365 Days of Worship-Week 1 – Draw close

I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. –Psalm 146:2

Please join me this year to draw near to God through worship. When we draw close to God, He will draw close to us (James 4:8). Remember, God is Holy and sin separates us from Him (Is. 59:2). Seek God to search your heart and mind for any sinful thought, word, or deed, then confess it and repent (resolve to love well) (Jer. 17:9-10; Ps. 139:23-24; Matt. 3:8). Ask God to show you unhealthy beliefs you may have about Him concerning the verse(s). You may be offended at God for unanswered prayers, in that case, humble yourself under His sovereign hand and seek His healing of that painful memory.

Meditate on the verse throughout the day, and give God praise and adoration for each day’s worship focus. Remember, God is a Spirit and we are to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

WEEK 1 – January 1-7

Day 1—Worship God’s greatness.

Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. ³Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. –Psalms 145:2-3

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. –Psalm 147:5

Blessing God according to the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionary essentially means to adore, which is to pay divine honor to or worship.

Day 2—Worship God’s splendor and majesty.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. ⁶They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. –Psalms 145: 5-6

He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. ⁹He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry. –Psalm 147:8-9

Day 3—Worship God because He is good, righteous, merciful, and loving.

They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. ⁸The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. –Psalm 145:7-9 and Psalm 103:8

Day 4—Worship God for His Faithfulness and Kindness

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] ¹⁴The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. –Psalm 145:13-14

Day 5—Worship God for His Righteousness and Nearness

The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. ¹⁸The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. –Psalm 145:17-18

Day 6—Worship God’s Holy Name

Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! ²Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. –Psalm 103:1-2

(Remember, blessing God according to the Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionary essentially means to adore, which is to pay divine honor to or worship.)

Day 7—Worship God for His Forgiveness and Healing

Who forgives all your iniquity [sins], who heals all your diseases. –Psalm 103:3

All Scripture is from the English Standard Bible. This post is copyright protected.

Christmas Poem by Debbie Auen

Christmas is about hope

Hope for sinners to be forgiven and free

For those who are spiritually blind – GOD’S truth to see

Christmas is about GOD’S presence, love, light coming through

To bless and transform me and you

Christmas is about GOD humbling HIMSELF to become a man

To reveal to us HIS purpose and plan

Christmas is about the power and purity of GOD’S love divine

Pouring forth HIS holy, spiritual wine

Christmas is about the greatest miracle taking place

GOD giving us HIS mercy and grace

Christmas is about GOD reaching down and out

To deliver us from fear and doubt

Christmas is about celebrating the reality of joy and peace

The fact that GOD’S love never shall cease

Christmas is about our need for salvation, sanctification, and God providing

It is proof that GOD is not distant or hiding

Christmas is HIS heart on display

That we will experience the true meaning of Christmas

In a personal way I pray

FREEDOM OF THOUGHTS—Post 2

Do you control what you think, or do your thoughts control your mind and emotions? I wrote in my book Breaking Mental Strongholds about the science behind memories and our thoughts. Neuroscientists discovered that every event in your life from the time of your birth is stored in your brain. They also discovered that these memories control our thinking and emotions. You can get my book and read all about it. Painful memories generate wrong thinking that prevents us from loving well. Love is the measuring standard God will use when we stand before Him (2 Cor. 5:10).

What Should Freedom Look Like?

Freedom from unhealthy beliefs and thoughts is being able to love ourselves and people from a pure heart. Some people may be appalled that we are to love ourselves, if you don’t then you cannot love others, because the Bible says in Galatians 5:14, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” And James 2:8 states, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” The goal of my website is to help you love from a pure heart. To love from a pure heart, you need Jesus Christ to uncover your unhealthy beliefs and wrong thinking and then transform them with God’s truth. I wrote a series of posts addressing how to purify your heart: Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul and Why Heal Your Heart And Purify Your Soul?

Take All Wrong Beliefs Captive.

Our prayers and words have power, and we can take every thought captive in the name of Jesus and command wrong thoughts to be gone. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For though we walk in the flesh (live in the world, NIV), we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh (this world), but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses (strongholds). We are destroying speculations (arguments) and every lofty thing (pretensions) raised up against the knowledge of God (truth), and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (Words in parenthesis are from the NIV.) Taking our thoughts captive is critical to have lasting victory over our destructive emotions that keep us captive to hurtful, sinful behavior.

Obeying God Increases Freedom.

Purifying our hearts begins with obeying the Word of God, that is, to do what it says. 1 Peter 1:22 states, “Having purified your souls (heart, mind, and conscience) by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” We can love with a pure heart as our soul wounds heal, as outlined in my booklet found here. One truth we must obey to heal soul wounds and be victorious over offenses that control our thoughts is to forgive those who offended us. Then pray and put off the lies the offense generated that you believed about yourself, others, and God. (See Matthew 6:12; Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32). Unforgiveness perpetuates the inner pain we feel and keeps us in bondage to it. You will never have lasting peace, love, or freedom if you do not forgive. If you find it hard to forgive, read: WHY SHOULD I FORGIVE

Conclusion

Freedom begins in our minds as we forgive and allow God to heal our hurting hearts. You will be released from the bondage of resentment when you forgive. It is my prayer that everyone who finds my website will be free from the painful memories that control their minds, emotions, and unloving actions. As you forgive, love well, and apply God’s truth to your life, you will be a blessing to many people who also need to receive God’s grace. Freedom is expressed in our spirits when we identify with Jesus Christ. More about that in the next post.

RELATED POSTS

What Controls Your Thoughts?

ALL THOUGHTS ARE WITHIN OUR CONTROL

How to Recognize and Eliminate Emotional Cancer

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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.

Check out my latest book Breaking Mental Strongholds, which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this 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.

Why Some Believers May Not Go to Heaven

Why doesn’t every believer go to Heaven? This is a tough question because the Bible is clear that everyone who believes will spend eternity with God in heaven (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 1:16, and 1 John 5:13). So why does Jesus say in His first sermon, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ – Matthew 7:21-23” Woe! If you consider the verses before these verses to beware of false prophets, then verses 21-23 make sense because they refer to false prophets who often preach on TV and in our churches. If you haven’t read the previous post, read it now, How the Wise Recognize False Teachers and Teachings.

False teachers have a belief in Jesus, but they distort God’s truth and do not submit their minds to the Holy Spirit’s renewal to be righteous and holy (Eph. 4:24). We are renewed in our minds by reading God’s Word every day, and meditate on the truth, and apply it to memory. Each one of us could be guilty of having false beliefs and being a false prophet. As a Christian blogger, I am very concerned that I may misrepresent God’s truth, which is why I rely on Scripture to do the teaching. You may call me out if you feel I am not representing the truth of God’s Word. I noted in my last post that not all Bibles are equal, and many versions misrepresent the truth, especially the paraphrased versions.

What is a prophet? It says in 1 Corinthians 14:3, “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding [not tearing down] and encouragement and consolation [comfort, support].” If you don’t know the truth of God’s Word, you can be a false prophet. For example, your friend is unhappy with their marriage. If you comfort and encourage them by saying, “God wants us to be happy, so it is okay to divorce your spouse.” That is a false teaching. Instead, speak the truth explained in 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18, which is “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ^16-18Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” And Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Changing our thinking and doing the will of God is difficult, but when we obey, we will be rewarded with joy and peace even in difficult circumstances. If you have misrepresented the truth of God, repent, and ask His forgiveness, and He will forgive and restore you. Next, read your Bible every day and meditate on the truth. Then you will do well (Ps. 1:2-3).

What do you want God to say to you when you stand before Him? What if God says, ‘I never knew you; depart from me.’ (Matt. 7:23)? The subject of this post is heavy, but necessary to ponder because we all will stand before Him someday, maybe today. Will He say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matt 25:21,23)?

What is The Will of God?

Jesus said in His first sermon in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” The condition is doing the will of God, though our assurance is by grace. So, what is the will of God? The Bible says that the will of God is to obey His instructions and do what we know He has called us to do, which I will write about in the next post. I wrote extensively about what the will of God is in Unanswered Prayer. Asking For God’s Will or Your Will?

Disclaimer: Our salvation and eternal destiny with God are not because of what we do or by our works, but by the grace of God. Ephesians 2:8-10 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Once we have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit seals us, and then we must work out our salvation by renewing our minds and doing His will. See the blog posts called Forgiven and Saved? Now Renew Your Mind (Part One) and Three Steps to Renew Your Mind (Part Two).

How can I be assured God will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant?”

The Apostle Peter’s instructions in the next passage give us hope. Peter tells us to be diligent, which means to apply ourselves to accomplish something. Meditate on the words o f2Peter 1:3-11:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence,

by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises,

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (lusts).

⁵For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, virtue (moral excellence; right action and thinking; goodness of character), knowledge, self-control, steadfastness (perseverance), godliness, brotherly affection (kindness), and love. (My paraphrase in parentheses.)

⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall.

¹¹For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A promise is an assurance we depend on. Verse 10 promises we will never fall if we seek and practice faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, kindness, and love. Then, verse 11 promises we will enter the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. And verse 8 promises if we have these qualities, we will not be ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. How fantastic is this!

Conclusion:

Our life on earth is but a blink or breath compared to eternity (Ps. 144:4). So, be mindful of the day of judgment and what God will say to you. In this post, you learned that you are eternally secure when you do the will of God, fear Him, and diligently seek to add to your faith: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In the end times, there will be a great falling away because of deception and suffering. Resolve in your heart today that you will not fall away and begin today to do the will of God found in the Word of God. Hebrews 3:12 states, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

RELATED POSTS:

What Is Required to Stand Before God?

Posts About Godliness

Example of Suffering Well and God’s Response: Part 2 of Suffering Well

All verses are from the English Standard Version. 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.

My latest book is Unlocking God’s Promises, which explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post 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, the 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.

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.