I am often asked if this inner healing process really works or not. The answer is unequivocally “YES” IF you follow the process through to completion and continue to follow the principles of the Life Solutions Framework. And, that is a big IF. 

I have seen those who start getting relief as they have some wounds prayed for and confess some judgments and maybe even release a few expectations and vows. They start to feel better, and they fall into the lie that, “I’m all better now, so I don’t need this anymore.” So, they stop short of receiving full healing. Then, “life happens,” they fall back into old patterns and wounds resurface, and they say, “That inner healing stuff didn’t work. I’m worse off now than I was before I started.”

Here are several truths to keep in mind:

• Inner healing is a process, and it works if you stick to it and don’t drop out or short change that process.  Sometimes Jenie and I “debrief” our day and pray for wounds, etc, on a daily basis.  Sometimes, it is, “as needed” when new wounds trigger old hurts and patterns.  We definitely notice when we have strayed away from “regular” prayer and processing hurts and attitudes.

  
  

• Inner healing takes work. The process can be hard as we allow Holy Spirit to start healing areas that we have had walled off and protected for a long time. It can also be difficult to admit and deal with our own sinful responses. But this is all part of our journey to freedom.  We talk about “doing the hard thing.”  Ask for prayer, again.  Repent of the anger or overreaction, again.  Speak the truth over yourself, again. You are worth doing the work for.  Your marriage/family/children are worth doing the work for.

  
  

• Many times, the Lord brings healing in layers. He knows what we can handle at any given time. This is why we ask Holy Spirit to bring up what He wants to focus on at each step in our healing journey. I may have to pray through something multiple times as Holy Spirit reveals a deeper layer of that issue. Some wounds are so deep that it is not a “one and done” prayer. Resist the urge to beat yourself up over having to pray through something more than once. It does not mean that healing isn't coming or that the process doesn't work. It just means that you have another layer to work through. My journey to healing from childhood sexual trauma has definitely been one of God dealing with multiple layers over time due to the depth of the wounding. But, He has been faithful, and I can look back on the facts of what happened without feeling the sting anymore.

• The inner healing process takes time. If I have a wound that has been festering for 10 years, and I have developed expectations, vows and unhealthy habit structures around that wound, it takes time to dismantle all of that and build healthy habit structures. I am naïve and setting myself up for disappointment if I think everything will be perfect in a week or two. (see my last blog post “Where does this path/framework come from anyway?” for an example of a wound that festered over time and how I was able to get free from it.)
  
  

• The other truth is that life “does happen,” and we can become wounded at any time by something someone does or doesn’t do, says or doesn’t say, etc. Our Life Solutions Framework is how we live our lives on a daily basis. It is how we deal with the wounds and judgments as they happen so we don’t end up heading down the path to expectations and vows.  Pray for the “little things”, those daily hurts, misunderstandings, let downs, like a boss’ angry tone, quickly, so that they don’t fester into “big things”.

• Having a James 5:16 prayer partner is a crucial part of the inner healing process. Having someone who can pray over you, pronounce forgiveness, and declare what you are now free to do is important. This could be a spouse, friend, Life Solutions Coach. If you try to “go it alone - just me and God,” you can get into trouble. God made us to be in community. He made us to bear one another’s burdens. He made us to be part of the healing process in one another’s lives.  I am blessed to walk this journey with my wife Jenie. We recognize and identify the wounds and judgments through our regular conversations with each other and deal with them at the time so they do not get the chance to fester.
  

I know in my own life, the times that I fully embrace the process on a daily basis with my wife or other James 5:16 prayer partner, are the times that I live in fullness, am the most productive, have the most joy, experience the most intimacy and connection with the Lord and those around me. The times when I become lazy or complacent with dealing with wounds and judgments are the times when I get into trouble, become the most isolated, get distracted both at work and in my personal life and become discontented.

We already know that the Lord wants to heal us in every way. Inner healing works if we remain open, aware and committed to the process. Fully embrace your journey to freedom, you are worth it, and it does work!