Do not feel condemned!

Opinions fly across the room. And for some, judgment is lodged at them from a pulpit. I am so sorry for this.

There's condemnation for a variety of things: divorce, drinking, use of meds (like SSRIs, sleeping medicines, any kind that helps you survive), smoking, driving fast, wearing spaghetti strap tanks, homeschooling....not homeschooling. The list goes on and on.

UNFORTUNATELY,

There is condemnation for everything,

from someone, at some point.

Attached to those...and underlying them, is condemnation for:

NOT TRUSTING GOD!

 

 

Right? "Where is your faith?" Many of them say.

 

Hey, I've got faith God can heal my asthmatic son...but by NOT just stopping his inhaler cold-turkey does not mean I am lacking faith. It means, I have faith that God is the Creator of all things...even medicine...and since the miraculous, divine healing hasn't come yet....I will use Qvar.

 

In fact, on the topic of my son, I honestly believe that the healing for his lungs awaits him OUTSIDE OF BAKERSFIELD (#1 in the nation for bad air). But we don't have relocating on the calendar yet, so on with the inhaler son!

 

See my point. I recently heard that a pastor condemns the use of Prozac from the pulpit. My jaw dropped. I lost a family member to suicide immediately following him stopping Prozac WITHOUT weaning himself off of it.

 

My question to the pastor today was:

Do you condemn ALL MEDICINES????

 

Right? If we condemn one, then shouldn't we condemn them all.

 

In fact, come to think of it, in spiritually abusive churches, proper medical treatment is discouraged and "Just rely only, solely on God"...yea, and some people die or go crazy - literally from that approach. Check out the book: Healing Spiritual Abuse by Ken Blue.

 

Do you remember King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20? It was fig cake as his prescription from Isaiah for the recovery from his illness.

 

And in John 9, Jesus made a salve of clay for the blind man to regain sight.

 

In my "theology" God is the Creator of all things. This comes from...oh Genesis 1...and Colossians 1:16. Why do we not find the Lord in medicine? And can we be prejudice against psyche-meds and easily swallow heart medicines? Do you see the contradiction and hypocrisy in this thinking? I do.

 

So, for those of you who survive because of any med: Prozac, Cumadin, Lipitor, or Advair...or Ibuprofen....whatever it is....

 

DO NOT FEEL CONDEMNED!!!

 

Of course in all your decision-making, I encourage you to consult with the Lord for direction. But when you feel peace to take a medicine for a condition that you have prayed for divine miraculous healing and not yet got one for...do so with that peace!

 

I break off the judgment and condemnation that so many have put you under, and call you to seek the Lord and walk in faith!

 

I could share stories of how meds have helped in my family...and I shared above how a relative stopping a med wrecked our family too.

 

For the overly righteous, I am not condoning abuse of meds, pain killer addiction, and irresponsible use. That kind of use is not what I'm discussing. And is not use under the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

 

I am talking about people who have sincerely sought the Lord for a healing, direction, and confirmation...and all arrows are pointing to a doctor...and if he says try a med...then try it. If it works, HALLELUJAH!!! If not, back to the prayer closet, right?

 

And for those of you who have felt condemned, just know that people in this world, who have not experienced what you have, or have the same health issues as you:

 

DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT!

 

Don't take it personal. Just pray that God will convict them of their judgmental attitude (and pray they are not numb to His conviction).

 

Also, people who are stuck in the bondage of judgmentalness don't even realize the bondage they are putting people under when they talk.

 

Pray for God's intervention in their lives....and pray that God will guide and lead you in all aspects about your medical needs.

 

God is a good God. I do not think God is unable to heal this day and age. I just know that we need to walk by faith. Sometimes the healing is miraculous. And sometimes God gives us the prescription of fig cake or clay! ;)

 

Above all things, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!" Find God, seek God, consult with the Lord and follow His leading marked by peace.

 

 

PEACE BE TO YOU! Luke 24:36



You may have it! But you can lose it, ask King Saul....

I have been reading in 1 Samuel in the Old Testament, off and on this month and randomly came across an interesting story.

In 1 Samuel chapters 26-31 we read that David would not kill Saul because Saul was the 'Lord's anointed'...yet, in the midst of the chapters we see Saul say of himself that he had sinned, played the fool, and committed serious error (26:21).

By 1 Samuel 28:6, Saul inquired of the Lord and the Lord did not answer him. In fact, verse 15 says that God departed from Saul, and verse 17: the Lord tore the kingdom away from Saul and gave it to David (who was upright, pleasing and no evil was found in him 1 Sam 29:6) .

By chapter 31, Saul was injured from being under siege and so he fell on his sword to end the agony. His time had come and he recognized it!

I thought it was crazy to read that King Saul, "the Lord's anointed", went wrong, turned bad. When I read this, I received it as God's way of saying....

Sometimes, people have had His anointing,

but that doesn't mean they can't turn bad,

sin, and lose their connection to the Lord.

It's like the overweight 40 year old guy w/ his small high school jersey on trying to relive the glory days. Maybe he had it going on at one time, but lost it when he grew lazy and complacent and did not do the right things to keep himself ready and prepared for action. In God's kingdom, it means remaining humble and transparent, honest, exercising your gifts and bearing fruits of the Spirit....by John 15.

Saul continually sought out David to remove David, as though David was the problem. A blaming/denial spirit? As we see by 1 Samuel 31, it's over for Saul, his day had come and he knew it. Amazing testimony of an anointed one coming to the end of the road. It also serves as a sign that God will bring about justice in due time. We truly can trust the Lord with vindication and vengeance upon the unjust, unfair, and unrepentant.

In reading this, I use it as a warning even for myself. I know that God has great things ahead for me and my husband. We know that at all times, we speak and serve an audience of One! And we recognize our nature, we recognize we are man, we are but dust, we can sin, we can make mistakes. By this recognition, we also accept that we must remain humble and transparent, repentant and forgiving, walk above reproach and uphold to high standards of integrity. God knows our hearts, so then we will aim to keep pure hearts before the Lord!

• We must not hurt others who are pouring their lives out to God.
• We must not betray, manipulate, or rule over people with harsh judgment and selfishness.
• We must not serve ourselves, but the Lord and others!

A new topic I'm diving into this week: SERVANT LEADERSHIP!

Can't wait. This is how the Lord served, why shouldn't we?

Spiritual Abuse is prevalent & needs to STOP!

People are often hurt by the church, sadly enough. And I am so passionate to expose the spiritual abuse going on in the church today. I think the prevalence of it, and the intimidation from leaders over it keep people from speaking up from it. As though, it happens all the time, why bother bringing it up?

Why bother? Because people are no longer going to church because of it...and unbelievers are not entering the church from it!!!! This should not be and I will use my boldness and zeal to blow the whistle on it.

And I will offer my Bible College education and thesis research to design a counseling business or ministry or both for those who have been spiritually abused and need restoration.

It's time to live in the Word and abide in the Word to carry out the Word!

Check out my BedHead Devotional that gives a glimpse at the ministry that lies ahead for me...

This is the 'tentative' conclusion...

Undoubtedly, there is a need for a reconciliation ministry for the grieved and displaced Christians who have suffered hurt within the church walls. George Barna’s studies defend this hypothesis and conclusion. Testimonies of devastated people within the Bakersfield’s Christian community substantiates that is a local issue that needs to be addressed. The frequency of these offenses that take place in Kern County does not minimize the gravity of it and should desensitize people to this injustice.  The numerous accounts of spiritual abuse actually indicate the dire need for a counseling and reconciliation ministry.

The author has discussed what needs to happen for which population. The implications of these wounds from spiritual abuse show the different aspects of people’s lives being negatively impacted by these offenses. While secrecy and fear of humiliation intimidate people into silence and isolation, the body of Christ can no longer ignore the stumbling blocks laid at the front doors of local churches. The local body of Christ is defeating itself as unbelievers and onlookers remain outside the church walls as they witness Christians hurting Christians. These mistreated people left to suffer cannot remain alone any longer - they need healing, restoration, and reconciliation.

Their wounds need to be healed, trust rebuilt, and their identity in Christ recovered. Families have been left impaired as fathers and husbands, the spiritual leaders, have stood up from their knees of prayer, walked away from their Bibles, and stepped down from places of service. The hearts who once put their hope in Christ need to be healed to live for God as the Bible teaches.

Their relationships with God need to be restored, communication with God reestablished, and their faith invigorated to believe God for impossibilities. Children have been left to suffer unnecessary chaos and disorder in their homes; marriages are strained and couples are unequally yoked because of the spiritual impairment that follows needless harm from church leaders. The minds that once put their hope in Christ need to be restored back into fellowship with God.

Friendships from church networks need to be reconciled, accountability groups reunited, and their spirits confirmed with love, grace, and mercy. Brothers and sisters in Christ have been torn apart; individuals stripped of their prayer partners and left abandoned. The souls who once had all their hope in Christ need to be reconciled back to the body of Christ, the church.

The spiritually wounded, abused, hurt, offended need help, a ministry to come alongside them to move them from pain and back into the center of God’s purpose for their lives. No longer should they be left in their despair praying that time will make the wrong right, but they should be offered a refuge to turn to for counseling and help.

The previous pages of this work contain a tentative idea for how to approach these people who share common grievances from spiritual abuse. The writer intends to reach out to about three to five individuals who have shared their stories to coordinate a test group for a trial run of this hypothesis. This would serve to verify whether or not counseling, followed by a small group study of the book ReChurch is adequate to bridge broken individuals back a vibrant connection with the Spirit of God and back into the fellowship of a church. This would allow this potential framework to be tested and validated, and present opportunity for necessary revisions. This test group could offer great feedback and confirm whether or not a small discipleship group would actually be necessary. This would verify whether or not a discipleship program needs to be further developed, and to what extent.

HOPE AFTER HURT will be formed to offer those who have suffered real grief from and through the body of Christ, church leaders, and elders. HOPE AFTER HURT will provide an environment for healing to take place. No longer will they have to stay silent and alone in their bitterness. There will soon be a ministry to help them forgive the abusers, and reconcile them back to God and to His people. Hope will be restored to those who have been hurt.