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C. Personal
History
4 of 4 Pages
BACK TO MINISTRY
GUIDE
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This section of the Ministry Guide relates
to the Spiritual History Information Form
Part C. Because of its length, this section is broken up into four web pages. If you are reading this online, you will be able to click "Next Page" at the end of each page.
Section Outline: People who have been abused often feel they are just helpless victims of their circum-stances. Certainly, innocent children who have suffered abuse were unable to prevent what happened. However, we do not have to let the effects of the abuse continue to hold us in bondage to fear, hopelessness, anger, bitterness, or abusiveness. We can receive Jesus’ ability to forgive the abuser, release the effects of the abuse to Jesus, receive His comfort, bring His judgment to those who have abused, and declare His wrath to the spiritual forces that have used others to abuse us. As you minister to one who has suffered abuse, recognize and acknowledge the gravity of what happened to the person. God did not create them to be abused; in fact, God loves us so much that He bruised His Son so that He would not have to punish us.
Empathize with their pain; Jesus had compassion for the multitude. He knows what it’s like to be abused, and He wants to impart to us His compassion for the person. God wants to carry the pain of His people. The Bible says:
Help them to release any guilt, shame or other results of the situation they have been through. Often people will feel, "It’s my fault," or, "I deserved this," or, "I shouldn’t have enjoyed this," or other lies. Help them to cast ALL their care on Jesus, reminding them that He wants them to serve Him; He calls them part of His holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Help them to forgive the abuser and to pray for him/her, knowing that the abuser will have to answer to God for what he has done.
Help them to look beyond the abuser, and to see if a spirit of abuse has been using the abuser to abuse others. Look for a pattern of abuse that may have been present in the generations of the abuser, or for a pattern of "being abused" that may be present in the generations of the "abusee." (See the Section D, Generational Sin Patterns for help in ministering in these situations.) Help them to see that as they allow the Lord to minister to them, they will be able to help others who have been abused. They can use what Satan meant for evil and for their destruction, for the good of advancing God’s kingdom. See Jesus as the example of One who has done this.
Steps to Healing of Physical or Sexual Abuse
1. Remember that Jesus feels your hurt, understands your emotions, and wants to fill you with His comfort. On the cross, He took upon Himself all your anguish; He is waiting for you to release it to Him. 2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the effects of the abuse (i.e., pain, guilt, shame, anger, fear, hatred, need to control, distrust of others, etc.). One by one, release these things to Jesus. 3. See Jesus taking these things upon Himself on the cross as you release them to Him. 4. Receive the comforting Presence of the Lord in the wounded parts of your heart. Ask Him to minister healing to you; receive any words, pictures, impressions, etc., that He gives to you. 5. Thank Him for what He has done & is doing. 6. See Jesus on the cross also for the abuser, and receive the ability of Jesus to forgive that person. As you receive Jesus’ forgiveness for the abuser, extend that forgiveness to the person. (You may need to start with asking the Lord for the willingness to forgive, or the willingness to be made willing.) 7. Pray for the abuser--that he/she would repent of sin and bring it to Jesus, receive His truth and live in His righteousness. 8. Ask the Lord to reveal any patterns of abuse in the generations of the abuser and/or the abused. (See Section D, Generational Sin Patterns for dealing with this.) 9. Declare God’s wrath and vengeance upon the spirits of abuse that have afflicted you. Proclaim the end of their activity in your life and that of your family. 10. Ask the Holy Spirit to use you to help other abused people to bring their pain to Jesus.
God has an eternal purpose for us. He has not abandoned us or His creation, nor has He abandoned His plan and purposes for us. He wants us to know and to be like His Son. His purpose is that through His Son we would know Him as our loving Father. He has created us to be receptors of His life, His nature, and His character. He has a plan for each of us, and He has things for us to do for Him on this earth. He designed this plan before the foundations of the world--before Satan existed. The Bible says:
Like Satan, we have all abandoned God (Isaiah 53:6). We have wanted to do our own thing, living to please ourselves, rather than seeking God’s will and direction for our lives (2 Corinthians 5:15). When we abandon God, as Satan did, we feel abandoned, as Satan does. Satan knows he will end up in hell--a place where God is not--abandoned by God. He feels abandoned. Our Satan-like nature--our old nature, our flesh--also feels abandoned. Some who feel abandoned by God, abandon themselves, wishing they were someone else. They may wish they had a body like that of another person. They may feel their body is the wrong size, their face not attractive enough, or they are in some other way not acceptable. These feelings cause them to imagine themselves to be like another. Some wish they were in another family. They may have been rejected by parents and wish they had other parents. They abandon God’s purpose for them and the grace He has for them to cope with life in the body or in the family He has prepared for them. We need God’s grace to accept ourselves. We need grace to accept our parents. We need to recognize God’s Presence with us. David experienced the Holy Spirit’s revelation that God had always been with him, even in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:15). This caused him to praise God for his body (Psalm 139: 17). When He came into the world, Jesus thanked God for the body He had given Him (Hebrews 10:9). Even though His parents didn’t understand His mission, He honored them (Luke 2:49-51). Sometimes others will abandon us. In these times we need to know all the truth. The truth is that even if our parents abandon us, the Lord will be with us and will encourage us (Psalm 27:10). We need to rely upon God’s revelation of His Presence and His grace. If we fail to know or to receive His grace in these difficult situations, we become bitter (Hebrews 12:14). Feeling abandoned, we tell ourselves we have been abandoned. We then abandon our real self, compromising our morals or our ideas and adopting the ways of others in order to be accepted. This only compounds the problem, as we have now let Satan and his lies lead us further away from the truth. HOWEVER--Jesus came to seek us, to find us, and to save us! He came to meet us in the places we have wandered and to show us His love in those places. He came to bring us back to our "real self." He came to heal the wounds we have received, to forgive us for our bitterness, and to restore us to His ways of knowing and living for Him. In praying for those who have been oppressed by abandonment, or who are unable to accept themselves, we need to pray that they can receive the truth of God’s eternal purpose and love for them. We need to help them to receive the truth that God accepted them when they let Jesus be their Savior. We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will help them release their hurt and bitterness to Christ, allowing the love and Presence of Jesus to occupy this area of their heart. Finally, help them to thank God for Jesus and His ways. Help them to thank God for their body, for their family, and for His grace which is sufficient to bring us all that the "normal" provisions of life cannot. His grace will bring to us the things which we need, which others did not, would not, or could not bring to us. Our primary need is God--to know Him, to let Him live in and through us, and to share His life with others. No one but Jesus can bring these things to us, and HE HAS NOT AND WILL NOT ABANDON US!!!!!
Steps in Praying about Abandonment or Rejection
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to impart the truth that God has loved him/her and has had a purpose for him from all eternity. 2. Pray for grace to receive the reality that when the person received Jesus as Savior, God accepted him/her. 3. Release all hurt, bitterness, disappointment, etc. to Jesus. 4. Invite Jesus to occupy these areas of the heart, bringing His acceptance, love and peace. 5. Thank God for His love and acceptance in Jesus. 6. Thank God for the body and the family He has provided, and for His grace which He makes abundantly available to His people.
Nightmares, Visions, Premonitions One source of dreams, visions and spiritual intuitions is God, and we welcome His communicating with us in these ways. Another source, however, is Satan and His demonic followers. Satan can harass or torment us with fearful or traumatic dreams, visions and premonitions. These things can occur because we have taken into our imagination pictures of evil or of fearful events. Children can have nightmares after having viewed scary movies. The Bible warns us not to deliberately look upon evil (Isaiah 33:15; Ephesians 5:11). The Bible also warns us not to dabble in the things of the occult or in foreign religions. Those who subject themselves to such things experience abnormal fears and levels of confusion. [See the Section A on the occult for more information.] When praying for people who are traumatized in these ways, help them to let Jesus bring His peace into this area of their heart. You might have to speak directly to the evil presence, commanding that it leave, never to return. After bringing the reality of Jesus’ peace into the area of the person’s heart, lead them to confess any sinful action such as watching horror movies, or reading stories of magic or fairy tales, etc. Ask God to cleanse their imaginations according to Romans 6:13 and dedicate the imagination to the work of the Holy Spirit. Nightmares can also be caused by a traumatic event. [If this is the case, follow the applicable portions of Section C, "Steps for Receiving & Ministering Healing of Our Spirit."] Some Scriptural Principles to Remember:
BACK TO TOP Nagging thoughts; Hearing voices God’s promise under the new covenant is to write His ways in our heart and mind. God speaks to our heart. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice." Satan also seeks to torment people with his thoughts and his words. Spirits from his realm can oppress people by bringing nagging thoughts or words to them. People with these problems are not necessarily demonized. They do not, generally, need a host of demons cast out. Rather, we can encourage them to surrender their minds to Jesus and to surrender their "hearing" capabilities to the control of the Holy Spirit. We can help them to take authority over their minds and their spiritual hearing abilities, to dedicate these faculties to the will of God, and to command such "mountains" as repetitive thought patterns and plaguing inner voices to stop and to be removed. Jesus told us to speak to these mountains, that they would be cast away from us. We need to be sensitive to the needs of people tormented in these ways. We can seek revelation from God as to ways in which they have allowed unwanted thoughts to enter their minds. For example, some who have been plagued with thoughts of lust or fear have previously taken such thoughts into themselves through watching horror movies, or through reading fairy tales or stories of witches, goblins, etc.. Some have been plagued as a result of participating in activities during childhood halloween celebrations, or through seemingly "innocent games" like table-lifting, divination, etc.. Some have been tormented in this way because of objects such as false gods or "good luck" charms they have with them or in their homes. [See Section A on false gods and cleansing the home, for more information.] Some who have been abused have sought to hide in an imaginary world, where they have felt safe, and now they are communicating with this realm. People with problems of hearing voices, or with multiple personalities, have often become disjointed within themselves. God can help them come out of the pits into which they have fallen, or out of the caves in which they have hidden. In the safety of God’s Presence, they can find peace, comfort, and rest. This can take time and patience on the part of those called to minister to such people. Professionals can help in the severe cases.
Steps in Praying for those Hearing Voices or having Tormenting Thoughts
1. Help them to bring Christ into all of their being--their spirit, mind, will, feelings, imagination, etc. 2. Pray that the peace of Jesus will fill them. 3. Help the person to release any fear, anxiety, etc. to Jesus, allowing the peace of God to fill those places. 4. Help them to use their mind to think on things of God. 5. Help them to use their imaginations to focus on things of God. 6. Help them to use their inner sensing abilities to sense the things of God. 7. Help them to use their inner hearing capabilities to hear or discern the voice of God. 8. The best way to do the above is to help them to focus on Bible stories or Biblical principles. As they focus on God’s Word, help them to use all of their faculties to understand and meditate on what the Lord is bringing them through His Word. 9. Pray that the Holy Spirit will impart to them all the truths of God’s Word into all of their being.
God promises to bless and to take care of His people (Genesis 12:1-3; Psalm 91:11). He tells us, "Fear not, for I am with you" (Isaiah 42:10). Some people who are superstitious or who resort to good luck charms are unable to grasp these truths. Often it is because they have allowed Satan to sow other words or ideas into their spirit. They may have watched fairy tales or horror movies that have sown fear into their mind or imagination. They may have watched programs that glamorize witchcraft or other things of the occult. Satan is tormented by God’s Presence. He knows that his time before his eternal torment is limited; even though he might want to deny or ignore this truth, when he is confronted with the Presence of God he can’t escape the truth. Similarly, if we have given ground to Satan by participating in his activities or receiving his words, and have meditated or reflected upon them, we might feel fear in God's Presence. The answer is to release the fear to Jesus, receive His peace, let the Holy Spirit show us any ground we have given to Satan, repent of the activity which gave Satan this ground, and renounce all such activities. People who resort to superstitious acts or who use charms to protect themselves are only compounding the problem. They are in effect asking Satan to protect them from Satan. We know that Satan can appear as an angel of light, but sooner or later his real character will be revealed. When praying with those who have used these things, we need to have them renounce their sinful ways, discard their good luck charms, and ask God to fill them with His peace. Remember that Jesus was not afraid in the presence of Satan, even when separated from His Father. He endured the greatest agony and lived in the darkest place. He did this through the power of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Now He has grace to give to us, so that we can have His peace and live in His victory. We do not need to resort to the ways of the enemy of God to rescue us from our enemies.
Steps for Dealing with Superstitions:
1. If the reliance on superstitions and charms stems from fear: a. Release the fear to Jesus. b. Receive the peace of Jesus. c. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the reasons for the fear; bring these things also to Jesus and receive His peace in their place. 2. Repent of relying on Satan’s tactics rather than upon the ways of God. 3. Renounce the superstitions, the use of charms, and all access Satan has gained as a result of their use. 4. Ask the Holy Spirit for grace to discard all good luck charms and to discontinue all use of superstitious activities. 5. Thank Jesus that He has won the victory over Satan for you. BACK TO TOP God wants us to know Him and to live for Him, relying upon His grace to do so (2 Corinthians 5:15; Romans 5:17). He has given us certain tools to use and principles to follow in order to know and accomplish His tasks for us. Jesus has done all that we need to do; He is the author of our salvation, and He has completed all righteousness for us (Hebrews 5:9; Matthew 3:15). Now we can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). We can know and obey God’s will for us. The items listed in this section are a few of the principles and tools God has given us. We should pray for each other so that we will be able to know, utilize, and enter into the use of the tools God has made available to us. If people are having difficulty doing this, we can pray that God will give them the grace to come into His purposes for them. We can pray for them Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:15-20, as suggested in the introduction to this manual. We can point them to examples of how Jesus lived in these ways and/or what He taught about these topics. As we see Jesus doing these things and teaching His disciples about them, we can receive the impartation of the Holy Spirit for ourselves and others. Remember that Jesus said we should teach to others and do ourselves all that He has shown His disciples (Matthew 28:20).
Some Suggested Steps to Follow:
1. Thank God for the person. 2. Pray for God’s grace to help them to know, to love, and to enter into the concept or activity in question. 3. Pray for the person to "see" Jesus doing the activity, or encouraging them to follow His desire for them. 4. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal and remove any roadblocks. If hurtful or traumatic situations are part of the roadblock, you may need to refer to Section B, "Steps in Extending Forgiveness...", and/or Section C, "Steps for Receiving & Ministering Healing of Our Spirit." 5. Thank God for calling the person to grow in grace and in the knowledge and experience of all God has for His people.
God wants to reveal Himself, His nature and His works to His people. One of the ways He does this is through His names. Some of His names describe His attributes ("Holiness," "Righteousness," etc.); some of them reveal ways in which He relates to us ("Comforter," "Friend," "Provider," etc.); still others reveal truths about Him which He wants us to know ("Ever-present One," "Peace," "Healer," etc.) The Bible says that those who know the names of God will trust Him (Psalm 9:10). It says that we will have victory over our enemies as we know God’s name (Psalm 44:5). The Bible also says that as we know God’s name, we will dwell in His presence (Psalm 69:36). These are a few of the blessings we can receive from meditating on the names of God. As we learn to know God and all He can be and wants to be for us, our trust in Him will grow and we will more fully experience all He is and wants to be for us and through us. The Holy Spirit will help us to personally appropriate more and more of all God would be for us.
Suggested Steps for Knowing God According to His Names:
1. Identify His name and what it means. 2. See how God has revealed this name through His activities. 3. Confess your need for Him to be/do this for you. 4. Confess and renounce the ways in which you have tried to be or do this for yourself (i.e., striving for perfection rather than receiving Him as your Holiness). This makes more "room" for God, through His name, to operate. 5. Receive this aspect of God and His work in this realm of your life. 6. Thank Him that He is what His name declares, and pray that you can share this with others. BACK TO TOP |
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