In Luke chapter 10, Jesus instructed the seventy:
1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go
2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.
9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions (devils), and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
The first priority is for the lost to be saved. Next, heal the sick to physically restore people. Lastly, cast out demons from the people who were oppressed by them so there would be no hindrance in their walk. The seventy were most impressed with the third priority but Jesus corrected them and reiterated that salvation was the highest priority. The main objective of ministry is to preach the Gospel to the lost. In order for us to be fully effective in ministry, it is vital we understand and exercise our authority over the works of the devil.
Jesus explained this great struggle in John chapter 10:
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
This should provide an easy comparison when dealing with people and where they are at. If they are being hindered by the darkness then there is a great need for Jesus to be expressed in their lives. Each of us is a spirit man and we express ourselves through our body. The devil would attempt to express himself in our bodies as well and one outworking is sickness and disease. Does that mean you are devil possessed if you are sick? No! It means there are forces fighting you in order to subject you to the one who kills, steals, and destroys.
Jesus came that we might have an abundant life. It is not His will that any be sick or afflicted by the devil or his demons. FATHER does not put sickness on us. HE may permit it due to the lawlessness of the people but HE does not put it on the people HIMSELF. Jesus being the full expression of FATHER was consistently healing and delivering people thus He confirmed FATHER’S Divine Intent time and time again.
Peter wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Peter chapter 5:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
There should be no question who the adversary is and we need not read anything into these statements but simply take them at face value. The Beloved Disciple wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 John chapter 3:
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
As we grow into full maturity, we should expect to also destroy the works of the devil. We must not leave out this important aspect of ministry. In these times, there is such an influx of alternatives to healing that we must not allow the world’s methods to become our methods. We must “undo” all that the world has infiltrated our thinking with and return to the pure Word for the true solution to healing the sick. The solution is rather simple but may be a challenge in that the world’s methods provide great resistance to us when we promote Love, faith, and hope for those who are dealing with sickness and disease. We must press in and allow the anointing to come forth for The Word will be confirmed to those who have ears to hear. This is the only true solution to the healthcare crisis. Jesus alerted us to the need to be in prayer and fasting to deal with the more advanced issues we will confront. Direct and consistent communication with FATHER is an absolute necessity to walk in this area of ministry.