One of the impacts of Covid-19 is that the world is currently at a stand still. Due to many of us working from home and being restricted in our movement, the world has changed in an unimaginable way. If your life is anything like mine, this has been the first time in a long time that you have been able to deeply pause, reflect and introspect.
With reflection, it is common for us to notice things within our souls that need healing. The hustle and bustle of modern day life often causes us to continue walking and even running without time to adequately address our emotional hurts and wounds. Our daily routine often looks like this: We wake up, pray quickly (sometimes rushed), commute to work, complete our work and deadlines, get home, eat, prepare for work the next day and repeat. Those of you who are married, in ministry and/or have kids understand that the above schedule does not even cut it! So where is the time to dig, examine oneself, and work on the quality of our soul?
Guess what? Here is the time. NOW is the time. So the question is, what do we do and how do we start? I am going to give you 6 tips you can use to start or delve deeper into the healing process during quarantine.
Start with what you know
For some of you, God has already began to highlight some areas of your heart that He would like to deal with you on. Firstly, write down those areas down in a notepad (use your phone memo if you don’t have one).
2. If you are unclear, prayerfully select an area.
I’ve created a list below on some common areas that people often need healing from. It of course is not exhaustive but it could be a start for you. Read and pray about whether you would like to begin the journey of overcoming an area below.
List: Unforgiveness, Shame, Depression, Bitterness, Rejection, Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, trust issues, past love relationships, painful parental relationships, painful sibling relationships, painful relationships with friends, emotional numbness, emotional instability, anxiety, addiction, lust, unwanted compulsions, unwanted thoughts, repetitive self sabotaging behaviour, church hurt *
* This list is not exhaustive, the Holy Spirit may lead you to another area.
3. Remain accountable
I’ve put this very early on in the list because you CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. Healing is triggering and it gets difficult before it gets easier. I would recommend telling your therapist if you have one. Likewise, tell a trusted church leader and friend that you are seeking healing in this area and that you would like their support and prayers.
4. Become knowledgeable in that area
You must become knowledgeable in the area that you have chosen. This is not just a quarantine healing tip but this is in general. Find out what the Bible says about that particular topic, its causes and its treatment. See if there’s anyone that has gained authority in that area and see if there is anyone who struggled in that area. Are there any trends and key themes that the Bible is highlighting. Beyond the Bible, buy a book in this area and commit yourself to watching sermons by bible based believers in this area.
5. Pray, Worship and Prophesy
1 John 5: 14: Now this is the Confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us
It is not in God’s will that we should be bound by any of the areas above. Now that you have identified an area/areas, told an individual, it’s important that you pray into this area. Prayer is one of your most important tools and it is your greatest weapon in deliverance. God might even call you to fast alongside this as there are some things you can’t overcome without prayer and fasting (Mat 17:21). Likewise, increase your time of praise and worship in this period. Praise and worship looses the stronghold of Satan (Isa. 61:3b, Joshua 6: 1- 27) and increases God’s presence in your life (Psalm 22:3)
Lastly, with those scriptures you have found on how to gain victory in that area, begin to prophesy them over yourself. What I mean is simply declare them over yourself. You can go one step further and write flashcards with biblical declarative statements and pull them out multiple times throughout the day.
6. Track your growth using a journal
You can document your thoughts and feelings in any format that best suits you. Some people prefer writing it down, others prefer video- the most important thing is that you have an outlet to document growth. Journalling is often recommended by psychologists because research has shown that it helps people to process emotions and memories.
Closing thoughts
The ripple effects of Covid is that many of us have been left with more time. There have been many tips on to how to best invest it but let’s remember our soul in all of this. For everything we do and everything we are manifests from it.
