Ex 15:3 The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name. (NKJV)

The context of Exodus 15 starts with introducing God as a man of war. A few verses down in Exodus 15:26 God reveals His healing nature by referring to Himself as Jehovah Raphah meaning “I am the Lord that heals you.” A more literal translation of the Hebrew actually reads, “I am Healing.” God described Himself as a man of war and a healer in the same chapter. Initially this might seem contradicting, but not if you see healing as the weapon of attack the Man of War wields against the works of the devil. God is a man of war and healing is one of the weapons in His offensive arsenal. It is NOT merely a defensive weapon.

1 John 3:8 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  (NKJV)

Jesus was purposefully manifested to destroy the works of the devil. According to prophecy, this was because He came to attack, not to defend. Look at the following verses and see how healing is associated with war and offensive or attacking arsenal.

Isa 35:2-6 They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. (NKJV)

Psa 107:20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. (NKJV)

Now when we look at what Paul wrote about our war and our weapons, we will see the same thing.

2 Cor 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (NKJV)

If healing is a weapon God used, then it is definitely a weapon we have available too. But we most often try to use this weapon in a defensive way, waiting for the devil to attack us before we bring out the big guns. Then we try to learn how this weapon works while facing enemy fire at the same time. How many of you can realize that is not the best way to learn?

Matt 16:18 on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (NKJV)

If you think about movies like the Lord of the Rings, you always find one group of people behind castle walls and a big gate defending against an enemy’s attack. The people behind the gates are in defense mode. All they can do is defend ground, they cannot take ground while they are behind the gates. Now in Matthew 16 Jesus says the gates of hell shall not prevail. That means the devil and hell are supposed to be on the defensive against the church. We always use this verse when the devil is attacking us as a way to comfort ourselves that God will not let the devil win. We have it backwards! God is not letting the devil win, he is already defeated. But in regards to your sickness, the defenses of the devil will not prevail against the attacks of the believers!

Sickness will not prevail against healing. Destruction will not prevail against restoration. When healing is used according to its purpose, to attack the enemies of God, those enemies can’t prevail. Don’t wait for your recurring symptoms to surface before you start defending. Attack those symptoms during the times when they are not even present. It doesn’t take much to do that. Declare the Word of God over your health. Bind the works of that infirmity and chase that devil further away!

Acts 19:15-16 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (NKJV)

Does the devil know you? Do you deal with him so consistently that he will say about you what he said about Paul and Jesus? If not, he might just prevail against you too. It is not God’s will for the devil to prevail. You will be perfectly in line with the will of God whenever you purposefully get up in the morning to mess up the devils day, to foil his plans and to send him running tail between his legs. After a while he will realize that you are not swallowing his lies anymore and will say of you what he said about Jesus and Paul. The devil doesn’t care how much Bible you know. He knows more Bible then you. He does get worried however when you realize who you are, when your life starts to reflect scripture, when you start to become scripture in the flesh by growing up into Christ.

The weapons are in your hands, use them!

Cornel Marais

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