Guest Post: Partial Obedience is not Obedience — Fearless Living

Hi, this post features a post written by one of my favorite bloggers. I was intrigued by what she wrote because I have been pondering the following scripture on the results of obeying God.

Deuteronomy 7:15 states, “And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.” This is a promise God made to the Israelites when they obey Him. God is the same, today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow. This verse has intrigued me ever since I read it. Could it be we are sick because we disobey God? Could it be that we have diseases because of idolatry in our lives? Be blessed by the wisdom in my guest post.

Now that I have my word for the year, I need to delve into the scriptures I’ve chosen. There were 4 scriptures that resonated with me and 2 I chose for my focus verses. The first of my 4 verses that I chose is from 1 Samuel 15:22. King Saul was anointed by Samuel, the […]
Partial Obedience is not Obedience — Fearless Living

RELATED POSTS

16–God Promises to Reward Obedience

Be Blessed or Be Cursed

What Kind of Heart do You Have?

Mental Health Coaching – Training Opportunity

Would you be interested in learning more about Mental Health and how to coach people who are dealing with issues in their lives? The following is the course listing. If you are interested in applying for the scholarship and paying a $56.00 processing fee, email hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and I will send you the link. This was a great course, and I highly recommend it.

C-MHC 101: Foundations of Mental Health Coaching (CMHC101)

This introductory course is designed to provide students with an orientation to the field of mental health coaching. Topics covered include the role and scope of mental health coaching within the local church, ethical guidelines and professional standards in coaching, crisis intervention techniques, and the integration of faith and biblical wisdom in coaching.

Course Orientation

Foundations of Mental Health Coaching

Mental Health, Care & Counsel Survival Tools

Mental Health Coach Code of Conduct

Unit 1: Introduction

Lesson 1.1: Introduction to Mental Health Coaching

Lesson 1.2: The Role of the Mental Health Coach in the Church

Unit 2: Faith and Spirituality

Lesson 2.1: The Effective People Helper

Lesson 2.2: Bringing People into God’s Presence

Lesson 2.3: Spirituality and Counseling

Unit 3. Ethics and Coaching Responsibilities

Lesson 3.1: Professional Ethics in Mental Health Coaching

Lesson 3.2: Boundaries and Violations I

Lesson 3.3: Boundaries and Violations II

Lesson 3.4: When Helping You is Hurting Me

Lesson 3.5: The Successful Coach: Managing Time and Staying Organized

Unit 4. Crisis Intervention

Lesson 4.1: Trauma and Abuse

Lesson 4.2: Best Practices for Trauma and Crisis Response: Part I

Lesson 4.3: Best Practices for Trauma and Crisis Response: Part II

Lesson 4.4: The Crisis of Suicide

Lesson 4.5: Conducting a Suicide Intervention

C-MHC 201: Mental Health Coaching Skills (CMHC201)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the fundamental theories and skills of Christ-centered mental health coaching. Key elements of the coaching process, including methods of change, listening, effective communication, giving hope, small groups, and counseling theory, will be discussed.

Course Orientation

Mental Health, Care & Counsel Survival Tools

Mental Health Coach Code of Conduct

Unit 1: Coaching Skills

Lesson 1.1: Successful Coaching: What Makes it Unique and Essential Skills

Lesson 1.2: Creating a Safe Place: Listening, Empathy, and Winning Trust

Lesson 1.3: Relationships and Communication: Core Coaching Skills

Lesson 1.4: Helping Others Find Significance in Life

Lesson 1.5: The Power of Encouragement: A Key to Hope Coaching

Lesson 1.6: Getting Unstuck: The Road to Healing and Recovery

Lesson 1.7: The Incredible Power of Intentional Listening

Lesson 1.8: Understanding Our Differences: Personalities and Coping

Lesson 1.9: How to Help People Change

Lesson 1.10: Doing Brief, Solution-focused Counseling for Christ

Lesson 1.11: A Better Way: Helping Clients Turn Their Life Around

Unit 2: Small Groups

Lesson 2.1: Dynamic Small Groups and Spiritual Care Teams

Lesson 2.2: Change and Restoration: The Healing Power of Small Groups

Lesson 2.3: Types of Groups: An Overview for a Dynamic Ministry

C-MHC 301: Mental and Behavioral Health Disorders (CMHC301) Completed

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of mental and behavioral health disorders. Particular emphasis will be placed on factors that cause mental disorders, as well as conventional treatments. Conditions discussed include addiction, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Course Orientation

Mental Health Coach Code of Conduct

Unit 1: Addictions

Lesson 1.1: Models of Addiction

Lesson 1.2: Helping Others with Alcohol, Substance Abuse, and Addiction Problems

Lesson 1.3: Dual Diagnosis and Comorbidity

Lesson 1.4: Opioids and Addiction: An Alarming Tsunami

Unit 2: Mental Health Difficulties and Disorders

Lesson 2.1: Mental Illness & Character Disorders

Lesson 2.2: Depression, Mood Disorders and Suicide

Lesson 2.3: Stress and Anxiety: Overcoming Fear, Phobias, & Panic Disorders

Lesson 2.4: Bipolar and Spectrum Mood Disorders

Lesson 2.5: Eating Disorders: Diagnosis, Treatment and Referral

Lesson 2.6: Grief, Loss, and Complicated Grief

Lesson 2.7: PTSD and Complex trauma

Lesson 2.8: Psychiatric Care and Medication

Lesson 2.9: Psychotropic Medication: It’s a Matter of Trust

Who Enters Heaven? SHEEP AND GOATS, EXAMINING WHERE YOU STAND. PART 1 — Disciple’s Direction

FUNERAL LIES

Why is it that everyone is going to heaven, even though they were wicked? I have been to two funerals recently where both women couldn’t be bothered with God. I don’t know their hearts but if you loved God and loved others as yourself, your life would show it, right? One woman suffered for over a year with cancer and then died young. Those who knew her said she recommitted her life to God during her illness, especially when she was sent home to die. I hope she was sincere. The other woman was older and never went to church except as a child and occasionally for a family event. She died suddenly in her sleep, so she did not get a chance to reflect on her eternal destination. She never professed to be a Christian, yet at her funeral, they said she was scrubbing the streets of gold (audience chuckles) because she liked to clean. When the unsaved hear this, they are deceived into believing that everyone goes to heaven. This is a lie.

I understand that the loved ones of the deceased want to be assured that the dead goes to heaven. How does one explain the true reality? How do you tell people that they are going to hell if they don’t believe in Jesus as the Son of God, do the Father’s will, and love God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength? My heart breaks for the lost, but when the lost are deceived, how do you convince them otherwise? I know the conviction of sin is the work of the Holy Spirit. So many questions. The following post explained the fact that many who claim to be Christian will not enter heaven.

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. This will be the 1st part of a 2 […]
Who Enters Heaven? SHEEP AND GOATS, EXAMINING WHERE YOU STAND. PART 1 — Disciple’s Direction

Are You a Sheep or a Goat?

10—God Promises to Deliver Us from Wrath

What Will Cause You to Lose Your Inheritance

MENTAL HEALTH COACHING

I just completed a 42-hour Mental Health Coaching program through Light University. Though the information and training were fantastic, it is missing a major mental health recovery component. This program helped me empathize with and know how to help those suffering from a traumatic event or grief. I understand my son’s addiction, my mother’s mental illness, and my abuse recovery. The very last class about psychotropic medication by Dr. Curt Thompson made me realize I had a serious misunderstanding of the role of medication in treating mental illness. I also realized that I should have been medicated from the time I was a teenager. Note, I said “should have been.” Yes, medication would have helped me be a better person and not mentally messed up like I was. But the issues causing my mental illness would never have been resolved, just medicated. I have a problem with doctors who do not address and solve the underlying issues of why a person is sick.

My mother has been treated with all the psychotropic medications on the market for her entire adult life. I see the benefits of psych drugs, though. For example, when my mother’s doctor took her off a paranoia drug, several months later she was convinced the nursing home was on fire and she had to get out. She would tell me people are being killed and taken out in body bags every day. So, yes, I made sure she was given anti-paranoia drugs again, which solved the problem.

During my first marriage, a friend said, “I think you need to take medication for your depression.” I revolted and said, “No way, I don’t want to be on medication my whole life and have to see a shrink all the time.” Not only did I suffer, but my children suffered, so I now realize there is a place for medication in treating brain chemistry imbalances. I agree with Dr. Paul Meier that diet can resolve mental health issues. For example, I read a book called God’s Way to Ultimate Health by Dr. Malkmus and the benefit of eating raw foods, so I did the raw food diet, and my depression went away. And Dr. Curt Thompson is right when he said that it is necessary to treat the whole person. If a person is depressed because of an abusive situation, then address and resolve the cause of the depression first. The missing component in this coaching program is transforming painful memories, which is a major underlining cause of mental issues.

My mother’s mental illness came from the abuse and dysfunction of her home life, and other members of her side of the family had a serious brain chemistry imbalance. She has it coming and going, and so do I. I also suffered from the trauma of abuse in my childhood and then in my first marriage. The Mental Health Coaching program helped me see how messed up I was, and I could identify with many of the conditions discussed, including anxiety disorder, anorexia, and paranoia. I still have a love-hate relationship with food.

I must confess that I self-medicate for occasional depression since it is genetic as well. When my husband asks me if I am mad at him, and I am not, I know I am having depression problems and will take St. John’s Wort in the evening and 5-HTP in the morning. In a couple of weeks, my brain chemistry corrects, then I stop taking them. Or when my son went to jail, I became depressed, and I took St. John’s Wort and 5-HTP. For my anxiety disorder, I take Genexa (found at GNC). It helps me relax when I must go to the dentist or board a plane. It is chewable and all-natural, and I recommend it to anyone.

I do not think it is a coincidence that I just published a book describing my recovery from the traumatic events of my life called Breaking Mental Strongholds: Eliminate Controlling Memories. With God’s help, I recognized and broke 20 mental strongholds in my life, which helped me overcome my mental issues. God is still healing repressed controlling memories and unhealthy beliefs and will be for years to come. Had I resolved to medicate my mental illness, I would never have recovered and overcome the issues causing my mental illness. Recovery is possible when a person addresses and resolves the controlling memories from their past. My how-to book helps people do this. I encourage everyone to read my book who wants a layperson’s understanding of the source of mental illness and how to help people recover without psychotropic medication. You can order it on Amazon.

May God bless you richly in the coming year.

Joyce

RELATED POSTS:

ANXIETY: Protected by Worry and Fear Strongholds

Why, What, and How to Submit to God (becoming free from anxiety disorder)

Bondage to Unseen Controls

Breaking Mental Strongholds Book

Do transformation stories inspire you? The before and after pictures look so different. My before picture looked like an angry, anxious, sad, and insecure person who was very sick. I was emotionally unpredictable and upset about something most of the time. I desired to love others from a pure heart but felt destined to be dysfunctional. Do you want to love from a pure heart and transform your life and relationships? Would you like to experience an emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical transformation as I did?

I am so happy to make this book available to you. This book has taken me about six years to complete. I first wrote Hope for Complete Healing in 2015 to help people overcome the issues affecting their lives. Breaking Mental Strongholds expands on this book, and I explain how I became free from known and repressed painful memories that controlled my thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Also, I describe how I broke down 20 mental strongholds built by the trauma of my past that are common to almost everyone. I am free from the prison of my past. I went to psychologists, counselors, and Bible studies, but I was still a mess. Nothing changed until God led me to understand the connection between painful memories, false beliefs, pride, offenses, resentment, oppressive spirits, and strongholds.

Jesus tells us in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor [those in need]; [KJV adds; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted]. He has sent me to proclaim liberty [freedom; deliverance] to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (author inclusion is for clarity). I was captive to painful memories, blinded by false beliefs, and oppressed by attached evil spirits. Evil spirits also blind us spiritually and lead our thoughts astray (2Cor. 4:4; 11:3). Jesus has healed my broken heart. Now I am free and can be kind, loving, patient, and good to those around me, even hurtful, self-centered people.

PART ONE: Mental Strongholds and How to Break Them

Part one will answer these questions:

• What are mental strongholds, and why do we have them?

• How are strongholds built?

• What are unhealthy, false beliefs, and why do the strongholds protect them?

• Why do you need to destroy strongholds?

• How do painful memories rebuild destroyed strongholds?

• What creates memories, and how do childhood memories still influence you?

• How do words create bad memories?

• How can God heal our damaged emotions from painful memories?

• Why does emotional healing require forgiveness?

• How do we discern God’s leading when eliminating unhealthy, false beliefs and hurtful memories?

• How can you pray to heal your heart and destroy strongholds?

PART TWO: Fruit of The Spirit Transformation Guide

Part two will guide you to do the following:

• Find and transform conscious or repressed painful memories.

• Identify unmet expectations that caused painful memories.

• Recognize unhealthy beliefs that trigger adverse reactions.

• Expose and correct behavior issues from not being loved and accepted.

• Discover and heal destructive actions that stole your joy.

• Uncover and remove anxious and fearful memories, then regain peace.

• Repair painful memories of impatience and frustration.

• Realize and remove memories of unkindness.

• Change painful memories of when you or others were not good.

• Reveal the reasons for not trusting and being faithful, then restore trust.

• Remove all prideful, rough, and rude behaviors, then restore a gentle and humble spirit.

• Expose and eliminate self-control issues that negatively impact your ability to accept disappointment.

PART THREE: Tearing Down Strongholds

Part Three is a how-to, step-by-step guide to achieving victory over word curses, vows, soul ties, false beliefs, generational curses, demonic spirit influences, painful memories, and mental strongholds. This section will teach you to take every deceiving thought captive and apply truth to eliminate its impact. You will practice the power of prayer to transform false beliefs that influence wrong behavior and, ultimately, your destiny. Transform painful memories using the nine fruit of the Spirit worksheets on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness/humility, faithfulness/trust, and self-control. I identify twenty-eight mental strongholds and how to break them.

CONCLUSION

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

The Mystery of Wisdom –Part 4

Have you ever wondered why some people make foolish decisions that get them in trouble? In this post, we will learn why some people are wiser than others. In part one, we learned the difference between worldly and spiritual wisdom. In part two, we learned that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and what the fear of God looked like, and the benefits of fearing God. In part three, we learned that God gives wisdom to those who ask.

So, Who Gets Wisdom?

In the following passage, we will learn who gets wisdom and how it benefits them. When you have wisdom, you will know the right path to take and can walk away from people who want to lead you down an evil way.

Proverbs 2:6-15

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

God speaks through people, the Bible, and to us personally. We won’t remember everything we hear from godly pastors and teachers, but everything they say builds up our knowledge and gives us a greater understanding of truth and the character of God.

⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Soundness gives the impression of purity, strength, and safety. When something is sound like a foundation or a well-built boat, you can trust that it is safe and strong. God stores up sound wisdom for those who are upright. An upright person seeks to do what is right, is honest, and is just to those around them. In addition, God protects those with a sound character who can be trusted to keep their promises.

⁸guarding the paths of justice and watching over [preserves] the way of his saints.

Because God is just, He guards those who are walking the morally right path; who seek to do what is right before God. God also keeps (protects) His saints, who are godly people, from harm or injury. To learn more about godliness, read my series of posts on godliness.

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path;

The “then” refers to the condition of being in a right relationship with God by seeking to do what is right, keeping your commitments, and being godly. You will understand God’s righteousness, justice, and equality when you have divine wisdom. You will also see the good path you should take.

¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Wisdom comes into our hearts when we are right with God and as we attain knowledge of God’s truth and commandments. In part two, we learned that you gain knowledge and understanding with wisdom.

So how is knowledge pleasant to your soul? Do you think it is because God put a conscience in our souls so we can know or discern the good path? Also, the knowledge of God gives you a peaceful or pleasant feeling. The opposite of pleasant is fear, turmoil, anxiety, confusion, and so on. Which state is your soul in today? If your soul lacks peace, read my series of posts on the promises of God to grow in your knowledge of Him.

¹¹discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you,

Discretion is making the right decisions. Understanding is being able to discern or know what is good. Job 28:28b states, “To turn away from evil is understanding.’” When you have discretion and understanding, you can turn away from the evil and perverse people listed in the following verses. According to dictionary.com (2022), perverse means turning away from or rejecting what is right, good, sound, or proper. Perverse people are depraved, wicked, or corrupt in their thinking. Identify examples for each description of evil listed below.

¹¹discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, ¹²delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech,

¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,

¹⁴who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,

¹⁵men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

Wisdom also protects you from the allurement of impure sexual conduct with evil women. How many people do you know whose lives have been destroyed by adultery or fornication? King Solomon writes about controlling your lustful desires and choosing a wiser way. Proverbs 5:1-6 explains, “My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, ²that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. ³For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, ⁴but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. ⁵Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; ⁶she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.” Proverbs 2:19 states, “None who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.” Always seek God for wisdom so you don’t leave the path of life. This reminds me of the book called “Pilgrims Progress” by John Bunion. If you haven’t read it, it is well worth reading.

Conclusion:

As I studied this passage and sought God for understanding, I now have a greater appreciation for wisdom. Now I know why some people are not wise and choose destructive paths. This passage has given me insight into what a perverted person is and the importance of avoiding them. Unfortunately, we are persecuted if we call out perverse thoughts and speech. Be courageous and stand up for righteousness, knowing that God is your shield and will protect you from harm.

I pray that you have a greater appreciation for wisdom too. If you have gone down a dark path with a perverted, evil person, you can turn to God, seek His forgiveness, and repent. 1John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And James 4:7-8 states, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” If you want to learn how to purify your soul, read my post Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul.

If you haven’t read my previous posts about the mystery of wisdom, I encourage you to do that now.

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, and no part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

Check out my second 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.

8—God Promises to Give You Strength

Do you sometimes think you don’t have the strength to go on? So many things sap our strength, such as illnesses, hardships, depression, stress, disappointments, too many tasks, etc. The solution for enduring troubling issues is easy, but doing it is hard. It is human nature to try to overcome and solve besetting issues in our power, which saps our strength. The solution is to submit to God everything that troubles you. Submitting your troubles to God involves admitting you need God’s help and strength, then letting God take care of your issues, which is hard to do. Psalm 68:35 states, “Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!”

Find Strength in God

Ephesians 6:10 tells us, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” God’s might gives us strength to endure and stand firm against our enemy, who causes most of our troubles. According to 1Chronicals 16:11, you find power when you are in the presence of God through continually praying, praising, and pondering His promises.“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” Also, claim Habakkuk 3:19, which says, “GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” Have you lost hope? Find your strength and hope to scale the mountains in your life through God’s might, not your useless attempts to be strong. Do you find yourself depressed? Pray and seek God to give you hope and strength to endure the issue sapping your energy.

Strength in Waiting

Sometimes we must wait and seek God for the strength to endure the issues we are facing. When you seek Him, the key to receiving power is to give God an offering of thanksgiving and praise, knowing He keeps His promises. Isaiah 40:31 proclaims, “but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” When you feel weak, especially as you follow, honor, and serve God, trust His promises to strengthen the weak and faint. The hard part is waiting to receive God’s promise. It is equally hard to give thanks in all circumstances, which is God’s will (1Thes 5:18).

Know that you are God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10), and He is shaping you through tough times to reflect His image (Rom. 8:28-29). Also, adversity causes your faith to become stronger so you can have the strength to endure troubles and temptations. God also has a good work planned for each of us, and we all need to go through hardships to strengthen our faith and character. Claim God’s promise in Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ²Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, ³though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” God is our refuge and strength when we face grief and difficulties. Though it is hard to endure hardship patiently, we know we are being perfected when we patiently persevere (James 1:3-4).

Trust God to Give You Strength

Trust is hard for us because we need to rely on God to keep His promises. Many of us have painful memories of disappointments when we relied on someone to do something, and they let us down. These painful memories often prevent us from trusting God. Read my short book on my website to learn how to heal painful memories. 2Corinthians 1:20 tells us, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” We can trust God to keep His promises. By faith, we can speak into existence Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” If you need strength and have none, you can call it into existence by believing and claiming God’s promises. Ponder the following Scriptures: “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak” (2Corinthians 4:13). Also, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare [proclaim]; before they spring forth, I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9).

Strength for the Grieving

We lose our strength when grieving a loss or disappointment. Nehemiah 8:10b encourages us to “not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Not only do we find strength in God’s presence, but we also will have joy. Psalm 16:11 explains, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 73:26 states, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” What a wonderful promise.

Fulfilled Promises Bring Him Glory

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans 4:20-21 the following, “No unbelief made him [Abraham] waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” The Apostle Peter teaches his readers in 1Peter 4:11, “Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”

Conclusion

We can only attain God’s strength when we seek His help and submit our troubles to Him. You also find strength when you remain in God’s presence through praying, praising, and pondering scriptures. Lastly, God promises to give you strength for His glory. I will end with one of my favorite scripture promises: 2Chronicals 16:9a, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” To achieve a blameless heart, read my post called WHY HEAL YOUR HEART AND PURIFY YOUR SOUL? and Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul

RELATED POSTS

Know Your Purpose

Pt. 1: Forsaken? Betrayed? How to Trust Again.

Pt. 2: Why You Can and Cannot Trust God?

How to Diminish the Distrust Belief to Enlarge Trust

Being Thankful During Hardships

Yet Another Layoff—How to Rise Above Worry, Anger, Insecurity, and Grief

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

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share the links with your friends and family, at 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.

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

Check out my first book called Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.

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.

2— God Promises to Deliver Us from Our Troubles

Dear Friends,

Are you concerned, maybe worried, about what is happening in America and around the world? Do you wonder how God will deliver you from your troubles? I have been pondering God’s promises, which gives me peace. But if you don’t know His promises, you can’t claim them.

Never forget that God keeps His promises. 2Corinthians 1:20 tells us, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” Also, Romans 4:20-21 states, “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” But for you to claim God’s promises, you need to be reconciled to Him by believing that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sin and was raised from the dead (1Cor. 15:3-6 and Rom. 10:9-10).

Troubles are inevitable

Jesus says in John 16:33 that “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Tribulations also mean troubles or trials. Everyone has problems and hardships. We often have to endure difficulties before God delivers us because He uses them to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29) and to perfect us (James 1:2-4). No matter what happens, God will deliver you from all your troubles in His timing. The following scriptures define God’s promises to save you from your troubles. You may say that God did not answer my prayers, so why should I pray? But why didn’t God answer your prayers? There are many reasons for unanswered prayer. To learn about these reasons, please read my blog series in Posts on Prayer.

Do You Humbly Call on God through Prayer?

So many people stay stuck in their troubles because they are too prideful to ask for help, and they think they can take care of it themselves. God will let them stay in their difficulties until they repent and humbly pray and ask Him for help. Psalm 50:15 states, “And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” The condition is to call upon God. The result is to bring God glory. First, we need to be humble and realize we need His help and deliverance. It is humbling to ask for help. Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” When you are tempted to sin by what you think, say, or do that disobeys God’s commands, you can call on Jesus for help in prayer anytime.

In case you do not realize it, worry and anxiety over hardships are sins we are continually tempted to commit. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Matthew 6:31a says, “Do not be anxious.” To be anxious is to be full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune (Dictionary.com 3/2022). Not being thankful and complaining are sins too.

The following scripture is so cool. Psalm 107:13-14 states, “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. ¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.” The NIV says that God broke away their chains. Do you sometimes feel you are bound up, especially when anxious or depressed? The times I was depressed were the darkest times in my life. I felt so bound up, and I didn’t have hope of being free from my distress. Depression is complex, but the majority of depressed people are focused on their troubles and feel no hope, instead of looking to God who is their hope of deliverance. For example, when I was going through a nasty divorce and custody battle, I was very anxious and depressed. Still, when I humbly looked up and cried out to God for help, He was there with me and delivered me from all my troubles. You can read about the many miracles God did in my post called Trust God to Keep His Promises.

Do You Hold Fast to Him in Love?

We may not understand why we have to go through abuse or suffering, and why doesn’t God rescue us sooner? Psalm 91:14-15 explains, “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. ¹⁵When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.” The condition is to hold fast to God in love and call on Him. Sometimes, God walks with us through our trouble while He rescues us, and His will is accomplished in our lives. We just need to trust Him and keep our minds on his presence as we endure. Isaiah 43:2 states, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” This is a promise you can claim as well.

For example, when my supervisor at my old job was harassing me because she wanted me to quit, I was in trouble because I needed my job. I did not like the hardship I was enduring, but God was with me and helped me persevere. He amazingly transformed my character. I still lost my job, but He had another plan for my life, and everything worked out for my good. Romans 8:28 explains, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Here again, we need to love God to see the good and His purpose.

Are You Righteous?

Psalm 34:17 states, “When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” If you don’t know, the righteous are those who have received the Spirit of God into their hearts through Jesus Christ and now live through Him by faith (Rom. 1:7; 4:5; 5:19; 1John 2:29). When we sin, we become separated from God until we repent and confess our sins, then He will remove our unrighteousness (1John 1:9). 1Peter 3:12 explains, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil [sin].” I can share so many more verses, but I encourage you to open up Biblegateway.com or Biblehub.com and ponder the scriptures on righteousness. Only the righteous will enter the kingdom of God.

May God bless you richly as you obey His Word and claim His promises.

Joyce

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. If you find my posts and website helpful, 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.

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

Check out my first book on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.

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. 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.

Exposing Satan’s Attack on Christian Believers

How many people do you know won’t go to church for one reason or another? In my last post, I explained why Satan wants to destroy the church. He is effectively dismembering the body of Christ, but most Christians do not realize the unseen war all around them, so they let it go on. It is time to fight for the spiritual life of your fellow Believers and the Church. If you don’t know how to fight demonic forces, I recommend my book called Fighting Unseen Battles.

In my second post of this series, I addressed why people leave the church. Though there are many reasons, the number one reason people leave the church is being offended. Have you been offended by someone or something in the church? What was your natural response when you became offended? Most offended people simply leave the church and lose their faith, which is Satan’s goal for all of us. People are messy, and so is the church. Jesus said in Luke 5:32, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Satan causes Believers to Doubt and Walk Away From God

I ended one of my posts with Hebrews 3:12, which states, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” Doubt is unbelief, which comes from the devil. Unbelief is a sin; otherwise, why would it be called evil? Unbelief is disobedience, as we are all called to believe.

Doubt leads to disobedience. Read in Genesis 3 how Satan deceived Eve into eating the apple. He began by causing her to doubt God, which led to disobedience and separation from God. Satan uses the same tactic. If that does not work, then he uses distraction. I know many young people who grew up in the church, then later believed Satan’s lies, began to doubt, and were lured away from their faith through worldliness. My oldest son is one of those people who stopped believing, and many of my friends and Pastors I know have children who doubted and walked away from their faith.

First, don’t judge them; they need your love. They know how you believe, so preaching to them does not help. Second, pray for God to remove the blinders that Satan has put on them (2Cor. 4:4). Remind God that He promised that His Word would not return void and accomplish what He intended it to do (Is. 55:11). Pray for God to restore them and lead them back to the path of righteousness (Ps. 23:3). Seek your Heavenly Father to keep drawing them to himself. (John 6:44). Don’t give up faith; keep praying for those who fell away from the faith because of doubt and worldliness. Hebrews 11:6 explains, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Continue to diligently seek God for your children and for everyone who has fallen away. Keep in mind that you are fighting an unseen war.

A friend said the worst thing she did was encourage her son to go to college. She feels that college caused him to doubt God, now he has walked away from his faith. My youngest son went to college and remained firm in his faith, but my oldest decided he would instead go the way of the world, which caused him to walk away from his faith. Many people doubt God because of unanswered prayers. I wrote a series of posts to expose this topic because I struggled in this area. You can read all my posts in Posts About Prayer. Satan will use any means to cause doubt, which is why we need to take every thought captive and make it obey Christ (2Cor. 10:5).

Lured Away from Our Faith By Worldly Activities

I have known many Christians who skipped church to participate in secular activities. Once in a while is okay, but what often happens is a person can find other activities they would rather do than go to church. For example, my husband is part of a group of guys who shoot at clays. Though the activity is held Sunday morning, he does not miss church but goes right after church and is usually the last group to do the rounds. More and more, sporting competitions are held Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, which keep the kids and parents from attending church.

Since the pandemic and mandating churches to close their doors, many churches have lost members because the members are either too afraid to go to church or it is easier to do internet/TV church. I explain the danger of not attending church in my first post. Leaving the church for worldly pursuits is a slow fade; it is usually not all at one time. I have written a lot about the dangers of worldliness. Here are two posts, Recognize Worldly Thinking and be Free and Unseen Battle With The Secular World.

I had an inmate in my Bible Study admit to being strong in her faith, and she read her Bible every day. One day, as she watched TV, the Holy Spirit drew her to read her Bible, but she ignored the Holy Spirit and kept watching TV. Soon she stopped reading her Bible altogether and began to hang out with her old friends, who enticed her to get back into using drugs. She said she knew that when she stopped reading her Bible and stopped going to church, that was when Satan enticed her to hang out with her old friends. Now she was in jail again.

CONCLUSION

I could write so much more but I would love to hear what you think about these topics and your experience. I hope you read my other posts for a better understanding and to learn how to fight these unseen battles. I encourage you to buy my book. If you want to know what my book is about read my review post.

May God Bless you richly,

Joyce

Why Satan is Waring against the Church

I had an incredible revelation as I pondered my last post on Winning the War Against The Church. Most of you probably already know, but for those who don’t, I hope you find my insight enlightening. The Church is not only a group of Believers who come together to worship God, grow in knowledge and grace, and meet the congregation’s needs. The Church is also called the body of Christ. Read the following verses and tell me if my interpretation is wrong. 1Corinthians 12:27 states, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” Also, Ephesians 4:12-16 explains that the church leaders are “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

According to Ephesians 4:12-16, the church leaders are to build up and teach their parishioners how to trust in God and grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ so they can be mature Christians. Mature Christians won’t be deceived by false doctrine and deceitful schemes from false prophets. 1John 4:1 tells us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Our focus is to know the truth, so we can speak the truth and grow in the image of our loving Christ Jesus. A mature Christian will help the body of Christ grow in love. If a Believer is divisive and a gossip, they are not acting in love, nor are they mature. When a Christian has damaged emotions from wounds and offenses, they will be spiritually weak. Bitter Christians cannot help the church body grow in love. Your soul wounds from repressed painful memories keep you from maturing emotionally, and they need to be found and healed for your heart to be pure. I wrote a post explaining why we need to purify our hearts, called WHY HEAL YOUR HEART AND PURIFY YOUR SOUL?.

How Is The Church The Body of Christ?

Christ is the head of the Church (1Cor. 11:3 and Eph. 5:23). The passage in 1Corinthians 12:13-22 explains the members of the body of Christ as follows:

“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit [the Holy Spirit of God].

¹⁴For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?

¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

¹⁹If all were a single member, where would the body be?

²⁰As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. ²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²²On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.”

We need each other. Everyone in the church is essential. The Apostle Paul explains this so well to the Roman Church. Romans 12:3-8, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Satan Wants to Destroy Jesus Christ Who Triumphed Over Him

Satan is trying to defeat the Church because it represents the body of Christ. Satan can’t destroy Jesus because He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, so Satan is working to destroy the Church instead. The Believers of Jesus Christ bear the image of Jesus. 1Corinthians 15:49 shows us, “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” Jesus bears the image of God. Colossians 1:15 explains, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Satan hates God and everything God created. He wants to destroy all that God created (John 10:10). Christian believers are his number one target, so we need to be prepared and learn how to use the armor that God provided for us. Read my series of posts on how to use the armor of God to be victorious. SPIRITUAL WARFARE POSTS

I would love to hear from you, please leave a comment.

God Bless you,

Joyce

RELATED POSTS

Love From a Pure Heart

Why Go to Church?

How The Church Prepares You to Meet God

Getting The Most Out of Church

WINNING THE WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH

Jesus’s Final Message to The Seven Churches

Check out my first book on Amazon. I would love to hear what you think.