Healing, Faith, and Removing the Hindrances of the Heart

-Why It Can Be Easier For the Non-Christian To Be Healed When

Christians Struggle To.

(Teaching retouched from a Joel Crumpton video)

Healing covers much more territory than many people realize. I have seen many people healed—so many that I have lost count. I have seen healing from cancer, deafness, blindness, pain, and many other conditions.

One of the most remarkable healings involved a man whose eyes had been severely damaged in a chemical explosion.

The Blind Man and the Chemical Explosion

This man had been essentially blind for approximately four years. He had been inside an enclosed trailer when ammonium chloride exploded directly into his face.

The damage to his eyes was severe. His eyes had been sewn shut for approximately ten months, and afterward they remained extremely sensitive to light. He could not go outside without wearing dark sunglasses. He could see only a little—not enough to function as a sighted person.

When I first met him, I did not even realize he was blind. I simply wondered why he was wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night.

I felt that the Lord wanted me to pray for him, so I asked him to remove his sunglasses out of reverence to God.

When he removed them, he tightly squinted his eyes. I asked what was wrong, and he told me what had happened.

I prayed for him.

He was healed.

The color actually returned to his eyes while we were looking at him.

It was an extraordinary miracle.

But these experiences raised an important question about healing—particularly because of what I began observing when I prayed for Christians.

Is It God's Will to Heal?

Jesus said:

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”— John 6:38 (ESV)

Jesus came to do the will of the Father.

Throughout the Gospels, multitudes came to Jesus, and He healed their sick.

Matthew records:

“And he healed all who were sick.”— Matthew 8:16 (ESV)

Again:

“And many followed him, and he healed them all.”— Matthew 12:15 (ESV)

If Jesus came to do the Father's will, then His healing ministry revealed the Father's will.

Yet there is one passage that is sometimes interpreted differently—the account of Jesus returning to Nazareth.

Mark tells us:

“And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.”— Mark 6:5 (ESV)

I had once understood this to mean that Jesus laid His hands on many sick people but only a few were healed because of the unbelief in Nazareth.

But that is not what the passage actually says.

It does not say Jesus laid His hands on many and only a few recovered.

It says He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

The few He laid His hands upon were healed.

The problem was that unbelief kept others from coming to Him.

This is significant because throughout the Gospels, the people who came to Jesus for healing received from Him.

So if you desire healing and are seeking God for healing, there is already something important taking place in your heart: you are coming to Him.

The Prayer of Faith

James gives direct instructions concerning sickness:

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”— James 5:14 (ESV)

Notice that James does not ask, “Is anyone among you in sin?”

He asks:

“Is anyone among you sick?”

Then James says:

“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”— James 5:15 (ESV)

The word translated save is the Greek word sōzō.

It is a broad word encompassing salvation, healing, deliverance, preservation, salvation from bondage, and salvation from eternal punishment.

Here, James is specifically discussing someone who is physically sick.

The prayer of faith will sōzō the sick person, and the Lord will raise that person up.

Then James adds:

“And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”— James 5:15 (ESV)

That is good news.

But then comes something extremely important:

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”— James 5:16 (ESV)

James connects confession, prayer, and healing.

This leads us to an important question:

What can hinder our faith?

Why Were People Outside the Church Being Healed?

When I first received a revelation concerning healing, I began noticing something unusual.

When I prayed for people who were not Christians, almost everybody I prayed for was healed. There may have been a few exceptions, but healing was happening repeatedly.

For a person who did not know Christ, sometimes the only faith required was enough faith to allow me to pray and touch them or take them by the hand.

I did not necessarily need to place my hand directly upon the part of the body that was sick.

And I watched people get healed.

Week after week.

Out in public.

At Walmart.

Wherever I encountered them.

But when I went into church, I encountered almost the opposite situation.

Christians needed healing. I prayed for them, but many were not being healed.

In fact, some Christians began doubting my testimonies because they heard me describing the healings happening outside the church while they themselves were not receiving healing.

That bothered me tremendously.

I began asking:

“Lord, what is going on?”

The first thing the Lord showed me was:

“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.”— Luke 12:48 (ESV)

But that did not completely answer my question.

I knew it was true.

But what is the “much” that is required?

Is it much faith?

If faith is required, then what is hindering our faith?

What is preventing believers from having the faith to receive healing?

What is blocking faith or producing unbelief within the heart?

When Your Own Heart Condemns You

First John gives us an important key:

“For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”— 1 John 3:20 (ESV)

Then John says:

“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”— 1 John 3:21 (ESV)

Notice the connection.

When our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

John continues:

“And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.”— 1 John 3:22 (ESV)

Then he identifies the commandment:

“And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another…”— 1 John 3:23 (ESV)

There is the key.

Believe in Jesus Christ and love one another.

Yet there can be tremendous division within the Church.

There can be bitterness.

There can be envy.

There can be strife.

There can be unforgiveness.

There can be resentment.

These things affect the heart.

And when our own heart condemns us, we lose the confidence before God that John describes.

Is There Unforgiveness in Your Heart?

If you need healing, ask your conscience a question:

Is there unforgiveness in my heart toward anyone?

Did somebody wrong you?

Maybe they genuinely did.

But have you become bitter?

Are you resentful?

Are you continuing to hold what they did against them?

If so, you are going to have to let it go before you can receive your healing.

It is wrong for a believer to hold unforgiveness toward another person.

That applies whether the person is a member of your family, someone in your church, or even an unbeliever.

Jesus said:

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”— Matthew 5:44 (ESV)

He also said:

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”— Matthew 5:46 (ESV)

Anyone can love someone who loves them.

Anyone can greet people who agree with them.

But Jesus calls His followers to something higher.

He concludes:

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”— Matthew 5:48 (ESV)

What does this mean in this context?

The Father loves His enemies.

He is good even toward those who oppose Him.

Jesus demonstrated this while hanging on the cross:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”— Luke 23:34 (ESV)

Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him.

As followers of Jesus, we must follow His example.

Division in the Body of Christ

Consider what happened in Corinth.

There were divisions within the congregation.

Some said:

“I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”— 1 Corinthians 1:12 (ESV)

Paul responded:

“Is Christ divided?”— 1 Corinthians 1:13 (ESV)

Of course Christ is not divided.

Yet these believers were gathering for Communion while remaining divided among themselves.

They were participating in something representing the coming together of Christ's Body as one while division remained within the congregation.

Paul wrote:

“For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”— 1 Corinthians 11:29 (ESV)

Then he made this startling statement:

“That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”— 1 Corinthians 11:30 (ESV)

Many were weak.

Many were sick.

Some had died.

Paul connected this with what was happening among them.

Discern the Lord's Body

The Lord's Body is not merely His physical body seated at the right hand of the Father.

It is not merely the piece of bread in your hand when you receive Communion.

The Body is also other believers in Christ.

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”— 1 Corinthians 12:27 (ESV)

Whether you agree with another believer or not, that person is part of the Body.

When we participate in Communion while maintaining division in our hearts toward other members of Christ's Body, we are failing to discern His Body.

Then our own heart condemns us.

And when our heart condemns us, we do not have confidence toward God.

That heart condemnation becomes a hindrance to receiving what we need from Him—including healing.

First Things First: Examine Yourself

Before praying the prayer of faith, examine yourself.

Paul said:

“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”— 1 Corinthians 11:28 (ESV)

Maybe you have no unforgiveness.

Maybe you have no bitterness.

But examine yourself.

James says:

“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”— James 5:16 (ESV)

You may need to confess something to someone.

It does not necessarily have to be the person toward whom you have held the offense if doing so would simply stir up more conflict.

But confess it to someone trustworthy.

Your husband.

Your wife.

Your mother or father.

A brother or sister.

Another believer you trust.

You do not have to tell every detail.

You can simply acknowledge:

“I've been holding unforgiveness, and I'm letting it go.”

Bring it into the light.

Release it.

Then pray.

Healing Through a Text Message

I have even seen people healed through prayer over text messages.

I did not physically see the healing happen.

But immediately afterward, people contacted me and reported:

“It's gone.”

“The pain is gone.”

“I'm completely healed.”

Physical distance did not prevent healing.

And if you are facing something that could take your life—something such as cancer—then seriously examine your heart.

Ask God if there is anything you need to release.

Someone may respond:

“But you don't know what that person did to me.”

You're right.

I may not.

But when it comes to forgiveness, that does not change what Jesus commanded.

When You Stand Praying, Forgive

Jesus said:

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone…”— Mark 11:25 (ESV)

Notice the language:

Anything against anyone.

Then Jesus connects our willingness to forgive with receiving forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not a minor issue in the Christian life.

The Unforgiving Servant

Jesus made this even clearer in the parable of the unforgiving servant.

A servant owed his master an enormous debt that he could never repay.

He pleaded for patience.

The master had compassion upon him and forgave the entire debt.

Then that servant found a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller debt.

The second servant pleaded with him in essentially the same way.

But instead of extending the mercy he had received, the first servant refused and had the man imprisoned.

When the master learned what happened, he called the servant back.

He had been forgiven, but he refused to forgive.

Because of this, the forgiveness that had been extended to him was revoked, and he was handed over to the tormentors until his debt was paid.

Jesus concluded:

“So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”— Matthew 18:35 (ESV)

Yes, you can lose the forgiveness that was extended to you if you refuse to forgive.

This is serious.

If you want to be healed and maintain your relationship with God, you must forgive from your heart.

Let it go.

Say:

“Lord, I forgive the person who did this to me. I am letting it go.”

But What About Envy?

Perhaps unforgiveness is not your issue.

Maybe the hindrance is envy.

Envy can arise when God uses someone else, blesses someone else, or does something for another person—and you believe that person deserves it less than you do.

Perhaps God gave someone else the very thing you desperately wanted.

And somewhere inside you thought:

“Why them?”

“Why did God do that for them?”

“I've been more faithful.”

“I deserve that more than they do.”

That is envy.

And envy is odious to God.

The Young Woman Who Wanted Children

I once encountered a young married woman who desperately wanted children.

She and her husband had been married for several years but had been unable to have children. She also experienced so much physical pain that she could not even be intimate with her husband without suffering.

They asked me to come to their home and pray for her healing so they could have children.

When I arrived, I began asking her about possible issues of the heart.

“Do you have bitterness?”

No.

“Resentment?”

No.

“Unforgiveness?”

No.

Then I asked:

“What about envy?”

Immediately she sensed something in her heart.

She told me:

“When you said envy, immediately I felt in my heart—in my spirit—that the Lord showed me I've got envy toward somebody. But I don't know who it is.”

I told her:

“God will show you.”

Then I asked:

“When He shows you, are you willing to let it go?”

She said yes.

I told her that God would forgive her of the envy on credit, but when He showed her who it involved, she needed to deal with it.

She could not allow herself to respond:

“No, I can't let that go.”

She had to release it or risk losing her healing—or worse.

She agreed.

So I prayed for her.

Then I told her:

“You're healed now. You're going to have children.”

God Revealed the Envy

A few days later, God showed her exactly who it was.

Her initial reaction was essentially:

“Her? I have envy toward her? Why would I envy this woman?”

The other woman had backslidden.

She had gotten away from God.

She had become sexually involved with different men and eventually became pregnant outside of marriage.

So the young woman could not initially understand why she would envy her.

But then God reminded her of something she had previously said to Him.

She had essentially prayed:

“Lord, I don't understand why she can have children. She's backslidden. She's not even living for You. I live for You all the time. I've never backslidden on You like that, and You won't let me have children. I don't understand that, Lord.”

There it was.

Envy.

She believed someone less deserving had received something from God that she, as the more faithful person, should have received.

The Lord exposed it.

She had begun writing an email to the other woman, but when God revealed the deeper issue, she changed what she was writing and asked the woman to forgive her for the envy she had held toward her.

And what happened?

She became pregnant.

She and her husband had a beautiful little boy.

Later, they had a little girl.

This is serious.

If God reveals envy, deal with it.

Release It Now

If God has shown you unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, envy, jealousy, or another issue in your heart, do not wait.

Deal with it now.

Pray:

“Lord Jesus, forgive me for holding this toward them. I am letting it go right now. Forgive me for my bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, or envy. And I forgive the person who wronged me.”

If you have sincerely done that, receive God's forgiveness.

Do not continue holding onto what you just surrendered.

Now prepare your heart to receive healing.

Anointing With Oil

James specifically instructs believers to anoint the sick with oil in the name of the Lord.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”— James 5:14 (ESV)

If you have oil available, you can use it as an act of obedience to this passage.

The type of oil itself is not the source of healing.

Anoint yourself with oil in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then prepare to pray the prayer of faith.

The Prayer of Faith

Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray the prayer of faith for the person who needs healing.

I thank You that Your Word says the prayer of faith will save the sick and that You will raise them up.

I thank You that Your Word says that if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven.

Father, release Your healing power into their body now.

Let every infirmity leave.

Let pain stop.

Let disease be destroyed.

Let cancer disappear.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, be healed and be made whole.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your healing power.

Thank You for healing.

Thank You for restoring what sickness and disease have damaged.

I command infirmity to go and pain to leave the body now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Be healed.

Be made whole.

Thank You, Jesus.

Amen.

Do Not Base Your Healing on a Feeling

During prayer, you may experience something physically.

Some people experience warmth.

Some experience heat.

Some experience tingling.

But if you do not feel anything, do not become concerned.

Healing is not determined by whether you experience a physical sensation.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”— 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

Do not walk by feelings.

Walk by faith.

Receive your healing whether you feel something immediately or not.

Test What Has Changed

Now begin to do something you could not do before.

If moving a certain way previously caused pain, try that movement.

If you could not bend over, bend over.

If you could not raise your arm, raise it.

If you could not turn your head without pain, turn your head.

If squatting caused pain, carefully try the movement.

Check yourself.

If your condition is something that cannot be evaluated by movement or by an obvious change in symptoms, go to your doctor and have yourself medically checked.

That is exactly what happened with one woman who had been diagnosed with blood cancer.

The Woman With Blood Cancer

We were holding a meeting near the Mexican border.

It was one of the first times I had taught these principles about forgiveness and healing.

I instructed the people to forgive everyone who had wronged them.

One woman came forward.

Years earlier, someone had deeply offended her.

The offense was serious enough in her heart that she had left the church and remained away for several years.

She had only begun attending church again approximately six weeks before our meeting.

But now she was facing something far more serious.

She had cancer of the blood.

She had essentially been given a death sentence.

That night, she dealt with the offense she had carried.

She forgave the person who had wronged her.

She let it go.

Then I laid hands on her and prayed the prayer of faith.

She did not experience some dramatic physical manifestation.

She simply said:

“I feel better.”

Through the interpreter, I told her:

“Go to your doctor tomorrow and get checked. You'll find that the cancer is gone.”

She went.

The following day, the pastor of the church received the news and contacted the missionary who had invited me.

The missionary suddenly began rejoicing.

I asked:

“What is it?”

He told me that the woman with blood cancer—the woman I had prayed for—had gone to her doctor.

The doctor told her:

She was cancer-free.

She had carried an offense for years.

She released it.

The prayer of faith was prayed.

And when she went to the doctor, she was told that the cancer was gone.

Remove the Hindrance and Move Into Faith

The purpose of examining your heart is not to live in endless introspection.

It is to identify what is hindering faith, deal with it, and then believe God.

Is there unforgiveness?

Let it go.

Is there bitterness?

Let it go.

Resentment?

Release it.

Envy?

Confess it.

Division?

Deal with it.

If you have wronged someone, confess what needs to be confessed.

If your heart condemns you because you know you are holding something against another person, deal with it.

Then come before God with confidence.

“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”— 1 John 3:21 (ESV)

And remember what James promises:

“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”— James 5:15 (ESV)

The hindrance is not the destination.

Remove the hindrance and move into faith.

Practical Takeaways

Do I have unforgiveness toward anyone?

Am I carrying bitterness or resentment because of something someone did to me?

Have I allowed an offense to separate me from another believer or from the Body of Christ?

Am I envious because God has given someone else something I desperately wanted?

Have I judged another person as less deserving of God's blessing than I am?

Is there division, jealousy, strife, or resentment in my relationships?

Is my own heart condemning me concerning something I already know God has told me to address?

Is there something I need to confess to another trustworthy believer?

What do I need to forgive, confess, release, or make right so that I can approach God with confidence?