Healing and faith

In the previous chapter, we saw that Jesus healed everyone who came to Him. While He was on earth, multitudes were healed—hundreds of thousands of people. This shows that healing was very important to Jesus.

In this chapter, we will study some of the healing accounts in relation to faith. We will look at a few specific examples where Jesus healed individuals. We will not go into detail about every healing story, because that would require an entire book on its own. Much of the Gospels focus on Jesus healing the sick. To help you, I have included a list of Jesus’ healings and the Scriptures where you can find them. This way, you can study these accounts in your own time and build your faith for healing through the Word of God.

Perhaps you will come across a disease in one of these examples that you are also facing. If so, I encourage you to study that healing story closely. It can help you grow in faith and believe in God for your healing.

Overview of Individual Healings by Jesus

This is an overview of the many healings Jesus performed. As you can see, the Gospels speak extensively about healing. The message of Jesus Christ and healing go hand in hand. It is unbiblical to separate the preaching of the Word from the miracles of the Gospel.

And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. (Mark 16:20)

It is essential to preach the Word, and for signs and wonders to follow. Jesus demonstrated this throughout His ministry. The two most frequent signs that confirmed the Word were the healing of the sick and the casting out of demons. This is clearly seen in the Gospels. The writers carefully recorded both the teachings of Jesus and the signs He performed. These go together—they are both part of His message.

In the rest of this chapter, we will look at specific healing accounts. As we study them, we will see that healing is still possible today. Jesus desires to touch and heal us even now.

Reason 46: No Partiality

Let us begin with the woman who had a flow of blood.

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. (Mark 5:25-29)

We read that this woman had faith. She said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” In faith, she reached out, touched Jesus, and was healed. What a powerful miracle! You may think she was just fortunate—after all, many people were touching Jesus that day, and yet she alone was healed.

And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” (Mark 5:30-31)

Many were pressing in and touching Him, yet her touch was different. What made it different? She touched Him in faith. And when someone touches Jesus in faith, miracles happen. This woman was not lucky—she knew how to receive her healing.

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:34)

The woman touched Jesus in faith. It is not simply about touching Jesus—it is about touching Him in faith. When she shared her testimony, it stirred faith in those who heard it. I imagine people saying, “Did you hear about that woman? She suffered for twelve years, but she touched Jesus and was healed!” From that moment on, many desired to touch Jesus, believing they too could be healed. And they were.

Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well. (Mark 6:56)

Jesus showed no partiality. Anyone who came to Him in faith, He made well. Jesus had no favorites—or rather, every believer is His favorite. This truth is not only seen in Jesus’ ministry, but throughout the Bible, we see that God does not show partiality.

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” (Acts 10:34-35)

But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:9-11)

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. (Colossians 3:23-25)

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear. (1 Peter 1:17)

God does not regard a person’s status or background. Anyone can reach out to Jesus in faith and be healed. What God does for one, He is willing to do for another. We saw this with the woman who had a flow of blood. She was healed by touching Jesus in faith. After her testimony, many followed her example—and they too were healed.

Reason 47: Faith Heals

In the story of the woman with the flow of blood, we read something else that is very beautiful. Jesus was not consciously focusing on healing her. He was on His way to heal the daughter of Jairus.

And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. (Mark 5:22-24)

Jesus was already on His way to help someone else. While He was walking toward Jairus’ house, the woman who had suffered for twelve years came and touched His garment. She had no intention of drawing attention to herself—she simply believed that a touch would be enough. She touched Jesus quietly, in faith. Jesus didn’t even know she was going to touch Him until the miracle had already happened.

For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”  Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” (Mark 5:28-30, NASB)

What does this tell us? Healing comes by faith. We don’t need to first get Jesus’ attention. We don’t need to give a large offering. We don’t need to pray in tongues for hours or fast for forty days. Faith is enough. Faith receives the promise.

Of course, it is good to pray, to give, to fast, to pray in the Spirit, and to read the Bible. These things can help strengthen our faith. They help shift our minds from earthly thinking to spiritual understanding. But healing does not come by doing these things alone. Healing comes by faith in Jesus Christ. You are healed by knowing that God can heal you, that He wants to heal you, and that He already made provision for your healing through Jesus. The price has already been paid. Healing is received by faith.

Every healing comes from God, through Jesus—but notice what Jesus said to the woman. He did not say, “You were healed because My anointing happened to flow through My garment.” He did not say she was lucky. Jesus said:

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:34)

The point is this: God’s healing anointing is always present. Everyone is healed by His anointing and through His grace. But this anointing does not suddenly appear—it is already there. Healing flows through the anointing of God. This anointing seeks a conductor, a way to flow from God to us. That conductor is faith. Faith heals. This was true in the case of the woman with the flow of blood, but faith and healing are also connected in many other healing accounts. When we study these stories, we often see the word faith mentioned directly. Or we see a clear act of faith that leads to healing. Let us now look at several passages that link faith and healing, without focusing on the full story or the healing itself. For each example, we will read one verse from one Gospel that highlights this connection.

But say the word, and my servant will be healed. (…) When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Luke 7:7-9)

Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” (...) And he arose and departed to his house. (Matthew 9:2-7)

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” (Matthew 9:29-30)

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:28)

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. (Mark 10:51-52)

Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. (John 4:50)

Faith is incredibly powerful. Jesus said that all things are possible to those who believe. Faith makes the impossible possible. It is a mighty force that God has given to us. Faith accomplishes what our minds and natural understanding cannot. It brings forth supernatural miracles and signs.

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:15-18)

James highlights the power of prayer offered in faith. He makes it clear that Elijah was not someone extraordinary—he was a man with a nature like ours. But Elijah understood the power of prayer. He knew how to trust God, and as a result, great signs and wonders occurred.

The same is true for us. We, too, may believe God for healing—and great and marvelous miracles will happen. With faith, all things are possible. Faith also brings certainty. It means being confident that what God has promised in His Word, He will fulfill in your life.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

This does not mean standing in front of a mirror every day saying, “I must believe, I must believe.” That approach does not work. Faith should not become a source of pressure or frustration when doubt arises. Faith is meant to grow in rest, within a living relationship with God.

In marriage, it is normal to trust your spouse—it’s part of the relationship. But no one fully trusts their partner from the very first moment of the first date. That’s natural, because you don’t yet know the person. How did that trust grow? By spending time together, talking, sharing life, and building a relationship. As you got to know each other, trust developed naturally.

This is also how we grow in our relationship with God. When you first came to faith, it may have felt unfamiliar. You didn’t know God well, prayer may have seemed strange, and you weren’t sure what to expect. But over time, you got to know God—through His Word, through preaching, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. As your knowledge of God increased, so did your faith and trust in Him. You discovered that He is truly your Father, and that He is good. Your relationship with Him deepened—not because God changed, but because you came to know Him more fully. So how do you grow in faith for healing? By coming to know God as your Healer.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)

If you feel that you do not have faith for your healing, you can take the following steps to help build your faith:

1. Listen to faith-filled preaching. Listen to preachers who believe in healing and who boldly teach on faith and healing from the Word of God.

2. Read the Word of God. Search the Bible for passages that speak about healing. This book contains many such verses. Choose a few, and meditate on them until they become part of your heart.

3. Listen to testimonies of healing. Hearing what God has done for others will strengthen your faith, because what He does for one, He is willing to do for another.

4. Create an environment of faith. Surround yourself with believers who have strong faith in God’s power to heal. Find a church that believes in supernatural healing. This makes it easier to believe God for healing, and gives you brothers and sisters who can stand with you in faith.

Finally, I want to emphasize that faith is a key component of healing. All things are possible to those who believe. Most people already have faith for healing—and since even faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains, faith itself is usually not the issue. The real challenge often comes from unbelief or doubt in the heart. This is something we will address in the next reason. Faith is necessary, but unbelief is like a weed—it can choke out the faith. This is not a word of condemnation or criticism. It is meant to help you. When you recognize the problem, you can deal with it and see a breakthrough.

Reason 48: Unbelief Hinders Healing

There is a story in the Bible where the disciples prayed for healing but saw no result. Jesus had gone up to the mountain, where He was transfigured, and spoke with Moses and Elijah. Some of the disciples did not go with Him—they remained below. While Jesus was on the mountain, a man came to the disciples with his sick son and asked if they could heal him. The disciples spoke against the sickness, but nothing happened. Let us look at this account.

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” (Matthew 17:14-16)

What would Jesus' response be? Today, when healing does not take place, people often say things like, “Maybe God doesn’t want to heal this person,” or “Perhaps God has a different purpose for this suffering,” or even, “Maybe generational curses need to be broken first.” But what did Jesus say?

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. (Matthew 17:17-18)

Jesus offered no excuses. He didn’t say, “Maybe it’s not God’s will to heal.” Instead, Jesus addressed their unbelief—and then He solved the problem. He healed the boy. This shows us something powerful: when healing doesn’t happen immediately, it does not mean it is not God’s will. Something else may be hindering it. We can trust God that healing will come to light.

Jesus had hoped and expected that His disciples—and the people of Israel—would be able to stand in faith and bring healing themselves. But sadly, Jesus was still “needed” on the earth to do what they were meant to do.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”  So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:19-21)

Later, the disciples asked Jesus privately why they had not been able to cast it out. Jesus gave a very direct answer—and that was a good thing. He didn’t offer a comforting explanation; He simply told them the truth. This is important, because now we know what can hinder healing: unbelief, or in other words, doubt.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (James 1:5-7)

This sounds strong and direct—but it’s helpful. It shows us clearly what might prevent us from receiving healing. It is better to be confronted with the truth so we know how to grow, than to be comforted with words that leave us confused and without direction.

Now that we understand that unbelief and doubt can hinder healing, it is important to know how to overcome them. Let’s briefly consider a few practical steps for breaking free from unbelief.

Tip 1: Pay no attention to natural conditions. This can be difficult—especially when pain is constant—but it is vital not to focus on our physical symptoms. Instead, we must focus on what the Word of God says. Abraham is a clear example of this. Though he was about a hundred years old and his wife’s womb was barren, he did not consider his body, but trusted in the promise of God.

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.  He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. (Romans 4:19-20)

This can be very difficult, but it is also very important. One thing that can help is this: when you look at your problem from your perspective, it may appear to be a huge mountain—immovable and overwhelming. But try to see your situation through the eyes of God. When you do, that same problem will no longer seem like a mountain, but like a grain of sand. It is not hard for God to solve any problem—just as it is not hard for you to move a grain of sand.

Tip 2: Feed yourself with faith. It is important not to focus on your body, but instead to focus on God and His Word. Strengthen your faith by meditating on God’s goodness and power. As we saw earlier, faith grows by hearing the Word of God.

Tip 3: Avoid unbelief.

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. (Proverbs 4:23-25)

Your heart is the most important part of your spiritual life. In fact, it is not so serious if a doubt arises in your mind—as long as it doesn’t take root in your heart. But how do you keep doubt from entering your heart? By answering every doubt with the Word of God. Every time doubt comes, you must respond with Scripture.

You have two choices. One option is to spend your time reading or listening to stories about people who died from the same illness you are facing, or who suffered for years without healing. But what happens then? Doubt enters your mind. You begin to think, What if this happens to me too? At that point, you must refute the doubt with the Word of God.

The other—and better—option is to avoid unbelief altogether. When you guard your heart and prevent doubt from entering in the first place, you won’t need to fight it later. This makes the journey toward healing much simpler.

See your heart as the most important part of your entire being. So how do you protect your heart from lies and doubts? The following “defensive and offensive” actions can help:

1. Be cautious around people who speak unbelief. This does not mean you should isolate yourself or avoid all your colleagues, friends, or family members. But be wise about whom you share your problems and challenges with. For example, is it wise to share your struggle with someone who only knows how to discourage? Someone who turns every small problem into something big? Who can name a hundred people with the same issue—and then say it always ends badly? Again, you don’t have to avoid people altogether, but make a conscious decision to share your challenges with someone who can stand in faith with you. Don’t share them with those who will only plant seeds of doubt.

2. Avoid negative content—videos, books, and testimonials filled with unbelief. Imagine you have pain in your toe one day. What happens when you search the internet for “pain in the toe?” You’ll find the most extreme stories and frightening diseases. Before long, you might think, Oh no, my toe might have to be amputated—or worse!

I’m not saying you should never look up information. But stay sober-minded. If something is wrong in your body, it’s often better to visit a doctor and describe your symptoms, rather than reading through countless distressing online testimonies of people with similar complaints. You may end up feeling like you're facing a serious, incurable disease—while the doctor might simply say, “This will go away on its own in a few weeks.” Don’t open the door to doubt and unbelief. That already spares you a great deal of distress.

Of course, God can heal any disease. But from a practical standpoint, it is easier to stand in faith when the problem is not unnecessarily magnified. Guard your heart—it makes all the difference.

3. Say no to doubts and negative thoughts. It is important to reject doubts and mental images of sickness. Try to avoid negative thoughts—or turn them around. For example, if a thought enters your mind that says, “It will never get better,” respond with, “That is a lie because God’s Word says…” Fill your heart with Scripture, and answer every negative thought with the truth of God’s Word.

Also, don’t be too hard on yourself. You are growing. Changing the way you think takes time. Don’t get angry with yourself—see this as part of the learning process.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

4. Feed your faith and starve your unbelief. Imagine you have two large dogs of equal strength and weight. If they were to fight, it would be a close match. But now imagine that you feed one dog well, train it, and care for it—while the other dog you neglect and leave unfed. Over time, one will become strong, while the other will become weak. If they now fight, the stronger dog will clearly win.

This is how it is with faith and unbelief. If you feed your faith and neglect your unbelief, your faith will grow strong, and your unbelief will become weaker. So focus on things that build your faith—such as speaking the Word, prayer, Bible study, and listening to testimonies of healing. Do not focus on things that feed unbelief and doubt. As a result, faith will begin to play a greater role in your life, and unbelief a smaller one.

We have now briefly discussed practical ways to deal with doubt and unbelief. Much more could be said about this, but that is beyond the scope of this book. What matters is this: unbelief can hinder healing, but it is always God’s will to heal. We saw this clearly in the story of the epileptic boy. The disciples could not heal him because of unbelief—but then Jesus stepped in, and He healed the boy.

Summary

In this chapter, we explored healing in the light of faith. We saw that healing was important to Jesus, as He healed many people during His ministry on earth. Several of these healing accounts are recorded in Scripture, and we began with an overview of individual healings, along with the corresponding Bible verses.

Through the example of the woman with the flow of blood, we learned that God shows no partiality. She touched Jesus in faith and received her healing. When others followed her example and reached out in faith, they too were healed.

Throughout various passages, we saw that faith played a vital role in many healings. Faith was often directly connected to the miracle. We also learned that faith activates the healing anointing of God. That’s why it is so important to strengthen our faith—by listening to faith-filled preaching, reading the Word of God, hearing testimonies of healing, and surrounding ourselves with an environment of faith.

We also studied how unbelief and doubt can hinder healing. Practical tips were given to overcome unbelief, such as avoiding negative influences, feeding our faith, and guarding our hearts.

Healing is always God's will—but unbelief and doubt can stand in the way. It is therefore essential to grow in faith and deal with unbelief, so we can fully receive what God has already made available through Jesus Christ.

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