The Order's theology of faith for healing (and everything else)

The one I espouse goes like this. God is absolutely sovereign, but He has given us His exceedingly great and precious promises. His general promises in the Bible and Logos are in general true. Through His divine guidance He gives us His rhema (spoken word) which is specifically true.

We need to be walking in the positive promises of God and avoiding the negative promises.  God blesses those who obey Him, who are kind, who rest in faith, who ask, etc.  God doesn't bless those who are faithless.  God curses those who do the opposite.

As we intercede for someone (or ourselves) with God's general promises (ask, seek, knock in prayer), God may give us His specific promise of healing in terms of peace or assurance (Heb. 11:1). This is known as the Gift of Faith (1 Cor.12:9).  Or He may tell us to try another means with the implied specific promise of healing (Matt.17:21). When it is done and healing is on its way, the Gift of Faith is given to us. Or we may never be given the faith, because He is not going to answer the prayer for His own sovereign reasons.

Another theology of healing that is common in Charismatic circles:

Another theology I've heard preached goes like this. You pray and get yourself to believe that God will answer, so that He will answer your prayer. But as evidence that you are doing the requisite believing, you can't say you have the ailment, even though it is evident to everyone around you. If real healing doesn't immediately occur, the answer is either that you haven't believed hard enough or God is just testing your faith.  Keep claiming your healing until God comes through with it.

Unfortunately, I knew a man afflicted with MS who did all that and died anyway. The intercessors changed their tack and said he was healed in heaven.  But that is not what they had originally promised. It wasn't true, anyway. My friend's spirit & soul didn't have MS to begin with. His body is rotting in the grave with the MS. No healing for spirit, soul or body of MS.

Other questions come to mind....  Why wasn't my friend physically healed by the faith of the intercessors? What was the matter with them? Did they not really believe what they were preaching? Did they think it was all hypnotic power of suggestion and therefore it was entirely up to him to believe it?

I visited a Charismatic Christian ministry in August, 2006.  They first showed me a video that taught this theology.  Then they spent time teaching it in the prayer room. They also taught that they used prophecy to determine the root cause of the illness and to know exactly what to pray for. They said when they did so, God would act on my behalf.  After a couple of minutes they said they got it.  They prayed accordingly.  Nothing happened.  "Well," they said, "God is just testing your faith. Keep praying and claim your healing and keep coming back and God will come through."   I'd heard those lines with my friend who had the MS.  And with another friend who had died of cancer of the spleen.

Sometimes their Christian prayers have coincidentally lined up with the will of God. Ding!  Immediate healing.  But when healing doesn't immediately occur, that's when our theologies diverge.

How to pray for healing, guidance, protection, provision, transformation, godliness, fellowship, agape love and salvation from sins:

1. pray to God generally for the topic you want.

2. Ask God, "Teach me what to do, so that I might act according to your will and see results." (1 John 5:14)

3. Listen quietly for the guidance, however He gives it to you.  Usually, it is prayer or deliverance.

4. Obey His instructions. 

5. When the peace descends, stop praying and see what the Lord has done!

Doing these steps I have seen numerous, immediate healings of cancer, arthritis, paralysis, etc. 

Sadly, I have also seen situations where I got no guidance and saw no healing.  God is our sovereign Lord and we are his creatures.  We know He is absolutely just and loving without hedging on either one of those.

The consequences of "faithing it" can be bad:  http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=116193