We spent the first thirty minutes watching a video of men being interviewed about many different questions women have about the inner workings of a man's heart. It doesn't take long to realize why we have the push and pull between the sexes and how if we just understand where the other is coming from we can have better harmony.
Do men and boys want to be delighted in? Yes, they want to please you and to know they have what it takes to be your hero. What makes them stop trying and become passive? When we don't value what they tried to do on our behalf and only focus on what was lacking about it. Practice makes perfect but some times we don't give them room to grow. We may even be more gifted or skilled in an area and we would just rather do it ourselves.
There core question is do they have what it takes to be a strong man, a hero in their women's lives.
Have you ever thought through how that question may have been answered in the life of the men you love, your sons, brothers, fathers and husbands? Can a woman answer the core question of a man's heart? Only God can answer the man's core questions. A man goes to Eve to offer his strength. He does not go to her to get it.
The same holds true for Eve, She can not look to Adam for the validation of her soul. But many women do, and feel if they have a man they are o.k. The men in the video said women are an emotional abyss and they know they can not fill it. God made it that way so we would come to Him, He alone can fill it.
Only God can tell us who we are.
What can a woman do to encourage and strengthen men? Not expect him to fulfill us. We need to offer our softness, to believe in him and to need his strength. To tell him he has what it takes.
What does it say when we refuse to be vulnerable.....you have nothing to offer me. I don't need your strength. We attack, dominate, make them fill uninvited and unwanted. How often we don't even realize what message we are sending! We can think in our minds we are doing something positive for them in being strong ourselves for them but in reality they long to rise up and be the strong hero. And they can be what God intended if we allow them the room to struggle, make mistakes and grow in this with out pointing out there shortcomings all the time. This takes patience and sometimes we are in such a hurry to just live life we just take right over.
I Peter 3:6 "Life Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters in you do what is right and do not give way to fear."
How does this verse relate to living a life of love? I don't think we have to live life in fear that if we give grace to our men in love that it may not turn out perfect. We just need to do what is right and be that inviting place of beauty, and resting. If we struggle to make life perfect we are not resting. Are we soft, showing we need our men and appreciating what they are able to bring to us.
I don't know about you but God showed me through this study some times I need to work on and change. We can easily fall into the pattern of the world for women that we are strong and we don't need anyone at all. But we don't realized that as we reached out to be loved we are at the same time pushing men out with our lack of vulnerability . It's time to bring the walls down that separate us.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Lesson 6 Chapter 7 Romanced
Remember when Jesus calls Himself our Bridegroom? This is the most intimate of all metaphors Jesus chose to describe His love and longing for us and the relationship He invites us into. What can be more joyful than getting to know one another, celebrating each moment together. Someone who is deeply committed to us, that we feel in their acceptance of us, that therefore we can share the deepest part of ourselves. The story of your life is also the story of the long and passionate pursuit of your heat by the One who knows you best and loves you most.
God's romance towards you is immensely personal. It will be as if it has been scripted for your heart alone It is hear we can ask God, "Do you love me? May I have a whale, or a starfish or a butterfly?" Is this question hard for you to even ask God. There is no feeling better in the whole world than to have prayer answered in such a way you know it was God alone, He heard you, and answered you back.
God delights in revealing Himself to those who seek Him with all their hearts and He loves to reveal His heart to us again and again.
Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love.
And it really is true....the God of the universe wants us to spend all eternity with Him...that's how important we are to Him! Not to mention He allowed His only son to be sacrifice for sins to do this!
Now that is amazing love!
God has made women for romance...her heart comes alive and she becomes radiant. When she is not being pursued she is like a flower without water. God wants to heal us through His love. His heart towards us is not one of disappointment or disapproval but of one who sees your potential and what you need to help you flourish into that person you were created to be.
It can be such a revelation that God wants our love. We have to fight the busyness of life to spend time with God. We can't love someone we don't know. Sure we can always find sometime to pray but when do we listen to His voice. He speaks to us through His Word. Ask Him for help to create the time you need and ask Him to reveal His self to you.
God's romance towards you is immensely personal. It will be as if it has been scripted for your heart alone It is hear we can ask God, "Do you love me? May I have a whale, or a starfish or a butterfly?" Is this question hard for you to even ask God. There is no feeling better in the whole world than to have prayer answered in such a way you know it was God alone, He heard you, and answered you back.
God delights in revealing Himself to those who seek Him with all their hearts and He loves to reveal His heart to us again and again.
Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love.
And it really is true....the God of the universe wants us to spend all eternity with Him...that's how important we are to Him! Not to mention He allowed His only son to be sacrifice for sins to do this!
Now that is amazing love!
God has made women for romance...her heart comes alive and she becomes radiant. When she is not being pursued she is like a flower without water. God wants to heal us through His love. His heart towards us is not one of disappointment or disapproval but of one who sees your potential and what you need to help you flourish into that person you were created to be.
It can be such a revelation that God wants our love. We have to fight the busyness of life to spend time with God. We can't love someone we don't know. Sure we can always find sometime to pray but when do we listen to His voice. He speaks to us through His Word. Ask Him for help to create the time you need and ask Him to reveal His self to you.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Lesson 5 Chapter 5 A Special Hatred & Chapter 11 Warrior Princesses
These chapters I thought were some of the best in the book so don't skip them. We had an awesome time Monday during our studies. Deb S. made up some extra handouts for us on Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior by Graham Cooke, Mother Teresa...NO Greater Love and a copy of Proverbs 31. You can pick them up at the information desk if you want a copy.
Deb S. in her introduction talked about a profile on women in China. It is a bleak out look if you are born a girl there because of the one child law they mostly all just want a son. Baby girls are abandoned in great rates and the care is so poor that not many survive. But women are being treated poorly in many countries as well, assaulted and seen as disposable. Where does this hatred for women, seen all over the world come from? Why is it so evil?
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those might powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Eph. 6:12
Satan has a special hatred for women because a one time he was the object of great beauty, Son of the Morning. It infers a glory, a brightness or radiance unique to him. Satan fell because of his beauty. Pride in wanting adoration for himself. Now his heart for revenge is to assault beauty. Beauty in everything God created but especially women, they are God's final touch on creation and they are the life givers.
Satan was a murderer from the beginning, John 8:44 says" You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him." He brings death and his kingdom of death, ritual sacrifices, genocide, the Holocaust, abortion those are his ideas. That is why Eve is his greatest human threat, for she brings life. She is a lifesaver and a life giver. When you see her beauty and life giving together you can see that Satan's bitter heart assaults her with a special hatred. Don't you see this reflected all through out history?
Does it now make sense that he has a systemic, often brutal, nearly universal assault on femininity? Satan causes the hatred for women because if God's beauty is truly revealed in women's beauty, he feels he must debase it and cause it to be an object of shame. Satan wishes to destroy the object of God's affection, the pinnacle of His creation because destroying it will make it harder for all people to see and experience His beauty.
This revelation is so important for us to understand. In order to live the life that Jesus wants us to live, we must be aware that we have an enemy who is busy trying to steal, kill and destroy our lives. We must believe this or we end up blaming God for things the devil is doing and our view of the good, faithful, loving heart of God is badly skewed.
We must put on the armor of God every day and stand firm in the truth. We must resist the devil and command him and his minions to depart-out loud--in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.
I John 1 4:4 You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him, we cry Abba, Father.
Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on your full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
Now I hope you really got the first part in dark print--the out loud part. I know if you have never done it before your thinking can't I just ask God to take care of it? Yes, you could but it's like asking why Christians should share the gospel with another person rather than praying and asking God to reveal the gospel to that person directly. Or why should be speak words of encouragement to someone who is discouraged rather than just praying and asking God to encourage that person? The answer just might be that God direct involvement makes us stronger. We don't always want to settle all our children's disputes , we send them back out to learn how to settle things on their own. We want them to grow stronger in these skills. We gain the eternal significance of this ministry when we pray out loud, the joy of seeing someone set free. And sometimes we have to set ourselves free when we need to.
Pastor Tom gave a sermon on praying to cast out evil spirits and gave his own story how the first time someone did that over Him he was like ok but thinking I don't know about this. Well, he was healed of an injury and encouraged us it doesn't hurt to try. Not everything that goes wrong in our lives has an evil spirit at work but you won't know until you try.
Right after church I remember I was so anxious to get in my car and try it. I spoke aloud saying if there is any spirit coming against my hearing I command you to leave in Jesus name and by His blood and power. It doesn't have to be that exactly to get results. Well since there was no noise in the car I didn't know until I went to work with the kids and lo and behold I could hear them! What use to be a constant thought for me about what did they just say....has vanished! Now I want to say the loss of hearing seemed natural in that I had a lot of ear infections when I was younger and this had been getting worse over the years. I just thought that just the way it is. NO! Don't ever accept that.
Satan wants to destroy what we have and drown us in doubt, guilt, fear, confusion, sickness, envy, and anger. He is an accuser and an adversary. He wants to keep us in bondage and is very deceptive in getting us to believe lies about our selves. Not every thought that comes into your mind is your own. He is an accuser...your not...fill in the blank or you'll never.........tell yourself the truth and think on that not the lie. Command him to leave! Just in case you don't know, no where in the Bible does it state that Satan can read our minds, only God can do that. Demons and Satan are limited by God's control and have limited power. They can only do what God permits and no more. The good news is these things can be resisted by Christians through the authority that Christ gives them! But just one note, not all sin and evil are from Satan and demons. Our fleshly desires produce sin, so in that we don't need to cast it our we just need to repent of it.
On Monday the group I was in stayed until 10:00 praying over each other and taking back what was ours. I was on a spiritual high after that, it was that awesome. I can't wait to see all the wonderful things God is going to be doing for each one of you!
Deb S. in her introduction talked about a profile on women in China. It is a bleak out look if you are born a girl there because of the one child law they mostly all just want a son. Baby girls are abandoned in great rates and the care is so poor that not many survive. But women are being treated poorly in many countries as well, assaulted and seen as disposable. Where does this hatred for women, seen all over the world come from? Why is it so evil?
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those might powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Eph. 6:12
Satan has a special hatred for women because a one time he was the object of great beauty, Son of the Morning. It infers a glory, a brightness or radiance unique to him. Satan fell because of his beauty. Pride in wanting adoration for himself. Now his heart for revenge is to assault beauty. Beauty in everything God created but especially women, they are God's final touch on creation and they are the life givers.
Satan was a murderer from the beginning, John 8:44 says" You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him." He brings death and his kingdom of death, ritual sacrifices, genocide, the Holocaust, abortion those are his ideas. That is why Eve is his greatest human threat, for she brings life. She is a lifesaver and a life giver. When you see her beauty and life giving together you can see that Satan's bitter heart assaults her with a special hatred. Don't you see this reflected all through out history?
Does it now make sense that he has a systemic, often brutal, nearly universal assault on femininity? Satan causes the hatred for women because if God's beauty is truly revealed in women's beauty, he feels he must debase it and cause it to be an object of shame. Satan wishes to destroy the object of God's affection, the pinnacle of His creation because destroying it will make it harder for all people to see and experience His beauty.
This revelation is so important for us to understand. In order to live the life that Jesus wants us to live, we must be aware that we have an enemy who is busy trying to steal, kill and destroy our lives. We must believe this or we end up blaming God for things the devil is doing and our view of the good, faithful, loving heart of God is badly skewed.
We must put on the armor of God every day and stand firm in the truth. We must resist the devil and command him and his minions to depart-out loud--in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.
I John 1 4:4 You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him, we cry Abba, Father.
Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on your full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."
Now I hope you really got the first part in dark print--the out loud part. I know if you have never done it before your thinking can't I just ask God to take care of it? Yes, you could but it's like asking why Christians should share the gospel with another person rather than praying and asking God to reveal the gospel to that person directly. Or why should be speak words of encouragement to someone who is discouraged rather than just praying and asking God to encourage that person? The answer just might be that God direct involvement makes us stronger. We don't always want to settle all our children's disputes , we send them back out to learn how to settle things on their own. We want them to grow stronger in these skills. We gain the eternal significance of this ministry when we pray out loud, the joy of seeing someone set free. And sometimes we have to set ourselves free when we need to.
Pastor Tom gave a sermon on praying to cast out evil spirits and gave his own story how the first time someone did that over Him he was like ok but thinking I don't know about this. Well, he was healed of an injury and encouraged us it doesn't hurt to try. Not everything that goes wrong in our lives has an evil spirit at work but you won't know until you try.
Right after church I remember I was so anxious to get in my car and try it. I spoke aloud saying if there is any spirit coming against my hearing I command you to leave in Jesus name and by His blood and power. It doesn't have to be that exactly to get results. Well since there was no noise in the car I didn't know until I went to work with the kids and lo and behold I could hear them! What use to be a constant thought for me about what did they just say....has vanished! Now I want to say the loss of hearing seemed natural in that I had a lot of ear infections when I was younger and this had been getting worse over the years. I just thought that just the way it is. NO! Don't ever accept that.
Satan wants to destroy what we have and drown us in doubt, guilt, fear, confusion, sickness, envy, and anger. He is an accuser and an adversary. He wants to keep us in bondage and is very deceptive in getting us to believe lies about our selves. Not every thought that comes into your mind is your own. He is an accuser...your not...fill in the blank or you'll never.........tell yourself the truth and think on that not the lie. Command him to leave! Just in case you don't know, no where in the Bible does it state that Satan can read our minds, only God can do that. Demons and Satan are limited by God's control and have limited power. They can only do what God permits and no more. The good news is these things can be resisted by Christians through the authority that Christ gives them! But just one note, not all sin and evil are from Satan and demons. Our fleshly desires produce sin, so in that we don't need to cast it our we just need to repent of it.
On Monday the group I was in stayed until 10:00 praying over each other and taking back what was ours. I was on a spiritual high after that, it was that awesome. I can't wait to see all the wonderful things God is going to be doing for each one of you!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Lesson 4-Chapter 6 Healing the Wound
If you missed last night you missed the heart of the book. We had an awesome time laughing, crying and talking together. In this chapter on page 94 "The Offer", John states that they had gone to good churches all their lives that taught them the place of worship and sacrifice, faith and suffering and a love for the Word of God. But in all those years he felt the central ministry of Jesus was never explained. Yes, they were taught that Christ came to ransom us from sin and death and one day take us to heaven with him. But there was more....and I love the analogy he uses which I will quote here for you.
"The purposes of Jesus Christ are not finished when one of his precious ones is forgiven. Not at all. Would a good father feel satisfied when his daughter is rescued from a car accident, but left in ICU? Doesn't he want her to be healed as well? So God has much more in mind for us." Listen to this passage from Isaiah 61:1-3:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
"This is the passage that Jesus pointed to when he began his ministry here on earth. Of all the Scriptures he could have chosen, this is the one he picked on the day he first publicly announced his mission. It must be important to him. It must be central.
Let me state it in words more familiar to us.
God has sent me on a mission. I have some great news for you,
God has sent me to restore and release something.
And that something is you.
I am here to give you back your heart and set you free.
I am furious at the Enemy did this to you, and I will fight
against him.
Let me comfort you.
For, dear one. I will bestow beauty upon you
where you have known only devastation,
Joy, in the place of your deep sorrow.
And I will robe your heart in thankful praise
in exchange for your resignation and despair.
Now an offer is worth considering. What if it were true? I mean, what if Jesus really could and would do this for your broken heart, your wounded feminine soul? Read it again, and ask him, Jesus---is this true for me? Would you do this for me?
He can and he will----if you let him."
Wow...like the first time it clicked in my mind there is hope in healing our hearts while we are still on earth....we don't have to wait until heaven! This is one of the main reason Jesus came to earth!
Down below is most of Deb S. leader notes that she makes up for us almost every week and I thought I would reprint them for those of you who aren't able to come and also sometimes we run short on time and can't get through them all. Thank you Miss Deb for all your hard work you do on our behalf with the weekly introductions and the thought filled notes!
This is one of the core purpose of this book--to let us know that the healing of our feminine heart is available, and to help us find that healing. To help us find the restoration which we long for and which is central to Jesus' mission. Let Him take you by the hand now and walk with you through your restoration and release.
Why did God curse Eve with loneliness and heartache? He did it to SAVE her.
Hosea 2:6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
Jesus knows He has to thwart our self-redemptive plans, our controlling and our hiding, to thwart the ways we seek to fill the ache within us. Otherwise, we would never fully turn to Him for our rescue.
I know this may seem counter-intuitive, even mean spirited. I can see many of us wondering...why would God do this? Why would He set us up this way? The answer is because He knows deep in our hearts that we would never really come to Him if we did not need Him to rescue us. We might turn to Him for our salvation, and we might perform Christian service, regular church attendance. etc. But INSIDE, our hearts would remain broken and captive and far from the One who can help us. And so God allows, no actually He plans...to hem us in. He will make a great job miserable if it is a career we find shelter in. He will allow hardship in our marriage...if we are seeking total fulfillment through it. Whatever we have sought after, apart from him, He will allow to fall apart...all for the purpose of drawing us to Him..why...because He knows the joy, the fulfillment, the peace, the purpose, the love we will experience in Him and Him alone. Nothing else can or will satisfy.
Will you let Him come for you? Give Him permission, give Him access to your broken heart. Ask Him to come to those shattered, abused, wounded places.
So we need to recognize the messages that have been spoken and that we have received about us. You are worthless, you are a disappointment, there is something wrong with you.
It is so important that you are able to identify the message that came with your wounds. What did the wound made you believe about yourself?
And as we have said, the vows we made as children act like a deep seated agreement with the messages of our wounds. We vow to never again allow ourselves to be hurt, to be exposed, to be vulnerable...and these childhood vows are very dangerous things.
Once we have recognize the wounds, the vows the agreements we have made with these hurts, we need to renounce the agreements we have made. We need to give ourselves permission to grieve and to feel the hurts that many of us have been hiding all our lives.
Can we all say this together......
Jesus, forgive me for embracing these lies. This is not what You have said of me. You said I am Your daughter. I am Your precious child. I am Your beloved. I renounce the vows and agreements I have made with these lies. I reject them as untrue...and instead begin to embrace the words of love that You wish to pour out upon me Thank your Jesus. Help me Jesus....
And, as the book says, we must allow the tears, the anger, the remorse, the guilt, the shame, all of the feeling that have accompanied these lies all of these years.
The next step is to forgive. Forgiveness is a choice and not a feeling. By forgiving we are not saying that these things did not matter or we will ever forget them. Just the opposite is true-we are finally recognizing that they did matter. That they hurt us deeply. But forgiveness actually heals our souls. We choose to release people from the hurts they committed against us. And when we do, the hurts no longer hold US captive!
It might help to remember that those who hurt you were also deeply wounded themselves. They were broken hearts, broken when they were young and they also feel captive to the enemy. They were in fact pawns in his hands. This does not absolve them of the choices they made, or the hurts they inflicted. It just helps us to let them go...to know that the true enemy is the enemy of our souls...
Ask Jesus to heal.
Ask Him to destroy your enemies.
And these are not our physical enemies. These are the enemies of our soul--Satan, anger, fear, rejection, self-doubt, shame, addiction...
And now the most important part...let Him Father you!
And so let's pray together...
Father I need Your love. Come to the core of my heart. Come and bring your love for me. Help me to know you for who you really are---not as I see my earthly father. Reveal yourself to me. Reveal your love for me. Tell me what I mean to you. Come and father me.
If you are like me, you will need to continue asking God that question...and continue to allow Him to show you the answers to those questions...and I know He will...in deep and meaningful ways to each of you...in places you need it and need Him most!
"The purposes of Jesus Christ are not finished when one of his precious ones is forgiven. Not at all. Would a good father feel satisfied when his daughter is rescued from a car accident, but left in ICU? Doesn't he want her to be healed as well? So God has much more in mind for us." Listen to this passage from Isaiah 61:1-3:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
"This is the passage that Jesus pointed to when he began his ministry here on earth. Of all the Scriptures he could have chosen, this is the one he picked on the day he first publicly announced his mission. It must be important to him. It must be central.
Let me state it in words more familiar to us.
God has sent me on a mission. I have some great news for you,
God has sent me to restore and release something.
And that something is you.
I am here to give you back your heart and set you free.
I am furious at the Enemy did this to you, and I will fight
against him.
Let me comfort you.
For, dear one. I will bestow beauty upon you
where you have known only devastation,
Joy, in the place of your deep sorrow.
And I will robe your heart in thankful praise
in exchange for your resignation and despair.
Now an offer is worth considering. What if it were true? I mean, what if Jesus really could and would do this for your broken heart, your wounded feminine soul? Read it again, and ask him, Jesus---is this true for me? Would you do this for me?
He can and he will----if you let him."
Wow...like the first time it clicked in my mind there is hope in healing our hearts while we are still on earth....we don't have to wait until heaven! This is one of the main reason Jesus came to earth!
Down below is most of Deb S. leader notes that she makes up for us almost every week and I thought I would reprint them for those of you who aren't able to come and also sometimes we run short on time and can't get through them all. Thank you Miss Deb for all your hard work you do on our behalf with the weekly introductions and the thought filled notes!
This is one of the core purpose of this book--to let us know that the healing of our feminine heart is available, and to help us find that healing. To help us find the restoration which we long for and which is central to Jesus' mission. Let Him take you by the hand now and walk with you through your restoration and release.
Why did God curse Eve with loneliness and heartache? He did it to SAVE her.
Hosea 2:6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
Jesus knows He has to thwart our self-redemptive plans, our controlling and our hiding, to thwart the ways we seek to fill the ache within us. Otherwise, we would never fully turn to Him for our rescue.
I know this may seem counter-intuitive, even mean spirited. I can see many of us wondering...why would God do this? Why would He set us up this way? The answer is because He knows deep in our hearts that we would never really come to Him if we did not need Him to rescue us. We might turn to Him for our salvation, and we might perform Christian service, regular church attendance. etc. But INSIDE, our hearts would remain broken and captive and far from the One who can help us. And so God allows, no actually He plans...to hem us in. He will make a great job miserable if it is a career we find shelter in. He will allow hardship in our marriage...if we are seeking total fulfillment through it. Whatever we have sought after, apart from him, He will allow to fall apart...all for the purpose of drawing us to Him..why...because He knows the joy, the fulfillment, the peace, the purpose, the love we will experience in Him and Him alone. Nothing else can or will satisfy.
Will you let Him come for you? Give Him permission, give Him access to your broken heart. Ask Him to come to those shattered, abused, wounded places.
So we need to recognize the messages that have been spoken and that we have received about us. You are worthless, you are a disappointment, there is something wrong with you.
It is so important that you are able to identify the message that came with your wounds. What did the wound made you believe about yourself?
And as we have said, the vows we made as children act like a deep seated agreement with the messages of our wounds. We vow to never again allow ourselves to be hurt, to be exposed, to be vulnerable...and these childhood vows are very dangerous things.
Once we have recognize the wounds, the vows the agreements we have made with these hurts, we need to renounce the agreements we have made. We need to give ourselves permission to grieve and to feel the hurts that many of us have been hiding all our lives.
Can we all say this together......
Jesus, forgive me for embracing these lies. This is not what You have said of me. You said I am Your daughter. I am Your precious child. I am Your beloved. I renounce the vows and agreements I have made with these lies. I reject them as untrue...and instead begin to embrace the words of love that You wish to pour out upon me Thank your Jesus. Help me Jesus....
And, as the book says, we must allow the tears, the anger, the remorse, the guilt, the shame, all of the feeling that have accompanied these lies all of these years.
The next step is to forgive. Forgiveness is a choice and not a feeling. By forgiving we are not saying that these things did not matter or we will ever forget them. Just the opposite is true-we are finally recognizing that they did matter. That they hurt us deeply. But forgiveness actually heals our souls. We choose to release people from the hurts they committed against us. And when we do, the hurts no longer hold US captive!
It might help to remember that those who hurt you were also deeply wounded themselves. They were broken hearts, broken when they were young and they also feel captive to the enemy. They were in fact pawns in his hands. This does not absolve them of the choices they made, or the hurts they inflicted. It just helps us to let them go...to know that the true enemy is the enemy of our souls...
Ask Jesus to heal.
Ask Him to destroy your enemies.
And these are not our physical enemies. These are the enemies of our soul--Satan, anger, fear, rejection, self-doubt, shame, addiction...
And now the most important part...let Him Father you!
And so let's pray together...
Father I need Your love. Come to the core of my heart. Come and bring your love for me. Help me to know you for who you really are---not as I see my earthly father. Reveal yourself to me. Reveal your love for me. Tell me what I mean to you. Come and father me.
If you are like me, you will need to continue asking God that question...and continue to allow Him to show you the answers to those questions...and I know He will...in deep and meaningful ways to each of you...in places you need it and need Him most!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)