Is there healing in Jesus Christ for a person whose physical body is
OK but whose mind and emotions are tormented? Does redemption extend to the soul? Or is it just for the body and spirit? Is
there such a thing as a "broken spirit" or a "defiled spirit" and can Jesus fix these things? What has God to say to the shattered
and traumatised people from wars, shootings and tragedies? Is there help in God for people who have "been through Hell?".
Has the Church been given authority to deal with our inner life? Is it
right to cast out demons? Are there such things as curses and can they damage our lives? Do witches have any real power at
all? Can involvement in occult activities do us spiritual and emotional damage or are they just harmless past-times?
These are controversial questions that we must ask if we are to extend
redemption to the soul and spirit as well as to the boy and to deal with emotional afflictions as well as physical afflictions.
I believe the Scriptures indicate the answer is "yes" to all of the above questions and that in Christ Jesus we have solutions
that the secular world only dreams of but which we have barely begun to utilize.
The Opposition To Inner Healing
Inner healing has gained a bad reputation because of certain unprofessional
and misguided practitioners who perhaps went searching for traumatic memories or who imposed "their own stuff" on people they
were trying to help. Also there is a genuine reservation among people who are bible-believing because "it isn't in the Bible".
Not like physical healing is anyway. While we do not see any "inner healing" sessions as such we do see the various components
of inner healing scattered throughout Scripture. A concern for broken people and setting the captives free; a concern for
breaking bondages; the destruction of occult objects and idols; teaching on curses, the sins of the fathers, and demons; exorcism;
exhortations to the renewing of the mind; a concern with restoration, forgiveness and acceptance; an emphasis on the spiritual
life being a stable and peaceful existence - and much else. There is a lot of emphasis on the "inner man".
Inner healing techniques bring all these fragments together into something
that can be practiced and passed along. At their best they simply apply Christ to the damaged soul or spirit. However there
are better and worse ways of doing that as we shall see!
The Wrong Way
Inner healing is not just "baptized" secular therapy. By that I mean
that inner healing is not just a basically secular therapy or technique given a Christian coating - for instance it is not
Rogerian therapy given another label. Inner healing that is just "baptised" secular therapy works in the same slow and partial
ways that secular therapies work. If the emphasis is on the technique rather than on Jesus Christ you will get the results
that the "technique" deserves. The healing power of Jesus Christ is free, immediate, complete, liberating and lasting.
Inner healing is not charlatanism, hypnotism, or New Age nonsense. It
is not reliant on spells or formulas. It does not hypnotize anybody. It does not alter the truth nor does it deny the memory.
Inner healing is not merely spiritual healing - it is Christian healing. It is redemptive work done through Jesus Christ alone.
Inner healing is not meddling in the past. Inner healing focuses on the
solution - getting well - grabbing hold of redemption - not on the causes of the problem in the first place. If you have a
flat tire in the car you can have an all day conference about how tires get flat or you can take out the jack and the spare
and fix it and get on the road. Inner healing is there to get you back on the road of life as quickly as possible. Inner healing
should not be overly concerned with every bit of emotional residue from the past. That tends to create unhealthy anxiety and
neuroticism. It should take an attitude of moving into healing and wholeness as quickly as possible.
The Right Way
True Christian inner healing has the following characteristics:
It is focussed on the redemptive work of Jesus Christ as recorded in
the Scriptures.
Afterwards the person is more able to obey God and to pursue sanctification.
However it does not pretend to be a form of sanctification or to substitute
for sanctification. Sanctification is more than emotional healing - it is the development of character - the character of
Jesus Christ.
Afterwards the person tends to "just feel normal" . The pain has gone
and they feel normal, whole and able to function.
It involves healthy relationships between the counsellor and the counsellee.
There is no dominance, intrusion, "headship" or control. The relationship is healing and freeing.
Memories, if explored are neither manufactured nor denied but simply
treated as facts.
True Christian inner healing is firmly grounded in all aspects of the
truth, biblical truth, factual truth and moral truth. The person is brought into the light of God's Word, the light of logic
and right thinking and factuality and the light of repentance and forgiveness.
Inner healing is the application of the grace and peace of Jesus Christ
to the pain and confusion of the damaged emotional life. It is bringing our emotional world "right side up".
The practice of inner healing is varied but inevitably involves encountering
the truth of God and the presence of God in a secure atmosphere of loving and believing prayer. It is "in Spirit and in Truth".
Putting Memories At The Foot Of The Cross In this technique
the person places their painful material at the foot of the cross of Jesus and leaves it there for Christ to deal with.
Dealing With False Shame Most abiding shame is based
in false understandings of God or of ourselves or the situation where the shame occurred. The counsellor helps the person
to see the truth about their situation then prays through that situation with the person asking God to speak and reveal His
truth to the client.
Breaking Of Curses And Occult Bondages. Some emotional pain is due to spiritual factors such as: occult involvement, spiritual
attack or ancestral practices, Masonic and other secret vows, deals with the Devil and curses. Poverty, mental illness, confusion
and sharp intense "stabbing" psychic pain often accompany such situations. In these cases the occult origin of the psychic
pain is dealt with and the human spirit healed of the damage that has been done to it. A prayer of renunciation of the occult
and affirming Christ's power over curses is generally part of the proceedings. Click here for an entire article on curses and here for an article on the human spirit and the ills that can beset it.
Theophostics or Light Therapy For a full article article on this highly effective therapy click here . Theophostics involves bathing the person in prayer, letting the
Holy Spirit lead the person to a memory and then having Jesus speak the truth about that situation to the counsellee It is
the direct Presence of Jesus Christ ministering, in spirit, His personal healing power. It has been highly beneficial both
in my own life and the lives of many other people I know.
Summary Inner
healing is part of Christ's redemptive work in our spirit and soul. For wounded and hurt people it can be a huge step forward
in their Christian walk, enabling to relate to others, and even to God with greater clarity and without the static of emotional
pain. There are quite afew effective and useful techniques that have been discovered, the best of these is, in my opinion,
Theophostic counselling. Healing from emotional pain enables people to reda the Scriptures in a more balanced way and be less
erratic in pursuing their sanctification. Inner healing is not a substitute ford iscipleship or holiness but can be useful
"roadside medical attention" in the race called life.
We are all sinners saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and are being made holy in Him.
Sanctification, or holiness, is both an instant work at salvation and a process of development over
time.
Satan and demonic forces are actual personal beings, and are nothing more than created and fallen
angels. No Zorastrian dualism here. Satan is not equal with God. Satan is not omnipresent. 1 John 4:4
The Bible is authoritative in our exploration and discussion. Experiential wisdom is valued when it
is not cross current with Scripture.
Sexual immorality - Leviticus 18, especially :24-25, 28, 30;
Jeremiah 2; 3:1-10; 7:6
Breaking covenant - Isaiah 24:4-6; Jeremiah 3:1 (Illustration:
Treaty of Sycamore Shoals, Dragging Canoe, Little Carpenter, Daniel Boone, William Henderson, "dark & bloody ground").
See also bribes/covenant: (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19; Psalm 26:10); Cursing the House of God Psalm 74:7
Injustice or Oppression - Proverbs 23:11; Amos 1
Examples of Defilement:
Manasseh in 2 Kings 21: 1-18.
King Josiah in 2 Kings 23:4-25. See also the prophecy: 1 Kings 13:1-5; Numbers 35:33-34.
Amos 1; Proverbs 23:11
HOW BONDAGE OCCURS
THERE IS ONLY ONE RULE BOOK.
Set
in place by the Sovereign, everyone on both sides in the spiritual realm must follow them.
The
Enemy's Strategy Is Always One or More of Three Things:
Hide the existence of the Rules (Biblical illiteracy) (The World)
Encourage the Godly to break the Rules (Temptation) (The Flesh)
Use the Rules against the Godly (Generational Curses) (The Devil)
STRONGHOLDS -- 2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5
Stronghold
- 73 times in LXX, 50 times in NIV, once in New Testament
Paul - from warfare terminology to psychological terminology - Why?
Singapore - Spirit houses
A wicked Stronghold is a Spiritual Boarding House - (a spiritual construct with a welcome mat
inviting demons to inhabit)
Not a demon or group of demons - (These are the inhabitants!)
Not sin or iniquity - (These are the construction materials!)
Sin: Disobedience of God's holy law or commandments
Iniquity: Disobedience of God's law or commandments over generations of time.
Explains how Christians can be demonized
bowing at two altars
building strongholds for other gods (read: demons) in one's mind
GENERATIONAL
SIN (Hereditary issues) Exodus
20:4-6 Seminal passage
Cain Genesis 4:1-16; 6:5-6, 11-12; 8:21 Abraham &
Isaac Genesis 12:14-20; 20:13; 26:7-11 Jacob & Sons Genesis 27:1-29; 30:25-43;
31:19, 34-35; 35:22; 37:27, 32-35 Korah Numbers 16 (God's just balance) Achan Joshua 7:1-26 especially :24-25 Eli 1 Samuel
3:13-14 Jeroboam 1 Kings 14:9-11; 2 Kings 17:21-22 David
1 Kings 11:1-13; 2 Samuel 13:1-24 Agag/Haman & Saul - Mordecai/Esther
Deliverance of a demon was Jesus' first public miracle. Luke 4:31-36; Mark 1:21-27.
Paul on deliverance: Acts 16:18; 26:18; Colossians 1:13; Acts 14:8-10; 19:12.
It is a process of sanctification. Acts 8:13 Simon Magus came to Christ, but still under the influence
of the occult.
Deliverance is a process of removing oppressive spiritual beings. Inner healing is a process of cleansing
the wounds.
God intends us to be free and stay free. ruomai "rescue, preserve." John 17:16;
Matthew 6:13; 2 Corinthians 1:10.
Not possessed, but demonized daimonizomai Matthew 4:24; 15:22; John 10:20;
echo "having" Acts 8:7; 16:16. The demon doesn't have you. You have a demon.
No one should be ordained who does not know how to cast out a demon.
SMART SPIRITUAL WARFARE You learned it in Sunday School when you were a child.
God's Nuclear Arsenal
Jeremiah 50:25
Thanksgiving & Praise Psalm 100:4
Confession 1 John 1:8-9; Nehemiah 1:6-7
Repentance Daniel 9:3; Mark 1:15
Forgiveness John 20:23; Luke 23:34
Blessing Deuteronomy 28:3-6; Romans 12:14
Cut The Enemy's Supply Lines "Achieving victory in every battle is not absolute perfection: Neutralizing an adversary's forces
without battle is absolute perfection. . . . Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting;
he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.
With his forces intact, . . . without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem."
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Book 3, "Offensive Strategy."
THREE PARTS OF SUCCESSFUL DELIVERANCE Methodologies
of deliverance and inner healing are as different as believers with spiritual giftings. For successful ministry, only three
things must be present:
Confession / Repentance - of my and my people's sin and/or iniquity
Forgiveness - for the hurt, victimization I or my people have experienced
The Command to leave.
Demons
will not go away simply because they have been renounced. They have to be literally thrown out.
REJECTION Far
and beyond the most widespread problem among people "Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the Lord will take me up [adopt me
as His child]." Psalm 27:10 Amplified. Robs a person of John 10:10 living.
Two symptoms: Constant desire assurance of self-worth and for physical love.
REASONS
(not absolute)
Manner or timing of conception
Out of wedlock, in anger, rape, incest, adultery, drug-dependent relationship, unwanted, strain
on family budget, last of large family, middle child, bad timing for family.
Born very quickly (not enough time in canal), sudden exposure to cold, lights, born with instrumental
assistance, born after long, exhausting labor, Caesarean section (C-section babies sometimes often have difficulty estimating
distance between themselves and objects, frequent accidents, particularly head injuries.
Baby not bonded with mother
Mother cannot produce enough breast milk, child in incubator long term
Adopted child
Child of divorce
Home environment of criticism
Hereditary - rejected parents sometimes produce rejected children
In School
Teacher, other students, called names, sickness, constant criticism, deformity, expelled, fire
in home, trauma, no interest of parents in schoolwork, major negative change in home
Molestation
One's own attitudes
Shame, unattractive
Later in Life
Jilted, crime, divorce, job or company loss (especially men)
A Word on Pre-natal/post-natal Wounding Story:
Molestation of 18-month old son of pastor friend in church nursery.
Principle: When the zygote forms, a person is there, as much a person
with a spirit as you and I are right now. Therefore, spiritual wounding can take place before the mind (or body) more fully
develops. This is a spiritual reality. John the Baptizer's spirit was fully formed while in the womb (Luke 1:41).
CULTURAL BONDAGE AND DOMINATIONS
Manner of beginning of a culture.
History, traumatic national events
Conquered - occupied areas in war - heaviness, self-protective
Examples: Germans - perfection, witchcraft Scot-Irish
- easily offended, protective, lust for land, wounded Native Americans - hard
to know, wounds of past, untrusting South Carolinians - easily offended
Class: social, economic
Racial background
Corporate demonic dominations (e.g., Halloween)
UNHEALTHY TRADITIONS Colossians
2:8, 20; Galatians 4:9; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Tradition itself is neither good nor bad.
Some traditions are healthy; some are unhealthy. How do we properly discern a tradition's health?
Key -
Control of others. If a tradition frees a people to see and celebrate God's works and promises, then it is healthy (e.g.,
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Resurrection Sunday, family reunions, Lent, dinner on grounds, homecoming, baptism, baby dedication,
tail-gating, annual fishing trip).
If
the tradition is used to control others, then it is unhealthy
Defensive denominationalism
Doctrinal obsessions
Legalism, conservatism
Reliance on church tradition to cause false security.
e.g., "I have been confirmed." "I am a Baptist." "I was baptized as a child," etc.
Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Eastern Religions, Mormons, Freemasonry
Controlling leadership
Various controlling traditions in regard to corporate handling of money.
ADDICTIONS
Alcohol, drugs, nicotine, gambling, excessive exercise, compulsive spending, work
Food: Comfort food related to spirit of depression/mental illness; bulimia, anorexia nervosa
Must deal with two spirits: the spirit involved with the activity (e.g., spirit of gambling) and a
generational spirit of addictions.
Drugs are related to a spirit of sorcery - Revelation 9:21; 18:23 (Illustration: Adult Learning Center)
curse, hex, vex, incantations, cunjies, roots, spells, fortune-telling, Ouija, word curses, Dungeons
and Dragons, many video games, hypnotism, ESP, wives tales, swinging a wedding ring over a pregnant woman, talking fire out
of a burn, charms/amulets, evil eye, ankhs, pentagrams, iridology, palmistry, automatic handwriting, martial arts (Buddha,
Shinto), Pokemon, Harry Potter, superstitions, psychic sight, spirit travel, shape-shifting.
Stories - Argentina Adrogue (spirit of howling); Hindu Temple - Singapore; Buddhist Temple - Jakarta;
Wiccan & Oyotunji - Yemassee, SC; 18yo - Spartanburg, SC; Wiccans - Jonathan Creek, NC; Cornerstone witchcraft (manipulation);
Maharishi Yogi - Hemet, CA
Curses placed on families of pastors (Story: What covens tell their plants to do in re: to pastors,
Messianic Rabbi Wilmington)
Things to get out of your home: (Deuteronomy 7:25ff): Buddhas, totem poles, dream catchers, jack-o-lanterns,
spirit masks, gazing ball, spirit houses, masonic aprons or anything connected with secret societies (Masons, Shriners, Eastern
Star, Goodfellows, Oddfellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, Moose), including venerated/ceremonial items. Not artifacts like
Revolutionary War gun, etc.
A
Note on Schizophrenia & Multiple Personalities "disconnection
between mind, emotions, and actions" - saying one thing and doing another. Swinging personality from raging to sweet. Drive
out the schizophrenic spirit. See Holy Spirit bind functions of mind, will, emotions, personality.
SEXUALITYLeviticus 18 (Spirit of Lust)
Victimization - molestation, incest, rape
Conceived out of wedlock
Fantasy
Masturbation issues - spirit of poverty - lack, rejection, guilt
Bestiality - Exodus 22:19; Leviticus 20:16 - surprisingly high numbers
Pornography (lust/additions working together) - 1 Thessalonians 4 - Introduces harmful spiritual portals
to home
Abortion - (lust/death working together) inability to bear children
PRACTICALITIES Mark 16:17
- We have express permission to cast out demons in Jesus' name.
If you are in Christ and submitted to Him (walking in the Spirit & not harboring sin), you are
spiritually "in charge" and don't have to put up with foolishness.
Manifestations and noise can be controlled - and should be (Luke 4:33-37; 4:41; 8:28; 9:38-39)
Protect person's dignity. Common courtesy. Don't do to them what you would not want done to you. Perfect
love casts out fear phobos (1 John 4:18).
Just because a person may have demon(s) does not make them nut house material. It is not leprosy.
Person must desire deliverance.
Personality cannot be demonized. Just because someone has a difficult personality does not mean they
need deliverance.
Issue boils down to control. "Do I have control over this area of my life?" If not, then possibility
of demonization.
Children. How to's. (Baby who sat up in bed.)
Minister to the whole person. Counseling, wisdom.
Pray with your eyes open.
Don't pray to demons. Address them from a position and tone of authority with eyes open. When you
are in prayer and it is time to speak to a demon, say Amen and end the prayer. Then address the spirits with an "in charge"
attitude.
Sometimes coughing, yawning, belching, sneezing, vomiting (Indonesia).
Ban audible prayer from the person receiving ministry so they can focus on receiving ministry.
Aim for root issues, not fruit.
If you feel you are not accomplishing anything but only stirring up spirits, then back off, shut it
down, and turn the person over to someone else you trust who can deal with these things.
Afterwards, do not ask: "How do you feel?" They will most likely feel fatigued. I usually counsel
them that they may feel very tired and to get a good, long night's sleep and send me a letter in a month about how they are
doing.
Follow up. After care.
MENTAL ILLNESS & FEAR
RECOMMENDED READING:
Neil Anderson, The Bondage Breaker Neil
Anderson, Steps to Freedom in Christ Neil Anderson, Freedom from Fear Kay Arthur, Lord, Heal My Hurts: A Devotional Study on God's Care and Deliverance Ron Campbell, Free
from Freemasonry Noel
& Phyl Gibson, Evicting Demonic Intruders Frank Hammond, Manual for Children's Deliverance Charles Kraft,
I Give You Authority Charles Kraft, Deep Wounds, Deep Healing
(on inner healing) Charles Kraft, Defeating Dark Angels (on deliverance) Charles H. Kraft, David M. DeBord, The Rules of Engagement : Understanding the Principles
that Govern the Spiritual Battles in Our Lives Francis MacNutt, Deliverance from Evil Spirits Francis MacNutt,
Prayer that Heals Francis MacNutt, Healing Stormie Omartian,
Lord, I Want To Be Whole The Power Of Prayer And Scripture In Emotional Healing Derek Prince, Blessing or Curse: You Decide Derek
Prince, They Shall Expel Demons John & Mark Sandford, A Comprehensive
Guide to Deliverance and Inner Healing Doris M. Wagner, How to Cast Out Demons : A Guide to the Basics
said, Lord, be merciful and gracious to me, heal my inner self, for I have sinned against You.
Psalm 41:4
He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds (curing their pains
and their sorrows.) Psalm 146:3
He who believes in Me (who cleaves to and trust in and relies on Me) as the Scripture
said, From his innermost being shall flow (continuously) springs and rivers of living water. John 7:38
If you keep my commandments (if you continue to obey My instructions), you will abide
in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love. If have told you
these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that you joy and gladness be of full measure and complete and overflowing. John 15:10-11
May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced
with mighty power in the inner man by the (Holy Spirit) (Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality). Ephesians 3:16
A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit
dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
A Clean Healing
My hand is upon you. Seek not to hide your pain. My hand is passing
through to your heart. You must be healed of the lies, pain, and emotional scars of your past.
I gently heal as I touch you in sensitive places. I am washing you with fresh,
clean healing ointment. You will cry without the emotional pain. You will cry as I touch the secrets skillfully
hidden in your heart.
Do not be afraid. I care for you. You will be taken to a new level, but you
cannot come into this level with pain that is hidden and a target for the evil one.
I care for you with a pure, holy love. Abide in My love. Trust Me, I care
for you. Permit My healing ointment to touch you.
Trust Me now. Trust Me always.
Inner Healing
Your soul has a depth that you cannot understand. Your soul is sensitive, hurting,
stony, yet flowing waves of emotion. One wave affects the other. Time is not recognized. What happened many
years ago can affect your reactions to the present. There is very little order.
The waves need a orderly connection to travel; they need not travel at random with hurting
condemning voices of past pain. All your waves of emotion need to be rerouted by my gentle hand.
Be still know I am God. I have not come to patch you--give you Band-Aids.
My touch is permanent. Receive My Touch.
Yes, my child, I can heal in an instant, and you have an active part in your healing.
What is your part?
Your soul is the center of your will and you must be submissive to my direction.
You must make a decision to follow my guidance not the guidance of your will. Come with the proper attitude in
your soul:
You hold My Holy Spirit. You are a new creation with My pure, holy illuminating
light in you.
Obey My precepts. Confess all disobedience to My laws.
Praise Me with thanksgiving. Sing with your heart; sing in the Holy Spirit.
Pray with your heart; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Listen to My voice and heed what I say.
Trust that My power is in you.
Submit to my healing hand by knowing My Word through revelation knowledge.
Think on my Word to build your faith in the new wave connections I am creating in you.
I will convict you of any behaviors that must be changed. I will encourage and guide
you on how to fix the confusing disorder you have created without my instruction.
Past pain will be brought to your mind--a cruel remark, a failure, a sadness, accept
this recognition. Pray for the Holy Spirit to pour through that wave. Receive My power. Saturate that wave
of pain in my blood, my healing blood. One wave at a time, submit to my healing hand.
What is the result of my touch and saturation in your soul?
My fruits and gifts will begin to manifest through you.
Order--you will find order in your life, order in your day, order in your work , order
in your thoughts.
No Waste--You will learn how to compress your energy and time.
I am the vine, you are the branch. I give loving, divine understanding. Take
nourishment from Me and you will be healed.
You may need extra help to begin the inner-healing process. Your heart needs to
believe that the Lord will perform this healing. If you do not believe this, then you may need to be prayed for by leaders
of your church, prophets, or Christians that have the gift of healing to begin to activate your faith and begin your healing.
Christian hope and help for: those with a feeling of inner emptiness or pain, the emotionally hurt or crushed, the
broken hearted, those needing inner healing, emotional healing or the healing of memories. Also those struggling with the
problem of anger, those needing to forgive others, those needing freedom from the negative affects that anger causes.
Also those with mental problems,
mental disorders, eating disorders and addictions such as: depression, anorexia, bulimia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, bipolar
disorder, nervous breakdown, obsessive thoughts. Also those troubled in mind, suffering from demonisation, the demonised or
demon possessed and those who are afflicted or influenced in mind by evil spirits or evil thoughts.
?He reached down and took hold of me...he drew me out of
deep waters.?
Psalm 18:16
Christian Inner Healing, Prayer, Ministry
Christian help for: the
hurting, inner healing advice, prayer ministry for the hurting, inner hurt and emotional pain, the broken hearted, the emotionally
hurting.
Inner healing is a ministry that seeks to
deal with inner emotional pain. This inner pain may be present due to negative life experiences. An example of this is someone
who was badly treated by one or both parents during childhood. They may have been sexually abused or perhaps just generally
ignored - not properly valued and loved. In the thoughts of those who practise inner healing ministry, the negative experience
is the cause of emotional pain which the victim carries with them long after the damage occurred. If someone suffered rejection
in childhood, there may be evidence of this in the present. Perhaps that person may find it difficult to love others, or perhaps
they may experience depression or a negative life attitude due to the damage.
The belief that there is value in inner healing ministry is based on Biblical
truths. In Psalm 34:18 we read, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit." It is
clear from this and many other scriptures that we can be hurt by others and by circumstances in our lives. It is also clear
that God loves us and cares for us in an active way. He listens to prayer and is able to answer. He is also able to intervene
and heal. Isaiah 53:5 prophesies about Jesus and his redemptive work on the cross. It says, "...by his wounds we are healed."
This statement refers to the damage that is done to us through the sin that we commit. This restoration includes healing from
the negative effects of sin committed against us, or from the effects of damaging situations. If we accept that we can carry
hurt from past (and present) experiences, and that God cares about this and is able to heal us, it makes sense to pray and
invite the Spirit to come in healing and help those who are damaged.
It should be made very clear that proper diagnosis of a person's problems requires
wisdom and, sometimes, medical help also. The problems that people experience can be wide in their nature and, furthermore,
come out of a large range of experiences and causes. For example, someone may suffer from evil or obsessive thoughts as a
result of either demonic influence or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. However, both may be the case and, if so, inner healing
prayer may not be appropriate; the treatment of OCD by a medical professional may be sufficient. Later, the demonic problem
can be dealt with because there is no longer a foothold for the enemy to exploit. One example is someone suffering from depression.
This may have no root cause as such, but is due simply to a chemical imbalance in the brain and requiring drug therapy treatment.
However, in our opinion, it is highly conceivable that the onset of such a condition could have roots in negative past experiences.
If the person receives ministry for those past hurts, it is possible that their depression will alleviate.
As has been said, wisdom and an unbiased and balanced approach are needed as we
ourselves seek help, or as we seek to help those who suffer, from emotional and mental problems. Without looking for a complete
solution from any one particular source of help (be that inner healing prayer, medical treatment of depression, or any other
approach), it should be possible to find the right form(s) of treatment. Furthermore, time itself has a healing effect as
does our own relationship with God and contact with His loving presence. Also, strong friendships and relationships with others
- which is important for our wellbeing in any case - can further act to restore the confidence of those with damaged emotions.
How Inner Healing Works
Inner healing ministry would start with conversation and counsel with the person
who is suffering to try to establish the cause of that person's problem. It is advisable to have two people to pray and counsel
if possible. Even if there is only one person available to minister, that person should usually be of the same sex as the
counsellee to prevent any sexual distraction. An exception might be if there is a situation where this would be inadvisable.
For example, the counsellee may have a homosexual inclination and a member of the same sex might cause a distraction to the
ministry process. It should also be noted that, if there are two people counselling and one is of a different sex to the counsellee,
this may inhibit the counsellee from conversing freely about some areas of their experience or problem. A solution to this
may be to have counselling and prayer sessions held separately, or for the other member of the prayer team to arrive at a
certain time, once conversation has taken place, just to pray.
Counsellors should carefully consider the possibility of a mental disorder or
condition being present in the counsellee which may need treatment. If a disorder is present, or is actually diagnosed, this
certainly does not mean that inner healing is therefore unnecessary. Above all, prayer ministry should endeavour to be open
to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and words of knowledge from God which can provide insight into the cause of a person's
problem and some of the ways in which they may be helped. The Holy Spirit is invited to visit the person in the present and
take away the pain and negative effect of hurt from the past. God is able to meet us at our point of need and only He knows
in the fullest sense what we are experiencing and the true causes of our problems. It is important to approach inner healing
ministry tentatively and humbly so as not to inadvertently "place" problems upon people which may not be the true source of
their negative emotional symptoms. An example of this is a counsellor who states outright that a person's current condition,
for example depression, is definitely caused by their mother's lack of love for them in childhood and inner healing ministry
should be pursued - however long it takes.
Practical Implementation in the Church
In any given church, there may be a lot of emotional need and potentially a significant
demand for inner healing ministry. For a church with little knowledge or experience of inner healing, it is likely to be a
sizeable challenge to start to train her members in this ministry. However, if the church does want to help people in this
way, it is important that at least some basic training and guidance be provided by the leadership. Leaders have a responsibility
to ensure that people are helped and not harmed by those ministering. Courses in inner healing ministry are run by some churches
and organisations. You can, hopefully, find information about such courses by running searches related to your country through
some of the major Christian index sites. This is described below under "Web links".
Although prayer ministry made available in a Christian meeting does not have the
benefit of individual discussion and counselling for a person's problems, it can still be very beneficial to people. Furthermore,
if one-to-one ministry is not available in a church due to lack of training or people resources, then prayer ministry which
is regularly available, during or at the end of meetings, does at least provide an opportunity for help. Whatever the type
of needs people have, they can receive help from God in this way. If those responding to an invitation for prayer want to
share with the person praying for them what their need is, this sort of targeted prayer is particularly helpful. Those ministering
should pray with sensitivity and love. It is important and wise to strictly follow a rule that those ministering should pray
for members of the same gender to avoid accidental touch or sexual attraction resulting from close proximity. We are all human
and such rules are essential. An exception to this rule might again be in the context of several people praying for an individual
and there being at least one person of the same gender as the receiving person. This would be coupled with very sensible placement
of touch if the member of the opposite gender praying is laying on hands. For example, touching the shoulder but not the chest
area (this is certainly the case for women!). In conclusion, there are cultural and commonsense considerations which will
influence how a church runs its prayer ministry.
Articles
Please click here to see our legal disclaimer page, which explains more about the use of articles.
We need your input! Please send us your articles. Articles can be academic or not in style, and can use personal experience
and certainly Bible references. Just click here to open an e-mail, and put in the subject field ?Inner Healing Article?.
For important information about sending what you write to us, please go now to the ?Contact Us? page; click here
We need your input! Please
send us your testimonies. Testimonies will probably be in an informal style, and can use personal experience and probably
Bible references. Just click here to open an e-mail, and put in the subject field ?Inner Healing Testimony?.
Please click here to see our legal disclaimer page, which explains more about the use of articles.
For important information about sending what you write to us, please go now to the ?Contact Us? page; click here.
www.ellel.org.uk - Ellel Ministries - established in inner healing and deliverance courses and ministry.
Teaching and ministry approach is controversial for some, being considered dangerous because of a focus on deliverance ministry,
and its need in many pastoral situations. However, the ministry does seem to have developed and matured over the past few
years.
