Joyce Holzman Hanscom

HOPE: How it Motivates and Inspires BUT God’s Sovereignty…

How does hope inspire us to change or get through difficult times? How does hope motivate and help us seek change in our lives? The Webster dictionary says hope is a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by anticipation or expectation. The Bible says faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (see Hebrews 11:1). We cannot have hope without the faith to believe we will get the thing we hope for.

Interestingly, the Apostle Paul tells the church in Rome in chapter 5 verse 4 that our character produces hope, and our character is perfected by enduring and persevering through trials and hard times (also see James 1:2-4). I can positively testify that my character improves during hard times, can you? Also, Paul wrote to the Rome church in chapter 15 verse13 the following, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

?? Where should our hope be in?

?? What is the result of believing according to Romans 15:13?

?? Who gives us the power to hope and why is this significant?

God’s sovereignty is a tough concept to grasp but know that God’s plans are always for our best. I don’t understand why I lost my job, but because I did, I could write a book I would never have otherwise written. Sovereignty is the state or quality of being superior. Thankfully, God’s purpose for our lives is always more excellent than our plans and hopes. Purpose is something one intends to gain or aim to accomplish. I love the following verse from the book of wisdom; Proverbs 16:9, which says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” This is God’s sovereignty and we can trust Him to do what is best for us.

?? Are you willing to consider that what you are hoping for is not God’s perfect plan for you?

King David, the second king of Israel, wrote the following in Psalms 62:5-8, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. 6) He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7) On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8) Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

?? What do the above verses mean to you?

?? What does it mean that God is a refuge for us?

A refuge can be a person or thing that gives shelter, help, or comfort. It is also a place of safety. (Also look up: Ps. 18:2; Ps. 31:19; Ps. 46:1; Ps. 91.)

And in Psalm 147:11, King David writes, “But the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.” (Note: steadfast love is recorded 398 times in the ESV Bible.) Psalm 33: 17-22 also states, “The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18) Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19) that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20) Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21) For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22) Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” Also, read Psalm 34:11-14 and Proverb 8:13 to learn what it means to fear the Lord.

?? Why does God take pleasure when we fear Him, that is, revere and obey Him and turn from doing evil?

?? What is steadfast love?

?? Why is it important that we hope in his steadfast love according to Ps. 33:19?

God loves us and wants to give us the desires of our hearts when we delight in Him (see Ps. 37:4). The Bible is a book that is full of hope. I challenge you to read through the book of Psalms and indicate all the verses related to hope.

Fundamentally, hope motivates and inspires us to strive for better outcomes in our lives. We might hope for a better marriage, improved health, healthier relationships, an exciting career, more money, and greater knowledge for a prosperous future. Because we hope and desire something better, we are motivated to learn and do the work necessary to achieve what we hope to accomplish. For example, I hope and desire to love from a pure heart. Therefore, I am willing to learn why I am not loving well and change my wrong thinking and beliefs, so I can love from a pure heart. But ultimately, our hope is in God to help us accomplish His sovereign will for our lives.

Each one of us hopes for different things, but do we have the faith to believe things can be different and God will help us? Also, hope connotes a time of waiting in anticipation for something and trusting for the desired result. I hope one day I will have a good relationship with my oldest son. I have to wait on the Lord to bring about my desire.

My website hopeforcompletehealing.com describes the purpose I hope to achieve for all who visit. I hope and pray that everyone receives complete healing; emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Also, you can experience better relationships and discover a new destiny for your life. On my website, I describe how I found hope for complete healing through my research and trial and error. As a result, my marriage, my health, and my outlook on life have been transformed. I invite you to take the time to read the research and how I am achieving complete healing in all areas of my life. Also, I share these truths with the girls who are incarcerated at the county jail. I have seen incredible transformations from hopelessness to a new hope in God for a better life. I have hope that you too will see incredible results.

Complete healing begins with spiritual healing. If you do not have the hope and assurance of salvation and eternal life, confess that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness and salvation from the wrath of God (see John 3:36; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:5-6; Colossians 3:5-7). Confess that Jesus Christ is God the Son, who died to pay the debt for your sin; forgives your sins and frees you from sins control (see John 1:29; 1 John 4:15; 1 Pet 1:18-19; Col 1:14; & Gal 5:1). When you confess this with your mouth and believe it with your heart, then God the Holy Spirit and His love, life, and light enter into your heart (See Gal 4:6 & 1 Cor 6:17), which is the beginning of the healing process.

If you find my posts and website helpful, then please share the links with your friends and family, hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name so I know you are a real person making the request.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Sick and Tired? Change Your Destiny! Be Free From the Infirmity Stronghold

Changing your destiny is as simple as changing your thinking. For example, were you ever told that your illness is all in your head? Many illnesses can be healed by changing our thinking. Let me explain. When someone suffers from illnesses, they are said to be infirm. Infirmity is defined as weakness and frailness in our minds and bodies. Have you heard of infirmaries, also called hospitals and medical facilities for those who are sick. When infirmity is chronic, then it is most likely a stronghold that we develop when we are told we are weak and prone to sicknesses and then we believe this, and it becomes a reality, our destiny.

Some people have the subconscious wrong belief that being sick gets them the attention they so desperately want, which was the case with several people I knew. One person recognized it after reading my book called Hope for Complete Healing. The infirmity stronghold also protects the wrong thinking that you have weak genes; therefore, you may say, “I am going to get cancer because my grandmother had cancer,” or “I am going to get diabetes because my uncle has it,” or whatever. For example, my family’s generational history is plagued with mental illnesses, cancer, obesity, and joint problems. Should I then believe that I too will have these same problems? 2Timothy 1:7 states, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power, love, and self-control [sound mind].” We have the spirit of power, which is a truth we need to apply to the unhealthy beliefs that leave us powerless to control our destiny.

The following explanation of mental strongholds is a reminder for those who are just learning about them. Many examples are on my website. Mental strongholds are the mental fortresses that would look like castle walls if they had a physical form. Bad memories build strongholds to protect us. But in fact, they keep us from experiencing life and love. Mental strongholds are usually built to protect an unhealthy belief or beliefs generated by bad experiences that we have often forgotten about but are in our subconscious and still control us. Visit my website for more details about the many unhealthy beliefs we can have. Authority seats are like thrones within fortified castles. A ruler builds a fortress to protect his or her interests and authority to rule. Our mental strongholds need to be torn down so they can stop controlling our reactions and decisions.

I have discovered that the stronghold of infirmity protects the authority seat of oppression, which holds disease curses and oppressive spirits of sicknesses, weaknesses, illnesses, and distresses of all kinds. Oppression is a feeling of being weighed down or being physically or mentally distressed. When Jesus healed people, He often commanded the spirit that was oppressing the person to be gone, and then they were healed. Acts 10:38 states, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Also, see Matthew. 4:24; 8:16; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:18; and John 10:21.

Often a person feels they have no responsibility for what happens to them because they feel they have no control. The unhealthy beliefs could be: “I am incapable of taking care of myself.” “It does not matter what I do or eat; I will have this illness because of my genetics.” “Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis all run in my family, and I have no control.” As I explained previously, our unhealthy beliefs control our decisions and behaviors and, ultimately, our destiny. If you believe you have no control over what happens to you, you will not think you can be responsible and trust God. I know this firsthand because it was my life for many years. Then I changed my unhealthy beliefs with the truth that I can alter my physical and mental health with God’s help.

God led me to read the book called God’s Way to Ultimate Health by Dr. George Malkmus. I could not put the book down until I read it to the end. In the book, I read a testimony about a woman who overcame severe depression when she followed the book’s diet principles. I immediately changed my diet and was healed within six months of many illnesses, including depression and endometriosis.

In my research on endometriosis, I learned the growth hormones injected into animals so they grow faster were causing the endometrial tissue to grow everywhere in my body. This condition afflicts hundreds of thousands of women. When I eliminated commercial meats and ate organic meats, I had no more problems. Herein lies the crisis of faith; when I prayed and asked God to heal me, I wasn’t healed. Often our illness is a result of our poor judgment of what we put into our bodies. God gives us the responsibility to eliminate the source of our sickness so we can be healed. Do you see how you can take responsibility for stopping the cause of your oppressive illnesses?

I still suffered from degenerative joint disease (DJD) inherited from my mother’s gene pool. I refused to give in to the unhealthy belief that I have to suffer from DJD. My mother was crippled by the disease and had five back surgeries. My mother’s sister had about every joint replaced or reconstructed because of the disease. I determined that I did not want that for my life, even though I had all the symptoms. I knew a healthy body resulted from what I ate, drank, and amount of exercise. I asked God to help me overcome the degenerative joint disease issue. God led me to the book Live Right (4) Your Type by Peter J. D’Adamo, ND. In that book, I learned how “lectins” in certain foods cause weakness and degeneration. Lectins are a specialized protein in foods that can cause inflammation and cell damage and initiate a cascade of immune and autoimmune events leading to cell death.

He recommends that people with certain blood types should avoid certain foods. All blood types need to avoid wheat, corn, and pork because of the lectin reaction in everyone’s body from these foods. When I avoid all products containing these three items, I have no problems with my back or joints. When I eat anything with these ingredients, I have a lot of pain and suffering until my body repairs the damaged cells. I recommend this book if you have an on-going physical issue you would like resolved.

In his book The Strategy Of Satan, Warren Weirsbe believes that a Christian who is careless about his or her health or safety plays into the hands of the destroyer. Satan deceives us with the unseen lie that what we are doing will not harm our bodies so that he can weaken and disable us and even kill us. I believe the reason Satan attacks our bodies is that our body is the temple of God. 1Corinthians 3:16–17 states, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17) If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (Also read 2Corinthians 6:19–20.)

What changes will you resolve to make to better take care of the temple of God?

When God created humans, He put them in a garden and said, “Every seed-bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it, they will be yours for food” (Gen. 1:29, NAS). Then after the flood in Gen. 9:3 (NAS) God added to this diet and said, “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life [blood].”

Satan may have put the lie into your mind that you don’t like vegetables, so you think, “I don’t like vegetables,” which then becomes a reality and you won’t eat the very food God created as good for man. Replace this unhealthy belief with the truth that you like vegetables because they are good for your body so you can be strong and healthy.

The closer we eat to the way God instructed, and the closer the food looks to the way God created it, the healthier we will be. You may think that the overly processed food you are eating will not harm you, that is an unhealthy belief. Do not believe it. I understand that natural degeneration and suffering comes with aging because we live in a decaying world, and our bodies are decaying. But we can delay premature decay and mitigate many inevitable diseases if we take care of our bodies by sticking to God’s eating plan.

I currently struggle with fibromyalgia, and I know that one day I will resolve this painful condition as well. I do know that fibromyalgia is a physical reaction related to stress because when I pray about a stressful situation, my pain subsides. A researcher told me that many who have been abused as children have the highest incidents of fibromyalgia diagnoses. Read more about my life story here. As I heal past physiological stress related to painful memories, my fibromyalgia has improved. I came up with the following progression from thoughts to destiny, which is similar to other progressions.

Watch What You Think.
What you think creates feelings;
Feelings generate beliefs (true or false);
Beliefs influence behaviors (good or evil);
Behaviors lead to habits (helpful or harmful);
Habits produce character (moral or wicked);
Your character determines your destiny (prosperous or destructive).
Change your destiny by changing your thinking.
Change your thinking with the truth and transforming painful memories

Example of a wrong thought: I think I have no control over my bad health. So, I feel sad and depressed. My depression leads me to believe there is no hope. Because I have no hope, I continue to eat a sugar-filled diet, which I know this behavior is bad for my health. I become addicted to sugar. Because of my addiction to sugar, I become apathetic. Apathy destroys my destiny for better health.

Example of a right thought: I think I can overcome my bad health. So, I feel happy and optimistic. I believe there is hope. Because I have hope, I make the right lifestyle changes to improve my health. I get into regular exercise and healthy eating habits. My good habits increase my optimism, and I see change.

If you see infirmity and oppression ruling your life, then go through the chapters on my website to understand the neuroscience factors of painful memories and how to change your brain’s reactions. Renew your thinking with the following truth statements.

TRUTH STATEMENTS

• God wants to give me health and healing. (Jer. 33:6)

• As I heal my negative heart issues, then my soul will prosper, and all will be well with me, and I will be in good health (3 John 1:2).

• When I fear the Lord and turn from evil, I will experience healing in my body and refreshment in my bones (Prov. 3:7,8; Psalms 38:3; Mal. 4:2).

• By my faith in Jesus’ power to heal, I will be healed (Luke 7:7-10; Matt. 5:34; Matt. 8:13; Matt. 15:28).

• God wants to deliver me from evil spirit attachments and heal all my infirmities (Luke 8:2; Matt. 17:18; Matt. 8:16).

• By the wounds of Jesus, I have been healed (1 Peter. 2:24).

The above statements are passages from my book called Unseen Battles of Your Mind, which is in the editing stage; and therefore, is not to be recopied without my permission.

ANXIETY: Protected by Worry and Fear Strongholds

Why do we become anxious? I developed anxiety from not feeling safe and fearing for the safety of my family. The worry and fear stronghold combination protects anxious thoughts, which negatively affects our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual lives. For example, I had a fear of traveling to foreign countries, which caused me to worry about EVERYTHING. I even had irrational fears of becoming fish food or terrorists will take the plane down. Read how I overcame these anxieties, though sedatives did help. TRUST Leads to PEACE.

Strongholds are the mental fortresses that would look like castle walls if they had a physical form. They are built by bad memories to protect us from further emotional pain. The fact is, strongholds keep us from experiencing life and love. Mental strongholds are usually built to protect an unhealthy belief or beliefs generated by painful experiences that we have often forgotten about but still control us. Read my blog post on unhealthy beliefs to learn more. Authority seats are like thrones within the fortified castle (our mind). For example, a ruler builds a fortress to protect his or her interests and authority to rule. In this case, anxiety rules our behavior and choices and is protected by the many memories of things we fear and are worried about.

THE WORRY STRONGHOLD—Protects the following unhealthy beliefs: I can’t help but to worry because I am concerned. I trust God but worry keeps me on my knees. When I worry then I can feel I am in control somehow. This stronghold protects the fear stronghold as an outer wall around the inner fear wall.

THE FEAR STRONGHOLD— Protects the following unhealthy beliefs: Something bad is going to happen. I must protect myself. I am not able to trust anyone. This stronghold protects the authority seat of anxiety within the inner walls of fear.

SEAT OF ANXIETY—Holds all the memories of not feeling safe, which triggers panic attacks when you are in a situation where you do not feel safe.

This stronghold combination is revealed during trials and troubles, or watching the news. Trials and troubles should increase our faith in God, strengthen our perseverance (endurance), and perfect our character (see Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-9). Most often, we allow trials to continue to build the strongholds of fear and worry, which produces anxiety, hopelessness, despair, discouragement, fretting, and depression. For instance, anxiety is a natural response when you are in the process of losing your job because someone is retaliating against you. When this situation happened to me, I developed a host of digestive problems, which is common.

The worry stronghold would keep me from trusting God to work all things out for my good (Romans 8:28-29). Instead, I would dwell on the problem and try to solve the problem myself if I could. This stronghold protected the fear stronghold which encouraged self-protective behavior and the need to control circumstances. For example, if I couldn’t control the circumstances, then I would become anxious, fearing something bad was going to happen that I wouldn’t be able to control. The anxious thoughts on the seat of authority in my heart caused me to feel hopeless, despaired, discouraged, unsafe, and unhappy. I was even anxious about the decisions my adult children were making.

I felt God leading me to mentally or physically put myself in the various homes and places where I did not feel safe or accepted. I specifically and verbally loosed/put off the destructive memories created in those places along with all oppressive energy/spirit attachments (see website for explanation), unhealthy beliefs, and wrong thinking that God brought to my mind to be transformed. After that, I prayed through the “Joy, Trust, and Peace Issues,” to complete my transformation and healing. Then I imagined myself safe in the arms of my Heavenly Father who abundantly loves me. I also made God my refuge as I often quoted Psalms 91 and Isaiah 41:10-13 from memory. When I became free from the worry and fear mental strongholds, I was healed of my digestive problems. I could also see how this stronghold combination affected all aspects of my life. Read the following post to learn how I got through a nasty divorce and child-custody battle, which lead to severe anxiety attacks. Trust God to Keep His Promises

To remain in peace and not be fearful, our minds should be focused on the promises found in God’s Word and not on the things going on around us that we cannot control. Personally pray the verses in Philippians 4:6-7, which states, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” and Romans 8:28 which states, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Read, 15 Promises We Can Trust God to Keep

If you see this stronghold combination in your life, then go through the pages of my website to learn the scientific and spiritual concepts for transforming the many negative issues of not feeling safe in your heart. 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories

The above statements are passages from my book called Unseen Battles for Your Mind, which is in the editing stage, and therefore, is not to be recopied without my permission.

WHY HEAL YOUR HEART AND PURIFY YOUR SOUL?

Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul

Bondage to Unseen Controls

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family; hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

If you find this website helpful, you will benefit from the latest book. You can order Breaking Mental Strongholds on Amazon.

Also, check out my book called Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think. To learn more about my book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

Love From a Pure Heart

How do you want to be loved? What keeps you from loving others as you want to be loved?

We should first look at the gold standard for how we should love other people, according to the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13 (ESV) is the love chapter: “4) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. 5) It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6) it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” Wouldn’t it be great if everyone in the world loved like this? How about if our family members love us like this? What prevents us from loving like this?

When we don’t love as described above, it creates hurt and offenses in our heart and wounds in our soul. An offense is an act of creating resentment, hurt feelings, displeasure, etc. The painful memories we store come from offenses of not being loved, valued, and accepted. Children are most vulnerable to the influence of love or the lack-there-of and are easily hurt when these three desires are unmet. When felt love is with-held, we develop insecurities and control issues. Insecurity creates unhealthy beliefs, which are lies about life, ourselves, others, and God, that are carried into adulthood. Because of these painful memories from childhood, we are tempted to get involved in relationships that would continue the pain of not getting these same needs met. I was one of those people, and my first marriage ended in divorce.

When people’s hearts are empty of love, they try to get their need for love, value, and acceptance through other insecure people with empty hearts. Unfortunately, many people have hurts and offenses in their hearts so they cannot give the love, value, and acceptance we want and they also want. This leaves each person feeling rejected, resentful, angry, sad, depressed, hurt, frustrated, betrayed, disconnected, etc., which block our ability to love from a pure heart. The fact is, only God can perfectly meet our need for love, value, and acceptance.

Since the Bible is the authority on what love is, it is also the authority on God’s love: 1 John 4:8 & 16a says that God is love; and we are made in His image and likeness (see Gen. 1:26); therefore, we are created to love and be loved but because of evil and sin in the world, we become void of genuine love and the ability to love from a pure heart. In fact, the bible says that God abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness—Psalms 86:15 says, “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious (compassionate), slow to anger and abounding in steadfast (unfailing, abundant) love and faithfulness (truth).” God also said this same thing about himself in Ex. 34:6. The words “steadfast love” is recorded 398 times in the English Standard Version of the Bible, which is closely translated from the original texts. Additionally, God loves us sacrificially (see 1 John 4:10, 16-21; Rom. 5:8; John 15:13; 1 John 3:16-18; John 3:16). In return, we are to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls (see Deut. 6:5; 10:12; 11:13; 13:3; 30:6; Joshua 22:5; Matt. 22.37; Mark 12:30), which we cannot do when our hearts are full of offenses and hate. Not only are we to love God, but we are to love others (see 1 John 4:7-11,12; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; Mark 12:32; John 13:34; Rom. 13:9). In fact, loving others is the fulfillment of the law (see James 2:8; Rom. 13:8,10; Gal. 5:14).

How can we love from a pure heart: 1 Peter 1:22 & 23 says, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth (found in the Bible) for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23) since you have been born again (1 Pet. 1:3), not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding Word of God.” (also see Heb. 4:12, which says, “the Word of God is living and active…“) 1Timothy 1:5 says, “The aim of our charge (goal of our instruction; NAS) is love that comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere (genuine) faith.” 2 Timothy 2:22 also says, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” To learn how to love from a pure heart, please visit my website, hopeforcompletehealing.com where you will find research and examples of how to purify your heart and mind from the many offenses you have stored up over your lifetime. These methods have been tried and are incredibly successful.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Freedom from Insecurity, which is Protected by Betrayal and Control Strongholds

We all have some measure of insecurity, whether we realize it or not, because we live with and work with sinful, hurting people who hurt others, and we are not exempt. Insecurities are revealed by the negative reactions when they are triggered by what someone says, does, or does not do. For example, if someone found fault with me or with what I did, I would have an anxiety attack, and feel they didn’t like me, and that I will never be good enough. If someone did not give me the praise for doing something, then I would feel rejected and unappreciated, etc. Another example is when I would suggest doing something or going somewhere, and I would be ignored or discounted, then I would get angry and feel sorry for myself because I didn’t feel valued so I withdrew or acted out of anger to get control. Insecurities are also revealed by the negative tapes that are automatically played out when we feel out of control or discounted. The negative tapes could be, “I’ll never be accepted because I am different,” “I’ll never be able to accomplish anything because people don’t support me,” “What is wrong with me?” etc. Have you ever heard yourself say, “I can’t do this because…,” “This is too hard,” I’m not good enough,” “People can’t be trusted,” “I need to do this myself,” etc.

The strongholds of injustice and unfairness contribute to issues of betrayal and wanting to be in control. This is not uncommon with people who have been abused or grew up in dysfunctional families. I struggled with the control stronghold for several years, even though I would continually loose and put it off. I wanted to control what people did and what they thought of me, as well as control circumstances in order to prevent being hurt, disappointed, or even annoyed. I asked God why I kept dealing with this control issue, and He showed me that there was an outer mental stronghold of betrayal that protected my need to be controlling. The betrayal stronghold was built and kept in place by negative memories of betrayal by those who should have protected and loved me. These painful memories of betrayal developed insecurities, which are basically unhealthy beliefs and lies that perpetuates anxiety about what others do, not do, or think and say. For instance, I trusted that my parents, my spouse, and friends would love me and not hurt me, or lie to me, but they did. As a result, I disassociated and disconnected because I felt that I was not able to trust them. Note, some people should not be trusted and that is okay. Dictionary.com defines betray as 2) to be unfaithful in guarding, maintaining, or fulfilling; be disloyal to.

I believe there is no greater injustice than the betrayal of one’s sexuality because it wounds the soul the deepest. I also believe that the betrayal of sexuality causes the most damage to our self-esteem and self-worth because God created sexuality to be a beautiful act of vulnerability between two married people who love each other. And because our sexuality is an intimate part of us, any childhood sexual interference such as pornography, exposure to sexual acts (even in a movie), fondling, uncomfortable affection, making a child take on the role of a spouse, adult humor, and so on, damages the very core of a child or teen’s being. This causes a person to feel confusion, shame, and humiliation, which then causes sexual violation secrets to be carefully guarded and deeply buried in the soul. These buried secrets continue to have a profound effect on how a person see’s themselves and others. I have known people who had great difficulty having a healthy marriage because of these secrets. A lot of books have been written about this topic and are a good resource if you have these buried secrets. Talking with a counselor is also very helpful but I want to caution you to be careful what counselor you choose to share your sexual violation secrets with. Not every counselor or pastor understands the damage of sexual betrayal and they may cause more confusion and betrayal.

Total healing and transformation happen only when we come to Jesus with our damaged sexuality and allow Him to restore our purity and respect. This is a supernatural act of healing that is received by faith. In fact, all painful memories of betrayal of all kinds can be healed, which in turn, heal insecurities and the need to be controlling. This can be done by going through the prayer format to destroy strongholds found on my website: hopeforcompletehealing.com

The above statements are passages from my book called “Unseen Battles for Your Mind,” which is in the editing stage, and therefore, is not to be recopied without my permission.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Freedom from Humiliation and Mental Strongholds of Shame and Sadness

Have you been humiliated? Do you feel shame for the things that were done to you or that you have done? Do you feel sad, especially when you are alone with yourself? I think we all can answer yes to one or more of those questions. Here is my story. After I wrote in my journal about my birth and my mother’s mental state at the time (learned from letters I had found) I had a dream that night that was very perplexing. The dream was words being spoken to me that said, “shame and humiliation in a box” over and over again until I woke up. I began to pray and ask God what the meaning was. I did not receive an answer until that evening when God showed me that the shame and humiliation my mother was feeling and experiencing, translated into me and my sister while we were being formed in her womb (the box). So I looked up the words shame and humiliation in the dictionary, which gave me greater insight.

** Shame is a painful feeling of guilt, incompetence, indecency, or blameworthiness. It is a feeling of dishonor and disgrace, which may have come from the things you have done for which you need to forgive yourself for. Shame could also be put on you by other people’s unloving actions for which you need to forgive them. God showed me that shame was the inner stronghold that protected the humiliation seat, which held all the bad memories of humiliation and the wrong beliefs that I am a melancholy, depressed person and I am unable to feel joy or happiness. God showed me that I also had a tremendous amount of guilt from the destructive things I did, which I share on my website if you are interested in knowing how I freed myself.

** Humiliation happens when our dignity is lowered, and we are caused to feel foolish or contemptible (to be scorned and made to feel worthless.) We feel humiliation when we are degraded and our honor is taken away from us. We feel humiliation when we are shown disdain, or being despised and looked down on, or disgraced; that is, a loss of favor and respect. This then opens us up to be prideful, which covers up our feelings of humiliation so in turn we humiliate others.

This is how my life began, and as I continued to journal my life, I could see these two issues throughout my whole life. We all want to be valued and accepted so I realized that this was one of the reasons I was so angry and destructive, which brought more shame and humiliation into my life. God showed me that shame was the inner stronghold that protected my painful memories of humiliation. In order to understand mental strongholds, see my blog on strongholds or my website. I knew strongholds came in pairs to make sure the unhealthy beliefs and negative emotions remained to keep us in bondage, so I asked the Spirit of truth to show me what the second stronghold was. The next day I had a heavy sense of sadness, and I could see the sadness in the things that I wrote in my journal. The outer sadness stronghold had been keeping me from feeling true happiness and joy in life, in my relationships, and with God.

** Sadness is sorrow about the loss of love, honor, respect, innocence, and not being accepted. It is a feeling of dejection, which is a low spirit of depression and discouragement. Depression is brooding on one’s problems. Also, sadness is despondency, which is the loss of courage, confidence, and hope. A year later, God revealed that I was addicted to the feeling of sadness. I found this out because my mind would compulsively conjure up vain imaginations of things that would make me sad, like death or a loss of some kind. You can see how a lot of wrong and unhealthy beliefs can be developed from the memories of sadness that would also fortify the mental stronghold of sadness.

When I prayed through the specific stronghold deliverance prayer that I describe on my website, I felt greater confidence and joy, and I no longer had this cloud of sadness swirling in my mind because of the memories of humiliation. I also broke my addiction to the feeling of sadness through specific prayer. If you can identify with what I have written in this post and would like to be free from this mental stronghold combination, then please visit my website to learn how.

The above statements are passages from my book called “Unseen Battles for Your Mind,” which is in the editing stage, and therefore, is not to be recopied without my permission.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

EVIL—What is it and what is the remedy?

Why do people murder, hurt children, and cause destruction? Some say they have a mental illness. I believe they have a depraved soul, which is controlled by evil intentions. So, what is evil? According to Webster, the term evil means bad; wicked; depraved (corrupt; perverted), and causing pain or trouble. There isn’t a human being that is not damaged by evil. Evil is all around us, and it is bent on destruction, especially vulnerable children.

What is the origin of evil? To understand the origin, first know we live in an unseen spirit world, which comprises God, angels, the devil (ruler of demons), and demons (fallen angels). God is the all-powerful, omnipotent, omniscient Spirit (see John 4:24, 2 Cor. 3:17) who is good, loving, just, gracious, merciful, and the creator of all that we see. He called all that He created good (see Genesis 1; Nehemiah 9:6; and Isaiah 40:28). Though we don’t see God, the evidence of His existence is all around us in beauty and power.

The Bible says the origin of evil began when an angel called Lucifer, later called Satan or the devil, wanted to be worshiped as God. Lucifer tried to set himself above God’s authority (see Isaiah 14:12-14). Because of Lucifer’s pride, God threw him out of heaven and onto the earth along with a third of the angels who followed Lucifer’s prideful endeavor.

Ever since the devil’s defeat, he tries to pervert all that God said is good. In John 10:10 Jesus states, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Satan is the great enemy of man and goodness. He is called the deceiver (see Rev. 12:9-12), father of lies and a murderer (see John 8:44). He is the destroyer or Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, which is translated as “destroyer or to destroy” (see Rev. 9:11). Webster dictionary says the devil is a slanderer; the chief evil spirit, a supernatural being subordinate to, and the foe of God and the tempter of man. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian church in Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood [humans], but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” These evil entities want to harm us and draw us away from the truth of God’s Word. They also want to destroy love because God is love. The spiritual forces of evil puts wrong thoughts, doubts, and unhealthy beliefs into our minds (see Isaiah 55:6-7), which are lies about ourselves, others, and God. These wrong thoughts cause us to act in evil ways. And they tempt us to sin, which then separates us from God; see Isaiah 59:1-3.

So what is sin? Sin is the breaking of a moral principles defined in the Bible, especially through a willful act of disobedience. For example, Deuteronomy 9:18, 1 Kings 16:19, and 1 Samuel 15:23 states that sin is doing evil, and that evil is rebellion toward God. Also, 2 Chronicles 12:14 states, “And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.” Therefore, seeking the Lord God and being in right standing with Him is the only way to overcome evil, and the evil done to us.

As humans, we are comprised of a spirit, soul, and body described in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Also, God created us to be spiritually united with Him and to have a loving relationship with Him. To have a right relationship with God we need to believe that Jesus Christ, His Son, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, so we can be free from sin’s control. Also believe Jesus wants to forgive our sins, and destroy the work of the devil in our lives (see John 1:29; 1 John 4:15; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Colossians 1:14; & Galatians 5:1). When we confess this with our mouth and believe it with our heart, then God the Holy Spirit and His love, life, light, and goodness enter into our souls (see Gal 4:6 & 1 Cor 6:17). If you have not made this confession, then do it so you can be right with God (see Rom 10:9-13 & Eph. 2:1-10).

When we ask for and receive the Spirit of God into our lives and submit to Him, then we can choose to do good and not evil. Webster says that to be good is to be meek, patient, doing what is right and fitting, helpful, sacrificing, and morally excellent. To be morally excellent is to be virtuous, which is to choose the right actions and thinking and having a good character. Only God can transform a depraved soul bent on evil, into a loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled person. For this to happen, we need to be healed of the wounds and hurt in our souls and hearts from the evil done against us. I wrote a short book on complete healing, please begin reading 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories to transform the bad memories of the evil done to you and to heal your negative heart issues. We also need to submit to God daily, that is, yield our lives to His authority and Will. His Will is merciful, good, and perfect. When we submit to God, the devil will flee from us, see James 4:7 & 8.

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Anger Issues Protected by Pride and Judgmental Strongholds

The pride and judgmental strongholds in my life protected many issues of anger generated from the humiliation, shame, injustices, betrayals, disappointments, and rejections throughout my life. If you are unfamiliar with what mental strongholds are and my castle illustration, please read the following post first; STRONGHOLDS PART I—What are they and how do they affect us?

The reason why we need to deal with this stronghold combination is so we can love as God loves. To love well, we need to eliminate the sins of anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred, judging, and pride. These sins prevent God’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness (humility), faithfulness (trust), and self-control from flowing out of us to others.

People with this stronghold combination typically were either bullied or come from dysfunctional or abusive families/marriages. I experienced all the above. I found that disappointment and broken trust is the main force that generates the sin of pride and being judgmental. Broken trust comes from betrayal by those who you expected would love and protect you. My pride issues were created by damaged self-worth and low self-esteem and are often revealed by over-sensitivity and over-reaction. You can learn how to heal betrayal issues and repair your damaged self-worth by reading my short book on my website.

For example, as a teenager, I became hurt and offended when my younger sister demeaned me and put me down. I stored that hurt and offense in my heart, so every time I felt demeaned as an adult, I would explode with anger. When I asked God to show me why I was getting so angry, He revealed how my younger sister had offended me. I forgave my sister because I know she demeaned me because she was hurting too. I then confessed any sin on my part to God, which is very important for overcoming anger issues. Our sin needs forgiving because it creates stress in our bodies, and they will re-establish the painful memory. For instance, I confessed and asked for forgiveness of the sin of wanting to harm my sister and for demeaning and disgracing her in return.

The pride stronghold wall protects unhealthy beliefs such as—I am better than you. Don’t tell me I am wrong. Don’t tell me what to do but do what I want. The pride wall protects the inner judgmental wall that protects unhealthy beliefs of—I have the right to determine if you are right, wrong, or insincere. I have the right to be angry, bitter, resentful, and hateful. I don’t trust you or value you. The judgmental stronghold wall then protects the anger seat of authority, which holds all our memories of hurts, disappointments, unmet needs and desires, offenses, soul wounds, bitterness, resentments, and hatred. These memories produce unhealthy beliefs, which control our thoughts, and our thoughts dictate what we say and do.

Another reason why we need to destroy this stronghold combination is because God hates pride (Prov. 8:13; James 4:6), and anger does not achieve the righteousness of God, only peace and humility does (James 1:20; 3:18), which is why I wanted to be free. We are also instructed to not be judgmental (Matthew 7:1). I hope and pray that if you have this same issue that you too will find freedom, so you can love from a pure heart. To learn how to be free from anger and this stronghold combination, please visit my website, you will be glad you did. https://hopeforcompletehealing.com/

Anger issues are also entwined in the Impatience stronghold combination; read the following post: Freedom from Impatience and Strongholds of Injustice and Unfairness

To begin reading my book, start here: 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories

Related Posts:

Why, What, and How to Submit to God

Free from Anger–County Jail Testimony and Teaching

The Core Negative Heart Issue

WHY HEAL YOUR HEART AND PURIFY YOUR SOUL?

Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul

Bondage to Unseen Controls

HOW PRIDE DESTROYS

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

Escapism; Protected by Strongholds of Loneliness and Discontentment

When we don’t feel loved, we feel lonely. Every living person has felt lonely at one time in their lives. Some of us feel lonely all the time. It is my experience and observation that loneliness comes from a love deficit, both in receiving love and giving love, but more than that, it is a lack of felt love. The loss of felt love often happens when there is a death or divorce. It also happens when a person is in or from a dysfunctional or abusive home that lacked felt love. Moreover, we were created by God to be loved and to love, and when love is missing, we feel empty and alone, like an empty building, and we want to escape.

Loneliness is often accompanied by depression, which is a feeling of sadness and dejection. Many married couples feel lonely because they do not know how to love well. More often than not, one or both partners have not experienced a healthy love, which carries over into their marriage, and is passed down to their children. We marry looking to feel loved but when one or both have no love to give, therein lies the beginning of a dysfunctional relationship and a dysfunctional family. The unmet desire to be unconditionally loved makes us want to isolate ourselves and to suppress our desire. We often isolate ourselves by escaping into drugs, alcohol, work, shopping, entertainment, sports, etc.

If you have not experienced healthy love, you may have a stronghold of loneliness that keeps you in bondage to unhappiness and depression. The stronghold of loneliness also protects the stronghold of discontentment. If you are unfamiliar with double strongholds, please read the following post first: STRONGHOLDS PART I—What are they and how do they affect us?

Discontentment, according to Webster, is to lack contentment; to be dissatisfied; to have a restless desire for something more or different. To be content is to be satisfied with what one has and is not disturbed by a desire for something more or different. Discontentment also happens when we have unrealistic expectations. The stronghold of discontentment protects the authority seat of escapism; that is, the desire to escape from our loneliness and discontentment through many different means. Some of the means of escape are: drinking alcohol, using drugs, watching TV, spending hours on social media, working long hours, playing video games, uncontrollable daydreaming, buying things, etc.

The following are the unhealthy beliefs this stronghold combination protects. The loneliness stronghold protects the following unhealthy beliefs: First, “I am alone because I am unlovable.” Second, “I need to isolate myself because I don’t trust that I won’t get hurt or I will be let down.” Third, “I am alone because I am different and unaccepted.” Some of the unhealthy beliefs, protected by the discontentment stronghold are: First, “ I need more because what I have is not enough.” Second, “I need to have something different (i.e., life, car, house, furniture, spouse, job, etc., [different for each of us]).” Discontentment has many facets, but the remedy is thankfulness and trusting God to provide the things we need (and sometimes want).

Next, evaluate what is on the escapism seat of authority (the throne) that controls your choices. I found that I needed to be busy all the time to not feel my loneliness or discontentment. I also found that I would daydream to escape the discontentment and boredom of life. Most times my thoughts were unproductive, futile, unprofitable, and empty musing. The escape mechanisms you choose may be different than mine. Also, our escape mechanism often becomes an addiction that controls our thoughts. Please visit my website to learn how I overcame this stronghold combination and addictions with the help of God, and how you can as well. https://hopeforcompletehealing.com/

P.S.: Experiencing a lasting change in your life depends on having a right relationship with God the Father through believing in His Son Jesus Christ and obeying His command to love (1 John 3).

STRONGHOLDS—What Are They and How Do They Affect You

I knew I had a stronghold issue by the negative behavior patterns that would control my reactions to situations. Mental strongholds are unknown to our conscious mind until we seek God to reveal them. In addition, mental strongholds often come in pairs to ensure we remain in bondage to our unhealthy beliefs and wrong thinking. Also, I learned that mental strongholds protect seats of authority, much like castle walls protect a ruler’s throne. The authority seat holds beliefs that rule our lives by controlling what we think, and thoughts dictate what we say, and do. Now imagine having many double-walled castles in your heart, and each one protects a seat of authority that rules your thoughts. Go to my website to learn more about each of the following stronghold combinations and how to destroy them.

–Authority seat of anxiety is protected by the strongholds of worry and fear.
–Authority seat of insecurity is protected by the strongholds of control and betrayal.
–Authority seat of disappointment is protected by the strongholds of apathy and rejection.
–Authority seat of insignificance is protected by the strongholds of rejection and misplaced approval.
–Authority seat of humiliation is protected by the strongholds of shame and sadness.
–Authority seat of impatience is protected by the strongholds of injustice and unfairness.
–Authority seat of anger is protected by the strongholds of pride and judgment.
–Authority seat of doubt is protected by the strongholds of rebellion and independence.
–Authority seat of deception (lying) is protected by the strongholds of protection and manipulation.
–Authority seat of oppression is protected by the strongholds of irresponsibility and infirmity.
–Authority seat of escapism is protected by the strongholds of loneliness and discontentment.
–Authority seat of desire is protected by the strongholds of pleasure and addictions.

Tearing down strongholds, especially addiction strongholds, requires that we can hear from God. To hear from God, we need to be in a right relationship with God. Please visit my website to learn more about how you can be right with God and to be free from the bondage of the above stronghold combinations.

If you find this website helpful, you will benefit from the latest book. You can order Breaking Mental Strongholds on Amazon. Also, check out my book called Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think. To learn more about my book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.