The God who heals…Some vows were made to be broken
Pain does not hurt. It merely makes us aware of the fact that we are hurt.
- Asking God to remove the pain without dealing with the hurt is like turning off the smoke detector while the house is still on fire.
- Pain can be a tremendous gift because it forces us to seek after God for genuine healing.
3 Jn 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
- When our soul is not prospering it affects our outward prosperity and our physical health.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses
- Taking every thought (noēma) captive = every conclusion and purpose of the mind
2 Cor 2:11 …so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes
Warring according to the flesh: trying to overcome flesh with flesh.
- The harder we fight flesh with flesh the stronger it becomes.
- We find ways to defend/ protect unhealed areas. (We over-react to getting bumped there again.)
- We judge those who have offended us.
- The consequence of judgment is that we are judged (receive a consequence) by THAT measure
- We fail to give the benefit of the doubt (“they didn’t mean to hurt me”) and judge their motives
- The more we vow “I will not be like __________” the more we are prone to become that.
- We make inner vows to control our lives in order to avoid that pain again.
- Solemn and earnest declarations made in order to avoid repeating a painful experience
I’ll never make my kids ______ I’ll never let anyone treat me that way ________… I will never let a woman talk to me that way… I will never let a man use me again…
- A stronghold gets established to protect that vow
- The result of these promises is that our heart responds to the same pain with defenses: shutting down, anger, pushing people away. –
Matthew 5:33-37 anything beyond these is of evil.
- We replace God and determine things that we will NOT permit Him to walk us through or teach us.
- When we make an inner vow, we become unteachable in that area and are blind to our rebellion in it.
- These become areas where we forcefully say to God – I will not permit you to lead me someplace where that pain might be revisited
- Because of this, we are robbed of the blessings of God which come from walking with Him.
Num 13-14 – Israel at border – we will not go in. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron;
- They stopped their forward progress because they were not willing to risk being hurt again by giants
Our trust must be in God’s character,. Not in His dealings with us. His character is immutable, but His ways are unpredictable. They always, however, lead us to a face to face with our strongholds.
In what area of life are you not experiencing the Kingdom? Is there a way you will not permit God to lead you?
Can you identify a promise you’ve made yourself in that area?
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