God's Inner Healing - the Core of Christianity - Intro
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If you were to travel to California and see the large Redwood and Sequoia trees, you could see where Park Rangers have cut a slice of a tree and show the rings inside of it.
Buried beneath the bark and surface of the grand tree are layers of rings representing the years in that trees life. Some rings perfect in form, while others marred, scarred and telling a story.
a year it was struck by lighting
a few years where it battled a bug infestation
a time some hiker swung an axe at it
a year it struggled against drought
a year a forest fire burned through the region
Beneath the surface of the tree are the many trials and problems it endured - though now covered over by new layers, these scars buried deep in its core have effected the way it has grown.
The same is true of people!
We all have an exterior that everyone sees, but beneath our surface are years of experiences - many good, and many painful.
abuse as a child
an emotional wound from a parent
sexual mistreatment by a relative
a hurtful action
broken relationships
Unfortunately, we live in a world of damaged people, and damaged people damage other people. Every relationship is effected by the mental health of each person and often the way one was treated is how they treat others unless they learn to overcome the scars and pain.
We go through life trying to treat our anxiety, depression, self esteem and fears by treating the symptoms of these things rather than the root problem.
In coming to Christ, we have begun the journey for true healing, as Christ is the healer - but there is a process in that healing. Many live frustrated because they have accepted Christ, read their Word and pray, and yet still experience emotions that are harmful and painful because they have not yet truly applied principles in God’s Word that assist them in overcoming.
Today our world is filled with medication, both prescribed by a doctor and self prescribed, we turn to essential oils, alchohol, sexual encounters, monetary things all seeking something that will soothe our emotions when God wants to help HEAL those same emotions.
a glass of wine will relax you
lavender will help you destress
a sexual encounter will bring a sense of love
But will these things cure the cause or root problem??? The answer is still JESUS — and applying truths of God’s Word that don’t just cover but penetrate to bring lasting healing.
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses!
For the next several weeks I want to address several areas of “weakness” or emotional damage we demonstrate - the baggage we carry, and a Biblical solution to those areas.
1. What is Infirmity/ Weakness
1. What is Infirmity/ Weakness
This passage in Romans uses the word - weakness.
The Greek is ASTHENIA - it means weakness that causes the inability to produce results.
Those things in our lives that unable us to be emotinally healthy. Those things we cannot overcome on our own.
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted -
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,
Isaiah
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
The prophecy of the Messiah was one who took our weaknesses and sorrows -
Between Sin and Sickness is the emotional pain many carry - the sorrow, the damage, the weakness.
Are you aware that many physical ailments are emotional issues displayed in our physical being?
All of these issues whether our sin, our choice to respond to sin done to us, or often our sickness stem from these emotions - damaged by sinfulness.
Jesus came to heal and offered His body to be beaten and bruised enduring the shame we have endured from emotional damage - so He can bring healing to our complete person - body, soul and spirit.
God has provided healing for all of weaknesses through His blood!
2. Evidence of Damaged Emotions
2. Evidence of Damaged Emotions
A. A deep sense of being unworthy
The sense of inferiority, inadequacy, not being good enough -
This carries over in ability to accept forgiveness and peace from God and causes us to think he cant really love and forgive me. A lack of trust.
It often stems from an authority figure in our life that betrayed trust, or was unaccepting of us.
The sense of unworthiness can really hinder our walk with Jesus
B. Perfectionist Complex
There is always more I need to do
When we reach the top of the ladder in performance there are three more rungs to climb
This person is always striving and senses guilt and the need to be a bit better
Unfortunately, God becomes unattainable, unpleaseable and one never experiences victory in JEsus but only defeat
C. Super sensitivity
This person has usually experienced deep, deep hurt
They reached for love and approval and affection and experienced rejection instead
They see many things as personal affronts even though that was not intended by others
They may put on a hard edge to protect themselves from getting close to others
These people often think God doesn’t like them
D. Fears
People who live in fear suffer the greatest fear- the fear of failure, they would prefer not to try than to try and fail
These folks were probably victims of harsh abuse and being put down
They sit outside of life making excuses of what they dont like - the game, the rules, the referee to hide the fact they are afraid to engage.
They are afraid to be used of God, grow in God or do anything for God because they fear doing it wrong or being disciplined by God
They often say - it only it were like this...
They dream of escaping...
E. Sexual Problems
Many people who have been damaged emotionally struggle with sexual issues, whether promiscuity, homosexuality or achieving a proper relationship with a spouse.
They carry guilt and shame and often condemnation and are continuously trying to justify behaviors.
Our society is making a great defense of sexual perversion, but we are not seeing sexual deviancy for what it is - result of damaged people who have been wounded and hurt.
ALL OF THESE ABOVE ISSUES…
are pictures of damaged emotions in people’s lives.
No one person is bad or insignficant - Jesus came to bring healing...
The Lord wants to work in the lives of His people to bring restoration and healing!
3. The Repair Order
3. The Repair Order
How do we find healing?
First, realize that God wants to do HIS PART!
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
The Spirit wants to help us in our weakness!!!
The Spirit of God is referred to as COUNSELOR, COMFORTER, ADVOCATE - and he wants to bring us through to the OTHER SIDE OF OUR PAIN, He will walk beside us and lead us if we will allow Him to take us on the journey!
We must open up and allow Him to move in our hearts and lives, and respond to the Spirit rather than reject Him.
Then there is OUR PART!
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not force HIMSELF on anyone.
WE HAVE FREE WILL and must CHOOSE to exercise our will to be OBEDIENT TO SCRIPTURE and its teaching for healing.
The CORE OF CHRISTIANITY is FORGIVENESS and the CORE OF HEALING is also FORGIVENESS.
Let me name 6 things we must do in the process of healing our emotions.
1. Face the Problem Head on
With ruthless honesty allow God’s grace to be sufficient in our weakness
9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
We have to face the painful memories and experiences in order to work through them. If you won’t open up to God and address these things, your not allowing Him to work in them. Some would rather hold on to the painful memories because they find security in them, than face the road to recovery.
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Bring that memory out of the shadows with a spouse, clergy, counselor or close trusted friend.
2. Accept Your Responsibility
Before you get upset and say - “Pastor, it was not my fault that I was victimized by somoene.”
I agree!
But it is our responsibility how we reacted to that victimization. If we chose to hate, resent, not forgive, justify our own sinful behaviors, than we still have responsibility
Our society is always trying to justify our wrong choices because of victimization - but at some point we must accept our responsibility to stop the insanity… many don’t want to do this, it is easier to hold onto the pain as an excuse
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 jon 1.9
3. Ask yourself, “Do I want to be healed?”
Have you ever noticed that some thrive off the negative attention they get from their emotional woundedness? It becomes a crutch. a security blanket.
6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
Do we want to be well from the pain - are we sitting by the water watching the water stir and not attempting to get in?
4. Forgive Everyone Involved
The crux of the Gospel is forgiveness. Jesus taught us that we hold up our forgiveness if we don’t forgive others. We must be willing to choose to forgive those who have hurt us! We cannot hold onto unforgiveness.
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
No healing can begin without forgiving those who have hurt us.
5. Forgive Ourselves
God removes our sin as far as the east is from the west, we have mentioned this several times recently. Corrie Ten Boom said - he then puts up a sign saying “no fishing”
12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
If God can forgive us, we must forgive ourselves. If we accept our responsibility in responses that may have been wrong, or wrong behavior, we must release ourselves from our mistakes and forgive ourself.
Self righteous guilt is destructive!
6. Ask the Spirit what the Real Problem is and How to Pray
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
We can pray amiss - according to our will and wants. God will show us how to pray if we ask Him! Listen, and if the Spirit speaks through a spouse, counselor, pastor, friend - listen to the voice of the Spirit to be healed.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Let’s begin a journey to allow God to bring healing into our lives. Lay down the emotional exhaustion, and stop putting salve on what needs to be rooted out like a cancer in our lives. Allow the Lord to start His work in you!