Hello,
It is good to touch base again with you this hot mid-summer month. I pray you are doing well, prospering, growing in your relationships with family, friends and with Christ. The summer is a good time to intentionally invest in the lives of others as we vacation, take a rest, and take personal inventory. It’s not too late to do this if you haven’t already. Call up an old or new friend for lunch, take a personal or family fun day/weekend, and take time to reflect with the Lord on your life. Do you need to make some changes? If you want something to change, you need to change something before you will see it change. (No clue how to change? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you…He will!)
You may think I’m crazy because your summer is anything but a vacation, rest, time with people you love, or time to stop for personal reflections. Perhaps you’ve spent your time ministering to others who are in need or are grieving, and just maybe it is you who is finding yourself at a difficult time in your life. I understand, though my personal story varies from yours. I have walked through my share of grief, anxiety, fear, un-forgiveness, and hopelessness… but I HAVE ALSO WALKED THROUGH HEALING from these things. There is hope for you, and that my friend is Good News! But in the meantime…I realize it is also good to know you are not alone and that someone understands. That’s what friends are for!
Is your heart hurting or heavy? Have you felt this way for awhile? Do you feel stuck and wish you knew how to get un-stuck? It was YEARS after my mom and baby sister died in the car wreck July 3, 1980, that I realized I had been STUCK in a Grief Cycle due to several circumstances following our family’s tragic accident. With no knowledge of a grief cycle, and without realizing I had not allowed the grieving process to do its natural work, roots of fear and false beliefs took hold of me and affected my thoughts and actions and the inner most places in my heart.
**Scroll down to read more about the most common stages of the grief cycle and how you can help your friends who may be experiencing this now,
or are feeling stuck in a cycle.**
In my book, Good Grief I’m Healed, I detail my experiences and expose the lies the enemy of my soul fed me for years. I also share the full process of my inner healing and the peace of mind I enjoy today because of the power of God’s Word and practical steps to continue in the healing. The grief blockage that formed in my mind and heart as a young girl created mental havoc on me unexpectedly in 2004…twenty-four years later! The healing began when relationships with Godly friends and counselors formed in my life and I opened up to confess inner hurts, feelings, thoughts and beliefs. Over a 16 year period, layers of fear were lifted and replaced with faith, through the forgiveness of Jesus; relationships were restored, our marriage was healed, hope took the place of hopelessness, and anxiety was abolished. By the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus gently walked me through the process from grief to healing and placed HIS PEACE deep in my heart. My false beliefs were replaced with His TRUTH! And it is this foundation upon which I now STAND…healed and whole!
At my time of need, James 5:16 came to life in me. The scripture refers to confessing sins but I believe it also applies to confessing inner hurts, bitterness, and false beliefs. The Lord desires to bring healing to our souls, our bodies, our hearts, our relationships, and our minds!
Apply James 5:16 to your life and fill in the blank with what the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, “Confess your ___________________ (as well as your sins) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.”
Do you have a person you can seek godly counsel with? Perhaps its a family member or close friend from church or work. Who is it for you that you trust and can confide in? It may be difficult to imaging humbling yourself and confessing deep things to another person, but humility activates forgiveness and restoration.
Godly counsel is a gift from the Lord. A pastor, Christian counselor or mentor is a good place to start if you don’t have a personal Christian friend to meet with. Ask the Holy Spirit to provide and take a leap of faith towards your healing. My book or other resources created by Spirit-filled believers may also be just what you need to get inspired. If you want something to change…it may be time for you to change something and allow the Holy Spirit to bring everlasting healing and change to your own heart and mind in the process, as He has done and continues to do for me!
As always…If you have a specific prayer request you’d like to me to pray, I’d be honored. Just reply to this email.
“He Reveals to Heal!”
HEALED BY THE WORD: A Fresh Monthly Word
What is Grief? How can I help others?
Download “A Christian’s Guide to Help Others Heal Through Grief/Afflictions/Troubles” . It is a resource created last year, to teach with. I’m currently expanding on it as a guidebook is being developed as a companion to the book Good Grief I’m Healed. It’s free for your use.
Here is a taste of what you will find in the complimentary download, and you’ll gain an introduction to how to help others as they heal. The guidebook being written now will be more in depth. However, I trust this will help you in the meantime.