Healing of the Emotions

A. INTRODUCTION:

In over 40 years of ministry, I have repeatedly encountered the same scenario in pastoring and counseling people who are struggling in their Christian walk. People in distress usually have little understanding of what they are feeling and why. Family members and friends want to help, but have no idea how to do that, so they eventually throw up their hands in frustration.  This leaves the individual feeling even more rejected and hopeless than before. In my situation, I visited with fellow ministers who had no clue how to help, except for one young pastor who suggested I needed to read the book “Men In Mid-Life Crisis” by Tim and Sally Conway (I highly recommend it).

That book was a life-saver, in a general sense.  But it failed to expose the real root cause of the problem and did not even begin to free me from the dark pit of oppression I was in.  My wife suffered with me for ten long years, and many opportunities of fruitful ministry to others were lost.  But God is sovereign.  He knew exactly what was going on, and allowed the situation to remain for a decade before shining His light of Truth in, and scattering the enemy of darkness.  In retrospect, I have to conclude that perhaps His purpose in allowing me to remain so long in emotional turmoil was to create in me an intense passion and sense of urgency about helping others be set free.

I pray that by sharing the insights that God has mercifully given me, that I can place a tool in others’ hands that will not only help them get free of emotional bondage, but that they will be able to help set others free as well.  As they begin to launch out and minister, they will grow and develop into effective and confident warriors for Christ, destroying the works of the devil, bringing healing and wholeness to others in bondage to the enemy’s assignments and strongholds. That is what Jesus did (Acts 10:38), what the Apostles did, and what we all, through Christ, have been given the power and authority to do.  I believe it is my responsibility and commission by God to provide to other believers the knowledge and experience I have gleaned over my lifetime.

B. THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED (Matthew 13:1-23)

When Jesus taught through parables, He often referred to them as illustrations of the “Kingdom Of God” or “Kingdom Of Heaven.”  In other words, He, as God, is a King, the King of all kings, the King of Heaven.  The Kingdom is His Realm: the world, every place He rules over, every person, and everything in it…the good, the bad, and the ugly.  In it there is soil.  The main purpose of soil is to produce food to sustain the inhabitants.

In this parable, it quickly becomes apparent that someone has been messing with the soil, because most of the soil is not very productive, if at all, despite the efforts of the sower to faithfully broadcast the seed.  As we discuss the different categories of soil, please notice the common thread that ties these thoughts to other lessons on this website.  I encourage you to use them as a cross-reference to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the truths being taught.

1. First Category…

This is very hard soil.  This type of person is totally unresponsive to the Gospel, does not believe or receive the truth, and there is no conception in the spirit.  One of the interesting observations is the introduction into this scenario of a counter personality, the devil, prowling around on the heels of the sower, to devour the seed that just lies there because it has not been received into the spirit.

Could it be that this same enemy is responsible for the condition of the soil as well?  In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul states that “the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds (that they should not discern the truth)” about Jesus.  So there is another god in this realm, the “prince of the power of the air,” who apparently has some freedom to operate, creating an atmosphere of opposition and hostility to the King. The amplified bible translates this as a “course and fashion” in this world where the inhabitants come “(under the sway of the tendency of this present age), following the prince of the power of the air…(obedient to and under the control of) the (demon) spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience (the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who are against the purposes of God)” - Ephesians 2:2.  Verse 1 depicts this condition as being “dead.”

Although this is non-productive soil in its current state, this soil can be changed into productive ground.  As a farm boy, I’ve seen it done.  It’s called ‘breaking ground.’  Trees are bulldozed down, huge boulders are removed; then a single-share ‘breaking plough’ is taken in to turn the soil over, row by row; then other equipment with discs resembling cymbals, cuts up the rows of soil, slicing it over and over again; then the soil is cultivated with curved, metal shafts with shares sort of like duck feet except backwards and pointed in front, on the ends, that go into the soil and turn it upside down.

Eventually, after it is worked over, time and again, it is ready to be seeded.  You wage war against the soil and bring it into submission, preparing it to receive the seed and become productive to grow life-sustaining crops.  A farmer would never dream of sowing seed into soil without this preparatory process.  It would be foolish and unproductive.

Spiritually, that is where intercessory prayer comes into play.  We wage holy war against the spiritual, controlling forces and established strongholds, refuting “arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the (true) knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away, captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)” – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.  We pray to tear down the walls of resistant wills, remove the scales that blind so that they can see the truth, open their ears to hear and understand it, and release the power of God to open up and soften their hearts and minds to receive and believe truth.

This is hard, long, painstaking work.  Many times we just throw more and more spiritual seed at people and hope it will ‘take’ somehow eventually.  Jesus may have been alluding to this when He admonished, “Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” – Matthew 7:6.  Like a farmer, we must approach intercession for heart preparation systematically and faithfully, until Holy Spirit tells us the soil is ready to receive the seed: the spiritual womb is ovulating and ready to conceive.

Is this process with positive results possible with everyone?  Perhaps not.  I have quizzed unbelieving husbands of Christian women about their unbelieving ways.  When asked if they ever 1) have any interest in God, or 2) fear spending eternity in hell without Christ, their response was: 1) none whatsoever, and 2) never. Spiritual issues were such an integral part of my entire life, I couldn’t fathom it not being important to everyone else…or at least a twinge of interest, or conviction, or fear, or something.  But apparently not.  Mind you, there is always the possibility it was not their time yet. All the more reason to be sensitive to Holy Spirit’s direction as to if and when to share precious spiritual seed.

2. Second Category…

This is responsive soil.  The person believes and receives the truth (in fact, enthusiastically), conception takes place in the spirit and new life begins.  However, there is an adverse condition here.  The soil is shallow, with either a rocky ledge or many rocks beneath the surface.  That kind of soil is very difficult to work with, and almost impossible to grow anything in, that is, without the same diligent effort of preparation.

The soil on the small farm I grew up on in the hills of Canada was permeated with rocks, and the fields were dotted with rock piles as far as one could see.  One of my most dreaded mornings would be to hear my dad say that today we would be staying home from school to pick rocks.  It was an absolutely necessary chore because those rocks not only hindered the growing of a good harvest, but it was murder on the machinery.  My dad could barely keep up with the repairs.  We would go out with a ‘stone boat,’ a flat deck on runners that would glide over the soil in the summer and over snow in winter, and tediously pick rocks all day in the hot sun.  It was an excruciating chore, but it sure did improve the quality of the soil…and the crops.

The spiritual realm is no different; consider the Kingdom of God, and the soil of our hearts.  Basically, the same principles of spiritual warfare apply here as in the first category of soil, because, even though the spirit is now alive, the soul (mind, emotions, will) and body (see lesson on SPIRIT, SOUL, & BODY) are still held hostage by old habits and lifestyle patterns that cause instability, erratic behavior, and lack of discipline and persistence.  Rebellion, addictions, and all sorts of life-controlling problems are common, and deep-rooted, and are not necessarily eliminated instantaneously.

Usually, it takes intense and prolonged counsel and ministry for such a believer to break and remove these strongholds and inculcate patterns of discipline, producing socially and spiritually acceptable conduct and character – fruit.  For that reason, it is often helpful for new believers with addictions to spend time in a protected environment like a half-way house.  It gives them safe haven, time, and supportive assistance until old habits can be broken and necessary changes can be made, and they can be re-introduced into society as a productive constituent.

One of the questions that can arise in this category is whether or not an addicted individual was ever born again.  Personally, I believe if we will set aside our theological persuasions, the natural, agricultural images can be allowed to speak for themselves. The parable indicates that the plant in rocky soil withers and dies, due to the heat beating down on it and there being too shallow a depth of soil to sustain it.  But it is also very apparent that the seed germinates and produces a live plant, however brief its existence.  The soil still remains.  The sower can plant more seeds that will germinate and produce more plants; although the prospect for better results is not good unless, and until, extra effort is expended to improve the condition of the soil.

So, in applying this illustration, it appears that spiritual life does begin, and develops to a point; but then is aborted.   In our time, because of the prevalence of this medical procedure, we understand the concept of abortion better than any other generation in history.  There have always been miscarriages.  Many times it is a natural process for the woman’s body to cast off a malformed or otherwise unhealthy baby. For some physical reason or other (maybe even the soul), the mother’s body can not carry the baby to full term.  Sometimes  there may be physical trauma involved that terminates the young life.  Today, the medically vicious and invasive act of abortion causes the cessation of many infant lives.

But even when a new life is cut short, that is not the end of everything.  The woman can usually still conceive again, although sometimes it is difficult, and additional miscarriages may occur.  But there is yet hope and the potential for new life remains; there can be other opportunities for healthy, normal life to be birthed.

Likewise, spiritually.  The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  His attacks are also vicious and brutal, calculating and relentless…the hot sun (and other elements) beating down on the new, shallow believer…the “lion roaring (in fierce hunger), seeking someone to seize upon and devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  But Jesus came to give abundant life – and lots of it.  A person may believe and give evidence of some sort of spiritual life; then fall away (for all appearances), die in some way or another.  (Here is where the lesson “When Does Spiritual Life REALLY Begin?” may shed more light).
But is this the end?  Or was there no beginning to start with?  And do we really need to wrestle with the question of whether, if, and when, the person was truly born again or not?  How do, or can, we know for certain what happened in another person’s heart initially, and what was transpiring at the time of, and after, the falling away?  Can we lay aside our preconceived notions and judgment?  Can we try to understand that maybe, just maybe, there was spiritual life, and perhaps there still is in the recesses of the spirit.  Whatever the case, the person fell away because their soil was not in good enough condition to hold on to and nurture that life.  Our responsibility is to put some effort into that soil: to help improve its character and quality; then plant more seed; and perhaps this time we will see new, healthy, and productive life spring forth and remain.  At least it works in the natural.  And isn’t that why Jesus uses these ‘down to earth’ illustrations to begin with?

3. Third Category…

This is basically good soil overall: receptive, even productive, though the quality and quantity is poor and sub-standard.  The problem?  Weeds, thorns, and thistles.  This is the simplest problem to solve in the natural.  We used to call it ‘weeding the garden’.  Probably, more accurately, de-weeding it.  In the grain fields, we would spray to kill the weeds.  With row crops, the rows are wide enough that farmers drive tractors down the field, their wheels straddling the rows, cultivating in between the rows and destroying the majority of the weeds.  In some cases, workers walk down the fields, row by row, with hoe in hand, cutting down the weeds; often times extricating them from among the good plants.
Our yard was primarily comprised of crabgrass, but we didn’t really care.  We lived in the hills and had few visitors.  The crops were a different story, however.  Those crops were a vital part of our meager subsistence.  If there were a lot of weeds in the grain when it was hauled to market and graded, we were ‘docked’.  A poorer grade meant less money per bushel, which could gravely impact our livelihood.  Not to mention the fact that, if there was an abundance of weeds in the fields, they would rob the soil of the moisture and nutrients required to produce healthy grain.  They would also overshadow the benefit of the sun’s rays upon the plants, meaning the overall quality and grade of the grain would be reduced.  And there would be less of it: because the effects of the weeds’ presence in the soil would also diminish the number of kernels of grain each stalk was able to produce.

The dilemma in grain farming is that you can not just run a tractor down the field and rip the weeds out.  The rows are too narrow and the weeds are so interwoven with the good plants there is no way to eradicate them with conventional machinery without uprooting everything – good and bad.  So we killed the weeds, as much as possible, by spraying with specially formulated chemicals to kill specific weeds without harming the grain.

Spiritually, you can have great soil: generally good character, self discipline, and all the rest.  But the believer’s life may still be a shambles in many respects.  In most cases it is quite obvious they are believers, and they may be very active in church.  But there is very little ‘victory,’ as we tend to call it.  There is not an abundance of fruit: love, joy, peace, kindness, patience…and so forth.  There may be some, but not a ‘bumper’ crop.  In this category the person tends to experience certain personal problems, especially emotionally,  that really impact their quality of life, their overall productivity, and their relationships.

Typical ‘pat answers’ to someone struggling with persistent and consistent defeat and failure are: ‘you need to get a grip,’ ‘snap out of it,’ ‘stop thinking like that,’ or ‘you need to get into the Word!’  Even though there may be some truth and validity in these attitudes and comments, because I happen to fall into that category of soil, I have learned that it is rarely so simple. I had conscientiously sought the Lord and good counsel, and tried many avenues, to no avail.  Many times, the situation requires outside intervention.
Second, as a young pastor, I had people come to me over and over again with the same problems.  I would counsel them, and pray for them.  But they just kept coming back, without getting better.  Like they say, ‘a form of insanity is doing the same thing the same way over and over again, and expecting different results.’  I knew eventually it would drive me crazy, so I began exploring options.  One of my most fruitful discoveries was learning to search for ‘root causes.’  That simple directive has become the main focus of my ministry for the past thirty-five years…with much better results, I might add.

The scriptural foundation for this approach is the parable of The Sower and The Seed.  I began scouring the soil for ‘thorns.’  Then, through the counseling process and prayer I would invite Jesus into the ‘garden of their heart,’ and row by row, ‘weed’ their garden.  Some changes would be dramatic; others, more of a gradual process.  What happens when you weed a garden?  You remove the pesky infestations robbing the soil and shading the sunlight, the plants soak in all they have been deprived of for so long, and over a process of weeks, or months, you are rewarded with an abundant harvest.  It is no different spiritually.

A comment on ‘getting into the Word’ is necessary here.  I believe in the power of the Word of God to change lives, and I strongly believe in the memorization of scripture as a tool in implementing its effects.  I also believe that most of us have not even begun tapping into the dynamic resources available to us through meditating on the Word.  But again, looking at things from the natural perspective of a grain field infested with weeds, you would never dream of attempting to solve the problem by adding more seed to the soil.  Lack of seed is not the problem.  The seeds already in the soil have no room or resources to develop properly.  You would concentrate on removing the weeds.  Only then can the seed grow and function like it was meant to – naturally!
Another note: one of the preventive measures implemented in farming is to reduce the amount of weeds in the soil by pre-cleaning the seeds before planting them.  This takes on a whole new meaning in today’s computer-age phrase of ‘garbage in, garbage out.’  One of the things we have not yet learned, and do not practice well, is guarding the soil of our minds and emotions.  We are bombarded mercilessly with a constant barrage of trash and damaging spiritual weeds in ever increasing abundance and intensity.  Unfortunately, we continue to expose ourselves to unholy input that subtly and gradually infiltrates the soil of our personalities, often resulting in character flaws, compromised integrity, secret addictions, and a host of other unnecessary personal problems.

We must understand that every day, seed is being sown, whether good or bad, that is being planted in our inner man; and it will germinate within us and produce a harvest.  The more spiritual weeds we allow into our soil, the more cluttered it will become, and the more they will interfere with the maturation and proliferation of the good seed.  It is the enemy’s strategy to get as much junk into us as possible, causing as many problems as possible, hindering the total fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose for our lives.

It’s bad enough that we are involuntarily assaulted with all types of hurts and damages throughout the normal process of growing up and living life on earth: family and home environments, school, work, and church arenas, and the entire gamut of dating and marriage relationships.  Where we have a choice, we need to be much more discerning and protective.  When our son was still quite young we went to our first PG rated movie.  I felt so badly afterward, that when we got home I had my family kneel down, and on their behalf I repented, asking God not only to cleanse us but also to pull the seeds of these weeds out of our inner being.  In today’s world, that PG movie pales in comparison to what flows into our homes and lives on a daily basis.

C. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM…

I want to spend some time exploring the nature of the problem as it relates to people who are depressed and discouraged a great deal of the time; who struggle with rejection, mood swings, and so forth.  First of all, I believe there can be two distinct aspects of the problem: depression and oppression. Personally, I have experienced both.  A depressed person becomes incapacitated.  They often sleep a lot; barely functioning, unmotivated, like a zombie, with little ambition or energy to do anything.  With oppression, at least in my case, I slept fairly well, but when I was awake I was compulsively driven.  The emotional pain was so intense, I worked all the time just to keep from going crazy.
I appeared helpless to do anything about any of it.  Besides staying pre-occupied for a period of this time, the other thing that kept me sane was reading the Psalms to myself out loud, personalizing them. Instead of saying, “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation…,” I would say, “Lord, You are my Light…”  I experienced great difficulty in verbalizing my own worship and prayers, and since the Psalmist was always either acknowledging God for Who He was and praising Him, or crying out for help and relief from the enemy, I just utilized his format and made it my own.
The common enemy entry point is through the emotions.  Typically, a person will experience a single or series of traumatic incidents inflicting deep hurts and wounds, many times over a prolonged period of time.  Specific events might be verbal, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse, divorce, death in the family, accident, sickness, business failure…just to name a few.
Rejection is a major weapon of attack, and is especially effective against a ‘feeler’ type personality, although it can happen to anyone.  Following close on its heels is self-pity, resentment, and bitterness.  The prevailing mood or atmosphere is often one of heaviness, sorrow, and grief. All these are emotions, yes, but they can be more.  There may also be demonic entities involved.  In fact, they can comprise a ‘family’ of evil forces who work in concert with each other like a pack of wolves attacking a wounded elk. Since the mind and emotions are so intricately united, emotional pain immediately connects with the mind, exposing it to relentless attacks of all sorts: lies, accusations, misperceptions.  What often happens is that the mind becomes warped in its perception of reality, with reality getting twisted out of proportion or magnified to an extreme.  Left unchecked, an individual can have more and more difficulty differentiating between a problem that is real and one that is imagined.

Focusing inward, the person is plagued with thoughts of self-doubt, inferiority, worthlessness, guilt, or shame, and it is intense!  The mind races uncontrollably, under constant bombardment.  Everything feels like a major crisis, like ‘the end of the world,’ stirring up deep feelings of discouragement and hopelessness; even thoughts of suicide.

The thought patterns project out toward others as well, with strong feelings of resentment and bitterness, becoming judgmental and critical – most often and typically toward those closest in relationship and/or proximity.   The manifestations include twisting words and actions out of context, misinterpreting motives and intentions, projecting blame, becoming suspicious, etc.  Those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end, reel under the barrage of such accusations wondering “Where did this come from?”

All of the interaction, back and forth, between the mind and emotions, one feeding off the other, only aggravates and intensifies the pain level until it can become unbearable. What happens is that the will, which normally is not that strong to begin with, is paralyzed by the intensity of the mind and emotions, rendering it helpless…or at least greatly weakened. What needs to be understood here, both the condition and potential consequence, is an attempt to understand and explain how intense the battle can be raging within the individual. The tragedy is that most believers and Christian workers have no clue what is really transpiring, so we ‘hit and miss’ with either well-meaning but ineffectual prayers, or we end up wrestling the wrong demons, leaving the strongman in place to keep directing traffic back inside.  Consequently, as v. 24-26 indicates, the bettered condition is only short-lived and can be eventually worsened by the process.  (See SPIRITUAL WARFARE for more study.)

D. HOW GOD HEALS…

In reviewing the New Testament to determine how people actually receive ministry for their needs, and through my own experiences, I have discovered that healing tends to happen in one of three ways:

1. God sovereignly intervenes and does it without any human contact (John 5:2-9);

2. God uses someone else as an agent or channel to speak, touch or in some other way release His power on their behalf (Mark 2:1-12); or

3. He utilizes the faith of the individual to initiate the process (Matt. 9:20-22).

However, since God has created us to function as a Body, with individual members available to respond to one another’s needs, and since many are too incapacitated to exercise faith on their own behalf, the most frequent ministry to this type of need is usually through believers praying, one for another.  Hence, the need for understanding both the nature of the problem, and the process of ministry.

In a garden full of weeds you must first pull all the weeds out, by the roots, before you can expect a good crop. So in our personal lives. Rather than deal with the symptoms of our problems, we must go to the roots..

E. HINDRANCES TO HEALING

Some existing attitudes or conditions that could hinder the process of healing follow:

1. Ignorance…or the lack of understanding what is going on behind the scenes: what the real problem is, and what the solution is.  Hence, this teaching.  Knowing these truths begins the process of setting you free.  It takes you out of the closet of darkness, confusion, and uncertainty: the vacuum where the enemy thrives; and brings you into the light of the truth where the enemy’s lies and deceptions are exposed and the strength of his bondage is broken, or at least significantly weakened.

2. Denial…that the problem or need exists.  This could be normal disbelief like “I’ve never heard that” or “my church doesn’t believe it that way”…which is understandable. Or, it could also be willful or stubborn doubt or pride that refuses to believe.  As in everything else, if we fail to acknowledge we have a problem, we cannot receive help. If I refuse to admit I am a sinner, I can’t get saved.  If I don’t recognize I am sick, I can’t get healed.  If I deny I am an alcoholic or addicted to drugs or sex or food or riches or self, then I’m not likely to seek, nor receive, help.  So, in regard to being healed in our inner self: our emotions, our soul…we must understand that we have been wounded, and how.  Our wounds, with all their rawness and pain, must be recognized and exposed for what they really are, and then presented to Jesus, to allow the Divine Physician to touch, cleanse, suture, and heal them.

3. Unforgiveness…. is one of the most common barriers to healing (James 5:13-16).  Jesus taught His disciples in His pattern prayer ‘forgive us our transgressions AS we forgive those who transgress against us” (Matt. 6:12-15; Luke 6:37).  It seems to indicate that if we refuse to forgive others, we will not be forgiven.  Other scriptures bear that out (Eph. 4:32; Col.3:13). *As an aid to implementing the process of forgiveness go to the bottom of page 6 in my lesson on ‘When Does Spiritual Life REALLY Begin?’

4. Medication….  In some situations there may be chemical or hormonal imbalances.  In such situations, that physical/medical condition may need to be treated first in order to stabilize the person enough before they can pursue more thorough healing.  Otherwise, the person can be so vulnerable to the enemy’s lies and manipulation that much prayer and ministry effort and healing can be to no avail. A problem sometimes encountered here is a question of ‘faith.’  Some people feel that taking medication indicates a lack of faith; that God should be able to handle every aspect of healing. While that belief may be honorable, these same people will go to a doctor for an infection; even an operation.  But they cannot seem to make the connection that this too could be in part a physical ailment or deficiency, which can, and should, be treated as such.

Personally, I believe a ‘healing team’ involving medical and psychiatric disciplines where indicated needs to be developed, with ongoing dialogue, conferring back and forth, and possibly occasional or regular meetings with all disciplines present.

F. PRAYER MINISTRY MODEL

After all the preparatory and foundational teaching steps have been completed, the following is a step by step prayer model I use for inner healing…

1. If patterns of problems on a generation to generation basis are detected, I place the blood of Jesus between them and their ancestry, cut the umbilical cord and/or pipeline, cancel the assignment, destroy the strongholds, stop and reverse the process set in motion, restore what the enemy has stolen, and multiply it back sevenfold. I then cut them loose from the negative heredity of their posterity and bring them under the heritage of their Heavenly Father and Kingdom, releasing all the resources of heaven to flow into their lives to bless them.

2. Starting at the time of conception and throughout the gestation period, I ask the counselee if they are aware of any traumatic experience(s) their mother may have had while she carried them.

3. I then repeat the questioning process with early childhood up to adolescence:

a) What was the home atmosphere like? Peaceful? Turbulent? Chaotic? Was there a lot of fighting and harsh words spoken? Was there verbal, physical, sexual abuse?  What kind of relationship was there with parents, siblings?
b) Were there any painful experiences with other children or adults in school, church, neighborhood, personal failures, etc

4. Next, we move through adolescent and teenage years. Again I broach wounds that may have been caused through failures, relationships, physical development and sexual attraction, dating, inappropriate sexual exposure and/or encounters, pre-marital sex.

5. If married, we then approach marital and family life, and explore areas where there might have been wounding and damaging experiences with the spouse, offspring, others (mother-in-law, etc.).

6. We then cover other adult experiences: job, church, and community, in an attempt to identify any areas of wounding.

(*In all these areas we just touch base to determine if there is anything specific that might need addressing. I do not generally take a lot of time, pry too deeply, or go into great detail, unless it is warranted because of deep and/or extensive trauma, etc.)

7. I then explain the prayer process, express confidence that God will hear our prayer, that a divine process of healing and restoration will begin and continue until complete, and that God is faithful to complete what He begins.

8. I often anoint the counselee with oil and lay hands on them.
a) As I pray, I invite Jesus into the garden of their hearts, and row by row, ask Him to tend to every need (usually a row may refer to a specific age, period, or time-frame).
b) As I address specific wounds we discussed earlier in each area of their lives, and generally cover things that might have happened to cause pain in each of these areas, I ask Jesus to pull out every seed, root, and weed, thorn, or thistle representing what the enemy has done to inflict pain and wounds.
c) I then ask the Lord to cleanse, suture, and heal each wound.
d) Then, because the enemy’s wounds cause us to react to things that remind us of the pain, establishing negative patterns of behavior, I ask Jesus to straighten and restore each area of their lives to become exactly what He designed and purposed them to be.