3 Practical Steps to Healing the Sick
I want to delve into the practical side of moving in this healing power.
Whether I am with one person or in front of a large crowd, I go through the same steps:
I connect with Jehovah-Rapha.
I place my feet on the solid and legal foundation of Isaiah 53.
I remember my mission to bring the Kingdom of Heaven with demonstrations of power.
I activate my faith.
I depend on the Holy Spirit to lead me.
When we connect with different healing ministries, we receive different tools that God wants to give us to use. The tools are different, and we need to discern and use the right tool, the right revelation, at the right time. That way, we build up our spiritual toolbox.
Then when we are in a healing meeting or praying for the sick, we can ask the Holy Spirit which tool to use. The Holy Spirit knows when we need a hammer or a saw or a screwdriver. There are many Holy Spirit tools that we see used in the Bible and through modern-day men and women of God. Jesus taught us many tools through His example. I personally have been developing my toolbox for many years, and I am familiar with these tools. I know when to use them, but even more so, the Holy Spirit knows exactly what is needed in each circumstance. This is why we need to be led by the Holy Spirit.
When I begin a healing meeting, I greet the people and connect with them briefly. Then I directly invite the Holy Spirit and connect with what He wants to do. The time is short, so I don’t spend hours promoting books or advertising my ministry. If I am invited to lead a healing meeting, I want to spend the time I have healing the sick. I connect with the Holy Spirit and give Him the leadership over the meeting.
When we honor Him as the Boss of whatever we are doing, He will give us success and fruit in our work. Fruit gives God glory. Some people think fruit of the Holy Spirit brings pride, but that is not true if we give the glory back to God for whatever He does. Jesus said, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” (John 15:8 NLT). The fruit of a healing meeting is that people are healed.
The way I connect with the Holy Spirit is by praying and submitting my will to Him. This is usually silently, between me and God, not out loud. I prepare for the meetings and have teachings and plans ready, but I submit them all to God. I give the Holy Spirit permission to change the direction and do whatever He wants to do. We can think of this like a train. The Holy Spirit is the locomotive, and we are the train cars, being pulled and led by Him, moving together. Like the train wagons, we carry good things that are needed. I bring what I have to the people.
Sometimes, the meetings feel like being connected to an older locomotive working hard to get up a hill, but it is still a powerful engine. He will surely bring us on a journey of glory even at times when there is a more difficult start. Meetings can feel harder if the worship doesn’t feel as deep or the atmosphere is heavy.
No matter what we encounter in the meetings, our preparation time beforehand—praying and spending time in God’s presence—will bring the breakthrough that shifts any atmosphere. He will show us what to do, how to do it, and which tools to use. We need that time of praying, fasting, and sharpening our spirits. As I pray beforehand, the Holy Spirit gives me creative ways to minister. He shows me things that I will use during the service. It doesn’t always happen as I prepared, but many times it does. Other times He changes direction, and we should always be ready to move with Him.
Point of Contact
I had the privilege to spend time with Dr. Oral Roberts who taught me one of the most important revelations about healing ministry—the point of contact. I encourage you to study his material on this spiritual reality. The point of contact is something that God uses to bring a connection between the spiritual and the physical. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit; He is God, and He is a Person, but He is a Spirit. Humans are flesh and spirit beings. When we pray for the sick, we need to have a connection between the spiritual realm and the person who is sick in the physical realm.
Since God is a Spirit, we can’t see Him with our physical eyes or interact with Him like we would with a human being right in front of us. If we are sick, we can’t take a trip to Heaven and present our medical situation the same way we would go to a doctor’s office. So how do we reach God? We need the point of contact, a tangible touchpoint that releases our faith and brings the connection between our limited selves and our limitless God. The point of contact stabilizes us and raises our expectations. It is like the ignition on your car, when you turn the key or press the button, you expect something to happen. In the same way, when we take an action step of faith, God will move.
In Matthew 8:5-13, we read about the Roman centurion who had great faith. His servant was very sick, so he asked Jesus to heal him. Jesus asked the centurion if He should come and heal him:
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it” (Matthew 8:8-9 NLT).
Jesus was amazed at his faith and the servant was healed that very hour. It is this living, unquestioning, unshakable, simple, and child-like faith that we must have. This faith simply believes God is honest and true and that He sends His power to accomplish all that faith requires. The point of contact for this centurion was the word of Jesus who had all power in Heaven and earth. The moment Jesus spoke, the centurion released his faith, and his servant was healed. This is an essential key in healing ministry.
Laying Hands on the Sick
One very effective point of contact is laying hands on the sick. I use this very often when I pray. Human hands cannot heal, but they can be a point of contact for healing. The laying on of hands is one of the best expressions of the Christian faith. It is theological, and it is a promise of God. It is listed as a “basic teaching” in Hebrews 6:2. It is also referenced here as a sign of being a believer:
These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed (Mark 16:17-18 NLT).
Every time we have the opportunity to lay hands on the sick, we should do this. When we are in meetings with thousands of people, we can’t personally lay hands on everyone. I bring prayer ministry teams with me and partner with the local churches so that we can have teams of people praying and laying hands on the sick. I also like to minister side by side with other healing ministers. Then we can flow and work together. We will each receive different things from the Lord. The Bible talks about one putting a thousand to flight and two putting ten thousand to flight (see Deuteronomy 32:30). Unity brings multiplication, not just addition. This is the same when we work together in a healing meeting, there is multiplication of impact.
I train ministry teams to have compassion, especially for those who are not healed yet. When we have healing meetings, I ask the team to welcome people with love and compassion right from the parking lot to the entrance, and into the meeting and ministry time. We need to remember that many coming are sick and suffering, in need of a miracle. When people are in pain, they might not be the nicest people; but if we consider this, we can be sure to treat them with kindness no matter how they treat us. If someone pushes their way into the front of the meeting and doesn’t respect the rules of the ushers, gently and kindly help them find a seat. If they are rude, just keep smiling and praying for God to heal them. Your love and kindness will help prepare them to receive their miracle.
God also heals people during the worship with or without anyone praying. I announce this in our healing meetings and encourage people to expect God to heal them. During worship, we need to be very sensitive and give people space to worship God on their own. They might not want anyone to come talk to them or pray for them in that time. If you do see someone looking around or not engaged, there could be an opportunity to go and pray. In general, though, I train ministry teams to be sensitive and Spirit-led.
Laying hands on the sick is very important because it is not our hands, it is Jesus’s hand touching them through us. We are Jesus’s hands and feet on the earth. When the Holy Spirit fills us, our whole lives, and our physical bodies, are used to represent Jesus and minister on His behalf. When we touch sick people, it is beautiful; we are a point of contact so that Jesus who is sitting on His throne can come and touch them on earth.
I often feel like my heart and compassion are in my hands when I touch someone who is suffering. I can feel God’s heart for them, and my faith rises that He will heal them. When Jesus truly touches someone, they will never be the same again. I encourage everyone to go close to the people you are ministering to. Don’t keep at a distance. Even at big meetings, I love to go and walk through the crowd.
Jesus loves to be among the people. He is Emmanuel, “God with us.” If God promotes you in ministry, do not let the enemy deceive you with a religious spirit like the Pharisees who thought they were better than the other people. We are all children of God, brothers and sisters: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NLT). Jesus loved and embraced people. If we have Jesus living in us, we will do the same thing. I’ve seen some of the most powerful healings when people embrace one another. Sadly, we do have to be careful with all the perversion in our world. Use sensitivity in who you embrace and in what context.
Laying hands on the sick is also an act of compassion. Jesus touched lepers and they became clean. In the Old Testament, people who touched lepers became unclean, but Jesus changed this, and His purity and power made them clean. When we meet people who are dirty or have an odor, remember the compassion and love Jesus demonstrated. Even in science, it is proven that hugging and loving touch impacts us deeply. If babies are not touched, they will die. Many people have not been touched or cared for in a long time or they have been abused and touched in the wrong way. God wants to heal every broken heart. Embracing and loving people purely brings healing. Therefore, I encourage everyone to be the hands and feet of Jesus, not just with words, but by laying hands on the sick and embracing the hurting with compassion.
Simply touching people demonstrates love and compassion, but if we want to see them supernaturally healed, we need to take a step further. We need to connect to the power of God and let the Holy Spirit flow through us. We see this in the story of the woman who had an issue with bleeding. Jesus was in a crowd of people, surely with many touching Him, but when she touched Him with faith for her healing, He felt power come out of Him (see Luke 8:43-48). This is a model for what we will experience.
I usually feel the power, although not every time. I can also see if the people are receiving from God or not by how they react when I am praying for them. We need to develop a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and know when it is flowing or not. The power feels like heat or tingling sensation. When the person I pray for is receiving, I can see their facial expression change, or sometimes they will have a physical reaction, moving or shaking or even falling under the power of God. The ministry time and praying for the sick is so important. I would rather preach for a shorter time and give more space and time for ministering to the sick. When you have ministry teams, you can reach more people one on one. Again, when we work together, we will have a much greater impact.
Ideally, I pray for someone until I am sure the healing power has been released. If I don’t feel anything, I continue to pray for the person. I stand on the truth that when the Gospel is preached, God will confirm it with signs and power. I stay in a position of faith. As I pray, I will start to feel joy. This is God’s joy and pleasure, and it is a fruit of the Spirit. When I feel this joy, it usually means I’ve done what I needed to do in that prayer for the person. Other times I talk with the person and ask if they are feeling anything. I ask them to check and move and do something they couldn’t do.
Taking a Step of Faith
When Jesus prayed for a man with a crippled arm, He asked the man to stretch out his hand (see Matthew 12:13). When the sick person takes a step of faith and obedience, this often releases healing. It is important to check with the person and see what God is doing. If you are in a large meeting praying for hundreds of people, you can ask the people corporately for everyone to check their bodies and see what God is doing.
When people are sick, especially if they have been sick for a long time, they can be stuck in a box. We need to help them get out of that box. They can become so used to being sick that it becomes part of their mentality. I don’t say this as a judgment, I say it with great compassion. Some people have been to many healing meetings and received prayer but didn’t get healed yet. I never judge or accuse people; I just want to help them get free. Sickness is not from God; it is from the devil, who wants to keep people in the box of sickness, bound. We are called and anointed to set people free.
When we ask people to test their condition and try to do something they couldn’t do before, this helps them get out of that box. Healing is not always instantaneous. It can be as a battle, where we need to help the person fight. As they move and test, even if they are a little bit better, their faith increases for God to do more. We pray again and continue to release more power from the Holy Spirit. We can’t do anything in our own strength. It is by the Holy Spirit. Whether something is happening or not, we pray for the person again. A good example of this healing process is when Jesus prayed for a blind man in Mark 8:22-26. After the first prayer, he saw a little bit, but not clearly. Jesus prayed again, and he was totally healed. The Greek word for healing is therapeo, which is the root of the English word therapy.
Sometimes there is an instant healing, which I would call a miracle, but most of the time, it is a process where Jesus does therapy through the Holy Spirit. A physical therapist performs therapy on your injury, and after 30 minutes of exercises, stretches, and treatments, the patient can already feel better. Other times people need to have physical therapy twice or ten times until they are completely recovered. It is the same with the Lord. Sometimes there is an instant healing. I expect and pray for this because God is a “now” God, not a tomorrow God. But at the same time, I discovered this Kingdom principle through the word therapeo, that healing is like a therapy of the Lord.
In this therapy, He touches our character and our life, not just our body. God does not send sickness to teach us, but He uses the way He brings healing to us to change our life and make us more like Jesus. I believe that in every healing service, a seed is released. Through the Holy Spirit, the seed will grow. This can happen instantly or over time. The devil will try to steal the seed that is released, but we can’t let him have any of these seeds.
We also need to be sensitive to whomever we are praying for. If they don’t get healed, we can bless them and pray that God will continue to touch them. We are learning and growing. God will help us and will minister to the people. They are not our guinea pigs or trophies for our collection. Each person we pray for is a child of God. We need to really remember they are people and pray for them with love and compassion.
If we pray with respect and kindness, they will still feel loved by God even if the result is not immediate healing. Some people do get healed instantly; others receive a seed of faith that will result in a future healing, if they don’t allow unbelief to enter. If someone is not healed, encourage the person to keep praying and keep believing. Share testimonies of when God healed someone to build the person’s faith and give God glory.
