Breaking Free From Your Past

There is no perfect childhood…

I thought my childhood was perfect.  In my mind, I couldn’t have had a better childhood.  The strange thing was despite feeling very loved, I was incredibly insecure.  I had such a low self-image.  I remember being in 8th grade and a girl at church (She was a Jr. in High School and HOT!!) wanted to ‘go’ with me.  Her last name was Cannon and her nickname was ‘Boom-Boom.’  She was considered a catch in our high school by everyone and she was interested in me.  I couldn’t believe it.  In my mind, when I looked in the mirror, all I could see was an overweight, not-so-good-looking kid with acne all over his face.  And I was quite sure this is what everyone else saw as well.  Well, Boom-Boom saw something different.

With time, I began to realize that the opposite sex really did like the way I looked (Shocker!).  I became somewhat of an athlete even playing college football.  Yet, I was still very insecure.  I always saw myself as less than and I felt that people were always smarter, better-looking, a better athlete, and well…just better.

Later, when I found the love of my life, she was, and is still, quite beautiful. Early in the marriage, I was so afraid of being a failure as a husband.  It was almost as if I expected myself to be a failure.  Anytime that I knew I had done something that might upset my wife, I would lie about it, cover it up until there was no way for me to hide it.  Thankfully, I married a woman who was patient with me as I tried to work through everything.

There are no perfect homes…

I still look back at my childhood and feel that I had a very loving childhood, but there were some difficult times.  I am more aware now of some of the things my parents went through and how those things might have affected them and my sister and I.  My parents, of course, were dealing with life and life is a struggle.  They did not grow up in perfect homes and something I have finally learned over the years is that there are no perfect homes.  There are no perfect childhoods.  The Norman Rockwell picturesque idea of life does not exist consistently for a lifetime.  And all of these things have an effect on us.  The pain of our past can affect the way we see ourselves, the way we see others, things and people we are attracted to and repelled from.  The pain of the past affects the way we respond to the pains of today.

We have all been wounded…

Imagine I cut your arm with a large blade (don’t worry…I’m not coming to your house.  I don’t even know where you live .)  Of course, it would hurt if I cut you like that.  But then, let’s suppose you don’t treat the cut.  Suppose you just let it be and let it get infected.  After a long time, the infection would become nasty with puss and all kinds of sickening things squeezing out of it (if I am making you sick, that’s my goal…Hehe).  Now, let’s suppose we cross paths and I barely, and I mean barely brush up against that infected, nasty, puss-oozing cut.  Would it have hurt more when it was cut at the beginning or when I brushed up against it?  I don’t know and let’s not find out, ok?  But I would imagine that the brush against your wound would create more pain than the original cut.

This is how our emotional wounds work as well.  When we have been wounded by the people around us no matter who they are, parents, grandparents, siblings, neighbors, friends, babysitters, and we do not find healing for these wounds, we spend the rest of our life trying to keep people far enough away from those wounds to avoid the pain of words or situations that might brush up against the infected wound.

But we have a God who heals…

The Good News today is that we serve a God who heals.  He is our healer, Jehovah-Rapha.  He is the Great Physician.  In fact, He is so great that He can go back in time to the darkest places of our life and bring healing to the original wound and at the same time undo the infection of years gone by.  My Bible still says, “all things are possible with God” (Matthew 19:26).  You can break free.

Perhaps one of the best things I can tell you today is that your healing from the Lord has already been released.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (NIV)

Ephesians 1:3

You can break free from the pain of the past!

He has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing.  Alright, I hear you there in the back of the room shouting at me!  I realize it says ‘spiritual’ blessing!  But let’s keep in mind that everything physical exists first in the spiritual.  Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Heavenly Lights, who does not shift like the shadows (James 1:17).  Did you hear that in the back?!?  EVERY! E-V-E-R-Y good and perfect gift has come from the Lord.  That means the house you live in-that physical house that gives you shelter from the elements; that house where your family bonds together; that brick and mortar edifice has come down from the Father of Heavenly Lights.  I realize it was built by human hands, but it is the Lord that has allowed and helped you to have it.  It is a blessing.  These spiritual blessings that have ALREADY been given can touch our physical body as well as our heart.  You do not have to go beggin’ God for anything.  He has already released your healing.  We need to only go and secure it.  The healing balm of God is here.  Let’s go find it.  Isn’t it time for the pain of your past to stop controlling your future?

My goal in life is to see as many people as possible experience the full measure of God’s healing and blessings in their life.

5 Steps to Break Free from Your Past

1.  Get my FREE ebook to Learn the Biblical Principles of emotional healing.  The Bible does teach a very clear path to emotional healing, but it is so backward from what the world teaches.  Secular psychology teaches that we cannot truly heal, but the best we can hope for is to learn how to deal with our past.  This is not Biblical.  In my book “Breaking Free From Your Past,” I teach the Biblical principles for total and complete emotional healing.

2.  Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom.  Keep in mind, this book contains principles that apply to everyone in every situation.  It is the truth of Scripture and it is always true.  But as you read this, ask the Holy Spirit to help you apply it to your own life and to your own trauma-whatever that may be.  There is no pain so great that God can’t heal.

3. Start a journal. The Holy Spirit will help you see how these principles apply to your life and your situation as you read.  When the Holy Spirit teaches you something about your past, write it down in your journal.  Create a notebook of lessons from the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit.

4. Start Praying.  There is no book, preacher, or counselor that can heal us.  Healing comes from the Lord.  The Bible teaches us the principles, but we need the Holy Spirit to write these on our heart.  Start praying for the Lord’s healing in those specific areas of trauma.  Pray about the abuse.  Pray about the neglect.  Pray about the rape.  Pray about the molestation.  Pray about the deaths.  Pray about the nightmares.  In all of these, ask the Lord to heal you completely.

5. Start testifying.  God did not allow you to go through your pain for nothing.  He wants to use it for good.  As the Lord begins to teach you and set you free in your thinking and then in your behavior, tell people.  As the insecurity begins to die, tell someone.  As the anger is calmed, tell someone.  Tell them how good our Lord Jesus Christ is.  Tell them how He is healing you.  Then get ready for God to use your deepest pain to create your greatest ministry in helping others to heal.

If you want to go deeper into finding God’s Plan for Your Life, check out my other books Prepare For Greater Things and With All Your Heart.  Breaking Free From Your Past will help you leave the past behind you.  These next two books will take you into your future and God’s good, perfect, and pleasing plan for your life.  It is a plan of peace, joy, laughter, and love.  God has a plan for everyone, but we must seek it out in the Word of God.

And remember, His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).  He shines a light to the next step.  Take the next step and download Breaking Free From Your Past. 

I will be praying for your healing, peace, and prosperity.

Live Blessed and Be a Blessing!