Friend, God really wants you to have healing! That’s not wishful thinking or emotional nonsense — it is the sound teaching of the Bible. If you read my article last month, you’ll remember that when we look at Isaiah 53:3-5, we see that Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross paid for so much more than just forgiveness of sins — through Him, we received peace of mind, freedom from guilt and shame, and healing from physical and mental disease!

Maybe you’ve heard teachings like this before, but you’re still unsure how to appropriate that healing for yourself. You may not know what steps to take or what methods will be most effective. If that’s you, then I think you’re really going to be encouraged by this teaching, because I’m going to show you a couple of very practical, tangible ways to receive healing for whatever diseases may be ailing you.

First I want to talk to you about taking Communion to receive healing. We already know from Isaiah 53:5 that it’s by the stripes of Jesus that we are healed — His body was broken so we could be healed physically, mentally, and emotionally. What Communion does for us is reminds us of that fact. Paul tells us about reminding power of this sacrament in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25:

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

There are so many wonderful nuances to Communion, but what I want you to think about right now is simply that the bread represents the broken body of Jesus, which was beaten for our healing, and the cup reminds us of His blood, which was shed for the forgiveness of sin, the removal of guilt and shame, and our peace of mind. All of that is included in the work of redemption and atonement!

The Lord’s Supper is more than a mere ritual. As you drink from the cup, you’re acknowledging the blood of Jesus that was key to your redemption from the shackles of sin. With each bite of the bread, you’re acknowledging the physical anguish Jesus endured to obtain healing for your body and mind. The time of Communion is a moment to not just remember and give thanks for Jesus’ sacrifice, but to release your faith for everything that God has given you through Christ to come flooding into your life.

Let the Communion table become a healing table for you! In the privacy of your own home, with family and friends, or at church, you can partake of Communion, reach out to take the bread that represents Jesus’ body broken for the healing of your body and mind. Stop to thank God for the healing and health that is yours because of Christ’s work on the Cross, and let this be your moment to release your faith and allow God’s healing power to invade every part of your being so you can fully receive the healing and health that is yours in Christ.

This is such a beautiful, tangible reminder that you can encourage yourself with every day as you believe for healing, but sometimes we need more than just our own faith to support us — sometimes we need other believers. Fortunately the Bible gives us very clear instructions on this method of receiving healing as well in James 5:14-16:

Is any sick among you? 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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I want us to first look at that word “sick” in verse 14, because it really describes a very specific category of sick people. It is the Greek word asthenei (ἀσθενεῖ), and it generally describes one who is frail in health or one so physically weak that he is unable to travel. It carries the idea of disability, faintness, feebleness, fragility, or incapacitation — this person is in such poor health that it would be unthinkable to transport him from one place to another. So when this verse says a sick person should call for the elders, it’s talking about somebody so sick and so frail they can’t get out of the house, nursing home, or hospital that they are in to get to the church to receive prayer.

I highlight this word because I want you to understand that this is not the practice for every circumstance. If you are able to get to the church, then do so! While in the Assembly of Saints, you have access to corporate faith, anointing, and power, so that is always the best option. However, times may arise when you really can’t travel there, and in those cases, you can call the church to come to you. It is your responsibility to reach out to the church leadership or to their designated representatives and ask them to come and to anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. That is what the Bible explicitly says.

That brings us to the anointing with oil. Much like the act of taking Communion, this step is there to serve as a reminder to us. From the earliest beginnings, throughout the entire Old and New Testaments and into the present, oil has been a symbol of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. When the elders anoint a sick person with oil, though the oil itself possesses no inherent healing powers, they are symbolically declaring the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of God, and that gives the sick person a reminder to release his or her faith for healing.

In addition to this symbolic touchpoint, this passage says that the Elders are to pray for the sick person, “in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). This doesn’t just refer to His literal name but to His reputation, which is amazing because not only does Jesus have the name that is higher than any other name, but He also has the reputation specifically for healing even the most serious cases of sickness.

As this verse says, He is also “Lord,” the Greek word that denotes a master or supreme Lord, one who has ultimate authority in every realm, seen and unseen, and in this case, that includes authority over sickness and disease. Consequently we see that when someone prays in His name as this verse instructs, his or her prayer is voiced with the full authority vested in Jesus’ name and with a full knowledge that He has a reputation for healing all manner of sickness and disease. 

In short, the person who is sick must initiate the invitation, but then the elders are to physically come to the sick person when he calls — regardless of whether that is at home or in a hospital or nursing facility. They will pray with him, gathering around and hovering over him, blanketing him in a chorus of faith-filled prayers given in the name and reputation of the Lord, and they will anoint him with oil to denote the presence of the Holy Spirit. As the anointing oil touches the sick individual, he is to join his faith for healing with the chorus of faith-filled prayers being prayed by those who surround him.

When all these criteria are met, then this verse says that the sick person will be saved — completely delivered, healed, liberated, and returned to wholeness. It is such a complete restoration that even the sins of the sick person, which may have opened him up to sickness in the first place, will be forgiven!

Friend, our God is so good to us. He knows that we need practical, clear instructions and tangible reminders sometimes, so instead of leaving us to figure it out alone, He gives us those instructions and reminders. If you are battling any kind of illness right now, I want to encourage you to start applying some of the practices I’ve talked about into your life. Take Communion and let it be a reminder to you of everything that Jesus purchased for you, including healing. Reach out to your local church for prayer — don’t wait until you are bedridden and have to call the elders to you. The corporate anointing and power is available to you right now, and you can claim it by simply asking! These are clear, simple ways to step into the healing God has for you, so don’t hold yourself back from using them — He wants you to have easy access to health and healing!