We are of The Day!
The Power of Truth
Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
When I first started receiving physical healing as a result of diet changes this spring my Mother charged me with the previous verse. She encouraged me not to get so wrapped up in my physical health that I would lose my spiritual pulse. I have really been meditating on that since and saw some real spiritual healing in our home last night due to the power of Jesus and the healing wrought through His truth.
****As a disclaimer, of sorts, the following emotional reaction is not typical on my part, but not unheard of either. Any time one feels they are reacting to a situation in a way that is bigger that the current situation actually calls for, they should identify it as an emotional trigger and seek the Lord.****
Erik and the girls and I were driving home from three nice unplanned visits with different friends in Coralville. We were having a nice conversation recapping some discussions that had been had throughout the day when Erik made an observation. It was an innocent comment that would have meant nothing to anyone else, but it got my blood pumping. Literally. My heart rate elevated and my throat began to constrict. I found myself immediately argumentative and angry. I knew I had to win my point at any cost and began throwing out arguments I knew I didn't even agree with. All the while I was just getting more and more agitated and angry towards him.
The crazy thing about situations like this (yes, I've been here once before) is that the person I'm directing my anger at is typically not the person I'm truly upset with. They generally are just the person who unfortunately has triggered an emotional reaction, much stronger then the situation warrants, as a result of a much deeper issue. The issue is typically rooted in a lie I believed years before but have never replaced with truth. When I found my mind chanting the ridiculous phrase "I hate you, i hate you" i quickly took that specific lie captive to God but then found my hatred shifted towards the subject at hand and knew instantly that I was just strongly triggered. I tried to explain this to Erik, but it's somewhat hard to comprehend what the fire-breathing dragon in the seat next to you really needs at the moment. As a result (of being crazy!) the issue continued to escalate.
I was losing more and more control as the seconds passed. I was resisting the urge to kick out the passenger window and instead just pounded my fists down on the dash while demanding "Listen to me!". I was trying not to scare the kids and to keep my voice as calm as possible, but it was as if my brain was split in two: the rational side saying "you know this is not true, just calm down until you get home and can pray about it" and "don't emotionally scar the babies!" while the irrational side is whispering "it will never get better- you should just jump out of the car" and " he hates me! I hate him!". By the time we hit our exit ramp I was hyperventilating. I rolled the window down and tried to breath as the breeze cooled the hot tears streaming down my cheeks. My strong husband laid his free hand on me and prayed aloud for me as I tried to regain the ability to take in oxygen slowly. His prayers were answered and my breathing began to calm. Then the Lady in the backseat sent up her simple prayer of faith "dear, Jesus, please help Mommy feel better" which further calmed me.
By the time we reached home I was calm enough to call my Mom. There is a style of prayer advocated by the Theophostic Prayer Ministry which I have had great success with in the past. With it you identify emotions you are feeling and ask the Lord to take you back to a memory of a time before when you felt the same way. You do this until you have reached the first time you felt those emotions and identify what lie you believed at that time. You then ask Jesus to speak to the lie and replace it with His truth. It may sound crazy, but it has brought life transformation to so many people that I know, myself included!
We prayed for awhile and I ended up receiving healing for two lies: "I am not worth very much" and "They (my parents) don't like me". Can I tell you how huge that is? These are lies I have unconsciously believed since I was five. In how many ways have they affected my life and relationships? I have no idea, but Praise the Lord for His healing truth!
I rejoined my family downstairs as the Little Lady had picked out a song on the IPod she felt would help me feel better (it did) that she wanted me to listen to. After it was done I started talking through the events of the car ride with her. I explained that MeeMom had prayed with Mommy so that Mommy would not believe the devil's lies anymore. I told her that Jesus had told Mommy these truths: that I was precious and His Beloved!
As I was was sharing this with her I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me to ask her a question based on the original memory in which I had begun to believe those lies. I asked her "Hey, honey? When Mommy and Daddy put you and your sister to bed and then we get up and leave you there, do you think it's because we don't like you?" She started crying and buried her head in my lap weeping out the word "Yes!". Praise the Lord! Erik and I have both been having relational issues with her since she had to sleep separate from us for a week in the guest room (it was too humid to sleep upstairs) and we've been at a loss as to what was wrong. We were sure she had been really wounded by the experience though.
I asked her if we could pray about it and we did. We told Jesus the lie and she asked Him if it was true and He told her "No, it is not true!". Then we asked Him to tell her what the truth was and He told her "They do like you!". Hooray! This may sound too simple to amount to much, but that's just because you weren't there last night to see the peace and joy on her face and to watch her throw herself into her Daddy's arms for a long cuddle. You also missed it this morning when her face went into a splitting grin when reminded of the fact that Jesus had spoken truth to her last night. If you had seen those things, or felt my own peace and relief, you would desire it for yourself, I am sure!
My lies have not all been replaced with truth, but I will continue praying about them with my Mom this week and on my own. I do not need to fear for I know Whom I have believed and I know He is faithful.
***Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or desire to find out more about how you too can find emotional healing from Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith!***
This is part of Monday Mania to hopefully encourage others through my honesty to pursue the benefits of Whole Health through the One Who created us for His own glory.
hey, darling! mama told me this story tonight and i started crying! it's so beautiful! thank you for sharing it. Praise God for how He works. I have also been wanting to bring up a couple/several issues in theophostic prayer with mom. you have encouraged me with the gumption i need to follow through! thank you :-]
Hello! Thanks for sharing and thanks for sharing the song, as well. Both have been a blessing to me this day. <3