Praying for Inner Healing: An Integral Part of Prayer Ministry
by Norma Dearing
Fall 1998
Inner healing is allowing the transforming power of God into the memories of the past. The basic idea of inner healing is simple: Jesus — who is the same yesterday, today and forever — can take the memories of the past and heal the wounds that remain and affect present lives.
Even after we forgive someone, pain and deep hurt can still affect us when we recall the memory. Even after we have repented and been forgiven of our mistakes, memories of how we caused pain to another can still torment us.
Inner healing usually comes after forgiveness. This healing helps remove the things that block the flow of the Holy Spirit, so we can live more abundant lives.
The following is an abbreviated checklist of questions to discern if inner healing might be helpful to a person:
- Were you greatly embarrassed when you were a child or young adult?
- Do you have unreasonable fears?
- Do you often find your reaction to something said or done is out of proportion to whatever the stimulus was?
- Do you have a recurring memory of a past hurt? Does it still trouble you to think about it?
- Are there people you cannot forgive? Do you have trouble asking someone else to forgive you?
- Do you have overwhelming feelings of guilt?
- Do you find it nearly impossible to admit making a mistake? Do you usually look for someone else to blame for what goes wrong in your life?
- Do you have a nearly continuous feeling of anger? Are you usually critical in your remarks or thoughts about others?
- Do you suffer physical or mental exhaustion from wrestling with inner problems?
- Were you an adult before you ever felt loved by another person?
- Do you often compare yourself with others and end up feeling inadequate and discouraged?
- Do you have a constant need for physical affection, or do you not like to be touched at all?
- Do you have a deep sense of insecurity, feeling unloved or disapproved of?
- Is it hard for you to believe that God loves you or approves of you?
- Do you find it difficult to give and receive love?
An important aspect of any healing prayer is to bind off the enemy and pray for the release of the Holy Spirit. This is especially vital when praying for inner healing. Remember that the enemy has held this person in bondage with these memories, creating years of shame, guilt, fear and rejection. He doesn't want to let that person go. Bind off all interference of the enemy. Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill the room.
The following is a simple prayer that can be used when beginning to pray with a person .who needs inner healing:
| "Lord Jesus, I thank You for (name). I thank You for the opportunity to be here today, gathering in Your Name. Lord, I know that (name) is Your child and that You know everything there is to know about her/ him. Thank You for loving her/ him so much. I thank You that You have brought her/him here today to receive Your healing in specific areas of her/his life. Lord, I ask that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, You would show (name) that first memo!}' You want to heal for her/him today." |
After three to five minutes of silence, ask the person if anything was brought to his or her mind. Let the person briefly tell you the memory. It is important to realize that this memory can be anytime during the person's development — as far back as conception or as recent as last week.
After this brief discussion, pray a simple prayer of inviting the Lord into the memory:
| "Lord, we thank You for bringing this memo!}' to (name) 's mind. We know, Lord, that You showed it to her/him for a reason and that You want to heal this place of hurt. Lord, we invite You to come into this memo!}' with Your love and holy presence. Come, Lord Jesus, with Your healing power." (Silence) |
Caution: At this point, it is important NOT to dictate what the Lord does in this memory. Dictating the Lord's involvement is called "guided imagery" and is the reason inner healing has been criticized by some as being New Age. The Lord taught me long ago that my job as a prayer minister is to invite Him into the memory. He does all the rest.
Everyone sees, feels and experiences the Lord in different ways. The Lord is able to come into a memory and heal it in an especially individualized manner for each person. Let the Holy Spirit work.
After a period of silence, perhaps glancing at the person periodically to discern expression, i.e. tears, joy, peace, gently ask, "Can you share what is happening?"
This allows the person to verbalize what he or she is experiencing, and it helps solidify the healing in his or her memory. It is also a checkpoint for the prayer minister to assess the inner healing, and it usually serves as an encouragement to see how powerfully the Holy Spirit works!
After the healing of the first memory, it is usually best to proceed in the same manner with additional memories. Encourage the person to continue, but remember to ask the Holy Spirit, as you go along, how much inner healing He wants to work in the person at this time.
After years of prayer ministry experience, I have seen the majority of people with whom I have prayed experience this type of healing in one or more of the following ways:
- They feel deep peace come over them and into the memory.
- They see light or a brightness that fills the memory.
- They can actually see the Lord Jesus come into the memory.
- They hear the Lord's voice actually speak to them in their mind or spirit.
Special Note: An extremely cerebral person may find it difficult to experience inner healing as described above. What the Lord has taught me in these circumstances is to ask the person, "What do you THINK Jesus would do in the healing of this memory?"
| Norma Dearing is the Director of Prayer Ministry at CHM. |  |