Just as there are reasons, specific explanations as to why we’re not healed, there are also blocks to being healed that are to be dealt with and overcome as part of our training. As you read through the following, consider that, in general, the greatest hindrance to our relationship with God is not being willing to question and change our beliefs. Let the Lord reveal to you if any of these apply to you. Here are some common hindrances to getting healed:
Opposition From The World, The Flesh And The Devil Can Hinder Our Healing
The world system hinders our healing by putting restrictions on what we believe God can and cannot do. We overcome this hindrance by bringing our expectations into alignment with what God says is true. This may involve acknowledging the peer pressure around us, making choices that separate us from friends and families, and experiencing God’s patience and perseverance in our lives.
Our flesh hinders our healing by doing whatever is necessary to maintain its control over our beliefs. Flesh knows that the freer we are, the less control it has. So the flesh will reinforce whatever beliefs hinder healing, even to the point of inflating the ailment’s affect on our lives. We overcome the flesh through depending on God’s life in and through us, which undermines the control flesh has over us. This often takes specific effort to learn to believe His truths about us, bringing healing to our mind, will and emotions. As we learn to rely on His life, we will think, act, and feel like the whole person we are, regardless of what our circumstances may be.
The devil hinders our healing through both specific and general oppression. The devil knows that as we are healed, he loses access to us through our flesh and wounds. He also knows that our being healed from wounds frees us to be available for God’s life to flow through us. He knows that his greatest enemy is the whole, complete son living in dependence on the Father, so he does whatever he can to prevent the healing from taking place. He will even go so far as to perpetuate the feeling of being wounded, even after the wound has been healed. We overcome the enemy through the authority of specific truth, seeking the Lord and learning how to take authority and dominion over him and his demons.
We will go into specific steps in later articles covering overcoming the world, the flesh and the devil. For now, let your belief systems begin to get used to the idea that there could be unexpected explanations for hindrances. Just as we’re learning to let God out of His box, we are also learning that we can rely on God to keep us safe as we let Him adjust our beliefs regarding other influences in our lives.
Misbeliefs About Healing Can Hinder Our Healing
When we believe something that isn’t true, that is contrary to the way the living God does things, we hinder God from moving the way He wants to. Since none of us has all knowledge, at least some of what we believe is wrong. Part of the purpose of the learning process regarding healing is to expose and dispel misbeliefs and lies. Even when what we believe is the truth, and consistent with the character of God, until it is tested and acted upon it doesn’t give life. God wants us to both know what we believe, and to be able to let the truth have its effect in our lives. Some common misbeliefs are:
MISBELIEF: “God doesn’t heal people today.”
Though our beliefs about Him may change over time, God’s nature doesn’t change. His desire for us is that we be whole, complete and entire. His nature is to give; unhealed wounds make us unable to fully receive that which He wants to give. God isn’t going to lower His standards, pouring His life into broken vessels, so what’s going to have to change? In order for God to be free to do what He wants, give us His life, love and freedom, our wounds must be healed.
God created time, so it is under His control, not the other way around. Every aspect of eternal life is available to us now, so don’t put off until “heaven” the healing that God wants to do today! Doing so only begets bitterness, which separates us from God, by dictating to Him what He can do and when He can move. He wants us to learn to overcome today, to not overreact and take being wounded personally, but to learn how to depend on Him as our Healer.
MISBELIEF: “God only uses spiritually mature people, or people in authority, to deliver His healing.”
We often think we need to be dependent on our leaders, that they know what they’re doing, they’re the experts or are closer to God or have more authority. But no one has more authority over you than God Himself does, and this freedom, this healing, this health and wholeness is available to everybody. You don’t have to wait for somebody else to pray for you, and you don’t need to wait for somebody else to be shown and reveal to you what your wound is. Sometimes God even heals us without revealing to us what the wound is. Ask Him what He wants to do today!
MISBELIEF: “God only heals through someone with the ‘gift of healing’.”
There are definitely special gifts that God gives, but that doesn’t mean that they are not available to everybody. If you have Jesus living and abiding in you (which you do if you are a believer), He is just as much in you as He is in anyone else. A person with a known gift of healing may be just like you or me, but has simply submitted themselves to His training in order to learn how to let His healing flow. God is the healer, and is not less that for you than He is for someone else. There are just so few that want to put in the time to learn that those who have learned are often exalted as special. And they are, not because of a gift, but because they have paid the tuition, gone to school and learned how to let God heal them, then are available to let Him heal others through them.
MISBELIEF: “My healing depends on my level of faith.”
This is perhaps the most common misbelief, again reflecting our misunderstanding of God’s heart toward us. Through this belief we are saying that our faith controls God, or can keep Him from doing something that He wants to do. And in a lot of ways that’s what it comes down to…do we believe God wants to heal us? And if so, can we simply ask? Or do we earn healing through having the right number of people that have the right level of faith, pray for us in the right way at the right time? This law-based concept contradicts our present relationship with God. Our healing is based on God’s unconditional desire for us to be whole and complete, and not our ability to receive, believe or measure up. We don’t need to “get” God to heal us; rather we learn to “let” Him heal us.
MISBELIEF: “My healing depends on praying the right prayer in the right way.”
Often we don’t ask God to heal us because we don’t want to presume on His generosity. What this may reflect, though, is that we are really afraid of being in a relationship with God, knowing that if we want to be healed, we’re going to have to get close to Him. Most of us have a lie buried deep within us that causes us to believe that if we don’t expect anything from God, we won’t be disappointed. We’d rather walk through this life in misery than try something and fail, perhaps afraid of “doing it wrong.” What we really want is to avoid disappointment, avoid pain, and avoid possible punishment or bad consequences. But most of the time He won’t heal us until the cause of the wound is exposed for what it is—a lie. So if we want to be healed—and we do—we’re going to have to be willing to do the work and feel the pain. And for those in relationship with Him, the prayer God responds to, is “HELP!”
MISBELIEF: “Healing is related to salvation.”
Another prevalent misbelief is that God’s provision of healing is for Believers only. Not only is this idea not supported by scripture (how many of the people that Jesus healed were unbelievers? ALL OF THEM! Because there were NO Christians yet!), it again makes our actions or beliefs more powerful than God’s heart. It is God’s nature to give; His entire plan and interaction with humanity centers around making us all able to receive, including that eternal, abundant life that He has for us now. God is a Giver; that He heals those who have yet to become a spirit being is a reflection of Who He is, not the state of being of the one being healed.
Misconceptions About Who We Are Can Hinder Our Healing
Not understanding that we are a three-parted being, spirit, soul and body, can hinder our healing. When we confuse the spiritual realm with the supernatural realm and the natural realm we can conclude that our wounds are “spiritual”—between us and God, and therefore affecting our relationship with Him—rather than soulical, affecting our mind, will and emotions, or physical, affecting our natural body. This can also keep us from simply accepting God’s healing, in that we often try to understand what God is doing, and want to participate, sometimes making us unwilling to accept the healing the way God wants to give it.
Fear Of Pain Can Hinder Our Healing
Another common hindrance to our healing is the understandable, normal desire to avoid pain. But the healing process almost always involves a level of experiencing pain, even if it’s an acknowledgment of a previous hurt. By avoiding pain, we give it power over us. As we learn to accept pain as part of this earthly existence, we can overcome it, and learn to bear it for others. For our healing, we often must experience pain as part of the healing process. In the physical realm, when we are injured, we pay special attention to the wound, protecting it and giving it time to heal. Unfortunately most Christians have not learned how to do the same when they are wounded in their soul, instead denying or stuffing it. So when the wound does surface as part of the healing process, the pain is often amplified: instead of just the pain of the initial wound, the infection of bitterness or denial may also be present. As God cleans our wounds, pain is often present.
Not Really Wanting To Be Made Whole Can Hinder Our Healing
Becoming whole and free leads to responsibility. Remaining wounded, and being considered wounded by others, lets us off the hook from growing into mature (dependent) sons of God and joining in His plans and purposes for our lives here on this earth. If we are wounded, we can get God (and others) to lower their expectations, or even ignore us altogether, except for taking care of us. If we build our identity around being a martyr, when someone challenges that identity, say, by offering healing and wholeness, we may well run from it, even if only subconsciously, preferring being wounded to the responsibility and risk of being free. In this way we can attempt to control others and God by remaining wounded.
But when Jesus rose again, and took captivity captive, He set all of us free, regardless of our beliefs. So even if we want to claim martyrdom, none of us are victims! Do we all want to be made whole? Let me answer this one for you—YES! Who you truly are—your spirit being—wants you to be entirely made whole—spirit, soul and body. So when we run from the healing, we are actually running from ourselves, which guarantees that we will not get far!
Agreeing With God: Do You Want To Be Made Whole?
Take a minute now and let God bring to your mind any belief that needs to come into alignment with His truth. Especially if you have a significant need for healing, consider how being healed will affect your life. Remind yourself that who you truly are has already agreed with God that it is okay for Him to bring you healing on His terms, in His timing, and that you are willing to join Him in whatever plans He has for you. Now with your mind, will and emotions consciously agree with Him that wholeness is His plan for you. Even if nothing changes, or if you can’t tell that He’s heard or responded, simply accept that He always hears and responds to you, and that He accepts your commitment. As time goes by, you may want to refer to these hindrances occasionally to help bring to the surface any misbeliefs the Lord may want to correct. Until you are completely made whole, you will be in the learning process, so you might as well learn how to cooperate with God now!
Be Healed!
Adapted from Getting Healed by Dianne Thomas