And these signs will follow those that believe; In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; They will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
- Mark 16-18

The Horse Story

I remember very well the first time I prayed for someone else to be healed. Oh Lord! I almost get nervous thinking about it today! You know, the Lord made it a bit easier for me. The first creature I prayed for was not a person, but a horse.

A friend of mine called me and said: “Claude, I really don’t know what to do. One of our racehorses has a very bad infection. The doctors don’t know what to do anymore. Now they want to try acupuncture and some eastern methods!”

“What? Acupuncture?!” I exclaimed loudly.

“No way! Before you try something like that, I will come and pray for the horse!”

When I hung up the phone I thought to myself, “Are you stupid or what? Now you’ve put your foot in it! What if the horse doesn’t get healed? Is it even scriptural to pray for a horse? That was a really stupid idea.”

I went there anyway. I felt a bit embarrassed because there were quite a lot of people in the stable when I got there. The doctor just stood next to the horse as well. I lay my hands on the horse and prayed as the Spirit was leading that night. Nothing happened on the outside after the prayer. The horse still looked the same and the infection did not clear immediately.

The next day my friend called me on the phone all excited. He told me that the doctor had just informed him, that a miracle must have happened over night. The horse was all healthy and fine again!

Phew… can you imagine the relief on my side?! Hallelujah! Now I was really excited as well and full of joy that it really worked!!!

Does God Still Heal Today?

All of us believe that God can heal, right? I mean He is God almighty. Nobody ever doubts His healing power. Well, some say that God is not healing anymore today, because we have the Word now and that is enough. Why should He still perform miracles and heal people today?

Do you know people like that? Or others say that if you are sick, it is there for you to learn something. What they are saying basically is that God has sent the sickness so you can learn something from it. What a load of nonsense!

What I want you to realize today is not only that God still heals, but that He wants to use you to heal!

“What? Me?”

“Yes! You!”

God is not only using the great evangelists to heal the sick, but in His Great Commission He speaks about every single believer! So yes! Healing is in your hands!!! Did you know that? Isn’t that exciting to know that although you might only be a believer for a short while, that this is available to you today?

I love this verse in the bible where Jesus gives His Great Commission to the disciples and makes is very clear to them that….

And these signs will follow those that believe…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

So we have it black on white, right? Those that believe will lay hands on the sick and they will recover!

Step Out in Faith!

Maybe I was really ignorant to pray for a horse back then. But you know what, I was still ignorant and stupid enough to obey the Word of God and just do what it says… and hey… I might not have had the principles right and perhaps had more hope than real faith. The Lord still honored my step of faith and that I wanted to trust Him more then using eastern practices that I thought were occult!

Of course I know a bit more about healing these days and I know that God only works through faith! And sometimes it is not even your faith, but the faith that the person has who needs healing!

Your part is to just step out in faith and pray for the sick. It doesn’t take much to lay hands on somebody and pray for healing, does it? I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “But what if it doesn’t work?”

Well, this is not your problem, is it? You see, you are like the employee of a company. If the boss tells you to go out there and try out this new product, this new carpet cleaning solution. He wants you to brag about it and say that it cleans all the bad spots. You just go and do it, right? If it doesn’t work, then it’s not your name at stake. It’s the name of the company that is at stake! You are only an employee in the company.

It is the same with the Lord. When you step out in boldness and according to His Word and what He told you to do and you pray for somebody that is sick, it is not your name that is at stake here, right? When you pray, you do it in the name of Jesus and not in your own name. In His name and by His power people get healed. It is not by your power or in your name! So when you step out and do that, then it’s up to Him really, isn’t it?

Jesus is the Healer!

You must come to realize that Jesus is the healer. You are just the vessel. If there is person you believe the Lord wants to heal and you pray for this person, then you are just the vessel. Jesus is the healer and through His power people get healed.

Remember when John and Peter prayed for the lame man that was at the gate and he got healed and got up? Peter looked at him and said: Gold and silver have I not, but what I have I will give to you. In the Name of Jesus stand up and walk!

Peter healed him in the name of Jesus. Even later, when they were accused for the healing that had taken place. Peter said: “Why are you looking at us? It was Jesus Christ of Nazareth who healed this man!”

You must be clear on this. It is never your power. You cannot heal in your own name. It is in the name that is above all names and it is in HIS power that people get healed. In the name of Jesus Christ! Jesus is indeed the healer. You are just His vessel.

Doesn’t that take the pressure off? Doesn’t that make you feel better about stepping out and healing other people in the name of Jesus? When you accepted Jesus Christ into your life and were born again, Jesus started living within you and when you pray for somebody for healing, it is Jesus within you that has the power. When you lay your hands on somebody, He lays his hands on this person.

For Jesus is not physically on the earth anymore. He is sitting on the right side of the Father in Heaven. So He has sent His Holy Spirit to come to live within you. So you are His hands on this earth and you are his feet! Do you understand what this means?

Answers:

1. Is the following sentence true or false?
False - This is a teaching called dispensationlism and the people that believe this basically say that the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased to work when the Apostles died. They teach that we have the Bible today and we therefore do not need miracles any longer.

2. Is the Lord still healing people today?
a) Yes, he is still healing people today and he wants to use you for that!

3. In what Name do you pray for sick people?
b) Pray in the Name of Jesus!

4. What is the ingredient needed for healing?
b) God only responds to faith, which is the ingredient that he works with!