Arrows that Pierce the Heart

Not every wound leaves immediately. Some remain lodged deep within the heart—unseen, unhealed, and quietly influencing how you live, trust, and respond.

In this episode, Lois introduces the powerful concept of “Broken Arrows”—the lingering pain of betrayal that was never fully processed or released. These are the wounds that resurface unexpectedly, shaping reactions, relationships, and identity.  With wisdom and grace, she begins to uncover how these “arrows” operate and why they keep you from walking fully in freedom. But more importantly, she points to the path of healing—where what once wounded you no longer has the power to control you.

You were never meant to carry what pierced you. It’s time to begin the process of release.

If this episode spoke to you, there is more waiting for you.
Take the next step in your healing journey through the Thriving & Wholeness Series, along with powerful resources, online courses, and opportunities for deeper transformation.
Visit www.loisflewelling.com to explore books, teachings, and ways to continue growing in freedom, identity, and purpose.
You are not stuck here—your next level is waiting.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hi, I am Lois from Welling. We all desire spiritual growth, but do not always know where to begin. On the new level await you, we provide steps to guide you into your divine assignment and reach new levels of greatness in the Lord. You begin to soar above every obstacle and your specific assignment. So get ready to go from glory to glory as new levels await you. Well, hello and welcome to A New Level Awaits You. Today we're going to be continuing our series on freedom after betrayal. And this episode, episode three, is called The Arrows That Pierce the Heart. In the last episode, we talked about what happens when trust is shattered and you know how that trust doesn't just hurt, it fractures something deep within us. But today we're going to be taking a deeper step, even another step, let's say. Because once trust is shattered, something often happens, something more subtle, but it's very powerful to us. The arrows remain. I often describe betrayal as an arrow that pierces the heart. For whatever reason, the Lord has opened up my eyes many years ago, and I began to see arrows in people's backs. And at the time I didn't understand all of this. I could see them in the heart as well. But God started to reveal to me about these arrows. And then he gave me the scripture, Ephesians 6, 16, where Paul says, he talks about this, he says, about the fiery darts and the flaming arrows of the enemy. And I began to realize and I began to study around this and understand what God was showing me. And he was telling me about all of us have been betrayed at some level or some degree. And we all have either these fiery darts in us or flaming arrows, ones from the enemy. And of course, the enemy uses people, individuals. So when an arrow strikes, it doesn't just touch the surface, it goes deeper. It goes, you know, way in sometimes. I've seen them. I've seen where you know some of them just hit in and the piercing is not that that deep. But I've also seen very large ones go and it's almost like they've been rammed into the very back, and they have like big holes. They leave just big holes within once they're removed. So unless this is properly addressed, it can remain lodged beneath the surface, and basically it continues to affect us long after the betrayal has occurred. Many people are walking around today carrying arrows. They don't even realize they're there. I want to share with you a little experience that I have. And I was traveling out of town at one point, this was several years ago, and I was traveling out of town and I was going through a city. In fact, I was going to stop in that city to do some things. And all of a sudden, I went by this particular place with a particular sign. And then, oh my goodness, I was overwhelmed with anxiety. In fact, I thought I was going to go into a panic attack. I knew immediately I had to pull over. So I did. I pulled over, I sat there and I thought, what is going on? What I realized is that, you know, this I had an arrow inside of me. And this arrow was had hit. I was just triggered by something. And so oftentimes what I'm realizing, we don't even know they're there. I didn't realize it was still there until that occurred. So sometimes we move forward, we we just continue with life. We don't even understand or recognize that it's there. But the wound is still present. And sometimes these wounds show up in ways we we immediately don't connect to the original pain that we're going through. For example, someone may struggle to trust again, or they may feel guarded in their relationships. Or like me, you might react strongly in a situation without really fully understanding why. These are all signs that there is an unhealed arrow wound in the heart. And so, like I said, I can see people, I see how they're carrying wounds almost like arrows can be in various places on their bodies. But I found that betrayal arrows are mostly in the back. Some arrows represent betrayal, some arrows represent rejection. Oftentimes I will see the rejection arrows, they are in the heart. Also, in the heart, I see where they're they represent accusations or painful words spoken over them. It hits, it hits hard sometimes. But what really stands out to me is the fact that we don't always are aware of the arrows that we're carrying. We've just learned to live with them. We've tried to cover them up. Some of us do. We try to cover it up. That wasn't me. I just didn't even realize it was there. But some of us have just grown used to the pain. But just because we've grown, learn how to uh live with it doesn't mean that it has been healed. And a wound that is left untreated can still affect how we live, how we think, and how we relate to others. And this is especially true when it comes to betrayal. For one of the ways that these arrows affect us is through our identity. There's something that happens when an arrow remains. We begin to form what I call hidden agreements. These are beliefs we didn't consciously choose, but we started to accept. Agreements like, oh, people always leave me. I have to protect myself at all cost. I'll never truly feel safe again. We can call them hidden agreements, we can call them vows, but they're things that we say, the things that we start to subtly uh take on. And here's the truth when you grow whatever you agree with shapes how you live. So if you agree with fear, you're gonna live guarded. If you agree with rejection, you're gonna live withdrawn. If you live with lies, you're gonna live limited. So these thoughts often don't just begin as conscious beliefs, but over time they settle in our heart. And when they do, they begin to shape how we see ourselves and how we see others. But I want to say something to you today. You are never meant to live with arrows in your heart, you were not created to carry wounds indefinitely, you were not designed to live guarded, closed off, defined by betrayal. You were not meant to live in this fear or anxiety. Let me tell you what happened to me. I pulled over and I said, I just acknowledged it. I said, Lord, what just took place? What's going on? I didn't try to brush it aside. I said, Lord, I need to know what's going on. I invited God into it. And I'll be honest with you, within probably 10 minutes, the anxiety had lifted. I was able to move on and go and do and have my trip that I had planned. You see, I believe we've created for freedom, we're created for wholeness, we're created for connection, and we're created for purpose. And anything that keeps us from that, God wants to heal. So these responses, these emotional responses that we have, these are the reactions. And sometimes these reactions, like it did for me, it happens is so much stronger than what we expect. It was like a boom, suddenly it happened. So yeah, a small comment may feel much bigger than it should. A situation may trigger a deeper emotional response, like mine did. But often it's because something deeper has been touched. There's an arrow that is still present. But like I said, God never intended for us to carry these arrows, they're not supposed to be there. He does not want us to live with wounds that continue to affect our lives. So let me ask you this: why don't we remove them? Why do we carry them? So let's be honest. If that's true, if God wants this, why did I keep that arrow? Why do I carry wounds for years? Why are you carrying your arrows? Why have you carried some of these wounds for years and years? Well, here's some of the reasons. Sometimes, like me, I didn't even realize it was still there. Sometimes we think time will take care of it. And so we just kind of brush it aside, brush it aside, we bury it deeper and deeper, but yet it always will resurface at some point. And sometimes we've learned just how to function with it, it just becomes a part of who we are. But then there's sometimes we're really afraid that if we touch that wound again, it will hurt too much. This is what I began to understand. Ignoring that wound does not remove the arrow, it just is allowed to remain beneath the surface. Psalms 147.3 says, God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. That means he doesn't ignore the wound, he tends it, he restores it. And part of that process is allowing him to gently remove what doesn't belong. So he'll come in and he'll remove the lies, he'll come in and remove the fears, he'll come in and remove the hidden agreements or the vows we've made. Or he'll come in and he'll shift up that identity that formed around the pain. See, for me, he entered in very quickly because I asked him to. And that had to be taken care of. That's our God. This is his desire is to bring healing, his desire is to gently remove what has been lodged in our hearts, and when that arrow is removed, something shifts. You know, I began to see clearly again, and you will too. I began to even trust wisely when my arrows got removed, not fearfully, but wisely. I have all kinds of friends now. I lost a whole bunch of them, but it didn't stop me. I trusted God, but I trust wisely now, not out of fear, but wisely. I discovered that I began to open up my heart without losing discernment. I can discern through. God gave me that discernment. I could open up my heart again. And also I could move forward again without being held back by whatever happened to me. And you're the same. You will begin to see clearly again, you'll be able to trust wisely again, you'll be able to have your heart opened up again with people and have individuals come into your life that are very excellent friends and loyal and faithful. And you'll be able to move forward without being held back because you're not the same as you were before the betrayal, but you're not broken anymore either. Because God can come in and He can heal you, He can restore you, and He can strengthen you. And healing is possible. But here's the trick: healing often begins with recognition. We have to be willing to pause and ask: Is there something I'm still carrying? Is there a wound? Is there a fear? Is there a belief? Is there an arrow that is still affecting how I live, how I trust, or how I see myself? These are not always easy questions, are they? But I believe they're important ones. I had to look at this and examine how this was affecting me. And I had to trust the Lord to see, you know, come on, God, what's going on here? And you can do that too. But here's the truth it's difficult to manage. Betrayal often is targeted with intention of harm. You know, scripture speaks of arrows and paints a vivid picture of sudden strikes, wounds that come unexpectedly. I didn't expect that arrow to hit me like that. I didn't expect many of the arrows that I received hit me. Scripture tells us, says Proverbs 25, 118 warns us, like a club or sword or sharp arrow is a man who bears, excuse me, like a man who hears false witness against his neighbor. Targeted arrows can pierce deeply through subtle lies, slander, accusations, threats, or twisted truth. Discovering the arrow is important because once we recognize the wound, we can begin inviting God into the healing process. And when God begins that work, it is not harsh or forceful. It's intentional, it's gentle, it is complete. He knows exactly where the wound is, he knows exactly how it got there, and he knows how to bring healing in a way that restores, not just removes. You see, God has his arrows too. Psalms 18 is one of my favorite because it reveals what he's capable of, what he does for us. He has a strong tower, he has a fortress built, and he comes and says, Come on in, I'll keep you safe, I'll take care of you. And when we are in that strong tower, which I believe I want to live there, I may not, that protection, I want it from the Lord. But Psalm 713 declares this is what you want to check this out because it declares how he prepares his deadly weapons. He ordains his arrows against the pursuers. Interesting, isn't it? Places us in that fortress and then he protects us strategically. He's sending out his arrows too. It's not just arrows from the enemy. God has his arrows. And boy, let me tell you, I want to have the hand of God upon my life. I want his arrows to go against those that have pursued me, that have tried to, you know, hit me intentionally. I've seen people who have carried wounds around for years begin to experience freedom when they've allowed God in those places. And when healing begins, something shifts again. That pain, that fear, it lessens. You know, those reminders do not touch so strongly as they once did. The lies we once believed had now, you know, we've got some truth in there. And God's truth just kind of permeates and covers, takes out those lies. And people discover who they really are. We can discover, I know who I am, I know the authority I walk in. I know that when I call upon the Lord, He is there for me. And you can too. So before we close today, I want to invite you to a moment of reflection. Just take a moment and ask yourself, is there a reaction or a pattern in my life that may be connected to a deeper wound? Think about it. Is there a reaction or a pattern in your life that may be connected to a deeper wound? If something comes to mind, don't push it away. I immediately pulled over. I immediately sat before the Lord and I said, Lord, what is this? Where is it? What's going on here? Bring it before him. Don't push it away, bring it before him. And he will use his arrows to start. That's what he did with me. All of a sudden, all that anxiety, all that fear of going into a panic attack dissipated. And I was able to move forward. I was able to enjoy my trip. That's our God. That's the healing God that we have. So let me close with just a word of prayer. Lord, I thank you today that you're seeing many out there and you know the places where the wounds still exist. Lord, you know the places where the arrows have pierced deeply, and some of those arrows are broken off, and you see it, Lord. I ask that you will begin to gently reveal those areas to each and every one and bring healing where it is. Ooh, yes. I'm just seeing right now that there's many of you, I mean, that have got, oh, I see some big arrows in the backs of some of you. I see all kinds of arrows. I can tell that the Lord is really ministering right now. I ask, Lord, that you give every person the courage to face what they may be carrying right now. Be able to recognize what it is and allow you to enter into their space, Lord God, so that these arrows can be removed. Lord, will you just give them peace right now to trust you in this healing process that you're doing right now? Lord, come and remove those arrows out. And Lord God, do it gently, do it carefully, Lord God, as they whoo, as they go into these places, Lord God, where the pain was. But now, Lord God, just remove them all out. I just see the Lord's hand beginning to just pull out arrows all over, even some that are in the heart. Because remember, those arrows of rejection oftentimes are in the heart or the words or the slander. It affects our identity. And so, Lord God, I thank you, Lord, right now. And Lord, will you just come and put your bomb agile right inside? Put your oil right down, let it flow right down their healing power, let it just go all the way through their body, let them recognize it, let them know it, let them know, Lord God, that they are healed and you are the God who heals. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. I just want to remind you that you were never. Meant to live wounded, but you were meant to live. So I want to thank you for joining me today. And remember, no matter what you're going through, God is always leading you forward because truly a new level awaits you where you allow his healing power to come in and take you higher, take you to a healed place. Next time we're going to talk about how to face the pain without losing hope and how to begin the journey of healing in a practical way. I look forward to seeing you next time. I want to thank you for watching and joining me on this journey as we go higher. Expect to grow, expand your territory, and enter into new levels of intimacy with the Lord. Check out my website at loisforwelling.com for books, online courses, podcasts, and other resources to help you soar in the Lord. Are you interested in increasing your confidence, being able to speak assertively, subdue your fears, manage life situations effectively, and overcome rejection or betrayal so that you can tenaciously stand back up again? Then you must sign up for a free strategy session so we can design a plan specifically for you. I now offer one on one coaching sessions with group sessions coming soon. My heart is to equip and make disciples and advance them into living a life more abundantly. Yes, my website is loisforwelling.com. Check it out, and I hope to be talking to you soon.