The Wounded Heart

Definition:

A wounded heart occurs when someone or something brings hurt to your emotions. "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly" (Proverbs 26:22).

SOURCES OF HURTS:

Result of offense brought to us from others.

(People say and do things to hurt us) Proverbs 18:8.

Result from our own sinful behavior. Psalms 25:18, Proverbs 17:19, II Samuel 24:10.
Result from a calamity where one is overcome by the experience. Job 3:25-26.
Result of the sins of the forefathers. Exodus 34:6-7.
Result from drug and alcohol use. Proverbs 23:29-35.
Result from occult involvement. Leviticus 20:6.

Hurts Never Just Go Away!

Hurts never just go away! Time will not bring complete healing to them. Whenever you remember the experience, you feel the hurt. Some people will even block out their memory so that they won't have to face feeling the hurts, but they are still there.

SOME SYMPTOMS:

Physical Proverbs 17:22

Nerve disorders
Allergies
Stomach problems
Heart aches
Insomnia

Mental Proverbs 18:14

Depression
Fits of anger and rage
Confusion
Various fears
Shyness
Dominance

Spiritual Matthew 18:34
Nightmares
Hearing voices
Seeing unusual things
Lack of control of self

The Ways People Respond

Some people respond by backing away from the situation to allow time for healing. They often turn inward and brood over their hurts. The hurts become like a big sore risen just waiting for someone to prick it with a sharp word, then out comes all the corruption of anger, bitterness, hate, revenge, and fear. The rejection they then receive brings more hurts.

The hard heart Other People Respond

Other people respond by immediately striking back trying to balance their hurt with anger and revenge or by trying to protect themselves from further hurt to allow time for healing. However, scar tissue (hardness of heart) soon appears. As they enter into relationships, they are rejected for their hardness and receive more hurts. Please understand that one only receives healing through the intervention of God.

God's Provision

God always provides for what we need according to His will.

God cares about your broken heart. Psalms 34:18, 51:17.
God healed David's heart and He will also heal yours. Psalm 147:3, Hebrews 13:8.
Jesus was sent to heal the broken hearted. Luke 4:18.
Jesus, Himself, suffered all the hurts that one could suffer. Isaiah 53:1-12, John 1:11, Luke 22:57, 23:35-37, Matthew 27:46.
Through the suffering of Jesus, God has provided the healing for you hurts. Isaiah 53:5.
It is God's desire to heal your hurts. I Peter 5:7.
God must have control of your whole heart before He can heal it. Jeremiah 29:13, Revelation 3:20

Note: God will only change what he has control over.

Steps Of Preparation

This is to simply the process.

You must give your heart to Jesus letting Him become your Lord. (Lord = ruler) Romans 10:9, Philippians 2:9-10.
If you have offended someone else, then you must confess your offense and ask them to forgive you. Matthew 5:23-24, I Peter 3:16.
You must forgive (release) the person who has hurt you. Matthew 6:12, 14-15.
You must put their judgment into God's hands and then ask God to forgive them for their offense toward you. Luke 23:24, Acts 7:60.
You must yield your rights to God (possessions, respect, family, expectations). Matthew 19:21, I Peter 5:5-6, Luke 18:20, Mark 8:34-37, Psalm 119:165.

WARNING: A wounded heart that doesn't receive healing is an open door for evil spirits. Ephesians 4:26-27, I Peter 5:8, Genesis 4:4-7, Matthew 18:21-35.

How To Receive Healing

Knowledge is good, but worthless if we don't put it in practice.

Begin with the greatest hurt first.
Ask God go cleanse your heart of all wrong attitudes (anger, bitterness, lust, unforgiveness, hate, revenge). Isaiah 1:18, 51:10, I John 1:9.
Picture your experience of being hurt in your mind.
Now picture Jesus suffering the same hurt for you and overcoming it by his own death and resurrection. I Peter 2:24.
Next picture in your mind the resurrected Jesus offering healing to you. Luke 4:18-19.
In faith ASK God to heal your heart in the name of Jesus. Ezekiel 36:26, John 16:23.

NOTE: You should ask the Holy Spirit to reveal other hurts in your life that they may also be healed. Psalm 139:23-24. "way of pain".

Your Ministry Of Healing

God doesn't only want to heal you, but also for you to minister healing with others.

As God heals your hurts, He will also give you a tender heart that will be sensitive to the hurts of others. Ezekiel 36:26, II Corinthians 5:18, Mark 5:19.
Remember that God can change that which was meant for evil into good. Genesis 50:20, Deuteronomy 23:5, Romans 8:28, I Peter 5:8-10, II Corinthians 1:6.
ASK God to give and fill you with His Spirit, His love, and His grace that you may share the healing that you have received with others that they may be healed. Luke 11:1-13, Ephesians 3:17-20, Hebrews 4:16, John 7:37-38.
Claim Luke 4:18-19 for yourself.
Share the content of this article with a hurting friend. Matthew 10:8.

Please note that the material and graphics in this article were taken from Bringing Every Thought Captive, Vol.1, copyrighted, 1996, by Basil Frasure.