Healing the Wounded Spirit:

God’s Remedy for Persistent Hurts

By James W. Goll
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?
Proverbs 18:14 KJV

The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but a broken spirit who can bear?
Proverbs 18:14 NASB

I. Man Is a Triune Being – Scriptural Foundation

A. From Genesis 1:26

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.’”

B. From Genesis 2:7

“Then the Lord formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living being (soul).”

C. From James 2:26

“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

D. From 1 Thessalonians 5:23

“Now may the God of peace sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and
body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

E. From Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and
piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able
to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

F. From I Corinthians 6:17

“But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

II. The Broken Condition Described

A. From Proverbs 15:13

“A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.”

B. From Proverbs 14:10

“The heart knows its own bitterness and a stranger does not share its joy.”
C. From Lamentations 3:12-20
“My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. So I say, ‘My
strength has perished, and so has my hope from the Lord’: Remember my affliction
and my wandering, the wormwood and the bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and
is bowed down with in me.” (vs. 17-19)

D. Hurt, Wounded, Rejected

In the realm of your emotions you may feel stepped on, overlooked, crushed, bruised,
and your life has gone out of you.

E. Quote from John Wimber of the Vineyard Movement

“While sickness of the spirit is caused by what we do, sickness of the emotions is
generally caused by what is done to us. It grows out of the hurts done to us by other
persons or some experience we have been exposed to in the past. These hurts affect us
in the present, in the form of bad memories and weak or wounded emotions. This in
turn leads us into various forms of sin, depression, a sense of worthlessness and
inferiority, unreasoning fears and anxieties, psychosomatic illnesses, etc. Included in
this are the present-day effects of the sins of the parents in the bloodline of a person.
Thus healing of past hurts touches the emotions, the memories, and the person’s
bloodline.”

F. Quote from John and Paula Sandford of the Elijah House

“Christian healing comes then not by making a broken thing good enough to work, but
by delivering us from the power of that broken thing so that it can no longer rule us,
and by teaching us to trust His righteousness to shine in and through that very thing.
Those who are healing by restoring the self-image are causing people to trust in
something repaired in the flesh, a practice reshaped in their old carnal nature, doomed
sooner or later to failure. Whereas the Lord heals by leaving the broken part right in
place, overcoming it by its nature. Our trust as Christians can only always be solely in
His righteousness in us, as us, for us!”

G. Dig Up the Root

A new corn plant and a weed look very similar in nature. We must correctly discern
the problem (weed) from the fruitful plant. But we must also do more than break off
branches! We must dig up the root so that the fruit will no longer be borne.

H. Experts Tend to Agree on Certain Things:

1. People have problems that sometimes remain untouched by conversion, the

baptism of the Holy Spirit, Bible study, and personal prayer and devotional life.

2. Hidden in the recesses of the subconscious mind are hurts and wounds that are
surrounded by feelings that still adversely affect people in the present.
 3. The focus of healing of past hurts is to release those hurtful memories in such a
way that they no longer have a negative effect on a person’s present or future
experience. This is primarily done through the act of forgiveness.

III. The Roots of Persistent Hurts

A. The Results of Living in a Fallen World

1. Incidents of history
2. Accidents of nature
3. Disease
4. Poverty
5. Issues of trauma

B. Wounds Inflicted by Others

1. Sins committed against you:

a. Broken relationships
b. Demonic access through parental sin
c. Criminal behavior
d. Prenatal rejections

2. Performance orientation:

a. Perspective of society
b. Parental expectations

3. Our own wrong choices and responses:

a. Personal responsibility
b. Bitter-root judgments
c. Expectations

C. The Place of God’s Law

1. The Laws of Retribution:

a. Honor your father and mother (Deuteronomy 5:16)

b. Do not judge (Matthew 7:1-2)
c. You reap what you sow (Matthew 7:17; 13:1-23; Galatians 6:7)
d. Holding others in bondage (Matthew 18:21-35)

2. The Laws of Healing:

 a. Giving and receiving mercy (Luke 6:36-38)
b. Confession and repentance of sin (1 John 1:8-9)
c. Ministering forgiveness to one another (John 20:23; James 5:16)

3. Scriptural Examples of How Wounds Occur

a. Erosion of our walls of salvation (Proverbs 25:28)

b. “He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will
be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)
c. The arrows of words (Jeremiah 9:8; Proverbs 12:18; 18:8).

D. You Are a Product of Your Decisions

The power of a free will and free choice is a great gift from God! “Choose this day
whom you will serve.” What happens to you in life is not as important as how you
respond to your circumstances. Victims blame others. Victors take personal
responsibility for their decisions and reactions and get back to winning in life! You
cannot change your past, but you can change its impact on your present and future!

IV. Receiving and Releasing Forgiveness

A. From Luke 4:18

Jesus came to “heal the brokenhearted and set at liberty those who are bruised.” You
must acknowledge that Jesus took your pain and carried your sorrows. “See Me,” says
the Lord!

B. Turn on the Search Light of God’s Spirit

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the finger of God. Let the Lord specifically point out the
bitterness, hurts, wounds, and rejections.

Don’t conjure things up. Let Him who sees and knows all, bring hurts to your
remembrance. Pray something like: “Father, in Jesus’ name, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, please place into my mind the names of people from my life (from childhood to
the present) that I need to forgive.”

C. Forgive, Forgive, Forgive

“Father, in Jesus’ name I forgive ________________________.”

1. The Effects of Unforgiveness (Matthew 18)

a. The servant asked for an extension of time, but the master had mercy and
forgave the whole debt.
b. That servant did not understand, but instead left the master and began to extract
from fellow a servant the debts he owed in order to pay back the debt he
thought he still owed.
 c. The master became aware of the servant’s behavior and put him in prison to be
tormented.
d. The result of unforgiveness is, in essence, torment.

2. What Is Involved in Forgiving Someone?

Forgiveness is a decision based on an act of the will. It involves:

a. Recognizing that I’ve been totally forgiven.

b. Releasing the person who wounded me from the debt they owe me for
the offense.
c. Accepting the person who wounded me as they are and releasing them from the
responsibility of having to meet my needs.

“Lord, I forgive (name of person) for (specifics). I take authority over the enemy,
and in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of His resurrection life, I take
back the ground I have allowed Satan to gain in my life because of my attitude
with (name). I now choose to give this ground back to my Lord Jesus Christ.”

V. Exercising Authority in Jesus’ Name

A. Breaking the Power of Inherited Family Spiritual Conditions

“On numerous occasions, we have found people who are the victims of their parents’
sin and excesses. We have encountered families that have had a history of alcoholism,
sexual perversion, child molestation, and other types of social and emotional abuse.
After breaking the power of inherited family and spiritual conditions, we have seen
these social behaviors altered, and in a large majority of cases, entirely eliminated.
This is true when we are able to minister to the victim as well as the perpetrator of the
abuse. I might add that it is almost always in conjunction with other types of therapy.”

(For reference, see Numbers 14:18; Exodus 20:3-5; 34:7; Jeremiah 32:18;
Lamentations 5:7; Leviticus 26:39-40; Nehemiah 9:2, 16; Deuteronomy 5:9;
2 Chronicles 29:3-9.)

(For more on this subject refer to my Deliverance from Darkness Study Guide,
especially Lesson Eleven: “Curses; Causes and Cures.”)

B. Breaking Soul Ties or Emotional Dependence

“It is important to break soul ties or emotional dependence on anyone or anything that
has had a negative effect. This ministry is usually administered by prayer in which you
are pronounced free from the negative dependence that you have had. This type of
prayer has proven to be helpful, especially when ministered in conjunction with Bible
teaching and counseling that help support a new self-image and a redeemed identity in
Christ.”
(For more on this subject see my The Healing Anointing Study Guide, especially
Lesson Seven: “Breaking Emotional Bondages.”)
 C. The Place of Personal Repentance

1. You must turn from any anger or bitterness toward the person who has wounded
you and receive forgiveness from God (John 20:23).

2. You must recognize your own responsibility and choice in responding and reacting
to the hurt by choosing any self-image that is non-biblical and destructive. By
repenting from the sin of faulty self-perception, you will open the way for a new
image to be formed according to God’s Word (Romans 12:1-2).

3. You must forgive yourself. Pray a simple prayer such as:

“Dear Lord, You have forgiven me and forgotten my sin. I am not higher than
You. Therefore, I choose to forgive and release myself and to forget my sin. With
Your blood, wash away my guilt and shame and even the remembrance of my sin,
in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

4. You must forgive and release God Himself. Pray a simple prayer such as:
“God, I know that You are holy and cannot sin. You do all things well. My attitude
toward You has been one of questioning and bitterness. This is sin. I repent of it.
Wash it out of me with Your blood. I realize evil comes from Satan, not from You.
Forgive me for blaming You for any of the works of the enemy. I can and do trust
you with my life. I trust that You will cause all things to work together for good in
my life. Thank you for your abounding love and mercy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

VI. Wisdom Reminders

A. Loving Sensitivity
The Holy Spirit is both loving and sensitive to you those you have forgiven. He never
engages in superficiality, needless and hurtful probing, or excessive emotionalism. He
always has your full healing and wholeness in His heart.

B. Renew Your Mind!

You must renew your mind on a regular basis through worship, Bible study,
meditation, and praying in the Spirit (Romans 12:1-2).

(For more on this subject see my The Healing Anointing Study Guide, especially
Lesson Eight: “Transformation by Renewal of the Mind.”)

C. Walk with Caring Members of the Body of Christ

It is important to walk with other committed members of the body of Christ to
experience ongoing growth. This will help in bringing continued healing to past hurts
and restore your faith, hope and love. Love steps out on a limb and is vulnerable.

D. Major on Your New Nature in Christ

 To keep a healthy, biblical balance (and avoid a negative and introverted attitude
caused by an overemphasis on inner healing) focus on your new nature in Christ. The
Biblical depiction of your new nature will always give you a truer, more real and
trustworthy evaluation than that provided by your own weaknesses, fears, anger,
memories, etc.—not to mention the accuser of the brethren! (Refer to Romans 8:1-2;
28:35; Eph. 4:20-24; Revelation 12:11; Galatians 2:20).

E. Praise the Lord!

Restore the gate of praise. Give an offering of thanksgiving. Jesus has healed your
broken heart!

(For more on this subject see my Prayer Storm Study Guide, especially Lesson Seven:
“Tapping into High Praises of God.”)

F. Prayer of Blessing and Thanksgiving

“Father God, thank You for sending Jesus to heal the broken hearted and set at liberty
those who are bruised. I am so grateful for the power of the blood of Jesus to forgive
and cleanse me. Thank You for the gift of free choice and that every day can be the
first day of a new life. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me. Thank You
for all Your amazing benefits! Yes, I will praise Your holy name from this time forth
and forever more! Amen and Amen.”