INNER HEALING

Sermon DR Rev Kow Shih Ming 18 August 2013

Wesley Methodist Church

Bible text Psalms 147:3

 Every one has hidden wounds.

These come from memories that still hurt.

Abandonment

Abuse

Ridicule

From 

Society

Family

School

Workplace

These cause emotional scars that take a very long time to heal.

Jesus Christ wants to heal your inner wounds.

 

Exodus 15:26 God declares

I am the God that healeth thee.

5 principles or steps (not necessarily in chronologcial order)

REVEAL

RELEASE

REPLACE

REFOCUS
REACH OUT

STEP ONE:  REVEAL
You need to reveal your hurt

Need to own up to it

Acknowledge it

Face the feeling

One cause of emotional fatigue is the emotional energy spent on past hurts.

some wrong ways of coping with past hurst

Ignore

Hide

Run away

Get drugs

sex

overeat

blame

These are wrong ways of coping

None of these work.

HONESTY in REVEALING HURT

You need to be honest to three persons in order to progress healing for your inner hurts.
Honest with self: you need to acknowledge, to own the hurt.
Honest with God: Although God knows everything, you need to admit this to God.
Honest with at least one person you can trust.
There is something healing about revealing this to someone you trust
(hence the value of small group ministry)

STEP TWO  RELEASE those that have hurt you

Let go of those that have hurt you
Spend your emotional energy on getting well
(not on getting even)

Resentment causes bitterness
Heb 12:15 Let no bitter root grow
1 Pet 2:23 Jesus did not retaliate: Entrusted himself to God

God keeps a record
He know your pains
He knows your tears

Psalms 65:8 list my tears on your scroll
             (collect them in your bottle)

STEP THREE REPLACE

We have to replace old files with new files
replace faulty data with God's truths

Faulty data on our hard disk include things like
You are stupid
You are dumb
You will never amount to anything
This faulty data leads to self-defeating self-destructive behaviour.

We pray fr inner healing
we fill our mind with God's word
Read: Daily quiet time: Bible study small group
Memorise
Believe.

Our self image is often influenced by what the most important person to us thinks of us.
In Eph 1:3 God sees us holy and blameless.

STEP FOUR REFOCUS
There is hope in the future
RE: Job 11
i) Devote yourself to God
ii) Stretch out to God
Ask Jesus to come into the dark places of your life and bring healing.
iii) lift up your face without shame.
stop saying "I am a victim"
stand firm
forget about your troubles

say "My past is not my future"

Painkillers don't last
Painkillers don't solve the problem
Painkillers may kill you.

 STEP FIVE REACH OUT
How do we know we are healed?
When we can reach out to help others.

II Cor 1:3-4
 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Extend your self in ministry to comfort those with the comfort that you have experienced.
God can use your pain for good.

SUMMARY
REVEAL
RELEASE
REPLACE
REFOCUS
REACHOUT