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Restoring the Christian Soul: Overcoming Barriers to Completion in Christ through Healing Prayer
Three barriers keep us from being whole (1) inability to receive forgiveness; (2) inability to forgive; (3) inability to accept ourselves.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1991
46 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Leanne Payne
37 books30 followersMrs. Payne has been active in the ministry of healing prayer for over thirty years. She is the founder and president of Pastoral Care Ministries.
Her books include: Real Presence, The Broken Image, Healing the Homosexual, Crisis in Masculinity, Healing Presence, Restoring the Christian Soul, and Listening Prayer.
She has taught for Wheaton College, in the graduate program in Christian Spirituality at Creighton University, as well as for University of the Nations. She holds both a BA and MA from Wheaton College as well as an MA from the University of Arkansas. Mrs. Payne was also a research fellow at Yale Divinity School.
Her books include: Real Presence, The Broken Image, Healing the Homosexual, Crisis in Masculinity, Healing Presence, Restoring the Christian Soul, and Listening Prayer.
She has taught for Wheaton College, in the graduate program in Christian Spirituality at Creighton University, as well as for University of the Nations. She holds both a BA and MA from Wheaton College as well as an MA from the University of Arkansas. Mrs. Payne was also a research fellow at Yale Divinity School.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 31, 2014
This is book is a "Bible" almost on the healing of the soul. It is filled with helpful insights and teaching. It also provides useful teaching about spiritual warfare and other matters. Although some parts of the book will be more helpful to some than to others, it is solid all the way through. There are a few hiccups occasionally, though. Payne sometimes give idealistic advice that seems a bit out of touch with the "real world." Here are a few minor problems:
1) Payne says that Christians should write out all their negative thought patterns, find out why they have them and what they are rooted in, and then exchange such thought patterns for the healing word that God is always sending. That's well-intentioned, but who has the time to write out every negative thought pattern, much less analyze the reason for it? Maybe if you don't have a job or that many responsibilities, but her advice doesn't seem realistic for most people. It could easily sound overwhelming. I think a better approach would be this: Start slowly. Ask God for wisdom about what negative thought pattern you should work on first. Write that out, and then ask Him to help you understand why you have it, and what the "true" thought pattern should be instead. Take your time. Maybe just try to tackle one pattern a month. And then when you feel that pattern has been resolved through God's healing and help, ask God to show you the next pattern to work on, etc.
Related to this, Payne also seems to make a panacea out of "listening prayer." Where in the Bible does it say that God is always sending out healing words? Does He send them at times? Yes. But she makes it sound as if it's a continuous stream, and that has not been my experience. As the apostle Paul said, we see through a glass darkly. Furthermore, exactly where in the New Testament do the apostles teach "listening prayer"? And why didn't Jesus mention "listening" when He taught the disciples how to pray?
2) She states the following about Christians who are in serious need of healing:
"The Christian who is being healed emotionally due to serious abuse or deprivation of some kind may know the most incredible pain and confusion as his soul is being healed....Every repressed feeling, memory, and emotion will be surfacing, along with all the dark voices involved. If he thinks of this storm-tossed part of his soul as his essential real self or spirit, rather than that wounded part of his soul that God is healing, then he will be unable to practice the Presence of God within. Indeed, he will think God very far from him. He will think God cannot possibly love such a confused and battered one as himself. All this changes the moment we lead the person to the quiet place of affirming, 'Another lives in me. My spirit is one with His. That is my whole place. All else is raging around me and within me, but I can stand now, confident, and watch as God heals this part of me that is so wounded.'"
Although this advice is well-meaning, for anyone who has struggled with serious depression or other serious emotional/mental issues, it seems simplistic. Why? If your soul is seriously out of whack, and everything is raging within you and around you, practicing the Presence of God is probably the last thing you feel like doing, and you may simply be too weak to. You may also be having problems getting things from your "head" to your "heart." In fact, if you're wallowing in deep confusion, you may have difficulty believing that God is even there (or possibly that He even exists), and your conscious mind may already be strained to the breaking point, so the additional mental effort of "practicing the Presence" might actually make things worse. You also may wonder why you don't seem to be getting any healing at all. As Agnes Sanford states in one of her books, she learned never to try to pray while suffering a migraine, because doing so only made the pain worse--she learned that two aspirins and bed rest was much better. So, Payne uses "practicing the Presence" as a panacea almost, but in this kind of situation I'm not sure it's always that helpful. Better advice is found in an article from the Web: "If we are overwhelmed by depression or hopelessness or fear and we are unable to pray or read God's Word, we can ask the Holy Spirit to speak to someone to pray for us. The Lord knows that many times we are too weak to pray and that we need the body of Christ, the church. They can stand and pray with us until we get the victory. We need not feel embarrassed to ask others to pray. We need each other. It is also helpful to have someone pray the prayer of agreement with you when trying to overcome a weakness or fear. This will bring strength to your decision to overcome in the areas needed. 'Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven' (Matthew 18:19)."
3) She states that healing of the soul is always about confessing sin and receiving forgiveness for sin. Again, that is simplistic. Much healing of the soul is not directly related to sin. Just as our bodies can pick up sicknesses that aren't directly related to sin, so can our souls. She teaches the same thing about demons--that if they are present, it's because of unremitted sin. This too is simplistic. Demons are often present simply because of woundedness in the soul. Either sin or wounds can open the door to demons.
4) Payne is not always clear about the role of the Holy Spirit's gift of discerning of spirits in detecting the presence of demons. For instance, she describes being present at a summer camp for Christian youth, where she discovered the need to exorcise the daughter of a minister. This was accomplished through the use of blessed water. But did the Holy Spirit actually reveal to her that this girl was filled with demons, or was it just educated guesswork? She never says.
5) She criticizes a common misunderstanding of the terms "binding" and "loosing," yet she herself embraces a common but mistaken interpretation as well. She states that binding and loosing does not refer to demons, which is correct, but rather to freeing people from the effects of sin, which is wrong. From a commentary on the Web: "Binding and loosing does not refer to persons, but to things - 'whatsoever,' not whosoever. It refers to rites and ceremonies in the Church. Among the Jews binding and loosing means...forbidding...[and] allowing. And so as directed by the Holy Spirit whatever they bound, that is, declared to be forbidden, and unlawful, was just that, and that whatever they loosed, that is, declared to be lawful, and free of use, should also be so. Accordingly, they bound some things, which before were loosed, and loosed some things, which before were bound. For instance, they prohibited or declared unlawful the use of circumcision, which after the death of Christ, they declared to be no longer of use as circumcision is now that of the heart and not the flesh. (Romans 2:28-29)...They loosed or declared lawful and free both civil and religious conversation between Jews and Gentiles where before the Jews had no dealings with the Gentiles....But now it was determined and declared that no man should be called common or unclean and that in Christ Jesus and in his Church, there is no distinction of Jew and Gentile. (Acts 10:28) These things now by them, being bound or loosed, pronounced unlawful or lawful, are confirmed as such by the authority of God, and are likewise to be considered the same by us."
Payne really should get her own theology straight before daring to criticize the flawed theology of others.
6) She says that when carrying out dialogue with those deceived by the Enemy, we should always take one objective word that is difficult to misquote and then "keep on saying it," just as Nehemiah did with his enemies. However, this is not the best advice in general. How do I know? Because I've tried it, and it usually doesn't work that well. Far better advice is found in Prov. 23:9: "Don't speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words." This verse also echoes the standard Internet advice, "Don't feed the trolls." If someone is acting like a "troll," your best bet is not to give him any attention at all. Don't waste your time or energy speaking to him, because attention--*any* attention--is what trolls crave. Don't cast your pearls before swine. But if you "starve" trolls, they will eventually go away and look elsewhere for food. Now, if you're simply dealing with someone who is well-meaning but clueless, you may have to repeat your point a few times. But then if he or she still doesn't get it, most of the time it's best to just move on. You can also pray that God will eventually make the matter clear to that person.
7) She states that, when facing a difficult battle: "We invoke and practice the Presence of God and find that, 'Wherever Jesus is, the storms of life become a calm.'" This too is simplistic. That sounds great on paper, but where does the Bible promise this? I don't think it does. Now, practicing the Presence of God is always good, but nowhere are we promised that it will lead to instant calm. If only life were that easy. Again, she uses practicing the Presence as a panacea almost. We aren't guaranteed that practicing the Presence will produce instant calm any more than we are guaranteed that praying will produce instant results. Of course, we should pray to God without ceasing, but we aren't promised a timetable for results. Sometimes answers come very quickly, sometimes they may take a long time. It's unfortunate that, like many authors, Payne seems way too fond of certain formulas.
The problems I've mentioned above are all fairly minor, but I did want to address them. This book has a lot of excellent wisdom and advice overall, and I highly recommend it--at least for those who are fairly intellectual and like to read. For your average Christian, though, I would recommend the teaching CD "The Glory Light of Jesus Heals Your Soul" by Katie Souza. It's only a little more than a couple of hours long, but does an amazing job of summing up how Christ can heal your soul. It's also easy to understand and very practical. In addition, I would recommend it for anyone who is a fan of this book by Payne too. Souza's teaching CD is simple yet profound, and makes a great accompaniment to this book. She even touches on a few things that Payne does not:
1) Souza states that focused times of praise and worship are a great avenue for the healing power of the Glory Light of Jesus. The more time you spend in this way, the more healing you will likely get.
2) She says that God will often give you a "target" wound that needs healing, usually from a dream (or vision). Typically, the dream will be a disturbing one. So, what's the purpose of a "target"? In Souza's words (paraphrased): "It prevents confusion. Otherwise, pretty soon you're soaking all sorts of crazy things in the Light. And then you start to say, 'You know, I wonder if I'm getting *any* healing at all. In fact, I wonder if this Light thing even works!' Instead, God will tell you, 'OK, let's focus on this wound first. Once we're done with that, then we'll take this one over here,' etc., because He knows the right order for you to be healed."
3) She says that it is perfectly fine to ask God for some sort of confirmation that a soul wound that you've been soaking in the Light has in fact been healed. Once He sends you that, then you can proceed to the next "target" He gives you.
1) Payne says that Christians should write out all their negative thought patterns, find out why they have them and what they are rooted in, and then exchange such thought patterns for the healing word that God is always sending. That's well-intentioned, but who has the time to write out every negative thought pattern, much less analyze the reason for it? Maybe if you don't have a job or that many responsibilities, but her advice doesn't seem realistic for most people. It could easily sound overwhelming. I think a better approach would be this: Start slowly. Ask God for wisdom about what negative thought pattern you should work on first. Write that out, and then ask Him to help you understand why you have it, and what the "true" thought pattern should be instead. Take your time. Maybe just try to tackle one pattern a month. And then when you feel that pattern has been resolved through God's healing and help, ask God to show you the next pattern to work on, etc.
Related to this, Payne also seems to make a panacea out of "listening prayer." Where in the Bible does it say that God is always sending out healing words? Does He send them at times? Yes. But she makes it sound as if it's a continuous stream, and that has not been my experience. As the apostle Paul said, we see through a glass darkly. Furthermore, exactly where in the New Testament do the apostles teach "listening prayer"? And why didn't Jesus mention "listening" when He taught the disciples how to pray?
2) She states the following about Christians who are in serious need of healing:
"The Christian who is being healed emotionally due to serious abuse or deprivation of some kind may know the most incredible pain and confusion as his soul is being healed....Every repressed feeling, memory, and emotion will be surfacing, along with all the dark voices involved. If he thinks of this storm-tossed part of his soul as his essential real self or spirit, rather than that wounded part of his soul that God is healing, then he will be unable to practice the Presence of God within. Indeed, he will think God very far from him. He will think God cannot possibly love such a confused and battered one as himself. All this changes the moment we lead the person to the quiet place of affirming, 'Another lives in me. My spirit is one with His. That is my whole place. All else is raging around me and within me, but I can stand now, confident, and watch as God heals this part of me that is so wounded.'"
Although this advice is well-meaning, for anyone who has struggled with serious depression or other serious emotional/mental issues, it seems simplistic. Why? If your soul is seriously out of whack, and everything is raging within you and around you, practicing the Presence of God is probably the last thing you feel like doing, and you may simply be too weak to. You may also be having problems getting things from your "head" to your "heart." In fact, if you're wallowing in deep confusion, you may have difficulty believing that God is even there (or possibly that He even exists), and your conscious mind may already be strained to the breaking point, so the additional mental effort of "practicing the Presence" might actually make things worse. You also may wonder why you don't seem to be getting any healing at all. As Agnes Sanford states in one of her books, she learned never to try to pray while suffering a migraine, because doing so only made the pain worse--she learned that two aspirins and bed rest was much better. So, Payne uses "practicing the Presence" as a panacea almost, but in this kind of situation I'm not sure it's always that helpful. Better advice is found in an article from the Web: "If we are overwhelmed by depression or hopelessness or fear and we are unable to pray or read God's Word, we can ask the Holy Spirit to speak to someone to pray for us. The Lord knows that many times we are too weak to pray and that we need the body of Christ, the church. They can stand and pray with us until we get the victory. We need not feel embarrassed to ask others to pray. We need each other. It is also helpful to have someone pray the prayer of agreement with you when trying to overcome a weakness or fear. This will bring strength to your decision to overcome in the areas needed. 'Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven' (Matthew 18:19)."
3) She states that healing of the soul is always about confessing sin and receiving forgiveness for sin. Again, that is simplistic. Much healing of the soul is not directly related to sin. Just as our bodies can pick up sicknesses that aren't directly related to sin, so can our souls. She teaches the same thing about demons--that if they are present, it's because of unremitted sin. This too is simplistic. Demons are often present simply because of woundedness in the soul. Either sin or wounds can open the door to demons.
4) Payne is not always clear about the role of the Holy Spirit's gift of discerning of spirits in detecting the presence of demons. For instance, she describes being present at a summer camp for Christian youth, where she discovered the need to exorcise the daughter of a minister. This was accomplished through the use of blessed water. But did the Holy Spirit actually reveal to her that this girl was filled with demons, or was it just educated guesswork? She never says.
5) She criticizes a common misunderstanding of the terms "binding" and "loosing," yet she herself embraces a common but mistaken interpretation as well. She states that binding and loosing does not refer to demons, which is correct, but rather to freeing people from the effects of sin, which is wrong. From a commentary on the Web: "Binding and loosing does not refer to persons, but to things - 'whatsoever,' not whosoever. It refers to rites and ceremonies in the Church. Among the Jews binding and loosing means...forbidding...[and] allowing. And so as directed by the Holy Spirit whatever they bound, that is, declared to be forbidden, and unlawful, was just that, and that whatever they loosed, that is, declared to be lawful, and free of use, should also be so. Accordingly, they bound some things, which before were loosed, and loosed some things, which before were bound. For instance, they prohibited or declared unlawful the use of circumcision, which after the death of Christ, they declared to be no longer of use as circumcision is now that of the heart and not the flesh. (Romans 2:28-29)...They loosed or declared lawful and free both civil and religious conversation between Jews and Gentiles where before the Jews had no dealings with the Gentiles....But now it was determined and declared that no man should be called common or unclean and that in Christ Jesus and in his Church, there is no distinction of Jew and Gentile. (Acts 10:28) These things now by them, being bound or loosed, pronounced unlawful or lawful, are confirmed as such by the authority of God, and are likewise to be considered the same by us."
Payne really should get her own theology straight before daring to criticize the flawed theology of others.
6) She says that when carrying out dialogue with those deceived by the Enemy, we should always take one objective word that is difficult to misquote and then "keep on saying it," just as Nehemiah did with his enemies. However, this is not the best advice in general. How do I know? Because I've tried it, and it usually doesn't work that well. Far better advice is found in Prov. 23:9: "Don't speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words." This verse also echoes the standard Internet advice, "Don't feed the trolls." If someone is acting like a "troll," your best bet is not to give him any attention at all. Don't waste your time or energy speaking to him, because attention--*any* attention--is what trolls crave. Don't cast your pearls before swine. But if you "starve" trolls, they will eventually go away and look elsewhere for food. Now, if you're simply dealing with someone who is well-meaning but clueless, you may have to repeat your point a few times. But then if he or she still doesn't get it, most of the time it's best to just move on. You can also pray that God will eventually make the matter clear to that person.
7) She states that, when facing a difficult battle: "We invoke and practice the Presence of God and find that, 'Wherever Jesus is, the storms of life become a calm.'" This too is simplistic. That sounds great on paper, but where does the Bible promise this? I don't think it does. Now, practicing the Presence of God is always good, but nowhere are we promised that it will lead to instant calm. If only life were that easy. Again, she uses practicing the Presence as a panacea almost. We aren't guaranteed that practicing the Presence will produce instant calm any more than we are guaranteed that praying will produce instant results. Of course, we should pray to God without ceasing, but we aren't promised a timetable for results. Sometimes answers come very quickly, sometimes they may take a long time. It's unfortunate that, like many authors, Payne seems way too fond of certain formulas.
The problems I've mentioned above are all fairly minor, but I did want to address them. This book has a lot of excellent wisdom and advice overall, and I highly recommend it--at least for those who are fairly intellectual and like to read. For your average Christian, though, I would recommend the teaching CD "The Glory Light of Jesus Heals Your Soul" by Katie Souza. It's only a little more than a couple of hours long, but does an amazing job of summing up how Christ can heal your soul. It's also easy to understand and very practical. In addition, I would recommend it for anyone who is a fan of this book by Payne too. Souza's teaching CD is simple yet profound, and makes a great accompaniment to this book. She even touches on a few things that Payne does not:
1) Souza states that focused times of praise and worship are a great avenue for the healing power of the Glory Light of Jesus. The more time you spend in this way, the more healing you will likely get.
2) She says that God will often give you a "target" wound that needs healing, usually from a dream (or vision). Typically, the dream will be a disturbing one. So, what's the purpose of a "target"? In Souza's words (paraphrased): "It prevents confusion. Otherwise, pretty soon you're soaking all sorts of crazy things in the Light. And then you start to say, 'You know, I wonder if I'm getting *any* healing at all. In fact, I wonder if this Light thing even works!' Instead, God will tell you, 'OK, let's focus on this wound first. Once we're done with that, then we'll take this one over here,' etc., because He knows the right order for you to be healed."
3) She says that it is perfectly fine to ask God for some sort of confirmation that a soul wound that you've been soaking in the Light has in fact been healed. Once He sends you that, then you can proceed to the next "target" He gives you.
September 24, 2012
Part 1 is very helpful in explaining the importance of self acceptance and how this affects everything else in our lives. For anyone who struggles with fully accepting yourself, you should definitely read the first 3 chapters of this book. The rest of the book is pretty intense, but would be an incredible resource for anyone in healing ministry.
March 27, 2025
Restoration through Warfare Healing
Great explanation of the concepts of healing and its connection to spiritual warfare. Details provided approximately to help me understand the connection and often the differences
Great explanation of the concepts of healing and its connection to spiritual warfare. Details provided approximately to help me understand the connection and often the differences
September 12, 2017
Leanne Payne has very deep insight. This book was an at time strange blend of deep theory and anecdotal illustration.
Read
October 29, 2018Very good very deep spiritual ~ but correct and very biblical!
David Wilson
David Wilson
Want to read
March 17, 2022Jeff’s recommendation
February 11, 2013
This book has a lot of amazing information in it. It is extremely practical, and points out how Christ can heal so many different areas of our lives through His indwelling presence. It also discusses other matters such as use of holy water, the dynamics of spiritual battle, spiritual fame (with God) instead of worldly fame, etc. It's a book that would be of benefit to so many Christians--there's something in it for just about everyone. I assume that the title, "Restoring the Christian Soul," refers to Psalm 23.
Unfortunately, as good as the book is, the author herself sounds pretty scary. Some years ago, she abruptly dumped her home church and her colleague Mario Bergner in a very angry fashion. It seems she has a serious temper. I'm not sure exactly what caused the split between the two, but afterward, Bergner and his book were persona non grata at Payne's PCM schools, even though he had taught there regularly for years. Payne always talks about confessing spiritual pride, but it actually seems to be a big stumbling block for her--too bad her focus seems to be on the sin of others instead of on her own. Anyway, I would recommend this book, but just keep in mind that Payne seems to be a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of teacher that Jesus warns us about.
Unfortunately, as good as the book is, the author herself sounds pretty scary. Some years ago, she abruptly dumped her home church and her colleague Mario Bergner in a very angry fashion. It seems she has a serious temper. I'm not sure exactly what caused the split between the two, but afterward, Bergner and his book were persona non grata at Payne's PCM schools, even though he had taught there regularly for years. Payne always talks about confessing spiritual pride, but it actually seems to be a big stumbling block for her--too bad her focus seems to be on the sin of others instead of on her own. Anyway, I would recommend this book, but just keep in mind that Payne seems to be a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of teacher that Jesus warns us about.
August 9, 2008
This book is exceptional, especially as it is written by one from a non-Catholic background. Payne's openness to the use of sacramentals is astounding. I also really like how she deals with spiritual warfare issues...reminding us that Christ is in charge! I would highly recommend this to anyone in ministry who may encounter people who seem to be spirituall 'stuck' and who wish to make progress.
July 28, 2011
Spiritually one of the most enlightening books I've ever read. While her quality of writing is not on level with Lewis, Chambers, Buechner, she has become even more important to me in terms of understanding myself and a life lived walking in the Presence. Can't recommend her or this book enough.
November 15, 2007
I borrowed this just to read the first section. WOW. I learned more big things about myself than I have in most complete books.
July 22, 2008
This book was life changing.
November 18, 2008
This is a pastoral counselor's bible in how the soul is restored. To whom is given much from this book, much will be required!
June 29, 2009
tons of information, but a GREAT book! i recommend it
July 7, 2009
This book gave me hope and revived me.
October 26, 2010
This is more of a book for people who work with those who have a lot of hurt in them. Tells how God can use prayer to heal them.
February 23, 2015
Not my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews