Understanding Healing As a Process

Helping others receive freedom requires understanding of brokenness and healing. Many believers expect quick fixes. We want a camp, a short-course, a conference, or an encounter that eliminates most of the issues and the pain that we face. 

Although this does seem to happen on rare occasion, more often God uses a process. Even when God does meet us, appearing to bring quick release, I believe this is either the culmination of less obvious work that He had been doing previously, or a jump start to a new season of healing. Slow healing over the process of time builds intimacy with God and compassion for others that wouldnt happen if we were instantly cured of all our ills. 

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

On a variety of occasions I have witnessed believers struggle with judgments toward others who are on a healing journey whose problems are surfacing. I have heard some express it this way: I got saved and all my problems were resolved. Unfortunately the fruit of pride and criticism towards struggling believers is evident. Such attitudes towards human brokenness is expressed in demands for others to fix themselves. When I have seen this, I have wanted to say, Look, if it was just as easy as making a decision to be whole, they would have done it already.

 Sometimes people feel frustrated with how long the process is taking. When we understand that the journey of freedom progresses at a different pace for each person, this helps limit the frustration. Its about learning to trust Gods promise to finish every work He begins. The timing and completion of God’s work is His job, not ours.

 We often distrust our own or others’ brokenness, thinking that the goal is to have no problems. We can become insecure with the way God works in others or even ourselves. This breeds distrust in God and judgments towards each other. God’s work in us is so different. He is incredibly patient. Instant perfection is not as important to Him as developing our character filling us with His grace and compassion. 

What is Healing Anyway?

What is healing?  In a few sentences healing is the process in which Gods truth, His light and His love is applied to individual oppression and brokenness bringing ones body, soul and spirit in line with the will and word of God. This work results in wholeness which is expressed through living in ones God-given identity. 
Who does the healing? It is the work of the Trinity through the power of the Holy Spirit with the assistance of the Christian community.

What are the tools used? Truths and principles from Gods word, and dialogue with God through the connection of Holy Spirit. 

Who needs healing? 
Is anyone exempt from brokenness?
Everyone needs healing, but not everyone is ready to receive it. 

An Army of Wounded Healers

I have seen much over my years of ministry to the poor, the homeless, the addicted, troubled youth, singles and families. I have been in a variety of churches, including one that I helped plant. After all this, I found myself in a large international congregation asking God: What now?I knew He had called me to build His Church – raising up a spiritual army mobilized for service. But where should I start? Dialogue with family and trusted friends brought me to a conclusion – something has to be done and I have something I can do about it. I can contribute to the Church in ways that will help ease the burden on leadership while equipping at the same time. Photosynthesis Life Transformation as a set of materials, and as an idea for ministry integration in a program of implementation are a result of both prayer and dialogue. At first I thought small – my immediate circle. I have since concluded that I can share this with the wider Body of Christ for all our benefit. 

 My heart beats with the understanding that, as Christians, we are meant to be an army of wounded healers. This means we are not perfect. We have issues. As we allow God and others inside for healing, however, we can pass that healing on to those who receive our ministry. I have become convinced that there are ways to multiply the number of people trained to minister healing to others on a deeper level. I believe that this equipping can be done in a way that minimizes the drain on our energy and resources.

My purpose is to raise awareness within the Church of inner healing needs while increasing accessibility to inner healing care. I want to do this in a way that supplements what is already being done in a congregation. This can bring increased compassion, efficiency, and skill among leaders, resulting in a more effective leadership base. It is not meant to be a fixed, inflexible plan, but adaptable to different churches, structures, ministry styles and situations. Having been in ministry for a long time, I believe that many healing needs of believers can be met by using basic Biblical tools. 

A Missionary Kid’s Journey

​My History and Healing
 My history with healing and deliverance started with my parents at a time that I am unable to remember well. As my dad, Bruce Isom, has chronicled in his book, Church: What Was God Thinking?, both of my parents came to know Jesus as adults. At nine, my family moved to Hong Kong for a year where we worked with Jackie Pullinger’s ministry, St. Stephen’s Society. It was there that I first heard my parents talk about deliverance, and how God works to remove spiritual strongholds from our lives. 

     I was 15 when my parents moved to Hong Kong permanently. My role changed from ordinary youth group member to missionary kid functioning in ministry. I can remember being asked to pray for people and not really knowing what I was doing.

  In my late teens, I began to receive personal ministry and equipping. During that time I necame a leader of a couple of small groups in church helping troubles youth. Teens would show up to church stoned, crashing in the middle of service, and craving their next fix. Still, they would ask for prayer. Some even tried to sneak drugs to church,. Others arrived carrying pornographic materials to share with their buddies.

 Eventually their stories would come out Many had been abused in every way by parents, teachers, peers, boyfriends, girlfriends. Some had proceeded to abuse othees. Multiple abortions were not uncommon. . Many struggled with cutting, depression, or suicidal tendencies. I am grateful for the guidance of Holy Spirit who taught me so much during that time. I had no idea what I was doing. Yet He still used me. My inner healing training at the time was basic and I was overwhelmed with deep needs I couldn’t begin to address.

 This was when I delved deeper in healing. I knew the church needed more. And personally I needed more too. This has evolved into a deep passion for every church leader to have a foundational knowledge of healing that can be integrated into pastoral care. This can ease the burden on pastors, increase the health of the community so that church can become the loving place it was designed to be. And that’s where my idea for Photosynthesis came from: 

Photosynthesis  will be an equipping series for pastors and leaders on every level (down to the small group leader). It is designed for leaders to gain the skills to take care of themselves and avoid burnout while being able to increase their impact by integrating healing into their pastoral care. My dream is that every pastor of every church can minister a measure of freedom to every person that comes to them. While.the manuscript is in process, I.have decided to cover some of topics here in abridged form. I can’t waot to share what God has placed in my heart.

Photosynthesis Life Transformation – Why Photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis Life Transformation is my upcoming  Healing and Deliverance for Pastors and Leaders.

But why would I use the scientific term related to plant growth for my name?

Photosynthesis – the process by which plants transform light into energy, bringing health and growth. It’s a cool idea. But what does photosynthesis have to do with emotional healing or spiritual deliverance?

Light – it is given by God to all. God is light.

1John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Scripture compares His people to trees, or “Oaks of Righteousness”:

Isaiah 61:3 …. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Like trees, when His light shines on us, we grow. Beyond growth, Scripture connects God’s light to healing. When people are hurting and broken it dims everything – casting a pall on their entire lives. Look what happens when God’s light shines:

Malachi 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays…

Isaiah 30:26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.

Like the process that allows plants to benefit from the light, there is an internal transformation that has to happen for us to experience God’s healing. Spiritual cleansing (deliverance) and emotional healing are both parts of that process. I look forward to exploring this more in future posts.