Hear and Be Healed
Come to Hear, Not Just Be Healed
Luke 5:15:
But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
Luke 6:17-19:
And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases.
And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
In both of these passages, we read that people came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. If you want to be healed, it is important that you hear the Word of God. Do not simply run from one healing crusade to another, trying to get healed through “gifts of healings” in operation.
It shows a bad attitude to attend a healing crusade and nod off while the minister is preaching God’s Word on the subject of healing. You have already missed it if you think, “Come on, preacher, let’s get to the good stuff – lay hands on the sick!” You can get healed 100% of the time by simply believing God’s Word. You are not guaranteed to be healed through the gifts of the Spirit 100% of the time. If you are unwilling to be in faith when hands are laid on you, you should save the wear and tear on your car and your time and not bother attending. It is hearing the Word that produces faith. If you will not listen, no faith will rise in you. If you will hear God’s Word, faith will rise in you and you will be in a position to receive your healing.
Remember Psalm 107:17-20! God sent His Word and healed them. His Word can heal you, too. To ignore the Word is to ignore God’s primary avenue of healing for the believer. Hear and be healed!
Plant God’s Seed in Your Heart
Jesus told a parable about different people who heard the Word of God. The seed was the same in each case. The ground it was planted in determined the harvest. After telling the parable, Jesus made a very strong statement about hearing and not hearing the Word, and the results of each. You can read the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:2-25. The last verse says, “For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.” That verse is puzzling if you don’t read it in the context of the previous verses. In context, it is crystal clear. Things will be given to him who has ears to hear. From him that does not have ears to hear, even what he has will be taken away. If you hear the Word, you will receive things from God. If you refuse to hear the Word, you will not only fail to receive from the Lord, but you will lose things you already have. Hence the importance of continually hearing the Word, not just hearing it once and then saying, “Yeah, I heard that already.”
It is difficult to preach healing to people who have a “Yeah, I heard that already” mentality. If they really know that healing is theirs, why do they get picked off by every two-bit virus that comes along, just like the rest of the world? If we really know we’re healed, we won’t get sick even when everyone else does. We will stand out from the world. You cannot convince anyone you know that healing is yours until you start walking in it. Faith comes by hearing the Word, not by having heard it once.
Beware of Offenses
You might as well be forewarned – you will not be popular with a lot of churchgoers if you start believing God’s Word about healing. Some people will call you a cult member, others will say that Satan is the one who healed you, and still others will actively try to talk you out of your healing and defend to the death their own right to stay sick. Jesus warned that Satan will come to try to steal the Word from you. The anti-healing books on the market today are tools he uses for this. Jesus warned that there would be persecutions for the sake of the gospel. You must not cave in when people belittle you for your stand for God’s Word.
Replies to common objections are included in this book so that you won’t be scared off by something that someone writes against divine healing.
When to Plant Seed
God’s Word is His seed. Plant it in your heart and it will grow. By planting healing Scriptures in your heart, you are planting for a healing harvest down the road. It may not come overnight, but it will come if you are consistent about hearing the Word.
Don’t do what most people do. They wait until they get sick to start paying attention to healing Scriptures. When you are sick, you often don’t feel like reading healing Scriptures. You just want to lie in bed and moan. It is harder to concentrate on what you’re reading.
If you wait until you are sick to read healing Scriptures, you are like a farmer who suddenly realizes that he has two days’ worth of food left in his house and says, “Honey, we’ve got to plant some seed now, quick! We need a harvest in two days so we can eat!” It’s a little late then, isn’t it?
I am not suggesting that you dwell only on healing Scriptures. If you want a better marriage, more money, a better love walk, or to walk in greater victory over sin, there are other topics you will have to read in the Bible. Reading healing Scriptures will not give you faith for these other things. Reading healing Scriptures gives you faith for healing. You don’t plant corn and reap tomatoes.
Keep Your Ears Open
Do you have ears to hear? Continue to hear the Word. You are God’s husbandry [farm] (1 Corinthians 3:9). Let God’s Word grow inside you to produce a harvest of healing!