The end of this age is going to conclude with the ultimate conflict between good and evil, which will be a supernatural conflict. If we are going to be witnesses of the Almighty, we must have power. Paul wrote this concerning his message:
And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom,
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith
should not rest on the wisdom of men,
but on the power of God (I Corinthians 2:4-5).
For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power
(I Corinthians 4:20).
Though the conflict is a power conflict, it is not to prove who is stronger. Even the devil knows that God easily wins that battle. The conflict is to provethe power of good over evil, truth over lies, love over selfishness. This is why the discipline required of anyone who would be used by God is so hard. We are called not only to do the right things, but to do them for the right reasons. The Lord does not just want us able to do His works, but He wants us to do them because we are in full agreement with Him.
Motives are crucial because as we read in I Corinthians 13, we can have all knowledge, great prophecy, and even the faith to move mountains, but if we do not have love it does not count! That is why this important chapter on love is placed right in the middle of the greatest exhortation for believers to pursue spiritual gifts.
I have heard many say that we should pursue the Giver and not the gifts, but that is actually contrary to the biblical exhortation. One of the ways in which we pursue the Giver is to pursue spiritual gifts. When Jesus walked the earth He demonstrated His spiritual gifts continually, and if we are going to be used to reveal Him, it must be by more than words—it must be by a demonstration of who He is. When His works are manifested through us and we identify with Him in that way, we are drawn closer to Him.
There are many ways the Lord could have revealed His power. He could have moved mountains, cursed whole forests so that they instantly wilted, or raised up whole forests instantly. He could have preached His sermons standing on water. One of the reasons why the Lord chose healing as a primary way to demonstrate His power is because healing also demonstrates His love.
The main reason the Lord heals is that He does not want people to suffer. He has compassion for the suffering. This is why John G. Lake, who had one of the greatest healing ministries of the twentieth century, would pray for the sick until he felt the compassion of God flow through him for that person. He then knew they were healed. He recognized the healing power of God to be present when he felt His compassion present.
There is not a single case in the Bible where someone came to Jesus for healing or deliverance and was rejected. He healed those who did not even thank Him for it, because love does not require appreciation. Love simply does what it can to help others.
Because every believer is called to be like the Lord and therefore do the works that He did, it should be the goal of every believer to grow in spiritual authority until everyone who comes to them for healing or deliverance is healed and delivered. To do this we must grow in faith, but even more importantly, we must grow in love. We see in Galatians 5:6 that faith works by love. And we read in I Timothy 1:5, "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith," and in I Corinthians 16:14, "Let all that you do be done in love."
How would our day be different if we did everything today out of love? If we would begin to live this way, not only would our own lives be infinitely richer, power would also start to flow through us. Love releases God's power because love is the reason for the demonstration of His power. Even so, we do not seek love so we can have power, but we need to seek power so we can demonstrate His love.
I have settled in my own heart by the Scriptures that the Lord does want to heal every person who comes to Him for healing, without exception. He wants to heal even if a person does not have perfect motives, or even good motives. He will heal even those who do not intend to serve Him, and will not require someone to give their life to Him before we pray for them to be healed, in accordance to the exhortation of Romans 2:4, "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" I think those who are pressured into giving their lives to Jesus so that they can be healed usually backslide quickly, but if they are touched by the kindness of the Lord, it will usually work to bring them to true repentance. Even if it doesn't, the Lord simply loves all people, and He will cause His sun to shine on the just and the unjust.
The reason so many people do not get healed is possibly because we complicate it too much, and try to require things for God's grace that He does not require. I believe that John G. Lake probably understood God's healing power best—it is the Lord's compassion for us, period.
My prayer for you is II Thessalonians 1:11-12:
To this end also we pray for you always that our God may count you worthy
of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith
with power; in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
