***

My husband shared with me a lesson that the Lord has been teaching Him that I have asked permission to share with you, as you can probably tell from the title it’s about mercy.

Mercy is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as:

compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm

Although mercy involves compassion (sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others) or forgiveness, it goes beyond these concepts because it entails us to act in a way that is not harmful to the other person even though we may have the power or just cause to inflict it.

There are so many examples in the bible of God showing His mercy towards those who sin against Him.  My husband reminded me of the example of Ahab, who along with his wife Jezebel had not only killed the prophets of God but had caused Israel to turn to worship idols.  As a consequence of this God sent Eliyahu (Elijah) to confront King Ahab with these words (1 Kings 21):

 ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. ²² I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’

But what is more interesting to note is Ahab’s response to these words and the consequence of His actions:

 ²⁷ So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning.
²⁸ And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.”

Because Ahab showed repentance for his actions the Lord showed mercy towards Ahab by being compassionate towards his display of sorrow and humility and this caused God to delay His judgement against him.

Continue reading this post

Related articles

• Grace for Ahab!

The post God of Mercy appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

Hands up anyone who would like to see God face to face? 

Most likely all of us would, and this was the same for the intimate friend and servant of God, Moses.  When Moses stood on the holy mountain as recounted in Exodus he asked to know Elohim more intimately, he too needed to know God more fully.  Although, Exodus 33 verse 11 states that Moses spoke to God face to face we find that this conversation did not really include an intimate knowing of God on Moses side, it was as if there was still a wall that separated Moses from coming more fully into the presence of God.   Even though Moses had guided Israel out of Egypt and had been given divine authority, a portion of the Holy Spirit and the ability to speak to and commune with Elohim, it wasn’t enough for him.  I think this is a great point to meditate on, at that time Moses had already experienced much hardship, trial and sorrow and he needed to see the face of God to strengthen him against all the further trials and hardship ahead.  Seeing the glory of God would provide him with much needed security and re-assurance that he was in fact loved by Elohim. Moses said to YHWH:

I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight

~  Exodus 33: 13

Like Moses, we also need the security that comes with developing an intimate relationship with God, we need the re-assurance that we are loved by God and that we have found favour in His sight.  Even though we cannot see God physically, when we ask God to show Himself to us more fully just like He did for Moses, YHWH allows His goodness to pass before us, but sometimes we don’t even realise it because it’s not the fanfare we want!

You may be thinking, when did I see God’s goodness pass before me?  Think back to the last time you were in a really bad place and someone unexpectedly did something or said something to help or encourage you, that was God.  In chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, we see the sheep being separated from the goats to signify the righteous and the unrighteous respectively, we can clearly see the attributes that characterised the sheep was one of humanity to those in need (which Yahushua refers to as Himself).  Those who showed the love and light of God by their actions to those in need, have witnessed the light, love and grace of God first hand knowingly or not.

We might think to ourselves that surely, not everyone who helps us in difficult times are Believers, and we would of course be right, but if we think of the randomness of these acts of kindness, coupled with the love and sincerity that is clearly shown by these people we can clearly see that is the Spirit of Elohim at work in comparison to the hand of Satan.  These people have developed the godly traits of love and empathy, why?  Because they have been there themselves, they know what it feels like to be in the valley of the shadow of death and God uses the desire they have to help those who are where they once where to experience the hand of God in their lives.  God has so many ways of showing us His face, declaring His name and goodness to us, it is these revelations in our day to day struggles which enables us to get through the bitterest of storms and the darkest of nights.

It is also very interesting to note, all through YHWH’s dialogue with Moses, He repeatedly said, “I know you by name”.  To me this signifies, that God had a relationship with Moses, where Moses could commune on a one-to-one level with Him.  Although God could clearly see who Moses was, Moses could not see who Elohim was.  So when God told Moses that He would proclaim His name to him, what he was actually saying is this:

I’m going to let you know me more intimately so that you will be able to see characteristics of me which you have not previously seen.  As I know you by your name, from now on you will also know me by my name. 

And so, God proclaimed His name to Moses and in doing so Moses began to understand the characteristics and nature of Elohim, he began to develop a more full relationship with the most high because he could now see the face of God.

Meditation: how has Elohim showed His goodness to you, how has He proclaimed His name to you?

The post Seeing the face of God (part 1) – Book Extract 12 appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Messiah died for us (Romans 5: 8)

This verse really worked as a revelation and an epiphany to me because it told me that God’s love for mankind is not based on our goodness or perfection.  This truth is stated elsewhere in the bible, for example when God speaks concerning Israel we see that God did not choose or love Israel because of their greatness or perfection, as they were the least of all nations (Deuteronomy 7: 7) neither did He choose them because of their sin free and upright existence as they originated originally from a culture of idolatry and sinfulness (Ezekiel 16: 1- 7) from the land of Canaan where Abraham was raised and descended from.  But because YHWH saw their lowliness and utter privation, that He showed compassion and mercy towards them.  Just as He did to Israel, YHWH still extends the same love and compassion today to anyone who cares to know and accept Him.  The scriptures tell us so in the oft quoted and beloved verses of John 3: 16-17:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

I began to realise that just as I could not win or earn God’s love neither could I stop Him from loving me, His love for me was more unconditional than time and more constant than night and day.  Everything that could ever be done to reconcile me to Him and save me had already been done,  all I had to do was to open up myself to Him and become a vessel of His love.  It sounds so simple, but actually it’s one of the hardest truths to accept.

Related articles

• Truth or Lie: It’s OK to be Imperfect?
• Hebrew Origins of English – Love
• What Do We Make of the God of the Old Testament?

The post I’m not His (Book Extract 11) appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

This made me think about an encounter I had with a man who had lost his brother in a painful death, I remember as Eke and I were speaking to his colleague about God, Messiah and church his face became redder and redder and his countenance became stiffer and stiffer as if he was about to explode.  When asked if he was OK, he simply said that he didn’t believe in God and could never do so seeing the cruel way in which his brother was taken away.  And there was nothing that I could really say about this, nothing that I could say to take away his pain, his anger or his dissolution, the only thing I could do was to pray for him and hope that God would find a way into his heart.

I remember also searching the internet for evidence of the existence of God, to help me answer questions more factually but I think mostly for my own sake to justify my own belief in God.  And I did come across some interesting facts, for instance the once staunch Atheist Antony Flew had on several occasions’ denounced his beliefs and taken up theism (the belief in a deity). He now believes that God does exist as an eternal intelligent omniscient and omnipotent being however he does not believe in God as portrayed in the Bible.  And what made him change his mind?  After many years as a lecturer in prominent universities such as Oxford and Aberdeen, writing several books and carrying out research into this area he came to the conclusion that because creation is so complex it logically follows that something with intelligence must have created it.  Creation was not accidental as he once believed, but the work of an intelligent higher being.  For example the Earth is positioned at the exact right distance and angle towards the sun to create and maintain a hospitable environment, an inch closer or further away would result in a catastrophic imbalance that would kill all life on earth as we know it.  The human body contains seven ochillion atoms (7,000,000, 000³) all arranged in such a way that it can never be recreated by the flawed logic of man; the energy contained in one single grain of salt can power one household for seven months and an oak tree can power the entire USA for 10 years.

 But even though I became armed with interesting facts,  and could then when asked quote these facts back to anyone who showed an interest in listening, it didn’t make me feel any more secure, it didn’t answer my question because it had not shown me the face of God.  I still did not know God because I had no personal relationship with Him, I still relied on others to tell me about the God I believed in!

Q.  Why do you believe in God?

Related articles

• Antony Flew Abandons Atheism
• Defining Atheism: Belief in No God or No Belief in God

The post God is Love… isn’t He? (Book Extract 10) appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

There are 3 ways that we can broadly view personal development/self-development:

• The business definition of personal development states that “it is the process of improving your skills and increasing the amount of experience that you have in your job”.  This is an extremely functional and focused definition. (Cambridge Business English Dictionary)
• The personal excellence approach focuses on helping you define and identify the meaning of excellence and then helping you to achieve it in the desired part(s) of your life.  Personal excellence is very much linked to tangible success in life areas such as work, relationships and even health.
• The self development approach, the Oxford English Dictionary defines self development as “the process by which a person’s character or abilities are gradually developed”.  The focus of this approach is on developing innate qualities of the individual.

All three perspectives have been picked up by the personal development industry, due to a realisation that people have a desire to not only better themselves but to do so in a way that is fulfilling in purpose and value.

Yet even though personal development is important, taking course after course to improve your abilities, knowledge and even character is not enough to fill one with a deep sense of joy and peace.  Man has a thirst for more, to experience more and to be more which can not be quenched by personal development courses.  True personal development starts from a very deep place, the most ancient of places.

In my healing journey, I have been at the place of wanting to do course after course to build up my knowledge and understanding, every course seemed to promise me new life changing insight to do the things I wanted to do with my life but they never did; but something amazing happened when God stepped into my life, His words to me were simple yet profound:

Stop doing and simply be

The problem with most definitions of personal/self-development is that they focus on what we want, what we believe we need and what we feel we should be doing in order to get to our desired endpoint.  For example if I want to run a multi-national company, common sense tells me that I need to go to Business school to develop my knowledge and abilities so that I can excel in doing business.  Self-development is often about physical goals and objectives but this is only a small portion of what true self-development is all about.  When we focus on developing ourselves in this way we can get so caught up in our busyness that we forget to stop and simply be.

I’m a big advocate of stopping and learning to be, because this is what God has taught me.  He is the ‘I AM’ and we are made in His likeness to also be.  It’s not easy to stop, I can tell you that for sure; sometimes it’s even hard to recognise that you need to!   As long as there are no red lights in your road of life it’s often just easier to keep on pedalling that bike, isn’t it?  Stopping comes when we realise that all our busyness is vanity if it doesn’t help us to become who we are meant to be.  This isn’t about our role, our profession, our job or anything else we might accept as a label, it’s about who we are deep down inside, our ‘I am’.

It is God’s will for us to simply be, living in the joy of how He created us, “fearfully and wonderfully”.  Each soul is unique and the more we get to know our true self and share it with others the more joy and peace we will feel.  No self-development course can teach you how to be you, only YHWH because He created you.

For me it’s not about our personal development but the journey of growth and maturity that God desires to lead us on so that we can become who we truly are in Him.  It is a journey of deep self-discovery which will be painful at times, empowering at others, but in all liberating and truly healing.   We may meet others along our road to healing that God wants to use to bless us in our lives but whether we do or not is because this is the way it’s supposed to be, a season for all things under the sun.

I strongly believe that the more we know about our true self, the more we will truly develop, not based on goals, desires or objectives but based on simply learning to become more of who we are called to be.

So, let’s focus on learning to simply be.

“Restoration doesn’t happen instantly” 

~ Debbie Lyle Simmons

The post What does Personal Development mean to you? appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

Another diary entry

I feel so tight, claustrophobic and You seem so far away like my cries and my pains are nothing to You.  I tell you that I am desperate, that I can no longer bear and I asked myself is this the reason for my existence?  Do You love me at all?  I ask myself what can be worth this, will I kill myself to hear Your voice?  I tell You that I can’t make it, that I don’t know how and I’m dying.  I wonder if You can hear me, do You hear what I say to You?  Do You even care?  What did I do to You to deserve this, did I turn my back on You?  YHVH, I cannot wait a little while longer.  If You love me save me N O W.  Please don’t delay, do my tears mean nothing to You?  You are the TRUTH, save me in TRUTH.

I NEED You – why won’t You HELP ME?  WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY? Don’t blame me Father if I can’t make it, please don’t blame me I’m so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so TIRED OF THIS!

Chapter 2 Why?

I think that one of the hardest things to understand when we are in pain is the reason why,  there is the need for people to understand the origins of their pain and ill-health and I was no different.  The more doctors I went to, the more health and medical professionals I saw and was referred to whom couldn’t help me the more afraid and confused I became.  Like the woman in the Bible with a bleeding issue I sought high and low for answers and cures for my unusual symptoms and very nearly gave up hope.  I remember one night, after pouring out my heart to my husband Eke I lay in bed and said to God that He should not wake me up in the morning, I dreaded hell so much that I didn’t want to take my own life (after all why should I suffer in the afterlife as well as the present) but I had no compunction to ask God to remove His breath from me.  And I meant it, well around 98% of me did, there were still things that held me back such as a future with my beloved, the ministry YHWH had placed in me and of course the pain that my family would feel after I was gone.  But God being God saved me from myself.  So when I look back on my diary entries I feel so sad for that woman who was in so much pain both inside and out.

At one point in time I wanted to set up a self help group for people who like me were broken, I guess I needed to have others to talk to and share my experiences with.  But as I was setting up and preparing for the sessions, I asked myself “what will we talk about?” And one of the things that came to mind was “why do we fall ill?”  And I began to feel like such a phony, did I really feel that I had the answers to the problems of all these people who would come in to the self help group?  How could I help others when I couldn’t even help myself?  I didn’t even know the answer to the most fundamental question that is on the lips of all those in need, “why?” And I think that question is not just about the origin of our ill-health but a plea to fully understand the mechanisms of our life in relation to God’s plan, I know it was such for me.

So in this chapter I want to deal with the question of why, based on what God has revealed to me and my own experiences along this journey.  The first part of the question I want to deal with is what anyone who believes in a higher being has often asked.  “If God loves me then why…” And I think this is particularly hard for Believers as we grow up being taught about a God who is a father, loving and kind to all His children.  So based on this teaching, when we experience pain or loss we inevitably draw one of three conclusions:

1. God isn’t as kind and loving as I thought He was.
2. I am not His child and therefore He doesn’t love me.
3. There is something wrong with me, maybe I am cursed or have sinned against Him and that’s why He doesn’t love me, I am being punished. 

All the above although logical are flawed as they are based on an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of God, I know because I’ve been there.

~~~

Join me next week for the next extract from this book.

The post Book Extract 9: Why won’t God heal me? appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

“if this is healing, I never knew pain before”. 

I can even recall exactly how I felt at that time, like my whole being was being pounded and twisted a thousand times to re-shape me and mould me ever more into the image of my Messiah.   But it wasn’t pleasant, in fact I can safely say that it was one of the hardest times of my life.  The cycle of transformation doesn’t really get much easier, I feel the only difference is a growing awareness that healing is ugly, messy and painful and an increased trust that the process and end result is worthwhile.

It seems strange to say doesn’t it?  That something that man strives so much to experience, something that we assume should be beautiful, joyous and pain-free is in fact both beautiful yet ugly and joyous yet sorrowful.  I am yet to find someone who has said that true healing is a pain-free process, but it could be the case, who knows!

I think at this point it’s important to clarify what I mean by healing.  Do I mean physical healing from illness or disease?  Do I mean emotional and mental healing?  Do I mean spiritual healing?  Yes and no.  The type of healing I mean is all three yet more, it is the type of healing that transforms your entire being from the inside out and and outside in.  You go in one way and you come out another.

Over the years as my interest in Biblical healing has grown, I have observed this truth over and over again in my life and the life of others around me.  But even through the pain and the ugliness, there is a beauty that overrides all, the beauty of God which becomes increasingly radiant in the life of the individual.  Less of man, more of the Divine.  And this is where we are supposed to be, and this is why the transition from the carnal to the divine is such an ugly process.  The old adage stands true here, ‘nothing of any value ever comes easily’.

Why am I writing this today?  Well, I know that somewhere in the world at this point in time there are people crying, people hurting, people at breaking point yet they are being truly and deeply healed.  I face this in my own life and in the life of those who I hold dear.  I want you to know that this pain, this ugliness, this despair is temporary, for just like the earth-bound and drudging caterpillar who metamorphoses into a butterfly of great grace, beauty and flight you will come out  bearing more of the glory of YHWH.

Beauty and grace out of hardship and struggle

This process is crucial, there is no ‘eject’ button, this journey and struggle is part of your new you.  This reminds me of a story that I read quite recently, I’m not sure if you have heard of it too.  It is the story of a butterfly who was struggling to emerge from it’s cocoon.

A caring gardener saw a butterfly struggling, so moved with pity he cut a slit in the cocoon so that the creature could escape.  Finally leaving behind the confines of it’s cocoon, the butterfly dropped to the ground.  The gardener noticed that the butterfly had a swollen body and shrivelled wings, he watched and waited hoping that the butterfly would spread it’s wings and take flight. 

It never did. 

The gardener had failed to allow the butterfly to fully transition because he didn’t equate the butterfly’s struggle with it’s final destination.  Without the struggle the butterfly wasn’t able to be fully transformed, instead of becoming a creature of beauty, grace and flight it was still a caterpillar but now with an engorged body and shrivelled wings.

The lesson here is that if we really want to be healed, if we really want to soar we must be prepared to face the struggle that comes with it.  The struggle isn’t easy, but I believe that it shows us that we are nearing our place of victory.

Be blessed this week and know that no matter where you are in your healing journey, God has plans for your good.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy these.

1. Struck down, but not destroyed.
2. Beneath the Waters
3. God desires to Perfect You

Related articles

• Healing Through God

The post The Ugly and Beautiful Truth about Healing appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

Meditation Verses

    My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
(Proverbs 3:1-8 ESV)

Reflection

• The scripture above outlines a simple truth, when we rely on God to direct our movements and are obedient to His voice, we receive His Shalom.  Can you see this truth manifested in your own life and walk with God?

• Think about the areas that you know you are disobedient in, you know what they are because He has whispered them to you whenever you feel like your back is up against the wall.  When He says, ‘acknowledge Me, let Me take control, do not be wise in your own eyes, depart from evil’ what does this mean to you?

• What was the consequence of not listening to His voice?  Can you think of a recent example in your life?  Do you think that this disobedience was wilful and purposeful or accidental and out of your control?  Think back over previous examples and ask yourself the same questions, be honest with yourself and then look over the meditation verse again.

 Prayer

Abba Father,

I pray for your child, I pray that they may be able to see and accept that there have been times when they have deliberately and purposefully disregarded your voice and commands and have walked their own path for various reasons.  But Abba, Your Word tells us that listening to you frees us and enables us to live in a state of shalom (security, peace, health, safety etc.).   Lord, I pray that you will begin to work on those areas of their life which cause them to wilfully disobey You and which prevent them from experiencing the wholeness that You so much desire for us.  (please feel free to add your own words now)

We pray in the mighty name of Your Son, Yahushua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah.  Amen.

If you were blessed by this meditation, you may also be blessed by my book ‘The Secret Place: Ten Reflective Meditations to Dispel Fear and Build Faith’

Related articles

• Book extract 5: With God there is Life
• Daily Scripture Meditation
• Book extract 3: the Promise of a Sabbath Rest

The post Book Extract 8: Meditation on God’s Word appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

How would things have been different if I had possessed a more  intimate relationship with YHWH that enabled me to trust, lean and rely on Him more fully?  How would I have felt if I had known what I do now, that He really does care for me, wants to carry my burdens and has plans for my good?  Yes, I would have still faced some of those same problems but others would have not occurred because the way I would have handled the situation would have been different because what I knew to be true would have been different.  Many if not most of the stressors we face and the stress we experience is down to the fact that we do not trust in God as we should, this causes us to act in ways which are contrary to His word and Divine will for us leading us into a bigger state of worry and stress.

I sometimes think about how good and kind YHWH has been to me in the midst of all my pain, worry and disobedience.  For example, my husband Eke and I once visited a friend’s church and the spirit moved some of the female members of the congregation to pray for me.  It was such a beautiful and healing experience where I felt totally overwhelmed by the presence of God; as these women surrounded me I gave in and let the Holy Spirit take my brokenness up to the Throne of Grace.  Afterwards, one of the women came up to me and told me what she had seen whilst she had been praying for me.  She told me she had seen a crystal clear stream or a river, teeming with fish by a lush riverbank, and although I didn’t understand it straight away a little while later I began to understand.  God was giving me a healing vision.  He later confirmed this vision through various scriptures; God was showing me the healing place that He would lead me to.  One aspect of this vision can be found in Psalm 1 verse 3:

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (KJV)

Jeremiah 17 repeats the same image:

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when the heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

The security and fruitfulness of this tree relates back to the concept of trusting faithfulness or ‘emunah’, it is a promise repeated time and time again in the pages of God’s Word that He will not abandon those who wait in, hope and trust in Him.  Irrelevant of our pain and sufferings these words confirm that YAH plants His people in a fertile place to bear fruit and prosper in their allotted time.  I really just want to use this to minister to you wherever you may be, He has not forgotten you and neither has He forsaken you,  believe that He really does have plans for your good and welfare and witness His faithfulness in your life.

You can read earlier extracts from this book here

Related articles

• Seeing God’s grace through hardship
• The Peaceful Storm
• The secret of fruitfulness. Sermon and prayer points by Pastor E A Adeboye. RCCG

The post Book Extract 7: A Place of Healing appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.

Unfortunately, CBT is based on psychological and medical assumptions and totally ignores the concept of the spirit, therefore it can never hope to cure man but like a plaster over a gaping wound only partially stem the flow of blood.  Does this mean that techniques such as CBT are useless?  No, in fact the underlying principle of CBT is compatible with the Biblical concept of the renewing of the mind but as Believers we should want more than this superficial renewal, we need our hearts transformed and our spirit healed too.  This is where we really need the Set-Apart (Holy) Spirit in our lives.

When we are grounded in the Holy Spirit we truly learn what it means to be ‘set-apart’, and the evidence of this will be manifest in our response to the inevitable trials and tribulations we will face in life.  We will be like a tree planted by the river and a house built on a firm foundation so that when the storm comes (which it inevitably will) we will not be greatly  moved but remain grounded because of our strong roots and foundation.  Does this mean that we will never stumble, feel overwhelmed or desire to give up?  Of course not, after all we are human, but through the grace of God we will be able to look back and find that we have not been broken or destroyed by life but in fact we have prospered and grown stronger in our walk with God, we may even see it as a blessing in disguise healing us in ways we could hardly imagine and deepening our relationship with God.

I already see this ringing true in the lives of many people I have been blessed to meet on my own healing journey.  I have been witness to the amazing journeys of those who have clung on to the Rock of Salvation through life threatening illness, chronic pain, abuse, violence and death and each of these people had one thing in common, their intimate and honest relationship with Elohim.  They all have a powerful testimony to share of how God kept them through it all and how He built up their trust and faith in Him so that they were able to overcome situations that have been known to destroy others and which has made them stronger as a consequence.

The only thing that truly has the power to change our dysfunctional thinking into a healthy thought-life is the trust or emunah we have in God, when we develop emunah it becomes a buffer against many of the worries of the world that will keep us even in the midst of terrible storms.  In fact research studies show that at the very least faith is a predictor of well-being if not the cause of it (Perry, 1988; Polonyi, Henriksen & Serres, 2011) and as such is important to the health of every Believer.

The post Book Extract 6: The Faith & Health Connection appeared first on On the Road to Healing - Living Life More Abundantly | Experiencing Biblical Healing & Wholeness| Release from Stress, Anxiety and Fear| Deeper Intimacy with God and Spiritual Transformation| Entering into His Promised Rest| Shabbat Shalom| Chronic illness| Stress-related Illness.