James 5:14-15 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

Dr. Douglas King, my gynecologist, discovered that I had a cancerous tumor, which he subsequently removed on November 9, 1990. As Dr. King explained to me, “the cancer cells are in your stomach wall and in your blood test.”

Dr. King also explained to me that I had a “double cancer,” meaning that the cancer consisted of adenocarcinoma and sarcoma. If I were to be given chemotherapy for the adenocarcinoma, this would have the sarcoma grow at a more rapid rate. If I were to be given radiation for the sarcoma, this would have the adenocarcinoma grow at a more rapidly. If I were to receive both forms of treatment, it would have been fatal itself.
This is the pathologist’s report: SECTIONS OF A LARGE POLYPOID TUMOR FILLING THE ENDOMETRIAL CAVIT SHOW A MIXED MASODERMAL TUMOR WITH BOTH ADENOCARCINOMAOUS AND SARCOMATOUS ELEMENTS. THE HETEROLOGOUS STRUCTURES, INCLUDING ISLANDS OF CARTILAGE AND CELLS CONTAINING CYTOPLASMIC CROSS STRIATIONS (RHABDOMYOBLASTIC DIFFEREATIATION). THE TUMOR IS PRIMARILY EXOPHYTIC AND POLYPOID. THERE IS MINIMAL MYOMETRIAL ADENOMYSIS AND MUTIPLE SMALL LEIOMYOMATA. COMMENT: BECAUSE OF THE INTERESTING AND UNUSAL HISTOLOGIC FINDS IN THIS CASE, SLIDES HAVE BEEN FORWARDED FOR CONSULTATION TO PATHOLOGISTS AT THE MAYO CLINIC.

Upon returning home from my hospital stay, my pain continued with each passing day. It HURT to get into bed and it HURT to get out of bed. It hurt to sit down and it hurt to stand up. I spent most of my walking hours screaming with pain, while knowing I had only weeks to live.

My family had told me about a lady who had a healing ministry. We are Baptist. At this point in time, and in our lives, a healing ministry was certainly not something we Baptist were accustomed to. I was shocked to learn my husband, a Baptist minister, was very much in favor of allowing this lady to come minister to me. I was very annoyed at the suggestion I could not focus on anything other than how much pain I had to bear. I only wanted to be left alone and not be hounded by my family in these last days I had with them.

I gave into the idea so my family would leave me alone. Delores and Bill Winder would be at my home within one week. I had no idea what she did, or why it would take a whole week before she finally came. I was anxious for her to come. I only wanted it over with so I would not have to hear the names Delores and Bill, again. God forgave me for feeling this way. I had not even considered the fact that she was very busy with meetings and people calling her for prayer and healing.

When Delores and Bill arrived, my husband asked me if I wanted him to rearrange the furniture in the living room where we would meet with them. I yelled, “Move the furniture? If she wants the furniture moved, she can move it herself.” It had not occurred to me that all we had seen on television about healing involved people falling all over the stage. My husband was not against that happening in our own living room IF that’s what it took!

But that’s not what happened that night. This was a very quiet and powerful meeting accompanied by the presence of the Holy Spirit. My family and I were anointed with oil as we prayed for my healing. God was good as He melted my heart of stone toward these wonderful, caring people. So often, we allow Satan to rob us of blessings God has in store for us.

As Delores and Bill were leaving and out the door, Delores quickly turned around and said, “Betty, I just had a word come to me that you will be healed right away, but you will have a sign. You will have a discharge and you will know you were healed.”
After they left, I sat down in my favorite chair as the serve pain continued. This just allowed the doubts to flood within me. I went to bed still in pain and as I awoke the next morning, still in pain, I asked God to let me die that day. But the more I thought about it, I knew Satan was trying to destroy me. I began to rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus all the way to the kitchen to get my morning coffee.

As I sat down in the chair, I then got back up. I sat down, and then got up. I even bent over and touched my toes. I immediately walked to my husband’s office where he begins is morning prayer and study. I showed him what I could do without pain. We rejoiced and gave God thanks for my healing.

Nine months later, I had the discharge of two spots of blood and I was healed.

Reflection:

Betty said she was a Baptist and they did not believe in healing ministries. Delores was a Presbyterian/Methodist and they did not believe that the gifts were for today. How did we “forget that it says in Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever?”

Betty’s husband is a Minister of the Word of God and he was not opposed to Delores coming to pray for her. Many of us have been to church most of our lives and we still do not understand that the Bible says in James 5:14-15 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.” Who was He talking to?
Healing ministries are really not the answer. The Word says, “Call on the elders of the church to pray over him.” This should be what happens in our church, day in and day out. Every service should be a healing service. We should have a place where we can take people of the congregation or people off the street, to pray for their healing. Anyone who wanders into our church should be treated as “special people with special needs.” Love your neighbor!

We are all children with special needs. We often think that we are different from other people. God sees us as we are. He knows every thought we think and every act that we do. We are never a “surprise” to God. We all do have “differences,” but we are all the same to God and He loves all of us very much.

Jesus answered Satan by saying, “it is written.” We need to be able to answer Satan and other people in that way, but first we have to know the Word of God. Hebrews 10:16 "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." the Holy Spirit waits to bring the Word to our mind, but we must make ourselves available to receive it. We need to read and know what the Bible says, so that the Holy Spirit will have something to work with, not just empty space.

Betty was no different than any of us. We all listen and yet we do not hear. When God sends a servant to us to pray for us, we must welcome them and really listen to the Word that they bring from God. He knows what we need to hear and then we too can be healed. We can be healed from sickness or from unbelief.