Joseph Prince - Your Healing Is His Priority (Excerpt)
You know friend, if healing is not that important, why would Jesus go around healing? Everywhere He went, He healed! He could have just gone around forgiving sins, right? He could have just said: "Your sins be forgiven you". But instead, He went around, the Bible says: "Healing every sickness and every disease among the people". The Lord Himself gave us an example. Everywhere He went. The Bible says: "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil". He went about doing good. And what is God's idea of doing good? Healing! "Healing all that were oppressed of the devil". Notice that sickness is an oppression from the devil. Not from God. Not something to teach us a lesson. Amen. "Healing all that were oppressed of the devil". Amen. God is the healer. Amen. God loves you. And God wants to heal you. Amen. Praise the name of Jesus. So healing is a priority with God. Praise the Lord.
By the way, even the man that Jesus pronounced: "Your sins be forgiven you". He went on to forgive and proceeded to heal the man. "Rise, take up your bed and walk". The man was healed. So the priority Jesus places on healing is demonstrated in His life everywhere He went. Now don't spiritualize that and say: "Oh, it means spiritual healing". Friend, when we are born again, we are not spiritually healed. Literally, we are recreated. We are regenerated. That's what being born again means. Amen. Now we need healing for our minds. We need healing for our emotions, healing for our bodies, that part needs healing. Amen. The part of our emotions, our minds from depression, Today, it is rampant. Mental depression and all that. God wants to heal you of that. Amen. And God wants to heal your body. Praise the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. So the more I think about it, the more I look at the Bible, I can’t go away from the fact that this is a priority in God's heart. And yet, we have neglected this.
Now let's look at John 5. "After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate. And by the Sheep Gate, there was a pool, which is called, in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In this lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water. Then whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had". Now, again, it's a picture of the law. Why? The law always demands for some strength on your part to execute an action. Amen. But we are bankrupt. We are spiritually bankrupt. We have no strength of our own.
The Bible says: "We are without strength. Christ came and died for us". Amen. But we are such creatures of laborious effort. We are always trying to be worthy enough, to be deserving enough to receive, to be holy enough to receive from God. It is always work, work, work, and we don't realize we cannot. And the idea of the law is: "Thou shall not, thou shall not". It puts back the whole thing on your strength. And God knew from the start when God gave the law that man cannot. So why did God give the law? "By the law is the knowledge of sin". Amen. The law is like a mirror. It is so true to the reflection, right? Of who you are. The mirror reflects, but if you see a blemish on your face. If you look at the mirror, you see the blemish, you can't use the mirror to wipe away the blemish. That's what the law is. Amen. God knew we cannot keep the law.
Now, back to this again. So the one who has the effort, who can step in after the angel stirs the water, right? It implies some effort. He's the one that gets healed. So how about the guy who is lame, paralyzed? He can't! While he's crawling, scooting his way to the water, someone else steps in. Which is the case here. The Bible says: "Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, Jesus said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir. I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. But while I am coming, another steps down before me.’" There you go. Amen. He is lame. He cannot even walk. Right? "Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed and walked. And that day was the Sabbath".
And notice what they said. The Jews saw him carrying his mat and they said: "Today is the Sabbath, how come you're carrying the mat"? He answered them: "He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk’". Notice the emphasis of the man who was healed was? "He who made me well". They asked him: "Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’". Their focus was on work. Their focus was not on the fact that he was healed! Now, which is supernatural, which is really something they will bring joy to your heart? To know that your body's healed? Or: "Take up your bed and walk". Amen. Which is the work that they are emphasizing. So it's a matter of perspective. For them, they looked at the man and they asked the question: "It is the Sabbath day. Why are you carrying your bed"? His answer was: "He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’"
And instead of seeing that He made him well. "Tell me who made you well". Right? "Come on. Tell me who made you well. I want to bring Him to see my aunt, who is flat on her back with this paralysis. Come, tell me! Who is the one that made you well? Tell me who is the man! I want to bring him to see my son. I want to bring him to see my daughter. Come on, tell me! Tell me who is this man". Instead of focusing on that, and there are people are like that today, they won't focus on the 10 people that are healed. They'll focus on someone who is not healed and start to berate the entire ministry. No, it's a matter of focus. Amen. They look at that and if they are focused on work, "No, no. You broke the Sabbath. You're carrying the bed. Who is the one that told you to carry your bed"? Instead of: "Who is the one that made you well"? And they could have been well as well before the day ends.
It reminds me of the time when One time, Jesus was in the synagogue. And there was a woman who was bowed down for 18 years, alright? That’s the number of the antichrist. 6 plus 6 plus 6 is 18. 18 is the number of bondage in the Bible. So He called her and the Bible says Jesus said to her: "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity". The very first face she saw was our Lord Jesus. His beautiful eyes of love looking at her. Amen. She was completely healed. 18 years of bondage completely healed! Just like the man that was healed from 38 years of disease. Look at this. Let’s follow the story now. "And He laid His hands on her and she was made straight and glorified God, but the ruler of the synagogue" Now, one of his church members just got healed. He should be really happy, isn't it? But look at this guy. "The ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath and he said to the crowd, ‘There are 6 days on which men ought to work. Therefore, come and be healed on them and not on the Sabbath day.’" Notice his emphasis. "There are 6 days on which men ought to work. Therefore come and be healed on them". For him: "Come and be healed when men are working".
In other words, he sees healing as man's work. A number of years ago, the Lord said this to me. When I read this passage, He says: "The biggest mistake those people made in the synagogue and the biggest mistake that My people are making today is to see healing as man's work". Just like this ruler of the synagogue. "Come on a day when man is working and be healed and not on the Sabbath. And Jesus answered, the Lord, answered him and said, ‘Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it?’" So to heal the sick is to water it, to water them, give them water. Amen. It's how the Lord sees it. "‘So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound (think of it) for 18 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?’" Notice both of them said "ought". But notice the ruler of the synagogue. His "ought".
Let's compare it. His "ought" is like this. "There are 6 days on which men ought to work". Jesus said: "So ought not this woman be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day". It is a matter of perspective. Amen. The Lord saw healing as a greater priority than keeping all your rules. Amen. He saw healing as a greater priority than trying to have a good impression on people. Amen. He sees the need more than the pride. Amen. Whereas for them, it is always the show. Amen. Even the ruler of the synagogue, one of his members just got healed. He should rejoice and invite Jesus back for more meetings. Right? "Men ought to work". Jesus says: "Ought not this woman be loosed". I love Jesus’ "ought". Don't you? Jesus' "ought" means: "How can you let her even remain one moment longer in this bondage"? Hallelujah.
Even right now, praise the name of Jesus. I love the fact that when God moves and confirms the word with signs and wonders. I'm seeing right now, someone being healed. Father, I declare your healing upon everyone that is tuning in right now, Lord. Whatever their ailment is, whatever their condition is, Child of God, just rest right now first. Just rest. You don't have to work. You don't have to pray. Let me pray for you. Okay? And it's not a time to be giving out. It is a time to take in. Take in. Amen. He wants you to receive. So rest. And sense His love for you. Know that He loves you. It's not a matter of: "I'm trying to believe that God loves me but He doesn't". No, God loves you! Amen. The Bible says: "We have known and believed the love that God has for us". So know that He loves you. Now in Jesus’ name, rest. Stop trying to believe. Amen. And just believe that He loves you and He's imparting to you healing right now.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pronounce your body healed, from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that pain right now, I rebuke that pain. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it will not return. And its root cause is now cursed to its roots. In Jesus' name, it shall not return. This affliction will not arise again in your body in Jesus' name. Be healed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Praise the Lord. Thank You, Lord. Oh, what a beautiful healing anointing. Thank You, Lord Jesus. The house of bread. House of bread. Healing is a children's bread. "Bless the Lord who forgives all my sins, who heals all my diseases". Amen. "Who satisfies your mouth with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles". Amen.