Freedom From A Wounded Heart

By Bruce Lengeman

March 1, 2008

On January 13-15 the Freedom From a Wounded Heart Seminar was presented in Ohio. Over 120 people participated in the three-evening event. We live in a culture full of wounded people. So many of these people have been in church all their life yet they still are not free from the chains of woundedness. Yet, the salvation our Heavenly Father has provided will set us free from the bondages stemming from a wounded heart. Below are some truths that will help you understand the wounded heart:

What is a wound? A wound is anything that hurt you at any point in your life and continues to affect the way you act, think, feel and live.

How do wounds work? Wounds are like computer viruses-they run in the background in secret places of the heart, yet they affect everything we do and how we think. These wounds (like computer viruses) dominate our core belief system. They become so much a part of who a person is that often the person doesn't even know they are being controlled by the wound.

What are some ways people are wounded? There are thousands of ways people become wounded. Here are just a few: feeling ugly, born into a poor family, crippled, sexual abuse, not affirmed or nurtured by a parent, rejected by people, hurt by spiritual authority, circumstances that caused fear to be planted in the heart, feeling below other people, being treated unfairly in school. Wounds can take root in a heart in any way that causes pain.

How does woundedness affect a person's behavior? There are many ways a person is affected by woundedness. People who are controllers are wounded, so are compliant people-pleasers. An angry spirit is the result of wounding. Other responses are fears and phobias, depression, insensitivity, self-centeredness, fear of change, critical/judgmental spirit, religious spirit, lust and all addictions.

Is it the wound that affects our behavior and thinking? No, actually everybody is going to be rejected, hurt, mistreated, victimized or abused many times in life. Where woundedness becomes a negative thing is when a person lets the hurt or wound take root in their heart and they accept the pain, instead of giving the pain to the Lord.

What does a wound do to a person when they let it take root? Life becomes a journey to satisfy the brokenness and to get justice for the life stolen from them. The person erects protective walls to guard them from further pain, abuse, suffering, rejection or other negative things. Life becomes an inward battle to find peace and self-satisfaction.

What are wounded people like? Wounded people can be nice or not nice, depending on how they have chosen to protect themselves. But always their thinking is misguided. If an authority hurt a person, they may be suspicious of all authorities. Wounded people often see the half empty cup in people instead of the half full. Sometimes small things become major issues, or when they feel as if they are wronged, one simple wrong will take their focus more than 100 acts of kindness toward them. Most often wounded people are insatiable-nothing you say helps them. This is because the root cause of their wound can only be satisfied in Christ.

What are lies connected with wounds? Wounds produce all manner of lies people believe. A few of them are: You don't understand!; What happened to me is worth hurting about!; I am not reacting our of self-protection! (denial); What happened once will probably happen again!; If this hadn't happened to me I would be happy and satisfied! Most of the time people don't admit that their agreement with their wound is sin and unbelief.

What are truths about wounds? We deal with wounds the same way we deal with sin-we break our agreement with them and take them to the cross; no one separated us from the love of God-nor did any circumstance; all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Rom. 8:28); no one but God knows where you would be if you had not been wounded. In other words, that wound may have been a very positive thing that shaped your heart and actually protected you from worse things that could have happened to you; with every thing that happens to you, you have the choice to become bitter or better; God can restore the years the locust ate; your authority and power to help others is primarily in the place of victory over your own wounds (if you get victory over sexual abuse, you will have authority to lead other sexual-abuse victims to freedom.); death creates life. May He set you free!

 

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