July 11 2025

How Do I Heal Emotionally and Spiritually?

Letting God Bring You Back to Life

There are seasons when something inside of us feels… off. You might feel tired, numb, angry, or overwhelmed—and you can’t quite explain why. Maybe you’ve wrestled with anxiety or addiction. Maybe you feel like you’re stuck in patterns you should have broken by now. Or maybe—if you’re honest—it just feels like some part of your soul has gone cold.

You’re not alone.

But more importantly—you’re not without hope.

God specializes in resurrection.

He’s not just in the business of saving your soul for eternity—He wants to heal you here and now, breathe life into the parts of you that feel dead, and restore you from the inside out.

Why Do I Still Feel Broken?

We often try to deal with our emotional pain by managing symptoms. We work harder, eat more, scroll endlessly, escape into porn or alcohol, or throw ourselves into church work while feeling spiritually hollow.

But the problem is deeper than behavior.

In Soul Care, Rob Reimer writes:

“You can’t build a healthy soul on a foundation of lies. The foundation must be truth.”

That truth doesn’t come from self-help clichés. It comes from Jesus—the One who said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32, NLT).

Your behaviors are the fruit, not the root.
If you want real healing, you have to get to the root—and let Jesus and the Holy Spirit do what only they can do.

How Do I Begin Inner Healing?

Healing isn’t about striving harder or checking off a spiritual to-do list. It’s about surrendering to the process—led by the Holy Spirit, anchored in the Word, and walked out in community.

Here’s how that journey can start.

1. Take Ownership (Confess and Come Clean)

We love to blame others or minimize our own dysfunction. But healing starts with confession—raw honesty before God and others.

“God desires truth in the inward parts.” — Psalm 51:6 (KJV)

You may not be responsible for what happened to you—but you are responsible for how you respond now.

“The Holy Spirit will not heal what you pretend is not there.”
— Rob Reimer, Soul Care

Start by naming it. The sin. The wound. The shame. The fear. You can’t fix what you won’t face. But once you name it, you disarm its power.

2. Tell Yourself the Truth (Renew Your Mind)

The lies we believe about ourselves often started in childhood pain and trauma. “I’m not wanted.” “I’m a burden.” “I always mess things up.” These lies aren’t harmless—they become the lens through which we see the world.

“Our lives are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves—and many of those stories are lies.”
— John Eldredge, Get Your Life Back

The Bible calls us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2, NLT). This means replacing toxic beliefs with the truth of God’s Word.

As Dallas Willard put it:

“You are what you do with your mind.”

So speak truth out loud:

“I am a child of God.” (John 1:12)
“I am not condemned.” (Romans 8:1)
“I have a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Renewal is warfare—and the battlefield is your thought life.

3. Dig Deep (Let the Holy Spirit Heal the Root)

This is the messy part. This is where most people stop—because it gets uncomfortable. But this is where the real work of healing happens.

“Freedom comes when we confess the truth, forgive the offender, and break agreement with the lie.”
— Rob Reimer, Soul Care

Let the Holy Spirit guide you through these questions:

When was the first time I felt this way?
Ask God to show you. He will. And it may surprise you.

What lie did I believe in that moment?
That I’m not safe? Not valuable? Unwanted?

What is the truth, Jesus?
Ask Him to speak. Then speak that truth out loud until it becomes part of you.

Did I make a vow I need to break?
“I’ll never trust anyone again.” “I have to take care of myself.”
Break those vows in Jesus’ name. Let Him rewire your inner world.

As Henry Cloud says:

“We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing.”

Let the Holy Spirit go to the roots. Invite Him into the places you’ve been too afraid to go.

4. Build New Habits (Walk in the Spirit, Not the Flesh)

You can’t experience spiritual freedom while continuing to feed the same old flesh patterns. That means you may need to change your inputs, adjust your schedule, or set new boundaries.

“Spiritual formation is not a passive process. It requires engagement and discipline.”
— Dallas Willard

We’re not talking about white-knuckled willpower. We’re talking about forming new pathways—led by the Spirit.

Try this:

Worship first before you check your phone.
Fast from media that pulls you into comparison or lust.
Build margin in your week for reflection and prayer.
Sabbath without guilt—God designed you to rest.

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
— Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

Freedom isn’t just about saying “no” to sin. It’s about saying “yes” to life with God.

5. Don’t Do It Alone (Let the Body of Christ Walk With You)

You were never meant to heal in isolation.

“Healing happens in the context of safe, grace-filled relationships.”
— Rob Reimer, Soul Care

We say it all the time at Open Arms: church isn’t a service—it’s a family. And families carry each other’s burdens.

Join a microchurch.
Ask for prayer.
Confess to a trusted brother or sister.
Let someone walk with you.

If you’re waiting to feel “ready,” you’ll wait forever. Start where you are.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
— James 5:16 (NLT)

Let God Breathe Life Into You

Maybe you’re tired of pretending you’re fine. Maybe you’ve been busy doing “Christian things” but feel spiritually hollow. Maybe, like the Pharisees Jesus rebuked, you’ve been focusing on performance while your soul quietly withers.

“Woe to you… you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones.”
— Matthew 23:27 (NLT)

To the people that reject Christ, that’s self-condemnation. But to those of us willing to hear, it’s invitation. Jesus isn’t condemning us for being dry bones. He speaks life into them.

In Ezekiel 37, God took a valley full of dead bones and brought them back to life. How? Through His Word, through His breath, and through His Spirit.

“I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
— Ezekiel 37:6 (NLT)

That’s His promise for you, too. You don’t have to stay stuck. You don’t have to keep numbing out.
Let Jesus put you back together. Let Him breathe on you again.

👣 Are You Ready to Come Back to Life?

It won’t happen overnight. But it starts with one step:

One truth spoken.
One wound confessed.
One lie broken.
One invitation to the Holy Spirit.

And then another. And another.

🔥 Join the Journey

Come walk it out with us.
Open Arms Community Church meets Sunday mornings at 71 Congress Street in Bradford, PA.
And our network of microchurches meets throughout the week in homes, coffee shops, and honest spaces all over the region.

Learn more and Plan Your Visit.

Open Arms Community Church in Bradford, PA is a church where real people meet a real God—and where dry bones come back to life.