I've been thinking about making this post for a while now. In the future, I'll make more elaborate posts on barriers to healing, with explanations for each reason. But for now, let's look at a shorter outline.
Sometimes healing doesn't come, and I feel God wants us to receive a revelation as to why. If healing is God's will, then we need to accept that every block and obstacle to full healing has a reason and/ or root behind it. We need to realize that healing is God's reality. Good health is God's reality and His will for all of us--eventually.
He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you."
Here we can see many keys, or conditions, to healing. Remember that so many of God's promises are conditional. Health and healing is conditional! Blessings and healings may not rest on us if we are not meeting God's conditions. And three conditions are listed in the above verse:
Blockages to Healing:
1) Not listening to God's voice
2) Not doing what is right in God's sight
3) Not obeying God's commands and decrees
Now, if we do not walk in obedience, healing may not come! But God is so gracious--He allows us to come to repentance. He allows us to allow Him to make all things new. Repentance is the way that we close the door to sickness brought about by sin. If our sins are forgiven, then it should follow that our diseases are healed. As soon as God forgives us, He blots out the above three barriers. But if we do not repent, that will also become a blockage. The above three reasons can be summed up in one--we need to repent and be converted:
4) We are unrepentant
Some of the other reasons that healing may not manifest are more complex. Sometimes healing is a puzzle! Sometimes there's a web to undo. Like I said, I'll elaborate in a future post. I hope this shorter outline still gives insight and keys to healing that may have been overlooked:
5) We are harboring unforgiveness towards others
6) We are harboring unforgiveness towards God
These two reasons above require posts of themselves. Someday...hopefully soon!
7) We are under a generational curse
8) We are under a relational curse
9) We are under an internal (inner vow) curse
These curses relate to familiar spirits and/ or the words that we ourselves--or even those close to us--speak. Words are powerful! The above three reasons may be grouped together as different kinds of bitter roots. Thankfully, God's Word trumps all others. And in Jesus, any familial spirit of curse can be broken off and cast out.
10) We have not driven out a specific (bad) spirit
11) We have not driven out an oppressive demon
12) We have not driven out a possessive demon
More future posts here. I don't have that much experience with casting out demons, though I have been used by God for that a few times. Keep in mind that spirits and demons are different, and oppression is not the same as possession.
13) We are not coming to knowledge of the truth
14) God wants to teach us something
Now, the above two reasons are less serious--so they will probably lead to less serious affliction. I trust that God won't give me cancer just because He wants me to learn trust. That's not the god I know, nor is it a biblical portrayal of God. Nonetheless, Christians are still perishing for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
15) God is forming a testimony for the future
16) God has given us a thorn in the flesh
Like I said at the start of the post, it is God's will to heal us--eventually. He may want us to develop a testimony first. Remember that Paul said that he was in chains for the sake of the gospel. In the same way, God may wait to come in for our healing until just the right time. Affliction + character development + healing = Glory to God.
I want to be careful with this last reason. I never want to assume somebody has a physical thorn. Often Christians will refer to something as their thorn, when that is not at all the reason for their affliction. This last reason is probably the most uncommon one. Unfortunately, it's become a scapegoat for some different reason for sickness--like unrepentance, habitual sin, and so on. I only list it because it's in the Word. And more often than not, I think thorns are spiritual problems, not physical ones.
17) The person being prayed for doesn't have faith
Now, a person does not need perfect faith in order to be healed. Many people are very surprised after they realize they are healed--if they had perfect faith, that wouldn't be the case, as they would just be expecting it! So faith is not always a limiter. However, the less faith a person has, the harder it is to see them immediately healed. There are exceptions to this, but I feel that it's a good general rule. The faith of the person praying can overcome the unbelief of the person being prayed over. This is especially true if the one praying has the gift of faith--in that case, it's most likely the openness of the one receiving prayer that counts.
Sometimes healing doesn't come, and I feel God wants us to receive a revelation as to why. If healing is God's will, then we need to accept that every block and obstacle to full healing has a reason and/ or root behind it. We need to realize that healing is God's reality. Good health is God's reality and His will for all of us--eventually.
He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you."
Here we can see many keys, or conditions, to healing. Remember that so many of God's promises are conditional. Health and healing is conditional! Blessings and healings may not rest on us if we are not meeting God's conditions. And three conditions are listed in the above verse:
Blockages to Healing:
1) Not listening to God's voice
2) Not doing what is right in God's sight
3) Not obeying God's commands and decrees
Now, if we do not walk in obedience, healing may not come! But God is so gracious--He allows us to come to repentance. He allows us to allow Him to make all things new. Repentance is the way that we close the door to sickness brought about by sin. If our sins are forgiven, then it should follow that our diseases are healed. As soon as God forgives us, He blots out the above three barriers. But if we do not repent, that will also become a blockage. The above three reasons can be summed up in one--we need to repent and be converted:
4) We are unrepentant
Some of the other reasons that healing may not manifest are more complex. Sometimes healing is a puzzle! Sometimes there's a web to undo. Like I said, I'll elaborate in a future post. I hope this shorter outline still gives insight and keys to healing that may have been overlooked:
5) We are harboring unforgiveness towards others
6) We are harboring unforgiveness towards God
These two reasons above require posts of themselves. Someday...hopefully soon!
7) We are under a generational curse
8) We are under a relational curse
9) We are under an internal (inner vow) curse
These curses relate to familiar spirits and/ or the words that we ourselves--or even those close to us--speak. Words are powerful! The above three reasons may be grouped together as different kinds of bitter roots. Thankfully, God's Word trumps all others. And in Jesus, any familial spirit of curse can be broken off and cast out.
10) We have not driven out a specific (bad) spirit
11) We have not driven out an oppressive demon
12) We have not driven out a possessive demon
More future posts here. I don't have that much experience with casting out demons, though I have been used by God for that a few times. Keep in mind that spirits and demons are different, and oppression is not the same as possession.
13) We are not coming to knowledge of the truth
14) God wants to teach us something
Now, the above two reasons are less serious--so they will probably lead to less serious affliction. I trust that God won't give me cancer just because He wants me to learn trust. That's not the god I know, nor is it a biblical portrayal of God. Nonetheless, Christians are still perishing for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
15) God is forming a testimony for the future
16) God has given us a thorn in the flesh
Like I said at the start of the post, it is God's will to heal us--eventually. He may want us to develop a testimony first. Remember that Paul said that he was in chains for the sake of the gospel. In the same way, God may wait to come in for our healing until just the right time. Affliction + character development + healing = Glory to God.
I want to be careful with this last reason. I never want to assume somebody has a physical thorn. Often Christians will refer to something as their thorn, when that is not at all the reason for their affliction. This last reason is probably the most uncommon one. Unfortunately, it's become a scapegoat for some different reason for sickness--like unrepentance, habitual sin, and so on. I only list it because it's in the Word. And more often than not, I think thorns are spiritual problems, not physical ones.
17) The person being prayed for doesn't have faith
Now, a person does not need perfect faith in order to be healed. Many people are very surprised after they realize they are healed--if they had perfect faith, that wouldn't be the case, as they would just be expecting it! So faith is not always a limiter. However, the less faith a person has, the harder it is to see them immediately healed. There are exceptions to this, but I feel that it's a good general rule. The faith of the person praying can overcome the unbelief of the person being prayed over. This is especially true if the one praying has the gift of faith--in that case, it's most likely the openness of the one receiving prayer that counts.
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