One of the basic principles of responding correctly to God’s grace is that if Jesus has already done something, there’s no need for us to try to do it ourselves. This applies to many areas of our lives, including our healing. As Christians, we have a right to good health. When we get a discouraging medical diagnosis from the doctor, we can rest in the knowledge God doesn’t want sickness to be part of our lives.

We Don’t Have to Work to Be Healed

Healing isn’t something we strive to achieve; it’s something we receive by faith. One of the fundamental truths of Christian life is that Jesus has already accomplished everything needed for our salvation and wholeness. As believers, we must learn how to take possession of this, not by our works, but by trusting in what Christ has already finished on our behalf.

Being restored back to good health isn’t based on our efforts or goodness; the moment we were born again, healing became a part of our inheritance. Religion says that we must earn it through right behavior, but God’s Word reveals a different path. We can have faith that Jesus paid the full price for our healing; all that remains is for us to receive it for ourselves. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). A gift is something freely given to us that we didn’t work for.

Our Healing Has Been Completed

Physicians do their best, but they have their limitations. What we hear from the doctor isn’t the final authority; the Word of God is. When we get bad news, our first move should be to consult the Scriptures.

We’re not just trying to be healed; we were healed. This becomes our reality the moment we decide to agree with God’s Word instead of the doctor’s report. When a leper questioned Jesus’ willingness to heal him, He answered the man’s uncertainty with confidence. “And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him” (Luke 5:13). God’s will isn’t mysterious; healing is His will, always has been, and always will be.

Once we understand that healing is already ours, we see manifestations of it by choosing to respond in ways that align with what Christ has done. “By whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Fully believing this lets us rest; we have peace, with no worry or stress. We don’t work for it, but from it. The only effort required is to remain in a place of spiritual rest while we’re speaking what God spoke, worshipping Him, and serving others to stay focused.

Our Faith Controls Our Physical Healing

The mind has a powerful effect on the body; therefore, it’s essential to have faith in the wholeness that’s available for us simply to receive it. Healing won’t do us any good if we don’t believe that God wants us healed and that Jesus died to make this possible for us. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Hebrews 4:2, 3). Rest is a sign of the authenticity of the faith we say we have. The declaration, “I believe I’m healed” should be accompanied by peace, not anxiety.

Everything God did for us to ensure our healing was done out of love. Knowing how deeply He loves us gives us the boldness to expect healing. If He sent Jesus to die for us, why would He withhold healing? “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). When we’re tempted to imagine the worst, it’s important to dwell on His love.

Our minds can play tricks on us. The enemy whispers lies and suggests that we’ll die, and that maybe God can’t, or won’t, heal us like He promised. We fight back by deliberately confessing out loud, “God loves me.” Nothing is bigger or more powerful than His love, and nothing can stop it.

We Fight Sickness and Disease with Communion

Taking communion is another way to take possession of our healing. Before we were even born, God knew in advance that we would face challenges, and He made provisions for this. We’re fighting a spiritual battle against Satan, who wants us to accept being sick. Communion isn’t a religious ritual, but a spiritual weapon.

Celebrating holy communion reminds us of Christ’s body broken for our healing, and His blood shed for our redemption. It’s spiritual nourishment. It’s more than just eating and drinking—it’s powerful medicine that accompanies our faith in the healing that He wants us to receive.

The devil isn’t just going to roll over and admit defeat without a fight. He’s going to throw everything He has at us, to instill fear in us and try to move us out of our place of faith. His strategy is to plant a seed of doubt in our minds and get us to submit to it.

We beat the enemy by acknowledging that we have authority in every realm, including in our thought lives. To see the healing God promised us, we must control our thoughts and discipline our minds. “Casting down imaginations... and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Satan works through suggestion. Letting negative thoughts linger allows them to steal our peace and eventually impact our health.

Jesus Has Won the Battle for Us

The spiritual warfare we fight when sickness and illness show up isn’t always dramatic. Often, it’s the quiet, steady refusal to believe anything contrary to what God has said. We fight by standing firm in God’s power and might, not ours.   

Healing is a finished work for us to confidently lay hold of. We mustn’t let the enemy rob us of what Jesus already paid for. We win by taking possession of our healing and walking in it every day going forward.