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Safe Passagesupport for those struggling with homosexuality
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What is Inner Healing?
Inner healing essentially is the work of the Cross applied to internal wounds--the specific outworking of His transforming grace in our areas of brokenness. It is the application of cleansing, restoration, forgiveness and renewal at the very levels where sin (others' and ours) and disruptive life circumstances have accessed and damaged us. Inner healing can address specific memories or general themes--incidents (concrete experiences) or symbols (heart-language meanings). That is, internal damage is not always traceable to a particular set of hurtful incidents, but may be connected with an overall atmosphere (deprivations and/or unspoken harmful messages conveyed subtly over a period of time) that cumulatively distorted our formation. In both cases, the Lord connects with us in the midst of experiences, feelings, and symbolic realities which, at the time, were too overwhelming or all-encompassing to contain on our own. As these significant memories and/or symbols come up during prayer, the Holy Spirit reveals at a heart level the presence of the Lord Who is there with us, and Who holds redemptive realities for us until they can be more integrally knit into the fabric of our being.
"Jesus, the Infinite One who is outside of time and to whom all times are present, enters into what for us is a past occurrence, one known only in retrospect, though we experience its consequences in the present. He has, as it were, walked into that darkest hell of our existence; and even in the midst of the unfolding memory drama, we look with the eyes of the heart and as so often happens are enabled to see Him. We receive from Him that healing word, glance or embrace we've so long needed. We forgive others their darkest sins against us, and He forgives us our sins, and we receive from Him who manifests the very love of God the Father the healing grace we've been unable to receive before." The Broken Image, (Leanne Payne) p.27.
Fullness of Deliverance and Healing
Sometimes the Lord works in our lives by repairing damage and connecting us with Himself, and other times He works by lifting spiritually-based oppression and breaking unholy connections with darkness. Both of these are scriptural--both were done by the Lord when He was on earth, and both are spoken of by the Old-Testament prophets as interventions of God on behalf of His people (healing; Ps. 41:4, 147:3, Isa. 53:5, 57:18, Isa. 61:1-4, Jer. 8:9-12, Mal. 4:2, Matt. 4:23-24, Matt. 8:7-16, Matt. 10:1, 12:10-22, 14:14, 15:30, 19:2, 21:14, Mark 3:10, 5:25-29, 6:13, Luke 4:18, 4:40, Acts 5:16, 1Cor. 12:28, James 5:16, deliverance; Psalms 18:2, 32:7, 34:4-7, 40:2, 79:8, 72:4, 86:13, 97:10, 107:20, 120:2, Isa. 46:4, 52:3, Isa. 61:1-4, Jer. 22:3, Matt. 4:24, 8:16, 8:28-32, 9:33, 10:8, 12:22, 17:18, Mark 1:34, 16:9, Luke 4:33-35, 8:35, 9:42). Unfortunately, the Church has not always applied these aspects of redemption faithfully or wisely. Deliverance can be misused as an instant "cure" which bypasses the need to walk out our salvation in the day-by-day process of sanctification, and which circumvents the call for the Body to uphold each struggling member in ongoing relationships involving compassionate support and renewal. Or, the discomfort of addressing the reality of spiritual oppression can lead to disregard of needed prayer interventions. Both errors grieve the heart of the Lord, Who longs to reach us with His life and love in all the ways we need it.
Healing Prayer Interventions--An "Index"
a. Repentance (from sins by us, against us, and our reactions thereto)--involves encountering the Cross and drinking deeply of His acceptance and grace. This includes breaking of inner vows, and distinguishing between a hatred of the sin committed against us and the mistrustful rejection of our own needs and vulnerabilities which were the entrance point for others' hurtfulness.
b. Cleansing--reclaimation of the places of our bodies and souls which have been defiled; removal of the vestiges of the enemy's work, and purification/ infilling with the Lord's presence.
c. Forgiveness of others--a process, independent of others' readiness or presence. Involves relinquishing control, gaining objectivity and acceptance, cleansing and freedom from effects (of offenses and reactions thereto), and distinguishing forgiveness from justification, trust or intimacy
d. Restoration of boundaries (clarity, safety, innocence)--rebuilding healthy structure of sexuality and personhood. Somewhat similar to prayer for the strengthening of the will and/or breaking of one-flesh unions.
e. Breaking of one-flesh unions--gaining freedom from spiritual oppression associated with sexual immorality and unholy enmeshments in our own past. Can also address the effects of heavy pornography, serious idolatry (Baal, Ashteroth, Molech), demonically-charged abuse or perversions, or occult involvements.
f. Breaking of generational ties. Freedom from spiritual oppression due to the sins of past generations. As with other oppression-breaking prayers, this type of prayer is not difficult, especially when we are ready, willing, and have received love through the Lord and His Body.
g. Healing of memories (reliving memory with scenes/ emotions and seeing Jesus entering into it, providing advocacy, comfort, identification, cleansing, forgiveness). All healing entails connection with the Lord at the point of brokenness--as long as we are detached or acting out we cannot find resolve. As we weep, He is there, and carries the pain to the Cross--He speaks specific words of intimacy, wisdom and understanding which transcend time and degradation, and we are enabled to live out of His favor and strength.
h. Re-symbolization (of male/ female gender identity and relationships, father relationship, etc.). Transcends the limitations of words in revealing God's intent and imparting His life through personalized, vivid pictures of what it "looks like" in the context of our unique humanity. Intimacy is no longer inextricably associated with violation and shame when we taste of holy, life-giving communion. This type of prayer facilitates "redevelopment"--practicing of new patterns of being and relating. Through this, we become more able to "hold on to love" and gain "object constancy"--we become able to internalize others' love and contain His life.
i. Integration--mending of mind-heart split (bridging the chasm between doing vs. being, understanding about vs. experiencing with) and/or de-fragmentation of masculine and feminine aspects of person (an important factor in resolving gender ambivalence). Enables us to more fully contain His life and to live more single-heartedly.
j. Prayer for sense of being--filling in the gaps left by deprivation/ isolation in early development. This is a very intense and intimate kind of prayer with extremely profound effects--healing at primal (even prenatal) levels through the impartation of the Lord's presence into the core of one's being.
k Others not listed--there are endless possibilities for how the Lord intervenes in our lives in the specifics of our humanity!
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