Healing - Prayers Unhindered
Hi Everyone,
I have a vision to share with you today. I have been praying for many people for healing and salvation lately because I have been volunteering and ministering at a nursing home and rehab center. I believe that this vision has come in response to my prayers.
The Drain
In this vision, I saw a semi-thick liquid flowing down a large hole draining to some place below the surface of the liquid. The liquid went down similar to a waterfall where the water flows over an edge and goes straight down. From my angle of view I could not see whether there was a swirling action or vortex created as occurs when bath water flows down a drain. I was inquisitive about the likelihood of it being there, so I looked online for information as to how and why vortices are created.
According to studiousguy.com "Science Behind the Vortex"
A vortex is a portion of fluid rotating about an axis line. Vortexes or vortices exist in nature in a number of forms such as tornadoes, hurricanes, whirlpools, etc. A vortex can also be observed in real life easily by spinning a water bottle, draining the sink, swirling the cup of tea, etc.
A vortex is wider on the top, and it narrows gradually while moving towards the bottom. This is because of the pressure difference. The pressure is less on the top and is maximum at the bottom. The direction of a vortex is generally determined by the Coriolis effect.
I know that a vortex can be created when a fluid is stirred, so what came to mind was the story of Jesus healing a man at the Pool of Bethsaida, found in the fifth chapter of John.
Jesus Heals a Man at the Pool of Bethesda
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ”
Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Jesus healed many people of all types of sickness and diseases, and after which he would give a variety of directions to those who were healed.
To the man delivered of a legion of demons, he told the man to go back to his community and tell everyone what God had done for him. To the ten lepers who were healed, he told them to go and show themselves to the priests at the temple and offered the appropriate sacrifice so that they could be restored to their families and communities. To the two blind men, Jesus told them to say nothing to anyone, but instead they made it known to everyone. When Jesus healed in the synagogues in front of both the crowd and the Pharisees, he let the miracle speak for itself. This angered the Pharisees for they believed that the Lord was undermining their teachings of the law by healing on the Sabbath.
However, Jesus declared himself to be Lord of the Sabbath, and that the Sabbath was made for man rather than man for the Sabbath.
At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.
Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent? But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.
If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:1-7
Another example of the Lord healing on the Sabbath follows:
Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue, and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. John 5:1-15
After healing the man at the pool of Bethsaida, Jesus told the man something that he had not told the others:
“See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” John 5:14
By this statement, Jesus told the man that his affliction was caused by sin. It was a commonly held belief that sin was a primary cause of ailments. Here is an example:
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:2-7
So in the one case, the man's sin caused paralysis, and in the case of the blind man, sin did not cause the condition. The man suffered so as to fulfill Jesus’ purpose in bringing glory to the Father through his miraculous healing.
Therefore, when sickness, pain or torment comes upon anyone, we should not assume that sin is the cause, for only God knows. The Lord will also use sickness and afflictions of all types as a trial to test our faith, as it was in the story of Job. The word tells us that all of us will be tested:
For everyone will be salted with fire. Mark 9:49
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7
The vision of the flowing liquid and the story of the Lord's miraculous healing of a paralytic, not only draws our attention to the causes of infirmity, but it also compares the healing that comes through demonic powers with the healing that comes from God Almighty, in the name of Jesus, our Lord, God and Savior.
In the gospel account of the story which I shared at the beginning of this post, verse 4 did not exist in the earliest manuscripts.
"For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had." (John 5:1-15)
It is believed that this statement was added to the text about a century later, in an attempt to justify or to "make sense" of the stirring of the water. By adding an angel into the text they were putting a Jewish spin on it, making it appear as a Jewish healing pool. They did not understand the historical reason for its existence as a pagan healing center. A great article explaining this is "The Bethesda Pool: Jewish or Pagan?"
It explains that the pagan center was originally outside the walls of Jerusalem, until the time of Herod, when he implemented an expansion program to enlarge Jerusalem. Suddenly what would have never been allowed within the city of Jerusalem was now within her city walls.
There's every reason to believe that the Pool of Bethesda (located just outside the Old City, close to the Temple of Jerusalem) was part of an Asclepiion, a healing center dedicated to the Greco-Roman god of well-being and health. Devotion to Asclepius was renowned throughout the regions dominated by the Roman Empire. At the time, there were over 400 Asclepiions across the empire, functioning as healing centers and dispensers of the divinity's grace and mercy to those in need.
The god's mythical daughters included the goddesses Hygie and Panacea. We can hear in their Greek names our modern words for «hygiene» and «panacea» - key concepts associated today with medicine and health. Snakes were a key element in the health and healing cult of Asclepius. Even today, one of the key symbols of modern medicine is a cup or stick surrounded by a snake.
The 2nd-century Christian apologist Justin Martyr mentions a popular obsession with Asclepius among his contemporaries, saying: «... When the devil presents Asclepius as the restorer of the dead and the healer of all diseases, can I not say that in this respect, too, he has imitated the prophecies about Christ?» (Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Tryphon the Jew, 69).
I believe that John included this story of Jesus healing this man on the Sabbath at this pagan center of healing to demonstrate the power of God over the powers of darkness. John himself wrote:
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31
I have also been praying for healing for myself, regarding an affliction that showed up about a year ago, and has not yet departed, even though I have prayed and declared the promises of God over myself daily.
The Lord has healed me and a few others who I have prayed for, instantaneously. He delivered me instantaneously as well. However, there are times when healing does not occur immediately but over the course of weeks. There are times as in the case of a friend who has not yet been healed, in spite of four plus years of prayer, he is still living with a great deal of pain. And with regards to salvation, it can seem nearly impossible for some to be saved. I have prayed for my own mother now for 32 years and it seems as if there has been no progress whatsoever.
Salvation is a sovereign choice. We do our part to share the gospel, to pray for changed hearts and that the Father draws them to Jesus. It is the Lord who opens blind eyes and softens hearts.
I do believe that unconfessed sin, and sin in all its forms hinders our prayers and our healing.
How we treat others affects our prayers.
Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to believe the word, they will be won over without words +by the behavior of their wives when they see your pure and reverent demeanor. 1 Peter 3:1-2
Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need. Proverbs 21:13
Pride will hinder our prayers.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
Unforgiveness also hinders our prayers, for it grieves the Lord and makes our hearts hard towards those who have hurt or offended us. It can become a bitter root affecting many other relationships as well.
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:14-15
I believe that there are sins that are deeply ingrained in behavior patterns that need to be addressed and eradicated. These are besetting sins that continue to trip us up. They must be uprooted and deliverance may be necessary. If we want our prayers to be accepted by God, and to see his hand move in our behalf, or to see the power of God to be displayed in those for whom we pray, then we must deal with sin.
For me, I believe that the sin that needs to be eradicated is my critical attitude towards a family member.
I have "sat down with myself, and reprimanded myself. I have asked the Lord to forgive me for this attitude and negative sinful behavior, many times over. But it is a besetting sin, so I find that I fall into it over and over again.
I have a book that I use for deliverance, and have used it to help others to break free of internal vows, curses, generational curses, and negative thoughts and behaviors. I believe it is time to do it for myself.
The Bible tells us to bind up the strong man, in order to "plunder his goods," meaning to take back what the devil has stolen, be it peace of mind, health, self esteem, mental competency, emotional stability or general well being. It is Jesus who gives us authority to bind and to loosen. He tells Peter and his disciples:
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
Our minds, attitudes and behaviors are changed as we are changed by the Word of God.
For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Jesus is "The Word of God," so named in the gospel of John and in the Book of Revelation.
Whenever we read the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, we see God himself, his thoughts, his actions, his values and what causes him grief. We see his patience and his mercy, his justice and wrath. He is all powerful, all knowing, all sufficient. He loves us and expects us to love him and to be obedient to his commands
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15
What it comes to is this: If we say that we know the Lord, and yet continue in sin, then something is wrong:
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1 John 2:3-6
If we love the Lord, then we must change. If deliverance is in order, then so be it. The Holy Spirit is the one who leads us into all truth.
If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10
Let us take care of business today. Let us confess our sins and ask for the Lord's forgiveness and deliverance from besetting sins.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail. James 5:16
Thanks for reading. Please share this post with those who need the Lord, that is everyone!
