Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Matthew 24:35

I believe in divine healing even though I still have pain in my body. I first learned about divine healing experientially. Members of my family were healed because someone prayed.  But experience isn’t the same as biblical doctrine. While living in Tulsa, I encountered the Word of Faith teachings of Kenneth Hagin, Bob Yandian, Billy Joe Daugherty, Richard Roberts and more. It was new to me; I had never in all my years of attending church, heard this message of healing. Since I needed healing, I gravitated towards it.

Having been healed instantly on occasion and not having been healed instantly led to many questions and I began digging deeper, which is also the purpose of this blog. Is healing really for today? Is it really for everyone? What happens when the healing doesn’t come?  The Word of Faith movement has quick answers for these questions and maybe they are spot on. Maybe they aren’t. The WOF movement has received much criticism and much praise. Neither of which makes it right or wrong. I personally know people who have been hurt by this teaching when faith didn’t produce the results they were after. And I know others who have dismissed the whole thing because of a healing that didn’t come. That, however, strikes me as throwing the baby out with the bathwater because I also know people who have been healed by this.

Have some people gone off the deep end with this? Probably. Have some misused it? No doubt. But do those things make the underlying truths false? I don’t think so.

When we build our doctrine on our experiences (or lack of experiences) or build it simply on the message preached by some or dismissed by some, we are in danger of rejecting truth. The very truth we may need to turn our lives around.

My doctrine needs to be based on the Word of God. Period.  Did God say it? Then it must be so. If I don’t understand something about God’s Word, the place to go is to other parts of the Bible and let it lead me into a better understanding. The Helper I need is the Holy Spirit who is available to help me understand truth. Listening to preachers and teachers is good and has its place, but it cannot take the place of doing our own homework and building our faith on what God teaches.

Let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater; let’s examine scriptures and build our faith on what God says and find our healing in His Word.

Lord Jesus, sometimes the questions demand answers, answers I just don’t have, answers You have chosen not to give me. I know, by reading Your Word, that You are my healer God and that nothing is too difficult for You. With You all things are possible, even my healing. Thank You for standing by Your Word, for establishing Your Word in my heart and giving me the Helper to lead me into all truth. Where my doctrine is off, would You lead me into Your truth? In Your name, I pray, Amen.

I would love to hear from you. Please let me know if I can be praying for you as well.

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