Boldness in the Ministry of Healing

Do You Have What It Takes For The Ministry Of Healing?

For the past two years in a row my number one article, in terms of readership, has been “How to Start a Healing Ministry.” That tells me many Christians have a sincere desire to minister to the sick, but are not exactly sure how to begin. They are searching for guidance regarding qualifications, schooling, licensing, and even practical things like creating a non-profit company, or perhaps obtaining a 501(c)(3) from the government. I [Sozo Ministries International] have accomplished all those things, but this article is not about any of that!

Those things take time. A lot of time, for some of them. My desire is to get you started right now. Look around you. How many sick people are in your family, your neighborhood, your place of employment, your sphere of influence? How many are in dire need of God’s intervention quickly because the medical community has done all they can do, but have fallen short? For some of these people, there isn’t much time! If you haven’t read “How to Start a Healing Ministry” I encourage you to do so right now, then come back to this article. That article contains the number one secret for starting a healing ministry. It’s how Jesus got started, it’s how the disciples got started, and it’s how I got started. It works.

Here’s a hint… you’ve likely heard the saying, “The Book of Acts happened because the disciples acted!” Not one of them questioned their qualifications. They were fully convinced that being in the presence of Jesus for three years was enough. They were right. Some of the disciples were uneducated and untrained men, like the Bible says about Peter and John in Acts 4:13, but they let their actions speak for themselves. In fact, it was because of their actions that the lame man [at the Gate Beautiful] was healed. Additionally, 5,000 [male] believers were added into the Kingdom that day, because of that one faithful act of obedience. No bible school, no theological degree — they simply acted on what Jesus had taught them. Unschooled, ordinary men working miracles by the hand of god!

Here’s what it takes to be a minister of healing to a sick and dying world… A Christian spending time in the presence of Jesus, being taught by the Holy Spirit of God (the greatest teacher of all), then acting on what you have learned. That’s it. Just do it! Everything else is secondary. Your titles and degrees are simply man’s approval of something God has already validated. If you are a believer with a good foundation of the biblical promises for healing, you are qualified! Oh, and it helps to have an extra portion of boldness!

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13

Boldness, A Key Ingredient For The Ministry Of Healing

I’m grateful for my time as a child growing up in the Methodist Church, but I must admit, in nearly eighteen years there I never heard anyone pray with boldness for any reason. I had no idea what bold praying sounded like until after I received my medical miracle and started attending a spirit-filled church. Can I tell you something? When the Spirit of God comes upon someone, He can turn the most introverted and shy person into the boldest of believers in the blink of an eye. You may not even recognize yourself when that happens! Consider the scripture…

Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.

1 Samuel 10:6-7

There’s just something amazing that happens when the Holy Spirit comes upon a yielded vessel. All of a sudden there’s a noticeable and undeniable boldness for the task at hand. I’m not talking about something that can be manufactured on your own — no, this is a godly boldness that produces godly results. Sometimes what you say or do will surprise even yourself. That’s why the scripture says you will “be turned into another man.” Not literally of course, but figuratively speaking. It simply means when you are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, you become a vessel for the power of God to work through as you are touching or ministering to others. When the Lord’s Spirit comes over you, it will be like you’ve become a completely different person. Let me give you an example…

A Holy Boldness

Two decades ago, when I first moved to Florida, I worked for the County Tax Collector. I was the new kid on the block at the time, only there for a few months. I was still becoming acquainted with my co-workers and made a conscience decision to build bridges into their lives. Many were unbelievers, some attended mainline traditional churches, and only a few were spirit-filled like me.

I shared my personal testimony of miraculous healing every chance I had. So word traveled fast that I was a Christian who believed in the healing power of God. One day a co-worker from my department approached me and asked if I would lead a prayer after work on behalf of a co-worker’s husband who was dying with brain cancer. He was a young man, I think in his forties. The word “yes” popped out of my mouth before I even had a chance to think about it. Two minutes later, after the woman walked away, I was bombarded with negative thoughts.

You see, I don’t take too kindly to the devil inflicting people with sickness, illness, and disease. In fact, it makes me downright mad. And at times that anger against Satan and his cohorts is manifested in my prayers. “Oh my, I’m quite sure I don’t pray like most of my co-workers do.” “Oh no, what if I start praying in tongues?” “What if the Holy Spirit comes upon me as I’m praying?” “I’ll make a fool of myself in front of everyone.” “This will potentially destroy every relationship I was working hard to build.” Suddenly I felt sorry I had agreed to lead the prayer time. I wanted to politely back out, but I knew I had to keep my word. So I devised another plan. I would purposely take on a late customer which would require me to work past 5:00 when most of my co-workers clocked out. I wouldn’t miss the prayer time, I would only be late, forcing someone else to lead. Yes, it was a perfect plan! A perfect plan, that almost worked!

The Holy Spirit Is Like The Wind

When several co-workers came to get me at 5:00, I told them I was finishing up with a customer, and to start without me. I stepped outside the office building about 5:10 or so, and marveled at the huge crowd that had gathered. I knew there were about 80 people employed there, but to me it looked as if 100 or more showed up. They were hand-in-hand in a very large circle, and someone was praying. Well, not really praying – more like begging God to do something. Then another person prayed in the same manner. And another, and another. No one prayed according to the Word of God. No one prayed or prophesied the healing scriptures over this dying man. Every person, in turn, prayed according to their unbelieving emotions. I must have heard “If it be thy will” a dozen times.

Finally I had heard enough. I knew definitively that cancer was NOT the will of God. I knew that God did not inflict this sick person, for He is not the author of sickness. I knew that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I knew that God was Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our Healer! I knew all these things and more from the promises of God. I felt the Spirit of God rising up within me. I felt my heart pounding a million miles a minute. I felt the palms of my hands getting sweaty. All of a sudden I felt compelled to pray. And when I did (the eyewitnesses told me afterwards) they heard a sound like a rushing wind. They said it sounded like the wind of a hurricane. And we certainly know what that sounds like living in Florida. The witnesses said every eye was wide open, every face a fearful look as they gazed upon the surrounding trees bent over from the force of the wind. They said the powerful wind started the moment I began praying, and never stopped until I said “amen.”

I had no recollection of what they were talking about. My eyes were firmly shut as I prayed the healing scriptures with all confidence and boldness. I never heard or saw what they experienced. I was so in tune with the Holy Spirit I could not tell you what was going on around me. But when I finished and opened my eyes, I knew something incredible had just happened. My co-workers stood in silence, stunned at what they experienced with the wind and the bold words that came out of my mouth. They could hardly believe their ears. Everyone in the office viewed me as a “shy and quiet person.” Honestly, my boldness that day stunned even myself. Truly, it was as if I had become a different person.

I beat it out of that prayer meeting as fast as I could – hands shaking, heart still pounding, and literally tripping over my own two feet as I approached my vehicle. I have no memory of driving home that night, I was so upset. I was certain I would be fired from my new job and likely aborted every friendship I had created. At least that’s what the devil was telling me.

Wanting to call off sick the next day, my husband had to give me a much needed pep talk. After arriving the following morning, I walked through the hallways with my head down in an effort not to make eye contact with anyone. But that plan didn’t work either! More than a few of my co-workers approached me asking if I heard what happened. I had not. Through joyful tears they told me the story. Shortly after the prayer meeting the night before, someone delivered a care package to the home of the dying man. To the utter amazement of that person, the sick man had arisen from his hospice bed and answered the door himself! That’s what can happen when you approach the throne of God with all confidence and boldness, believing against all odds, that God will make good on His promises.

That miracle happened before I was in ministry, before I had ever taken one bible school class, before I was a licensed preacher. And that, my friends, is exactly what God desires to do through you! Through that experience I learned how vital boldness can be in the ministry of healing. I prayed like I actually believed that man would receive his healing. I’m not talking about arrogance, I’m talking about confidence in the finished work of the cross when we pray. If we really know the will of God regarding healing, we can approach Him with boldness and confidence. When you minister healing, there’s no need to be sheepish when it comes to asking God for something He already promised in His Word. Pray with unflinching authority, even in the face of opposition. Be completely persuaded that God hears and the answer is on its way.

My prayer for you…

…grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.

Acts 4:29-30

© Glenda Motsavage and Sozo Ministries International, 2020