Restoration Road Ministry.org

The faith to make you well that we will be discussing here is not the depictions you may have seen from a televangelist performing sensationalized healings while bringing attention to him or herself; nor from praying the Rosary, or to Mary, or any of the Saints, in whom all lack the power and authority behind their name; nor is the faith to make you well intermixed with seeking treatment from the practice of medicine, pharmacy, or any of the other spiritualized forms of healing arts that are available, regardless of their origin.

What we hope to instill is a clear distinction that lies between exercising the faith to make you well from that which subverts God’s power and authority over our life through the power of another. And while there are a variety of medical arts to choose from, each promising to heal your ailment or at least minimize the physical or mental impact thereof, the fact remains that these have a spiritual nature attached to each one of them, from our biblical point of view, just as you would expect of those healings stemming from Jesus Christ. However, spiritual agreements with demonic powers are being made each time these practicing arts are being chosen over exercising faith to trust God to heal. Instead of finding healing through faith alone, agreements to receive spiritualized healing through these medical arts introduce open doors for spiritual attacks through demonization, which only produces more suffering to the individual through demonic entanglement. Why? Because our trust is now placed in something other than Jesus Christ, and if not of him, then doors are opened to the demonic, which will offer a counterfeit healing instead of the real thing. These spiritual attacks may not look like the original ailments for which you originally sought out treatment, but may yield other manifestations of illness or produce any number of sins in our life as a consequence, and which will torment us until corrected and renounced. Why? Because if we deny Jesus Christ’s authority over our life according to God’s plan, and/or we put our faith in something other than Jesus Christ, we will be battling against a spiritual consequence of following another spirit other than his Holy Spirit.

While this undoubtedly will encounter some pushback from those who have and continue to utilize and benefit from these practicing arts, the concern and caution we are trying to expose is the deception that our enemy, the deceiver, is using to lead God’s people to something other than God to heal them, which is consistent with Satan’s nature according to scripture.

We recognize that this topic may require a deeper look at ourselves in order to uncover why we choose to surrender to a medical provider more easily than we do unto our heavenly Father, regardless of the outcome. This is not to minimize any pain, suffering, or loss, but to gather those who have fallen for the trap that the deceiver has used through physical weaknesses and fleshly desires to pull them away from God’s plan for them on the narrow and hard path they should be walking, acknowledging that we are all susceptible to being deceived and therefore led astray. In fact the foundational reason behind this ministry’s platform is to expose Satan’s tricks and for us to be restored unto our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through our faithfulness and obedience to him alone.

The point here is use scripture to accurately direct our lives by following its teaching, which will require a much different walk than those who choose to remain in the world. Through biblical teaching and instruction we must avoid arguments to remain in sin because we haven’t applied God’s word faithfully into our lives because of its difficulty. Most assuredly many will attempt to justify their sinfulness rather than change, or become stuck due to unanswerable questions. But, if we remain focused on the heart of scripture we should see that our lives are not our own, and that we should be a living sacrifice unto God and treat our bodies as the holy temple we have been instructed to care for. But do not assume we are contradicting ourselves with this statement, as we are implying good stewarding of what God has already provided through seeking only what God created for our consumption, while avoiding anything that would have been defiled. We must accept that God is a jealous God, and that we are to seek him in word and deed, as well as through worship and prayer.

For some this form of faith will be outside of their present spiritual understanding or their willingness to follow because of fleshly disobedience and/or the impulse of self-preservation to minimize suffering. And we recognize that we are all at different places on our spiritual journey and therefore may or may not comprehend the depth of love our Father has for us, and how he longs for us to seek him above anything else for our hopes, cares, and needs.

However, with that said, we hope that this topic produces self-reflection, spiritual awareness, and a new found faith to live out our personal testimony, in our daily walk in a fallen world in which we live; and with our faith, to bear witness that God is the ultimate authority over our life and is in total control, regardless of the outcome he has planned for us. Through this we are giving him glory with our obedience, worship, and prayer as we allow him to rule over us, rather than subverting his power through the adoption of another spirit that operates in contradiction to his own. After all, the spiritual warfare we are shedding light upon has to do with who we will give our loyalty, and in whom we will place our trust and faith, which plays out with every life decision we will make as we navigate the challenges we all face during our lifetime.

As we proceed, let us look at Jesus’ earthly ministry more closely to uncover how faith has the ability to heal in the following verses. Recognizing how faith, surrender, and forgiveness play out as prerequisites before any healing occurs, which first requires our humility. Recall that God and Satan cannot coexist in the same house, as it is written “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand” (Matthew 12:25, ESV, 2001, Crossway). Therefore we must purge what has been allowed to enter that is not of God, by emptying our cup and letting go before we can expect to receive God’s portion of healing, life, and restoration of both the physical and more importantly the spiritual relationship we hope to receive.

To begin, Jesus says to his disciples, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:22-25).

Jesus says to the disciples, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:21-22).

Notice that Jesus is instructing his disciples, which also include us, to exhibit faith in God without doubt, and that whatever you ask through prayer to believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Faith is followed by forgiving others, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you of your trespasses. We believe that God is requiring a proper heart posture of humility, surrender, and forgiveness before receiving anything from him that would also align with his plan for our life. So, it is important to take away from this that God may use our suffering to fulfill his plan, if that is what he chooses, and if we are to receive healing we must possess the right heart attitude in order to receive it.

Second, let us examine the following story. “There was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, “Who touched me?” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mark 5:25-34).

In this story, this woman was dealing with abnormal bleeding for twelve years and had spent all her money on physicians to find a cure, but instead they made it worse. This is a common issue with people placing their finances and hope in the medical system to cure disease. Oftentimes they only end up financially drained and still remain with the same ailment that is only masked with a prescription or temporizing treatments rather than resolved from true healing. But, if we look closer at this woman’s level of faith, it becomes clear that she knew she would be healed, if she only touched Jesus’ garment. This new mindset no doubt took at least twelve years for her to develop, as she came to recognize that healing would not, and could not come from the hands of men, even if it came from a trained physician. And as soon as she adopted her new spiritual understanding, she then exercised the necessary step to be healed by placing her faith in Jesus alone.

Third, “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank in the sea and drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid” (Mark 5:1-15).

This story is about a man who was demonized by an army of demonic spirits equaling at least two-thousand, which entered the pigs before they were drowned. Notice the strength that the demonized man had and the signs of self-harm that occurred. These are visible signs of spiritual warfare at play, that could easily just be viewed as mental illness through a medical paradigm that denies a creator and the spiritual; yet without a spiritual intervention there would not have been any freedom from the bondage to the demonic. It was Jesus that held the power and authority, and the Legion knew who Jesus was and what he was capable of doing to them. Once Jesus delivered the demonized man from captivity to his captors, he was set free with a clear mind. Notice that the satanic was purged from him before restoration and healing of his spirit occurred.

Fourth, “And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose” (Mark 9:14-27).

The same story told in the book of Matthew, recounts that after “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “‘Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them, “‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:18-20).

In this story, we should recognize that the boy is possessed by a spirit which is producing medical symptoms consistent with seizures. Here, it is the father who is exhibiting faith unto Jesus to heal his son who is held captive by a demonic spirit, yet the apostles were unable to cast out from him because of “their little faith.”Consequently, Jesus admonishes them as a faithless generation, saying that “all things are possible for one who believes.” And subsequently, Jesus “rebuked the unclean spirit” and it departed from the boy after producing a final torment to him before letting go, and thereby allowing a restored spirit and healed body to manifest.

Fifth, Jesus returned to his hometown, and the residents said, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:1-6).

We should recognize that Jesus was not received in his hometown, as he had been elsewhere, as the “Messiah.” Except to heal a few sick people, his time spent there had little effect on those he encountered, because of their unbelief. But to whom is Jesus referring in this statement? He appears to be warning those who should know him best, whether those in his hometown, or those within his own family who had chosen to follow him as their Shepherd. He is also instructing us, his spiritual family, to not live out our faith walk in disbelief by neglecting to observe his power and authority to rule and also heal us from every area of evil that takes hold through our sinful existence in this dark world.

Sixth, ‘Now in Jerusalem, a place called Bethesda, laid a multitude of invalids–blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he has already been there a long time, he said him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked” (John 5:2-9)

There are a few things to point out in this story for our spiritual understanding and application. Firstly, that this man had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, so this had become a lifelong pattern to which he had become accustomed and for which he sought out healing. Yet he was making excuses for his inability to be healed, by blaming his outcome on others, instead of taking personal responsibility to ensure that a healing opportunity would occur in the future by moving closer to the healing water he was seeking. Secondly, Jesus asked him a very direct question, “Do you want to be healed?” After thirty-eight years, this man had become accustomed to his daily experience and outcome, thereby cultivating a relationship with the physical/spiritual ailment which had become part of who he was. It appears clear that this question can apply to us as well, whether we desire to remain as we have been, in our coexistence with sin, while making excuses for our unhealed outcome, or whether we take responsibility to move closer to the source of our healing, by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and allowing him to purge what is defiled and to restore what is broken.

Seventh, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:13-20).

Here we are provided detailed and specific instructions for our faithful walk with the Lord, beginning with a question that we are to ask ourselves, followed by what we are to do in response. If suffering, then to pray; if cheerful, then to sing; if sick, then to let elders pray over you and be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord. And a promise is provided when we do, that “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven, if we confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we be healed.” We have a personal responsibility to engage in the healing process we hope to experience, through acknowledging our own sinfulness honestly, through humility in the face of God and other followers of Jesus Christ, and through surrendering a heart that is seeking to be healed by purging every demonic spirit that seeks to make us unwell.

Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

We hope this discussion has shed light on the spiritual warfare we are all battling in our fleshly form, by exposing the deceptions our enemy uses to enslave us through bondage and torment, resulting in a life unfulfilled because of our focus on disease. We firmly believe that our ailments stem from agreements made with the demonic, whether intentional or not, and our only hope in finding freedom is through the healing offered by our faith in Jesus Christ alone.

In Christ.