It’s wise to study and speak out scriptural confessions for your health, but it’s also important to look at the principle that could be the key to you being a partaker of God’s provisions concerning your health.
There is probably no other subject as important to your healing and health than the principle of CALLING THINGS THAT ARE NOT.
We see in Romans 4:17-22 that Abraham became fully persuaded that God would do what he had promised. The way he became fully persuaded was by calling those things which were not manifest as though they were.
We pick up on this in verse 17:
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
(Rom. 4:17)
Here Paul is referring to Genesis the seventeenth chapter. You will notice that God called Abram the father of nations before he had the promised child, and He taught Abram to do the same.
God’s Method For Change
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which meant “father of nations, or multitude.” This was the means He used to convince Abraham to call for what he did not yet have in reality. God had established it by promise, but Abram had to call it into reality by mixing faith with God’s Word.
| We should declare to ourselves what God’s Word reveals about us, regardless of circumstances or how we feel about it. – Charles Capps |
Every time he said, “I am Abraham,” he was calling things that were not yet manifested. Abraham did not deny that he was old. He didn’t go around saying “I’m not old,” because he was old. But he said, “I am Abraham,” (Father of Nations). This was God’s method of helping him change his image, and it caused him to be fully persuaded.
Paul also gives us insight into this principle in 1 Corinthians 1:27-28:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.
In other words, God uses spiritual forces which are not seen to nullify natural things that are seen. This is the Bible principle of calling things that are not as though they were.
Then in 2 Corinthians 4:13, Paul says:
We have the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore I have spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.
Paul is quoting David when he said, “I believed, and therefore have I spoken….” In Psalm 118:17, David said, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
Apply It To Healing
When it comes to divine healing, this is a vital principle. We should declare to ourselves what God’s Word reveals about us, regardless of circumstances or how we feel about it.
In Romans 10:6-8 Paul says that the righteousness which is of faith says…the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.
Notice, the Word is first in your mouth and (then) in your heart. God’s Word becomes engrafted into your heart as you speak it. There is nothing more important to your faith than declaring what God has said about you with your own voice.
Giving voice to God’s Word is a method of calling for things that God has given by promise and are not yet manifest.
When you do this, some would say that you are denying what exists, but that’s not true at all. You are establishing what God has said to be true concerning healing even though it is not yet a reality in your body.
You don’t deny that sickness exists, but you deny its right to exist in your body, because you have been redeemed from the curse of the law and delivered from the authority of darkness (Gal. 3:13; Col. 1:13).
| Denying sickness won’t make you well. But by mixing faith with God’s Word, you are calling for the promise of God to be manifest in your body. – Charles Capps |
God has also given you all things that pertain to life and godliness. These things belong to you (2 Peter 1:3-4). When you are sick and confess that you are healed by the stripes of Jesus, you are calling for what God has already given you, even though it is not yet manifest.
This is God’s method of calling things that are not as though they were until they are. There are some who have misunderstood this principle, and they call things that are, as though they are not. In other words, they deny what exists. But there is no power in denying that sickness exists. The power is in calling for healing and health by mixing faith with God’s Word.
The Principle of God’s Medicine
If you are sick, you don’t deny that you are sick; yet, on the other hand, you don’t want to always be confessing your sickness, for that will establish your present circumstance to you. Denying sickness won’t make you well. But by mixing faith with God’s Word, you are calling for the promise of God to be manifest in your body. This principle will cause you to be fully persuaded, and healing is a result.
There are some who would say you are lying if you confess you are healed when you are sick. No, you are simply calling for healing that God has already provided, even though it is not yet manifest in your body. What you are really doing is practicing God’s medicine.
You are not trying to convince anyone that you are not sick, but you are simply proclaiming what God has said in His Word to be a fact, regardless of your present condition. The Word says, by whose (Jesus’) stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2:24). Notice it is past tense as far as God is concerned, but not yet manifest in your body.
You are calling your body well according to Luke 17:5-6 and Mark 11:23. Your body is listening to you and it will obey you if you believe and doubt not in your heart. Your words have more effect on your body than anyone else’s words.
Some sickness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the body, and the part of the brain that controls the speech also controls the secretion of chemicals to the body. This sheds one more light on what Jesus said in Mark 11:23, “…he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
Your body was created with the ability to heal itself, and if every part functions properly, it will.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Charles Capps is a retired farmer, land developer, and Bible teacher who has traveled extensively throughout the United States and several foreign countries sharing the truths of God's Word. He has taught Bible seminars for over 35 years, emphasizing the authority of the believer, faith and the power of words.
Charles and Peggy both have their roots in the rich farmland of Lonoke County, Arkansas. Having been raised by parents who were farmers, Charles began farming cotton, soybeans, and rice immediately after graduating from high school and marrying in 1951.
Peggy, being 3 1/2 months older than Charles had to sign as the adult on his behalf when he wanted to begin flying lessons at the age of 17. They joined an organization known as the Flying Farmers and gained experience going to "fly-ins" and national meetings across the United States. Neither knew that this skill of flying would be such an asset later when Charles began teaching personal evangelism in the 1960's. He spoke on the subject of soulwinning in churches not only in the US, but flew his twin engine Piper Comanche to the Bahamas to teach students of Youth With a Mission how to share Christ with others.
After reading a book by Kenneth E. Hagin entitled, "Authority of the Believer", Charles and Peggy's life took on a new dimension of travel and ministry as Charles became known for his teaching gift and insight on the subjects of faith and confession. Invitations to minister to the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International (FGBMFI) began to pour in, eventually leading to the publication of his teachings in book form. "The Tongue a Creative Force" and "God's Creative Power(r) Will Work for You" became bestsellers after Buddy Harrison, Kenneth Hagin's son in law, launched his publishing company with these two classics. These two books have sold millions (the God's Creative Power(r) series has sold over 5 million copies) and are still much in demand today.
We celebrated Charles' promotion to heaven at 5:15 pm Sunday, February 23, 2014. He informed the family and close friends on Friday that he would be going home to heaven in 3 days. After having some final words with family and friends on Saturday, he went to bed, went to sleep and never awoke. (He kept saying, "I want to go in my sleep.") His wife and daughters had the privilege of being with him as he finally got that glorified body he always talked about. Charles Capps was a man of integrity, a man of his word and he got what he said. He called those things that be not as though they were.
Charles Capps broadcast called, "Concepts of Faith", continues a daily national radio broadcast and a weekly television broadcast aired over several networks, satellite, and the internet. Click on the Radio or TV link to find the broadcast in your area.
Peggy continues to reside in Arkansas. Both Charles' and Peggy's daughters, Annette and Beverly are involved in the ministry.
