the following is an excerpt from "Betrayed by Gossip"

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
HOW TO HEAL YOUR WOUNDED SPIRIT

REALIZE THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS

To realize that the battle that you may be going through even right now is not your battle is more important that you might think. This is how the enemy works - he divides. Even though he is your enemy, he gets those that he divided at odds with each other, instead of at him.
After he gets people at odds with each other, each blaming the other, he then brings in his revenge and “get even” demons. He will paint a picture of how the other person isn’t even sorry for what they did to you (they didn’t, he did). Then he will remind you that they don’t even know what they did wrong! He will show you that they should pay for all the hurt they caused you. It is normal, not Christ-like, but the norm to think about causing serious injury to someone that has hurt you. This is especially true if you once had a close relationship with those that the enemy used to wound you. So what happens if you take the pathway of revenge? Just a little something to cause them a little discomfort, you ask? I am aware of a man who left his wife for another woman. His wife was so hurt that she moved out. After she moved out, the other woman moved into her house with her husband! To get even she had the yard totally destroyed.
In another situation, I know a wife whom wanted to get even with her husband, so she filed false charges against her husband, which charged that he was dangerous around guns. After the police came and ordered him out of his home, the woman and her attorney took all the joint money and all belongings out of the house, leaving her husband with nothing except for his computer. People snap. People snap when they listen to the voice of the enemy. If you are in a spiritual battle, aren’t you glad you don’t have to do anything to defend yourself? I believe God is my personal bodyguard. God has my best interest in mind and any attack that He has allowed to come into my short life, I can be rest assured He did not allow it just because He has nothing better to do.
When we seek revenge, we fight God’s battle. When we take the pathway of revenge we get in the way. We can also get in the way of God’s plan when we rescue people from the trial that God has prepared for them in order to help them grow. When we rescue, that is called enabling. When we seek revenge, God calls that vengeance. “Vengeance is mine…says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Revenge can hurt God’s plan for restoring you. If your apt to loose your cool with the person the enemy used, stay away. Remember, the battle is not your battle to fight.
Do not listen to the enemy. Do not allow yourself to be drawn into any kind of revenge whatsoever. Pray for those that despitefully use you. If you are still in any contact with them, always treat them with kindness and unconditional love. I am not talking about being a doormat. Setting boundaries is fine. Swallow your pride; swallow your feelings and express love. However, your feelings are important. We as Christians need to affirm each other’s feelings more than we do. One more time, I don’t think someone heard me, we as Christians need to affirm each other’s feelings. That is one big way that we can show we love, and actually care about another person. When someone is depressed or even suicidal how do you respond to that hurting one? Do you respond with a teaching lesson such as a detailed description of how selfish they are for being suicidal and depressed, demanding that they “snap out of it”? Or do you do something powerful?
Recently a brother - in - Christ celebrated his birthday. I wrote him answering these questions “What I appreciate most about you is…” and “The nicest thing you have ever done for me is…” You know what I wrote down? The nicest thing anyone has ever done for me did not cost him or her a dime. It wasn’t a fancy gift. The nicest thing this specific brother did for me was - this is profound – this is something powerful - this brother knows how to listen to people. That’s it, that’s all – listen.

BIND THE STRONG - MAN.

So far we have discussed that if you are under attack the battle is not yours. In fact please understand you may not be under attack. If you are attacking an enemy stronghold –you are attacking! The enemy then counterattacks to defend his territory- no surprise there. I believe what I experienced was a counterattack by the enemy. In other words I did something to make him mad! Are you getting this brother? Are you hearing me sister? Often we like to have our “I am under demonic attack poor me pity parties.” I know - I can kind of enjoy them myself! But I know by experience, that there is a high correlation between “pity parties” and depression. However there is also a connection between praise and victory!
So far we have established there is a battle going on. The enemy is not the fleshly person that is slandering you or out to destroy you. Our enemy is principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places. So if he is in high places let’s bring our enemy down a few notches shall we? I feel the spirit of God, and in the spirit I see a young person lying on their bed reading this book. You are wearing head - phones, army type pants and a T-shirt. I also see many shelves in your room.  God is calling you into a powerful ministry. This word is specifically for you.
Then for young people in general this word is also for you. “Once you become a Christian there is no neutral zone .You are in a battle. You don’t realize it, but the enemy is at work to destroy you. Look at what you are training yourself for. Take inventory My child, are your training for My army, for My purpose saith the Lord or are you putting your energy into worldly things?”
I would say to that young person, you may even have army clothing on. But whose army are your really preparing for? Take inventory My son’s and My daughters. Take inventory of your music; take inventory of your games that you play and the movies that you watch. I will say to you My son take inventory of what you watch. Do you want to set a city on fire for God? That even though I have pursued you from darkness, you are still flirting with that which I have called you out of, open your eyes right now, look at your bedroom, look, look. If you set your affections on me, saith the Lord I will set your feet on fire, I will use you mightily for My purpose. I can see into your heart. I know that you have a heart after Me young one, but take inventory in this very hour.” We have the authority to pray and to bind the strong man. Bind the demonic spirits, we are not given authority over human spirits but we have been given the authority over demonic spirits.
When you pray against the demonic, don’t pray timidly. Think offense. Think attack. Think conquer and occupy. Pray in the spirit.

USE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH.

There are many ways in which to react to trials and troubles. One is to try and escape them. I recently talked to a brother - in - Christ that had his relationship with his earthly brother severed over a situation. He told me that he felt like walking out on his entire family and running away. He said: “I know I can’t do that, but I sure want to. I just want to get away from this entire situation. I want to run and hide, but I know I can’t.”
Another way in which to react is to as we previously discussed – have a “pity party”. We can engulf ourselves in a “poor me” mentality. We can wallow in our pain. We can choose to play the mental tapes over and over again in our mind of what happened to us. We can relive every painful moment over and over. Or we can use this as an opportunity for spiritual growth. We can ask God, “What do you want to accomplish in my life through this? What do you want to be the end result? How do you want me to react?”
If you do not hear God in your spirit, then hear Him through His word. Actually of course any word we get from God should always agree with scripture. The Lord spoke to me, that He wanted this situation in my life to be used for His glory and as a tool for me to get closer to Him. Specifically He told me, “I want you to get into a new habit, of worshiping me first thing in the morning.” I had previously had a discussion with the Lord that I desired to spend forty hours a month in prayer to Him. I was on a diet and one of the things I did to cut calories was eliminate the sugar from my coffee. Consider I drink about five cups of decaf a day and had put about a teaspoon and a half of sugar in each cup at thirty-five calories a teaspoon. That is about fifty calories a cup, times five cups or two hundred fifty calories a day just from sugar. Two hundred fifty calories a day times thirty days a months equals seven thousand five hundred calories a month just from sugar! Consider that if one is on a one a twelve hundred calorie a day diet, as far as calories go, cutting that sugar was equivalent of not eating for six days. Just from eliminating one little teaspoon of sugar from each cup of coffee, it was the equivalent, as far as calories go, to not eating for six days.
For those that are visual the figures would look like this.
5 CUPS OF COFFEE PER DAY
X 50 CALORIES IN SUGAR PER CUP
= 250 CALORIES PER DAY
X 30 DAYS PER MONTH
= 7,500 calories a month, just from sugar in my coffee.
Divided by 1,200 daily calories, equals about six days worth!

Where can you find more quiet time with the Lord?
When I saw this, I asked the Lord, “Can I do something along these lines with my prayer life?” He immediately showed me how, without making any changes in my schedule, I could pray forty plus hours a month. He brought to my mind that I was in my vehicle at least an hour a day alone. He also showed me that I spent thirty minutes a day walking my dog. Together that is one and a half hours a day. Multiply that by thirty days and you have forty - five hours of prayer time a month.
Now my truck cab is my most anointed prayer closet. All I need is to slide in the seat and the praises start flowing. Do you want to soar above the storms? Trust Him. He is the One to turn to. When all around you may be breaking, He is always there. If you do not have an intimate relationship with the Lord yet, you can. He desires to have a close intimate relationship with each of His children. Want to know why many don’t ever get there? They complain instead of proclaim.
Before this situation I had a close intimate relationship with the Lord, but what is different now, is that I see the Lord as my best and dearest friend. He was always my God, my Counselor, my Provider, and my Savior. But I never saw Him as my best friend.
Before I developed a close and intimate relationship with the Lord, when it came to prayer time I would think, “How can I pray over five minutes? What more is there to possibly talk to the Lord about? Five minutes and I would be finished and tired. Ever notice how tired you can get when it comes to prayer and Bible study time? That is a spirit of heaviness and it is a very real spirit. This is how I used to pray. “Dear God. It’s me. Do you even know I am here? Are you really listening to my prayers? Please help me; I am so discouraged about my struggles. I do not know what else to do. Please, please God. Well, I can’t think of anything else to say. So God if you heard me, please help me. Amen” AHHHH! It irks me just to hear such dead and depressing prayers. That is a prayer with no faith. It is a prayer of complaint, or worse, a prayer of negative declaration: “I AM so discouraged.”
But now I have a relationship with the Father. I know what He is capable of. I have tested His abilities and He has stretched me to trust Him for bigger things. My desire is to experience the anointing of God on me at all times. My desire is to always be in the presence of the Lord. This is how I pray now; I can go on for hours now easily. This is how you grow; this is where you begin to find healing to your spirit.
You’re so Holy God, thank You Lord for Your love. Thank You Lord that You desire I be above and not beneath all things. You rejoice in me. You Love me and I love You. I love being with You and I long for the day I am reunited with You. Thank You Lord for Your deliverance power. Thank You Lord that You desire only good things for Your servant. Thank You for Your love, for Your holiness.”
What can you do to improve your prayer life?
Pursue to get your breakthrough. Pursue to pray in spirit. Pursue Him. Your victory is in your hands. Declare it. Don’t “pity party” yourself; use your situation as an opportunity to grow in closer relationship with your heavenly Father.

RELATING TO JOSEPH (Genesis 37-39)

Fellow Christians are much too quick to judge what appears to be bad things that happen to people as always a consequence of sins.
The Bible describes how a young man was hated by his half – brothers then thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused of attempted rape and even thrown into prison. These events were not because of sin in his life but actually because God’s call was on his life.
There is I believe a different way in which to look at the repeat of tragedies in Josephs life. Was Joseph killed and then thrown into a pit (Gen. 37:20)? No, the Bible tells us this young man was saved from being murdered (Gen. 37:21&22).
Was he thrown into a pit filled with water wherein he would die anyway? No, the Bible tells us this pit was dry (Vs.24). Was Joseph sold into slavery or saved a second time from being killed? Verse twenty-six tells us that they still wanted to kill him therefore the Lord actually saved Joseph from being murdered twice.
Was Joseph falsely accused and thrown into prison (Gen.39: 7-20) or as I see it, the hand of the Lord was upon Joseph and he was delivered from “day after day” (Vs.10) temptation.

RELATING TO JOB

Job’s friends assumed that Job’s troubles were a result of sin in Job’s life. Job wanted so much to be shown kindness from his friends (6:14). Job complained that his friends were deceptive (6:15) and liars (13:4). Job asks that they not just listen but hear him (13:6). In chapter sixteen Job accuses his friends of being lousy comforters; “some comforters are all of you!”
Should not this be a teaching to us? When people are hurting they need someone to both hear and listen to them, to show kindness, compassion and to comfort. But Job’s friends referred to Job as a hypocrite and they kept demanding that Job repent of his sins. They assure that Job will be restored after he repents of all his hidden sins (Chapter11). Job is made to feel inferior by Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar (Chapter12).
But look how God silences Job’s friends in Job 42:7, “And it came about after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has.” If you are going through a situation take comfort from these scriptures. Your assignment is not to defend yourself, but to worship and trust in the Lord. What can you do to respond in a more Biblical way toward people that are hurting?

HOW TO HEAL YOUR WOUNDED SPIRIT

When the spirit is wounded it becomes difficult to concentrate. It becomes difficult to worship God in the spirit. I believe that the brain is the tool the spirit uses to function in the body. When the spirit is wounded it cannot function properly. I have experienced healing two separate times from a wounded spirit.
Basically, psychologists call a deeply wounded spirit, clinical depression. The criteria’s for clinical depression are:
·     Difficulty concentrating.
·     Sleeping excessively or inadequately (change occurs in sleeping patterns).
·     Change in diet, either excessive eating or not feeling like eating.
·     Feelings of hopelessness.
·     Thoughts of escape, such as running away, suicide.
I repeat: I was healed on two separate occasions of clinical depression. I did not go to a healing evangelist either. I went directly to the source of all healing, Jesus.
Sometimes a person simply needs to acknowledge your feelings, or to affirm you for you to experience healing. True forgiveness brings healing to a wounded spirit.
There was a time I could not worship because I simply could not push through in the spirit. Every time I would try, I would get a headache. I was clinically depressed. I looked around and saw others in my church worshiping, I felt bad because I wanted to worship the Lord. I felt bad because I remember what it was like to engulf myself in worshiping Him. I went into a room and prayed like this. “I have a right to worship the Lord. I was made to worship the Lord. I demand any spirit of infirmity leave me in the name of Jesus. I am not leaving this room until my ability to worship is restored.”
Immediately the headache became intense and actually quite painful. But I kept pushing through in the spirit. I kept pushing through with my flesh, until I got my spirit back in full operation in my body. Victory comes when our born again spirits are free.
Many of you will not ever get victory because you won’t even do this. Some will try it and not get victory. The victory will only come to those that do it. It is like the women who told me once that she was going to try and quit smoking. “How do you do that?” I asked. Before she could answer I said, “Try and lift your leg.” She got it. You either lift your leg or you don’t. You either quit or you don’t. You either get your breakthrough and deliverance or you don’t. It is up to you. He gives us the choice.
There was an article in my local paper about a woman who had experienced a painful period in her life. She had become alienated from her faith. She had lost her husband and her father. She felt empty, heartbroken, and wounded. But this woman said something powerful. She realized something. She said, “One of the reasons why I’ve started coming back to church is because maybe that was the emptiness that I felt.”
Of course “church” is not what fills our emptiness, but she discovered her relationship with the Lord was probably sparked again when she made the choice to get past her pain. When she changed her mind about her situation she began to feel that soul satisfaction that she so desperately needed. You do not have to go through your situation alone. He so desires that you invite Him into your situation. Take your eyes off your problem and pain and put your eyes on the One that can sustain you, can deliver you and can release you from your wounded spirit.
Above all do not blame God. Praise Him in the midst of your storm. The Bible talks about offering up the sacrifice of praise. He doesn’t need our praise. But when we praise Him we get our focus back, we get our joy back, and we get our peace – perfect peace in the middle of our storm. Isn’t that what we all want?
You want peace? Praise Him. You want Joy? Praise Him. You want your victory and your healing? Praise him. Worship Him.

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