Your Story is the Oil: Why Healing Precedes Impact
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Healing precedes impact. It’s more than a phrase—it’s a spiritual principle that changes everything about how we view our pain, our process, and our purpose.
“He heals the brokenhearted, And binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3 (NKJV)
There’s something sacred about the crushing seasons.
The moments where life feels too heavy, the weight of pain too personal, and the silence of God too loud. It’s in these places—when everything in us wants to retreat or disappear—that the Lord often begins a refining work. Not in front of crowds. Not on the stage. But deep in the hidden place.
And it’s from that place—your story, your scars, your tears—that the oil begins to flow—because healing precedes impact.
Crushed, but Not Wasted: Why Healing Precedes Impact in the Hidden Places
Like the olive in the press, your crushing was never for destruction—it was for extraction.
God is pulling something precious from your pain. Your testimony isn’t a tragic tale; it’s sacred oil. Oil that carries healing. Oil that anoints. Oil that flows through obedience.
Even Jesus, in Gethsemane—the olive press—felt the weight of sorrow so great He sweat blood (Luke 22:44). Yet it was in that pressure that He surrendered fully: “Not My will, but Thine.” That surrender released the greatest oil the world has ever known—our salvation.
Your impact isn’t rooted in perfection. It’s birthed from the places you’ve let God touch what hurt the most.
That’s what makes your testimony holy. Because healing precedes impact. And your healing carries weight.
Personal Note: I Didn’t Want to Share This…
There was a time when I avoided parts of my story like the plague.
Not because I didn’t love God, but because the pain felt too raw. The rejection, the grief, the trauma—it wasn’t neatly tied in a bow. And I didn’t feel qualified to minister from a place that still felt tender.
But one morning in prayer, the Lord whispered, “The place where you were wounded is the place where I want to pour oil.”
And slowly, I began to write again. Not from the polished place, but from the surrendered place. That obedience? It unlocked a new level of healing—for me and for those reading.
Want to go deeper? Read From Broken to Bold: When Healing Births Your Creative Calling — it’s a powerful next step if you’ve ever wondered what God could do with the pieces of your story.
You Don’t Have to Be “There” to Be Used
Here’s the lie the enemy whispers: “You can’t be used by God until you’re completely healed.”
That’s not biblical.
Jesus called the woman at the well in the middle of her brokenness. Her five marriages and current living situation didn’t disqualify her—God used her testimony immediately to bring revival to an entire town (John 4).
The man possessed by a legion of demons was sent straightaway to testify in the Decapolis (Mark 5:19). Paul, newly converted, began proclaiming Christ with a past still fresh in everyone’s memory.
Why? Because wholeness begins the moment we surrender the truth of where we are.
Healing is a process. But testimony is powerful—even in process.
Your Story is Someone’s Breakthrough
Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”
That means your story is not optional—it’s a Kingdom weapon. You’re not just sharing for encouragement. You’re declaring war on shame, silence, and secrecy.
There is someone waiting to hear your “me too.” Someone who needs to know they’re not the only one who felt forgotten, unloved, overlooked, or unseen.
You don’t have to be famous to be effective. You just have to be faithful.
And here’s the truth: your voice will carry more authority in the places you’ve actually bled. Your words will carry more weight when they come from a place of surrender, not striving.
Write from the Place Where Healing Precedes Impact
If you’re a writer, creator, or Kingdom voice, I want to challenge you:
Don’t wait until you have a polished testimony.
Write from the oil-soaked middle.
You don’t have to rehearse the pain, but let God redeem it.
Let Him breathe on the ashes and show you how much glory is still inside your story. This isn’t about being ready by the world’s standards—it’s about being willing by Heaven’s.
When God gives you a word from your wilderness, write it down (Habakkuk 2:2). When He meets you in your grief, record the comfort. When He carries you through anxiety, share the Scriptures that carried you, too.
If you’re unsure where to begin, remember: healing precedes impact. Every time you write or speak from the middle, something prophetic is born.
Still unsure what His plan looks like for you? Read Embracing God’s Blueprint for Your Life — it’ll help you trust His timing and vision while you’re still in the middle.
Reflect + Journal
Here are a few prompts to take into your quiet time this week:
- What area of your life feels like it’s still being healed?
- What testimony could you share, even now, to set someone else free?
- Where has God already brought you through pain, and how might He want to use that oil?
- What lies have you believed about needing to be “ready” to be used by God?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how your healing becomes your impact.
A Prophetic Charge
If you feel weary or overlooked—this is your reminder: God has not wasted one tear.
Your story, even in process, carries power. The oil that’s been pressed from your seasons of heartbreak and refinement is anointed for such a time as this.
You are not behind.
You are not too broken.
You are not disqualified.
You are becoming.
And it’s in the becoming that your voice begins to roar—not just in power, but in purity.
You may not feel ready—but trust this: healing precedes impact. And your oil is already flowing.
Need to declare truth while you wait? Grab 6 Daily Declarations to Speak Life Over Your Calling — perfect for the in-between season where God is still writing your testimony.
Behind every anointed woman is a story soaked in surrender. If you’re sensing God calling you to heal before you lead, this workbook was made for you.
In His Presence: A 30-Day Devotional Workbook for Deliverance and Inner Healing guides you through Scripture, soul work, and Holy Spirit intimacy so your impact flows from a healed, whole place.
Your story is the oil. Let Him anoint you through the fire.
Prayer
Father, I give You every piece of my story. Even the ones I’d rather forget. Thank You for not wasting my pain. Thank You for showing me that what I walked through has purpose—and oil. Use it for Your glory. Use it to set others free. Help me to speak, write, and share from the place of healing—even if it’s still in progress. I trust You with my wounds, and I trust You with my voice.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Ready to Hear God in the Middle of Your Process?
Download the 21 Journal & Prayer Prompts: Jehovah Jireh – My Provider for free inside the Scribe Tribe VIP Vault. This journal will help you release your story, pray with power, and meet God in your healing.
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