Recently I have been reminded of an important spiritual truth that I want to share with you. That is: healing (and all the blessings of God, really) begins first on the inside of us, and then it appears, or manifests, on the outside.
Everything you receive from God works that way, even salvation. It starts on the inside and then moves to the outside.
God has promised us healing (Exodus 15:26, 1 Peter 2:24). As far as He's concerned, it's part of your covenant and it's a done deal. It's always His will to heal. We just have to understand and believe that truth from our hearts, because it's faith that takes hold of it and makes it true in our lives.
Too many times I see Christians looking to the outside for their healing answers, when the answers come from knowing and believing God's healing promise on the inside, in their hearts.
Proverbs 18:14 says, The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness. That means you want to strengthen your spirit - the inside of you - in order to take hold of healing and every promise of God. You receive from God with your heart, your spirit, on the inside (Romans 10:10).
So if we know that healing comes from inside of us - from revelation of what belongs to us - what can we do to strengthen our insides and obtain the healing God has promised? Here are 3 keys:
(1) Bathe your spirit in the Word. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Let the Word do the work! It never returns void (Isaiah 55:11). Saturate yourself in it...let the Word dwell in you richly, not poorly (Colossians. 3:16). Turn off the TV and other distractions and read the Bible, then meditate on it. Make a list of the scriptures that pertain to your need and keep a copy of that list on your nightstand, in your car, on your bathroom mirror, over the kitchen sink, on your job - in other words, have it handy all the time to read and meditate so you build up your spirit. Have healing CDs going all the time in your house, your car, while you sleep.
I think this is where most of us miss it. We think that because we're "Word people" and we "know some Word" that it's dwelling in us richly, which is very often not the case. Yesterday's Word is not enough for today's battle. If your healing is coming from the inside of you, do whatever it takes to build up your insides with the Word of God!
(2) Keep your mouth in line. Don't say, "Why don't I have my healing? I've done everything I know to do and it's not working." You can have what you say (Mark 11:23). If you're doing what it takes to bathe your spirit in the Word, start saying it is working! Call those things which be not as though they were (Romans 4:17) and say, "Father, thank You that this Word which I'm hiding in my heart is working...I am the healed, in Jesus' Name!" That's faith talking, and faith is the victory that overcomes everything you'll ever face in this world (1 John 5:4).
(3) Act like the Word is true. As much as possible, do what a healed person would do. It's so easy to get an image of yourself as "sick," especially if you've been living with something for a while. Start asking yourself, "What would a healed person do?" Now, don't stop taking your medicine, wearing your glasses, or using your cane until you have the manifestation....but do practice seeing yourself well!
In other words, don't plan to stay sick; don't make "allowances" all the time for your infirmity, or let being sick be normal. Resist that inner image (James 4:7) - don't accept it as the way you're always going to be. See if there's anything more you can do today that a healed person would do. Step by step, one thing at a time, let your actions agree with the Word that you're putting into your heart.
I believe if you put these simple principles into practice today, you can begin to manifest your healing from the inside out!
