Healing and Deliverance

Today, I want to discuss healing, particularly deliverance verses healing. Our healing isn’t simply from something or an event or a trauma, it’s a life-long process of growth and change that keeps us in position to live our best and blessed life. 

I remember attending a church service one day and after the service, people were invited to come down to the alter to receive prayer for deliverance. There must have been at least 100 people who responded. One by one, they were prayed over and delivered from their various afflictions and conditions. it was a sight to see.

As I watched individual after individual come up and receive prayer for their deliverance, the Lord spoke to me in a quiet voice and said, “Now the healing begins.” That was it, nothing more but, “Now the healing begins.” That experience, hearing God’s voice, and years of working with individuals who were “delivered” only to be later frustrated because their healing hadn’t manifested, caused me to search for deeper understanding of what God meant by, “Now the healing begins.”

Maybe you or someone you know has had this experience. You’ve prayed and prayed for deliverance, believing in God’s word: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7), but the healing didn’t manifest. Maybe you’ve prayed for healing and you’ve grown frustrated because it seems like God hasn’t heard your prayers or your deliverance wasn’t real. You are not alone. 

The power of faith and the promises of God are our hope in Christ. Our trust in God is because He is faithful, His word will not come back void, His promises are Yes and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20). We are not crazy for believing that God will do what He said He would do, but when we apply the principles of deliverance and healing from the bible, the word of God comes alive and we are able to manifest the will of God for our lives.

Whether it’s healing from trauma or overcoming loss or grief, once we apply the principles of deliverance and healing, everything changes. Haven’t you noticed that the enemy attacks you the hardest between deliverance and the manifestation of God’s promise? Haven’t you noticed that our faith is never more challenged, we are never more frustrated and feeling unheard than we are waiting on God for our manifestation?

It’s hard to feel like a thriver when you feel like God isn’t listening or He’s turned His back on us. The thriver mindset, remember, is not our condition but our position. Our position is our truth, our immovable truth, that informs our condition. To thrive in the midst of the storm, the battle or the wait, we have to understand the principles of deliverance and healing. Let’s walk through the bible and look at a powerful analogy that will help us to understand the principles of deliverance and healing.

Do you remember the story about Lazarus? The story of Lazarus provides us with insight and clarity about deliverance and healing. The bible tells us that Lazarus’ family told Jesus, “The one you love is sick” (John 11:3). After some days had passed, Lazarus had “died” and when Lazarus’ family told Jesus, Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up” (John 11:11). Stay with me…

The death of Lazarus symbolizes our afflictions and God’s plans for us. They aren’t permanent, their temporary. It’s not over, it’s temporary. The enemy won’t win, God will get the glory for our story. What’s interesting about Lazarus’ story and so true of our own, is that none of Lazarus’ family believed, they had given up hope that Lazarus could be delivered from his grave. When Jesus recognized their unbelief, He said to them, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Now remember, no one believed who was above ground — i.e. Lazarus’ family, but Jesus said belief was the key to Lazarus being delivered. Now, if Lazarus’ family didn’t believe but Jesus said belief was required and always is (John 15:7), that only leaves one person who could have been believing for his deliverance — while in his grave, Lazarus!

Then the bible tells us that Jesus went to Lazarus’ grave and called Lazarus by name: “Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man [Lazarus] came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face” (John 11:43). This is the principle of deliverance. Belief in God for a release — while we’re in the storm, buried beneath the problem and before our healing begins. After Lazarus was delivered, he was still bound — “his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.” He had on the residue from his grave experience. What’s my point?

Deliverance is instant but healing requires us to remove the residue from our experience, which is to do the physical work that healing requires including seeking help for what we don’t know how to do, walking by faith and fighting for manifestation — like Jacob did (Genesis 32:22-32). After Lazarus was delivered, Jesus told the people standing around: “Take off the grave clothes and let him go” (John 11:44). That’s the principle of healing. After deliverance, we still have to do the healing work to remove of our grave clothes — the mental and emotional garments from the past, the residual effect of our experience, the impact of our trauma. Deliverance is instant but healing is what follows and takes time and work, and can also require help from others — as Lazarus’ did.

Walking in our healing is ongoing, it’s never ending, and requires a thrivers mindset – trust and belief in the truth. We’re continually coming out of old things, contrary thoughts, history hurts, traumatized emptions to go to our next level. The key to both our deliverance and our healing is our thriver position. Lazarus believed from the grave, and because of his position — belief, He heard Jesus call him by name for his deliverance. After Lazarus was delivered, his history, his past, had to be removed so that he could walk in his deliverance — healing. 

Based on the story of Lazarus, and the principle of deliverance and healing, let’s use today’s Thriver Challenge below to get loosed to walk in our healing.  

Patrick