The Lord never told us to pray for the sick in the sense that we ask Him to heal them. He told us to heal the sick. There is a big difference between the two. It has to do with operating in the authority He has already given us. Look at these commands the Lord gave His disciples:
"Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick" (Luke 9:1-2).
"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease" (Matt. 10:1).
"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:7-8).
Jesus told us to heal the sick, not pray for the sick. What a radical statement! This will get you kicked out of most churches today, but these were the exact words of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is precisely why more people don't see the miraculous results they're praying for. They aren't taking their authority and commanding God's power; they're passively asking God to do what He told them to do.
There are a number of keys to seeing the miraculous power of God manifest on a consistent basis. One of the least understood, and therefore seldom practiced, is the fact that healing is under the authority of the believer.
Learn how to operate in your God-given authority with the help of Andrew's teaching The Believer's Authority.
