Healing Ministry

That Deals with Deep-rooted Hurts and Pains

This article on the healing ministry is an introduction to "Matters of the Heart," our free eCourse for spiritual growth and emotional transformation.

Why We Need Healing Ministries

The healing ministry is a vital part of the body of Christ. Many Christians not only need physical healing, they need healing in their emotional lives as well. And this is just where we get snared, since many physical diseases are directly related to stress, a “dis-ease” of the soul. Emotional wounds can plunge our lives into the chaos of anxiety, depression and/or addictions and sink our bodies under a load of stress-induced illnesses.

The scripture states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Many sincere Christians are perishing by simply not understanding the relationship between their physical health and their inner, emotional life. Happily, there is a power of transformation available. It is based on the belief that Jesus’ words are life and that they bring with them the power to change us deep within. As He said, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). If we are not fully “free,” then according to Jesus there are truths we don’t fully know yet. And that gives us something we can work on!

Emotional and spiritual health sometimes comes our way with an effortless grace, but at other times it must be sought out. We need to learn to seek the life which is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3) as if our daily life depended upon it—which it does!  If you have been struggling with sickness and disease, or with inward anguish such as depression or anxiety, you are not alone. Nor are you without hope and resources. The answer is available through the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.

C.S. Lewis once wrote that “ pain is God's megaphone.”  God uses pain to get our attention when our lives break down into physical or psychological illness. This does not mean God instigates the breakdown, but that in His love and mercy He will speak through what is there, to draw us out of the darkness into His Light. If you are seeking to find a remedy for various afflictions, let this season of your life draw you into a far greater revelation of the ways in which you can live more closely to the Lord and find a level of peace and freedom that you might have thought impossible.

For instance, did you know that there is a natural connection between our emotional life and the diseases that come upon us? Modern medical science has demonstrated that up to 80% of all incurable diseases have a mind/body connection. Consider these relationships which medical science has proven:

Anger and hostility can trigger hypertension and coronary artery disease

Anxiety can lead to irritable bowel syndrome and heart palpitations

Un-forgiveness and resentment towards others or towards self can cause 

the autoimmune disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis

Repressed anger often underlies migraine headaches, chronic back pain, TMJ and fibromyalgia  

These are truths that can set us free (as Jesus said) if we will let these truths lead us back to mending our lives at the source—by bringing our emotional wounds to the One who loves us best and who alone knows how to heal our inner life (see The Spiritual Roots and Mending the Broken Heart on this website or in our Workbook or CD/DVD series  in the Store).

The healing ministry in the Body of Christ is recognizing the need to assist individuals in allowing the Holy Spirit to reach deep inside and to deal with the emotional wounds which are causing external disorders.  Isaiah wrote, “…this is a people robbed and plundered; all of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses; they are for prey, and no one delivers; for plunder, and no one says, "Restore!" (Isaiah 42:2).

The healing ministries of our day are seeking to return Christians to the life of emotional peace and rest promised to us in the scriptures. As a bonus much physical healing comes once our hearts are mended. Healing Streams joins with many other healing ministries in saying, "Restore!"

Interested in Going Deeper?

Consider taking our free eCourse for Healing. We have designed a complete series for personal transformation, "Matters of the Heart," to help Christians gain emotional freedom and inner healing. In all there are 24 Main Healing Lessons and 24 Head to Heart Guides to help you bring your heart to God and receive His Great Heart for you in return!