Emotional problems result from believing lies. Since we were designed to function according to truth, any deviation from truth will cause us to malfunction, whether emotionally, physically, or spiritually.
So, the big question becomes What is truth? Truth is defined as "the actual state of a matter" (Dictionary.com). But herein lies the problem: Who determines what the actual state of a matter is?
For me, the actual state of a matter may be one thing; for you, it may be another.
What this means is that my truth may not be your truth, and vice versa. This way of thinking is called relativism and is a lie.
In our culture, man has taken it upon himself to determine the actual state of a matter. For example, it is common for people to say things like, "Abortion is not an option for me, but it may be an option for you". Many have determined that the actual state of the matter about abortion is that it is a viable option for terminating a pregnancy. Some have determined that the actual state of the matter about abortion is that abortion at any stage is murder.
The nature of Truth is that it applies to everyone everywhere, equally and indiscriminately. This means that Truth is absolute, just as gravity is absolute. No matter who you are, if you jump off a roof, you will go down.
Most people don't like the truth that Truth is absolute. In fact, they rebel against it. But what they don't understand is that by rebelling against absolute Truth, they are hurting themselves. That hurt may not show up right away, but it will always show up eventually.
Man was designed by God to function according to the laws of Truth. When man deviates from those laws and goes his own way, he will always suffer. There's no escaping this truth.
We need to understand that emotional problems result from rebelling against Truth and insisting upon creating our own truth. Any thinking pattern that deviates from God's thinking pattern will end up hurting us.
God's thinking pattern is found in His Word, the Holy Bible. If we want to learn how God thinks, then we must read His Word. As we change our thinking to align with God's thinking, we will be moving closer to the Truth and closer to emotional health.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Godly Intervention
There can be no healing of the heart without the intervention of Jesus Christ. Scripture reveals the following:
Think about this for a few moments. Jesus WANTS to heal you! It is His desire that you be whole, that you be free from the hurts of the past. He died on the Cross and rose from the dead for that very purpose: to set you free in sprit, soul, and body.
What Jesus Christ did for you is called Salvation. The word "salvation" comes from the Greek word sozo which means wholeness.
Salvation is a gift from God to you. But you have to accept the gift of salvation in order for it to bring healing to your life. This gift of salvation is Jesus Christ Himself.
If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, why not do so now? Here is a simple prayer you can pray:
Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I believe you died and rose from the dead for me so that I can have a relationship with You and be made whole. I accept You now as my Savior and Lord. Make of me what You created me to be. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the Family of God! You have just made the most important decision of your life. Please let me know, and I will send you some information to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
God bless you!
- Psalm 147:3 - "He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds."
- Psalm 23:3 - "He restores my soul."
- Luke 4:18 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Think about this for a few moments. Jesus WANTS to heal you! It is His desire that you be whole, that you be free from the hurts of the past. He died on the Cross and rose from the dead for that very purpose: to set you free in sprit, soul, and body.
What Jesus Christ did for you is called Salvation. The word "salvation" comes from the Greek word sozo which means wholeness.
Salvation is a gift from God to you. But you have to accept the gift of salvation in order for it to bring healing to your life. This gift of salvation is Jesus Christ Himself.
If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, why not do so now? Here is a simple prayer you can pray:
Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I believe you died and rose from the dead for me so that I can have a relationship with You and be made whole. I accept You now as my Savior and Lord. Make of me what You created me to be. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the Family of God! You have just made the most important decision of your life. Please let me know, and I will send you some information to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.
God bless you!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Do You Want to Get Well?
Do you want to get well? This may seem like a silly question, but it is the question Jesus asked the paralytic (John 5:6). Why would Jesus ask such a question? Surely, everyone wants to be well.
The truth is that not everyone wants to be well. The desire to be well precedes all healing. If you do not want to be well, then you will not get well. But if you want to get well, you will get well as you seek God's wisdom and pray for His direction. You will get well as you believe that you will get well.
How can you tell if you want to be healed? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
1) Am I using my physical sickness or my emotional illness as a means of getting attention? If so, am I willing to give up that desire for attention in exchange for wholeness?
2) Am I willing to renounce the doctrines of men and the doctrines of devils in exchange for the truth of God's Word? Much false teaching is out there regarding healing. This false teaching comes from people and from demons. You may have been the recipient of this false teaching in your church or elsewhere. False teaching will keep you from wanting to be healed. If, for example, you have been falsely taught that God makes people sick to teach them something, then you will feel conflicted about wanting to be healed because you will think that you are violating God's will. But, if it is true that God makes you sick to teach you something, then you are violating God's will by going to a doctor.
3) Am I willing to concede that, while I may not be responsible for what happens to me, I am totally responsible for how I respond to what happens to me? It is far easier emotionally and psychologically to blame others for our troubles than to assume the responsibility ourselves. But the truth is that we cause many of our own problems.
4) Am I willing to concede that while God is in control of the universe, He has given me dominion over the earth, a free will, and, therefore, dominion over my choices? It is far easier to blame our negative life situations on God's sovereignty than on our responsibility. Saying that everything happens because God is in control is a cop-out. Some things happen because of our poor choices. God never intended for them to happen.
5) Am I willing to give up all of my excuses to pursue emotional health? Am I willing to go through the pain in order to discover the freedom that is on the other side of the pain? Emotional health requires a price on our part. That price is the laying down of our own solutions to our problems and the embracing of God's solutions as found in His Word.
So, do you want to be healed? I hope you'll shout a resounding YES! :)
The truth is that not everyone wants to be well. The desire to be well precedes all healing. If you do not want to be well, then you will not get well. But if you want to get well, you will get well as you seek God's wisdom and pray for His direction. You will get well as you believe that you will get well.
How can you tell if you want to be healed? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
1) Am I using my physical sickness or my emotional illness as a means of getting attention? If so, am I willing to give up that desire for attention in exchange for wholeness?
2) Am I willing to renounce the doctrines of men and the doctrines of devils in exchange for the truth of God's Word? Much false teaching is out there regarding healing. This false teaching comes from people and from demons. You may have been the recipient of this false teaching in your church or elsewhere. False teaching will keep you from wanting to be healed. If, for example, you have been falsely taught that God makes people sick to teach them something, then you will feel conflicted about wanting to be healed because you will think that you are violating God's will. But, if it is true that God makes you sick to teach you something, then you are violating God's will by going to a doctor.
3) Am I willing to concede that, while I may not be responsible for what happens to me, I am totally responsible for how I respond to what happens to me? It is far easier emotionally and psychologically to blame others for our troubles than to assume the responsibility ourselves. But the truth is that we cause many of our own problems.
4) Am I willing to concede that while God is in control of the universe, He has given me dominion over the earth, a free will, and, therefore, dominion over my choices? It is far easier to blame our negative life situations on God's sovereignty than on our responsibility. Saying that everything happens because God is in control is a cop-out. Some things happen because of our poor choices. God never intended for them to happen.
5) Am I willing to give up all of my excuses to pursue emotional health? Am I willing to go through the pain in order to discover the freedom that is on the other side of the pain? Emotional health requires a price on our part. That price is the laying down of our own solutions to our problems and the embracing of God's solutions as found in His Word.
So, do you want to be healed? I hope you'll shout a resounding YES! :)
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
How to Identify the Lies You Are Believing
In this week's post, I am assuming that you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and that you are a believer. If you have not yet accepted Christ, I urge you to read last week's post entitled "Lies and How They Hinder You".
Today we're going to discuss how to identify the lies that you are believing and that are keeping you in bondage. Here is a basic rule of thumb in identifying lies: Any thought you have that contradicts what God says about you is a lie.
So how can you know what thoughts contradict what God says about you? Great question! A question to which there is an easy answer. But first let me tell you a story.
When a person trains to become a bank teller, she has to learn to recognize counterfeit money. But, amazingly, she never handles counterfeit money to learn what it feels like. She handles only real money. And she handles real money so often and so well that if a counterfeit bill should pass through her fingers, she would instantly recognize it as counterfeit. Why? Because she knows what real money feels like, and she can immediately recognize when false money is in her hands.
The same is true with us. If we handle God's Word (the Truth) often enough and well enough, we will instantly recognize the counterfeit (the Lie) that Satan sends our way.
So the first step in identifying the lies you are believing is to study the Bible. Read it. Memorize verses. Meditate on the Word. Saturate yourself with it as much as you can so that when Satan throws a lie at you, you will instantly recognize it as a counterfeit.
If you have not formed the habit of reading the Bible every day, start today. Begin with the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Read slowly and apply what you read to your personal life. As you do, you will be handling the Truth and you will be getting to know it well.
Next week, we'll explore what it means to want to get well.
Today we're going to discuss how to identify the lies that you are believing and that are keeping you in bondage. Here is a basic rule of thumb in identifying lies: Any thought you have that contradicts what God says about you is a lie.
So how can you know what thoughts contradict what God says about you? Great question! A question to which there is an easy answer. But first let me tell you a story.
When a person trains to become a bank teller, she has to learn to recognize counterfeit money. But, amazingly, she never handles counterfeit money to learn what it feels like. She handles only real money. And she handles real money so often and so well that if a counterfeit bill should pass through her fingers, she would instantly recognize it as counterfeit. Why? Because she knows what real money feels like, and she can immediately recognize when false money is in her hands.
The same is true with us. If we handle God's Word (the Truth) often enough and well enough, we will instantly recognize the counterfeit (the Lie) that Satan sends our way.
So the first step in identifying the lies you are believing is to study the Bible. Read it. Memorize verses. Meditate on the Word. Saturate yourself with it as much as you can so that when Satan throws a lie at you, you will instantly recognize it as a counterfeit.
If you have not formed the habit of reading the Bible every day, start today. Begin with the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Read slowly and apply what you read to your personal life. As you do, you will be handling the Truth and you will be getting to know it well.
Next week, we'll explore what it means to want to get well.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Lies and How They Hinder Us
If you're like a lot of people, you are walking around with deep emotional pain but you are keeping it to yourself. You may feel as though you're the only one going through what you're going through. Sometimes, you may even feel as though you're losing your mind. If this describes you, take heart. There is a reason for your dilemma, and there is a way out of it.
Please bear with me as I build a foundation for you. This foundation is important to your understanding of what follows and to getting free of your emotional pain.
You are a three-part being. You have a spirit, a soul, and a body. How do I know this? This information is found in the Holy Bible in the First Book of Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 23. I believe that the Bible is God's manual for man and explains who we are, how we function, and how we should live to create a successful life for ourselves.
When you were born into this world, your spirit was dead. In other words, it was separated from God by what is called original sin. Original sin is the state of separation from God that resulted when Adam and Eve sinned against God by disobeying Him. Their disobedience separated them from God and severed their relationship with Him. Because Adam and Eve could pass on to their children only what they were, we inherited their sin nature and are also born into this world separated from God.
But God the Father loved you so much that He sent Jesus Christ, His Son, to give you a new spirit so that you could be reconnected to God. That is the message of the Gospel, also called the Good News!
Now before you decide that all of this is nonsense, please hear me out.
Adam and Eve sinned because they believed a lie that Satan told them, the lie that God was holding out on them by commanding them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree in the Garden of Eden. In reality, God was protecting them. In disobeying God's command, Adam and Eve essentially called God a liar. The truth was that Satan was the liar.
And he still is. Satan is still whispering lies into people's minds, including yours. But you may not recognize them as Satan's lies. You probably think they are your own thoughts, and sometimes those thoughts drive you nuts.
If you are in bondage in any way to harassing thoughts, bad habits, or tormenting emotions, you can be sure that Satan has whispered lies into your mind and that you are believing those lies. The only way to get rid of the harassing thoughts, bad habits, or tormenting emotions is to identify the lies you are believing, renounce those lies, and replace them with the truth.
The first step in doing this is to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. If you have never done this, I urge you to do so now. None of what I will be talking about will make sense nor will it work unless you have accepted Christ. The reason is that Jesus Christ alone is the Truth. You will never be free without Jesus Christ because He is the Truth Who sets you free. He Himself said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). So pray this simple prayer with me now:
Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I believe that You are the Son of God, that You died on a Cross for me, and that You rose from the dead. I receive You now as my Savior and Lord. Make of me what You created me to be. Set me free by Your power, by Your Spirit, and by Your Love. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, please let me know so that I can send you some follow-up information. You may reach me at drmaryann@healingthehurtingheart.com.
In future blog posts, we will talk about some of the most common lies that keep people bound. And we will talk about how to identify those lies, renounce them, and replace them with the truth of God's Word.
If this post has helped you, please let me know. And please tell others about Healing the Hurting Heart.
Please bear with me as I build a foundation for you. This foundation is important to your understanding of what follows and to getting free of your emotional pain.
You are a three-part being. You have a spirit, a soul, and a body. How do I know this? This information is found in the Holy Bible in the First Book of Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 23. I believe that the Bible is God's manual for man and explains who we are, how we function, and how we should live to create a successful life for ourselves.
When you were born into this world, your spirit was dead. In other words, it was separated from God by what is called original sin. Original sin is the state of separation from God that resulted when Adam and Eve sinned against God by disobeying Him. Their disobedience separated them from God and severed their relationship with Him. Because Adam and Eve could pass on to their children only what they were, we inherited their sin nature and are also born into this world separated from God.
But God the Father loved you so much that He sent Jesus Christ, His Son, to give you a new spirit so that you could be reconnected to God. That is the message of the Gospel, also called the Good News!
Now before you decide that all of this is nonsense, please hear me out.
Adam and Eve sinned because they believed a lie that Satan told them, the lie that God was holding out on them by commanding them not to eat the fruit of a certain tree in the Garden of Eden. In reality, God was protecting them. In disobeying God's command, Adam and Eve essentially called God a liar. The truth was that Satan was the liar.
And he still is. Satan is still whispering lies into people's minds, including yours. But you may not recognize them as Satan's lies. You probably think they are your own thoughts, and sometimes those thoughts drive you nuts.
If you are in bondage in any way to harassing thoughts, bad habits, or tormenting emotions, you can be sure that Satan has whispered lies into your mind and that you are believing those lies. The only way to get rid of the harassing thoughts, bad habits, or tormenting emotions is to identify the lies you are believing, renounce those lies, and replace them with the truth.
The first step in doing this is to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. If you have never done this, I urge you to do so now. None of what I will be talking about will make sense nor will it work unless you have accepted Christ. The reason is that Jesus Christ alone is the Truth. You will never be free without Jesus Christ because He is the Truth Who sets you free. He Himself said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). So pray this simple prayer with me now:
Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I believe that You are the Son of God, that You died on a Cross for me, and that You rose from the dead. I receive You now as my Savior and Lord. Make of me what You created me to be. Set me free by Your power, by Your Spirit, and by Your Love. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, please let me know so that I can send you some follow-up information. You may reach me at drmaryann@healingthehurtingheart.com.
In future blog posts, we will talk about some of the most common lies that keep people bound. And we will talk about how to identify those lies, renounce them, and replace them with the truth of God's Word.
If this post has helped you, please let me know. And please tell others about Healing the Hurting Heart.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What's Your Hang-Up?
Have you ever thought about the word "hang-up"? It is a word that usually indicates a problem in our lives.
For example, a "hang-up" is usually an emotional problem that keeps us from being free. A hang-up can be a bad habit or an addiction we can't seem to overcome.
One definition of the word "hang-up" that I found very interesting was this one: "To be attached from above with no support from below" (TheFreeDictionary.com). When we have a hang-up, we often feel that we are just "hanging" there with nothing to catch us should we fall.
Along the same lines, isn't it interesting that when people ask us how we are, we often respond, "Hanging in there"? Why do we use that expression? Because we feel that we are hanging by a thread, waiting to fall unless someone rescues us.
Well, I have great news for you today! Someone has rescued us. Someone has rescued you. And His Name is Jesus Christ!
Who is this Person called Jesus? Let me introduce Him to you.
--Jesus is Love. Yes, His very nature is Love. Everything He does is motivated by His love.
--Jesus is Compassion. He cares about your deepest hurts. He cares that you're sick or depressed or lonely. He cares that you don't have enough money to pay your rent. He cares that your husband just walked out on you.
--Jesus is Mercy. He understands your struggles with sin, and He wants to set you free from those struggles.
As you follow this blog, you'll learn that Jesus wants to set you free from all of your hang-ups. Every single one! All you have to do is believe not only in His ability to set you free, but in His intense desire to set you free.
So stay with me on this journey of faith, and watch Jesus take the ashes of your broken life and turn them into something beautiful!
For example, a "hang-up" is usually an emotional problem that keeps us from being free. A hang-up can be a bad habit or an addiction we can't seem to overcome.
One definition of the word "hang-up" that I found very interesting was this one: "To be attached from above with no support from below" (TheFreeDictionary.com). When we have a hang-up, we often feel that we are just "hanging" there with nothing to catch us should we fall.
Along the same lines, isn't it interesting that when people ask us how we are, we often respond, "Hanging in there"? Why do we use that expression? Because we feel that we are hanging by a thread, waiting to fall unless someone rescues us.
Well, I have great news for you today! Someone has rescued us. Someone has rescued you. And His Name is Jesus Christ!
Who is this Person called Jesus? Let me introduce Him to you.
--Jesus is Love. Yes, His very nature is Love. Everything He does is motivated by His love.
--Jesus is Compassion. He cares about your deepest hurts. He cares that you're sick or depressed or lonely. He cares that you don't have enough money to pay your rent. He cares that your husband just walked out on you.
--Jesus is Mercy. He understands your struggles with sin, and He wants to set you free from those struggles.
As you follow this blog, you'll learn that Jesus wants to set you free from all of your hang-ups. Every single one! All you have to do is believe not only in His ability to set you free, but in His intense desire to set you free.
So stay with me on this journey of faith, and watch Jesus take the ashes of your broken life and turn them into something beautiful!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Welcome to Healing the Hurting Heart!
Faith has been under assault, yet it is faith that is the key to receiving from God. Why we do not receive is not a mystery, as many would say. On the contrary, why we do not receive has everything to do with faith.
In this blog, we will explore faith from the perspective of Holy Scripture. We will discuss what faith is and what faith is not. We will learn how to have faith and what to do with it once we have it.
As you take this journey of faith with me, you will begin to see that God says what He means and means what He says. You will discover that you are who God says you are, that you can have what God says you can have, and that you can do what God says you can do.
I will be posting on Wednesday of each week. As you prepare to find freedom through faith, join me in this prayer:
"Father God, we come to You in the mighty and matchless Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank You that You have given to each of us the measure of faith. Teach us to exercise it so that it may grow to its fullness. We give You all the glory and praise, in Jesus' Name. Amen."
In this blog, we will explore faith from the perspective of Holy Scripture. We will discuss what faith is and what faith is not. We will learn how to have faith and what to do with it once we have it.
As you take this journey of faith with me, you will begin to see that God says what He means and means what He says. You will discover that you are who God says you are, that you can have what God says you can have, and that you can do what God says you can do.
I will be posting on Wednesday of each week. As you prepare to find freedom through faith, join me in this prayer:
"Father God, we come to You in the mighty and matchless Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank You that You have given to each of us the measure of faith. Teach us to exercise it so that it may grow to its fullness. We give You all the glory and praise, in Jesus' Name. Amen."
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