Welcome to Chapter 10 of ROW Against the Flow: Healing the Wounded Places. This chapter invites you into the tender work of healing—the process by which God meets us in our pain, wounds, and brokenness to bring restoration, hope, and renewed strength.

Life often leaves us carrying scars—whether from past hurts, disappointments, betrayal, or failure. These wounded places can weigh heavily, affecting how we relate to God, ourselves, and others. But God’s heart is to heal and make us whole, inviting us to bring our wounds into His light where His grace can transform them.

In this chapter, you’ll explore:

• The invitation to acknowledge and lay down your hidden pain before God.
• How healing unfolds as a journey of trust, surrender, and faith.
• Biblical examples and stories that show how God restores wounded hearts and broken lives.
• Practical steps to open the door to healing and experience freedom in Christ.

You’ll find encouragement to lean into God’s love as a safe place to bring your deepest struggles and fears—knowing that His healing power is active and personal.

Let’s Reflect Together

• Where do you sense God inviting you to bring wounded places for healing?
• How have past hurts influenced your faith or your journey?
• What might it look like for you to walk forward in trust, even when healing feels slow or incomplete?
• How can community and prayer support you on this path to restoration?

Feel free to share your reflections or stories. Your openness can inspire others to step into God’s healing grace.

What’s Next?

• Continue exploring the full book or download the PDF to stay connected with the journey.
• Invite others to join you in reflection and healing.
• As we move forward, remember that healing is part of rowing against the flow—a courageous step toward wholeness and life in Christ.

Thank you for trusting this process and embracing the hope of healing. May you experience fresh restoration and grace as you walk forward with God.

Chapter 10: Healing Wounded Places

The first nine chapters of this book laid the biblical foundation for understanding spiritual warfare—what it is, how it works, and why it matters. Now, we reach a turning point: healing and resilience are not just individual pursuits; they are deeply communal. In this chapter, we begin to see how Yahweh’s faithful community—those who choose allegiance to Him—walks out healing, resistance, and hope together.

Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2

From Solo Battle to Shared Journey

For much of our lives, we may fight spiritual battles alone, tending to our wounds in silence. But scripture reveals a different way: God’s people are called to walk together, to carry one another’s burdens, and to heal in community. Daniel and his friends in Babylon, the early church in Acts, and countless others in scripture model this shift from isolation to solidarity.

There’s a reason I used to stay silent about my wounds. I can almost guarantee it’s the same reason you have. There’s this voice inside that says if you tell them what you’re really thinking about and what your internal life is like, they will reject you. I spent much of my second decade convinced that no one else was as sick and twisted as I was. No one else had such deep, festering wounds. There’s no way I could bring this into the daylight.

But confession, like daylight, has a great effect. One thing I found was that other people did struggle with the same patterns and behavioral problems and disordered desires. My confession became a way to heal their wounds as well. Bringing things into the daylight—living as instruments of light—became my new way to live. Now, when you meet me for the first time, it’s most likely that when you ask how I’m doing, I’ll tell you the same thing I just admitted to my therapist (without scandalizing you, of course).

Life in the daylight is a really good thing. By now you’ve learned the repentance model to make sure we don’t stay stuck in our sins. As we learn to share this with others we find freedom. Some of you have had the experience of reaching into the bottom of the sink to grab a sponge. Sometimes that’s pretty nasty depending on how much food is there. Some of us live like a sponge at the bottom of the sink at the end of Thanksgiving day and are really afraid of what might come to light, but a good rinse and some sunlight are all that’s needed to get a sponge back in action. Once we’re cleaned up, we can be used to help others as well.

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

This really began two decades ago with my friend Weston. We started making hard confessions. Instead of waiting for the other person to ask the hard questions, we just started making hard confessions. We could start to freely tell each other, “My thoughts are really twisted right now. I’m pursuing this and that and need some prayer coverage.” To this day, we still continue to text each other this way and it’s become a regular pattern—now we reach out to other people as well. This developed over years of prayer walking together and deepening our friendship beyond the high-fives and “I’m fine, how are you?” conversations. Now we have hiking adventures like in chapter 2 and do as much life alongside each other as possible.

Sometimes I’m embarrassed to admit to Weston that I have conversations with other people like we have had over the years. Our intimacy has grown to where we can share that with a broadening group of people, with not just emotional health but growing emotional wealth. But I know that he has developed those kinds of relationships as well. Vulnerability is one of the best ways to open up. I’m sure some of you already knew this, but as a man who prides himself in his own independence, this has become quite a journey for me. I’d like to make my own rules just like everyone else. I like to think that I know the right way to live and the right way to think, but when I admit that I am in a spiritual battle and I share that by opening up with a friend, we give each other access to do battle with us.

Exile, Trauma, and Shared Faithfulness

Torn from their homes in Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were thrust into the heart of Babylon—a world that was both physically and spiritually hostile. The trauma of exile was immediate and profound: they lost their homeland, families, and the rhythms of worship that had shaped their identity. Babylon’s strategy was not only to displace them but to erase their allegiance to Yahweh, their God, and to remake them in the image of the empire.

These name changes were more than administrative; they became daily reminders of Babylon’s relentless attempt to overwrite Daniel and his friends’ faith and identity. Each new name deepened their sense of loss and spiritual violation, reinforcing the message that their past, their God, and their true selves were being erased.

Yet, in the midst of wounds both visible and hidden, Daniel and his friends chose faithfulness. Instead of letting Babylon erase their allegiance to Yahweh, they forged a new kind of community—one marked by shared grief, honest prayer, and steadfast resistance. Their companionship became a source of healing, enabling them to withstand spiritual attacks and cultural pressure. Together, they transformed their suffering into a living testimony: not merely surviving Babylon, but creating a small outpost of Yahweh’s kingdom in the very heart of empire. Their story is a powerful reminder that even in exile, communal allegiance and courage can birth hope and resilience.

They were reeducated in a hostile environment, with every effort made to erase their identity. I can only imagine what that was like, because my own experiences away from home as a teen were at a Christian university—a far cry from Babylon. In chapter 4, I shared about my new identity forming in Jesus, and how attending Seattle Pacific University became a season of transformation for me. I was a young man full of disordered desires and relational chaos, searching for who I was becoming.

One day, I was sitting in a small group led by a student peer on our residential floor. We were going around the circle, sharing affirmations about what we saw in each other’s character. To my surprise, every single person said, “With Aaron, it’s always about Jesus!” I couldn’t believe it. As they spoke, I had a vivid vision: I was reaching out to adjust my rearview mirror, and behind me—at high speed—loomed the Grand Canyon. It was as if I had just crossed a massive gap, and I instantly knew it was only by the grace of Jesus that I was here, now, in a community that could help me keep moving forward. I kept my foot on the gas, determined not to go back to the deep pit I’d once been in. This was the kind of overwrite I needed and I’m not looking back.

How the Enemy Exploits Untended Wounds

• Unforgiveness: When we refuse to forgive, we give the enemy a foothold. Unforgiveness acts like a seed that, if left to grow, becomes a root of bitterness. This root doesn’t just poison us—it can defile those around us, creating a fertile ground for demonic oppression and torment.
• Bitterness and Resentment: Bitterness is a spiritual toxin. It grows from unhealed wounds and opens the door for spiritual darkness to take up residence. The Bible warns that a root of bitterness can cause community trouble.

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up and causing trouble, and through him many become defiled. — Hebrews 12:15

• Lusts and Disordered Desires: These are not simply personal struggles; they are spiritual vulnerabilities. When left unchecked, they become open doors for bondage, manipulation, and shame.
• Agreements: The enemy looks for moments when we agree—consciously or unconsciously—with lies, self-condemnation, or destructive patterns. These agreements give him legal ground to influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

The Progression of Wounds

• Bruises and Contusions: Small hurts ignored can deepen into bitterness or mistrust.
• Broken Bones: Major traumas, if left unaddressed, can lead to unhealthy patterns or spiritual “limping.”
• Infection: Unhealed wounds become entry points for lies, shame, and spiritual darkness.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. — Psalm 147:3

Healing as Spiritual Warfare

Bringing wounds into the light—through confession, repentance, and community—breaks the enemy’s hold. Healing is not just about feeling better; it’s a spiritual act of reclaiming territory for God’s kingdom. When we refuse to let wounds fester and instead seek God’s healing, we close the doors the enemy tries to exploit.

• Confession and Vulnerability: Exposing our wounds to trusted friends and to God is like cleaning out gravel from a skinned knee. It may hurt, but it prevents infection and allows true healing to begin.
• Repentance and Renunciation: Naming and turning from bitterness, lust, or unforgiveness shuts down the enemy’s legal ground.
• Community Support: Healing happens in community. When we walk with others, share our struggles, and pray together, we become instruments of light rather than hosts for darkness.

Scars and Limps: Marks of Grace

Scars are not marks of shame, but of survival and grace. Sometimes, we walk with a limp—a reminder of pain, but also of God’s faithfulness and the support of others. Just as a broken bone, if set well, heals stronger, so too our wounds—when tended in community—can become places of strength and testimony.

Practical Steps

• Examine your heart: Are there wounds you’ve tried to hide? Is there unforgiveness, bitterness, or a hidden agreement you need to bring into the light?
• Invite God’s healing: Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal and cleanse any area where the enemy may have taken up residence.
• Reach out: Share your struggle with a trusted friend or group. Healing accelerates in the presence of supportive community.
• Renounce agreements: In prayer, break any agreement with lies, shame, or destructive desires, and declare your allegiance to Christ.

Healing is a vital front in the spiritual battle. By tending to our wounds in community and refusing to let the enemy take up residence, we become living testimonies of God’s power to heal, restore, and set free.

I’ve had many opportunities to reframe the wounds in my mind with trusted friends like Weston. We work through the anger, the bitterness, the cravings to remind each other who we are, whose we are and what we actually desire.

Scripture Exploration — Community Allegiance to Yahweh

Read these passages in full in your Bible and explore together how community allegiance to Yahweh brings healing and courage:

Daniel and friends resolve together not to defile themselves.

Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. … Then Daniel spoke to the warden … ‘Test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink. …’ At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthier than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies. … In every matter of wisdom and insight … the king found them to be ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in his entire empire. – Daniel 1:8–20

They pray as one for God’s mercy and wisdom.

Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery … so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed. … Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised the God of heaven … ‘To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and power. – Daniel 2:17–23

Through these moments—resolving together not to compromise and praying as one for mercy and wisdom—the people of God found healing and courage. Their shared allegiance to Yahweh transformed suffering into solidarity and fear into faith, forging a community that heals, endures, and becomes a living testimony of hope.

Study Prompts:

• What pressures did Daniel and his friends face, and how did they support each other?
• How does praying together for wisdom and mercy change the outcome of a trial?
• Where do you see this kind of community in your own life or church?

Reflection

1. Where have you tried to heal in isolation? Who are your “battle companions” now?
2. Share a time when someone’s presence helped you persevere or heal.
3. The chapter highlights that the enemy exploits untended wounds through bitterness and unforgiveness, leading to spiritual “infection.” What “unhealed wound” are you carrying that needs to be brought into the light to prevent it from becoming an open door for the enemy?
4. Drawing on the analogy of the “sponge at the bottom of the sink,” are you living in fear of bringing your struggles into the daylight? How can you embrace the “good rinse and some sunlight” of confession and vulnerability within a trusted community?
5. Daniel and his friends transformed suffering into solidarity by forging a community of “shared grief, honest prayer, and steadfast resistance.” How can you and your community create a similar “outpost of Yahweh’s kingdom” by addressing wounds and supporting each other’s spiritual battles?
6. Is there a hurt you’re carrying that you haven’t spoken about?
7. Can someone pray with you or simply be with you in this?

ROW Application

• Repent: Name and turn from isolation or bitterness.
• Obey: Bring a wound into the light with a trusted friend or group.
• Worship: Thank God for His healing and for the community He provides.

Next Steps

• Journal: “What is one wound I need to bring before God and my community this week?”
• Community Action: Schedule a time to pray or share with a friend or group about healing and resilience.
• Scripture Memory: Choose a verse (e.g., Daniel 1:8 or Psalm 16:8) as a reminder to keep your focus on God and walk together.

Prayer Focus

Lord Jesus,

We come before You as wounded people in need of Your healing touch. Thank You for never leaving us to fight alone. Thank You for the gift of community, for brothers and sisters who walk with us, pray for us, and help us carry our burdens.

We confess the places where we have hidden our pain, nursed bitterness, or made agreements with lies and shame. We repent of isolation and self-sufficiency.

Holy Spirit, shine Your light on every wound—old or new. Cleanse us, heal us, and close every door the enemy has tried to exploit. Give us courage to confess, to invite others in, and to receive Your grace through the hands of Your people.

Knit us together as a community marked by honesty, prayer, and steadfast allegiance to You. May our scars become testimonies of Your faithfulness. May our limps remind us of Your strength in our weakness.

Help us to walk in the light, to reach out for help, and to offer help to others. Make us instruments of healing, hope, and resilience.

In Your name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

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