Enforce Your Healing Rights

God made a lot of promises to His people in the Bible, but you'd have to agree that many Christians today are not living the blessed, abundant life that God promised. Why? First of all, it is not because God was lying, or that He chooses to bless some people over others. God doesn't want to see His people lead lives full of pain, suffering or misery. Christians are meant to be an example to the world about how great and wonderful God is.

One of the things God promised His people is health and healing. 

"Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases" Psalm 103:3

“So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days." Exodus 23:25-26

But, you may ask, why do I still get sick or have that painful symptom?

Your sickness/disease is NOT from God

Firstly, the world we live in is a fallen world, with pain, sickness, and disease. But it is extremely important for you to know and believe that God did not give you your sickness or disease. 

Some people believe that God made them sick as a kind of test or punishment. This is NOT true. God is not punishing you, because all your sins have already been forgiven. Jesus already bore all your sins on the cross. 

God said, 

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12

"Who forgives all your iniquities" Psalm 103:3

Nor is sickness a test from God to make you stronger or to teach you some lesson. When Jesus walked on earth, He didn't go around healing some people and giving others diseases to teach them something! He cured all the sick people who went to Him. And "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8. 

If you really believe sickness is some test to teach you something, would you then pray for your children or loved ones to be "blessed" with some teaching, too? Of course not! You wouldn't want your child to be sick, neither does your Heavenly Father want you to be sick.

So, why are Christians still suffering from sickness and disease?

I believe that one of the reasons is the lack of knowledge of their healing rights. God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6. 

God has promised us health in the Bible, but do we really believe it? And why must we believe it for it to take effect, can't we just be healed because God has promised it, and He's all powerful, so He should just heal us whether we believe it or not?

Sometimes miracles do happen and God steps in. But more often than not, we need to take some action, too. It's like we are hanging off the side of a cliff and God is reaching down to to rescue us. But we may also need to stretch our hand up for His hand to pull us up.

Here's a shopping analogy to help explain why you may need to take some action regarding your own healing:

You decide to become a member of a tennis club, and upon joining, you are given a membership brochure with information about the club, when and where they hold classes, and additional benefits of being a member.

The next day, you head out to the local sporting shop to buy some tennis equipment. You pay for the equipment, then leave. What you didn't know, though, was that members of the tennis club enjoy a 20% discount off all tennis equipment at that shop. The information was in the membership brochure, but you had not read it. As a result, you didn't inform the salesgirl you were a member, and you didn't receive your discount. The shop was willing to give you the discount, but because you did not speak up, you didn't benefit from it.

Healing can work the same way. You are a member of a club, ie. a Christian. Being a member entitles you to certain benefits given by God. But you also have to speak up and enforce your benefit ie. healing in order to receive it.

Why do things work this way?

Well, it doesn't always work this way. People can get healed without prayer. But it's better to pray bold prayers than not to take any action at all. If you are suffering from some sickness or are in pain, why not remind God of His promise that He will heal you? When you pray words like, "God, you said you are a God who heals all my diseases, so I know you have healed this disease/this pain of mine!", isn't this a bold and faithful statement of your trust in Him?