Healing in the Presence of God

I want to answer the following questions and talk to the following people today: 1. Why do I feel like I have no purpose, value or meaning to my life? 2. Why should I care about processing my feelings, pains and traumas? 3. I know I have pain in my heart and I want to go away, but I dont how to do that or where to start. 4. I feel like I can’t talk or open up to anyone about my problems but I need help, what can I do? 5. I have hidden pains, secrets and sins that I deal with on a monthly, weekly and/or daily basis but I am guilty, afraid, and/or ashamed to open up. What should I do? 6. I have lived with a deep pain in my heart for so many years and I feel fine with it now. It has become a normal part of my “personality.” Why do I have to bother processing it now? 7. I feel alone in my pain and I feel like no one will ever understand what I am going through. I feel like I am going to be judged for being overdramatic or wimpy and soft. What should I do? ***Lets pray*** *What does the bible say about our hearts? Anyone know any verses? *Who here loves using their phone? Go to Proverbs 4:23. CSB, NASB, KJV Proverbs 4:23 Read only the first half of the verse, before the comma. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23 NASB Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. CSB Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

KJV

*Make sure to keep the verse on your phone for us to finish reading it later.

Notice the words that God uses to describe the level of effort he wants you to put when it comes to your heart. “Above all else.” “With all Vigilance,” “With all Diligence.” Vigilance also means watchfulness: full attention of the mind to guard against danger and providing safety. Diligence also means carefulness and love. Readiness in care and caution for something out of one's love for it. (Slide - Place picture of me and Ella when I first held her) The same way I held Ella for the first time, I was vigilant and diligent to hold her tight and not drop her because of the value and love I had for her. This is the same importance that God wants you to place for your own heart. *Question for you guys: Why is your heart so important to God? Because the devil is after it. Why is the devil after it? The bible says: Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

*So why is the Devil after your heart? It's the very thing you need to believe in Jesus. -You can hear the Gospel, and not accept it into your heart. -You can see the works of God, and not trust him with your heart. -You can use your mind to remember all the bible verses about God telling you that he loves you and saved you from your pain, loneliness, addiction, sickness and sin, but if your heart is not willing to open up in humility and accept that as truth, you cannot be saved.

*How many of you would sell your soul to the devil? So why are you giving him your heart for free?

Second part of Proverbs 4:23

The source of Life, the springs of Life, the issues of life. *So what does this tell us? God is telling you to keep, watch and guard your heart with all the care, love and caution, because it is the source, spring and outlet in that everything in your life comes from. That means that if you fail to watch, guard and keep your heart; you are putting at risk damaging, destroying and hurting the very thing that will allows you to believe in Jesus. *I aint trying to risk that Think about your heart as a garden. Jesus in Matthew 13 compares the heart to a garden. What being planted in your hear and what are you allowing to grow? 1.Beautiful, healthy fruits that bring nourishment and true pleasure from the Holy Spirit Or 2. The weeds of the lie of the Devil that begin to grow bitterness and dryness in your heart. The rocks of offence that don't allow room for God’s love to take root. The thorns of trauma that continue to grow deeper and more painful the longer you leave them in. The life a person is living is a reflection of things they allow into their heart. A lot of times people blame the Devil or the things around them for the life that they are living, but it all truly comes from the way they manage their heart. And there are some people that are really good at hiding the true condition of their heart. Jesus warns of people of hiding themselves behind the mask of being holy and happy. Mark 11:12-14. Jesus one day was hungry and at a distance he say a fig tree that was full of leaves, but as he got closer to it and moved assign the cover of the leaves, he found that there was no fruit on the tree. As much as you try to hide it, Jesus will always go directly to your heart. As well as you may be doing in school, as many friends you can have, as many jokes you can make and as many hours a day you can be playing videos or playing sports and seem to look like you are having a good successful and happy life, the true condition of your life will be found in your heart. Jesus knows the pain that is in your heart.

Might feel like you are fine because you have managed to convince yourself that you are fine but you have been able to manage ways to cope with the pain and loneliness. God is more concerned with the true state of your heart rather than the actions you display on the outside. *** Share story about the family issue that happened this week *** Share my heart when it comes not wanting to change their behaviors more than wanting to change their hearts. *** Apologize for leading them the wrong way and getting frustrated. Be real with them and share your heart. ***Share experience with a mom that cared more about the actions than the heart. Clarify that she did care about the condition of my heart and always led me to forgive my dad and to restore my heart to God, but it was always more to cause me to do more than it was for me to just be healed.

Religion tries to change you from the outside. but Jesus leads you to change from the inside-out

John 4:14 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” He knows that the world will give you something to satisfy your thirst for validation, love, purpose, peace, and joy. And while the world may try give you a temporary substitute, it is only a substitute or suppressor of the real emotions you have in your heart.

The things of this world will never be able to erase or satisfy the pains in your heart. You can drown in alcohol and never be free from your depression. You can satisfy your loneliness with sex for a moment and be left feeling even more empty and worthless than before. You can suppress your anxiety pills and weed but it will come back up once it's time to face reality again. There is a remedy that the world will try to convince you that is better and easier to obtain. But at the end of the day, it will end up costing you more time, money and pain to try to maintain a pain that only Jesus can heal. God is telling you, stop giving yourself to lesser loves. Come to me. God wants to heal your heart, not change your actions.

Healing in your heart comes from the belief of the price paid for on the Cross.

If you believe that Jesus payed the price for your sin, you no longer need to be guilty of it. If you know that Jesus bore your pain on the cross and has forgiveness you of your mistakes and offenses towards him, he gives you the power to forgive.

You cannot say that you are not strong enough to forgive someone when you haven't even given God the chance. Are you not strong enough or are you not bothered enough with the fact that the Devil is controlling your life? Are you not strong enough or are you comfortable in your depression? God is calling you to see and to feel the truth in your heart. Some of you may be unaware of the pain in your heart, but I believe many of you are too hurt to admit that you are in pain. Or too prideful. And for some, the hurt is so bad, you are too scared to unpack that. Let me give you some comfort right now.

God already knows the condition of your heart, but he wants you to acknowledge your need for help. He needs you to be the one to take the first step on this side of eternity.

Jesus has already given up himself on the cross to give you access back to the place where every needs was meet. If you really want to be healed from your pain and see a change in the condition of your heart, now its your turn to open up your heart in his presence.

But many of you guys don't believe that it's possible. When you believe something in your heart, no matter what you hear and know in your mind, that will take over. Your heart is ruled by experience and your mind is ruled by knowledge.

There are experiences with your parents that lead you to believe in God the father in a certain way that blocks his love from entering your heart.

Some of you have had experiences where you have never been shown love from a father and that stops you from believing that God the Father loves you for who you are.

There are experiences with friends that lead you to not trust in Jesus when he calls you his friend and that he will never forsake you.

***Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. You avoid emotions and feelings because you feel that it’s weak of you to feel. Jesus says those that feel are blessed, because they have grown to the maturity to be true to themselves and say “I am hurt and I need help.” When you walk in that level of vulnerability, God sends his Holy Spirit to comfort you.

Some of you are scared to feel because you believe that you will just live in an endless cycle of pain so you prefer to push it down.

Others are afraid to feel because they believe they are alone in that pain. The bible says that there is nothing that man has gone through that Jesus has not been tested in. That includes all manner of pain. He knows your pain and wants to heal you in his presence today.

What do the fruits of a hurting heart look like?

- Sadness

- Loneliness - Depression

- Anger

- Suicidal thoughts

- Seeking attention - Seeking validation

-Temporary satisfaction to numb the pain (Drugs, alcohol, sex, food, dangerous situations, doom scrolling)

- Low self esteem

- Worthlessness/Unworthy

- Indifference with ones self or others But what does Jesus give you? - Unconditional and everlasting Love So I want to ask these questions again 1. Why do I feel like I have no purpose, value or meaning to my life? You have not experienced his love 2. Why should I care about processing my feelings, pains and traumas? Because he poured is blood out for you so you can have the power to overcome it. 3. I know I have pain in my heart and I want to go away, but I dont how to do that or where to start. Start with accepting the fact that Jesus loves you and wants to take your pain away. 4. I feel like I can’t talk or open up to anyone about my problems but I need help, what can I do? Jesus is waiting for you with open arms of love and grace. 5. I have hidden pains, secrets and sins that I deal with on a monthly, weekly and/or daily basis but I am guilty, afraid, and/or ashamed to open up. What should I do? Know that Jesus knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb and he knew everything you have done, are doing and will do, and he still choose to die for you because he loved you. 6. I have lived with a deep pain in my heart for so many years and I feel fine with it now. It has become a normal part of my “personality.” Why do I have to bother processing it now? Because there was a great price to pay for you to be made whole. 7. I feel alone in my pain and I feel like no one will ever understand what I am going through. I feel like I am going to be judged for being overdramatic or wimpy and soft. What should I do? Jesus was been tempted in all things that he can sympathize in our weakness and we can find hope in his suffering

No matter how hurt you may feel, God’s love will never stop pursuing you until you are free.