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Chapter 7: Helping a Sick Friend Get Healed

Written by: Apostle Delmar

Let me tell you something that might surprise you.

God doesn't heal you because you're saved. He heals you because He loves you.

I've seen unbelievers healed. Skeptics. People who walked into our church not believing a word of it. People who came just because someone dragged them there. People who thought the whole thing was nonsense.

And God healed them anyway.

Why? Because that's who He is. He's a healer. He's a lover of people. And His compassion isn't limited to people who have their theology straight.

So if you have a friend who's sick—someone who doesn't believe, someone who's never set foot in a church that operates in the power of the Spirit—don't count them out. God hasn't counted them out.

This chapter is about how to help them get to the place where they can receive.

The Gold Standard: Get Them in the Room​

Let me be straight with you about something.

It would always be better to get them to come into the presence of God. If you can get them to Encounter, do it.

I'm not saying distance ministry doesn't work. I've ministered over phone calls. I've ministered over Zoom. I've seen God heal people who were thousands of miles away. When someone just absolutely can't be there, God can still move.

But there's something about being in the room. There's something about being in the atmosphere of what church is supposed to be—the atmosphere of true love and power.

When an unbeliever walks into that atmosphere, something happens to them. Even if they can't feel a thing initially. Even if their arms are crossed and their mind is skeptical. The presence of God starts working on them. It boosts their faith even when they don't realize it.

In-person ministry doesn't depend solely on the person's existing faith level. The anointing in the room does work they can't do for themselves.

Sean's Story​

Let me tell you about Sean.

He came to our Sunday service recently. Multiple back surgeries. Walking with a cane. Skeptic. Grew up Baptist. Never seen supernatural ministry in his life. His wife had been coming to Encounter, and she finally convinced him to give it a shot.

He didn't know what to expect. Probably thought we were crazy.

When God healed his back at the altar, that man cried like a baby. I mean sobbing. The power of God hit him and everything changed.

He walked through that altar without the cane. Walked back to his seat without the cane. His wife called us later to confirm—he was still healed at home. Still no cane. Still no pain.

Sean didn't have great faith when he walked in. He had skepticism and back pain and a cane. But he got in the room. He got in the atmosphere. And God met him there.

That's why I say: if you can get your friend to Encounter, do it.

What If They Can't Travel?​

Now, I understand. Some people are bed-ridden. Some people are too sick to fly. Some people are in the hospital. They can't just hop on a plane and come to Liberty County.

Here's what you can do:

1. Build Their Faith First​

Before you try to get them on a call with me or connect them to ministry, they need some foundation. Not perfect faith. Just a crack in the door.

Most unbelievers won't get on Zoom for ministry. They don't believe. Why would they even listen? It's like asking someone to take medicine they're convinced is poison.

So you have to give them reasons to consider that this might be real.

Share video testimonies. We've documented miracles. We've captured moments on video—healings, deliverances, transformations. Show them. Let them see with their own eyes what God is doing.

Share the stories. Tell them about James and the 21-centimeter tumor. Tell them about Sharon who was declared clinically dead for three days. Tell them about Austin and the autism that God cured.

Share your own story. If God has done something in your life, tell them. Your personal testimony carries weight with people who know you.

Now, even with all that, some skeptics will think it's staged. Some will have a reason to dismiss every piece of evidence. That's okay. You're not trying to convince everyone. You're trying to crack the door for the ones whose hearts are soft enough to consider.

2. Help Them Understand Why God Would Heal Them​

Here's what trips up a lot of unbelievers: they think God wouldn't heal them because they're not "good enough" or because they don't believe.

You need to help them understand something: God's healing comes from His love, not from your resume.

Jesus healed people who didn't even know who He was. He healed people who never followed Him. He healed ten lepers and only one came back to thank Him. He still healed all ten.

God is not waiting for your friend to get their life together before He'll help them. He's not keeping a scorecard. He's offering healing because that's His nature.

Your friend needs to hear: "God loves you. And He wants to heal you. Not because you deserve it. None of us deserve it. But because that's who He is."

3. Connect Them to Ministry​

Once they're open—even a little bit—connect them.

If they can travel, bring them to Encounter. Wednesday night "Extra Oil" services. Sunday services. Special events. Get them in the room.

If they absolutely cannot travel:

  • Phone call ministry. We've seen God move over the phone. It's not the same as being present, but God isn't limited by distance.

  • Zoom ministry. Same thing. We can pray, we can lay hands by faith, we can speak the Word over them.

  • In some cases, I can come to them. If someone is truly bed-ridden and the situation warrants it, we can discuss having ministry come to them.

But I want to be honest: distance ministry works best when the person already has some faith stirred up. The phone call isn't the place to convince a hardened skeptic. The faith-building needs to happen before that call.

Words of Knowledge: The Faith Breakthrough​

Let me tell you something that blows skeptics' minds every time: words of knowledge.

When God shows me something about a person that I couldn't possibly know—something specific, something personal, something that nobody else knows—it breaks through skepticism in a way that arguments never can.

The Blue Huffy Bike​

I was doing jail ministry years ago. A man came to see me—serving 99 years for murder. He came for counseling.

Before I met with him, I worshipped to get in the Spirit. And God showed me something: a vision of a young man on a blue Huffy bike. He fell off and broke his right ankle.

When the man sat down, I told him what I saw.

That dude jumped up out of his chair and jumped up against the wall. "What is this? What is this?"

I said, "God just wants you to know that He's here. He knows everything about you. And He loves you."

That man got saved that day. Not because I argued him into it. Because God revealed something that proved He was real and He cared.

The Red Wagon​

Another time, I told a man exactly how he got caught by the police. I saw it—he was running from cops and tripped over a little red wagon in someone's yard.

When I told him, his face went white. Nobody knew that detail. Nobody but him and God.

These personal revelations crack open hearts that arguments can't touch. When someone realizes God knows the details of their life—things they never told anyone—everything shifts.

A Template for Reaching Your Friend​

Let me give you a practical approach for reaching out to a sick friend who doesn't believe:

Step 1: Lead with Love, Not Pressure​

Don't start with "You need to come to my church." Start with genuine care for them. Ask about their situation. Listen. Let them know you're there for them regardless of what they decide.

Step 2: Share Your Own Story​

If God has done something in your life, share it. Keep it simple. Keep it real. "Let me tell you what happened to me..." Personal testimony opens doors that preaching closes.

Step 3: Introduce the Possibility​

Something like: "I know you've been going through a lot with your health. I want you to know there's something I've experienced that I think could help you. I've seen people healed—like, actually healed—through my church. People with cancer. People with diseases the doctors couldn't fix. I'm not trying to pressure you, but I wanted you to know this exists."

Step 4: Offer Resources​

"If you're open to it, I can send you some videos of what I've seen. Real testimonies. Real people. You can watch them and make up your own mind."

Share the documented miracles. Share the testimonies. Let them investigate.

Step 5: Extend the Invitation​

If they're open: "Would you be willing to come with me to a service? Or if you can't travel, I can connect you with my pastor for a phone call. No pressure. Just an opportunity."

Step 6: If They Say No​

Respect it. Don't badger them. Keep loving them. Keep praying for them. Sometimes the door opens later. Sometimes God works in ways you don't see.

But always leave the door open: "If you ever change your mind, I'm here."

What to Expect​

Let me set expectations for you and your friend:

Some people get healed instantly. I've seen it happen. One prayer, one touch, and the disease is gone.

Some people experience progressive healing. They receive prayer, they believe, and the healing manifests over hours or days. Like Gary's eyesight—he received prayer, sensed improvement, but the full confirmation came the next morning.

Some people need to address spiritual blockages first. Unforgiveness. Sin they're holding onto. Demonic oppression. Sometimes healing requires deliverance—dealing with the root issue, not just the symptom.

And some people don't receive. I'm honest about this. Not everyone who comes to the altar walks away healed. Sometimes it's faith level. Sometimes it's timing I don't understand. Sometimes there are factors only God knows.

But I'll tell you this: I've never seen anyone hurt by seeking God for healing. Even if the physical healing doesn't come in the timing we want, something happens in their spirit when they encounter the presence of God.

The Bottom Line​

Your sick friend is not beyond God's reach. Their unbelief is not a barrier to God's love. Their distance from church is not a barrier to God's power.

But you have a role to play.

You're the bridge. You're the one who can share the testimony. You're the one who can crack open the door. You're the one who can get them in the room—or connect them to ministry if they can't travel.

Don't underestimate how God might use you to bring healing to someone you love.

And when you talk to them, remember the most important thing:

God doesn't heal because someone is saved. He heals because He loves.

Trust Him.

Resources for Your Friend​

If your friend is open to learning more, here are some starting points:

  1. Send them testimonies. Video documentation of healings. Written accounts. Real stories from real people.

  2. Share this book. The chapters on miracles and faith explain how this works and what to expect.

  3. Connect them to Encounter. Our services are open. Our ministry is available. And God is moving.

  4. If they need someone to talk to: Reach out to our ministry. We can set up a call, answer questions, and pray.

The goal is simple: get them close enough to the fire that God can do what only He can do.

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." — Matthew 4:23

Your friend is not too far gone. And God is not done yet.