Dave Hayes, known as the Praying Medic says in his book Divine Healing Made Simple, “I’ve met a number of people who have experienced healing, only to have the symptoms return a few days later. I’ve also experienced this myself and so have friends who are used by God to heal others. Roger Sapp, who has prayed with over 25,000 people for healing, estimates that 25 percent of people who are healed experience a return of symptoms. The evidence seems to indicate that losing the effects of healing is a real phenomenon, even if we don’t completely understand why it happens.’
He then goes on to describe a dream he had about this problem.
The Dream
“I had a dream that revealed one of the keys to keeping our healing. The dream involved people who were being treated at a hospital for various diseases. As they were healed, they left the hospital and had to make a decision. They had to either leave their account with the hospital open or close it. Those who kept their account open could continue discussing their disease or injury as long as they wanted. They could return for more treatment and discuss the progression of sickness with a doctor or make payment arrangements. These people always became sick again.
The other group decided to close their account after they were healed. They were not allowed to come back for follow up appointments. They didn’t talk about their disease or even think about it after being healed, except to testify once in a while about their healing. This group never again became sick. This was the content of the dream.”
Two Mindsets
The dream reveals two mindsets or types of people and how they view and respond to healing. One mindset is focused on sickness and the process of treating it. The other is focused on health and healing itself. The key to keeping our healing is how we view healing and sickness themselves.
If Sin Is Involved
- Unforgiveness is sin. In Randy Clark’s book, “The Healing Breakthrough” post-prayer suggestions: if unforgiveness was part of the cause of the illness, tell people to guard their hearts and be quick to forgive after the healing.
There was a man at the pool of Bethesda who had an infirmity for 38 years. After he was healed, Jesus caught up with him and shared these words of warning:
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Jn. 5: 14-15
Jesus told the man to sin no more, lest something worse would come upon him. This instruction suggests that sickness can be the result of sin and that our healing might be maintained if we avoid sinful behavior. Since Jesus was the one who healed him, the return of his symptoms would not be a result of inadequate faith on the part of Jesus. It was the man’s responsibility to keep his healing. We have the same responsibility today.
Notice that the man went to the Jews and testified about his healing. In the dream that the Praying Medic had, those who remained well, were those who testified about their healing. Could our testimony of healing contain a key to remaining healed?
Our Testimony Is Important
Randy Clark When people are healed, I encourage with two recommendations: to thank God for whatever measure of healing they did receive and to ask for the rest if it was not complete. Also, I suggest that they tell family and friends about their healing. (Testimony)
“Many of us love to testify about our sickness. We tell everyone how bad our condition is. Some people complain to get sympathy from others. And many of us refer to our condition with terms like “my diabetes” or “my cancer.” Life and death are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18: 21). Our words reflect our thoughts. Our thoughts flow what we meditate on in our hearts. The things we focus on, we talk about. That which we talk about we give power to. It is the tongue that holds the power of life and death and it may hold the power to keep us healed. Our words reveal that sometimes we take ownership of our disease. Once we take ownership, getting free of it can be a difficult process.” (Above modified for brevity)
[The underlined section reminds me of Matthew 15:1-20. Jesus reveals what defiles a person. In verses 18 and 19 He taught:
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. Matthew 15:18–19 (NKJV)
Consider the thoughts of the Praying Medic underlined above. When we are healed and symptoms return, what is in our hearts? Is it the testimony of Christ the Healer? Or is it a false witness wanting us to give it power over our testimony? [My insertion.]
Is Sickness A Part of Your Lifestyle?
“Some people I’ve asked to pray with confessed that they didn’t want me to pray with them because they knew if they were healed they would lose their disability check. Others choose to remain sick because they receive attention or sympathy.
- When we use sickness to obtain something that we want, we become dependent on what it provides and we become slaves to sickness.
Whether it brings money, attention or the opportunity to obtain pain medications, some of us are accustomed to a lifestyle of sickness. We expect to have doctor appointments for the rest of our lives. Our world revolves around it. Some are so dependent on this lifestyle they fear what life would be like without doctor visits and medications.” (Shortened for brevity)
- *Randy Clark: “suppose that due to an injury a man favored his right leg prior to healing. After the healing, if the man continues to walk the way he used to and favors that leg, it could cause his healing to dissipate because of his lack of a lifestyle change.” Randy also uses other examples: a person healed of respiratory problems caused by smoking. If he continues smoking the problem may return. If a person with diabetes or gout because of an unhealthy diet is healed but does not change the diet, the diabetes or gout may return.
- “Those who allow sickness to become their lifestyle may have sickness return no matter how many times they are healed. In the dream that I had, those who continued a lifestyle that focused on sickness always became sick again. Those who refused to talk about sickness kept their healing. Their words and the fact that they refused to focus on sickness helped them to remain well. I’m convinced that one key to keeping our healing is a matter of what we choose to focus on and what we talk about.”
Fear Opens the Door
- Fear and doubt about God’s goodness allow the enemy to bring sickness back. “Fear that our sickness will return is an easy trap to fall into. When we walk in doubt and fear, we walk on the enemy’s ground, which allows him to keep us in pain.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 Jn. 4: 18
When we live from a place of faith, we walk on ground that God has given us as our possession. It is our inheritance and our refuge. Faith is our place of strength. The enemy is at a disadvantage when we walk on the ground called faith.
Where we walk is our choice. Fear will keep us in sickness. Faith will keep us healed. We must close our account with sickness and choose never again to entertain these thoughts.”
Randy Clark cautions people who struggled to receive their healing because of fear. Once healed, fear may cause them to lose their healing. He suggests the person seek inner healing.
- *Randy Clark: If the root cause was an afflicting spirit, the symptoms probably will return. This does not mean the person has lost the healing. It means the afflicting spirit is trying to come back. The spirit may try multiple times to bring the sickness or pain back, but it must always be met with faith and commanded to leave. I tell the person, “If you respond to the first signs of symptoms in doubt and fear, thinking you have lost your healing, you will lose it. But if you respond with understanding, rebuking the spirit and commanding it to leave, you will keep your healing.”
What Is Our Faith In – Christ or Sickness?
Whatever is received by faith in Christ must be maintained by faith in Christ. When a symptom arose, they quickly doubted that they were healed and didn’t maintain it. So today, we spend more time getting them to believe for themselves, helping them deal with their doubts and teaching them what to do if a symptom returns… which is to do the same thing that they did to receive the healing. They had to believe that the healing belonged to them before they received it. They had to believe that Christ had purchased it for them at the cross. Nothing has changed if they have a symptom. They must believe that the healing still belongs to them despite a symptom because of what Christ has done. What causes someone to receive… faith in Christ as Healer… is what causes them to maintain. Today, I think that we have a lot fewer people losing their healing.”
My Experiences – Dave Hayes
“One night as I went to bed I developed sudden pain in my lower back that radiated down the back of my left leg. I’d never had this type of pain before, but I knew from transporting people with these symptoms, it was consistent with a herniated lumbar disc. The pain was severe and for a moment I panicked, thinking I’d done something to injure my back.
As I thought about the pain, I remembered that God had been speaking to me about pain returning after healing. This was a new concept as I’d only been praying with people for about a year. On a hunch, I took the position in my mind that the pain was not a herniated disc, but an imitation of that pain, caused by a demon. I told myself repeatedly, “I do not have a herniated disc.” Suspecting an evil spirit was at work, I commanded the spirit to leave. After ten minutes it left, but it returned 20 minutes later. When it returned I repeated the same process and had my wife join me in the battle. This went on for two hours.
Each time we did this, the pain would leave – only to return. Finally, I was so exhausted I had to go to sleep, even if the pain was still there. I decided to rebuke the spirit one last time and commanded it not to return. When I went to sleep the pain was as bad as it had been all night. But when I awoke in the morning I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had no pain – and it never returned.”
Lieing Sypmtoms and Authority Over Demons
“I learned a great deal from this experience. I learned that we may have the symptoms of a condition that perfectly mimic the condition itself, with no actual injury or disease process in our body. A demon can create a near perfect imitation of a real medical condition. I also learned that a key to victory over the enemy lies in what we believe and what we say. I refused to believe or admit that I had a herniated disc, even though the symptoms felt exactly like it. I also learned that although we might see complete removal of the spirit and symptoms once, it doesn’t mean they won’t return. And if the symptoms return, the strategy that worked the first time can be used again as often as needed until the spirit realizes we aren’t going to allow it to afflict us. I’ve used these principles in my own life many times since then. Today, when I pray with someone who has been healed, I always try to spend a few minutes teaching them what to do if the symptoms return.”
In summary, there are a number of things we can do to maintain our healing. . . . It’s good to occasionally testify about our healing instead of testifying about our sickness. We should refuse to entertain thoughts about sickness returning and instead fix our thoughts on God’s goodness. . . And occasionally, if the symptoms return we might need to command them to leave. We must continue to believe after we are healed, that Christ is still and always will be our healer. Once we are healed, we must close our account with sickness.
* From The Essential Guide to Healing by Bill Johnson and Randy Clark
Post-Prayer Suggestions – Randy Clark.
To Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FGKUJY0/
Most excerpts from: the Praying Medic, Divine Healing Made Simple: the 23rd chapter, Keeping Our Healing (Kindle Location 3179).
To
purchase: http://amzn.to/1PUPrWg
Debby’s Testimony
I had allergies for many years. I was allergic to dust and cats. Dust is something you can never get away from and I had nine cats. I had taken pills and shots; used nose sprays and put air filters in the air vents but all this could only keep my allergies under control. I was told not to expect a cure. If I did not take the medication my eyes would water, I would sneeze non-stop and have trouble breathing. Without medication I could have an asthma attack. In my head I understood that healing was promised in the word of God, but the revelation had not become real to me. One day I was reading the word and the verse below came alive to me; that healing was mine.
Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
I understood that God’s Word had invaded my heart and spoken the truth of what Jesus had done for me.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
I heard the Lord say, “You are healed; now walk in it.” I knew then that I could throw my medication away because of what God had said. Never stop taking your medication based on what man says but on what God says. For two weeks the enemy would come at night to put the sickness back on me. When the enemy first came I could not breathe and was overcome with fear. At that very moment I felt the Lord and heard Him say, “Rebuke the enemy and stand in the authority I have given you.” Right then I knew God was with me and the enemy had been defeated. Still night after night I would wake up in the darkest hours and could not breathe. For a moment I would struggle but then I would remember God’s word to me and I would feel His presence. Once I declared my healing and took authority over the enemy, my breathing became easy and sleep returned. I knew that to keep my healing, I had to stand my ground and declare the Word over my body till it fully manifested in my body. Each time the attack came I would claim my healing and rebuke the enemy. After two weeks the enemy knew my resolve was set and I would not give in. From that time onward I was free from all my allergies.
What’s the message? When God heals you or tells you that you have been healed, don’t let the enemy scare you out of it!
Kevin’s Testimony
In 1995 I was healed of a swallowing problem that I had suffered with since 1976. I had been asking in 1994, “Why have I not been healed by now?” He answered each time, “You are healed.” In ‘95 I asked what I needed to do to see my healing manifest. He told me to confess I was healed before my church, though I might still manifest the symptoms at pot-luck dinners. I did as He told me. My obedience activated my healing. Within the year my symptoms dropped and only occurred once or twice a year, thereafter. I would ask Him why it still happened those few time. He answered that any sense of anxiety over other issues could cause it. So, if it occurred I simply asked Him what I was anxious about, He would show me and I would confess it to Him and do whatever He told me.
Recently He reminded me that anything that is not of faith is sin (Rom 14:23). Therefore, anxiety, stress, worry and any other way you could describe doubt and unbelief of God’s word is sin. Now, however, there is no condemnation in Christ (Rom 8:1). In Christ, begins as we confess Christ as our Savior and Redeemer Who has taken away our sin (John 2:9) and nailed every accusation against us to the cross (Col 2:14). Take note that the definition of sin in the Greek language accurately defines sin in the New Covenant as missing the mark. When we are fearful or anxious about anything we miss the mark He wants us to hit and open a door to the enemy to attack in some minor way (or as we continue to partner with fear, some major way). Often nothing happens as His love covers a multitude of sin. Yet, for those times when the enemy gains access through anxiety, here is a good use of learning how to shift atmospheres.
Shifting atmospheres is a simple way to deal with fear or anxiety. First, recognize (discern) that there is fear in the atmosphere (either within you or around you), “I see you.” Second, you renounce it, “I will not partner with you.” Third, you command it to leave, “I send you back.” Fourth, you ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to release into your atmosphere to fill the void, “Holy Spirit, what truth do You want me to declare into the atmosphere?” Finally, you speak into the air (can be under your breath, if necessary), “Holy Spirit, I release Your peace (whatever He prompts you to speak) into the air, in the name of Jesus.” Repeat as necessary until you are in peace, walking in faith.