In a Full Gospel church in one of our western states there was a man who had been born with a deformed foot and a leg that was about four inches shorter than the other. He couldn't walk without crutches due to his crippled condition.

His deformed leg was not as big as the other one; it had not grown right. But in one of my healing meetings in the church, he got healed.

His crippled leg grew out to the same length as the other, and his deformed foot straightened out. At 37 years of age, this man was able to wear the first matching pair of shoes he had ever worn in his life.

Six weeks after my meeting was over, the pastor was taking prayer requests on a Wednesday night.

A woman got up and said, "Pastor, I was healed during Brother Hagin's meeting, and for six weeks I've been all right. But all my symptoms have come back on my, and I'm worse than ever. I want you all to pray for me."

Without thinking, the pastor agreed.

Then this fellow who had been healed of the crippled foot and short leg stood up and said, "Pastor, may I say a word? I think it will help this sister.

"You all know me. I was born crippled, and I've been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit for several years now. I, too, was healed in Brother Hagin's meeting. You know I'm perfectly healed.

"Just this past week I was walking on Main Street when suddenly a pain hit me in the ankle, and that foot that had been healed turned in. I almost fell. In fact, I would have fallen if I hadn't reached my hand out and leaned against a store building. That foot turned in with such pain I could hardly stand it.

"I just slid down the wall and sat on the sidewalk. I don't know what people thought, because I picked up my ankle and foot in my hands and yelled out loud, 'No, you don't, Mr. Devil! You don't put that back on me! God's healed me.' And every symptom left. I've been all right ever since."

He maintained his healing. Although the church prayed, the woman lost hers. Why? Under those conditions prayer won't work, because she already had denied what God had done.

Many times you lose by praying! You lose by turning in prayer requests! That may startle you, but what you're doing is confessing, "I don't have it."

Some years ago we were down in Greensboro, North Carolina. A woman said to me, "Brother Hagin, when you were here two years ago, I was healed of asthma and related respiratory conditions. I had been under the care of specialists for years and had spent thousands of dollars.

"For 18 solid months I never had a symptom. Then, about six months ago, every symptom of the asthma and respiratory condition came back. I almost played into the hand of the devil by accepting it, but I kept endeavoring to stand against it. I said, 'No, you can't put it back on me!' Thank God I had heard your teaching. I came every day and every night when you were here.

"My husband finally insisted that I go in for an examination. I went and the doctor said, 'I don't understand it. You've got the symptoms, but you don't have the asthma. Every test we run is negative.'"

She said, "I just spoke up and told him, "That's that lying devil, bringing lying symptoms, trying to put it back on me!' "

"Well," the doctor said, "whatever it is, you don't have it"

She said, "I stood against it, and it disappeared. I wouldn't have known to do that if I hadn't heard your teaching." (If she had accepted it, she'd have had it back.)

I don't know why Christians don't stand against the devil and everything that is of the devil. Sickness is not of God. Sickness does not come from heaven. Sickness is not a blessing.

I'm not going to accept anything that doesn't come from heaven. I know sickness doesn't come from heaven, because there's none up there.

Someone said of their sickness, "God put it on me." Well, He stole it if He did. There's no sickness in heaven. God would have to steal it from the devil to put sickness on you. Do you see how ridiculous that is?

No, God didn't put that sickness on you - the devil did! Then he lied to you and told you God did it, and you were gullible enough to accept it.

Repeating the following confession - getting it into your spirit - will help you get and keep your healing:

Confession:

In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I exercise authority over this body of mine. Sickness and disease, I refuse to allow you to stay. This body, this house, belongs to God. It is a temple of God.

Satan, you have no right to trespass on God's property. Now you get out. You leave my body. I've got authority over you. I know it, You know it, And God knows it. I hold fast to what I have. I'm keeping my healing!

Source: How to Keep Your Healing by Kenneth E. Hagin.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications