Arrested Development

Photo credit: http://izoooba.deviantart.com/art/Sad-Kid-244199365

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things." -1 Cor 13:11
 
Dr. Paul Hegstrom is the author of a book called Broken Children, Grown Up Pain. A psychologist himself, Dr. Hegstrom describes a phenomenon known as "arrested development", in which people are emotionally stunted due to past childhood traumas that occur before the ages of 9 and 12 years old. 

I went through a biblically-based training he developed called Lifeskills, and the knowledge and revelation I received was truly life-changing. Traumatic experiences are classified as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, and excessive rejection. When these experiences happen when we're young, we take them in as truth. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." -Proverbs 22:6 The enemy's lies about us and our identity can get planted very early - limiting us from being able to receive God's love for us and understand our true identity and calling in Him. 

Dr. Drew Pinsky, famed celebrity psychiatrist and host of the show Loveline also describes this phenomenon happening in our culture today, as it relates to the increasing trend of narcissism: "As I continue to talk with these people {celebrities}, they usually reveal childhood experiences that were clearly traumatic - the kinds of damaging episodes that are at the root of narcissistic disorders." pg. 106, The Mirror Effect 
 
But, there is good news! God can heal us of any kind of wound we may have experienced during our growing up years. "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard."  - Isaiah 58:8 

Can you see any areas where you might be arrested in your emotions? Can you see where others might have had some wounds in their past? Pray and ask God to help to heal you in these areas, and that you also might be a healing force in the life of someone else. Our heavenly Father desires that we be healed of any lie from the enemy, so that we can grow strong in our faith and know His love, be free from our wounds, and come to full maturity in Him. His love never fails. (1 Cor 13:8)

Why Judgement?

 

“I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty.”  -Exodus 34:7

All throughout the Old Testament it seems like the Israelites are getting judged.  They are good for a while, then they get a bad king, and he leads them into idol worship.  Then God sends a prophet to judge and save the nation and they get cleaned up again and worship God.  Then they get a bad king and they start all over.  It’s like being on a roller coaster ride!

I used to think that God was angry and judgmental.  I couldn’t relate to Him because I thought He was sitting on His throne, furrow-browed and uncaring, judging the world of their sin.  I certainly didn’t measure up.  Finally, I had a REVELATION of Him and His love...

But recently, I had a revelation of judgement.  It may sound strange, but I finally understood why God judged people back in the Old Testament. 

God was angry with the people when they worshipped idols.  Why?  Why couldn’t the people just do what they wanted?  When idol worship was happening, sin was rampant.  There was MUCH more crime, abuse, corruption, greed, sexual promiscuity, orgies, and all sorts of craziness happening when a bad king who worshipped idols was in power.  (Habakkuk 2:15) Because God created people, He knew that the best thing for us was to place Him on the throne of our lives, worshipping and loving Him.  His heart broke when the people didn’t do what He said, not because of the mere fact that they disobeyed Him, but because of everything it entailed.  Most of all, it was because they were separated from Him and His love.

God could not let sin go un-judged, because that would mean the injustice the people did to one another meant nothing. Because God is a God of love and justice, He cares when we get hurt. So, He has to step in and set boundaries so we won’t continue to get hurt, continue to hurt ourselves, or continue to hurt others. Most of all, He needed them to know that He was their God, and by following and serving Him, they would experience long life, blessing, and God’s presence and love with them. God's judgement was because of His love.

Now, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are living in a season of grace.  But, we can choose whether or not we want to live within God’s protection, experience His healing, and live in eternity with Him.  Will you decide to live under His protection, so that His blessings can forever follow you?  (Ps 23:6)

Identificational Repentance

"Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots."  -Luke 23:34

There was a lady who felt very called to prayer who experienced something unusual one day.  All of a sudden, she began to feel very depressed and hopeless, and felt very angry toward her spouse and her children.  This was very out of the ordinary for her, and couldn't explain the reasons for her feelings.  The woman confided to her husband how she felt.

“Hmm,” he said.  “Do you know anyone who may feel that way?”

The woman began to think and a lady came to mind in her small group at church. 

“Yes, actually, I do,” she said.  Her husband said, “I’m wondering if maybe the feelings you’re experiencing aren’t really yours, since there is nothing you can think of that might have caused them.  Let’s pray together for this person, that God would turn their heart to forgiveness for whatever might be happening in their life during this time.”

So, the woman interceeded for the lady she knew, pressing into God and asked forgiveness for any feelings of bitterness, resentment or anger the woman might have been feeling, especially toward her spouse and children.  She knew she could not do what Jesus did and take away the sin or take the feelings away completely, but she knew that by her standing in prayer on behalf of the woman she could shift the spiritual atmosphere around her life and hope to create a fertile ground for openness, blessing, and healing.

A few weeks later, she met the woman at the Bible study.  “How are you doing?” she asked.  “Oh my gosh, I’m a lot better,” the woman confessed.  “I had had a lot of anger going on against my husband and children and I was very overwhelmed.  But something changed in me a couple weeks ago and I began to thank God for the things He had put in my life, trusting Him for the outcome even though I can’t see the end right now.

The woman smiled but didn’t say anything, knowing there was a reason for her feelings and for her heartfelt prayers.*

Is there anyone you feel called to interceed for today?  Pray that God would give you the discernment and grace to know how to pray for those He brings to mind. 

*Story adapted from the book "A Royal Priesthood" by Dennis Wiedrick

Love with No Agenda

"For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" -Galatians 5:14

 

How can we best share the gospel with others? There is an art to doing it, for sure. I remember trying to share Jesus with a friend of mine when I was young, and she asked me why she should believe in Jesus. I pleadingly replied, "So you don't go to hell!" 

Thankfully, there is a much better way to let people know about Jesus' love for them.

Leif Hetland's main passion is to go to places where they have never heard the name of Jesus - especially in Muslim countries. Since the inception of his ministry, thousands have come to know Jesus all over the world. Leif has this to say about how to be successful sharing Jesus with others: "As soon as love has an agenda, it is no longer love." He's said he's had the greatest success loving people, serving them, and bringing God's kingdom into their lives - without having an agenda. Naturally the leaders they talk to want to know what is different. Healing and miracles are a big part of what they do. 

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way." - 1 Corinthians 13:4

 

Where there is no agenda, fear is gone. Will you commit yourself to loving others with no agenda?

Naturally Supernatural

"Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." -John 14:12

Have you ever wondered how to walk in the supernatural?  Many people desire to walk in the supernatural, but few know how.  There is always the danger of looking like a crazy person - repelling more people from the gospel than attracting them to it!  But, there is a way to bring the supernatural to earth, naturally.  God desires for each of us to walk in the supernatural, as His Son did.

Bethel Church Atlanta (at the time of this writing) experiences an average of 1 miracle a day through the faith of their members.  This happens by their members stepping out in faith and having open eyes and ears to what the Father is saying.  

A woman shared one Sunday morning about how she and her husband were led to talk to some teenagers who were passing by on the street.  The woman had perceived that one of them was struggling with foot pain, so she asked the group if one of them did.  A young man spoke up and said he had foot pain. She then asked if she could pray for him, and he said yes.  After they prayed, he had no more foot pain! This event led to an open door to the woman sharing her faith, and one of the teenagers gave their lives to Christ. 

Now that’s naturally supernatural! 

Have you ever stepped out into the supernatural? Have you ever had an impression for someone or a word of knowledge about someone and stepped out in it?  If you’re not sure how, find a place where the walking in the supernatural is taught. Let us be people of the supernatural, so that God’s kingdom can flow through us into the lives of others, naturally. 

Forgiveness

"Forgive people when they do wrong things to you. If you forgive them, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive them, your Father will not forgive you." -Matthew 6:14-15

 

Forgiveness can be so hard sometimes. Someone you think should know better, someone you thought you could trust, someone you depended on who let you down - abuse, mistreatment, betrayal - we will all experience hurts, disappointments, and frustrations in life.

Although we may know better, sometimes it feels better in the moment to hold on. Parents, teachers, peers, friends, neighbors, bosses, companies, churches, government officials, ourselves, God - the list could go on and on. "It serves them right," we say. The immediate gratification of making our feelings known or acting upon them seems like the right thing to do... in the moment. 

However, in that split second, we forget how detrimental unforgivness can be. Harboring unforgiveness can result in diseases in our bodies, fear, anxiety, anger, and troubled or estranged relationships. When we feel we cannot forgive, the person it hurts the most is us. This is where we need God's intervention and healing. We need to make forgiveness a priority and realize that it is ALWAYS better to forgive - to let God take it, and let God be God. Forgiveness frees our minds, gives us peace, and brings us closer to God's purposes for our lives.

I went to a training one time that taught the participants to practice "pre-forgiveness," the act of forgiving someone before they do anything - deciding that no matter what they have done in the past, could do now, or will do in the future, we have chosen to forgive. 

"Then Peter came to Jesus. 'Lord, if my brother keeps on hurting me, how many times should I forgive him?' he asked. 'Should I forgive him seven times?' 'No, not just seven times, but forgive him seventy times seven times', Jesus said." -Matthew 18:21&22

 

Is there anyone you need to forgive today? Is there an issue in your heart that feels unresolved? Resolve yourself to forgiveness. Let us be pure in mind and in spirit so that God will "find nothing in us" (2 Peter 2:2) that the enemy could use to deter us from God's purpose for us.

Solve People's Problems, but Let Them Find the Answer

"I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through Me." ~Jesus, John 14:6

When I was a little younger, I needed help with something. At the time, there was only one person who could help me - my dad. My mom thought at the time that since he had the means, he should be the one to solve my problem. It had been extremely hard for me to ask for help, so when I did, I had expected for him to say yes. Instead, I got a different response: He said, "no."
 
I was taken aback by his response. At my time of most dire need, how could my father, who obviously had the means, not be willing to help his only child? I was hurt, let down, isolated and felt so abandoned. I queried, "How could there be no one to help me? God, why is my life this way? Am I not worthy of someone's help, in my time of greatest need?" I cried and cried, and felt pretty pitiful.
 
But then, I realized I could not place my trust in a man, even if the man was my father. I had to place it in God. And He turned up in a greater way then I could have ever thought possible. He had solved my problem, in a much bigger way.
 
Later, dad and I were having dinner, and the topic emerged in conversation. He said, "I knew you would be hurt, but I also knew that if I solved your problem, you wouldn't have found the answer, and grown as a result?
 
That was huge. Much of the time, we expect others to solve our problems. Often, we are let down as a result. But if we realize that the source of all things is our Father in heaven, we can rest assured that our future rests in his hands, and when we place our trust in him and are obedient to His will, he is not going to let us fall.
 
Who or what is your source? Is it in a lifestyle, a boy or girl, a substance, or a mentality? Ask God to show you what is needed to resolve your problems. He has all the answers we will ever need.

True Healing

"Those troubled by evil spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all." Luke 6:18, 19 

Have you ever heard of miraculous healings? Perhaps you've only heard of them in the Bible, happening way back in Jesus' time. But is there healing today, in the here and now?
 
Jesus said, "Believe, that you may do these things and more, for the helper is coming to you." The helper is the Holy Spirit. And he did not say way back when--he said now, today, tomorrow, forever. That same power can be imparted to us today for the working of miracles and healing of the sick. But it begins with Jesus.
 
Jesus is our true healer. He promises to restore us to perfect health. We may not know when this healing will take place. We may not know how. But we can be sure that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God does not change. And healing is in his nature, because his nature is completion. When we get closer to God, the miraculous can happen. When we seek the face of Jesus, we can see wonders. And when we're led by the power of the Holy Spirit, the miraculous can happen for others.
 
Do you desire healing? Does someone you know and love need the healing touch of God? Ask God today about His healing power to restore you. It may not be what we expect, but God knows our hearts, and He knows what we need most. Trust Him today and have faith that he will restore whatever has been damaged in your life.

Having Good Boundaries

"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." -Proverbs 25:28

Have you ever heard the term 'boundaries' before? The word may conjure up images of a fence or a wall, but the idea of boundaries has come up in recent years as it relates to our emotional and spiritual health and interactions with others. Drs. Cloud and Townsend have written a great book on the subject entitled Boundaries. Why are boundaries important?

Boundaries give order to our lives, and our world. If we didn't have them, our lives would be out of order. Imagine if you always stayed up late and got up early. You would always be exhausted. Your work would suffer, your relationships would suffer, and so would your health. Exercise habits, sleep schedules, dietary choices, time management, financial management, and relationships are all about good or poor boundaries. The Bible talks about boundaries. In the garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve both freedom and boundary. The Ten Commandments are a set of boundaries that God set up to help us be successful in life.

Perhaps the most elusive type of boundaries are the ones we need to have have with others. They may or may not make sense to us due to the way we were raised.

Recently a friend was sharing with me an experience she had had over the holiday between her and a family member of hers. This family member had said aloud that he did not like her music, (she is a musician), which was fine, but the statement came across as rude and belittling. She told him he was that he was entitled to his own opinion, but that she didn't appreciate the belittlement. He later apologized for his behavior.

The stronger we become in Christ, the stronger our boundaries become. But, this doesn't mean we shut people out. Conversely, we are in a better position to give and receive love. We are safe to be ourselves because we have set good boundaries in place in order to do so. As we realize more and more about God's nature and character we realize how He operates. He invites us to live within certain boundaries so that we can live a free and holy life, pleasing unto him, and a blessing to those we encounter.

Where are God's boundaries? What kind of boundaries should we have as His children? Make sure you are not a "city without walls" so that God can use you greatly for His kingdom.

Weapons of Warfare

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” -2 Corinthians 4:10

My dad turned to me one day and said something I had never really thought about before. “You know,” he said, “you have so much at your age that I never had.  It’s like you have a tool belt full of weapons against the enemy.”  He was referring to the preparation I had been undergoing through a series of trainings, and the healing work that God had been doing in my life.

“I guess you’re right!” I said. I knew he wasn’t necessarily saying it so I would feel proud of myself, (although I could tell he was proud.)  He was saying it so that I would recognize the responsibility I had to be able to help others.

The Bible talks about weapons of warfare. It makes a clear distinction between the weapons of this world and weapons in the spiritual realm. The Message version states:  “The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.”  

 

What are our weapons of warfare?  They include faith, prayer, grace, revelation, love, and God's truth.  Most of all, they are the things we have been through that God has healed and delivered us from.  Once we have overcome and are healed, we have the ability to speak truth to that obstacle in someone else’s life with authority.  (2 Cor 13:4)

When we align ourselves with God’s Word, we are taking a clear stand between us and the forces of darkness.  However, when we speak of weapons, it's not people we're looking to use them on.  It's the darkness.  So often we make the mistake of trying to shoot at the enemy, but we end up shooting the person he is holding hostage instead.

Do you know the weapons of warfare God has given to you? Let us use these weapons to remove obstacles to God, so that people can live free and unfettered in the saving grace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Uproot the Root!

 

Source

"And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'" -Exodus 34:6-7

Have you ever had a problem that you simply could not get rid of?  Have you ever had something, whether an emotion, a habit, or a particular thought pattern, no matter how hard you tried, you could rid yourself of it - even after confession and repentance? After we become a Christian and we are “born again” this doesn’t mean that our battle with sin is over.  It simply means that we have become “new in Christ.”  (2 Cor 5:17)  Freedom from sin is a journey, as God reveals what is hidden in our hearts, bringing them to light and into His cleaning power.  (1 John 1:7)

Sometimes we may struggle with something that we've "always" seemed to struggle with. This problem may have had an origin long ago – even before we were born.  We may notice that those in our family struggle with similar issues, or perhaps we never even noticed it was a sin before we became a Christian. But as we walk on our journey, and the Holy Spirit begins to reveal certain things to us that were once okay and are now not as okay anymore, we may realize that something has a hold on our life that shouldn’t.

Once I heard a man speak to a church group about his struggles with sexual sin.  He explained to the audience that infidelity and sexual thoughts were something that he had always struggled with, and he had never known life without these issues.  He kept on going through “sin management”, where he confessed and repented for his actions but would see the same issue rear its ugly head 6 to 8 weeks later.

Eventually, this man received a revelation from the Holy Spirit through reading the scripture that “confession” means to “discover the root” and repent of the root in order to get free.  Since he had no recollection of when the issue began, he realized he was not the one who opened this door to sin initially. Only when he confessed the “genesis” of these issues, where they began from his father and grandfather, was he able to become truly free of their influence.

Are there any issues in your life that you struggle with continuously?  Pray and ask God to show you where they may have their root.  He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us so we can have complete freedom in Him!

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."  -Ephesians 1:7

Living by Faith vs. Living by Emotion

"A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones." -Proverbs 14:30 (MSG)

We tend to live by emotion in our culture. "Just do what feels right," seems to be the general norm. Many of our thoughts about right and wrong are based on our emotions, on what we perceive is right, or wrong.
 
When someone hurts us, we stand on the perceived reality that they "hurt our feelings." Sometimes we imply a motive behind others' actions which causes us to wrongfully judge them instead of asking about their intentions. We fail to employ discernment to see if the wound had a deeper root from something from our own past or even theirs. And then, we often do not do the even deeper work to discover and let God restore and heal what's broken through the power of forgiveness.
 
Faith, although a substance like emotion, is different from emotion. Faith comes as a response to God's words that knows that what the Bible says is true. It is a response to situations which says, "My God is in control."
 
When we live by emotion, it's like our faith hasn't fully taken root in our hearts. It hasn't yet extended to those situations that make us upset. Jesus described it in this way: "The seed cast in the gravel - this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it." -Matthew 13:20
 
Character is what we do when no one else is looking. It's also what we do in the midst of challenge. Do we bend and fold, or are we able to stand strong on the foundation of our faith? Living by faith ensures a firm foundation. Although it is natural to feel emotion, we should not make decisions based on our emotion. We should make them based on our faith.
 
"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." -Matthew 7:25
 
Let us be like the house on that firm foundation of faith, as we place our faith and trust in God with whatever difficulties come our way - no matter how we feel.