Are you a fan of TV crime shows, like "Law and Order" or "CSI"?

If so, you are probably familiar with the phrase "defensive wounds."

"Defensive wounds" are injuries a victim suffers when defending themselves against attack.

Just the other day, the Lord showed me that defensive wounds can occur in a person's emotional life too.

I define emotional defensive wounds as hurts from the past that haunt you today.

Often, an emotional defensive wound hurts more and takes longer to heal than a physical one!

Here's a very personal example from my own life.

Before I met my husband Mike, I had a man in my life who I thought would be "the One." When the relationship ended, it was like someone had stabbed me through the heart.

It created an ugly emotional wound.

I'd had problems trusting men anyway so when that happened, my worst fears came true.

However, I had a choice to make after the crying stopped.

I was believing God for a husband. Did I want to wall off parts of my heart from my future husband to avoid the risk of hurt?

Did I want to make him pay for what the other guy did?

I decided I didn't want to do that. It wouldn't be fair.

So presented my emotional wound to the Lord, the Great Physician. Psalm 147:3 promises, "He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds."

After much prayer, tears, and time, God healed my wound.

When I did meet and marry Mike, I had my whole heart to give. Praise the Lord!

In this life, there is no escaping emotional wounds because this is a sin-filled world and the people in it are imperfect.

But how do you know if you have emotional defensive wounds and how do you deal with them?

In the extended article, I give you 3 ways to know if this is a problem in your life, plus you'll get a prayer and some scriptures to meditate upon to start your healing.