32 Spiritual Shadow Work Prompts for Christians

Shadow work sometimes gets talked about in ways that feel a little woo-woo, a little secular, or a little “self is the center of the universe.” And as a Christian woman, I stay far away from that. But I also realized something: shadow work, at least conceptually, is actually deeply biblical. We are called again and again in Scripture to examine ourselves, bring what is hidden into the light, allow God to convict us, and allow the Holy Spirit to shape and sanctify us.

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Shadow work, as a believer, isn’t about unlocking “higher self,” or manifesting what I want, or divination, or ego expansion.

Shadow work, for me, is about partnering with the Holy Spirit in sanctification.

It is about taking an honest look at the parts of me I don’t like, the parts I avoid, the motives I hide, the habits I justify, the wounds I refuse to name, and letting actual biblical truth meet those dark corners.

It is about confessing sin
receiving grace
and walking in freedom

It is about letting Jesus be Lord in the places I still want to be in control.

It is about letting the Light expose… so He can heal.

It’s about opening the doors to my inner world and saying:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart.” (Psalm 139:23)

That is Christian shadow work.

Not mystical self-worship.

Real sanctification.

Gentle, honest, and guided by Scripture, not the self-help world.

And this kind of work is so needed, because so many of us are trying to be emotionally okay while spiritually white-knuckling our way through life with unprocessed pain. We try to read our Bible more, pray harder, serve more, and behave correctly… without admitting that something beneath the surface has never been brought to God.

Shadow work for believers helps the subconscious become conscious.

It helps the unspoken become spoken.

It lets the Holy Spirit minister to the truth, not the performance.

I’ve been doing this for myself for a while now in my private journaling, and it has changed my intimacy with God because I finally stopped only inviting Him into the cleaned-up parts of my heart.

And so today, I want to share 32 Spiritual Shadow Work Prompts for Christians that have truly helped me let Jesus into the inner places.

These are broken into categories.

Use them over a few weeks or months.

Don’t rush.

Don’t try to “fix yourself.”

Just show up to the page.
Show up to Jesus.

He will handle the healing.

More Shadow Work Articles:

What is Shadow Work?

Shadow work is simply the process of looking at the parts of ourselves we tend to avoid, suppress, deny, or hide — the inner places where we feel shame, fear, insecurity, anger, jealousy, control, and unhealed pain. It’s paying attention to what’s beneath our reactions, patterns, triggers, sin cycles, and emotional responses. Some people out in the world talk about shadow work in a mystical or self-centered way, but biblically, it’s actually very aligned with self-examination, bringing what is hidden into the light, confession, repentance, and inviting the Holy Spirit to gently sanctify our inner world. It’s not about glorifying the flesh or idolizing self; it’s about honestly acknowledging the broken or wounded parts of us — so Jesus can heal them.

Spiritual Shadow Work Prompts

Before you start journaling through these prompts, I want to encourage you to move slowly and gently with yourself. You don’t have to have “perfect” answers. You don’t have to be wise or eloquent. You just have to show up honestly. As you move into these shadow work prompts, I want you to picture the Holy Spirit sitting with you, not judging you, but guiding you into truth. Let these questions uncover, reveal, expose, soften, and heal. Let these be conversations between you and your Father — not pressure, not striving, not performance. These prompts are simply open doors into the deeper places where God already wants to meet you.

Shadow Work Prompts About Fear & Trust in God

Where am I currently choosing worry instead of trust? What do I truly believe will happen if I let go?
What fear keeps repeating itself in my life, and where do I think that fear originally took root?
What do I say I trust God with… but secretly still feel like I must control?
Where am I using anxiety to protect myself, instead of using prayer to surrender it to God?
What past disappointment has made it hard for me to trust God’s goodness fully right now?
When I feel afraid of the future, what lie about God am I believing in that moment?
What would full reliance on God look like in this current season — practically — for me?

Shadow Work Prompts About Identity & Worth in Christ

Where am I still basing my identity on something other than “beloved daughter of God”?
What labels or words spoken over me in the past am I still carrying around like they’re true?
Where do I still perform to be approved… instead of resting in my identity in Christ?
What insecurity tries to tell me I need to earn love? What would Jesus say to that insecurity?
Where do I still think my mistakes define me — and what does Scripture say instead?
How does God see me right now — not theoretically — but in this exact moment?

Shadow Work Prompts About Hidden Sin, Patterns, and Temptation

What sin pattern keeps showing up for me, and what pain or lie is powering it beneath the surface?
What do I tend to hide from others because I’m afraid of being judged or rejected?
Where am I justifying sin instead of repenting from it?
What sin am I treating like it’s “small,” even though it is harming my heart and my intimacy with God?
Where do I need accountability or community, but pride is blocking me from reaching out?
When I fall short, what is my inner self-talk? Does it sound more like the enemy or like Jesus?

Shadow Work Prompts About Pain & Emotional Wounds

What childhood wound still shapes how I respond to rejection or conflict today?
Who do I still need to forgive, not just logically… but emotionally before God?
What painful experience am I scared to bring to God because I don’t want to re-feel it?
Where do I still feel like I need to protect or defend myself from pain, even with God?
What wound has created a false belief I still live under? Name the wound, name the belief, and then write what God says instead.

Shadow Work Prompts About Desire, Calling & Obedience

What desire do I pretend I don’t have because I’m scared to hope for it?
Which dreams feel “too big” or “too selfish”? What might God actually be inviting me to trust Him with?
What am I procrastinating on that God already told me to do?
Where am I letting comfort dictate my choices instead of obedience?
Where do I still need to surrender outcomes to God — instead of attaching to how I want it to look?

Shadow Work Prompts About Receiving Grace & Love

Where is it hardest for me to believe I am fully forgiven? Why?
Where do I resist receiving love because I’m scared I’ll be abandoned again?
What part of me is hardest to bring to God — and why do I think I have to hide that from Him?

Final Thoughts

When I first started doing shadow work like this as a Christian, I honestly felt a little nervous. I didn’t want to “accidentally” step into anything unbiblical. But over time, I realized something extremely freeing:

this isn’t self-worship —
this is self-examination

this isn’t self-deification —
this is Holy Spirit sanctification

this isn’t manifesting —
this is confessing

Every time I bring something hidden to Jesus, it loses its grip. Shame loses its power. The darkness loses its hold. I get to be freer, more honest, more whole, more aligned with who God made me to be.

Shadow work for Christians — done biblically — is not about excavating self for self. It is about inviting the Holy Spirit to illuminate what’s been buried… so He can heal it.

It’s about becoming more like Christ inside the parts people don’t see.

And this is discipleship.

This is pruning.

This is sanctification in real time.

My challenge for you:

Don’t try to “fix” yourself as you journal these. Let God do the fixing.
Just let yourself be honest enough to finally tell the truth on paper in the presence of the One who already knows every hidden part of you.

Because when we bring the shadows before God…

they become places of light.

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