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By Thom Gardner
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The other day I was trying to tell a friend of mine about something that I was going through, one of those things that in the natural seemed to make little sense, but yet it was very real in the experience. I felt sensitive and raw and "hurt" and even vulnerable in some areas.As I tried to explain it, she (a very dear friend) only heard and sensed it as something that was "just a fear" and something I just needed to toughen up to and get over. Now I definitely was ready to "get over it" and even "toughen up," but I felt a wounding that was more than just "emotional."
I knew the wounding was more than just emotional, because strength had left me in some ways, and I felt attacked in my spirit. My faith felt challenged. Then I realized that there are a number of types of wounding, and this is an area not really understood well or even discerned fully.
Taking it to the Lord
So I took it to the Lord and felt that He gave me some understanding. In the natural, when we are physically wounded, we often (but not always) can see the wound. If I broke my arm and it is hurting, not only can I see that to some extent, but it's recognizable by physical symptoms and appearance that there is a problem there.
Even though I know that God miraculously heals, I can't just tell my broken arm to "stop hurting" and "be well" and it always manifest right away. Now, I do think that there will be those special times when the Presence of God is that near and we can get healed, and we would call that a supernatural miracle. I have seen those miracles myself and experienced some! It's a place to strive for, but it takes proper understanding.
I thank God for the healing power of Jesus and I also think it is something we can grow in receiving. But we have to discern things correctly to have any kind of good success. Many still have not seen things like that and I know it was a gift and blessing of God to have. But these supernatural healings in our current world do not happen "just like that" all the time, but they do happen!
Just because I know God heals, and I do know that, does not mean I can always just "get over" that physical wound right away even though I want that. It has to be addressed for the best healing. Now there are emotional wounds as well, and they can often make you cry and you can feel horrible from them. Someone can hurt your feelings or betray you or let you down or insult you (in your eyes) and as much as we would like to just turn the other cheek, it does not always happen at will that we can. Often it takes the comfort and encouragement of other people, and that makes them very dear to us!
Spiritual Wounding
But I was realizing today that there is also a spiritual wounding that can place - because we are spirit, soul and body. A spiritual wounding is also an attack and it can come off a lot like an emotional - or soulish - attack but yet it feels different. Hopefully we can learn to "toughen up" there, too, but the experience is something little understood or even addressed.
A spiritual wounding attacks more than just the emotions; it attacks our sense of well being, of being covered and cared about in the spiritual realm. It affects our faith that good can and will happen for us. These attacks can come from people, but even the devil himself, because we are in a spiritual war. Let me give you some examples.
Haven't you ever heard people say, or even you may have said, "I felt your prayers?" There was a spiritual energy coming your way for dealing with a hard and difficult situation. You know that those prayers really did help and even the world will acknowledge those "good thoughts going your way."
Life has some difficult situations. The loss of something or someone dear to us can have an affect on our psyche - the overall make up of who we are. It can affect how we react and respond to things and even can affect our energy level in living daily life. When we are happy, we can do so much more and handle the little bumps of life in stride.
But when we are hit physically or emotionally or spiritually, our "come back" time can sometimes take a while. Medicines properly prescribed and taken can help and sometimes they can hurt, if taken or prescribed in a wrong way or manner. All of us learn that our body does things in "a certain way" and we have to figure out the best responses to that.
The Bible even talks about people not repenting from their sorceries - which comes from the root word pharmacea, which in English would be the word "pharmacy" or drugs. These would be things that affect not only the body and the mind, but even our spirits. I have taken some medicines before that had strange effects and would often call that a "bad reaction to it."
It can get scientifically complicated, and sometimes a drug that makes you feel bad, like an antibiotic can, can also help you fight a bad infection. I am not even qualified to write on how all that works, but I think most know generally what I am talking about. We love having and finding those "miracle cures" that really make a difference in prolonging our lives and our quality of life. What a gift even an aspirin can be!
He Who Overcomes Gets Good Rewards
There is a contest for this world in the spirit and the Scriptures call it a battle. Jesus said that he who overcomes gets good rewards. We love and cover our family and friends as best as we know how to do that, to the degree that we even understand what is going on. Some of us would "heal" a whole lot of people with our good efforts and acts of kindness, if we just knew how, and we can be grateful for so many programs that are out there to help others.
But the Church is the first line of defense on spiritual matters and we have to learn to discern the spiritual things going on and know how to react to those. God has set gifts in the Body for this. We were and are lost and undone without Jesus in this world. Our salvation experience is "a big deal" and while many mock it, many know that it has made a tremendous difference, even for facing death itself.
"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow." We know that people die, but we also have the great hope that if they are "in Him", they still exist somewhere in their beauty. Job declared in his book in the Bible, Job 19:25-26 "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God."
Some may say we "are emotional" but many of us know there is more to it than that! It is spiritual, and we can experience spiritual woundings. Sometimes when we experience them, we can cry it out, or rise up in our spirit and battle it out, or even have friends offer their strength and help us discern it out, or sometimes we just have to wait as Job did, for the mercy of God's presence. Our prayers make a difference. They are important.
A wound is a wound. It is damaging but as Christians, we also have that great very hope for healing. We can believe for it, and sometimes it does take a group effort. Some wounds are small, some are medium and some are very large. There are many kinds, but I believe that as we discern things better, more healings can come.
Spiritual wounds are not talked about a lot, but Light on a subject with a desire to get it right always helps. Some are quick healings and some take a bit longer. But we can know that God does want us healed and that is WHY He sent Jesus to us, to show us His Way and provision. Some care and some don't care and some have trouble caring. While we work to figure all that out as it applies to us, we can know that God cares. When we understand, we can then help others, and that is a good work. The Body or soul should not turn on itself.
The Spirit and the Scriptures (the Word) can always help us. Praying in our most and best holy faith also helps. We can seek God and find His help in times of our troubles and needs. Praise Him!
Pam Clark
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