How to Keep Your Healing/Deliverance

If you have received healing or deliverance of any sort, it is important that you are well-armed to keep your healing. Oftentimes, the enemy will attempt to return and bring someone back into bondage that has been set free. However, when we are aware of his tactics and prepared to fight, lasting victory will surely be ours.

These steps to maintaining healing/deliverance are vital.

BE FILLED WITH GOD

Jesus tells a story of a person who had a spirit cast out of them. This person did not fill themselves with the Holy Spirit after deliverance, and so the spirit was allowed re-entry, He brought back seven other spirits worse than himself, and the condition of the person afterwards was worse than at the beginning. (Matthew 12:43-45)

This story illustrates the importance of filling yourself with the things of God, so that the enemy has no place to re-enter. This consists of daily infilling of the Holy Spirit. If you have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit, this is something you should pursue. Ask the Lord for it, and seek it out with everything you have. Often, this baptism is a process of surrendering and death to self. It involves seeking God with all of your heart and soul. We also must fill ourselves every day with God’s Word. He has to be number one priority. Spending time in His Presence, and in the Bible has to be a daily occurrence. As Smith Wigglesworth said, “Consume the Word until it consumes you.”

When God physically heals someone, it is not just for the sake of physical healing.

Yes, healing is His nature, and He loves us so much that He bestows this gift upon us, but the healing should always be a catalyst for spiritual growth. It should be an incentive for greater purity and wholeness. It should lead us into greater intimacy with Jesus and incite in us a desire to worship Him more fully. Does Jesus have first place in every area of your life?

GRATITUDE

What we give thanks for increases. If you experience any measure of breakthrough, praise God for it! Tell others! Sing His praises and cultivate a heart of gratitude. He who is faithful with little, will be faithful with much.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

We must remember that this is a battle. God wants us to reign in life. This was His purpose from the beginning. That purpose was thwarted in the garden when Adam and Eve first sinned, but redeemed when Jesus went to the cross. Our hope was restored, and the keys to the kingdom were given back. Victory was purchased, Jesus paid a great price. We cannot reign in life, as God intends, if we are suffering under physical and mental torment. These things must be recognized and fought against. Illness, disease, chronic pain, etc. come from the enemy but we have been given power over him and his works. Daily prayers and declarations should be done but we also need to search our hearts/homes/habits to see if there are places where we are allowing the enemy access into our lives.

Here are some common entry points:

*Habitual sin - Yes, we will occasionally sin, but there should be no kind of unrepentant, repetitive sin in our lives. This is the type of sin we make excuses for, rather than confess and turn from. This includes attitudes or thought patterns that are not glorifying to Jesus. It also includes any kind of sexual immorality, habitual lying, anger, pride, jealousy, and things contrary to Scripture. If we persist in sin and do not repent and turn away (by the power of the Holy Spirit), it will give the enemy a foothold into our lives, which can manifest in physical or mental ailments.

*Bitterness/Unforgiveness - Is there someone you need to forgive? Spend some time processing this with the Lord and seek additional help if need be.

*Music/movies - Music and movies which do not glorify God can allow the enemy access into our lives. Music especially has many deep spiritual roots depending on the spiritual condition of the songwriter/singer and any demonic influence present. Obviously horror movies and anything that glorifies the occult (witches, black magic, etc.) is a huge entry point.

*Items in the home - Sometimes there are items in our homes that are allowing the enemy access. Some examples: dreamcatchers, New Age and occult items (contact me for a list of these), religious paraphernalia, and souvenirs from other countries where witchcraft is prevalent. Sometimes it is an item that you think is completely harmless. Spend some time going through each room and praying. Ask Holy Spirit if there are items in that room that need to be removed. Pray over each room and dedicate your home to

Jesus, commanding any evil spirits to leave.

*Yoga - This one will likely ruffle some feathers but the fact remains that yoga is a Hindu practice that, though westernized, cannot be divorced from it's very spiritual roots. The very word, yoga, means to unite. Yoga was created to facilitate the union of the person practicing with the false gods of hinduism. The poses themselves were designed for worship of false gods aka: demons. Yoga opens a person up to many evil spirits, including the kundalini spirit. I have seen testimony after testimony of those receiving very powerful deliverance after participating in what they thought was a very harmless practice.

THE POWER OF OUR WORDS

It is so important to align our words, thoughts, and prayers with God’s will for our lives. The enemy always goes for the mind first. When a lie comes in, we must counteract it with a firm NO and speak the Word of God. This is why declarations are so important. Scripture knowledge is vital. If we don’t know what God’s Word says, we will not be able to fend off the enemy’s lies. Speak life over yourself and your situation. Speak God’s Truth. Voice Scriptures every day pertaining to your situation. Know your identity in Christ and declare it. Refuse to come into alignment with what the enemy is saying about you, your body,

your mind, your family, etc. I highly recommend John Ramirez' book, "Armed and Dangerous" for prayers and declarations to destroy the enemy’s work against yourself and your family.

PHYSICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

An important part of keeping our healing is to take care of ourselves physically. After all, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and we should treat them as such! I have put together a printable health and wellness guide that goes over the basics on living a toxin-free lifestyle and what to consume/not consume for optimal health. If you have specific questions, please reach out to me, I would be happy to help.

Lastly, have faith! He who started a good work in you will see it through to completion. You will have victory, if you do not give up. Persist and stand firm.

The devil is a liar and he is defeated!!