If we want to be completely honest, there are times when we have gone through the steps of the healing process outlined in James 5:14 – 15 and healing hasn’t manifested.  Why is that?  In this post I will address some of the more commonly known possibilities.

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A Lack of Faith

In the post on Faith and Healing we discussed how it doesn’t take a lot of faith to receive healing.  Sometimes all it takes is simply putting ourselves in position to receive.  There are times, however, when we are somewhat less than convinced that prayer for healing will be of any value.  This attitude could definitely hinder the flow of God’s healing virtue in our lives.  What do you really believe about the Lord’s healing mercies?

Unconfessed Sin

In Psalm 66:18 the psalmist tells us the Lord would not have listened to his prayer if he had cherished iniquity in his heart.  Sin cripples our walk with God and can be a great hindrance to receiving His benefits.  The good news is that there is a simple remedy to this.  Listen to the words of 1st John 1:9.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

All we need to do is sincerely confess our sins to the Lord and He will forgive us and cleanse us.  Now the channels are open to receive all He would impart.

Lack of Desire

While this sounds sort of strange, the truth is that some people do not want to be healed!  This may be why Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6).  Some people enjoy the attention they receive during their illness.  Others enjoy not having to work due to being sick.  There can be a number of reasons why people would rather keep their ailments than be healed, strange as it may be.  They may even allow you pray for them if you ask, but it’s not because they truly desire healing.

Demonic Spirits

I don’t believe for a moment that all sickness is a result of a demonic spirit, or even some sort of demonic attack.  There can be times, however, when a person’s physical ailment is the result of a demonic influence.  Take, for instance, the case of the woman in the synagogue found in Luke 13:10 – 13.

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

This dear lady’s inability to stand up straight was directly tied a demonic spirit.  She wasn’t demon possessed as we normally think of the term.  A spirit of infirmity had attached itself to her body and was keeping her bound physically.  Release came in an instant from the Lord Jesus.

This reminds me of a woman my wife and I prayed for several years ago.  She was a wonderful Christian lady, but she was always sick.  And I don’t mean just cold and flu sick.  It seemed like she always had something major going on.  She had received prayer many times but nothing seemed to help.

One Sunday morning, however, as Mina and I prayed with her, the Holy Spirit uncovered a demonic spirit that had latched on to her.  We immediately commanded this spirit to leave in the Name of Jesus.  The results were amazing! She immediately began to put on weight.  Her complexion became pink and healthy.  To my knowledge she never again experienced the same kind of chronic sickness.  Praise God!

Let me emphasize once again, not all sickness is the result of a demonic spirit.  It may be something to consider, however, if you are finding it difficult to receive healing.

Some Things to Consider

Let me state again:  these are some of the commonly known possibilities of why healing fails to manifest.  It is not carved in stone that people are not healed due to lack of faith, or because of sin, etc.  These are just some things to consider.  There may be others you can think of.  The good news is that all these things can be effectively dealt with by simply living in the Reign.

M

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”