Oneness, the Abiding, and God’s Gift of Healing

(From a journal entry, 1-12-18)

Healings are a gift from God. God is that Spirit in the phrase “gifts of the Spirit.” Or we could say, “The Spirit’s gifts to us.” One of them is the gift of healing. It is God giving health to a person. It is a miracle-gift from the Father to a human being.

We usually envision God, the Spirit in heaven, shining down this gift upon mankind. But we must ask, Where is the Spirit when He gives the gift of healing to someone? The Spirit is in us, His body. He is in us, flowing through us on out to the sick by the laying on of His hands–our hands now being His hands. That is the way it goes down.

For the gift of healing to flow, we must realize that we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God. We must see that He lives in us in the form of His Holy Spirit, which is the Father. The Father resides in us!

A Call to Oneness–One, One, One

We must get past the “us and Him” duality and begin walking in the Oneness that Christ prayed for. “Neither pray I for these alone [the twelve disciples], but for them also which shall believe on me through their word [that is us!]; that they all may be one [That includes us!]; as you, Father, are in me and I in you that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that you have sent me, and the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one even as we are one” (John 17:20-22). Christ has already given to us the glory that the Father bestowed upon Christ. In His thinking, it has already happened.

We must have the sensation that it is the Father, the Spirit, looking out through our eyes with compassion and love upon the sick. This is the reason why we must Get a clear picture of the godhead. It is not us running around, being still in the picture, laying our hands on the sick. It must be His love, His mercy, His Spirit, His compassion, moving through His hands that are laid upon the sick. This is the gift. The gift is Him! Soundness and wellness are anywhere He is.

Just ask the poor demoniac who was naked and tearing himself, torturing himself, crying out for someone to help him. After Christ gave him the gift of healing, he sat there in utter tranquility at the feet of his Savior in his right mind.

Someone will ask, Why aren’t more real healings being done by Christians today? The answer has to do with not seeing ourselves as God sees us. Most Christians see themselves as recipients of God’s blessings, instead of channels. They think that God is up there; we’re down here, and we need that blessing.

But that’s not the way God’s apostles saw us. They saw us as “more than conquerors through Christ.” They saw us the way that God sees us–spiritual powerhouses that by faith in Christ can move the mountains of doubt. And through His Spirit, our eyes will witness the crushing of the kingdoms of this world. And by His Spirit, He will establish His righteousness throughout the earth.

God sees us having overcome all things; He sees us having secured a seat upon His very throne (Rev. 3:21). That’s His faith that He has given us. With that gift we will be used to bring healing to the nations (Rev. 22:2).

However, there is a growth involved in being used by the Father to heal others. Many sincerely long for this power, with less than apostolic results. That’s okay. But before miracles can come through us, we must grow spiritually. It takes time and much patience as we “purge out the old leaven” of false concepts of Christ and His work in the earth. The “healing” is done by the Father’s presence in us. We then must realize that He is the Spirit of truth. We cannot fully have the truth in the form of the Spirit of truth, until the Father makes His abode in us. We must surrender ourselves as a “living sacrifice.” We must decrease; He must increase in us (John 3:30).  

Christ makes it plain about how the Father makes us His dwelling. “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). This is a major tenet in my soon-coming book, The Abiding. 

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Faith and the Power to Heal

[From Journal entry, 3-17-19]

Christ desires us to walk in the same power to heal that He and His apostles walked in. That is our high calling. He wants us to spiritually grow to the point that the power of the Spirit is not only present, but also active as a miraculous life force.

This power went out of Christ into the woman stricken with a blood disease. He was walking in 100-fold power and did not need to raise His voice and shout, “Be healed!” The woman believed, and her faith in the Savior’s nature and authority pulled the power to heal her out of Him.

So, what were the major elements in this demonstration of his power toward the woman? At that moment in time, her belief matched the Savior’s. For we know that He fully believed in His own power and ability. For His power was like igniting dynamite. In fact, the Greek word for power here is dynamis (Greek 1411).

The match that ignited the power was the woman’s faith (belief) that Christ could and would heal her. There were many who touched the Savior in the press of the crowd. But she was the only one who was healed. “For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.”

“He said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Several times Christ would ask the person if they believed that He could heal them. In fact, He cleared the area of all unbelief before He could heal anyone. “And He could not do many mighty works because of their unbelief” in Nazareth. “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country” (Mark 5:24-43; 6:4-5). The people who knew you when will only see you after the flesh, judging you through their memories of you before your conversion to Christ. They will not believe that God is in you doing the healing.

Consequently, belief is the main ingredient. Secondly, the disciple must have authority and compassion. “He was moved with compassion. And healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14; Matt. 9: 36; Mark 6: 34).

The unbelief must be expelled before God heals. Christ always cast the evil spirits out before he started healing. Perhaps when He got rid of the unbelieving doubters, he was casting away the evil spirits–like when He only took three disciples to the raising up of Jairus’ daughter.

All this notwithstanding, where is the source of this power to heal? It comes from  Yahweh. All things are of Him. How do we grow to the point where He would use us in this manner?

He has placed in our hearts this desire to help others, to heal their wounds and their suffering. We have the desire. You and me. And I write this “not that I have already obtained [the power to heal at will] or have already become perfect, but I press on…” (Phil. 3:12).

Healing is one of the gifts of the Spirit (I Cor. 12:7-11). It is an action of the Spirit of Yah streaming out through us. He has promised His sons and daughters that He would use them to heal. We are but channels of His power.

But first, we must acquire knowledge about His power and how and why He uses it at certain times of His choosing. We must know this: “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.” There is “a time to heal” (Ecc. 3:1-3). We will know the time; He will show us. That is why I am not running all over the country right now trying to sincerely heal people. Healings will come in God’s good time.

We must remember the prophets and patriarchs. Moses tended flocks for forty years waiting for his destiny to deliver His people. He was eighty at the burning bush. His time had come after much patience/endurance. Same for Joseph. He suffered for many years in Pharoah’s prison until the time was ripe. Then Yah enabled him to interpret the king’s dreams. He endured, knowing that “he who waits on Yahweh shall renew their strength.”

So, let us dig deep and prepare ourselves for that glorious day of healings and miracles. Let us wait upon Him, and let us learn together from our Teacher, the Spirit of Truth.

Please share a comment as the Spirit of Truth reveals things to you. I would love to hear from you.

Finally, it is not to say that our Father the Healer has not already touched our lives many times. We have been talking about where few ever go in their growth, the few who like eagles soar to the heights of the 100-fold growth that Peter, John, and Paul experienced.

We must prepare ourselves against that day when He flows through us like He did with His apostles. On the day that the power arrives, there will be a throng around us, with crowds of people pressing upon us, clamoring to be healed. There will be viral videos as these miracles are performed by our hands. Perhaps even a sick woman in the crowd will say, “If I could just touch their garments, I would be healed.”

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Ask God–Don’t Command Him–And Then Believe and Receive

You may be saying, “Look, I ask God all the time. I even say the word “ask” in my prayers.”

I know what you are saying. I did the same thing until I realized that I was not asking. I was announcing to God that I was asking Him for something. I was saying, “God, I am asking You to  heal my brother William.” You notice that there was no question mark at the end because there was no asking a question. It was a statement, announcing what I wanted God to do.

I should have said, “God, would you please heal Brother William? Would you touch him and comfort him? Would you make him whole? I ask in your name Yahshua, which means Yah is the Savior. Thank you.” In this communication, I used three questions that ask God for His healing power. I noticed that as I wrote these questions just now, my heart became softer.

Compare that to the announcement which told God what I wanted Him to do. But God already knows everything. He knows our needs before we ask. He doesn’t need for us to apprise Him of the situation; He knows. He would like to see humility grow in us, and it will, when we ask Him for help in time of need. He is near to the humble.

Besides, God likes a challenge. He relishes an opportunity to dramatically show His love to His people. And He really likes the holy boldness that asking-Him-questions portrays. He likes that faith because it is the same faith that ushers forth out of His heart. God tries our hearts and proves and examines our inner thoughts. He does this to bring us to great righteous changes within us. And He then tells us to see if He will keep His word toward us: “Prove me now herewith, saith the LORD (Yahweh) of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Prov. 17:3; Mal. 3:10). God likes a challenge; He rises to the occasion. He will come through—for the sake of His name.

In the end, we shall see that asking Him a question is that humility-producing element that puts our hearts in the right place with His heart. It gets us in sync with Him and His plan.

Asking God questions in our prayers, when done humbly, puts the ball in His court. He is bound by His word when He said, “Ask, and it shall be given.” And, “You shall pray for the sick, and they shall recover.” If we ask for a fish, He will not give us a stone. It all begins with a humble spirit that asks the great Healer of mankind, “Father, would you please heal him?”

And lastly, He ties it all up with this reminder. “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24). It’s all about the faith.     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Angels Are Under Our Authority Part 2

In His plan and purpose, God gave us authority over all angels. Christ has given us power to cast out evil spirits and to heal (Mark 3: 15). But how is this power implemented? How do we receive the power to do these things?

When we realize that Satan is a spirit that ministers to us, then we will see that we are over him and the other fallen angels. We need to realize that we are supposed to cast him out of people! Lucifer knows God’s plan; he was there at the round table when God was letting His angels in on what He would accomplish with earth and those special earthlings, Adam and his offspring.

Satan heard God say to him something like this: “And I am sending you down to earth to confuse, befuddle, and hurt the humans. Eventually some of them will learn by their pain and suffering to cry out to Me. They will then learn of My purpose for them and your purpose, too, which is this: to cause suffering and then to be cast out of My people. You are their sparring partner. Some of them will work you over and conquer you after they get the revelation on this.

Power comes when we believe that Christ was given a better name than the angels. Therefore, the angels cannot fulfill the Messiah’s calling and election. Their name contains no destiny that prophesies salvation. Their name does not herald them to be saviors. Nowhere does any angel have a name depicting them “laying down their lives” to save others. God never requires angels to lay down their lives and thus show the greatest love—just like the Son of God did. But God asks us to do just that: to present our bodies a “living sacrifice.” The Messiah’s name is more excellent than the angels’ names, for they cannot sacrifice themselves because they are spirits, not mortal flesh. Speaking of the angels, He says, “Are they not all spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

The angels are the servants of the sons and daughters of God. Their calling is to minister and help us become what God has called us to do. The Father has reserved a seat on His throne for us His offspring, His princes and princesses. He never promised that honor to any angel. Their job is to help us overcome and get to the throne (Heb. 1: 4-5). Our destiny is so glorious in Christ that the angels desire to look into it (I Pet. 1: 12).

The angels marvel at our calling and election to be members of the Son Company, that we are members of the body of Christ Himself. They know that our inheritance in God’s plan contains a greater destiny than their destiny. The angels know that they are the servants; we are the sons and daughters of the King.

For the angels have never heard their Creator say to them, “You are my Son, or, I will be your Father and you shall be my Son. Rather, the Creator says to the angels, All of you are to worship the Son.

Get this, brothers and sisters: You and I are members of the body of Christ, the Son of God. We are a part of the Son! We may be a spiritual toe, but we are a part of the Son. And God has given the angels this directive: Worship the Son! And when they worship the Son of God, they are aware that we are a part of the body of the Son. They love and adore us and want to help us fulfill God’s plan. They serve us. They minister to us. They exist to help us, their Creator’s heirs! The angels are messengers; they are spirits, ministering spirits, “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Heb. 1: 14). They are created to serve us; they are to be our aides. They exist to help us, the heirs of God—to help us fulfill our destiny: to be the manifested sons and daughters of God.

The angels are messengers; we with the Spirit within are the message. Because the Spirit lives within us, we now are the Word, the Message, made flesh in and through Christ. For it is all Him as He flows His goodness down and through us. The angels are servants of the King. We are the second man, “the Lord from heaven.” God considers us to be members of the body of Christ. And as such, He has given us the authority to cast out evil spirits and heal the sick. We must now remember that all angels are spirits.

Speaking of angels, He said, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1: 14). All angels, therefore, are spirits that serve us, the “heirs of salvation.” “All” angels would include the evil spirits as well as the good. That includes Lucifer as well as Gabriel.

Our Relationship with the Angels

As we have seen, the apostle Paul mentions our relationship with the angels several times in his letter to the Hebrews:

• The Son is “made so much better than the angels” (1: 4).
• The Son has “obtained a more excellent name than they” (1: 4).
• The Father never has called the angels His sons (1: 5).
• In fact, the angels are to worship the Son (1: 6).
• The angels are spirits that serve the Father and the Son (1: 7).
• The Son is the King on His throne (1:8). He is referred to as “God.” “Thy throne, O God.”
• God has never told the angels to sit on His right hand. Why? He answers the question with this question: “Are they not ministering spirits” sent to serve and minister to the sons of God? (Heb. 1: 14).
• If we take heed to the messages (2: 2) of the angels, how much more should we take heed to the King’s word to us?
• The “subjection of the world to come” is not a host of angelic beings being the master race over us; it is rather that man, the second man, will be the ruler with Christ as joint heirs of all things.
• It also says that even though we are made mortal at present and are “a little lower than the angels” in that regard, God has given to us a glorious destiny with all things under his authority. God has “put all things under His feet.” That’s man’s feet.

Let’s stop here just a moment. God has put “all things” under the Son’s feet. “All things” include the angels themselves; they are our servants. We are not their servants. Let’s get it straight. “All things” include those invisible things including the angels. And that would mean the angels on the good side and those on the bad side of the ledger. All of the angels—good and bad—have been put in subjection unto us. Yahweh has given us authority over “all things,” and that would include the angel Lucifer, whose name was changed to Satan. This is the reason that the word says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4: 7). We have authority over Satan–authority to “boss him around.” He is an evil spirit, but God has given us power over him to cast out the evil spirit, which is the first step in the healing process. Christ would cast out the evil spirits and then touch and heal the sick one.

Some may be asking, “Where are you going with all this, Wayneman?” To tap into the power that God has given us, we must not only know the above, but believe it 100%. Christ is the Author and Finisher of our belief system. Christ is the Word, the Author. When we believe just like the Author of the Book of Life does, then we share in His authority. We have been accepted into His body. It is Him living through us that yields authority and power.

The Point Most Difficult to Comprehend

God in His infinite wisdom has given permission to one of His archangels to be the minister of pain and suffering, both mental and physical. Lucifer and the fallen angels have been given a mandate to exact pain upon God’s people in belief that they will rise up and overcome the wicked adversary–like Job.

And yet we still wonder. Why all of the human suffering, the wasting of flesh through disease. Why all the leaking of blood through the slaughter of war? Why all the whimpers of fear, neglect and hunger? Why all the human pain from the pommelings of the night? Why all the suffering? Why does unwarranted evil stalk us?

God seems to be saying in still, measured tones, “They will not come to Me until evil overtakes them. They will not draw near until disaster strikes. It is then that they will cry to Me. And then I will bend low and touch their chastened cheek with ointment and give them sips of mercy’s water, and embrace their pain with an eternal balm that heals from the inside out. And as they cry to Me in their discomfort, I will hear and come down and show them a love divine. And then they will know that I love them and was always by their side—through the good times and through the bad. But first, the sufferings must come, now for a season.

Healings—Physical and Spiritual: How God Uses Them to Reproduce Himself

God’s story is a story of healings, both physical and spiritual. The healing of man’s body, soul, and spirit is one of the signs that “shall follow them that believe” (Mark 16:17-18).

And just as “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” all human beings have been physically sick.  Both the sinner and the righteous have endured physical sickness. It seems that it is the red badge of being human. And especially when we are down physically, it is difficult to see the spiritual side of our malady. Yet, physical health is spiritual, insomuch as when illness strikes, it seems to force the mind to think mortal thoughts—sometimes literally.

I wrote in my journal on February 27, 2005, about a serious bout with the flu that I was experiencing:

“I have been sick for the last two weeks. Very sick. Unable to read or write sick. Unable to smile sick. I have forgotten what laughter is, what a baby’s smile can do for you. I have forgotten what joy is. I have begun to contemplate my own mortality. Days ago, accomplishments and interests that I have pursued in my life fell into a worthless pile of discarded actions—things like playing the guitar, singing, speaking Spanish, teaching literature, travel…

They all fell away into a pit of hopelessness. The pursuits of this world’s dimension suddenly seemed vain, a thing of no real profit, especially for all the energy we put into them. In the final scheme of things, my daily endeavors seemed trivial, of little consequence…The will is there, but the weak body prevents any movement toward activities.Momma just called and told me, ‘Always remember that I love you.'”

As you see here, it is difficult to think on the invisible Spirit/Creator when you are sick. Therefore, physical sickness is in the end a spiritual attack because it pulls our mind down from heavenly thoughts to the frailties of the earthly body. Physical sickness drains our mind of its will and capacity to elevate its thinking to rarified realms of unselfish love. When the body lies in weakness and in pain, it is difficult for our spirits to climb the ladder of perfection.

Sin and Sickness Linked

Physical sickness and the spiritual state of sin are inextricably linked in the mind of God. Christ taught that the healing of the body poured forth from the same fountain as the forgiveness of sin. He asked, “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” (Matt. 9: 5-6).

The key word here is “to say.” To say, “I forgive you” is a powerful declaration by the divine nature in a regenerated individual. He gave us a New Commandment to forgive others. We have that power as God’s offspring. He wants us to exercise it. And He has given us power and authority to also say, “Rise and walk.” Christ said that both forgiveness and healing come from the same source—speaking the words of physical healing as well as the spiritual.

Healings originate out of God’s merciful heart of love. With great compassion He healed all those oppressed during His walk on earth. But He made it plain that at the root of this gift of healing lies a spiritual concern.

Christ’s major thrust was for the healing of man’s spiritual heart. His command for man to repent of his sins took center stage. When He came into a village and gathered the people together, He did not first say, “I am going to heal all your diseases. So bring those that are sick to Me.” No, He said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He dealt with the spiritual sickness first. What good is a healthy body that has just been healed, if the heart inside is still sinful? “But that you may know that the Son of man has power to forgive sins, I say unto the sick of palsy, Rise, take up thy bed and walk.” The physical healings took place as proof that the spiritual healing was indeed real. Did not Christ also say, “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matt. 23:26). First get rid of the sinful nature inside of your body, and then the physical body will be healed as well. Death of the earthly body comes because of the sin within. “The wages of sin is death.”

We see this in Isaiah’s vision, where he showed Yahweh lamenting for His people. He called them a “sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity,” with their head “sick, and their whole heart faint” (Isa. 1:4-5). We see here in chapter one how Yahweh likens Israel’s sinful state to a physical sickness. Their sin to God seems as “wounds and bruises, and putrefying sores” that have not been treated (v. 6).

The evil state of the world is described in Isaiah 59:1-21. The answer to the desperate cry of the earth’s inhabitants who are trapped in the misery of sin is found in Isaiah 61. It is Yahweh’s promise of the healing that will take place upon His return to earth: “To give unto them beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning…” The kicker for us is that He will use the over comers during the “manifestation of the sons of God” to pour out all of His love to them.     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Receiving Authority to Cast Out Satan and To Heal

We saw in the October 23rd post that when we “resist the devil, he will flee from you.” We resist by thinking God’s thoughts seen in the metaphor of God’s armor (Eph. 6:13-18). The Spirit says to “arm yourselves” with the mind of Christ. Think His thoughts; they are found in the armor of God. God is the armor.

But we Christians have a problem. We are not fully dressed with His armor–His thoughts. And we wade out into the spiritual battlefield to combat our enemy, Satan. And many of us do not believe that we will have the victory over him. Many of us are plagued with the thoughts that the giants are too big. Many of us do not approach the fight like David did facing Goliath. David had no doubts about who would win. His trust was with Yahweh working through him. He defeated Goliath and the Philistines melted in fear and ran.

How did David walk in such authority? God says that we have that same power in the spiritual realm today.  He said that we now have the power to heal, to grow in His Spirit, and basically to become like the early apostles.

Questions come to mind. Why aren’t we Christians using this power more effectively? How does the power to cast out of Satan happen exactly? How does God do it through us? Knowing the truth about this will make us free of spiritual impotency when we come face to face with the enemy. Which piece of knowledge ushers us into this kind of authority over Satan?

Sovereignty

The answers lie in an understanding of God’s sovereignty. We should realize that our thoughts are not God’s thoughts initially. When we study His word, ideally we discipline our minds to think how He thinks. It is a kind of self-sacrifice, an abdicating of our innate human-centered stance in favor of our Creator’s thoughts about us and our position in the universe. And our position as His son or daughter is one with authority.

First, based on His words about Himself, God is sovereign; we are not. Mankind is so humanistic that we actually think that we make the choices that govern our existence. When all the while it was God behind the scenes working His will out on the earth’s stage. He chose us, and with His choices, He has guided our direction back to Him. “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit…” (John 15: 16).

For we in our first state have not the power to say to ourselves, “Live on forever.” Sooner or later we are faced with that disappointing reality called death. God rules in the kingdom of men. It is not our ball game; it is His. And with purposeful precision He has laid out the ground rules for us humans.

He Created Good and Evil

God in His sovereignty, created both good and evil. “I form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the LORD [Yahweh] do all these things” (Isa. 45:7). But why the evil? God uses evil to develop and mature the good in those whom He has chosen, which are His elect. He foreknew that mankind would have a precocious predilection for self; He made man that way. He foreknew that the humans He had created would rebel and fall; He was the producer of that tragedy—for a purpose: that mankind would cry out to Him, seeking solace from their Creator. Our tragic fall into the evil of sin would be the very environment that would produce a grateful heart upon our deliverance.

God is sovereign; He does it His own brilliant way. We would not have written the script with evil causing us to suffer. We would write it where we would not have an antagonist to struggle against. God’s thoughts are not ours, but we can make them ours.

He Created Angels To Be Our Servants

He created the angels to be “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Heb. 1:14). “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (NIV).

Lucifer is one of the angels, an angelic spirit created by YHWH to minister to the sons and daughters of God. Lucifer received orders from Yahweh to become the minister of evil here on earth. Lucifer became Satan and is the god of this world. He dispenses the evil under God’s supervision. He and his cohorts are sent to serve and minister sufferings to us. We become stronger in God when we overcome Satan and the sufferings. Therefore, Satan is my servant and minister. Yours, too. The irony is rich; what Satan means for harm, God uses for good. You cannot out-god God. All angels, then, are spirits created by God to help us reach the goals that He has set for us. They exist to help us grow up to be joint-heirs with Christ of the Father’s kingdom.

We Are Satan’s Master

Fifth, even though Satan is the minister of evil, he is an angel, and by definition, he is still serving and ministering to us. Satan is our servant. Therefore, with the Holy Spirit inside, we are Satan’s master. We have power over him. We have power from God to cast him out, “to loose the bands of wickedness and undo the heavy burdens,” and to heal those oppressed of the devil. When we resist Satan, he flees. We are to resist him in others, not just ourselves. We have power over our own servant.

When we really believe this truth, we will walk with authority, knowing the truth about our position and our enemy’s place in God’s plan and purpose. And because we understand now that we are Satan’s master, we will command him to leave and be gone from the people we love, and we will give them “beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning” (Isa. 61:3).

For it is this authority, presented to us through the knowledge of the holy, that generates the power to first cast out the devil and then to heal others. Kenneth Wayne Hancock