

Back to Lazarus

Let’s go back to Jesus’ response about Lazarus being sick:

John 11:4 NKJV - This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

With the full counsel of God’s Word, we can now understand what Jesus is saying here. If He were an Okie in 2022, He would have said, “Hey y’all. I know Lazarus is sick, but he ain’t gonna die. Well, at least not permanently. Actually, God’s going to receive the glory for what’s about to happen. He’s gonna kick that sickness in the tail.”

I have scoured the scriptures regarding this subject. I’ve personally looked up and handwritten every single scripture that mentions healing and wholeness and even the ones that mention sickness.

And I can tell you, with absolute confidence, that God does not give you sickness. He doesn’t leave it with you to teach you something. That’s just a lie the enemy uses to keep you sick.

Sickness is oppression of the devil. It comes from the devil. It does not come from God.

But God provided healing through Jesus Christ. He does not want His children sick. He wants them to have faith in Jesus and receive the healing that has already been provided. We’re not waiting for it, it’s already ours.

You know how I know healing is ours? Because the enemy is trying to steal it from us. He can only steal something that we already possess.

You’ve got to get the religious nonsense, that God wants you to be sick, out of your head. Because only when you get rid of the lies are you able to believe and receive the healing that’s already been provided. In other words:

To follow Jesus, I must believe God wants me well.

Plus, if you are going to believe God wants you sick, why are you going to the doctor all the time and taking medications? Are you trying to get out of the will of God?

Funny how unbiblical religious beliefs always lead us to hypocrisy. Every single time.

God does not want you sick. God does use sickness to teach you something. God wants you well.

What happened with ole Lazarus?

Well, since Jesus was never in a hurry, He waited a few days before going to Lazarus. By the time He got there, Lazarus had been dead for four days.

This is not good for Jesus’ reputation. He basically lied to us, right? He said that the sickness would not end in death.

But wait a minute. He never said Lazarus wouldn’t die. He just said that it would not end in death. Hm.

But what did Jesus’ disciples have to say about all this? Well, it’s quite hilarious actually. Cue the disciples for some comedic relief:

John 11:16 NKJV - Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

From their perspective, all hope was lost. Jesus had really messed up this time so they might as well just call the whole thing quits.

Forget about all the people Jesus already healed. He didn’t even heal His own friend. It’s over.

Martha's (delayed) Faith

So, once again, Jesus finds Himself surrounded by people who are without faith. But thankfully, there is one person who still believes, at least for now:

John 11:21-25 NKJV - Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

Wow. We should take tips from Martha. She was fully aware of what they were up against. It looked like it was way too late. But even though it looks impossible, she knew that whatever Jesus asks God, God will do.

Here’s how Jesus responded to Martha:

John 11:21-25 NKJV - Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

This is great news. But just like we do with many other things the Bible promises us, Martha delays the promise to one day in heaven:

John 11:21-25 NKJV - Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

“Oh, I know I’ll be healed… in Heaven.” “Oh, I know I’ll have abundance… in Heaven.” “Oh, I know I’ll be free from the bondage of sin… in Heaven.”

Anyone else have a tendency to delay the promises of God until you get to heaven like Martha did? Here’s how Jesus responds:

John 11:21-25 NKJV - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Two types of people

Okay. Let’s break this down. Jesus is talking about two groups of people here.

The first group believes in Jesus, but that’s. And even though they live this like life they’re dying, they will experience true life in heaven.

Then you have the second group. They don’t just believe. They live AND believe in Jesus. And because of this, they experience abundant life on earth and in heaven.

And Jesus asks, “Do you believe this?” Because you have a choice. 

You can believe in Jesus, leave it at that, and although your earthly life is going to suck, we will see you in Heaven. Or you can believe AND live in Jesus and start your abundant life right now.

God loves you either way. But I can tell you, embracing abundant life isn’t just going to benefit you, but all those around you. You owe it to yourself and your family to embrace abundant life.

In other words:

To follow Jesus, I must not delay the promises of God

After this conversation with Martha, Jesus goes to talk with Mary and some of the others, and they were all crying and upset because they thought Jesus was too late.

The Bible says that Jesus wept as well. We don’t know exactly why Jesus cried, but in the context of what He’s been talking about, I think He was deeply troubled by everyone’s unbelief.

Any parents in the room ever cried because you were grieved by your kids making the wrong decisions? You tried to tell them the truth and they wouldn’t listen to you.

Even though Jesus was grieved, it didn’t stop Him from moving ahead with the miracle:

John 11:38-40 NKJV - Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

Talking ourselves out of The Father's promise

Remember how Martha was the most promising one of the bunch? She’s the one that said, “I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” And now here she is trying to talk Jesus out of working a miracle.

We’re still pretty good at this today. We try to talk God out of working miracles all the time. “Oh God, if you want me to be sick to bring glory to you, then so be it. I’ll be healed one day in Heaven.”

These kinds of prayers don’t impress God. They are probably quite aggravating if I had to guess. He just wants to heal you and you keep talking yourself out of it!

Thankfully, they moved the stone like Jesus told them. And here’s what He said next:

John 11:41-44 NKJV - Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

See! Jesus told you it wouldn’t end in death. We would have all rather Jesus healed Lazarus before he died, but you know, this will work too. Lazarus being raised from the dead isn’t so bad.

The Father's timeline, not ours

There are so many times that we give up on healing because it doesn’t happen in our timeline. We get prayed for at church, and if it doesn’t happen instantly, we lose all hope.

We understand that sickness often comes on as a progression. It starts small and if we don’t do something about it, it grows into something terrible.

Yet, when it comes to healing, we want it to happen right now. Instantaneous. And if it doesn’t, then I must not be healed.

Yes, healing can be instantaneous. But can I propose to you that healing can also come on as a progression? It starts small and then it grows until you are completely well.

It may be hours, or days, or weeks after you were prayed for, but step by step you walk into complete healing.

How often do you think people miss out on God’s healing because they give up on it if they don’t see the results within ten seconds?

Can we move past the idea that all healing has to happen instantaneously and realize that there is no bad way to get healed? 

We need to believe that God wants us well and remain in faith no matter how long it takes.

Settle it in your heart right now, “God wants me well.” And don’t deviate from this no matter what you experience. Don’t wait for the doctor to tell you you’re well. Jesus already did.

We should simply believe, “God, I know you healed me two thousand years ago when Jesus took the stripes on His back. I receive that healing now and know that it’s mine whether I see the results of it right now or later.”

“I’m not going to fear this sickness. I’m not going to fret or be worried. I’m not going to give any attention to this sickness. Because, as far as I’m concerned, I’m already healed and I will see the results of it.”

Just like it says in the book of Mark:

Mark 11:24 NKJV - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

You must believe you receive before you have. Believe you receive, and then you will have.

The best modern-day example I can give you is an Amazon package. When you hit that buy now button in the digital world, you know that package is going to show up in your physical world tomorrow.

When you ask God for something in the spiritual realm, trust that it’s done and expect it to show up in the physical realm. You don’t know when, but it’s coming. So don’t give up!

Series Overview

In this series, we are working through the book of John to make sure we really know what it looks like to follow Jesus.

American Christianity likes to paint this picture of Jesus as this super nice guy who was politically correct and never required too much of you.

Well, we’ve been duped, and it makes us quite ineffective when we don’t really know Jesus. But you are getting to know the real Jesus through this series.

Healing Kickoff

Today, we are going to witness Jesus kick off a slew of healing miracles. One after the other after the other. And I expect the words you hear today to release God’s healing power in your life.

We are at the point in the life of Jesus where He had just had the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus stayed with the Samaritans for two days and then went back to Cana, where He had turned water into wine.

There, He met a government official who begged Him to come heal his son. Keep in mind, Jesus had yet to perform a healing miracle. 

However, these people in Cana knew about Jesus because of the time when he made a whip, ran people out of the temple, and turned over tables. Remember that from that week?

Interestingly enough, the Bible tells us that Jesus was welcomed because they remembered what happened at the temple. It seemed like Jesus would have scared people off, but it did quite the opposite. It attracted people to Him.

But what moved this guy into thinking Jesus could heal?

They had yet to see Him heal. They had only seen him turn over tables and run people off with a whip. But somehow this man was able to sense that Jesus was standing at the starting line of a wave of healing miracles.

A Different Response

So this guy asked Jesus to heal his son. And in true Jesus fashion, He responds to this man in a way we wouldn’t expect:

John 4:48-53 NKJV - Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

I mean, come on. That’s how He responds to a man whose son is dying? That’s just cruel. Shouldn’t He have said, “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about your son. I’ll pray for you.”

I hope by now you are seeing that the way modern Christianity paints this soft picture of Jesus is totally inaccurate. Trust me, He would not be part of the “woke” culture of today. Actually, the “woke” people would rip Him to shreds for hate speech.

But Jesus ain’t woke, and neither was this man. Take a look at how he responds to Jesus:

Faith for a Miracle

John 4:48-53 NKJV - The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”

I just love how this guy wasn’t offended by Jesus being insensitive. He wasn’t looking for Jesus to be nice, He was looking for Jesus to be powerful and work a healing miracle.

I think America should take a tip from this guy. Instead of looking for Jesus to be nice about our sin, we should look for Him to be powerful and destroy the sin in our lives.

When we look to Jesus for acceptance of our sin, we dismiss the power of God. But when we look to Jesus for the power we need to overcome sin and sickness, look at what happens:

John 4:48-53 NKJV - Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.

Notice this man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him. He didn’t yet believe in Jesus as the Messiah, but He believed that his son would be healed by the words of Jesus.

Some of us who have been in church for decades don’t even believe the words that Jesus says.

We believe the pastor that said healing went away with the disciples. We believe our professor who said sex is a freedom with no boundaries. We believe the doctor who says the disease is incurable.

Why are we so quick to believe what another person tells us, but struggle to believe what God tells us in His word? It’s time to put a stop to that nonsense, because:

Receiving healing is as simple as believing the words of Jesus.

If you need a healing miracle in your life, Jesus is not withholding. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to deserve it. All you have to do is believe His Word.

When the doctor tells you otherwise, believe God’s Word anyways. When your symptoms tell you otherwise, believe God’s Word anyways. You must position God’s Word above everyone else’s.

This government official that we are talking about right now did not yet believe in Jesus as Messiah. But He did believe Jesus could heal. And look at what happened:

John 4:48-53 NKJV - And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.”

This is the kickoff to the healing miracles of Jesus. He wasn’t even physically there to heal the boy. He healed the boy with His words.

This blows to smithereens the idea that healing miracles went away with Jesus. He doesn’t have to be here in the flesh for us to receive healing! Even when He was here in the flesh, He didn’t have to be physically there to heal someone.

Receiving healing is as simple as believing the words of Jesus.

Somebody is getting this. Years of wrong thinking are being washed out of your mind right now. Receive your healing miracle.

The Results of the Miracle

Healing wasn’t the only miracle that happened to this government official. Look at what happened next:

John 4:48-53 NKJV - And he himself believed, and his whole household.

His whole family got saved. Now they will spend eternity with each other in heaven. Wow. Jesus wants to heal you. He wants to save you from hell. He wants to free you from sin. He wants to do it all.

This reminds me of another amazing healing miracle of Jesus. I want you to see this one for yourself. Take a look at this five-minute video.

The Lame Man Healed

Did you catch how Jesus didn’t just heal the man, but also forgave his sins? Y’all, forgiveness of sins and healing from sickness are one in the same for Jesus.

You don’t have a problem believing that Jesus forgives your sin. So why do you have a problem believing He heals your sickness? To Jesus, they are one in the same. So let Him take care of both.

God’s will is to heal. There is never a time that God wants you to be sick. He doesn’t use sickness to teach you a lesson. He doesn’t use it to keep you humble. God wants you well. Period.

There are at least nine other healing miracles recorded in the gospels before the next one that is mentioned in the book of John. 

They weren’t all individual miracles either. There were also times when Jesus healed an entire crowd of people. Take a look:

Matthew 8:16-17 NKJV - When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”

There’s many people that believe in healing, but they’re not convinced that Jesus wants to heal everyone every time. But the truth is, Jesus wants to heal ALL who are sick. Not some. Not every now and then. But everyone, every time.

The only thing that gets in the way is us.

God doesn’t force His will on anyone. Yes, His will is for you to be healed, but He will never force it on you because He never forces anyone to do anything. He gave us free will.

Excuses Block Healing

The next story in the book of John illustrates this really well. There was a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda. An angel of the Lord would come down on occasion to stir up the water. And whoever got in the water first was healed.

So of course, there was a crowd of sick people around this pool all the time. They were blind, lame, or paralyzed, and they just sat and waited for the water to stir.

To give you an idea of the kind of people hanging around this pool, the Bible points out one man in particular:

John 5:5-9 NLT - One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.

This guy had been sick longer than I have been alive! And there he was, sitting by this pool, hoping he would be the next person to make it to the water first.

John 5:5-9 NLT - When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

This was a rhetorical question. Of course he wanted to be well. Why else would he be by this pool?

Common Excuses

Anybody who’s sick wants to be well. But we come up with all kinds of excuses as to why we have to stay sick. Just like this man did:

John 5:5-9 NLT - “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

“I want somebody else to believe for me. Can’t the pastor just come over so I can piggyback off his faith?”

“The doctor said it is incurable. I have no choice but to live my life trying to manage this sickness.”

“I can’t help but believe WebMD more than I believe the Word of God. I mean, isn’t science the end-all-be-all? The intellectuals will make fun of me if I believe the Word of God more than I believe medical science.”

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Jesus knew this man wanted to be healed, but his excuses were holding him back.

So what does Jesus do? Gives him another chance.

The Choice to Be Well

John 5:5-9 NLT - Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

He gave the man a choice. You can lay there and stay sick, or you can believe the word I just gave you, put action to it, and be healed.

If this man would not have believed and acted on what Jesus just told him to do, he would have remained sick probably for the rest of his life. But when the Word of the Lord comes to you, and you believe it and act on it, here’s what happens:

John 5:5-9 NLT - Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!

Praise God! This is God’s will for every person. He wants to heal everyone, every time.

There’s no sickness too great. There’s no disease incurable. There’s no cause of sickness that prevents God from healing. Even if you did it to yourself, He still wants to heal you.

Receiving healing is as simple as believing the words of Jesus.

As you draw closer to God, you are going to run into places where you get stuck because you don’t understand something about God. And actually, most of us run into the same roadblocks.

Through this series, we’ve been breaking through those roadblocks and getting closer to God as a result.

Our theme verse for this series actually comes from a place where the church as we know it today was brand new and people were making fun of it and making fun of God because they didn’t understand what God was doing.

This is when the Holy Spirit was poured out shortly after Jesus had ascended into heaven. Take a look at the response:

Acts 2:12-15 NIV - Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Maybe you’ve been here yourself. Something out of the norm happened at church or with one of your christian friends and you just sat there thinking, “What in the heck is going on?!”

I wanted to show this to you so you know you are not alone in your thoughts. The truth is, you will always criticize things you don’t understand.

It’s not that you don’t believe God can do it, it’s just you don’t understand. And it is easier to make fun of it than to dig in and try to understand it.

But through this series, I’m going to help you just like Peter did in the early church:

Acts 2:12-15 NIV - Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.

So what we’re saying through this series is, this is not what you thought it was this whole time. This is that, the truth you find in the Bible.

We’ve talked about the Holy Spirit, prayer, worship, and prosperity.

Today we are going to wrap up this series by talking about the topic that most Christians struggle to understand: healing.

Why does God heal some people and not others?

Why do we even get sick?

Maybe you’ve had some of these questions? Well, in this message I hope to give you some answers. But let me preface by saying that I don’t think it’s possible to fully grasp God’s idea of healing in one message.

But we can all gain a degree of clarity and continue moving down that path of understanding what God wants in regards to healing. In the church world, you may have noticed two extreme viewpoints on healing.

There’s one side that says you should experience a healing miracle every time you ask for it. Then there’s the other side that believes that healing miracles went away when the last apostle died.

You probably have something on the inside of you that knows God is still working miracles today. But there’s this tension we all feel because we’ve witnessed healing miracles and then buried someone we prayed for.

I’ve witnessed this personally. My wife, Beth, was healed from infertility five years ago and now we have three kids. And then just a couple of years ago, my father-in-law passed away at age 50 after we prayed for a miracle.

Let’s go to scripture so we can begin to sort this stuff out:

James 5:13-16 NKJV - Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? 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.

If you’ve ever doubted the importance of prayer, this ought to change your viewpoint. We now know that prayer holds the power to help us through hardships and even bring healing into our lives.

For healing, it says to have the elders of the church pray over you and anoint you with oil. Let’s talk about that because I can see this being confusing for some, especially if you are new to the church.

The elders in the church are simply the leaders in the church who have a solid grasp on the Bible. So here at NoLimits, this could be me, Beth, Dillon, Chris Wills, Cary Sims, Tim and Darla Bell, Mark and Gena Young, and others.

What about this anointing with oil thing? Well, the book of James was written to Jewish Christians. In their culture, anointing with oil had significant meaning.

They would use it to greet their guests as a sign of honor and respect. When someone was appointed as a prophet or priest, they would anoint them with oil as a symbol of being called by God and set apart for His purposes.

Anointing with oil was a big deal to them. And in this context, anointing with oil while they prayed for healing was a symbol to proclaim that their body was now dedicated to God.

Do you have to be anointed with oil to be healed? No. But if it has meaning for you and inspires your faith, go for it. But, how do we know oil is not required? You find the answer in the next verse:

James 5:13-16 NKJV - And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

First off, I want you to notice that it’s the prayer, not the oil. I want you to remember that because I don’t want you to get hung up on the oil.

But why does this say the prayer will save the sick instead of heal the sick?

Let’s recap. Someone was sick and went to the elders for prayer so they could find healing. The elders prayed with faith and even went a step further and anointed with oil. Yet, their prayer didn’t heal the sick, it saved the sick.

I’m thinking they must have got their words mixed up. Or maybe God’s secretary messed up the message before it got to Him. Or maybe they just translated this verse wrong.

Well, I looked up the original Greek word translated to save, and it really means save. We’re talking about salvation through Jesus Christ.

This brings me to the first thing we all need to understand about healing.

God is more concerned with eternity.

We talk a lot about the importance of what you do first. Pray first before you jump into that argument. Give first before you do anything else with your paycheck. Set your mind on God first, as soon as you wake up every day.

Give God the first of your week by being faithful to church. Give God the first of your year by joining us in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting every January. It’s so important what you do first.

This principle of first explains what happened in the scripture we just read. If you come to God for healing, He wants to heal you, but there’s something He has to do first. He has to make sure you will be spending eternity with Him.

I mean, if you received healing in your body but you didn’t receive salvation, what good does it do? Your body is going to end up dying anyways and then what? That’s why, first things first, let’s get eternity sorted out.

This is a no-brainer to God. He gets it. This life is just a mist in comparison to eternity. But we get so caught up in our earthly life that we have a really hard time understanding why God would let someone die instead of healing them.

I have an explanation for you, but you are probably not going to like it:

Isaiah 55:8 NLT - “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

We all have a vision of heaven and you probably think the first sound you are going to hear is the angels singing the hallelujah chorus. But I don’t think that’s the first thing you are going to hear.

The first thing we are going to hear is a noise coming out of our own mouths… “Oh… Ohh...” When we get to heaven, it’s all going to become clear. We are going to “get it” just like God does.

But in the meantime we have to learn to be okay with the fact that we don’t understand everything. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. His ways are far beyond what we can even imagine.

I can’t explain why my father-in-law died so young. I can’t explain why Chris and Gina’s nephew, who believed in Jesus, died a few months ago from some rare form of cancer. It doesn’t make sense!

We don’t see the full picture like God does. But something I am sure of is God is not the author of sickness. God is the author of life - eternal life. The devil is the one who steals, kills and destroys with sickness and disease.

Y’all, we have to get okay with the fact that our little minds cannot not fully comprehend the ways of God. We can’t explain it and we don’t have to.

But we do know that God is more concerned with eternity. He wants to heal you but He will always save you first.

Let’s get back to the book of James and see what comes next. Remember, someone who needed healing went to the elders for prayer and they ended up getting saved. Here’s the next part of that passage:

James 5:15-16 NLT - ...And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Oh… Oh, I’m starting to get it. I came for healing, ended up getting saved, and now I am getting healed. The word translated to “healed” here really does refer to physical healing.

This is really cool. Take a look at the definition of the Greek word translated to healed:

Iamoai (healed) - to cure, heal; to make whole; to bring about one’s salvation.

That last part brings this all together - to bring about one’s salvation. In other words, healing is a result of your salvation. Salvation in Jesus comes first, and as that salvation takes root in your life, it brings about healing.

Which leads me into the next thing we need to understand about healing:

Sin is a healing thief.

We often misunderstand this by thinking that God uses sickness to punish us for what we’ve done wrong. But that’s not it at all. When we allow sin into our lives, we are allowing the enemy to steal something that belongs to us, healing.

We just read this in James, and it seemed a bit misplaced until now:

James 5:15-16 NLT - ...And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

So when you are sick, you go to the elders for prayer. When they pray, salvation comes first. And if you are already saved, well let’s make sure sin is not getting in the way because we can’t go any further until you receive forgiveness.

We haven’t got to healing yet, but in this scripture we see the final step: confess our sins to each other and pray for each other. In other words, we need each other to walk in healing. This isn’t something you should be doing by yourself.

No wonder the enemy works so hard at getting you to think that church is not important. No wonder there are so many distractions that keep us from showing up to our small group.

Because the enemy knows, if we prioritize living life together, we will become an unstoppable force of good to those around us. Many will get saved and get healed simply because we dedicated time to each other.

This is why the church is essential. And I get it, people say, “the church is not a building, it’s the people.” And that sounds really good, but it’s not accurate.

The church is the gathering of believers.

It’s when we come together in unity going after the things of God. It’s when we have close enough relationships that we are willing to confess our sins to each other and ask for prayer. That’s the church, y’all!

Don’t believe these lies that church is not essential, that the church is killing people by spreading the virus. It’s nonsense and it’s a lie from the pit of hell.

Gathering together as believers is the most important thing we do. The enemy knows this, but now so do we. And I pray that you will remember this part of my message for the rest of your life. Here’s what I want you to remember:

God uses relationships to bring healing.

If healing comes because we are close enough to get real about our issues and ask for prayer, no wonder we don’t see healing very often today.

The overall church culture in America is coming to church, enjoying the show, and going back home with the goal of talking to as few people as possible. And we don’t even go every week anymore. Just here and there is enough.

But have you noticed how you can’t really build relationships this way? Oh, but at least we are following each other on Facebook and texting each other once in a while.

If we want to see healing become common in church, it starts by prioritizing building relationships in church. And in order to do that, you show up even when you don’t want to. You join a small group even when it’s not convenient.

I’m not getting on to you. I’m helping you. I promise, this will work. But it takes time to build relationships so you have to dedicate yourself to this. Give it at least a few months and you will start seeing the results of it.

And let me invite you in on this mission. One of the best ways that you can answer this call of God to build relationships is to lead a small group. Our summer semester starts in just two weeks, so now’s the time.

If you want to answer this call of God, I want you to talk to our small groups director after service today. Don’t wait - do it today. Our small group leaders are vital to the mission of the church.

So, God works through relationships. But that’s only half of the equation. Let’s go back to James to get the other half:

James 5:16 NLT - Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

If we build these relationships and get comfortable enough with each other to share where we’re struggling, it wouldn’t do any good if we didn’t know how to offer a prayer of faith. In other words:

Relationship + Prayer of Faith = Healing

In order to pray a prayer of faith, we must understand how faith works. Interestingly enough, James goes on to explain it. Take a look:

James 5:17-18 NLT - Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

In this story, you’ll find the journey of faith. But you need more details from the story to see it, so let’s go to the story James was telling, which is found in 1 Kings:

Prayer of Faith

1 Kings 17:1 NLT - Now Elijah... told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”

Elijah had a word from God that King Ahab would not turn from his wicked ways unless there was a drought. That’s what Elijah was talking about here. This actually reveals the first step in the faith journey:

1. Faith begins with a Word from God.

You can’t grow in your faith journey unless you know what God has spoken to you. Well, how do we know what God is saying to us?

Romans 10:17 NKJV - So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The way I like to read this is, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God.” That’s why sometimes you have to hear the same scripture 40 times before you actually get it.

This is why we come to church every Sunday and hear the word of God. It’s why we make a point to get into the scriptures ourselves every day. It’s why we listen to worship music and christian podcasts.

Hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing. That’s the goal. If you want to operate in faith, you take every opportunity to hear the Word of God.

And here’s a pro tip for you. One of the best ways to hear the Word of God is out of your own mouth. So, read those scriptures out loud. And find a scripture for whatever you’re dealing with, memorize it, and say it over and over.

So your faith journey begins by hearing the Word of God. What comes next? Let’s go back to the story in 1 Kings to find out.

Just like Elijah said, it didn’t rain for three and a half years. But now it was time for the rain to come at his word and look at what happened:

1 Kings 18:43-44 NLT - Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’”

So Elijah sent his servant to see if his faith was working. He saw nothing. Can anyone else relate to that? You put your faith out there, you sat expectantly waiting to see the result of it, and nothing.

Too many of us give up there, but Elijah didn’t. He held on to his faith, sending his servant back seven times until he finally saw the tiniest cloud. Eljiah didn’t even wait for the first raindrop to fall. He knew the rain was coming before he even saw the cloud.

This reveals the second step in your faith journey:

2. Faith continues regardless of what I see.

This is why I am not discouraged when I continue to see negative reports about the economy because of what’s going on with the virus. It’s why I’m not discouraged when I hear how the church is being persecuted across our nation.

Because God gave me a Word. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. God has made America a great nation and He will restore our nation so it can be a blessing to the world.

It doesn’t matter what I see. It could get worse before it gets better. But I know God’s Word will come to pass. It looks like this year is going to be a complete bust, but it’s actually going to end up being the best year we’ve ever had. Why?

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV - For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Alright, let’s look at how this story turned out with Elijah:

1 Kings 18:45-46 NLT - And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

It didn’t just rain. It poured. And not only that, but God gave Elijah special strength to run faster than a chariot so he could get ahead of the storm. To put things in perspective, a horse can run about twice as fast as us.

So at the end of this faith journey, God didn’t just do what Elijah expected Him to do, He did much more. He exceeded expectations. And God always exceeds expectations when we choose to operate in faith. In other words:

3. Faith goes from a small beginning to a grand finale.

You know, there are two types of people in the world. You are either a journey person or a destination person.

We’ve all been on a trip with a destination person. You didn’t get to stop to use the restroom or nothing. It didn’t matter that you were passing the Grand Canyon on the way there, you’re not stopping until you get there.

And then we have our blessed journey people who just wander through life and enjoy everything they encounter. These are the people you don’t want to shop with because they’ll go down every aisle.

Well, I hate to tell you this, but God is a journey person. We step out in faith hyper focused on the destination, the outcome, the miracle. But God is more interested in the journey to that destination.

You are going to get there, but He has a journey for you to take first. Because He knows that you’ll benefit more from the journey than you would if He just gave you the miracle right when you asked for it.

Honestly, this is where I’m at right now with our church. God’s given me a word that He is going to use NoLimits Church to shift the City of Owasso from a culture that goes to church out of religious duty to a culture that is on fire for God.

Our city will be known for its generosity and love and God is using us to lead that charge. But here we are at small beginnings. We are on this journey that God deems necessary for us to get to the grand finale.

I’m confident that we will look back on this day and know exactly why God did what He did. It doesn’t seem fast enough now, but God knows exactly what He’s doing and every bit of this is necessary for us to get where God wants us.

The Apostle Paul went through this too. Take a look:

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NLT - Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Maybe this is speaking to your personal journey. You’ve been believing God for something but nothing is happening. You’ve been out looking for the cloud six times now but have yet to see a thing.

Here’s God’s Word for you today, “Go look again. It’s coming. I’ve heard your prayers and I've been working on your behalf. I know you don’t see it, but it’s coming.”

Take a moment right now to let the Holy Spirit work in you. Close your eyes and say, “Holy Spirit, refresh me in this journey.”

Salvation Prayer

Maybe you’re in a place right now where you need to put your faith in Jesus Christ so He can save you. God cares so much about your eternity that He sent Jesus so you could be forever forgiven of your sins.

You’ve heard the word of God today that Jesus wants to save you. And even though you can’t see Him, even though it seems like a small beginning, put your faith in Jesus today and watch your life begin to change.

I want to lead you in a prayer to help you put your faith into words. Go ahead and say this out loud:

“Jesus, I put my faith in you today. I believe that you died for my sins. I believe you rose back to life. I believe you’ve forgiven me. I believe you’ll never leave me. I believe my eternity is sealed in heaven. In Jesus name, amen.”

Salvation Next Step

If you just prayed that prayer, we want to support you along the journey that’s ahead. But we can’t support you if we don’t know. So we set up an easy way for you to tell us. Simply text the word Jesus to 918-373-9883.

We’re not going to bug you. We’re not going to spam you. We are just going to help guide you through your next step. We’re here for you. So please, go ahead and send that text.