Pickers keep picking their wounds open, over and over again, so that they remain visible to those around them. They keep recalling that terrible event even after years and years of counseling, support and prayer. Their wound becomes a badge—a banner of their perpetual state of hurt. – Sessions in Pain pg. 117
The prophet Isaiah implored the people of Israel to Wake Up and put on their strength! They had forgotten that they were Zion, the city of God. They had the might of the Almighty ready to support them but it was up to them to get up and put on the strength of God. You and I must do the same. We must Wake Up and overcome our past wounds and allow the healing of Christ to come into our lives and put on our strength!
“Awaken, awaken, clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, Holy City!For the uncircumcised and unclean will not again enter you.2Shake off your dust! Rise up and sit on your throne, O Jerusalem.Remove the chains from your neck, O captive Daughter Zion.”
Isaiah 52: 1-2 bsb
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Leaving Babylon pgs. 41-42
As mankind continued to thrive on planet earth, the conditions of our fallen state became abundantly clear. From the moment each of us opened our eyes for the first time we began nursing at the
educational, psychological, and spiritual breast of Babylon. At that moment, we began our lessons on how to survive in her society. Although many of us are taught the ways of God from childhood,
we had an innate tendency toward evil—to lie, to steal, and to deceive. Someone whispers in our ears that to lie is easier and safer than the truth, as the Babylonian society is set to support lies over the truth.
As we grew, we continued feeding from the tables of our fallen mother. We felt nurtured by her, and we felt safe in her ways. As we sat at her knees, she taught us how to think and how to feel about everything. God Almighty, who we used to walk with in the cool of the evening, seemed distant and mythical. Babylon, deliberately and meticulously, nurtured our flesh and starved our spirits. She kept us blind to our Creator and His Holy Spirit.
As something deep within us cried for God, she sought to distract us and to keep us unperceptive to His love and deafened to His voice. She was our guide, who continuously manipulated us to keep us away from God’s hope and our healing. This is why we were referred to as being lost. Without prayer and the working of God’s Holy Spirit, we would never find our way out of Babylon.
“whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:4 nkjv).
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So how do we overcome in Christ? We have been wounded, our hearts are aching, and we are disabled. God is ever teaching us and giving us examples to show us His ways. Jesus often used parables or earthly stories to teach us the things of God. Similarly, as we look at how our physical wounds heal, we see an example of how our emotional and spiritual wounds must also heal. – Sessions in Pain, pg. 209
AUTHORS COMMENTS: When a wound is deep it must be pack with sterile/clean gauze as the new tissue grows in. If this is not done, if an empty space is left unfilled, infection will set in and grow in that empty space and eventually seed the bloodstream and infect the whole body. The same is true for emotional and spiritual wounds. They must packed with prayer (honest, tear drenched prayer) before a Holy, forgiving, and loving God, if it is to heal with new healthy tissue. One of our greatest example of this is King David who cried:
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”…Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God (Psalm 43: 2-3, 5 NIV).
picture credit: truediscipleship.com
God gave humanity a sense of what is right and wrong. He gave us intelligence so that we could reason and understand how to live and survive—eternally survive. But each day we see the choices of men, women, and even children that lead to their own destruction and continual detriment. We make choices that will eventually kill us and the earth.
In these days, the truth of the influence of a“murderous presence” that desires to wipe out the human race is more apparent than ever. In our blindness to this truth, we form legislations that will exterminate us and our children. In our ignorance, we open up the portals of hell into our homes and societies.The apostle wrote that our behavior is governed by our corrupt and sensual nature, obeying the impulses of our flesh and the cravings of our dark imaginings without restraint. (see Ephesians 2:1-3)
Leaving Babylon pg. 73
AUTHOR’S COMMENTS: I wish I could say things will get better for the human race but the truth is without Christ we are headed for a deeper abyss. Christ’s heart weeps for us as He has done all He can do the save us. My heart breaks for our generation that is losing hope as we plunge into more acts that destroy our race. But I also know that no matter how dark the night Christ can bring the light.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4 niv
I have noted several levels of faith in my own walk with God—each level stronger than the one before as God gently and deliberately brought me along, from faith to faith. The first level is the Faith for Salvation (see Romans 5:1 and 10:9). This is the faith to believe in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross; to believe that He bought my soul with His blood and if I would ask Him, I would be saved. – Sessions in Pain, pg. 133
AUTHOR’S COMMENTS: In this day and age Faith has become a precious commodity as the tragedies, terrors, and chaos of this world escalates. The Word of God said these things would come (see Matt 24), but God also gave us the gift of Faith to believe Him for salvation, for saving, and for hope, regardless of what we have done or the condition of this world. So we hold on as we continue believing for our Lord to keep us, to save us, and to… return for us.
The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17)
Speak to yourself with psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord. I promise: He is faithful. Trust God to carry you to a better and liberating place. I know the hurt was great, but God is greater; and the One who can heal all wounds invites you to begin again.
Sessions in Pain, pg. 121
AUTHOR’S COMMENTS; Starting over requires great faith as you walk into the unknown, as everyone has left you alone, but God remains faithful even when you must begin again, alone. He has said , “I will never leave nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). He remains in the darkest of nights and in the coldest places to bring once again into the warmth of His community.
Sing praises as to you as you embark on this new journey; And remember, you are never alone.
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And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. —Genesis 3:15 (nkjv)
This was the beginning of our life in Babylon. However, with our fall we also saw a hope, a hope declared in the book of Genesis. From the beginning of our lives in sin, God declares that one day He would prepare a way for us to leave. This leaving would begin with an effort to gather His beloved humanity out of Babylon. He would give mankind another opportunity to choose Him over sin and make us His children once again. –
Can you see the love of our heavenly Father, even after we had broken His heart? He would proclaim that deliverance was coming to us through His Son (her Seed), Jesus Christ? Since that day, God has consistently called humanity out of Babylon. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, His message has been the same…“Come out from her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, neither participate in her plagues” – Rev.18:4, amp. Leaving Babylon pgs. 49-50
Getting tuned in comes as you actively and purposefully build up yourself spiritually and strive for purity before God. Build up yourself in the Word and with prayer and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the Lord (see Ephesians 5:19). Purity of heart comes through confession and repentance before God. I promise you, He will meet the sincere in heart every time.
Sessions in Pain pg. 160
AUTHORS COMMENT: Christ is always there to listen, to comfort, and to forgive. The ‘sincere heart’ holds a free pass into His presence.
“Says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow'” Isaiah 1:18 AMP
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LEAVING BABYLON PG. 77
In each and every situation we face, we hear God’s Holy Spirit whispering in our hearts His course of action, His will. Different it will be from the will we once knew. This is where we lead our minds and hearts captive into the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). We are no longer stagnant but are forever changing into His image.
AUTHOR’S COMMENTS: There has never been a more important time in Earth’s history where the Children of God must stand as different and peculiar people. We stand out as the cool refreshing wind of the Holy Spirit in a world that is on fire. We continue to grow and thrive with our hearts captivated by our Savior and occupying until He comes.
“for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9 NLT
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The basic truth is that all giving takes faith. A child learns to have faith in his parents through the years of care that they give to him. Faith is something that is slowly cooked and developed over time, like a vaccine against doubt. Sessions in Pain pg. 200
AUTHOR’S COMMENTS: We learn to have faith that more will be there as we give our last to others. A measure of Faith has been injected into every human heart for the sole purpose of Giving. It it is activated as we accept the gift of the Savior. Then His continual giving to us forges our shield of faith into and impenetrable force against doubt as we pour out our lives in His name.
“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you” (Philippians 2:17 BSB).
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