“He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:3 KJV
“A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”
Proverbs 18:14 ESV
In today’s world, it is impossible to claim that one has never gone through some season where they experienced trauma, hurt, or betrayal. Many even in church are wounded someway somehow. However, the journey of healing has not been intentional in the lives of many or perhaps deemed necessary. To begin deliberate healing there must be a sincere acknowledgment of brokenness, by so doing we accept help from God to be truly transformed. We begin our study by exploring why we need healing.
A broken spirit, as the Bible speaks many times of, is destructive if left in that state. According to Proverbs 18:14 in the English standard version; one’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? This shows how detrimental hurt, betrayal, and pain can affect an individual. This can affect how we speak(a wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness therein is a breach in the Spirit Proverbs 15:4), how we relate with others, and our walk with God ( guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life Proverbs 4:18).
All issues of life flow from the heart as the bible says but also,man lives from the proceeding word of God. The different ways we have been hurt causes, anger, bitterness, confusion, fear, offense, and even depression, and if care is not taken these will or may have created a stronghold that will take the mercy of God to deliver us. When the heart has been afflicted, it affects every area of our lives whether knowingly or unknowingly. In our first sessions, we are going to explore some ways refusing to truly heal can affect our lives:
- We need to heal to rightly discern the voice of serenity from adversity. To discern the voice of God in a time of chaos, there is the need to remain still. Many deceive themselves in thinking that God shows up in a grandiose manner whereas the bible reveals that in a still small voice. In 1 Kings 19:12 KJV “and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” In this chapter, Elijah was in flight for his life due to the threat of Jezebel. He went into the wilderness asking the Lord to take his life, (verse 4). The Lord however gave him comfort and most of all an encounter. In this moment of encounter, Elijah could have assumed that God was in the many grandiose forms of manifestations but the Bible said in a still small voice. Amidst the state of brokenness, confusion is one disadvantage and if we do not exercise waiting we will run off into things the Lord did not approve. When Elijah had been comforted and waited on the Lord, he was able to receive instruction(verses 5-15)
- We need to heal to discern instruction from self-satisfaction. According to 2 Timothy 4:14-18 KJV, Apostle Paul gravely offended by Alexander made a very daring statement: “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works”. This statement by Paul is one many of us may have made when we have been offended. One way or the other you see or remember the offense, you may have wished something evil upon the one who has hurt you. But in the follow up verses, Paul warns Timothy of this individual and further teaches a great deal on allowing God intervene. In this situation, Alexander had been one of those that withstood the gospel, the depth of offense towards Paul was not known, but can be grevious enough for the proclamation made by the apostle, and the act even lead to abandonment. But the apostle recalled a heart of grace to his offenders, made prayers for them and sought strength from the Lord. This immediately brought into perspective and highlighted the need to fulfill what the Lord has committed to him than the wrongdoings that would have taken him off course. Take time to meditate upon these ask the Lord to search your heart, to give you the grace to truly look within if any of these can be found in you. As we begin this journey Beloved, allow God access to do the work in you, allow His word have precedence in your life and be ready for every instruction He gives, we need to be effective , hence let us embrace his wholesomeness. Good morning.