How You Can Be Healed! – Gardner

by Velmer Gardner – From “The God of Miracles Lives Today” – 1950

Regardless of your affliction, you can be healed. If doctors have given you up to die, you can be healed. When your friends say your disease is incurable, you can be healed. Even though the paralyzing hand of death is upon your body, you can be healed.

Very briefly, I will give you some things you must do to receive healing from Christ. Thousands of people have been healed by following these simple instructions. God is no respecter of persons, and He will heal you if you will obey and then receive. Do not forget that every promise in the Bible is conditional. If you meet the conditions, the promises are yours.

1. You must be a “born again” Christian. — Thousands of people today are good citizens, professing Christians, and members of churches, but they have never been “born again” by the power of God. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again,” John 3:7. Nicodemus was a good man, but not good enough to go to Heaven. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us,” I John 1:8-10.

Divine healing is for Christians only. It is the children’s bread. Nothing could be more absurd than to expect God to heal our body, and then we use that body to glorify and serve the devil.

Some say, “Jesus healed sinners.” That is true, but most of them were people who had never heard of Him. Afterward He commanded them to sin no more lest a worse thing come upon them, look at John 5:14. It would be fatal for you to be prayed for and then not live for God. Something much worse would happen to you.

If you are not a “born again” Christian, all you have to do is: Confess to God that you are a sinner; ask God to wash your sins away through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; believe in your heart that God has heard you and that Jesus’ blood has cleansed you from all sin. Isa. 1:18; Heb. 7:25; II Cor. 5:17. Then promise God you will sin no more. Go to church and live for God. He will give you the power to live a Christian life. II Pet. 1:5; Jude 24.

2. You must know it is God’s will to heal YOU! — Oh, the faith paralyzing prayer, “Lord if it be Thy will, please heal me.” III John 1:2 says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

The leper came to Jesus and said, “Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,” Matthew 8:2. Jesus immediately put forth His hand and touched him saying, “I will; be thou clean,” Matthew 8:3. This leper was ignorant of the will of God because he had never heard the will of God. They did not have the Word of God then. But today we have His precious Word and there is no excuse for this ignorance. Many people that are sick know very little about the Scriptures, and many of them do not seem to have any desire to learn.

It is still His will to heal you. Many people today say they do not believe it is God’s will to heal them, yet they spend thousands of dollars on doctors and drugs trying to get “out of the will of God.”

If God healed someone else and then refused to heal you, it would not be fair; God is no respecter of persons. He will save “whosoever,” and He will heal “whosoever.”

When you pray, “if it be thy will.” You are saying, “Now God if you’ll keep your promise.” God promised—that’s good enough for me. There are some things we do not need to pray, “if it be thy will.” He has already revealed His will through His Word.

It is God’s will to save all, to bless all, to protect all, and to heal all. I John 5:14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

3. You must be sure there is nothing between you and God that would hinder you from receiving healing. — I John 1:7 — Amos 3:3 — Col. 3:6. If you are right with God you will be right with everyone else. God allows sickness to punish those who will speak against, criticize, and find fault with their spiritual leaders, Numbers 12:1. Many times God has dealt severely with people because of this sin. I Chron. 16:22; I Thess. 5:12, 13.

If there is anything in your heart toward anyone, get it out of the way. David said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me,” Psalm 66:18. I John 4:20; John 13:35; Mark 11:25, 26; James 5:16.

Many are sick today because they will not pay their tithes. You are not right with God if you are not tithing. You cannot expect God to bless you, because He said He would curse you if you robbed Him. Mal. 3:8.

God will not heal, if you are irreverent toward the things of God. I Cor. 11:28-30. Likewise, God will not heal us if we continue to abuse or neglect our bodies. This is a sin. It should be confessed and forsaken; then God will have mercy.

Do not try to hide anything from God. Pray until you know you are right with God, and then believe in spite of all the demons of Hell. If we are right with God, He is going to be moved with compassion and anxious to heal our bodies.

Some say if God heals me, then I’ll serve Him. This is absolutely the wrong motive. You should live for Him regardless. God does not heal on your “if” basis. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God,” Matthew 6:33; live for Him, and He will supply all your needs. Notice also that God commanded him to go to the house of the Lord. Many people never return after God heals them. That is why so many people lose their healing. You must continue on with God. He knows what you will do with your body—if He heals you. By all means I encourage you to go to a church that preaches healing. You will lose your healing if you lose your faith.

4. You must realize God uses different methods to bring healing. If you get your mind set on one way and attempt to hold God to your way you may rob yourself of God’s healing power. There are many ways God used in the past: the brazen serpent, the shadow of Peter, the troubled waters of Bethesda, dip seven times in Jordan, touching His garment, spittle and clay on blind eyes, etc.

Here are some of the major ways that God uses to bring healing today:

(a) The power of the Lord being present to heal: Luke 5:17. I believe we can pray and seek God until the power of God is so powerful that sickness and disease will have to leave, without any prayer being offered for deliverance. The devil is afraid of the power of God. Scores have been healed this way. I have been healed many times myself, just because the power of God was so mightily in the service.

(b) The Word of the Lord: Psa. 107:20. As we read the pages of the Holy Bible we find there are many cases where people were healed by the spoken Word of the Lord.

To me there is nothing that will produce more faith for healing, than the powerful Word of God. That is why we need to reverence and read His Word. I John 1:1; claim the promise of His Word. Faith will begin to work and the healing has to come. Countless thousands have been healed by this scriptural method today. While we preach the Word, many right then receive their healing. The Word inspired faith, and they are healed without prayer by us. Don’t forget all Heaven is behind the Word that He sends to heal you, Psalm 107:20.

(c) Anointed handkerchiefs: If you are unable to get to service or know a friend at a distance who needs healing, this is a very successful way to receive healing. God will use this simple act of faith to glorify His Name. Place this cloth that has been prayed over on the afflicted part of your body, and read Acts 19:11

12. Then read and believe Heb. 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Believe God in spite of symptoms and fear and you will be healed.

(d) God heals when you praise Him: Psa. 103:1-3. It is not only good for the mind, to get your eyes off your sickness; it not only refreshes your soul; but it also causes God to rejoice that you will trust Him regardless of your afflictions. Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,” Job 13:15.

Many times praise brings the victory. Joshua shouted “before” the walls of Jericho fell. Paul and Silas “praised God” while they were bound in jail. This praise brought deliverance and a great revival. Again, I can testify that I have been healed by praising God.

(e) Prayer of faith and anointing with oil: This is one of the most practiced methods of praying for the sick. Mark 16:18. If you believe, you can lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.

God honors faith. It was the centurion’s faith that brought healing to his servant. It was the faith of the four men that brought the palsied man on the roof to Jesus that caused healing to come. If you have faith, you can pray the prayer of faith, and God will heal. That is why we encourage all to earnestly pray while we pray for the sick.

The prayer of faith with the anointing of oil was the custom given to the elders of the early church for the healing of the sick. James 5:14-15.

(f) Gifts of Healing and Working of Miracles: I Cor. 12:9, 10. There is no doubt that the apostles were entrusted by God with these gifts. In these last days God is again pouring out His Spirit upon humble servants and these gifts are operating again. No man can operate these gifts himself; it is only as they are anointed with the power of the Holy Ghost. When the Gifts of Healing work, no disease can stand in their presence. Multitudes have been brought to God under the ministry of humble servants God has trusted to pour His power through.

(g) The Name of Jesus: John 14:13-14, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.” Oh what a promise when we realize that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father; that Jesus holds the highest position in the universe as the Head of the Church. Jesus says, “Up to this time you have never prayed in My Name, but now, whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He will give it to you.” (Paraphrased from John 16:24). This is no doubt one of the most staggering statements that Jesus ever uttered; that we are to have the use of His Omnipotent Name.

When you were born into the family of God, the right to use that Name was yours. He is with us now in the power of that Name. That Name is to take His place. All that Christ did locally then, can be done now through His Name. The devil fears the Name of Jesus. God has exalted Jesus to the highest possible position, and given Him a Name above every name. He has bestowed upon Him honor, glory, and power, and He has seated Him at His own right hand in the Heavenlies, far above every known authority. Now, all this honor, glory, authority, and power, is vested in the Name of Jesus—and this Name is given to us. Fear not the raging powers of satanic oppression. They are defeated in the Name of Jesus. James 4:7: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

The Gifts of Healing and the prayer of faith all operate through the power of Jesus Name. It is absolutely dangerous for anyone who is unsaved or unclean before God to attempt to meet the devil in the Power of His Name. Acts. 19:11-17. Keep your heart clean. Walk in all the light God has given you, and then you can boldly rebuke sickness in the power of His Name, and it must obey and leave you.

5. You must realize there is a difference between healings and miracles. Thousands today fail to receive healing because they are trying to hold God to a miracle. We must leave this in the hand of God. He will do what He knows is best and will bring the most glory to His Name.

Healings are usually gradual and maybe no change will be noticed when you are prayed for. When Christ cursed the fig tree, the life immediately began to die within it. However, there was no outward change at that time. The next morning it was dead.

We must believe that when prayer is made the work is done. The disease is cursed and must die. It may take it some time to pass from your body, but leave that to God. You will be healed if you do not doubt.

God promised Abraham a son and Abraham believed God. Rom. 4:20-21. Oh, how many people today cast away their confidence when God does not immediately perform the miracle. Heb. 10:35-36. In Mark 16:18 it says, “They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” He did not say how soon. Commit yourself to God. Rest upon His Word after you are prayed for and you shall recover.

When I pray for the sick I believe this: I can pray and appropriate the healing virtue of Jesus to your body through the power of His Name. When you have a cancer, I command that living, evil spirit of cancer to come out of your body. It must obey. There is no other alternative for it, because I command in His power. Usually, this is the process, if it is a healing: When the command is given, the spirit comes out. The cancer becomes dead flesh in your body. This dead flesh dissolves and passes from your body in a few days, and you will be perfectly well. Usually the person gets very sick and upset as this material comes from their body.

The working of miracles is different. They are usually instantaneous. When a miracle occurs, a blind eye is instantly restored to perfect vision. Paralyzed, crippled limbs are instantly straightened out, etc.

Then there are creative works. A man had his entire eyeball torn out. He was prayed for, and instantly had a new eyeball with perfect vision.

The more faith the church gets the more miracles we will have. Even Jesus could not perform many great and mighty works in a certain community because of their unbelief, however He healed a few people.

6. You must have faith—not hope. I prayed for the sick many years and HOPED they would get well. I prayed for hundreds of people and they HOPED they would get well, but this is not faith. Everyone knows God CAN heal—Faith believes HE WILL!

God has given a new revelation of faith that is bringing healing to many. This is my simple definition of faith. FAITH BELIEVES THAT GOD WILL DO WHAT HE HAS PROMISED TO DO! Isn’t that simple? A child can grasp that, and that is the way God wants it.

I believe if we call—He will answer, Jer. 33:3. As hands are laid upon you for healing, let your faith arise and touch God until you can see by faith that in reality it is the hands of Jesus upon you. That is why we pray in His Name. People have absolutely, literally, felt the hands of Jesus touch an enlarged heart, crushing it instantly to normal size.

Faith never waits to see the answer. Faith believes regardless of circumstances. Some people say if I could see someone get out of a wheelchair, then I would have faith. That would not be faith; that would be sight. Faith believes what can’t be seen. Heb. 11:1.

Faith believes—regardless of symptoms. This is not mind over matter. If you have a pain you have one. But faith doesn’t look at a pain, it looks at God, and claims healing in spite of the pain. It won’t be long until the pain will leave. Abraham didn’t look at the impossibilities, he looked at God—and he received the promise.

Faith believes when you’re prayed for. Mark 11:24.

Faith sets the time for your healing. Make up your mind that when you are prayed for, you are going to believe.

Faith is the switch in our hand to turn on all the omnipotent power of our Lord to bring healing to our bodies.

The light switch on the wall is very small, but pressing against that switch is all the power of the great light company. Thousands of volts of power surge through those lines and then the wires are run to your home. The power is there all the time. When you turn the switch on, it will produce all the power your electrical system can stand. You don’t have to worry about whether there is enough power or not, all you have to do is turn on the switch. Instantly, the power surges through your system. The lights flash on, the radio plays, etc. Oh, what a picture of faith! It is so small it can’t be seen. Jesus said even a grain, the size of a mustard seed, would remove mountains. God will give all of us faith if we read His Word. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” Romans 10:17. Let’s turn on the “switch.”

The power plant of Heaven has the power ready. When faith comes, instantly that great power begins to flow through your body. Don’t worry about any lack of power. I have felt all my body could stand. Instantly, the light of glory flashes on, the radio of Heaven begins to play in your soul and the darkness of sickness is driven out.

When the devil brings the symptoms back and tells you that you are not healed, meet him with God’s Word. Make him listen to you. Our salvation has to be based upon the Word rather than feelings, because many times we do not feel anything. Many times the devil tells me I am not saved, so I take him to the Word—John 6:37.

I tell the devil I came to God, and God is obligated and willing to save me, so I’ll believe God instead of the devil. The devil has to leave when you resist him with God’s Word.

We must do the same with healing. Quote the devil God’s many hundreds of promises to heal you. Tell the devil your symptoms are there and you don’t feel good—but also tell him your faith does not depend upon what you feel, it depends upon what God says. God will never forsake you then. He will see you through the test.

Faith believes God before the visible answer comes. When Joshua and his people marched around Jericho, they had faith in God and shouted before the walls fell down. To the natural eye the walls were as solid as ever, but not to the eye of faith. When Jesus came to the tomb where Lazarus had lain for four days, He said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” He already could visualize Lazarus walking forth, John 11:41

Look at Proverbs 4:20-22. Pray and read His Word, dear friend, until you are assured you have more than hope and more than sympathy. Seek God until a living faith begins to grow. Then exercise that faith, and God will give you some more. Faith is so simple, none need err and not have it.

In closing this thought on the simplicity of faith, let me tell you of a true incident that took place in China a few years ago.

Some missionaries were speaking in the church I pastored, and they told us a touching story of the healing of an ignorant, illiterate woman’s daughter.

The doctor examined the girl and gave her only one hour to live. The poor illiterate woman that had only been saved two weeks from heathen darkness rushed down to the mission station. She asked these missionaries to pray real quickly for God to heal her daughter. They saw such simple trust that they asked her to pray. She dropped on her knees, and this was the simple prayer she prayed: “Dear Jesus these people tell me that you heal and I believe you do. So I want you to heal my girl. Don’t put it off Jesus, cause she can only live an hour. You’ll have to do it before you do anything else.” Then she said, “Now Jesus I’ll tell you how to get to my place. Go three blocks past the mission station, then turn to your left two blocks, then turn up the alley until you come to a place with a fence around it. Inside this fence is my house. When you get there Jesus, don’t knock, because my girl’s so sick she can’t answer the door and I won’t be home yet.” (She expected an answer.) “So go right on in, it will be all right. She is in the back bedroom, so please heal her. Thank you for it, Amen.”

Tears were streaming down the cheeks of the missionaries, and they said, “Sister, we will go home with you. We think Jesus understood the directions. They followed all her directions until they came to the little house inside the fence. When they walked on the porch, the door opened and there was the girl—perfectly whole. JESUS NEVER FAILS . . . ONLY BELIEVE . . . ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE IF YOU WILL BELIEVE!

We make no claim that all we pray for will be healed. All were not healed in the days of Jesus. There is no sickness He can’t heal—but there are some sick folk He can’t heal.

I believe in salvation, regardless of the fact that many are not saved. So I believe in healing, regardless of the fact that many do not get healed.

All would be saved if they would take Christ, and all will be healed if they will only believe Him the same as for salvation.

Jesus Was The Great Healer When He Was Upon This Earth!

The Lord Jesus Christ healed, though medical men abounded—there were “many physicians.” Mark 5:25-34.

The Lord Jesus Christ healed, without exception, all who came or were brought to Him. Matt. 8:15-17.

The Lord Jesus Christ sometimes healed without the result being apparent at once. Luke 17:12-19.

The Lord Jesus Christ sometimes healed gradually. John 4:46-53 (He began to mend.)

The Lord Jesus Christ generally healed instantly. Matt. 15:30-31.

The Lord Jesus Christ sometimes indicated healing would be in the near future. John 9:1-7.

The Lord Jesus Christ healed all manner of diseases, including lunacy, epilepsy, leprosy, palsy, fever, paralysis, blindness, deafness, a withered hand, and a sword wound. Matt. 4:23-24.

The Lord Jesus Christ healed people at a distance without going to them. He healed one person 16 miles away. John 4:46-48.

The Lord Jesus Christ healed illness associated with devils. Luke 9:39-42.

The Lord Jesus Christ healed by a touch, by others touching Him, by Him taking people by the hand, by a command, and by a word. Matt. 8:2-3; Luke 8:4244; Mark 1:30-31; Luke 6:6, 10; Mark 7:34.

The Lord Jesus Christ healed chronic cases: One case 12 years standing, Matt. 9:20; one case 18 years standing, Luke 13:11; and one case 38 years standing, John 5:2-9.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME YESTERDAY, AND TODAY, AND FOREVER! Hebrews 13:8.

Through the power of the Holy Ghost and the authority of His Name you can receive His touch today. He has given us authority to exercise the Power of His Name, to bring deliverance to you until He returns.

My Lord And My God

Jesus Christ was born in the meanest circumstances, but the air above was filled with the hallelujahs of the heavenly host. His lodging was a cattle pen, but a star drew distinguished visitants from afar to do Him homage.

His birth was contrary to the laws of life. His death was contrary to the laws of death. No miracle is so inexplicable as His life and teaching.

He had no cornfields or fisheries, but He could spread a table for 5,000 and have bread and fish to spare. He walked on the waters, and they supported Him.

His crucifixion was the crime of crimes, but, in God’s view, no lower price than His infinite agony could have made possible our redemption. When He died, few men mourned; but a black crepe was hung over the sun. Though men trembled not for their sins, the earth beneath shook under the load. All nature honored Him; sinners alone rejected Him.

Three years He preached His gospel. He wrote no book, built no church, and had no money back of Him. After 1,900 years, He is the one central character of human history, the perpetual theme of all preaching, the pivot around which the events of the age revolve, and the only Regenerator of the human race.

Was it merely the son of Joseph and Mary who crossed the world’s horizon 1,900 years ago? Was it merely human blood that was spilled on Calvary’s hill for the redemption of sinners and has worked such wonders in men and nations throughout the centuries?

What thinking man can keep from exclaiming, “MY LORD AND MY GOD!”