*This article originally written for our monthly newsletter in November 2024.
One of the best things about this faith journey we are all on is the fact that the Lord is truly about making you and me whole. It is His pleasure to pick up the pieces of our shattered souls and not just put them back together, but to make us new. We live in a world where pain, grief, abuse, illness, and brokenness touch each one of us, and we are in need of inner healing…and the good news is the Lover of our souls has the desire to do just that!
Sometimes we go through traumatic experiences or face the death of a loved one, and we can easily see the cause of the brokenness and pain in our hearts. We find ourselves crying out to Jesus to touch us and remove the pain, but we continue to walk around with a hole in our hearts. The sky always seems to be cloudy, and the tears are never far away. The scriptures tell us the joy of the Lord is our strength, but we may not even be able to remember the last time we laughed. The striving and yearning in our hearts is so exhausting, and we feel like we are just existing – definitely not stepping into this joy.
Other times, we are experiencing these same emotions but may not even know why our joy is being stolen, and we walk around sort of numb to the world, thinking this is all there is and there is nothing we can do about it
John 10:10 says, “A thief has only one thing in mind – he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect – life in its fullness until you overflow!”
So whether you know the cause of your pain or not, you are being stolen from and Jesus is definitely not okay with it! He came to give us LIFE – not numbness, apathy, or grief. He is inviting you into this abundant fullness of life, and He willingly reaches out His hand to you to heal all the brokenness.
This all sounds wonderful, and maybe you have heard this many times before. Yet, it doesn’t seem to be reality in your world. Can I share with you a simple exercise that can get the healing we all desperately need started in your personal life? It may sound too easy, but I encourage you to give it a try and see what happens!
Sometime when you have a quiet moment and can spend a few moments with Jesus, (1) ask Him to clear the whiteboard of your mind. Yes, imagine with me for a moment that your mind is like a whiteboard. All the things you encounter every day: images you have seen, videos and movies you have watched, and experiences that have happened to you that all put stains on your whiteboard, clogging up your ability to hear His voice. (2) Ask Him to wash the whiteboard of your mind as you ask Him for forgiveness of all the stains that have happened. (3) Next, ask Him to silence all the voices that are not His: the voices in your mind that tell you how you should think or act, the voice that accuses you, or even your own voice.
(4) Now, simply ask Him, “Holy Spirit, is there a lie I am believing about __ ?” (whatever is in your heart that hurts right now.)
When the spontaneous thought comes, write it down. It might be tempting to reason it away or second guess. Try not to do that. Trust that HE is telling you what you are believing. There is no shame in believing this lie – after all, the lie comes from the liar, your enemy, and not from you. Jesus took all our shame on the cross once and for all, so we do not have to jump into guilt when we discover that we are operating out of a wrong belief. All we need to do now is confess it and repent. The word “repent” literally means to turn around. He will immediately wash you in His forgiveness. It’s yours!
(5) Now, simply ask Him, “Holy Spirit, what is the truth?” Write down what He says. You can ask Him to show you the root of the lie you were believing and when and where that lie invaded your heart. He will take you to that time. When He does, ask Him to show you where He was. Let His immense love wash over you as He heals that moment in your life, and replaces all the pain with the truth of His love and healing
This simple exercise is something you can do as often as you choose! Can you imagine if you did this every day for a year? You would have 365 lies removed from your heart – what an amazing amount of inner healing you would be walking in!
How do I know this works? I have been doing this for three years, and I have begun to see freedom in areas of my life that I never dreamed could be different! We put up with so many things in our lives that are hindering our walk, just because we don’t know that it could be different. I am seeing lasting changes in my life – in my personal health, the way I view finances, the grief of broken relationships, the grief from the sudden death of my brother, and the abuse and trauma that I have walked through.
Now, when I notice I am feeling low, and not walking in the joy that Jesus paid a high price for, I quickly meet with Him to reveal lies I am believing and hear His gentle voice speak truth over me, thus restoring His joy in me which is my strength to keep going. This process of inner healing actually makes us new. 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Now if anyone is enfolded in Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.” May your joy in the journey be restored by the Lover of your soul!
-Vicki Brawner, Pastor at Fusion Church
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