03/01/2015 - THE PRAYER THAT HEALS AND FORGIVES

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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. James 5.15

The prayer of faith is the only one that, by the power of God, saves the sick, the oppressed, and delivers the soul. It is more than a request to the Lord; it is an order to the enemy, who hides behind a person’s suffering, in order to drain everything from the person he is afflicting. It is a declaration of what we learn in the Word, which belongs to us. This prayer drives the divine power to accomplish all the Lord’s promises.

The Holy Spirit used the apostle James to write concerning this prayer in a clear way. The prayer of faith is something that we must never stop doing, for it operates even when the person’s sins impede the healing or deliverance. The truth is that we should never play with prayer, or pray to God without responsibility. When you pray in the Name of Jesus, do not use this Name in vain, like one not expecting to hear the divine answer.

The prayer of faith is more than an order for the evil to leave. It brings us to a dialogue with the Most High, so that we may get things right with Him, and then, the sick is raised. Once this happens, a person must immediately confess his sins to the Lord and receive His forgiveness. Those who are healed must take care so that they do not fall again (1 Co 10.12), or else they might go through even worse sufferings.

If there is evil in the heart, if a person hides sins or continues doing wrong things, it will not be possible to make the prayer of faith, even if all the involved might try their best. When you pray for someone, seek for divine direction about what you should do. If there are sins, guide the individual to confess his mistake, so that the walls that were built by his sin might be destroyed.

In the healing of the lame man that was taken by four people, it is clear that being healed is easier than having your sins forgiven (Mk 2.3-12). Almost everyone thinks that we should only confess our mistake in order to be forgiven. God forgives, and there is no doubt about it. But when a mistake causes harm to someone, or dishonor, it is necessary for the sinner to get things right with the person that was offended in order to be forgiven.

There is no contradiction in the fact that the prayer of faith can forgive sins and bring the need for the person to confess them. The Lord would never leave anyone in loss, therefore He gives an orientation for the transgressor to make things right before it is too late. Who guarantees that you will be able to make the prayer of faith if you are hiding your mistake and lying about it? Why shouldn’t you get your ways right while you are walking with your adversary (Mt 5.25)?

Everything that we receive from the Lord is by grace. The Father does not accept any sacrifice, but only the truth. Do not try to hide your mistake, for it is because of it that the devil has you in his hands. The world is filled with temptations, but do not fear them and do not be desperate when they come, for God will not allow them to be greater than your strength (1 Co 10.13).

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares