1. "Turn from the ways you have sought to heal yourself."
“Your enemy has seized upon your wounds and your sins to pin your heart down.”
We all have those “pet sins” that we personally develop in order to meet our needs instead of allowing God to be our Defender and Protector (Psalm 84:11). When we were wounded, something was stolen from us and left a void. If we do not fill that void with the grace and love of Jesus, we will fill it with something dangerous. We self-medicate, and it's sin. Find out what those sins are for you (or ask a spouse or friend if you are brave), and repent (ask God for forgiveness and change).
2. "Invite Him In."
After you have asked forgiveness for the sins that your wounds have caused, invite God into the middle of the hurt and pain. Then, surrender the hurt and pain to Him. Ask Him to heal you. Beg Him to heal you.
3. "Renounce the agreements you’ve made with your wounds."
We have all believed deceitful messages about our wounds. “Wounds bring messages that FEEL true, so we accept them as TRUTH.” Hence, God’s Word and His messages of love are known intellectually, but are lost on us emotionally. We have labeled ourselves. You need to spend some time in prayer and self-interrogation to discover what names/labels you have given yourself. Again, if you are not sure, more than likely you have verbalized these labels. Ask a spouse or close friend to listen for them..
My label was "idiot". I discovered it when I was in a counseling session and kept referring to myself as an idiot. Even now and again, I will resort to self-name-calling. My husband catches me and says, "No negative self-talk!"
4. "We find our tears."
You have to own the fact that your wounds are painful. You have to face the emotion. If you don’t, you will be suppressing years of pent up emotion and it will eventually leak out in weird behaviors. Hence, people out of “nowhere” have emotional breakdowns and begin to act insane. This is where you have to determine what your offenders owe you. This is the down and dirty part of forgiveness and healing. It's scary, that's why so many people don't do it. Might I suggest you get into professional counseling and have someone guide you through the process?
You have to own the fact that your wounds are painful. You have to face the emotion. If you don’t, you will be suppressing years of pent up emotion and it will eventually leak out in weird behaviors. Hence, people out of “nowhere” have emotional breakdowns and begin to act insane. This is where you have to determine what your offenders owe you. This is the down and dirty part of forgiveness and healing. It's scary, that's why so many people don't do it. Might I suggest you get into professional counseling and have someone guide you through the process?
5. "Forgive."
“We allow God to bring the hurt up from our past, for ‘if forgiveness doesn’t reach the emotional core of your life, it will be incomplete.’”
Important side-note here: You have to allow God to bring up the emotion from the past. Way back at Step 2 of this process, ask Him to dislodge the pent up emotion and to walk you through the pain. If you try to dig it up yourself, it is going to be disastrous. Some of you are in the bottom of your pit right now. You have definitely hit rock bottom. That is so good! Be encouraged! God has thwarted your own “redemptive plans” in order to draw you to Himself. You cannot seek salvation and safety anywhere other than God Himself. He will do whatever it takes to bring you back to Him.
6. "Ask Jesus to heal you. Beg Him."
7. "Let Him Father you."
Many of you have a “little girl or boy” trapped deep down inside. The innocent little girl or boy that experienced the deep pain. Find him/her. Love him/her. Surrender him/her to Jesus to nurture, care, love, protect, and heal.
8. "Ask God for a new name."
Refer back to Step 3…after you discover how you have been labeled by Satan, ask God to give you a new name. The name by which He calls and views you. This is so cool!!!
Okay…now for the practical side of things.
Because of our wounds and self-medicated responses, most of us have no clue who we really are. So, I need you to start keeping an “About Me” list. When you discover that you like something, write it down. When you find you don’t like something, write it down. Rediscover who you truly are: your favorite color, movie, food, restaurant, past time, book, etc. This is a cool thing to do. If you don’t start loving and caring for yourself, you will never allow God to do it.
“We allow God to bring the hurt up from our past, for ‘if forgiveness doesn’t reach the emotional core of your life, it will be incomplete.’”
Important side-note here: You have to allow God to bring up the emotion from the past. Way back at Step 2 of this process, ask Him to dislodge the pent up emotion and to walk you through the pain. If you try to dig it up yourself, it is going to be disastrous. Some of you are in the bottom of your pit right now. You have definitely hit rock bottom. That is so good! Be encouraged! God has thwarted your own “redemptive plans” in order to draw you to Himself. You cannot seek salvation and safety anywhere other than God Himself. He will do whatever it takes to bring you back to Him.
6. "Ask Jesus to heal you. Beg Him."
7. "Let Him Father you."
Many of you have a “little girl or boy” trapped deep down inside. The innocent little girl or boy that experienced the deep pain. Find him/her. Love him/her. Surrender him/her to Jesus to nurture, care, love, protect, and heal.
8. "Ask God for a new name."
Refer back to Step 3…after you discover how you have been labeled by Satan, ask God to give you a new name. The name by which He calls and views you. This is so cool!!!
Okay…now for the practical side of things.
Because of our wounds and self-medicated responses, most of us have no clue who we really are. So, I need you to start keeping an “About Me” list. When you discover that you like something, write it down. When you find you don’t like something, write it down. Rediscover who you truly are: your favorite color, movie, food, restaurant, past time, book, etc. This is a cool thing to do. If you don’t start loving and caring for yourself, you will never allow God to do it.
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