The Healing Power of Faith

Jesus was the Great Physician. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick” (Matthew 14: 14 NIV, Bible App). It might seem somewhat strange as to why Jesus incorporated physical healing in His ministry. There are likely many reasons as to why. He did it out of compassion for the suffering associated with their diseases (as stated above). He did it as a way to draw people to Him and to His teachings. He did it to show how connected He was to the Father. But, I believe there is more. I believe there was something even deeper that Jesus knew about the healing of our bodies. Jesus was teaching us the true catalyst for healing…FAITH (in Him and in God)! If people showed they had faith in Him, they would be healed.

Jesus, our Creator, the Word made flesh, knew a special aspect about how our faith influences our bodies that I believe He was trying to demonstrate in His ministry. We actually get a glimpse into this more clearly based on what Jesus says in most of His documented healings. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He healed many diseases. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom AND healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9: 35 NIV). It is documented that He healed blindness, lameness, paralysis, deafness, leprosy, and epilepsy to name a few. In several of these documented accounts, Jesus declares different versions of the phrase “your FAITH has made you well” (Luke 17: 19 NIV) in regards to why they get healed (Walt Straughan Ministries, “The 23 Individual Healings Done by Jesus Described the Four Gospels”). However, in order to further understand the relationship between faith and healing, we first have to define what faith is.

We know in the Bible “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11: 1 NIV).  So, according to these verses, faith is the ability to confidently believe and absolutely know that what we are hoping will happen WILL HAPPEN! And, according to further Scripture, this saving hope is without any evidence of its occurrence… “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?”(Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬). Therefore, faith is the ability to believe wholeheartedly before seeing in reality. But how is this done?

The answer to this lies in Hebrews 1: 6 NIV, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that he REWARDS those who earnestly seek Him.” To fully please God and, consequently, reveal the power of faith, we must not only understand what faith is, but we must know when/where to apply our faith. According to this verse, faith is required in three areas in order to be “rewarded.” 1) We need faith to believe God exists. 2) We need faith to earnestly seek Him. 3) We need faith to believe He “rewards” those who do both. We not only have to have complete confidence in who He is but also confidently follow what He says to do before He will fulfill His promises that we must confidently believe will occur. Let’s look at each requirement.

First, to see God’s “rewards,” we need faith to believe God exists. This might be what some would say is the easiest of the three. Simply, turning to a God you do not see with the human eyes takes faith, right? But, there is more to it than that. We need faith to believe not just in a being called God, but that which defines Him. In Romans 1:20 NIV, it says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬). God’s existence is seen in His creation and that creation helps define His power and nature. Therefore, it helps define Who He is. 

According to Romans 1:20, it is clear that God has been alive, orchestrating everything that is seen from His invisible existence, including all of creation, since the beginning of any creation… “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬). Furthermore, we also see, based on WHAT has been created over all this time, the power and wisdom that make Him Who He truly is… “The LORD made everything for a purpose, even the wicked for an evil day” (Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬ ‭CEB, Bible App‬‬). No one else is like Him in His power to create and to keep creating nor is anyone like Him in His power to create with purpose. But what about His divine nature? How do we see that in creation?

Well, looking at God’s divine nature is closely linked to the second application of faith needed in order to see God’s “rewards.” And this is the faith needed to “seek God earnestly.” In order to seek God earnestly, we have to seek Him with all our heart, minds, and souls with persistence. And when we seek Him in this way, it is saying we want to eagerly pursue what makes God God. We want to live that way, obey that way, follow that way. We want to follow His “divine nature.”

In the Scripture, we are informed of the “divine nature” of God. In John 4:24 NIV, we are told God is Spirit. This might sound very ambiguous to us unless we understand that we also consist of spirit encased by a physical covering. And, just like the physical body has parts so does the spiritual body. The spiritual aspect of a being consists of their thoughts, heart postures, and free will. Moving forward along these lines, we get further clarity when it says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8 NIV) and, also, in Galatians 5: 22-23 NIV, when it says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” What we see is that God is a spirit that consists of these qualities. And if these qualities make up His true “divine nature,” then, they also give us direction on how we earnestly seek Him. 

The Bible says, because God is Spirit, “we must worship Him in spirit and truth” (John 4: 24 NIV). This means we must follow His Truth with all of our heart, mind, and will (our spiritual self). With our free will, we must choose to follow with our heart and mind what makes God Truthful, which is His Spirit (which is also synonymous with His Will)! But, as you can see, this choice takes an act of faith. To have confidence in choosing love in a situation where “the norm” is to follow hate, to have confidence in choosing peace where “the norm” is to follow fear, to have confidence in choosing joy where “the norm” is to follow worry, etc. is certainly not always the easiest choice but, the Truth still remains. When we do as God asks us and walk it by faith, it leads to His “rewards.”

The third criteria that we must walk by faith in order to receive the “rewards” of God is we need faith that the “rewards” will come to pass in our natural world! That every one of HIS PROMISES that He has spoken to us in His Word are not only ours for the taking but God is faithful to complete them FOR YOU! We need to confidently believe what God said He will do He will do! Here are some to name a few.

“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“‘For I know the plans I have for you, …plans to prosper you and NOT TO HARM YOU, plans to give you HOPE AND A FUTURE’” (Jeremiah 29: 11 NIV)

“For I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (Jeremiah‬ ‭30‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

There are an estimated 8000 promises spoken in the Bible. Can you imagine that for all those promises God says, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God” (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬). If we have faith in what God says will happen will happen, we can believe and undoubtedly know He says, “YES” and “IT IS SO!!”

However, if this wasn’t amazing enough, God designed in your physical body an innate proclivity towards faith. When you use your free will choice to choose faith in your walk, physiological processes within the body orchestrate a response towards health and healing. Look at this verse. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭23‬:‭7‬ ‭KJV, Bible App‬‬). God wrote a code directly into our very makeup that what we believe to be true in our spirit (heart, mind, will in faith) is what comes to pass in our reality. Jesus mimics this when He says, “Let it be done just as you believed it would” (Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬). And, by God’s grace, science has been showing this very principle. Let’s discuss.

Do you know that your brain doesn’t know the difference between an image coming from a thought that you are imagining verses a thought that is stemming from what your eyes (and other senses, for that matter) are generating? To our brain, there is no discrepancy. And according to this Bible verse, what you choose to think, with all your heart, mind, and will, whether it is a created image or an image reflective of your environment, is what will be. Therefore, it gives us the impression that we have a choice in how our lives will go based on what intentional thought alone we choose. 

We get an example of this in Philippians when Paul, confined in a prison cell, writes this sentiment, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” ‭‭(Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬). We see that, even though in the physical, he is shackled in a prison cell, he conveys this notion that he has a choice! A choice to live or a choice to die… for which he says, “what shall I choose?” This could only be meant to inform us of the power of our intentional thoughts in actually being the driving force for our situations, in our lives! 

And isn’t this what faith is teaching us to do. That when we BELIEVE first (with all of our heart, mind, will), we will SEE second. Faith tells us we do not need factual evidence from the physical in order for something to come to pass (as with Paul who was in a prison)! All we need is an intentional thought in the image of what we are hoping for and we need to live in that thought for long enough that we start to get a confidence and assuredness that even though we don’t see it yet, it WILL come to pass. 

Therefore, not surprisingly, the times in our lives where we would institute the usage of faith is certainly when we are faced with a situation in our life that is evoking fear, worry, anxiety, etc. Therefore, the images that we are getting in our thoughts from our senses based on physical facts are generally not good ones, not ones that we would prefer. The gift of utilizing our faith is the ability to see beyond what our physical is telling us, and, truly, live in the resurrection power of Christ in any situation that we face. For the Scripture tells us, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬). This is not talking about audible hearing. This verse is stating, you learn Jesus’ Word (whether by seeing or hearing), and THEN, BY CHOOSING FAITH (a spiritual confidence) that it is Truth, YOU CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE MESSAGE, playing it over and over in your thoughts/heart posture!!!! And this is what brings for its power!

When we hold these intentional faith filled thoughts, they start to override the continuing thoughts that are streaming in from what our senses are telling us based on two of Jesus’ Truths. One, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬) and, two, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬). 

In John 1:5, Jesus is informing us that nothing is more powerful than His light, His Power, His Word, His Spirit. When we use our faith to not only turn to Jesus, but believe by intentional thought alone that what He says He will do for us He will do, His power will overcome any “darkness” within us. Simply by our turning to Him with the “dark” thoughts/heart postures in our heart and mind coming from our physical situation, His light is too powerful to be overcome by those “dark” thoughts. Practically, this is indicating to us that the more that we walk by faith in believing in thoughts centered on His promises, the more our thoughts generated by our senses that are painting a bleak picture, will be overridden by His light, His Power, His spirit. 

The verse in Matthew is even more telling. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus is informing us that when we seek all the attributes that make Jesus right, that make Him holy, that make Him set above the rest, all the promises that He has spoken will be given to us. Remember, what makes Jesus holy and right is His Spirit (consisting of His heart, mind, will as discussed earlier). And His Spirit is one of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control (Galatians 5: 22-23 ESV). Therefore, when we choose His Will (with our free will) in every thought we think, all His “rewards” will come to pass.  Not only as we walk by intentional thoughts centered on His Will do our situationally generated thoughts become overpowered BUT it is what takes His promises from chosen thoughts imagined in the heart and mind to miracles experienced in the physical! THE REWARDS!! And, again, by the grace of God, He has allowed this to be revealed in medical science.

It has been researched and proven that different emotions cause different chemical reactions in our bodies. The longer we hold onto these emotions, determines the health disposition of the body. It has been found that negative heart postures held onto for too long will cause a decrease in health (Dispenza, You Are the Placebo 99-101 and Dispenza, Becoming Supernatural 47, 165-167). Positive heart postures, on the contrary, will cause healing and improved health (Dispenza, You are the Placebo 85-86, 93, 96, 101-102, 118 and Dispenza, Becoming Supernatural 41, 44, 164). Also, science has shown when you can imagine what you are wanting (e.g., healing of your body) with a prolonged feeling of positive emotions (e.g., love, joy, and gratitude), as if it has already happened, then it does (Dispenza, You are the Placebo 105-119, 134-136, 188 and Dispenza, Becoming Supernatural 36-44, 171-173). And isn’t this what the Scripture been telling us! God’s design is magnificent!

Therefore, we must remember that even though we might have thoughts connected to heart postures regarding worry or fear or discomfort about the changes in our bodies, we still have a choice! When we continue to seek God and His Will and live by intentional thoughts based on it, we are no longer victims of our physical situation. Our intentional thoughts focused on His Will, lead us to true spiritual freedom from destructive thoughts/heart postures and, eventually, physical freedom from health changes. For in the Bible, Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT, and it will be yours” (Mark 11: 24 NIV). This not only describes the POWER OF LIVING BY FAITH but THE CONSEQUENTIAL HEALING POWER THAT COMES FROM IT!

Overall, God has taught us that with faith we can heal. When Jesus declared that because of their faith, people were healed, He was giving us the example/instruction on how to reap the “reward” of healing our bodies from health changes through faith. Jesus always turned to His Father in faith in every situation. He always walked by faith in choosing the Will of His father (which was also innately the Will of Jesus, the Son). And Jesus believed by faith that what His Father said He would do He would do! Therefore, when we can live by faith as Jesus exemplified, we will see God fulfill His promises concerning the healing of our bodies as we saw in Jesus’ walk!

How amazing is our God that when we choose to His love by faith, our body chemistry actually changes towards healing! It is truly amazing and miraculous! And readily available for us to use and implement to start healing our bodies RIGHT NOW! 

I pray that this week you will strengthen your faith in God. Read the Scriptures that focus on faith (even from just this post alone) and let it strengthen yours. As your faith grows, know God is going to fulfill all His promises for your life for “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” (Philippians 1: 6 NIV). Choose to believe in God’s love for you and, then, think thoughts of faith and watch your worries and fears about every physical ailment be overcome! In your faith, know you are healed, for “if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21: 22 NIV). See yourself healed in His name and praise Him for it!! Thank God for healing your health changes right now because, by your faith, you know it is as good as done! And then get ready for the promise to come to pass in your life!!

Thank you for reading my post! Please come back every week to reread previous information or learn more new information as we further expand upon many topics reviewed today and also learn new ways to be Medicated by Faith! There is so much information that I have learned through God’s guidance that He wants me to share with you! We can live in faith through God’s Word and in the process renew our spiritual selfs and heal our physical bodies, leading us to complete health and eternal freedom! 

Please make comments or ask any further questions that you may have below or via email at jill@medicatedbyfaith.com. I promise to respond personally or elaborate on your questions in further posts! God is blessing you! 

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