Spiritual Healing - Part 2

God's Sweet, Living Water of Healing

Every individual has certain basic needs: Physical, Safety, Love, Belonging, Acceptance and Potential. If the fulfillment of any of these areas is thwarted, we will grow into adulthood with wounds from our childhood and early adult years. Satan plants a lie along with every disappointment we ever experience, and these lies influence our beliefs as adults. ( www.theophostic.com )

A lack of fulfillment in these areas of basic human needs can impact our ability to function normally as adults. In Part 1 of Spiritual Healing, I wrote about my anger and bitterness stemming from these needs not being met. In my case of experiencing abuse and deprivation, I grew up feeling fearful and insecure. This trauma caused a mental and emotional disorder due to the reoccurring stress (PTSD). 

Since I met the Lord Jesus Christ, however, I realized that the more intimate our union with Christ is, the more willing we are to totally surrender our life to God's will. This even allows us to look for the seeds of a miracle in every trial we experience. When we come to Christ, He gradually fulfills in us the unmet needs of our past and fills us with His sweet Living Water (John 4:14).

God also uses His process of sanctification to cleanse our thought life, because thoughts determine how we act. Our thoughts originate from three sources:

1. From our past, which is still alive in our subconscious mind

2. From our perception of life through our five senses

3. From satanic forces out to destroy us by distorting God's Truth     (1 Peter 5:8). (More in the next post.)

Prayer:

Father God, You warned us that Satan is our accuser (Revelations 12:10). Any negative thoughts sent to belittle and debilitate us come from him. If we surrender to Your will for each moment of our day, Your Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). Then, we will filter every situation in our life through Your lens of Truth (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). Remind us that if we are seated with You in heavenly places, we have no need to worry about our life on this earth.

Thought for the Day:

Nothing will occur in our life that is not already part of God's plan for us. - Ephesians 2:6,10

One Can Make a Difference

Read: Psalm 119: 57-64

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt 6:33 (KJV)

Satan delights in using stressed out lives, unfit bodies, and exhausted emotions in his efforts to create hindrances in our road to intimacy with God. We are too tired, too listless, too apathetic or too lazy. On the other hand, we just may not feel like sitting quietly, especially when our “to do” list is a mile long. In order to walk in God’s precepts, however, He calls us to choose to sit alone with Him and listen, reading His Word, singing His praises and giving thanks to Him in and for all things. If we seek God first, He will add everything to us that we need (Matthew 6:33).

We have several options other than waiting on the Lord. We can do what is right in our own eyes, we can make our choices in order to serve our own best interests as we pursue our own plans, or we can follow the whim of some significant other person in our life. Sometimes, we can even pursue religious activities and still live outside of God’s will, "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt 7:23)

Jesus gives us an example to follow when he emphatically stated, "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). Once we realize we are helpless without God leading each moment of our day, we come to realize that this is a vital key to living a fulfilled life.

Psalms 27:14 encourages us, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Waiting on the Lord is as important to our soul and spirit as breathing is to our body. Sometimes, God does not come when we call. We tend to blame our self, and it may happen that sin in us is blocking our communication with God at that moment. However, even David, the man after God’s own heart, experienced fatigue in waiting on God at times, “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God." (Ps 69:3)

When I sit at Jesus’ feet, I receive my marching orders for the day; I find my comfort and my strength; I receive His unconditional love and peace. "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope" (Ps 130:5). Then, as the Spirit of God directs me, I can go out into my world and spend my energies telling others what He has done for me, lending a helping hand to those in need, listening to a broken heart and encouraging one drowning in despair. I want to make a difference in my world, but I have to start by spending time alone with God (Proverbs 8:34).

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I compare my thoughts with Your Words and I judge them according to Your precepts. Help me to live like a thermostat to regulate the temperature in the world around me, instead of as a thermometer, which just registers the status quo.

Thought for the Day:

Make a commitment to change the world around you, one life at a time.

Consumed With Hope

Read: Job 11:13-19 (Hope-filled Verse)

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” - Romans 5:5 (NKJV)

Life rarely transpires as simply as we hope it will. Nothing is ever easy. Something usually goes wrong that rearranges our plans and causes stress, confusion and sometimes even depression. I know what it feels like to wallow in a hopeless cesspool of gloom. Only the mercy of God gave me the hope I needed to climb out of the dark pit of self-pity, which I dug for myself.

In Romans, Paul reminds me that if I have the courage not to give up, and if I hope in the Lord, then God will strengthen my heart. Daily, God prompts me to learn from my past mistakes and to meet each pure, fresh day with renewed enthusiasm. I find success if I obey His Spirit, even though it may greatly differ from what I had planned and regardless of what forces try to hinder me.

God did not promise us tomorrow, but He inspires us with His hope for today. Hope sheds light on our path, cheers us on our way, and grows brighter even if our circumstances darken. We also aid others along life’s way by empathizing with their discouragement; by sharing Bible verses with them, which lightened our heart; and by encouraging their hopes and dreams.

Prayer:

Lord, keep Your eye on those of us who hope in Your mercy. Remind us that our ultimate hope rests in living for eternity with You.

Thought for the Day:

Life in Christ is secure, because He is our hope.

Healing Us Completely

Read: Matthew 11: 28-30

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a well watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”  - Isaiah 58:11

The apostle Paul wrote a prayer for the church in Thessalonica asking for the God of Peace to sanctify them entirely and to preserve their SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY completely and without blame (1Thessalonians 5:13). The power of redemption is provided to not only sanctify our spirit, but also our soul and our body.

In the Hebrew Bible the term “soul” is nephesh. It is used 756 times. This word can refer to “life” (Genesis 1:30), or simply to the “person” (Deuteronomy 10:22). The soul is identified as the mind, will and emotions of man. It is the center of our feelings, desires and affections, which influence all of our choices and our actions.

Health specialists assert that those who have mental and emotional problems fill more hospitals beds than all the physical and surgical ailments combined. Psychosomatic illnesses, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, are cause by emotional wounds that pierce our soul. It happens when we cannot face the reality of our life here on earth, such as after traumatic events. PTSD occurs not only in the lives of soldiers, but also in anyone who suffers abuse of any kind. This trauma affects the connectors in our brain, as well as the very cells of our body. It also causes damage that goes deep into our soul.

Job experienced this trauma throughout the trials with which Satan plagued him. He felt like he teetered on the edge of a deep dark abyss. He prayed for his soul to be brought back from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life (Job 33:30). The Lord wants to heal us in every facet of our spirit, body and soul; so that our fellowship with Him will remain unhindered by the corruption of our carnal nature (Hosea 14:4). The Lord yearns for the restoration of our soul, in order to return it to the place of harmonious communion with Him, which was lost when Adam and Eve sinned (Jeremiah 32:37).

A generous, daily application of God’s Word to our lives does wonders for “restoring” our soul’s stability, as it also strengthens our spirit at the same time (Psalm 23:3). The inner healing we receive from an intimate relationship with God also eliminates the need for illegal pills, tobacco, alcohol, pornography, compulsive behavior, excessive financial spending, sex outside of marriage and all of the sins that kill both our body and our soul.

Jesus promised rest to all those that would come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30). The first step to receiving this eternal rest is through salvation, which embarks us on a life long journey with the God of the Universe as our best friend. Our spirit, which was dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), is Born Again. The second step comes when He restores our soul as we read His Holy Word. In modern society, we are so blessed that God gave us not only the Old Testament, but also the entire Bible to enjoy (Psalm 19:7). The third step comes when the peace and joy of God floods our soul through our daily communion with Him in prayer, which heals us of these wounds from the past. The final step comes as we walk in His ways and obey His precepts.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Psalm 23 describes us at the end of our human life. The shepherd author praises You as our great Shepherd, who restores our soul (Psalm 23:3). Not only do you award us with complete healing as we enter through the door of death into Heaven, but You also heal us through every dark valley we ever experience during our lifetime on this troubled earth. We stand in awe of You, and we sing Your praises now and throughout eternity.

Thought for the Day:
Make an appointment with our Great Physician, resolve to take His prescribed therapy, and watch your body, soul and spirit prosper (3 John 1:2).