There is a reason we can rejoice in the knowledge that Jesus has borne the punishment that was due us: forgiveness and healing go hand in hand. The Bible says that He who never broke a single law of God “…was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Do you see how healing and the price for our forgiveness are so closely intertwined in God’s Word?
Many today are struggling to heal themselves from their sicknesses, diseases, mental dysfunctions, and addictions. I want to announce to you today that our part is to receive forgiveness from Jesus and to believe that we are forgiven every single day. The more forgiveness-conscious we are, the more easily we will experience healing and liberty from every bodily ailment, mental oppression, and destructive habit.
One of my favorite psalms goes like this: “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases;” (Psalm 103:1-3). Now which comes first? The consciousness that all your sins are forgiven precedes the healing of all your diseases!
And the operative word here is all. Some of us are comfortable with receiving partial forgiveness in certain areas of our lives. But we refuse to allow Jesus’ forgiveness to touch some dark areas – areas that we can’t let go of and that we can’t forgive ourselves for. Whatever those mistakes may be, I encourage you to allow Jesus to forgive you of all your sins and receive healing for all your diseases. My friend, let the past go. Let the mistakes go. Allow yourself to be free, and learn to forgive yourself by receiving with an open heart Jesus’ total and complete forgiveness.
Jesus further reinforced this correlation between forgiveness and healing in His encounter with the man paralyzed with palsy. It was obvious that the man’s great need was to be healed in his body. Desiring his healing, his four friends had even removed the tiling of the roof and lowered him down on a stretcher to get him to Jesus. But what was Jesus’ first statement to him? Jesus said, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you,” before healing him by saying, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” (Matthew 9:2, 6). Jesus knew that the man needed to receive forgiveness for all his sins before his body could experience total healing.
What are you paralyzed by today? Fear? An addiction to antidepressants? Anxiety attacks? Perhaps it’s some bodily sickness? Whatever your challenge, your answer is found in receiving a fresh revelation of just how much you are forgiven in Christ and believing that you are no longer under condemnation (see Romans 8:1)!
Watch Joseph Prince this Monday and Tuesday on LIFE TODAY. This is an excerpt of The Power Of Right Believing by Joseph Prince. Copyright ©2013 by Joseph Prince. Reprinted by permission of FaithWords/Hachette Book Group. All rights reserved.
