Last Sunday I was healed of a serious and debilitating injury to my left shoulder. It was one that I lived with for the last eight to ten months and it was also one that was getting progressively worse. Since the time of my injury, I prayed for healing and stood on the scriptures. God is so wonderful, gracious and merciful because His Word prepared my heart to receive the fulfillment of His promise for healing several months later.
There are a number of ways that God heals. Sometimes our healing comes in the form of an instantaneous miracle. However, other times, we receive it when we stand on the promises in God's Word and then wait, growing in faith, for the Lord to manifest it in due season. For me, in this situation, it was the latter. I waited and grew in faith until I received my healing in due season.
God always blesses us when we stand on His Word and proclaim His promises. In James 5:14-15 scripture says: "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven."
We can stand in great assurance of healing when we call the elders. Elders are a very important means through which God provides for us to be healed. When we call them, we are operating under the blessing and within the authority of His Word and His government. Elders oversee and are entrusted with God's work (Titus 1:7 NIV) in the church. They are given by God to the church to admonish, exhort, strengthen, teach, guide, and encourage His people (1 Thessalonians 5:12). God uses elders to bless His people. When we call them we receive the blessing of God through them. By doing this, we can obtain the answer to our prayers because we understand and participate in the blessing God has provided through His government. God has given the church governmental authority and structure for protection, growth, ministry, and blessing to those who will receive it.
Ephesians 4:11 mentions other governmental ministries, in addition to that of elders, God has given, which are; apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Verse 12-13 tells us why they are provided by Him..."to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
There are so many blessings God gives when we are a part of His body, the church. It is given to prepare, strengthen, grow in unity and knowledge, as well as mature us, as God's children, to become like Christ. When we understand, obey and submit to the governmental authorities and ministries He has established within the church, we are protected and blessed. Concerning healing, we can have great confidence in our faith by calling the elders to pray for us when we are sick. It is a blessing by design given by our wonderful and faithful God. He is a God of His Word and He loves to fulfill His Word in our lives.
God bless and heal you,
Ross
(Note: I've written a companion article which can be found at http://thevictoriousovercomer.blogspot.com titled "God is Eager to Transform Your Life & Situation - Part 1").
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