8 Keys to Hearing God for Inner Healing

Welcome back to our series, Finding Deep Soul Healing 101. In this series, we are walking through the step-by-step basics to receiving inner healing from God.

The next article in this series will be the actual sample prayer for forgiveness and soul healing. That prayer is like a gentle, peaceful, surgical operation in the spirit realm.

Praying that prayer brings the Lord’s healing touch to your soul in a way that words cannot even describe. But before you pray that prayer, you need to know a few things that will arm you for the spiritual battle you may face while you pray that prayer.

As you pray through the sample prayer for forgiveness and soul healing, you may encounter resistance from the enemy.

Here’s why:

When you are hurt or wounded, the enemy has his hook in you in some way or another. For example:

• If you’re hurt, you often may take your eyes off Jesus to look at your hurt or wound. Taking our eyes off Jesus is sin, because it’s in direct disobedience to God’s Word.
• If you haven’t forgiven someone thoroughly and from your heart, you’re in disobedience to God–which is sin. Jesus commanded us specifically to forgive every person who wrongs us, and forgive them thoroughly and from our heart–to infinity!
• And if you’re not praying for your enemies and blessing those who persecute you, you’re also in sin because Jesus commanded us to pray for and bless those who wrong us.

Anytime you’re in sin, the enemy can access your life. He has his claws in you and doesn’t want to let go.

However, it’s not up to the enemy. You can set yourself free from your shackles by following God’s Word.

If you simply persevere in the prayer–the prayer that walks you through not only forgiving someone from your heart, but also repenting for your own sin in harboring bad thoughts toward them, and then helps you pray for your enemies too–if you will simply persevere, you will close the door to the enemy through your forgiveness, repentance, and prayers for your enemies.

And then, the devil won’t have that point of access to your life anymore. He may have other points of access to you if you have other sins in your life, but he won’t have that point of access.

And if you get the other sins out of your life, becoming consumed with Jesus and obeying Him, as well as hiding His Word in your heart, that you might not sin against Him … then the devil won’t have any access to your life AT ALL.

So without further ado, here are eight keys you need to know about hearing God as you walk through the inner healing process.

Key 1: Recognize the difference between conviction and condemnation.

As you pray through the prayer to forgive people and receive healing for yourself, you will be asking God’s Holy Spirit to lead you through the prayer. As you pray, you will hear His still, small voice–or you may even sense Him leading you through mental pictures, impressions, or thoughts that align with His Word.

Remember, however, that the devil doesn’t want to let go of you–and he knows he loses the battle if you forgive your enemies. So, he will often try to discourage you or distract you from God when you pray.

Part of that warfare the enemy may send against your soul includes condemnation, which is NOT from God.

Condemnation is always from the devil. Conviction, on the other hand, is from God. And the two things–conviction and condemnation–can feel very similar at first, but they bear very different fruit. And it’s vital to know the difference between the two so that you can tell the evil spirit of condemnation to leave if you recognize its presence.

Here is the difference between conviction and condemnation:

First, look at this passage from John 16:

God the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts you of your sin.

And when God the Holy Spirit convicts you, He does these things simultaneously:

• He reveals your sin to you;
• He shows you what Jesus looks like, inspiring you to repent for your unChristlike actions or thoughts; and
• He shows you that there is no hope in your sin, but that there IS hope when you repent.
• He helps you believe the truth, which is that you are forgiven when you confess your sins to God.

Always remember that your sins will be forgiven if you confess your sins to God:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NKJV).

And also remember that there is therefore now no condemnation to you if you are in Christ Jesus:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1 NKJV).

So if you confess your sins to God, He forgives you on the spot. And He does not condemn you.

The enemy, on the other hand, often sends a spirit of condemnation to lie to you and tell you that you are condemned. When that happens, condemnation may feel on the surface like conviction–after all, you feel bad about your sin!–but it is a totally different thing.

The spirit of condemnation is ONLY from the enemy, and conviction is ONLY from God’s Holy Spirit. And the fruit is different:

• Condemnation pushes your head down, but Holy Spirit’s conviction lifts your head UP to look at Jesus.
• Condemnation tells you there is no hope, so why bother repenting? By contrast, Holy Spirit’s conviction tells you that there IS hope, for you will be forgiven as soon as you confess and repent of your sins.
• The spirit of condemnation will try to discourage you from even bothering to repent or forgive, but God’s Holy Spirit and His conviction will take you by the hand and help you repent and confess your sins.

So what do you do when you sense the spirit of condemnation coming against you?

You simply say this:

“Spirit of condemnation, LEAVE ME in Jesus’ name! Father God, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit! There is therefore now no condemnation to me, for I am in Christ Jesus, and I walk after God’s Holy Spirit!”

It’s very important to 1) tell that demon of condemnation to LEAVE YOU IN JESUS’ NAME and 2) invite God’s Holy Spirit to fill you in that place and 3) speak God’s Word out of your mouth that you are NOT condemned.

Memorize the snippet above and use it often; I use it all the time. The enemy loves to sneak a spirit of condemnation down to people who aren’t on guard against it. Don’t let him.

Key 2: Pay attention to peace.

Colossians 3:15 in the Amplified Classic version says this:

“And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]” (Colossians 3:15 AMPC, emphasis mine).

When you pray through the sample prayer for forgiveness and soul healing, there is a part where you speak out loud all the things that person did to you. When you’re going through the list, if you haven’t yet mentioned all the things they did to hurt you, you won’t feel peace yet. You won’t feel like you’re finished.

In that case, ask Holy Spirit to show you what else to forgive them for. He will then show you one or more facets of the situation that you might not even have thought of before.

However, after you have forgiven them for all the things Holy Spirit needs you to deal with at the moment, you will have great peace. There will be a feeling of finished. Watch for that peace, and don’t stop praying and forgiving for various things until that peace comes.

Key 3: Watch for the fruit of the Spirit.

When you pray through the sample prayer of forgiveness and soul healing, you are kicking all the hurt and sin out of your life regarding that situation–and you get filled with God’s Holy Spirit where those things were.

When that happens, you will be filled with the fruit of the Spirit. After all, He always bears His fruit wherever He is!

Here’s a list of the fruit of the Spirit versus the works of the flesh, from Galatians 5:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:19-23 NKJV).

So if you are still feeling any of the works of the flesh, keep praying and repenting and forgiving until nothing else comes to mind to pray and repent and confess and forgive.

And when peace, joy, love, and all the other fruit of the Spirit show up in your heart at the end of the prayer, you’ll know that’s proof positive that Holy Spirit just did a work of “heart surgery” on your behalf!

Key 4: Look for the breath of God!

Over the years, I have noticed that, after Holy Spirit does a work of heart surgery in a person, they will often take a deep breath and let it out in a big sigh. I have found that is actually the breathing in of the breath of God. Remember that Holy Spirit is literally the “Pneuma” or “Ruach”–the Breath and Spirit of God.

So now, every time I lead someone through the prayer of forgiveness, I always ask them to take a deep breath a moment after they finish praying. When they do, a sense of peace, completeness, and REST settles in. That is because they literally breathed in God’s Holy Spirit, the Breath of God.

Perhaps this is part of why deep breaths are so therapeutic when calming a person during stressful seasons? 🙂 I don’t know … you think about it. 🙂

Key 5: Always weigh the first thought in your mind against God’s Word.

As you are asking God’s Holy Spirit to guide you through the sample prayer of forgiveness and soul healing–or through any other topic that you are talking to Him about–He will often speak to you through fleeting impressions, mental pictures, or thoughts that flash across your mind.

No matter which way He chooses to speak to you, though, always make sure it really is His voice that you are paying attention to.

How do you make sure it really is God’s voice that you are listening to?

By comparing every thought to God’s written Word.

One of my favorite Bible verses is this:

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20 NKJV).

Friend, if your own ears, or an angel from heaven, or a friend or a minister or any other person or voice tell you something that doesn’t line up with God’s Word, that wasn’t God and you didn’t pay attention to the right voice.

Go back and ask the Lord to help you listen again, and then listen for the still, small voice that DOES line up with His Word. That will be the voice of God’s Holy Spirit, even if you don’t like what He’s saying.

(For example, if you want to condemn yourself–but God is telling you that you’re forgiven. Or, if you want to continue in your sin, but God is telling you to repent so you can be healed and delivered.)

Always remember this Scripture:

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20 NKJV).

God’s Word is 100% truth, for it is Christ in written form. And if any voice, impression, or mental picture you may have argues with God’s Word or goes against God’s Word, that voice/impression/picture was not from God.

Key 6: Don’t be afraid to ask God what He’s giving you in exchange for what you have surrendered to Him.

Anytime you give God something He has asked you for, He will give you something better in exchange.

For example:

• You give God your earthly life as a mortal, and He gives you eternal life as an immortal.
• You give Him your sinful heart, and He gives you His perfect, sinless heart in exchange.
• You give Him your tithe (10%), and He gives you blessing upon blessing upon blessing that far exceed the measly 10% you gave Him.
• You give Him your ashes, and He gives you His beauty in place of those ashes.
• You give Him your mourning, and He gives you His dancing.

It works the same way with inner healing. When you give the Lord your hurts and wounds, betrayals and pains, HE will give you amazing things in exchange. Things like:

• Peace
• Joy
• All things new
• New beginnings
• New opportunities
• and so much more!

When you are praying through to forgive someone, don’t be afraid to ask Jesus what He is giving you in exchange for the things you are committing to Him!

I don’t always include this as part of the sample prayer for forgiveness and soul healing, but I do sometimes. When I include it, it is just a matter of adding this simple line to the prayer:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I am giving you these hurts and wounds and pains because You asked me to forgive and release them to you. But whenever I give You what You ask for, You always give me something better. So I ask, Father: What are You giving me in exchange for these things?”

And then you just wait a moment for the Lord to speak. He will usually flash a thought across your mind, or speak to you in His still, small voice. And He will tell you something beautiful that He is giving you in exchange for the hurts and wounds you are releasing to Him.

He’s just beautiful like that!

Key 7: The difference between forgiveness that WORKS versus forgiveness that doesn’t work is praying through.

A lot of people walk around saying, “I forgive; I forgive. God, I forgive.” And they genuinely mean it! They are trying their best to honor God. However, they don’t feel any better after they say that.

Why not? Why doesn’t saying “I forgive, I forgive!” actually make a difference in helping you feel better? Why doesn’t that make you free from the pain?

The secret is found in this little verse:

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22 NKJV).

In order to forgive from your heart, you have to pray through to cast your burden upon the Lord.

Saying “I forgive, I forgive!” is well-intentioned, but it’s ineffective. However, when you cast your burden on the Lord by praying a prayer to forgive someone, giving your hurts and wounds over to the Lord, you THEN find that He sustains you–and that He will not permit you to be moved or impacted by the situation any more.

“Praying through” simply means praying about it until you’ve given the whole thing over to the Lord. And THAT is the only real way to forgive from your heart.

Key 8: When you have truly forgiven for every aspect of the situation, it will not hurt anymore.

When you pray the sample prayer of forgiveness and soul healing, forgiving for every aspect of the situation and casting your burdens on the Lord, He will heal the pain completely. It will feel as if that situation happened to someone else entirely.

Over time, even the memories of the details of the situation will fade from your view.

However, if there is ANY part of the situation that you haven’t yet prayed through to forgive, it will still hurt. There will still be a “hook” in you from that situation. So keep on praying, asking Holy Spirit to reveal any aspect of the situation that you haven’t yet thought to forgive for!

When you have truly forgiven for the whole thing, it will. not. hurt. anymore.

I have seen this to be true 100% of the time, over many, many years of inner healing ministry.

Those are the 8 keys to hearing God for inner healing.

Now, it’s time to pray the sample prayer of forgiveness and soul healing. Are you ready? Go to the next article in this series and let’s take care of some healing business with God! 🙂 And also, if these 8 keys to hearing God for inner healing helped you today, leave a comment below and let us know!