What is Inner Healing?
Have you ever remembered a particularly embarrassing moment and noticed that your palms began to sweat, your heart started to race, and your stomach turned over – all as if you were somehow transported in time to that event and it was happening all over again? That is an indication that the pain of a past event still has a grip on your mind and emotions. Sometimes it happens when you think of an “ex-__” or an abusive friend, partner, or relative. Inner healing seeks to identify and sever the grip that such an event or relationship has on you. This is accomplished through prayer.
Inner healing is not counseling. It is not psycho-therapy. You do not need to share what is troubling you with anyone but Jesus. Inner healing gives you tools. It uses imagination, prayer, meditation, and hesychastic breathing techniques to help you avail yourself to God’s healing power.
In the Song of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13-54:12) Christ is said to bear (i.e. to take upon himself) our shame and sorrows, our sickness and infirmities, and our sin and iniquity. Jesus took the burden of our inner pain with him to the cross. He marched it down to hell and left it there so we would not have to carry that burden ourselves ever again. But many do, either because they are so comfortable with their pain that they cannot let it go, or they have never learned how to release it to Jesus and accept his true freedom.
Many things can block your inner healing.
+ Unforgiveness – Unless you forgive someone who has wronged you, you can never be free of the pain of that injury.
+ Identification – If you identify yourself as a victim, you cannot stand on your own as a victor.
+ Fear – You must be willing to accept the responsibility that comes with freedom.
+ Shame – You feel unworthy of Christ’s forgiveness and healing. Well, you are unworthy, but that doesn’t matter. Christ wants to forgive, heal, and by his worthiness make you worthy to share in the light of the saints in heaven.
Jesus wants to deliver you from fear, shame, and self-destruction. He wants to drive away your darkness with his light. Then you will know the true freedom only Christ can bring.
That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, Strengthened with all might, according to the power of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy, Giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light, Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins; Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, For in him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by him and in him. Colossians 2:10-16 (NDRB)