Have you been hurt deeply? Did you know that God loves you so much that He does not want you to carry the pain you are carrying! You do not have to “manage” your pain or hide it. You can truly have that area of your heart healed completely! God has provided for your healing and you can receive that healing!
Today I want to especially thank God for healing so much of my “hidden pain”!
I never knew how simple it was for God to heal the deep pain we are often carrying if we just give it to Him and allow Him to heal those broken areas of our lives. It’s simple for God to heal and fill us with His love- but it can be very difficult for us to “expose” the areas that need healing- and bring them to light.
I am so thankful for the book, Experiencing the Father’s Embrace by Jack Frost, through which my eyes were opened to so many critical areas of my life that needed healing. I remember reading this book and realizing, “Oh, that’s why I am so insecure in {this area or that}, or why I act like {this or that}”.
Many people spend so much money trying to get rid of or manage the pain in their life. The hurt, the disappointments, the trauma, and the mental agony- can cause pain inside of you. You do not have to manage it; you can give it to Jesus! You can be free from it! There is HOPE!!
I do not claim I have all the answers, but I can share how some of the deepest pains in my soul were totally healed! It truly is possible not to carry that pain anymore!
The Simple Process of Receiving Healing for the Soul from God
The process of healing can be simple or difficult, but is so much worth it! Here are the simple steps to take:
- Recognize the area where healing is needed. It can be any pain you experienced as a child or adult, or any area where you where hurt or need to forgive. If something or someone just came to your mind- this is probably an area where you need healing.
I have realized that almost every time I had forgiven a person- even if I had forgiven that person a long time ago, there is still “something” that needed healing in my heart from the hurt that person inflicted. That “something” was making me insecure in the area where healing was needed. When I received healing- I felt whole again in that area and was no longer insecure.
- Choose to Forgive. Say it out-loud, “I forgive {name the person or situation} for causing this {name the pain} in my life. If you feel like you simply can’t forgive, ask God to help you. He already knows you are struggling to forgive and is more than willing to give you the grace to forgive!
Sincerely say, “Lord, thank You for the grace You give me to forgive. I receive the grace to forgive ___”.
Also, if needed, forgive yourself. Some people carry so much pain because they feel like they can’t forgive themselves for what they have done. Forgiveness is so freeing! If you have asked God to forgive you, He forgave you! And if GOD forgave you, you can forgive yourself!
Forgive Like God Forgave Us
Sometimes to forgive the way God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us is a process. Over and over again God had to lovingly remind me “Forgive like God forgave”.
Imagine coming to God to ask Him for forgiveness of your sin, and He tells you, “I will not forgive you until you realize HOW GREAT, and how utterly vile your sin is. You have NO IDEA what your sin did to Jesus. Now I first need to show you HOW AWFUL your sin is and only THEN I will forgive you!” The amazing thing about God is that when we simply come to Him and ask Him to forgive us, He forgives you.
God does not shove our sin into our face. Yet, we often want to shove someone else’s sin or mistakes into their face. We want to explain how totally awful their mistake is. And only then we think we can finally forgive. Yes, sometimes we need to lovingly show the offender where they have wronged us. But we need to do this with the right heart, the heart that has forgiven.
We often want to forgive but place a wall between us. Forgive but say, “I forgive, but I will never have a good relationship with you”. Or “I forgive, but I am going to stay away from you”. Imagine if God spoke to us like this! Now of course in certain situations, because that person chooses to stay evil/abusive/dangerous you might have to leave that person/situation. Sometimes distance is needed in certain situations.
The reality is that we often want to “forgive but stay away” from the person who hurt us, even if that person is not abusive/dangerous/evil. When we sin against God over and over again, and then ask for forgiveness, He does not tell us, “I forgive you, but stay away from me”.
Unfortunately there are also people on this earth who simply don’t care that they have hurt you. Or they are glad that they hurt you. They might think you deserved to be hurt. If you wait for those people to ask you for forgiveness, it might never happen. Forgive not because they need forgiveness, but because you need to live in freedom and you do not need to carry that pain.
- Give the Pain to God and Let Him Heal that area of your soul. This is a crucial step that most people don’t know about even if they know the importance of forgiveness. There is healing we receive simply by forgiveness, but forgiveness does not always mean that the pain that that person/situation inflicted is aromatically healed.
This is the step I wished I knew much earlier in life! Everyone says, “Forgive, Forgive”, but thousands of people on this earth have already forgiven a long time ago and yet they still live with the pain that is not yet healed. Forgiving someone does not take the pain away. Not every pain heals with time. It was when I was reading the book Experiencing the Father’s Embrace that I first realized the importance of giving the pain to Jesus that that person/situation inflicted.
This very crucial process might seem challenging to some, but if you read on, I believe you will understand how to give up your pain to Jesus, and allow Him to heal you!
The part of you that hurt so deep many call “the heart”. The soul and the heart are usually used interchangeably by many. Your body might be totally OK, but now your soul needs healing. Below, I will explain how or why healing for your soul is actually possible.
What God did for me, He CAN do for you!! God is not respecter of persons, and there is no partiality in God (Romans 2:11). In other words, what is available from God for one person is available for you also- you just need to believe and receive.
Jesus Purchased Salvation for Our Entire Redemption
Jesus did not only die to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus came here to also destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Jesus came to redeem our entire being. Someone simplified it this way:
- To redeem our soul, in Gethsemane, Jesus sweated drops of blood as His soul was exceedingly sorrowful and in agony (Matt 26:38, Luke 22:44).
- To redeem our body, Jesus allowed His back to be whipped. And by His “stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24)
- To redeem our spirit, Jesus was hung on the cross, so that we could be eternally redeemed. He paid for our sins and redeemed us on the cross.
Jesus could have only went to the cross to purchase the redemption of our spirit and only suffer there so that our spirits can be with Him eternally. But He chose to sweat drops of blood in agony to redeem the soul also. And He chose to take the stripes before going to the cross to redeem our bodies and purchase healing for them. This is how much He loves us!!!
For the purpose of this blog, I will focus only on the redemption of the soul. Our souls includes our feelings, our emotions, and our mindset.
Salvation for the Soul
Is your soul in agony from the pain someone else caused? Are you exceedingly sorrowful? Do you know that you do not have to carry the pain you are suffering because Jesus already paid for your sorrow and the agony of your soul also! Read the following verses carefully:
Jesus said “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38). In Luke 22:44 it says “And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground”.
Jesus’s soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death, so yours doesn’t have to be! He experienced agony of the soul so that you don’t have to be in agony!
If you are questioning now, “But how do I receive healing for my soul?” In a very similar same way you can receive salvation of your spirit, repent (turn back) and believe! Place your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ! To be saved spiritually, a person needs to repent, turn away from their sin, and believe in Christ alone and the one and only Savior; Jesus in the only Savior because He was the only one who paid for our salvation! No one else shed his blood to wipe away your sins.
Another way to say this is: to be saved spiritually, you needed to Ask Jesus to forgive you from all your sins; give Jesus all your sins. By faith, receive forgiveness and salvation by trusting that He will do what He said He will do! Any one who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!
How To Receive Healing for Your Soul
To receive healing for the soul we also need to repent- turn away from holding on to unforgiveness or bitterness or hatred for the person. Let go of unforgiveness and forgive. We also need to believe- believe that Jesus truly can take the pain away and heal our hearts.
A practical example of how to receive healing for your soul/ healing of your inner pain is to do the following by faith:
First, remember you need to forgive yourself/another person/situation or the reason why you have this pain. Tell God you forgive ____. Then simply say something like this to God by faith: “I give you this pain. I don’t want to carry it any more. Please take it from me. Heal my heart. Fill the area of my soul/heart where this pain was with Your Love, Your peace. I receive Your love, Your life, Your joy, Your Peace”.
What “is taken out from our soul”- like unforgiveness/pain, needs to be replaced with something. Many people “take out unforgiveness” from the soul and forgive, but are still empty and are still in pain. You can also give the pain to Jesus, but that area of your soul where the pain was attached can be left empty. This is why when you give up the pain you were carrying to Jesus, it is always a good idea to ask God for fill that area with His love, His life, His joy, and His Peace. When God fills that area of your soul with His love… healing takes place!
Now remember, this can be easy if the pain is light and was not that deep, or this can be extremely difficult- if you are dealing with very deep pain. Because to give your pain to God, you first need to admit it’s there and expose it and give it up.
It is often much easier for us to hide the pain and carry it rather then expose it and risk feeling again how deeply it hurt. But if we do not give the pain up- we cannot receive healing. Why carry the pain for the rest of your life if you can receive total healing from it!
My Story of How I Gave My Hidden Pain to Jesus
I remember the very first time that I realized I needed to give my pain to Jesus- after reading a particular chapter in Experiencing the Father’s Embrace book. I became restless and anxious just at the thought of needing to deal with my deep, very well hidden, pain. It tried to avoid the process and wasted a lot of hours scrolling on the Internet.
I simply knew that if I wanted to heal, and grow, I needed to deal with the pain I was hiding. Later I finally got the courage to do this, to expose the pain and to face it… Only God know how much I cried exposing that pain and letting go of it, and how much I wanted to scream in the process because it hurt so deep. I could barely form the words, “I… give… You… this pain… Jesus please take it all… away… And fill that part that hurts with… Your… love”. But then came the sweet healing from Jesus, and trust me it’s 1000 times better then carrying the pain, ignoring it, or hiding it! Jesus truly did heal that broken part of me!
So much freedom came just by simply giving my pain to Jesus!! So much confidence!
Now, I would definitely say that it would have been much better if I did this process with a Spirit-filled friend who could be there to support and pray for me and with me. I was alone with God in this process, too afraid to let anyone in where it hurt the most. For the longest time, I was the person who shied away from hugs, but I admit, it would have been nice to have someone hold me in this process.
And of course just because I dealt with the hidden pain in one area does not mean I never had to deal with pain again. The more we deal with people, the more we can get hurt. Or situations in life we see can hurt us. I would have to say I have had to give the pain I felt over a situation or people to God many times again and again. But it was very simple and definitely not that dramatic as the first time. It was a simple, “Lord I give you this pain I feel over ____. Please take the pain and fill me with Your love”. And instantly I was over that pain and walked in freedom again!
When we see pain and suffering in the world it does not mean that we need to carry all that pain on our shoulders.
If that pain touched your soul- learn to give it to God right away! It is so much more freeing to give the pain to God right away. Don’t carry what He paid for and what He doesn’t want you to carry.
I have to admit, there have been recent times when I did carry the pain for awhile. I was too stubborn to admit that part of the reason that I experienced such deep pain was because I did not hold every thought captive to the obedience of Christ like we should (2 Corinthians 10:5). I had expectations of someone and when those expectations were not met, I got hurt.
The thing is that we can’t hide from God the way we feel. If we are questioning Him or blaming Him- He already knows! And He still loves us! God is not afraid of our doubting. He does not feel insecure just because we are struggling and feel insecure. So the best thing is to admit your emotions or doubts to God.
When I finally repented and admitted to God that I got hurt by someone “this deeply” because I did not hold every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and asked Him to forgive me, I received so much healing from the pain in that situation. And when I finally admitted to God my doubts and how in my mind I felt He failed me in that situation- though God is faithful and NEVER Fails!! But at that moment I was having doubts, and when I finally admitted them to God, and asked for forgiveness, it’s amazing how fast my heart started to heal!
The Importance of Truly Giving Up the Pain
Recently, I was also in a situation when I couldn’t understand, why in all the previous times, when I asked God to take my pain away, it seemed to happen instantly, and I received healing and instant peace. But in this particular situation it just seemed that my heart was just still aching so much and hurt very deeply. Then I realized that it was because I kept telling God “Take this pain away”, but I was refusing to give that pain up. For Him to take the pain away, we first need to let go of the pain. Give it up. Stop holding on to it. Expose it and give it up. When I finally gave it up, and asked Him to fill that wounded part of me with His love, the process of healing started immediately and my heart stopped aching.
I learned that we cannot just tell God to take the pain away. We first need to forgive and then give the pain up. Give the pain to Jesus. And then ask Him to fill that area of your soul with His life, His love, His healing.
Healing Can Be Instant, Healing Can Be a Process
Yes, we can receive instant healing over certain situations, but sometimes it’s a process, and that’s OK too. Thank God that that process started!!! There have been many situations for which I have received healing instantly, and some are still a process. Sometimes we get reminded of the pain, and if we let our mind dwell on the pain someone inflicted us, we might get another wound and have to repeat the process of healing: Forgive, give the pain to Jesus, and allow Him to heal that area again.
- Believe and Declare God’s Word Over Yourself
If you have given your pain to Jesus already and you still feel like you have a lot of pain and you are still hurting, start declaring Scripture over your self that is relevant to your situation. For instance, Psalm 147:3 NKJV says,
“He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds”
You can receive what is written in this verse by saying out-loud, “Thank You Lord that you heal my broken-heart and you bind up my wounds”. Yes, God hears us even when our mouths don’t open. Speaking out-loud is for us because our soul needs to hear “GOD HEALS THE BROKENHEARTED AND BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS!”
We must all learn to place our faith not in our feelings that still tell us that we are hurting, but in the Word of God. I found it truly amazing how fast the process of healing was completed when I believed the Word- that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up our wounds.
Another important passage from the Word of God is:
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3
You can start declaring all of Psalm 23 it over your life, and especially thanking God that He restores your soul! He truly does restores our soul!
Declare Scripture over yourself out-loud until you truly believe what it says and experience its power!
Healing of the Soul Gives us Confidence (among many other things!)
When I went to Ukraine for 2 month during summer as a volunteer, I often told people there, “About a year ago, I would not have went here even with no war. I was too shy to travel alone. But God did such a work in my life and changed me so much that I came here… And I have so much peace being here.”
People in Ukraine were often very surprised and deeply touched to meet “foreigners like me” who came to their country to help out.
The reality was that it was because my soul had received so much healing in different “pain” areas that I was able to have the confidence to obey God and go to Ukraine during war-time. I had shared some areas of pain here and another area of healing is found in this blog post, Receiving Healing from Pain: https://imustdecrease.net/receiving-healing-from-pain/
God has healed me from so much pain in the soul. Now, I usually try to give the pain to Jesus right away that I see or experience or that is inflicted upon my soul. Exposing areas of our heart where we hurt or where pain has been inflicted on us and giving the pain to Jesus has truly been so freeing to me. The times that I fell back into the “trap of self-pity and hurt” where times when I did not expose the pain to God and did not give it to Him right away. But when I did- healing was mine. Peace was mine. And life is so much easier to live when your heart is healed.
Steps to Receive Healing for the Soul
In Summery, the steps to receive Healing for your deep hidden pain, or healing for the soul are these:
- Recognize the area where healing is needed
- Choose to Forgive
- Give the Pain to God and Let Him Heal that area of your soul
- Believe and Declare God’s Word Over Yourself
Soon, I am planning on sharing another step that is sometimes necessary for us to receive more healing.
All of these steps are very possible, because Jesus made this possible! Jesus already PAID so that your soul will be healed!! He experienced extreme agony of the soul and exceeding sorrow so you will not have to. Why carry the pain Jesus already PAID FOR!! You don’t have to hide it or carry it all your life. Learn to give the pain to Jesus right away and let Him fill you with His love.
It is time especially for believers to receive healing for our souls. The world is full of broken people, who need us to shine our light bright. But if we are still hiding because we are paralyzed with insecurity and sadness and all other negative emotions, then our light will not shine as brightly. Our soul needs healing.
I would like to end this post with this poem that I had written after I read the book, Experiencing the Father’s Embrace, by Jack Frost”. Actually, originally I was planning on just posting this poem and just writing a little note on how God healed my Hidden pain… but then I ended up writing this whole article because I really felt like people needed to know how to receive healing for their souls from God.
Let God Heal Your Hidden Pain We bury our pain deep inside Put on a face of toughness and move on And we pretend the pain it is not there But pain unhealed is like a heavy burden But then one day the pain gets uncovered And we it see- and oh it hurts so deep The pain of lack of love, lack of affection The pain of child- who desperately wants love The pain of rejection and avoidance The pain of hurtful words, lack of attention The pain of not knowing what to do When you’re not loved they way you needed it But can we blame our parents and point fingers Because they failed to love, affection give? Maybe they too it lacked, they too it wanted And did their best with little they received They gave and gave- they gave what they had They were not taught affection is important They too it lacked, society is tough They too their pain buried deep inside Or maybe they abusive became, hostile Turned to addictions to their pain just soothe And maybe from their pain- you pain received And drank the cup of sorrow that they gave ************************************************ What do we do- with wounds that are so deep? What do we do with pain that we received? Forgive, forgive- forgiveness freedom gives And opens door for healing and redemption What do we do, if we forgave, but still The pain is there, the wound has not yet healed? Don’t bury it and do not it ignore Give it to Jesus; all pain give to God Father of Mercies God is still today And great compassion for you He does have He’s God of consolation and all comfort To Him come as a child in need of love Tell Him your pain and that you comfort need Let Him you nurture and affection give Give pain to Him and let Him your wounds heal Let Him you comfort, console you and heal God is the God of love, He is still love If you lack love, He wants you to it have He loves you greatly, He compassion has He pours His love so lavishly, so freely Yes you can cry, and you can cry deep tears But let Him comfort you, don’t run from Him Do not ignore the pain- give it to Him And let Him heal your wounds so deep within 1/1/2022 Y. Gorelova
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV
