A. A. Allen’s “God Guarantees Your Healing” School
By the road leading to Jericho, a blind man named Bartimaeus was sitting. He was begging for alms. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he began shouting loudly: “Jesus, Son of David! Have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). Bartimaeus encountered no opposition as he sat by the road day after day with a cup in his hand.
People never encounter opposition while they are suffering and patiently enduring their affliction. When Bartimaeus began calling out to Christ for help, he embarked on the difficult road to victory: he began to face opposition from all the forces of the devil. But “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). For Jesus said, “I give you authority to trample… over all the power of the enemy…” (Luke 10:19). Do not confess your defeat. The authority of Christ living in you is the strongest authority in the world.
Do Not Give Up; Be Persistent
At the very moment Bartimaeus began crying out to the Lord for help, “many sternly warned him to be quiet” (Mark 10:48). They did everything they could to prevent Bartimaeus from receiving healing.
Notice verse 48, which speaks of Bartimaeus’s faith. No one could stop him. Determined to regain his sight, he understood that only Jesus could help him. And the more people tried to stop him, the louder his cry for help became: “Son of David! Have mercy on me.”
Then Jesus understood that no one could stop Bartimaeus. He stopped and commanded that the man be called. Bartimaeus was brought to Him, and He asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Bartimaeus answered, “Teacher, I want to regain my sight.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has healed you.” And immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus along the road (Mark 10:52).
If Bartimaeus had listened to the people and given up, he would never have received healing.
“…For whoever comes to God must believe…” (Heb. 11:6). A person must not lose faith or give up. It is very important to maintain active determination and carry it through to victory. Thus, someone who was offering prayer after prayer even before getting in line for healing must not stop at anything. He must persistently pursue his healing until he receives it.
Remember Calvary
David said: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Ps. 103:2). This should be understood as: “Remember all His benefits.” But to successfully keep all God’s benefits in our memory, let us turn to the subject of Calvary, which, according to David’s statement, explains that His benefits include forgiveness of all sins and healing from all diseases.
And this does not refer to some of our sins or some of our diseases. It refers to ALL sins and diseases—that is, every sin and every disease! This is precisely what Calvary’s benefit consists of.
Seven hundred years before Calvary, Isaiah had a vision. He saw a cross. And on the cross was a dying man, bleeding. Blood was being poured out for the sins of the world. He was dying, and His back was covered with wounds from which Blood flowed. He suffered so that we might be freed from disease and sin. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Isaiah spoke these prophetic words: “He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
But He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:3–5). This is how, at Calvary, we were all healed by His wounds.
Sixty years passed after Calvary, and the apostle Peter testified: “He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).
So, does time affect your healing? Does it matter when you receive healing: in sixty years or in sixteen centuries? Time cannot change God’s eternal Peace. The fact remains: at Calvary, “you were healed!” And God asks only one thing of us—to believe this and then receive healing.
A sinner is saved only if he has faith in the redemption of his sins at Calvary. Likewise, my dear sick and suffering friend, you will receive healing for your body only when you believe in Christ’s wounds. The Blood of Jesus Christ was shed for the redemption of all sins. The suffering endured by His Body, however, was intended for something else.
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18–19).
“In Him we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17:11).
Christ received His wounds not for the redemption of our sins. His Blood was shed for salvation. He received His wounds for our healing! David said so. Isaiah said so. Peter said so. And Christ Himself said that this was exactly how it was, and that should be enough to believe in healing.
Give thanks to God for Calvary! At Calvary, we receive cleansing of the soul. But we must not stop there, for this is only half of Calvary’s benefits. The other half is the healing of the physical body.
Many people today have already forgotten His benefits. Sometimes people remember only some of His benefits; they have forgotten the part intended to provide healing for their physical bodies. For such people, Christ’s sufferings become meaningless. Paul testifies about precisely such cases when discussing why many Christians are sick: “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 11:30).
And the reason is given in verse 29: the inability to discern the Lord’s Body. People do not realize the meaning of His wounds and do not understand that His Body was wounded so that we could receive healing. In this passage, Paul mentions the mystery. If we turn to Christ’s teaching about the mystery, we learn that Jesus took bread, blessed it, and, breaking it, gave it to His disciples. He said: “…Take, eat; this is My Body” (Matt. 26:26).
Then verses 27 and 28 describe how He took the cup, gave thanks, handed it to the disciples, and said: “…Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Here Christ explains the difference between the Body and the Blood. And this difference is so great that both the bread and the wine became completely independent symbols of the mystery. The wine symbolizes the Blood poured out for the redemption of our sins, while the bread symbolizes the Body covered with wounds for deliverance from our infirmity.
And if you have not understood the meaning of the Lord’s Body (see 1 Cor. 11:29), you have not realized half of Calvary’s benefits, and you will not keep in mind that we were healed by His wounds (see Isa. 53:5). This is the main reason Paul encountered so many weak and sick people in the church at Corinth. They neglected the condition God provided for the successful healing of His people. For the same reason, many Christians are weak and sick today. They have forgotten Calvary’s benefits.
The last thing Jesus said on the cross before He gave up His spirit was: “…It is finished!…” (John 19:30). What did He mean? He meant that He had taken upon Himself all the sins of the world and borne our sufferings. “…He Himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Matt. 8:17).
And since Christ bore your diseases, you are no longer sick. You can put an end to your sins and be free from disease only by continually keeping in mind Christ’s redemption, accomplished once and for all at Calvary.
The time for healing has come!
Now that you believe that as soon as hands are laid on you in the name of Christ, you will be healed, you may consider yourself ready for prayer for healing. For Jesus said: “And these signs will accompany those who believe… they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17–18). Do not forget what James said: “And the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up…”
At the very moment hands are laid on you, remember Calvary and declare your rights to each of its benefits. Begin to receive healing by faith. Begin doing what your illness had prevented you from doing.
Here we should note that the person laying hands on you does so by the power given to him from above. Remember that Christ Himself gave this believer authority to deliver you from infirmity. Christ gave him the authority and power to deal with your infirmity. And he acts under heavenly commission. Christ Himself said: “Behold, I give you authority to trample… on all the power of the enemy…” (Luke 10:19). “…He gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases” (Luke 9:1).
The man of God who is given the ability to heal you believes that victory over the devil was won at Calvary. He believes in the power of the Blood that cleanses from sin. He also believes in the power of the wounded Body of Christ, which will deliver you from sickness. His faith is based on the fact that God, who cannot lie, said: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; … they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17–18).
This person knows that the devil must retreat in the name of Jesus. Only through faith can he restrain the devil, resist him, and force him to remove the affliction. This can be done only in the name of Jesus, and the devil must reckon with that name! For the victory at Calvary is your victory too. What comes next?
Believe
Simply believe! Faith is not merely knowing that God can do something. Faith is being certain that He is doing it. You believe simply because God said He would do it. And you know that God cannot lie.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith reaches into the unseen, takes hold of what does not yet exist, and holds on to it until what does not yet exist becomes visible. Faith is the conviction that we possess what we can neither see nor feel. And despite the fact that we do not yet see or feel it, we believe that it is done. This is the kind of faith that brings healing!
You must believe even when you continue to experience pain. You must believe even if you have tried to walk and nothing came of it. Continue believing and try to act on your faith. Only faith can deliver you from pain and raise you from your bed.
An unbeliever may object: “But I want to feel first, and then believe.”
But God says: “Believe, and I will help you feel.”
Having true faith means believing in what you do not feel. We are healed because we believe, not because we feel. The feeling comes after faith has been realized. Therefore, do not strive to feel; strive to receive healing!
Faith for healing is an unshakable conviction that we receive healing despite continuing to feel weakness or pain. You simply need to believe that you already possess what you prayed for—and possess it even before you can see or feel it.
This is exactly what John meant when he said: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing 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” (1 John 5:14–15).
We believe that we will receive what we ask for, and we do not wait until we see or feel what we are asking for.
“Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). In other words, faith that has no works is dead. And since true faith is alive, it is active faith. It has works; it is effective. And if you unquestionably believe that you were healed by His wounds, you begin to act in accordance with the Word of God. Your heart fills with joy as what God has done for you reaches your soul.
Faith always brings joy. Filled with joy, stand on your feet! Rise in the name of Jesus and walk! Do what you could not do before. Get rid of your wheelchair. Throw away your crutches. Walk, run, jump, and rejoice! Speak! Listen! Look out from the gloom and darkness. Do all this in the name of Jesus. You receive healing because you believe; and you can and will do what you could not do before, when you were sick.
Put Your Faith to Work
Follow God’s promises clearly. Stop talking about your faith and start acting on it. If you have true faith, you will not talk about it; people will be able to see it for themselves.
One day, four men managed, with great difficulty, to carry their friend, who was “paralyzed” and bedridden, into a house. They did everything possible to bring the sick man to Christ, who could heal him. They had faith, and Jesus could not fail to notice it. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven’” (Luke 5:20).
Those who have true faith act instead of boasting and talking. If you are weak or sick, avoid making bold claims that you have “all the faith in the world.” If your faith is truly that strong, you should heal others burdened by illness and suffering!
Do not say, “Oh, if only I believed.” Throw out the word “if.” Stop “trying to believe.” Simply believe and act in accordance with the Word of God. “Be DOERS of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).
Speak about your healing. Speak about God’s mercy. Speak about God’s promises. Quote every Bible passage you know that speaks of the promise to heal.
Do not talk about failure and defeat. Stop talking about your doubts, too. Do not dwell on the pain. Throw away all your medicines. Stop telling people how strong the devil’s chains are—the chains of the devil who has taken hold of you.
You do not need to sing the devil’s praises and testify to his power.
Speak about your faith in God’s promises. Tell those around you about the miraculous work of the Lord Jesus, who healed you and set you free from the devil’s power. Let your testimony glorify Him. We overcome the devil by the word of our testimony (see Revelation 12:11).
Someone may object here: “But Brother Allen, I continue to experience pain.” Pain indicates that you are not healed. But it does not matter to us what your pain indicates or what your feelings tell you. The Word of God says that by His wounds you were healed! The Word of God declares one thing, while your pain says another. What are you going to believe? The Word of God or your pain? What are you going to declare? What will your testimony be? This is what it should be: “BY HIS WOUNDS I WAS HEALED.”
This may seem like a lie to some people, but it is not, for the Word of God cannot lie.
Often, after a person has waited their turn for healing, the FRIEND or loved one accompanying them, who remains nearby after prayer, asks: “How do you feel? Do you really feel better? Can you hear with that ear now?” They do not understand that their questions are serving the devil.
Do not allow the devil to make you think or speak about what you feel unless, of course, your feelings agree with what God says. Feelings are good when they agree with the Word of God. But the Word of God is greater than your feelings. If your feelings do not agree with the Word of God, pay no attention to them. Do not talk about them. Instead, quote the Bible. Stand on faith and tell those who ask: “By His wounds I was healed.”
You do not need to lie about your pain. Lying is wrong. Do not say, “The pain is gone,” if you still feel pain. Do not say, “I hear well,” if you do not hear everything. If you feel unwell, you will be lying if you say, “I feel fine.” If you are still suffering from pain, do not lie—simply refuse to discuss the matter. Quote the Word of God, for it is true.
True faith must be based exclusively on the Word of God. You do not need to believe that you have been healed because the pain is gone. But neither should you give up believing that you have been healed because you still feel pain. That pain has nothing whatsoever to do with your faith. Faith is the conviction that you have been healed because God says that you have been healed!
If a person says, “I believe that I have been healed because I am no longer troubled by pain,” they will immediately lose their faith if they feel any manifestation of pain. Then that person will say, “I thought I had been healed, but it turns out I was mistaken. I feel pain again.”
Faith is not afraid to stand up for what agrees with the Word of God. “Let God be true, and every man a liar…” (Romans 3:4). If your feelings do not agree with what God says, then they are lying. A person who walks by faith does not take the testimony of their own feelings into account if they do not agree with the Word of God.
Testify like this: “God says it is done. I believe it—it is done! It is accomplished. I am healed because God, who cannot lie, says that I am healed!”
This is how you should receive healing. It comes not through feelings, but through faith. If you receive it in faith, God guarantees that He will heal you!
