The likelihood of sickness or disease afflicting us or our loved ones can be frightening, and many people live in fear of it. Some people are so obsessed with it that it’s all they think about. This type of fear negatively impacts their lives and it’s not what God wants for them. Healing is God’s will, but if we don’t believe this, no medicine in the world can help us.

Doctors are indeed important, but God is the Great Physician. He works through health care professionals and anoints them to do their work. Our faith in God’s ability to heal brings about miracles. Faith resulted in healing for the centurion soldier’s servant (Matthew 8:13), a woman who suffered with a bleeding disorder (Luke 8:48), the blind men who professed their belief in His ability (Matthew 9:28-30), and the daughter of a woman who came to Him for help (Matthew 15:28).

Our health and wellness mean a great deal to God. Some people mistakenly think that His nature is impersonal and detached from human suffering. Not only is He well able to heal, He always wants to see us healed. In an encounter with a leper during His earthly ministry, Jesus showed this willingness. “Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. ‘Lord,’ the man said, ‘If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’ Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared” (Matthew 8:2, 3, NLT).

Faith plays a huge part in healing. We must be careful what we believe, because wrong-believing cuts us off from what God wants to accomplish in our lives. Jesus went about healing many people whose faith in Him connected them to health and wholeness, but doubt from others hindered what He could do for them. “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.  He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:5, 6, NIV).

In staying healthy, our faith is important, but our works of faith are equally important. God always honors His promises of healing and restoration, and we demonstrate our faith by our actions. “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead…For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:17, 26, NKJV). Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, healthy eating, and taking care of our emotional well-being and state of mind goes a long way in claiming good health for ourselves.

We have more control over our health than we realize. Our minds are so powerful that, over time, they can influence what goes on in our bodies. What we think and meditate on can either help keep us healthy or make us sick. God wants the best for us, and agreeing with His Word keeps us in good health. “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22, AMPC).

Many people neither understand nor believe how our faith relates to our health. Therefore, it’s even more important for us to reach an understanding of the connection between the two. God gave us the ability to decide for ourselves how to think, and we’re only as happy as we decide to be. Putting our faith in Him brings positive results, physically as well as mentally.