Often, sustaining miracles happen with a one-two punch. A sustaining miracle is not a one-day wonder, but one that has lasting resilience. Even though a human might extend a miracle through self-initiatives such as discipline in thought, diet, or daily habits; the issue or problem may circle back. The arena of deliverance is one such spiritual phenomenon that sometimes needs an ancillary touch to sustain. Remember, miracles are divine interventions, deposits of God’s love, care, and great mercy.
This is not an easy essay to write. The main body is to support and give conciseness to the following simple truth. “Ask God to deliver or save, follow directions, then ask Him to heal.”
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 (NIV)
Sometimes, God grants a miracle, and it just does not last. Treatment and recovery are universal steps that apply to both the physical realm and the spiritual realm. A soldier who still has a weapon or projectile embedded in their body needs rescue or deliverance. When the problem is alleviated, a wound remains. Healing is necessary to complete the recovery. Sometimes, the wound does not heal, so the victim needs deliverance all over again. The problem is a little different, an infection as opposed to an axe head; however, the principle is the same; a foreign object has entered and must be evicted. Finally, the door must be shut.
Consider infections of a spiritual nature. They can be imaginations and unclean thoughts of hatred, greed, jealousy, or lust. Lies are infectious. These things are foreign to the being that God created. Oh, there are actual demons, too. Often, one’s spirit is wounded by abuse or other mistreatment, and the hurt is a foreign object that needs to be dealt with. Demons love to take shelter in the dirt of thoughts, lies, and hurts.
After deliverance without healing:
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24-26 (NIV)
Prayer for healing is essential in guarding your house. The thing is that your body, soul, and spirit are components of the mansion God created just for you. With the prayer of healing comes the grace to bring thoughts under control. With the prayer of healing comes the grace to forgive and rebuke bitterness. With the prayer of healing comes the grace to withstand the temptation demons use when knocking at the door of your mind. One needs to identify the messenger at the door, and act accordingly.
Sometimes prayer treats the symptom and does not get to the root.
Now, this concept will be challenging to follow. Sometimes, a miracle is not sustained because of prayer, especially the sincere and believing prayers of the saints (anyone who has a right standing with God). Ever notice that a person receives a miracle, and then, in time, the issue returns? Maybe this happens in what seems to be a never-ending cycle. This appears to occur more often to ministry leaders than others. The skinny: People love these persons and pray fervently for their relief; God answers the prayers, and the afflicted return to what seems normal for a while.
The root of the afflicted person’s problem is this person is at odds with the written word of God. In unawareness, the affected person continues in slipups. Because the Word does not return to God void (Isaiah 55:11), the symptoms appear again. The Written Word carries both rewards and penalties. This kind of thing most often happens when there is a near-invisible heart issue involved. Pride, arrogance, inconsiderateness, know-it-all, and self-centeredness are some examples.
To paint the picture for understanding, consider a preacher who had a glitch in one leg–maybe a knee, or maybe a hip. Walking was a favorite pastime; however, the condition was so painful the minister could not partake. The faithful prayed and agreed in prayer. God intervened, and the person walked again with full motion and no pain. The real root of the problem was the minister was out of step with God. Have you ever noticed that sin’s expense parallels the transgression in the Kingdom of God? The preacher had fallen into the trap of trying to build a personal kingdom instead of pursuing God’s Kingdom. Other root issues included flawed scripture interpretation, hyper faith (faith in faith, not the faith Giver), and accepting inappropriate adoration from believers. The individual was never able to recognize and identify the narcissistic root issue. The person’s body could not withstand to the resulting conflict cycle, and the miracle was unsustainable. God would answer every prayer, but the wagons just kept circling back. Now, an admonition: Pray your hearts out for others; however, be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit because some prayers can pray a person right out of their deliverance. Sometimes, the Spirit will say be still.
Another case study: A young boy has a severe case of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He was adopted as an infant, so the past is shrouded in darkness. In addition, his new parent is now a single mom. The young man has worn out schools, childcare, and bus drivers with uncontrolled behavior. What’s a young mother who is 300 miles from her supporting family to do? At some point, the grandfather started praying pointed prayers for the situation. First, he claimed his authority and the benefits for the boy that are afforded by the promises of adoption in Holy Scripture. Then, with the authority of the head of a household, he spoke directly to the cause of the behavior problems in the name of Jesus. Finally, the grandfather gave thanks to God for healing the boy. Many prayers went up, but the breakthrough did not come until the Holy Ghost spoke to the grandfather to pray for healing and give thanks for it in conjunction with the deliverance. From then on, the boy became better. The key was deliverance and then healing.
You have been presented with a couple of thoughts to use as you pray for and minister to people, maybe even yourself. The general concepts are not exclusive to the case studies presented but rather a starting point to understand other situations. Godly truths have some discretionary crossover. It is most powerful to pray for deliverance and healing in tandem as you walk through the Kingdom of God.
Feature Image: Ocean wave GENAI Text to Image; Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
