HEALING EMOTIONAL ISSUES
‘For I am crucified with
Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and
the life I live, I now live by the faith of the Son of God.’ -- Gal.
2:20
Emotions should
not be the barometer of happiness or forgiveness in your life. The
emotional relief you can receive when you release someone else comes
through forgiveness. Emotional healing comes through a special
touch from God and your personal identification with Jesus'
crucifixion. Your healing comes from immediately forgiving the
offender and knowing that your eventual, but rarely immediate,
emotional well-being will occur by allowing the offense to be
reconciled through Christ's sacrifice. He paid a debt you could not
pay. He paid a debt He did not owe. By giving Him the offense,
somehow there is a kindred spirit that will draw you even closer to
Him. This happens because you experience his care and comfort over
it. There will come a time when your emotions will subside. You
will remember what happened and the pain will drift off into the sea
of forgetfulness on an old wooden cross. Then, someday, during a
time of grieving our losses, He will turn our tears into those of
pure joy.
If you don't work at it,
you will not find true happiness in life. Faith without works is
dead. Faith insists we take a step toward God. He never said it
would be easy but did say He would never leave us nor forsake us.
We can believe every truth and never find freedom if we don't
practice TRUTH in our life.
The way out is to
deny self and abide ‘in Christ’. The carnal nature does not know
the meaning of satisfaction. A person buried under layers of guilt
and shame cannot even see the problem; they are too busy trying to
meet the needs of their carnal nature. The Adamic, or carnal
nature, is self-centered; the spiritual person is Christ-centered.
The carnal minded cannot know the things of God's Spirit, because we
can only understand spiritual truth through the Spirit's
revelation. The only way to freedom is through the Cross of Christ
and letting his nature live through us.
When a person
comes to salvation ‘in Christ’, they become a new creation and God
places them objectively ‘in Christ’. In this new relationship,
Jesus shares God's riches and glory with us. We are co-heirs with
Christ. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit paved the road to recovery
for our peace of mind; their love and peace surpass all
understanding and will guard our heart and soul until the day of
redemption.
Through this new
relationship ‘in Christ’, a person can find the proper mirroring
that their previous significant relationships could not do. God
gives us a new identity when God immerses us into the body of Christ
by baptism. Through the community of believers, the church, they
find the mirroring, fellowship, and benefits of relationships to
establish their faith ‘in Christ’.
In order to be
healed, believers need to establish bonds with those healed
already. It takes healed helpers to help heal others. An injured
soul needs to find someone with love, compassion, and
understanding. The helper needs to understand the depth of the
wounds and the way that God works through them in order to establish
a trusting relationship to begin the healing process.
Most people
realize they are sinners. They just don't know what to do about
it. The helper's biggest job is to lead them to God, who wants to
repair all of our relationships. In order to find freedom, they
must embrace their responsibility and accept the fact that they
suffer the consequence of their own actions. Our defective defense
mechanisms will attempt to stop the self from exposing its true
nature, which is the key to being healed.
The guilt and
shame people experience from other's exposing their sin can be
extremely terrifying for most people. When a person is ready to
expose themselves, they need someone who will not make them feel
helpless and hopeless. They need a mature Christian who knows the
grace of God and has experienced grace in their own life. People
need acceptance for being just the way they are. When a person
knows acceptance they release the fear and no longer feel anxious
over possible rejection. Acceptance enables a person to embrace
God's forgiveness, agree with God, accept responsibility for their
mistakes, and come out of hiding.
GRACE
- GOD'S HEALING PRESENCE
Grace is the
unearned presence of God in our lives. Grace solely bases its
presence on the mercy and love it reveals toward humanity from the
benefactor. Grace is the unconditional love and acceptance that is
the foundation upon which God provided for our total healing through
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is love. He
personally involves Himself with us because of His divine nature.
His grace is the basis for our relationship with Him and comes
through Jesus Christ. Through grace we find God's presence in a
relationship, and nothing in heaven or earth can separate us from
God's love. Our faith, grace, and love are all gifts from God. We
cannot earn these gifts; and we can only accept them. They are
undeserved, but flow freely from the throne of God.
God's
providential care supplies our every need so we can accomplish His
will. These verses summarize His will for our life, ‘And we know
that all things work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.’ -- Rom
8:28-29
We can clearly see
that God has a purpose for our life. He revealed His purpose again
in Eph 2:10, ‘For we are His workmanship, created ‘in Christ’ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in
them.’
God structured a
new relationship with Him that bases itself on truth as pure as the
finest gold and found only in the purity of God's Word, the
Scriptures. He chose us to conform to the image of His Son, Jesus,
who came to reveal grace and truth through God’s love for us. By
the grace of God, Jesus redeemed us and paid the sin debt, therefore
now we are the children of God and ‘in Christ’ by His grace through
faith alone.
Without grace
there could be no restoration with God, because He is Holy. Only
through the precious sacrifice of Jesus can we hope to come before
God. He paid our debt, freely revealing the love of God for us.
Now that effort alone reveals His grace toward us! God desired an
intimate relationship with the real self; the person that may hide
behind the bushes because of the guilt and shame of sin.
Grace provided
perfectly for our forgiveness and acceptance. Along with
acceptance, God wants to direct our lives in a loving relationship
with Him. God knows who we are, what we are, and what we did, and
He still sent His Son to die for us while we were yet sinners. In
spite of our sinful nature, God restored our relationship. His plan
is so perfect and He is so loving and gracious that He provided
everything we need for holiness; we are perfected ‘in Christ’ and
Holy in His Eyes.
God places us ‘in
Christ’ objectively while we live on earth subjectively. His Word
reveals this in 1 Cor 1:30, ‘But of Him you are ‘in Christ’ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption.’
The grace of God
provides for our identity and position ‘in Christ’. This truth of
Scripture provides the only clear direction. We cannot find any
relationship with God without the revelation of grace; let alone an
intimate one. By grace and truth we have direction, balance, and
total acceptance. When grace and truth become present in our life,
they come through the person of the Holy Spirit. We have the
reality of Jesus present with us when we receive the Holy Spirit.
Through the presence of God in our lives, we begin to grow into the
likeness of our Savior, and that pleases our Creator. When grace
and truth take hold in our lives, the only other ingredient we need
is time to bear fruit in the knowledge and wisdom that comes from
God.
Relationships take
time to develop and it takes time to undo the damage done by living
outside of God's grace and truth. We see this in Rom 12:2, ‘And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God.’ We need time to renew our way of
thinking. God wants us to face the truth even when we are fearful,
because He wants us to know Him even as He knows us. We have the
assurance that He will always be here to help us. Jesus will never
abandon us '...For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor
forsake you’ -- Heb 13:5. It takes time and persistence to receive
God’s victory into our life. With surrender to God’s will comes
healing.
HEALING
COMES WHEN WE LIVE IN THE TRUTH
When we worship
God, we must come to Him in Spirit and in truth. The translation of
the word 'truth' used here readily translates reality. We can come
to God because we are acceptable to Him ‘in Christ’. Through Christ
we have a relationship with God. His desires total healing for us
-- body, soul, heart, mind, and spirit. God wants to spend eternity
with the creation He meant for us to be, not just an empty hearted
vessel. He wants us to share in His glory and not just be an
observer or a robot. His desire is for us to live in the freedom of
knowing ourselves and knowing Him in all His righteousness.
We all have
emotional difficulties because of the injuries we have suffered or
have caused others to suffer. When the injury occurs, if it is
traumatic enough, our defense mechanisms will automatically function
and we will not continue to develop emotionally. We will escape
reality temporarily. It is a false self we begin to project at that
point. Until we return to grace and truth, our development stifles
and we will not be able to worship God or communicate with Him in
Spirit and truth. There is no reality outside of living in God's
presence for a Christian. As Christians we cannot live after the
lusts of the false identity without clouding our view of Him. Until
we face reality, God withholds the revelation, and we are blind to
the truth. Also, the healing benefits of the Cross are not
effective for us.
God provided for
every aspect of our healing through the sufferings of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He heals and redeems our lives by experiencing life to the
full at whatever point we come to Him. We are eternal beings. Our
spirit within, clothed with this tent we call a body, just awaits
transformation to reveal the new creation we are. Our spirit is
waiting to be transformed by the power of the grace and truth
revealed in God's Word residing in us. There is a time for everyone
under heaven whom God calls to partake in the riches of Christ
Jesus.
The most important
relationship that we can establish is with God. With God all things
are possible. The message of the gospel is one of repairing
relationships -- God with humanity, then, man to man. The
reconciliation is the responsibility of the church. We see this in
Col 1:19-22, ‘For it pleased the Father that in Him all the
fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to
Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having
made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has
reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you
holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.’
In our
relationship with God we can find our true selves, the spirit
within, through the renewing of the mind. We can know unconditional
love because God reveals this love through the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. When we know unconditional love we can begin to heal
the relationships with those who offended us or we have offended.
Bonding is the
ability to establish and maintain an intimate relationship with
another person at the deepest level. We begin to bond with God the
moment we accept Christ and start to internalize memories of God.
We begin to love and attach to others. We begin to develop
emotionally, physically, and psychologically. The love and
compassion God shows us lays the foundation for healthy theology and
relationships.
The healing
process takes time because of the secrets hid beneath layers of
defense mechanisms. These mechanisms protect the inner person from
the belief that we are essentially defective. In order to find our
inner child or spirit, we need to unmask the false self we project
and reveal the truth about the corrupt nature we try to hide from
God and others. After establishing the new identity ‘in Christ’, we
need intimate relationships with people who will hold us
accountable. When we trust someone else, we begin to change our
belief system. Finding love and acceptance from others we become
vulnerable.
God's love heals
and allows us to change: to be conformed into the image of Christ.
God's love is unconditional. His love allows us to grow, live a
balanced life, and accept ourselves as he sees us. God knows what
we need to become whole and reflect the love of Christ through our
lives. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete
it.
God is willing to
heal us when we are willing to let the Holy Spirit begin the healing
process. He wants us to be free so that we can express His love to
others. God wants us to live in reality, to have a free will so we
can choose, to give us the desires of our heart, to express His
love to others, to enjoy a sound mind, and have the ability to grasp
the riches and glory we have ‘in Christ’.
As we heal, we
begin to understand the grace of God. We learn to look at others
through the eyes of God's love and compassion. We accept ourselves
for who God says we are and not for what we have done or not done.
We learn to see our self as ‘human beings’ instead of ‘human
doings’. When we come to this point, we accept our own self-worth
because we know of acceptance ‘in Christ’. Then, we can accept our
own humanness and allow God to work out our salvation through us.
When we love
ourselves, we can overcome the obstacles before us. God has given
us a spirit of love, power, and a sound mind. He begins to
establish us ‘in Christ’ through the revelation of His Word. He
begins to create the circumstances that will allow us to
experientially understand that we can do all things through Him who
created us. He wants us to come to the point of faith where we know
in our inner most being that all things will work out for our good
‘in Christ’ Jesus.
As we remain in
Him, His word will abide in us and we will know the peace of God
in our life. When we lose
our peace, we need to acknowledge our need and allow God to reveal
the secrets that keep us prisoner. Jesus won the war. The battle
in our mind can be won by faith alone in the finished work of Jesus
Christ. The result of the battle remains evident in the presence of
God establishing us in Jesus victory that cannot change. This is a
historical fact. Our victory comes by remaining or abiding in Him.
Jesus is the vine
and we are the branches. Apart from Him we can do nothing. We need
to remain in this personal relationship if healing is to take
place. Since God uses mankind to continue the work of Jesus Christ,
we must risk reaching out and risk being hurt. There is no other
way. Once we join a community of believers and establish some
intimate relationships the healing can continue. Until we establish
these relationships the healing work cannot begin. People need to
find and realize their true identity ‘in Christ’ to live the
‘Victorious Life’. People who want to know who they are. They want
to know their purpose in life. They need to understand their
relationship ‘in Christ’ with God. Through Christ we can risk
establishing relationships with others.
We need real
people in order to come out of hiding. Through the context of the
church we can socially find happiness and fulfillment. We need love
and to love others. We need to feel needed and accepted just as we
are. Through our relationship ‘in Christ’, the Spirit unites the
church in Him. Sharing our testimony of our experiences and
freedom, we can grow. This meets our basic need to belong.
God has provided
for all of our needs ‘in Christ’ Jesus. We were all born with a
tendency to commit sin because of our relationship to Adam. When we
were born, we had a propensity to sin because of our inherited
nature. We are sinners by nature. We all sin and need God's love
and forgiveness. When we accept God's judgment for sin, God accepts
the life of Christ as our atonement. When we accept Christ's
sacrifice for our sin God gives us eternal life ‘in Christ’. We
became a new creation when God renewed our spiritual relationship;
He (God) placed us ‘in Christ’ (1 Cor1:30).
Christians need to
identify with their new relationship with God. If we examine the
works of the false identity (carnal nature) in light of scripture,
we can observe the carnal nature working in our life. The corrupt
nature has a natural tendency to sin. The Christian who understands
this dilemma will reject their carnal nature and cry out to God for
help. God has already provided for all of our needs ‘in Christ’
Jesus, but we must be willing to accept the ‘Cross’, His answer to
the corrupt nature, in order to live the Abundant Life.
We need to accept
Christ's life and the Cross, or there will be no victory. This is
the only relationship that God has provided. Our life God has hid
‘in Christ’. In order to find our freedom, we have to lose it. To
find one's life, you must be willing to lose it. To find our
freedom, we must continue to walk in the light of God's Word and
expose the works of the carnal nature. Then, through God's manifold
grace working in our lives, we can receive forgiveness, forgive
others, and allow God's love to heal us. As we walk in the light,
God's Word will reveal the darkness. The only way to overcome the
darkness is to be obedient, take up His Cross, and continue to daily
walk in the light. When we Christians come together and understand
our relationship ‘in Christ’, we will find the fellowship and
acceptance which we all need and crave.
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