"How To Heal A Wounded Heart”

This is very serious business. If I do not learn how to heal my heart when I have been wounded (and it is inevitable that I will be wounded as a soldier of the cross) then I can be the cause of trouble in the church and cause others to stumble. Not just in my lifetime. The symptoms of every wound not healed will be passed down to the next generation. Probably one of the greatest con¬sequences of not receiving healing is the generational consequence (Exodus 20:5). This is a curse that can not only be passed on in my biological family, but also my church family.

So how to I heal my heart so as to avoid allowing that wound to be used to lead me into sin?

2. Restore your heart by relying on the grace of God.

The Greek word translated “misses” is the word, “hystereô,” which means “to fail to become a partaker.” In other words, as we learn to rely on God’s grace we can be helped to resist the Devil’s efforts to exploit the wounds of our heart and to see our wounds healed. How?

God’s grace provides justification - it is just as if I had never sinned. God’s grace provides reconciliation - I am totally accepted by God. God’s grace provides propitiation - my punishment is covered by the cross. God’s grace provides regeneration - I am a new creation in Christ.

GRACE is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense - all that God can now do for us, in us and through us because of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. By virtue of Christ’s sacrifice, I can not only have my sin forgiven, but I can have my heart healed.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” - Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” - 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

God has provided, by His grace through the cross, all that is needed for the healing of my heart.

“Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the ound of my people?” - Jeremiah 8:21-22 (NIV)

“This is what the LORD says: ’Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD” - Jeremiah 30:12-13; 17 (NIV)

So how can I appropriate the power and provision of the cross so that I might have the wounds of my heart healed? How can I prevent a lie from taking root in my wounded heart and growing into a stronghold that “causes trouble and defiles many?”

A. Acknowledge your wound.

A wound that goes unacknowledged is a wound that cannot be healed. A wound that is ignored is a wound that cannot be healed. A wound that is denied is a wound that cannot be healed. A wound unfelt or unwept is a wound that cannot be healed. A wound that is justified is a wound that cannot be healed. We must acknowledge that our heart is wounded and invite God to bring His healing.