Understanding Inner Healing

We are all shaped by what happens to us. Some of those experiences are wonderful, some are painful. Some are so ordinary that we hardly notice their effect, and some happen so early in our lives that we may not even remember them.

Yet what happens to us can influence what we believe about ourselves, other people and God — and those beliefs can continue to affect the way we live long after the original experience has passed.

Inner healing is about allowing God to bring healing and truth into those places. It is part of the journey towards becoming the person He intended us to be.

What do we mean by inner healing?

When we talk about inner healing, we’re not simply talking about feeling better. We’re talking about what happens inside us as God brings His truth, love and healing to the things that have shaped us.

We may have learned: “I’m not good enough.” “I’m on my own.” “Nobody really cares about me.” “I have to protect myself.” “It’s my fault.” “God is disappointed with me.”

Perhaps we consciously believe these things. Perhaps we don’t. But they can still influence how we respond to life. Inner healing allows us to bring those things before God and discover what He says is true.

What has happened to us matters

We sometimes hear people say that they don’t want to talk about the past, and we understand why. Inner healing isn’t about endlessly going over painful experiences or making the past the centre of our lives. But neither do we believe that what has happened to us is irrelevant.

Our experiences can leave an imprint. A child who repeatedly experiences rejection may grow up expecting rejection. Someone who has been betrayed may find it difficult to trust; someone who has experienced shame may become very good at hiding; someone who has had to be independent from an early age may find it difficult to receive help. The original circumstances may be long gone, but the conclusions we drew from them can remain.

That’s why the past can sometimes still have a voice in the present.

The beliefs we form

One of the most important parts of inner healing is recognising the beliefs we have acquired along the way. We don’t necessarily choose them consciously. Something happens, we interpret it, and we may form a conclusion about ourselves, other people or God.

Perhaps a parent was absent, and we concluded: “I’m not important.” Perhaps we were criticised and concluded: “I’ll never be good enough.” Perhaps someone we trusted hurt us, and we concluded: “I can’t trust anybody.” Perhaps we prayed, nothing seemed to change, and we concluded: “God doesn’t really care.”

The experience was real, but the conclusion may not have been true, and if we continue to live according to that conclusion, it can shape our relationships, our choices and our relationship with God.

Lies, judgements and inner vows

Within Sozo ministry, we often encounter three things that can keep us stuck:

Lies we believe

Something that we have come to believe about ourselves, other people or God which isn’t true.

Judgements we make

Conclusions we make about someone or something — sometimes understandably — which can continue to affect us.

Inner vows we make

Promises we make to ourselves, often in response to painful experiences: “I’ll never let anyone hurt me again.” “I’ll always look after myself.” “I’ll never be like my father.”

At the time, these conclusions and promises may have seemed necessary; they may even have helped us survive, but something that helped us once isn’t necessarily something we need to carry for the rest of our lives.

Part of inner healing is discovering what is still influencing us — and bringing it into the light of God’s truth.

The things we carry

We sometimes describe the effects of our experiences as emotional baggage. It can be rather like carrying a suitcase around without remembering exactly what is in it. We may know that something is making life difficult without knowing why.

Perhaps we react disproportionately to something that happens; perhaps a particular situation always makes us anxious or angry; perhaps we find ourselves repeating the same patterns in relationships; or perhaps we know what we should believe, but somehow our emotions don’t seem to agree.

That doesn’t mean we’re broken beyond repair. It may simply mean that there are things inside us that need attention. And God already knows what they are.

So where does God come into this?

This is where our understanding of inner healing differs from simply analysing ourselves. We don’t believe that we can always think our way out of the things that have shaped us. We believe that God wants to meet us in them. Sometimes the most important question isn’t: “Why did this happen?” It is: “God, what do You want me to know about this?”

That is very much at the heart of Sozo.

Rather than simply telling someone what their experience means, we want to help them bring it before God and hear from Him for themselves.

What does Father God say? What does Jesus say? What does Holy Spirit say? Where was God in what happened? What does He want us to know now?

Healing isn’t about living in the past

There is an important distinction here. Inner healing doesn’t mean becoming fascinated with everything that has ever happened to us. It isn’t about finding somebody to blame, and it isn’t about making our past an excuse for everything we do today.

The purpose is freedom. Sometimes we need to understand what happened so that we can stop being controlled by it. We don’t want to spend the rest of our lives looking backwards. We want to be increasingly free to look forward.

From healing towards wholeheartedness

This is where inner healing connects with another important part of our teaching: becoming wholehearted. We don’t simply want to remove things that hurt. We want to become increasingly whole — increasingly able to live authentically as the people God created us to be.

That means learning to recognise what is true. It means becoming more aware of what is happening inside us. It means allowing God to heal the places that have been wounded, and it means bringing our heads and hearts into a healthier relationship.

Our heart can carry deep emotional responses to what has happened to us. Sometimes those responses need healing before we can fully trust what our hearts are telling us.

As healing takes place, we can become increasingly able to live from a place of authenticity rather than simply reacting to what our past has taught us. That’s the journey we explore in Becoming Wholehearted.

Does inner healing happen in one session?

Sometimes something significant can happen very quickly. A single encounter with God can change the way we see something that has affected us for years. But we don’t believe that every issue will be resolved in one session. Inner healing is a journey.

There may be things God deals with immediately. There may be other things that take time. Sometimes we discover something new only after another layer of healing has taken place. That’s not failure.

It’s simply part of becoming whole.

Where does Sozo fit?

Bethel Sozo is one of the ways we help people enter this journey. A Sozo is a guided time of prayer and listening in which you are encouraged to engage directly with Father God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. The facilitator isn’t there to diagnose you or tell you what God thinks.

The aim is to help you discover what God says. Sometimes that means uncovering a belief that has been affecting you. Sometimes it means recognising a judgement or inner vow. Sometimes it means inviting Jesus into a painful memory. Sometimes it is simply discovering something about God’s love that you have never understood before.

And sometimes the most important thing is hearing God say something very simple:

“That isn’t true.” Or: “I was there.” Or: “I love you.”

Freedom is possible

We don’t pretend that inner healing makes life perfect, nor do we believe that every difficulty is the result of something that needs healing. Sometimes we need practical help. Sometimes we need counselling. Sometimes we need medical or psychological support. Sometimes we simply need the wisdom and support of other people.

There is no shame in any of that.

But there are also times when something from our past is continuing to shape the way we see ourselves, God or the world — and God wants to bring freedom.

That is where inner healing can be transformative.

You don’t have to understand everything before you begin

Perhaps you know exactly what is troubling you. Perhaps you don’t.

Perhaps you simply know that something isn’t quite right. You may feel stuck. You may find yourself responding to situations in ways you don’t understand. You may struggle to receive love. You may know intellectually that God loves you but find it difficult to believe it in your heart.

You don’t need to arrive with a diagnosis. You don’t need to have all the answers.

Start where you are.

God already knows what is going on.

The journey towards freedom

We believe that God wants more for us than simply helping us cope with the wounds of our past. He wants us to know Him. He wants us to know His truth. He wants us to experience His love. And He wants us to become increasingly free to live as the people He created us to be.

Inner healing is part of that journey. Ultimately, it is not simply a journey away from something; it’s a journey towards someone. Towards God. Towards freedom. Towards wholeness.

Towards becoming wholeheartedly who He created us to be.

Explore further

What Is Bethel Sozo? Discover how Sozo can help you hear from God for yourself.

Hearing God Explore what it means to recognise God’s voice and develop a more personal relationship with Him.

What Happens in a Bethel Sozo? Find out what actually happens in a Sozo session.

Becoming Wholehearted Explore the journey towards authenticity, wholeness and living from a whole heart.

Sozo FAQs Answers to some of the questions we’re asked most often.

Book an Individual Sozo If you’d like to explore whether Sozo could help you, we’d be happy to talk.