Having been called to do missions in Indonesia,  Tom and Katy Sappington spent 15 years speaking into the lives of future pastors, praying for and equipping them with the skills needed. During these 15 years they saw many things when it came to how the Holy Spirit worked to bring about inner healing.

When they began ministering in Indonesia they began to see a reoccurring pattern of men and women on fire for the Lord but held back in their spiritual growth by the pain from their past, many times it was from abuse or from familial ties to an occult. These men and women knew Jesus their savior, but it became clear that they were in desperate need of Jesus, the healer.

Mr. Sappington used the analogy of a midwife when describing their role in the process of inner healing. Similar to how the midwife only exists as support and to doctors when applicable, a pastor’s role in prayer for inner healing, is the intermediary between the Holy Spirit and the recipient of healing prayer. A pastor is  there to call for the Holy Spirit to help bring healing to the wounds of our soul and then help us understand the false statements about ourselves that we have come to believe, because of our pain and experiences.

The Lord wants us to be in a state of peace and healing — a state of Shalom, and we can see this in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus focused on forgiveness, acceptance, and affirmation. From personal experience these three concepts are essential for healing. First, we must believe that we are forgiven so that we can begin the process of breaking down the hold that our pain has taken. Second, we must remember that we are accepted for who we are, not for some perfected version of ourselves that we must become, but for the beautiful mess that God knows we are. Finally, we must know that even though it may be painfully difficult for us to believe that the first two of these are true. God has affirmed our legitimacy to the inheritance that is Heaven by the death of Christ and Christ having the final say over death.