The Truth About “Self-Healing”

The past few days I’ve been focused on some personal healing, both mental & physical, that has needed to take place. The realization of this was certainly a positive thing (in fact it was an absolute miracle, which I’ll share the testimony of very soon!), but what happened this week was that this process of healing began to completely consume my mind and time.

So yesterday when I began having some very discouraging thoughts, feeling disconnected from God, anxious and overwhelmed, I knew something was wrong, having not felt like this in a very long time. I asked God to please free me from this, and He answered immediately. You know how He answered? By flooding my schedule with situations that forced me to take my mind off of myself, and onto the needs of others and ministering to them. My mood lifted higher and higher with perspective and gratitude until my peace and joy was completely restored.

God showed me that just those few days of constant self-focus opened the door for the enemy to influence my mind into discouragement.

Why?

Because in focusing on myself, I’d taken my eyes off of Jesus.

When our eyes are fixed on Christ, we are drawn into the pattern of His human life, which was a life of selfless service for mankind. He took no thought or care for His own needs, and in this His joy and His peace were always full. His life and health were completely secure in His Father’s hands as He did His Father’s work. This is the same peace and confidence God wants each of us to have in Him, and learning this is a tremendous part of the healing I’ve been needing.

So while the world presents “self-healing” as a time to focus all of my thoughts and energy on ministering to me, myself and I, God prescribes something very different. As Isaiah 58 explains so beautifully, it is only as we give our lives to serving others, even as Jesus did, that true and lasting healing can take place 💛

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of Yahweh shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and Yahweh will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday.

Yahweh will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Isaiah 58:6-11