The Two Cosmic Lies that Devastate the Human Heart –Part 4 The Price We Pay
I know – this is a long post, even for me. I will write a summary post at some point. But I am traveling now and want to get this out. I have broken it up with headings. Try to read it. Skim it and read the parts that are most interesting to you.
“The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods” (Psalm 16: 4)
“All the labor of man is for his mouth, yet his soul remains unsatisfied (Ecclesiastes 6:
7 NKJV).
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean”(Matthew 15: 19, 20 NIV).
Introduction
A word I don’t hear very much these days is compassion. Paul tells us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free – free from needing to find our value in the world, free from pride, and the effects of pride, which include sin. Because we know where we came from –our former lives of fear, anxiety, futility, and despair – Jesus calls us to have compassion on those who are still in bondage, even Christians. When Jesus sets us free, the worst thing we can do is to look at others still in bondage with a critical and judgmental heart. We know the ‘solution’! He calls us to share it compassionately and honestly – generosity without orthodoxy is wrong; orthodoxy without generosity is really wrong. Once set free, we must walk in this tension as we humbly minister to others.
Back to Where It All Began – the Garden of Eden
In the Garden of Eden, God lived in harmony with Adam and Eve. He made it clear to them that they were to be His delegate authorities on Earth, ruling over the entire creation in partnership with Him. They were to live in harmony and union with God, with each other, and with the world around them. God intended for the world to be a place of order and organization, with each part of the Earth smoothly interacting and complementing every other part. It was intended to be Heaven on Earth; the Kingdom of God.
God made Adam and Eve to live in loving relationship with Him and each other. As I read the first 3 chapters of Genesis, I am struck by God’s love for and tenderness toward Adam and Eve. God made them for Himself, to be valued by God and to know His love and affection, and for them to receive His love and value and to love and value Him in return. But this purpose came with a risk – God had to give them freedom – the freedom to choose Him or choose self, the root of evil. Love cannot be coerced. It must be freely given.
God placed only one stipulation on Adam and Eve. Eat the fruit from any tree in the Garden. Only do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, “for when you eat of it you will surely die.” In this instruction we see God’s self-sacrificing love for Adam and Eve; His decision to give them free will. C. S. Lewis writes:
“Christianity asserts that God is good; that He made all things good and for the sake of their goodness, that one of the good things He made, namely the free will of rational creatures by its very nature included the possibility of evil” (Lewis, ‘The Problem of Pain’, pg 63).
God placed in each of us the ability to disobey Him. But God also clearly warned Adam and Eve – “your disobedience will have consequences.
Satan exploited this condition. He said to the woman, “You will not surely die . . . for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3: 4, 5 NIV).
And so Eve ate from the forbidden fruit. She gave some to Adam and he ate. The lie came first, and then disobedience.
In that moment, evil and alienation entered the world. For the first time they saw that they were separate – separate from God, who now became the Other, someone to be feared; and separate from each other. Self was ‘born’ and with the recognition of self, pride.
Essentially, satan seduced Adam and Eve with two lies: 1) You are not good enough, and 2) you can become ‘good enough’ – you can become like God through your own efforts – the power of self – apart from Him.
Satan is the father of lies. His purpose is to overturn God’s creation, to bring chaos where there is order, hell where there is heaven, disease where there is health, rejection where there is acceptance, animosity where there is friendship, anxiety where there is peace, despair where there is joy, fear where there is security, hate where there is love, disunity and isolation and where there is union and relationship, and death to all that is alive – death to all of creation. In short, to replace all that is good with an all-pervasive evil. Satan’s mission is to steal, kill, and destroy. God is the restorer; satan is the anti-restorationist.
For the pyrrhic privilege of being (seemingly) in control of their own destiny, Adam and Eve traded an orderly life worshiping and serving God in whole-hearted fellowship for a chaotic, self-serving existence under the authority of satan, filled with pain and ultimately death. And a life of lies – because in reality they had no control, and the things they sought to give them value would not bring life, only disappointment, despair, hopelessness, and finally, death. They were deceived. They placed themselves in bondage. They chose Egypt, when God offered them the Promised Land. And they relinquished the authority that God intended them to have over creation in partnership with him for, metaphorically, ‘a bowl of stew’ (see Esau in Genesis 25: 29 – 34. Esau gave up his birthright to satisfy his flesh or self).
And so we see the insidious power of the lies. The devastation of the relationship between Adam and Eve and God, the darkness and brokenness implanted in their hearts, and the striving in their own power for something they could never achieve. The futility of that life has been passed on to us. When Adam and Eve came into agreement with the lies, we were implicated. In some way, we have become the recipients of their decision. Today we pay the price for their disobedience and unbelief.
Searching for Value – “I Did It My Way” – And the Price We Pay
When we search for our value in an ‘ultimate thing’, whatever that thing is, we enter into a contract – the ultimate thing tells us, “I will totally fulfill you (i.e. give you all your value), but you must totally surrender to me.”
Separated from God, striving in our own power, we seek to find the antidote to our anxiety and separateness. In effect, we tell God, “I’ve got this. I can do this on my own. I don’t need (or want) You.” Or maybe we enter into this life not believing in God at all. What ever we say or think, we are not seeking our value on our own – we have entered into an agreement with satan, who is the author of the lies – whether we believe in satan or not. We turn away from worshiping God, our creator, in order to worship self in the form of an ‘ultimate thing’ in the world. We ‘pass’ on God’s invitation to enter into union with Him, and instead accept the invitation to enter into union with satan. And that is crazy!
Paul makes this point early in the book of Romans:
“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles (the ‘idols’ we worship are generally not images of animals etc. But our idols are just as real and blasphemous) . . . they exchanged the truth of God (God created us to be the Source of all our value as we live in intimate relationship with Him) for a lie (Self is all I need to find my value), and worshiped and served the created things (work, accomplishments, wealth, possessions, etc) rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1: 22 – 25 NIV).
“Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1: 28 NIV).
Paul goes on to describe behavior that is rooted in the life of self-sufficiency: wickedness, evil, greed and depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. To this list I would add anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, contempt, and hatred. “They not only continue to do these very things but they also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1: 32 NIV). Welcome to the kingdom of the world.
When we come into agreement with the second lie, and look for our value in the “created things” and self rather than the creator, we release wickedness and evil into the world. I believe that God is all Good. If God is good, and there is evil in this world – unspeakable evil – where or what is the source of that evil? In large part, I believe, we are the source of evil. When we worship something other than God we release into the world, just as Adam and Eve did, an intangible force called evil – a darkness that can settle over and infect the whole creation.
“Death is not an arbitrary punishment for sin (or Sin in my terminology); it is its necessary consequence, since the turning away from the living God which constitutes idolatry is the spiritual equivalent of a diver cutting his own breathing tube” (Wright, ‘Evil and the Justice of God’, pg. 109).
Jesus warns us of a life searching for value in the world, apart from God, in the Sermon on the Mount. He said:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6: 19 – 21 NIV).
Our treasure is the thing that gives us value, the thing to which we have totally surrendered. Jesus is telling us that any treasure we amass on earth is susceptible to corruption, degradation, and theft. Whatever that ultimate thing is – wealth, possessions, accomplishments, knowledge, health, esteem of others, power, intellect, etc. – can, and most likely will, be taken from us one way or another.
Jesus also says:
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6: 24 NIV).
If you choose money (or any other ultimate thing) for your value, you will eventually end up hating and cutting yourself off from the Living God. At least until you truly repent.
Jesus said running after our value in the things of the world will most likely leave us with nothing of value at all at the end of our life. We will be just as lonely and anxious, just as angry, and just as lost as we were at the beginning of the journey we call life. Most importantly the people who live their lives in agreement with these lies, seeking value in the world, apart from God, will eventually face God at the judgment seat. The consequence of this judgment can be a life of eternal separation.
Finally, finding our value in the things of the world, cutting ourselves off from the life that God has intended for us to live is Sin. And the wages of sin is death, in all of its many manifestations; and suffering – suffering for us, those we love, and the world around us. We pay a very steep price!
Some Consequences We Suffer When We Believe the Lie
The ‘ultimate thing’ that a person selects is highly personal. But in general, as I wrote in the previous post, every ‘ultimate thing’ selected to find our value falls into one of four categories:1) performance and accomplishments, including our intellect; 2)power and control, 3) sex and lust, and 4) greed and covetousness, especially for wealth and possessions. And underlying each of these ultimate things is a dark spirit of violence and domination.
That is the big picture. What follows is a more specific list of 24 ways human beings continue to pay the price for believing and living the lie “we can become good enough through our own power” – the power of self. These are consequences that I have experienced in my own life, the lives of people I know, and have seen in my healing ministry. Pastors I know well encounter these consequences in their ministries as well. Each of these scenarios is a terrible price to pay for autonomy. People living their lives under the control of lie 2 might be:
Be very hard to love and have few close friends. They can be alienated, separated, and lonely even in the midst of a large family or group of friends.
Have a hard time loving God, themselves, and others with authentic love.
Be overly sensitive and easily offended.
Resent advice or correction.
Have a fear of failure and, in some cases, a perfectionist personality, which sets them up for more failure.
Have an unwarranted high opinion of their gifts and talents.
Be master manipulators.
Regularly exhibit negative emotions like: anger, hatred (of God, self, and others), frustration, disappointment, bitterness, an inability to forgive, shame, guilt, and resentment. Or, are largely apparently without emotion at all.
Contemplate suicide or tragically take their lives.
Be an habitual liar.
Have a critical, judgmental, and argumentative spirit rooted in a need to dominate. Conversations with them about politics or theology, where points of view different from theirs are shared, are can be angry, even violent.
Be susceptible to the accusations by the enemy about past sins, even if they have repented of these sins. They struggle with shame, even over sins decades old.
Hate it when their plans to gain more perceived value are thwarted.
Devalue others so that they can feel more valuable themselves.
Develop a sense of entitlement and a victim spirit.
Be perpetually broken hearted and depressed. They will have good days, but in general there will be no joy in their life.
Be an habitual liar and thief.
Become someone who steals and sucks life and joy from others.
Be a ‘pushover’ without the ability to say “no” to the demands of the people around them. They desperately want to “belong” and be valued so they cannot risk alienating anyone. They might be easily manipulated. Although, underneath this pliable exterior they can be resentful and bitter.
Not have healthy boundaries.
Be complacent, accepting whatever life throws at them.
Be dominated by fear.
Often say, “I can’t do that”, effectively cursing themselves.
Apologize for everything, even when the mistake or problem is not their fault.
Here are some other manifestations of the lie, “you can make yourself good enough.” These behaviors are also part of the ‘price we pay’ when we demand the right to ourselves:
The lie, “You are not good enough”, is a filter through which everything that happens to us or is said to us is passed and distorted. This is one reason why we are easily offended.
We see ourselves as unworthy of God’s love, cutting ourselves off from His grace. We have a difficult time understanding the atonement of the cross for our lives. Pride is the enemy of grace.
We become greedy and covet what others have (“I want what you have or I want you to have less than I have). I feel threatened by someone else’s success.
As I wrote above, I lust after power and control. I become a bully, demanding that those around me fulfill my wants, needs, and desires. I might become a murderer, either physically or by attempting to destroy another’s reputation or life with gossip, slander, or lies. Underneath these behaviors is a spirit of violence and domination.
I crave acceptance; rejection devastates me.
Life becomes too overwhelming. I might shut down, withdraw from society, and give up trying to find my value in anything. Ironically, it is from this place that God has a good chance of reaching me.
One of the darkest consequences of a life chasing the lie, “You can make yourself good enough through your own efforts” is a pervasive sense of futility. When we begin our lives believing that the ultimate thing we have chosen apart from the Living God – for example, wealth, power, or intellect – will totally fulfill us, our lives might be initially successful and exciting. It might seem that the way we have chosen, the way of self, will produce everything we need for life. But our hopes begin to fade as the devaluing of life continues and the goal of total fulfillment fades or always seems ‘just around the corner. At some point, we realize we have been deceived – with all of our wealth, fame, and power we are just as empty as when we were poor, unknown, and powerless. We come to believe that life has no purpose or meaning. In some cases, this can lead to alienation, self-mutilation, or suicide.
Related to this sense of futility is a lack of resilience in the face of suffering and great evil such as extreme poverty, the death of loved ones; disease, like cancer; or in some parts of the world, torture and the horror of death camps and gulags. When we find our value, fulfillment, and life in Jesus we draw on His power, His faith, hope, and joy, and His peace even in the face of horrific trauma. Paul refers to this truth when he writes, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 3: 14 NIV). In his amazing book ‘Unspeakable – Facing Up to the Challenge of Evil’, Os Guinness writes about Primo Levi, a survivor of Auschwitz:
“He entered and left the camp as an intellectual and an atheist, with a staunch belief in the superiority of reason and the enlightenment. But this sustaining hope had collapsed under the weight of evil. As one biographer wrote, “Once this bad world, inexplicably bad, was no longer accessible to the light of reason, he had no recourse left but to despair” . . . Sadly, an experience of evil that was impossible to forget and impossible to communicate became impossible to survive. Levi could not stand it and he did not“ (pg 69).
Almost 40 years after being liberated from the death camp, Levi killed himself.
Most of us will probably recognize ourselves in one or more of these categories listed above. That is because this is a list, although incomplete, of the consequences of living in a fallen world in which all of us have bought into the lies to some extent. No one is perfect. None of us, “Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.” And for sure, most of us struggle with, “Loving our neighbors as ourselves.” But hopefully, for those of us who are disciples of Jesus, we are on the journey of coming out of agreement with the lies of satan and coming into agreement with Jesus Christ about who we are in Him – valuable and beloved. As we come into agreement with Christ and enter into and live with Him in His Kingdom, repentant and sorrowful for our sins, as we receive value from Him, and as He continuously transforms us into new creations, we will see ourselves in fewer and fewer of these categories. With time we will love God with more of our heart, and we will find it easier to love ourselves, our neighbors, and even our enemies. It is a process. We are on a journey. Jesus has told me, “I will do it for you (set me free from the lies) but you must do it with me”. I have a role to play.
If I am correct, these behaviors (and others I have not named) are rooted in the two lies that ‘sprout’ in the human heart in the ‘soil of fallen human nature, watered by the rain of devaluing’. When the lies sprout, they begin to grow into a tree of unrighteousness, bearing bitter fruit, corrupting my life, potentially corrupting the lives of people around me, and damaging my relationships with God and others. The life focused on pursuing value in the power of ‘self’ places the person at the center of his or her personal universe. It is pride – the root of all evil.
I believe that many antisocial behaviors and negative emotions are rooted in the two lies discussed in these posts – the consequence of the fall of man. Of course, emotional problems like depression and other psychiatric illnesses can have an underlying medical root and must be treated accordingly – but I have anecdotal evidence that ministries I am associated with have seen depression, obsessive/compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and other psychological illnesses effectively treated by spiritual deliverance and emotional healing.
Medicating the Lie — Pornography
For many people, the despair, shame, and futility of a life living with the voice, “You are not good enough”, is overwhelming. For them, the answer is not more striving to find value and overcoming isolation and separation. The answer is medication. The price they pay is addictions to drugs, alcohol, sex, food, or other things including pornography. As I wrote above, Internet pornography provides a short-term relief from these negative emotions. Speaking of pornography . . .
Pornography is now so pervasive that it is being called, “the new drug.” Here are some stats pulled off the Internet. Based on data collected by Porn Hub, an Internet provider of pornography, in 2017 28,500,000,000 people visited the site (that’s right – 28.5 billion people). In 2016, 91,980,225,000 pornographic videos were watched on Porn Hub. In one year (the article didn’t say which year) 4,599,000,000 hours of pornography were watched. That is 5,246 centuries. Today, 79% of American men between the ages of 18 – 30 watch pornographic videos at least once a month, and most more often. And most disturbing of all, the porn industry is now targeting children as young as 10 years old.
The porn industry is so huge because men and women around the world find pleasure and some relief from loneliness and despair in the sexual fantasies and arousal they get from this Internet madness. Of course, this is one of the ultimate acts of self and separation – sex with yourself. The price paid for addiction to pornography is steep: broken relationships, an inability to have ‘normal’ sexual relations, shame and guilt, and a defiled heart that no longer feels like home to the Holy Spirit.
New Age Religion, the Occult, and Witchcraft
Nowhere is the lie, “You can be like God” embraced more fully than in the quest for spiritual fulfillment in New Age religion and the occult. Witchcraft, Wicca, eastern religious practices growing out of Hinduism, including yoga and transcendental meditation; and Buddhism release darkness into people’s lives that literally steal peace and joy, kill life and liveliness, and destroy relationships. The most intense spiritual deliverances I have participated in have been with people in the Far East who were dedicated by their parents to other gods in their local Buddhist temples when they were infants.
When one turns to witchcraft and Wicca searching for value and meaning in life they connect themselves with God-hating, malign powers and principalities that overwhelm their hearts with darkness, hatred, and death. The goals of someone seeking to find their value in these demonic powers are overcoming the light with darkness, and destroying the order and organization of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost through violence and domination. The price they pay for finding their value in these things can literally be death. Perhaps they see themselves as virtuous. There are only two sources of power in the universe – God and His archenemy, satan. If power is not from God, it is from the demonic realm. There is no such thing as good witchcraft.
But it is not necessary to embrace witchcraft to be oppressed by demons. When anyone, including a Christian, finds their value in the “worship of the creature, rather than the creator”, as Paul writes in Romans 1, fear, hatred, and sin are the byproducts. Coupled with vows to the occult, these 4 can open doors for demonic spirits, ranging from simple familiar spirits to major powers and principalities, to enter our hearts. In my experience, many times the underlying causes of emotional and physical problems or issues are spiritual requiring spiritual deliverance.
Vows made to the occult or demonic can be life altering but sometimes done innocently or without knowledge. Ouija boards, fortune telling, reliance on horoscopes, or even watching Disney cartoons containing magic (which is most of them) can all open doors into our heart, depending upon a person’s level of susceptibility. Whenever we give our time or attention to a book, movie, TV show, or the Internet involving magic, sorcery, supernatural evil, extreme violence or sexual situations, or witches and witchcraft we can invite demons into our hearts. Of course, this also applies to many Christians. The next section introduces some of these demonic powers.
Spiritual Powers and Principalities – The Edomite Spirit
Strong spiritual powers or principalities active in the world include the Jezebel spirit, Baal, Ishtar (aka the “Queen of Heaven; Jeremiah 44: 16 – 19), a spirit of death, a religious spirit, the Edomite spirit, and more. All of these spirits have the same underlying motive: domination through violence.
The Edomite spirit is particularly prevalent in the world today. This spirit requires a separate post, but at the risk of lengthening this post even more, here is a ‘brief’ description of this spirit from a commentary on the book of Obadiah written by Lloyd Ogilvie, a Presbyterian pastor:
The Edomites “were the very embodiment then of practical defiant godlessness, expressing itself in the deification of self, and the conviction that self was sufficient, and that the fortresses which it had made for its own protection were enough to protect it against all opposition” (G. Campbell Morgan in Ogilvie, Commentary on Obadiah pg. 377)
The Edomites of the Bible lived in mountain fortresses they carved out of rock, including the city of Petra. They were the tribal descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob. Today our fortresses are constructed of walls of spiritual flesh built from the worship of ultimate things.
Ogilvie goes on, describing how the Edomite spirit manifests in our culture today:
“We think of the contemporary Edomites where deification of self leads to pride. Arrogance rules their lives. They are materialists whose security is in human power and possessions. Accountable to no one but themselves, they perpetuate the cult of humanism. Bloated egotism results. There are no rules except those they set to control others. People are manipulated as things; accumulated accouterments of success are touted as the meaning of life. Their motto is, “What’s good is what makes me feel great.” These are the truly dangerous people. The real enemies of God. And our enemies too, because their lack of accountability to anyone greater than themselves make them willing tools of the archenemy, satan. He is the instigator of the pride that eventually blocks our God and His righteousness” (Ogilvie, Mastering the Old Testament, Obadiah, pg. 377).
Does this spirit sound familiar? It should – it is prevalent in America and other parts of the world. Many of the ‘rules’ we encounter in American today, such as the cultural rules of ‘political correctness’, which we disregard at our peril, can be used to dominate, intimidate and control. Human beings open themselves up to the Edomite spirit when they live under the influence of the lies I am describing. This spirit leads to self-centered lives of chaos and destruction, and then to cultures and societies of chaos and decay, where the predominant refrain is “give me . . . or else “. What a terrible price to pay for the ‘right to myself.’
I believe that when the two lies in peoples hearts are replaced by the truth of Jesus, who is “the way, the truth, and the life”, the grip of the Edomite spirit and every other destructive spirit in the persons heart, is loosened and can be removed through spiritual deliverance, replaced by the Spirit of Christ.
Even Christians? Yes!
Generally, born-again Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit are not as susceptible to these spirits, unless there is unconfessed and unrepented sin, fear, or hatred in their lives, or vows in the past that have never been renounced.
But many people are enslaved by the two lies. They are in bondage to pride, sin, wickedness, and evil. Apart from a life in Christ, they are standing at the very gateway to hell, including, I believe, those who suppose themselves Christians. They have accepted Christ into their lives – kind of – but are not born again, have not changed their behavior, speech, or way of living; and are not exhibiting fruit of the Spirit. They still find their value in wealth, money; positions of power and influence, even within the church; and possessions, accomplishments, acceptance, or sex. They have not repented, surrendered their lives to Christ, or asked Jesus to rule and reign in their hearts. They attend church, might go to Bible studies, and thoroughly know the Bible. But they are not worshiping Jesus. He is not their God. They are worshiping an ‘ultimate thing’ and their god is self, which cloaks their real god – satan.
Jesus calls us, the redeemed and set-free ones, to minister to these brothers and sisters in the Church and the world with compassion, truth, humility, and love. And judgment belongs to God, not us. This is the heart of healing ministry.
But, The Cross . . .
The price we pay for coming into agreement with the two lies: “you are not good enough” and “you can become good enough – like God – through your own efforts and work (self)” is so far reaching, so devastating, and the consequences so evil that only the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can save and redeem our lives. But that is exactly the Good News – Jesus saves and the Kingdom of God is here. The cross is more powerful than all the evil in the world. Jesus has the ability and desire to wash away every one of these consequences – to make us a new creation as we live in union with Him in the Kingdom of God. Our only hope for real, permanent healing – setting us free from the two lies – is Jesus. Not self-help, not New Age religion or yoga, not other religions, not secular counseling, or psychotherapy, although counseling and psychotherapy might provide short-term relief. Only a direct, intimate, and personal encounter with our Father, the Ancient of Days; Jesus, our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our friend and counselor, can set us free as we enter into and live with Christ in the Kingdom of God now, and then for eternity. Such an encounter involves repentance.
Finding all of our value in Christ, which is a journey we can embark on now, will not immunize us from suffering. Jesus tells His disciples, “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV). Finding all our value in Jesus connects us with His hope, His joy, His light, His life, His faith, and His peace – even when we are in the darkness. In this world we will suffer. But in Christ we can find a way through suffering. He is our light; we are never alone when we are in Him and He is in us.
If I am right about the lies and their devastating consequences, then a good place to begin finding freedom is addressing the devaluing in people’s lives, especially when they were young. If the devaluing memories can be ‘cleaned out’, and if the tree of lies can be cut down (Matthew 3: 10), then the truth of who they are in Christ can flood in like a river of life. That process of bringing the devaluing memories to Jesus and letting Him deal with them is the essence of emotional healing. Closing the doors of fear, hatred, anger and other negative emotions, vows made to the occult, and sin, especially sexual sin, is the beginning of spiritual deliverance, another form of healing. And as I have repeatedly seen, physical healing can follow emotional healing and spiritual deliverance. But, without Jesus directing the healing that addresses these issues, many people, including Christians, will not be set free from the effects of the lies. They will suffer their whole lives with some or many of the consequences I listed above. And where can they find freedom? Only in Christ! And where will most people encounter Jesus? Through us, believers – the Church – where they find (hopefully) a culture of value and power rooted in Christ, flowing from the Father, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is the essence of healing ministry.
The next and final post in this series on “The Two Cosmic Lies that Devastate the Human Heart” is about victory over the darkness, healing from the devastation, and freedom from bondage. We find all of this in the Kingdom of God – where we live with Christ in a culture of value and power – not my power, but His power in me to defeat the power of evil.
Grateful for the cross,
John