When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matt 8:16,17).
Every Christian believes that God dealt with the sin problem by sending His Son Jesus Christ, who shed His blood, died on the cross in our place, was buried, and rose up from the dead for our justification. Children of God have no problem believing that God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, and that it was on the cross that “the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all” (2Cor 5:21, Isa 53:6). Why then is it so difficult for us, children of God, to believe the rest of the redemptive work that Christ did for us that same time, on the cross? For when He took care of our sins, He also took care of our sicknesses.
By His Stripes, You are Healed
If I can believe that God laid my iniquities on Him—and because He laid my iniquities on Him there is salvation for me— I should believe when the same passage tells me that God caused Him to be wounded so that healing would be mine. Read the passage from 3 different translations:
NIV
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed”.
Good News Translation
“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God.
But because of our sins, he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received”.
Berean Study Bible:
“Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed”.
Is there another passage of Scripture where God says the same thing about our healing? This will be a second witness from the Bible, and at the mouth of every 2 or 3 witnesses shall this word be confirmed. What does the 17th verse of the 8th Chapter of Mathew say?
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
This is the opening verse of this episode shown above. The Bible tells us that one evening when Jesus came to a town, they brought to Him people who were afflicted by an evil spirit and those who were sick, and He healed them all. It then went on to say that this action of His was to fulfill what was prophesied by Isaiah the prophet.
Which prophecy of Isaiah was the passage referring to?
Yes! You got it right.. it’s the one in Isaiah 53:4 quoted from the three 3-translations above. Apostle Peter repeated this same revelation, if we may add a 3rd witness, saying:
“His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (I Pet 2:24).
Read this aloud with me, and apply this passage to yourself:
Jesus Christ heals me that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, ‘Himself took my infirmities, and bore my sicknesses’; Who His own self bore my sin in His own body on the tree, that I being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes I am healed
He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes, we are healed”
In this day and hour, when the world is in panic due to the pandemic, you, the Child of the Most High God, should not join the world in fear and panic. For God has not given us the spirit of bondage to fear, but has given us the spirit of love, of power, and of a sound mind.
Therefore, do not speak fear or defeat, or sickness over yourself at any time but Speak the Word of God continually. Confess what God has said about you.
Don’t confess fear; don’t confess sickness; don’t confess weakness. Some well-meaning people, thinking they are being honest or humble, get in the habit of confessing their weakness, and their confession makes them weaker. They confess their allergy and the intensity and scope of their allergy deepen and widen. They confess their susceptibility to diseases, and they become sick at the arrival of every flu, they confess their lack of faith and their doubt grows bigger and bigger. They confess their fear and they become more fearful. They confess their lack and become poorer. They confess their fear of disease and sickness and they catch every virus and their sickness grows worse and worse.
Dear Child of God, Speak the Word of God continually. Confess what God has said about you. Meditate on the passages above until you get a revelation of them and they mix with faith in your heart. Speak them to yourself face-to-face while looking in the mirror. Sing them in songs They will come to pass in your life, yes, they will. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken them.
Ye Have Not, Because Ye Ask Not, Therefore, Ask
In the opening scriptural passage of this section, notice the key phrases in the message of God to Moses: I have seen, I have heard, and I have come down to deliver. It is important for you and I to understand the principle that God is setting forth here. God sees you when you are in need of help, but you need to cry unto Him.
“Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures” (Jam 4:2b,3).
To receive salvation and be delivered from the dominion of Satan into the glorious liberty of the children of God, an individual must ask God. To receive healing from Christ the Healer, the sick and afflicted need to ask Him; if they ask, they shall receive.
Jehovah God Almighty saw the affliction of His people, heard their cries, and came down to deliver them. The faithful and promise-keeping God always comes through with His promises. Let’s sing this song with the Psalmist:
“He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:”
‘Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people;”
“He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. Moreover, he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread”
“He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance: To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.”
“Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies. He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtly with his servants.”
“He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.”
“Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night. The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.”
“And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness: And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD” (Psa 105:9-12).
Healing and Deliverance Belong to You
If you are a Christian, healing and deliverance belongs to you. We need to realize that the word “Deliverance” is freedom from anything that would try to bring a child of God under bondage and prevent one from enjoying his or her redemptive rights in Christ. Deliverance is not just freedom from demonic oppression our possession. For that reason, we should never allow anything from Satan to bring us into bondage. That redemption includes deliverance from any direct or indirect satanic bondage- spirit, soul and body. So healing and deliverance is part of our covenant rights when we accept Jesus as our Savior.
“When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:16,17); (Luke 10:19).
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed”(1 Pet 2:24).
Every Christian believes that God dealt with the sin problem by sending His Son Jesus Christ, who shed His blood, died on the cross in our place, was buried, and rose from the dead for our justification. Children of God have no problem believing that God made Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, and that it was on the cross that “the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all” (2Cor 5:21, Isa 53:6). Why then is it so difficult for us, children of God, to believe the rest of the redemptive work that Christ did for us that same time on the cross? For when He took care of our sins, He also took care of our sicknesses.
If I can believe that God laid my iniquities on Him—and because He laid my iniquities on Him there is salvation for me— I should believe, when the same passage tells me that God caused Him to be wounded so that healing would me mine.
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed”.(Isa 53:4,5)
Is there another passage of Scripture where God says the same thing about our healing? This will be a second witness from the Bible, and at the mouth of every 2 or 3 witnesses shall this word be confirmed. What does the 17th verse of the 8th Chapter of Mathew say?
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
The Gospel passages quoted above from Matthew and Luke, the Bible tells us of one evening when Jesus came to a particular town, and they brought to Him people that were afflicted by evil spirits and others that were sick. And He healed them all. The Scriptures went on to say that this action of His was to fulfill what was prophesied by Isaiah the prophet.
Which prophecy of Isaiah was the passage referring to?
Yes! You got it right. It’s the one in Isaiah 53:4 quoted from the NIV translations above. Apostle Peter repeated this same revelation, if we may add a 3rd witness here, saying:
“His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (I Pet 2:24).
Let’s read this aloud, as you apply this passage to yourself:
“Jesus Christ heals me, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, ‘Himself took my infirmities, and bore my sicknesses’; Who His own self bore my sin in His own body on the tree, that I being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes I am healed”
He was wounded for my transgressions; he was bruised for my iniquities: the chastisement of my peace was upon him; and with his stripes I am healed”
In this day and hour, when the world is in panic due to the pandemic, you, Child of the Most High God, should not join the world in fear and panic. For God has not given us the spirit of bondage to fear, but has given us the spirit of love, of power, and of a sound mind.
Therefore, do not speak fear or defeat, or sickness over yourself at any time. Speak the Word of God continually. Confess what God has said about you. Don’t confess fear; don’t confess sickness; don’t confess weakness.
Some well-meaning people, thinking they are being honest or humble, get in the habit of confessing their weakness, and their confession makes them weaker.
They confess their allergy, and the intensity and scope of their allergy deepens and widens.
They confess their susceptibility to diseases, and they become sick at arrival of every flu season.
They confess their lack of faith, and their doubt grows bigger and bigger.
They confess their fear and they become more fearful.
They confess their lack and become poorer.
They confess their fear of sickness, and they catch every virus and their sickness grows worse and worse.
Dear Child of God, Speak the Word of God continually. Confess what God has said about you. Meditate on the passages above until you get a revelation of them and they mix with faith in your heart. Speak them to yourself face-to-face while looking in the mirror. Sing them in songs They will come to pass in your life, yes, they will. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken them.
Deliverance from Guilt
Consider not the things of old—bondage and slavery to the devil is a thing of the past, being conquered by sin, sickness and infirmities is a thing of the past, consider them defeated—conquered by the cross of Christ
Let sense of guilt and condemnation be a thing of the past—for “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom 8:1,2).
However, the devil, your adversary, will constantly dig those things up and show them to you to gain an advantage over you if you let him. Ignore him and hold on to what God says about you.
“Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Rom 8:33).
You also need to remember that his opinion about you doesn’t matter at all. He can try to bring railing accusations against you for whatever reason, his opinion doesn’t matter, nobody cares about his opinion. The judge is on your side, and He is also your attorney. Nothing the enemy throws at you will stick. Can be likened to what I used to hear kids say to their opponents when in heated disagreement,
“you’re rubber, the devil is glue, whatever he throws at you bounces off you and sticks to him” ; because
“there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!” (Num 23:23).
How to Overcome Depression and Oppression
The joy of the Lord that has its source in the core of your spirit is the cure for all depression. The Lord Jesus has delivered you and me from the spirits of depression and oppression. You now need to learn to walk in that freedom from these tormenting spirits. Let’s apply the 3rd verse of our Deliverer’s emancipation proclamation in 61st Chapter of Isaiah(Isa 61:1-3) discussed earlier in the book:
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified”.
You have been delivered from depression. Walk in victory over any depression attack by:
- Stand in the freedom that Christ has set you free and do not desire depression to dominate you. Do not revel on the past issues, think on the word of victory and blessing and love that God has spoken to you. You need to want to overcome depression first. Make a quality decision to overcome depression permanently.
- “Never let them see you sweat”. I’m sure you’ve heard that saying. It’s important not to give in and let the adversary see you down. Even if you feel down and out, walk in faith—acting as if the word of God is true. Don’t let our adversary see you down. He doesn’t know your state until you tell him, and if you let him know you’re down, he will haul a load of concrete block to pile on you just to keep you down. Keep him ignorant while you work your way to your feet. Let this be your strategy. Then begin to speak the words of God out….
- Meditate on who God says you are. Say a few of those scriptural verses out loud. Say them again. Pick your favorite song of praise and start humming, then whisper, then sing it out loud. Keep singing His praise; Even if it seems nothing is happening, keep singing. God has given you a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, keep the garment on. Put on the mantle of praise. If it’s too hard to start singing, jump-start the singing by turning on a praise and worship song recording; or play one from YouTube and sing along until your inner man catches the fire of praise.
- Cultivate the habit of singing, let this be your armor against the spirit of depression or despair. Sing in a language you understand, and if you can, sing in the spirit, in a language you don’t understand, also. You will see the ‘joy in Holy Ghost’ rise from your inside, for “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom 14:17).
- He has given you the oil of joy for mourning; Walk in that joy. And you will see the ‘joy of the Lord becoming your strength’ by which you’ll become an overcomer. And you will be far from oppression…
You Shall Be Far from Oppression
“ In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee” (Isa 54:14).
My dear reader, whatever issues seems to be confronting you today, or something in your past the enemy is bringing back to haunt you, God wants you to consider them taken care of and erased by the blood of Christ in His work on calvary, He wants you to bundle them up and dump them on Christ, forget about them all and walk away free; consider them eternally taken care off, consider them a thing of the past; a foregone conclusion.
Remember not them. Consider them as the former things, relegate them to things of old, and begin to walk in the liberty wherein Christ has set you free.
You say—but I still hear their sound in my ears, or I still see the vestiges of the issues, —the Word says “Cast all those cares upon Him for He cares for you” —-For He has borne and suffered for them all; He paid in full for all those issues, so you don’t need to pay or suffer under them anymore.
Accept what He has done and insist on enjoying the privilege of His completed work. Start calling those things that be not as though they were, and in due season, you will see the full salvation of God manifested right before your eyes. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Her 10:35).
Those issues you’re seeing and feeling, those cares and troubles you’re deeply troubled by and about, you will see them no more.
“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: Set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you” (2 Ch 20:17).
And Just as God made a way for Israel through the Sea, and a path through the mighty waters, He will make a way for you…
He will deliver you, He has delivered you;
He will fight for you, He already won the fight for you;
He will protect you, He has covered you with His Wings;
The intimidating armies arrayed against you today with malicious intent to harm you; You will see them no more.