In the last few weeks, we’ve been sharing a strong case from scripture for the simplicity of deliverance ministry. We looked at the simplicity of Jesus’ deliverance ministry and the apostles’ deliverance ministry. We also made a case that the devil has no legal rights, and we highlighted the difference between Jesus’ deliverance ministry and the rites of other Jewish exorcists.

Some time ago we also had a three-part series on How I Stopped All The Complicated Stuff In Healing The Sick. This was a similar topic, since healing and deliverance ministry are closely related.

This brings up the question for many people “What about inner-healing ministry?” Since some people have asked my views on this, I’ll share some thoughts.

Jesus Came To Bind Up The Broken-Hearted

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 Isaiah 61:1 (NIV) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners

We sometimes swing from one extreme to another with what we believe. However, I don’t see belief in a simple approach to deliverance as a reason to discard the validity of “inner healing.” Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted!

Spirit-led people today are ministering inner healing and helping others. And if you minister inner healing and a demon leaves, that’s great. There are so many testimonies of heart issues being resolved through a word of knowledge or other supernatural ministry, and we always celebrate what God does.

What I struggle with is when a person goes to an inner healing session (or multiple ones) and being unable to cast out a demon, we conclude “We couldn’t do it because they still have a lot of issues to work through.” We have made a strong case that such “issues” didn’t stop Jesus from healing someone or expelling a demon, and we shouldn’t let them stop us. At the end of this article, we have one of many testimonies of people whose issues couldn’t stop Jesus from touching them. Therefore, we should never put the blame on the person receiving ministry and their failure to work through heart issues when we fail to do what Jesus did.

How Did People Receive Inner Healing From Jesus?

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Scripture tells us that Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted, but it doesn’t seem to go into a lot of detail about how he did so. I think much of the inner healing that happened when people were around Jesus was just because of the rivers of living water flowing out of him. It was his pure love.

I’ve experienced deep comfort that I physically felt pouring over my head like oil when another Christian gave a few kind words. Just today I felt something similar on my head, physically tangible, but there was nobody around. It was probably an angel ministering God’s presence to me. I’ve felt it many times. I’m sure people felt the same thing when they met Jesus.

I don’t think you can get much more demonized than the Gadarene demoniac was. But there’s a manifestation of God’s glory(love) that can be released through a God-filled person and crush every barrier in a moment. Why doesn’t the Bible seem to say much about how Jesus ministered inner healing? I think because it was so simple. It was truth, love, and glory that did the work.

The wounds in Zacchaeus’ heart were already being bound up when Jesus said “Come down. I must stay at your house today.” The Samaritan woman was receiving “inner healing” when Jesus revealed the secrets of her heart. There’s something very healing and comforting just in seeing that God knows all your secrets and He loves you.

Jesus is pure love. As we grow in him we’ll learn to manifest the same. I was personally set free from a heavy burden with the simple words “What is there to be depressed about?”

Did the Gadarene receive inner healing? I’m sure he did. My question is, when? The account doesn’t suggest much happening right before Jesus cast out the demons. They left quickly with a simple command. When Jesus was standing in front of the Gadarene, no “heart wounds” were enough for a demon to cling to!

I believe the Gadarene, as well as many of the others who Jesus ministered to receive heart healing during and after being physically healed or delivered from demons, not before. The same love that drove the demon out was also healing balm to their hearts. If you drive demons out with love, the house is not left empty for them to return! When love drives out the evil spirit, it brings inner healing with it. If we drive out demons by the basic principles of this world but with little manifestation of love and glory, the person is more likely to continue with heart wounds making them vulnerable to oppression.

As the body of Christ, we can also minister inner healing. We bind up the brokenhearted with truth, grace, and love. Words of knowledge can also be a powerful tool to shine light on the secrets of people’s hearts.

Things Get Easier With A Greater Manifestation Of God’s Glory

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Too often the church has seen inner healing as a condition for physical healing or deliverance to be able to happen. Rather, inner healing often follows the physical healing or deliverance from a demon.

Some of us have seen physical healings after persevering for hours. And we will persevere until we see results. However, there’s a place of walking in God’s glory that all we need to do is be close and when our shadow touches someone they are healed. No matter what the condition or how complex it is. I see inner healing the same way. It’s easier and faster with a greater manifestation of glory. The greater manifestation comes as we are transformed by beholding the Lord.

There’s a place where we are walking in God’s light until even our presence exposes demons so they cry out. I’ve tasted it, and I want to continually abide in such an awareness of God’s presence.

Jesus Healed Him In Spite Of His Bitterness And Anger!

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I’ve shared some of my testimonies in other posts of people experiencing a heart change only after they were physically healed. I recently listened to Bradford McClendon’s testimony and wanted to share it as well. Cancer had spread all through his body, and he thought he was going to die.

Brad was angry at God. He would get mad if anybody mentioned Jesus. When his wife dragged him to church, he was mocking God. He fumed away after receiving prayer. (At his wife’s insistence) He didn’t feel a thing when he received prayer. But when the doctors checked him soon after, they found no cancer! The atheist doctors said “This had to be Jesus, because you were a dead man.”

Brad got even madder after God healed him. He hated God. He wanted God to leave him alone. He didn’t want to be healed. He wanted to die and be separated from God.

Brad’s heart was so hard that he continued in sin, misery, and bitterness against God for more than a year before he repented and dealt with the heart issues. Jesus is so merciful, and he really does love his enemies! Brad eventually did repent. His story is the first in the God stories playlist. (It keeps showing #52 here even though I link to the #1, so you might have to go to the playlist.)

May testimonies such as Brad’s inspire your faith and encourage the church to throw out the notion that we should expect sin, unforgiveness, or other heart issues to “block” Jesus’ work through us.

Next week we’ll look at how an unbalanced view of “inner healing” ministry can do more harm than good.