By Tom Shanklin

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear? (Proverbs 18:14, AV)

We all experience hurts in life and emotional pain, but in the case of a wounded spirit, the hurt is much deeper and more devastating. 

The scripture says that the spirit of man will sustain his infirmity. In other words, when your spirit is healthy, it will cause your body to be healthy, and you will have the strength to overcome the challenges of life. On the other hand, a wounded spirit is so agonizing that it is unbearable!

Many people today are carrying deep wounds that affect every aspect of their lives, as well as the lives of those around them. The walking wounded are all around us. 

There are wounds of the body, wounds of the soul, and wounds of the spirit. A wound of the spirit is a deep injury to the deepest part of your personality. It is a hurt that is so deep that it literally affects who you are as a person.

The Bible teaches us that we are a three-part being—a spirit, a soul, and a body. Though the words “soul” and “spirit” are often used interchangeably, there is a distinction between the two. The Greek word translated soul in the New Testament is psuche, from which our English word psychology is derived. The soul pertains to the intellect and the emotional part of man.

The Spirit, on the other hand, is translated from the Greek word pneuma. This is related to the English words for breath. The spirit pertains to the spiritual part of man, the part which connects to God. It is the deepest part of the inner man and the part of us which connects to God.

A person with a wounded spirit has damage to who they are as a person. Their identity is marred. Their self-worth is damaged. Their spirit keeps putting out false messages, such as, “I’m a dud. I’m a failure. Nobody likes me. I always have problems in relationships.”

Inevitably, that which is coming out of your spirit is reproduced in your life, actions, and speech and tends to repel other people, which then produces more rejection, which causes more pain. When we are operating out of a wounded spirit, we do things and say things that we don’t even want to do and say because we are being controlled by our wound. 

Our spirit is the ruling force of our life, and it is producing negative fruit. A person may have learned to go through the motions in relationships, but in reality, they have difficulty giving or receiving love.

Results of a Wounded Spirit

Sometimes, a person with a wounded spirit has a very closed spirit. If they are a strong-willed person and have been hurt deeply, they may have decided to close the door to avoid any further hurt. In such cases, even Jesus can’t reach them until they begin to open up. Others are more like a dish rag. They have no inward strength. They’re limp and defeated.

A wounded spirit often comes from broken or painful relationships. It can be from a father with a violent temper, an overbearing domineering mother, or the betrayal of a friend. It can come from negative words which have lodged deep in a person’s heart. It can even come from seemingly insignificant things that have caused injury, festered, and developed into a deep wound.

It can also happen in the Church. Sometimes, people bring their wounds with them into the Church, and the Church does not know how to deal with them. People with a wounded spirit need a lot of love and patience because they are often acting and speaking irrationally. Their emotions are on overdrive, and they are not always easy to love.

Can a Christian Have a Wounded Spirit?

Can a Christian have a wounded spirit? Yes, indeed, they can. Truly, you may be born again of the Spirit of God but may still be under the control of a wound. You have yet to receive a revelation of the Father’s love for you or the healing which has been procured for you through Jesus Christ. The work of redemption has been accomplished, but you have yet to apprehend it. You have taken the first step to healing by receiving Christ, but now you must allow the Holy Spirit to bring the full revelation of your love and acceptance.

I remember years ago, my wife and I were attending a pastor’s conference in Houston, Texas. We were pastoring a church and had been severely wounded. The conference was great, but as I remember it, we were not experiencing the blessing that we needed. We would walk into the sanctuary for each session, listen to the messages, then walk out unchanged and return to our hotel room.

When we were at the church, it seemed as though we were in an invisible bubble. No one connected with us, and we connected with no one. It wasn’t that the church wasn’t friendly. We were wounded, and there was like an invisible shield around us, hindering our interactions.

At one of the sessions, the pastor had a message on ministers who had been hurt in ministry. He talked about how God wanted to bring healing. At the end of the message, he invited everyone who was suffering pain and trauma to come forward for prayer. Susan and I went forward, and a couple from the prayer team prayed for us. We didn’t fall under the power nor see fireworks in the spirit world. We simply received a sincere prayer from some humble believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The strangest thing was when we returned for the next session, we found that the invisible bubble was gone. We were free! We were interacting, receiving, and giving love. Yes, you can receive healing for a wounded spirit! 

Jesus Heals the Broken Hearted

When Jesus announced His ministry a the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19, AV).

Jesus said that He was anointed to “heal the brokenhearted.” This is another way of saying that He had the power to heal those with a wounded spirit. I am glad to announce to you that Jesus is still healing the brokenhearted today. You do not have to live with that wound. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is still here to bring healing.

Today, the Spirit of the Lord is upon His Church, the body of Christ. Christ means anointed One. Jesus is Christ the anointed One. We are His body, the anointed ones. His Spirit has been poured out on us to do the same things that Jesus did. We carry that same anointing to preach the Gospel and heal the brokenhearted. No one needs to remain broken because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The Gospel is the Answer!

I remember once I was preaching in an Assembly of God Church in central Minnesota. After the service, a lady came up to me and said, “I was healed while you were preaching. I was hurt in this church some time ago, but while you were preaching the Gospel, all the hurt went away, and I was set free.”

The Gospel is the answer for a wounded spirit because at the cross, Jesus took our sin, sickness, and pain. He suffered in substitution for us so that we could be forgiven and healed. We need to comprehend His love through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection and understand what it truly means to be a child of God. By receiving our heavenly Father’s love and acceptance, can we begin to heal.

The Anointing Destroys the Yoke!

Jesus told us that to receive forgiveness, we must also forgive those who have hurt us, but that can be very difficult. We can try to do it, but it often takes the Spirit of God to bring that change. The Holy Spirit will enable you to forgive and receive the healing that you so desperately need.

You see, it’s the anointing that destroys the yoke. It’s God Himself who can fix what is wrong with you. As the scripture says, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3, AV). Just as physical wounds sometimes require sutures, a deep spiritual wound must be bound up so that it can heal properly. Only God can do this! Remember, Jesus heals the brokenhearted. Turn to Him and receive His healing today!

Dear Father, I pray for my friends who are reading this message today. I pray that you will do the work that only you can do. I pray that your Holy Spirit will come upon them and heal them of their wounds. I pray that you would take all the hurt and pain and inject your pure love and healing into the depths of their being, in Jesus’ name.