Press On and Remember: You are a Child of God!

Photo image courtesy Pablo Merchan Montes for Unspalsh

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do; forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

-- Philippians 3:13-14 (NKJV)

Recently, I attended a women's faith conference. The guest speaker began by sharing personal things that happened in her past. She confided about childhood events that inflicted physical harm, developmental trauma, and tremendous shame. The audience grew silent as the speaker tearfully recalled the abuse and years of pain she endured.

But Jesus! The atmosphere in the room shifted as this petite yet mighty woman of God described how faith pulled her out of this traumatic emotional pit. Little by little, as an adult seeking healing and wholeness, she heard from the Holy Spirit as He gently revealed forgotten painful events. Not only did He respond to her faith by transforming her head knowledge, but He also gave her the desire and strength to receive transforming heart knowledge.

Head Knowledge - What Happened?

Head knowledge came with a fresh mindset. Learning about Jesus helps each of us to know without a doubt that we are children of God. With a deep "father wound", the guest speaker said it was difficult at first to believe that God is her heavenly Father and that Jesus loves her. But by faith, she pushed through emotional pain and pursued healing of her mindset.

Affirmation

She called the restoration process of upgrading the mindset, "affirmation". An important affirmation that we all need is knowing, accepting and believing that you are a child of God. Transformation through the affirmation process takes time, just like a deep wound often takes longer to heal than a superficial one.

She walked us through important facts, notably the foundation of a new mindset. Affirmations include true statements like "This abuser can no longer hurt me. My feelings, although they felt real to me, are not facts." Many who have suffered life challenges can take the first step to breakthrough with positive thoughts and self-talk, but the process takes mental commitment and persistence.

Help from others can be beneficial. Christian counseling, prayer, and loving reassurance from followers of Jesus can help to reframe a fearful mindset. Healthy relationships with wise Kingdom believers can also help transform head knowledge.

Is transforming your head knowledge something you need to do?

And Then - Heart Knowledge!

The speaker then shared how she stayed committed to the process as the Lord worked on her heart. He revealed many things to her. "You were just a child. The abuse was not your fault. The abuser was a sick man. Your mother also suffered abuse. As an adult, you can choose how you feel. You can be transformed through pursuing your alignment with Me."

She told us that if you are willing, your heart can heal through the love of Jesus Christ. And she shared this beautiful Word, Psalm 34:18 (NKJV): "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit."

The speaker shared another key element of transformation, finding and canceling the inner vows that a person speaks in their heart, or even out loud, during and after abuse and trauma. It is vital that a person seek the Lord's forgiveness to break the hold of inner vows on the heart. Clearly, inner vows are a stumbling block to a deep relationship with Jesus. Examples include: "I will never get married. I can take care of myself. No one is going to hurt me again. I won't be like my mother."

Have you been operating on faulty inner vows?

Through prayer, healing from the Holy Spirit, and help from a Christian counselor, the speaker identified negative inner vows, statements that she made to herself that held her heart captive to darkness. Inner vows not only hold our hearts in a prideful state of trying to maintain control, but they also render us unable to fully give our heart to God.

Like an arrow to my heart, this talk was a true teaching moment for me. Doublemindedness allows the devil a landing place to torment us with negative thoughts, emotions, distractions, and constant reminders of past trauma. When we turn away from these inner vows, we must also repent of rebellion and pride. And only then can we turn toward the Lord's healing and hope. And then can we embrace the righteous path of emotional freedom and proceed to the next phase of heart transformation: Forgiveness.

Forgiveness

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that Your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:23, NKJV)

This wise woman of God shared something that truly resonated with me. We can forgive others because God loves them as much as He loves us.

Wait, what?

We are told to forgive over and over, "seventy times seven", Matthew 18:22 (NKJV). This gifted speaker said that a person cannot heal while still holding on to unforgiveness. She candidly shared that although she has come a long way, she still works on heart transformation and forgiveness. Wow!

As believers, we must exercise forgiveness or be set apart from Jesus Christ. On the other hand, forgiveness separates believers from unbelievers. Even when forgiving is difficult, we must forgive in our hearts. Even when it does not seem fair. Even when you were just a child. Even when it looks hopeless.

What next?

As a believer, I know that we live in a fallen world. But God wants us to persevere through trials, even difficult ones like abuse and trauma and recovery. And, like our speaker's faith journey, we too can start the process with new head knowledge. God loves each one of us, and He wants a close personal relationship with us. We must choose to allow Him to remove inner vows, cleanse our hearts, and transform our heart knowledge.

I believe that God spoke to me from her example. I am even more committed to reading His Word every day. I journal things that the Holy Spirit brings to mind. I stay surrounded by other wise, faithful believers. I pray, praise, and worship our Heavenly Father in community. I have asked Him to show me things that may be inner vows where I need healing. And to highlight other things, like people that I need to forgive, including myself.

Above all, I ask God to help me persevere through the process.