Here is a simple way to begin the process of healing the harm you have experienced from others and inflicted on others throughout your life. These prayers are intended to focus on freeing your heart from the damage done to it in the past. Be sure to have a Bible and journal nearby for recording your thoughts, reactions, and whispers from God.
If at any time you would like to process this experience with a spiritual companion, please submit your contact information on the webpage link to begin a conversation with either Roger or Sharon.
The goal of this exercise is to provide a structure for confessing the sins you have committed and receive forgiveness for them, as well as forgive the sins committed against you, grieve the loss and pain you experienced because of these sins, and ultimately experience the breaking of the power of these sins in your present life through the power and authority of God.
This is not a formula that magically heals you in an hour or even a few weeks. Rather it is a structure to help you honestly (Psalms 51) face the destruction that sin has worked in your life, and then be able to experience God’s deliverance and healing. Remind yourself often that this process can work because of what Jesus did on the cross and by His resurrection. He broke the power of sin and has given us the power to live a new and different kind of life (Romans 6:1-11).
To prepare yourself for this process, find a safe space where you can be free from interruptions and where you can express your emotions. Settle into a comfortable position. Take a few deep breaths to relax your body and mind.
- Begin by reading Ephesians 3:14-21 and Romans 8:1. Sit quietly and reflect on these passages. Remind yourself about God’s love for you. What are your reactions to these passages? Journal your thoughts.
- Next, pray the following: “Dear Father, thank You for loving me. Thank You for the gifts and resources for healing You provide through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thank You that I can honestly come to You with my sins, wounds, confusion, anger, fear, and brokenness without shame; knowing that You hear me and are eager and willing to lavish Your grace on me that is greater than anything I will share. Father, here I am. I want to stand in Your light so that I can be forgiven, healed and freed. Father, I bow before You. Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.”
- Now, it is time to think through Your life, giving God the opportunity to bring to mind the people, events, and experiences that He is ready to heal. Don’t try to remember everything. Allow God to select what is important at this moment. Remember to use a journal to focus your thoughts and process what is happening.
- Don’t be surprised by intense emotions. Simply acknowledge and face them knowing that God is right by your side (Romans 8:33-39). Ask God to show you where your emotions are coming from and why they are so intense.
- Don’t be surprised by intense emotions. Simply acknowledge and face them knowing that God is right by your side (Romans 8:33-39). Ask God to show you where your emotions are coming from and why they are so intense.
- As God brings something to mind, take the following steps:
Don’t rush or feel compelled to move quickly. Move through the thoughts at a speed that leaves you feeling finished. If you do not have time, don’t worry. Record where you are in your journal and ask God to protect what is happening until the next time.- If God brings to mind a sin you have committed, acknowledge it as sin (give it the name God would: i.e. betrayal, anger, lust, adultery, greed, rage, hatred, etc.). Ask for forgiveness and thank God for forgiving you, whether you feel it or not (1 John 1:9, Psalms 51).
- Ask God to break the power this sin has over your mind, emotions, body, heart, relationships and spirit. Take it slow. Allow for silence and listen for God’s whispers.
- Thank God for His love, patience and power to deliver. Stop and spend time praising God. Don’t try and handle too much at one time.
- If God brings to mind a situation where someone has sinned against you, take these following steps:
- Identify the sin (use God’s words for it).
- Offer your forgiveness of their sins.
- Ask God to forgive them for what they did to you.
Remember, forgiving them does not mean that you have to minimize the evil they did or deny the pain and other emotions you still feel. Neither do you have to trust them and give them access to you. - Then ask God to show you the sins that you committed in response to their sins against you. This may take some time. Allow this to unfold as you wait patiently in the presence of God.
David Seamands does a great job of explaining this and why it is an important part of the healing process in his book, “Healing for Damaged Emotions.”
- If God brings to mind a sin you have committed, acknowledge it as sin (give it the name God would: i.e. betrayal, anger, lust, adultery, greed, rage, hatred, etc.). Ask for forgiveness and thank God for forgiving you, whether you feel it or not (1 John 1:9, Psalms 51).
- Having completed the above steps, ask God to break the power of this person’s sin over your mind, emotions, body, heart, relationships, and spirit.
- Throughout this process you may need to give yourself time to grieve the losses and the lingering pain you have experienced because of this sin.
- If God brings to mind specific experiences (being poor growing up, being raised by a single parent, having a mentally ill parent, etc.), go through the same steps presented above. Rather than a person who has wounded you, it is an event or a set of circumstances. Treat it as you would a person.
- REMEMBER, give yourself time to move through this process of opening your heart to God’s healing, forgiving and releasing Presence. Give lots of time to process emotions, seek God’s loving presence, and honestly face the past.
- If at any point you are overwhelmed, take a break, return to the passages on God’s love for you. You may want to compile your own list of verses about God’s love to meditate on.
- Finally, there is nothing wrong with having a person to walk through this process with you if you become overwhelmed and do not feel you can handle it alone. Reach out to a Spiritual Director, Therapist or Counselor, or a mature, trusted friend.
- This is your journey. God will personalize it to fit you perfectly. It is not helpful to your healing process to compare your experience with others. Be at peace as God personalizes this time for you.
May our great God richly bless you as you pursue His presence, His Kingdom, and His healing.