Healing – Page 2 – Hope for Complete Healing

Hope for Lasting Peace, Love, and Victory

Many of the women I minister to feel there is no hope for overcoming their situations. And sadly, I often meet women who are put in jail right after having a baby that tested hot for drugs. Equally sad are the women whose children have been taken away from them, which drives them to use drugs and alcohol to escape that emotional pain. These women feel defeated and hopeless. When I asked them why they use, 99% of them say it is to avoid feeling emotional pain. They know the drugs and alcohol takes them further away from the life they desire. But they feel they have no inner strength to stop using drugs or drinking alcohol. Their hearts are full of emotional pain from unloving acts from those who should have loved them. Unfortunately, most people do not realize they have a love hunger that they are trying to satisfy with everything but the true source of love.

You may not have a drug or alcohol problem, but if you are honest, you also have some mechanism for escaping inner pain (e.g., binge eating, shopping, watching TV/movies, workaholism, etc.) For example, I was a workaholic, and my accomplishments helped me feel good, which concealed the pain in my heart. I also felt helpless to control my anger when I was offended. As a result, I believed I was unlovable and worthless. I have good news; with God’s help, I was able to transform my unhealthy beliefs and wrong thoughts with His truth. Read about my transformation here.

The following five facts have helped the women in jail have hope to achieve lasting peace, love, and victory. I pray they help you as well:

1. Know the source of offenses that steal your peace, love, and sense of worth.

a) Taking an offense to something is when you feel resentment for something done or said which often causes hurt feelings or displeasure. These resentments build up in our hearts throughout our lives.

b) The demonic powers around us are destructive forces in our lives. In Ephesians 6:12 it says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Also see Eph. 2:2; 2Cor. 4:4.

c) The Bible says that the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). The lies we believe cause us to be offended, which results in resentment and hate. For example, my oldest son believed the lie that I hated him because I disciplined him. He believed the lie that my discipline was abusive, therefore, he says he hates me. I can’t change what he believes because resentment is consuming, and the demons keep it stirred up in him to keep him in bondage to these destructive thoughts.

d) The demons want to keep you defeated by destroying your peace, self-worth, and ability to feel loved. Children are their favorite target because they are so vulnerable, then as adults we wonder why we have so many offenses in our hearts, also called unresolved childhood issues. Feeling unloved and offended can lead to various destructive actions and addictions, which result in feeling more defeated.

For instance, when I am offended and get upset, I desire to binge eat, especially chocolate, or I get angry and tell the person off. Both responses are destructive; binge eating is destructive to my body and anger destroys my relationships. We can choose to respond with peace and love, which may sound impossible. Choosing a non-destructive action requires us to constantly check our thoughts and control them, though I still need to improve. Awareness of how we are offended is the first step.

2. Know your source of help to resist the demonic attempts to destroy you.

a) Jesus knows what it is like to suffer demonic attacks and temptations. He overcame the devil and defeated the enemy of our souls and can help us overcome (see Hebrews 2:17&18; Heb. 4:15&16; and 1 John 3:8).

b) To receive this help, we need to put off the pride of being self-focused and the lie that we don’t need Jesus. Then, humbly ask Him by faith to transform our lives. When we do this, then we will be rooted and grounded in His love and nothing can separate us from His love (see Ephesians 3:17; 1 John 4:9-10; and Romans 8:35-39). Also, we will be filled with the Holy Spirit who is our helper (see John 14:26; 15:26; and Romans 8:24-27). To learn more about pride, read: HOW PRIDE DESTROYS

c) After receiving Jesus into our hearts and submitting to God, which is to obey Him, then we will have all the divine promises in Christ Jesus. We will also have his divine nature and power to have lasting victory over all our issues and addictions. 2 Peter 1:3-4 says, “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” We tap into this divine power by faith through prayer and believing. We do not see the divine power in us, but we know it is there by faith and that it is ours through prayer.

3. Know the true source of love, peace, and victory.

a) God will always love us, and He gives us His worth. (See Colossians 3:12). He is our only source of love; not our parents, not our boy/girlfriends, not our family, not our spouse; no one can love us as God does. Our love is flawed because each of us has wounds and hurts (offenses) from the sins and weaknesses of those around us.

b) God is our only source of peace. Isaiah 26:3 says “You keep him/her in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he/she trusts in You.” Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Also see 1 John 5:4) The key to lasting peace is to keep our minds on God through continual prayer.

c) God is our only source of victory over the demonic world; James 4:7,8 says, “Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8) Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Victory occurs when we submit to God and resist the devil through prayer and standing firm in our faith. Victory also requires that we remove sin from our lives. Also see 1 Peter 5:8,9a.

4. Know the truth and pray the truth to stay in perfect peace, love, and victory.

a) Our responsibility is to keep our minds on the truths of the Word of God and remain with Him through prayer. As we stay in prayer, we will be victorious over the many temptations to believe the devil’s lies and become offended (see John 15 and Colossians 3:1-3). But first, we need to humbly confess our sins through prayer and seek God for forgiveness (see 1 John 1:9). You see, sin blocks our prayers and God will not hear our prayers because He is Holy (see Is. 59:2).

b) If we keep our minds on our problems and what we don’t like, then we will be worried, fearful, angry, depressed, etc. So, when you find yourself focused on a problem or an offense, then turn it into a prayer of repentance and submission to regain your peace, love, and victory. For example, we can get upset with a family member for the things they did or said or how they said it, and it can consume us. But when we turn the problem over to God and trust Him with it, then we will be filled with peace and love again. I have also found that being thankful keeps me in peace. As you know, when you don’t feel peace in yourself, you are not at peace with others around you.

c) Our prayers and words have power and we can take every thought captive in the name of Jesus and command them 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.” Taking our thoughts captive is critical to have lasting victory over our destructive emotions and actions.

5. Lastly, remove the many offenses in our hearts through prayer and forgiving.

a) Offenses hinder love but purifying out hearts by removing offenses allows us to feel love and to love others. 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 when our soul wounds are healed as outlined in my healing booklet found in my website (hopeforcompletehealing.com).

b) One of the truths we need to obey to be victorious over offenses is to forgive those who offended us. Then to put off the lies we believed. (See Matthew 6:12; Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32). Our unforgiveness perpetuates the inner pain we feel and keeps us in bondage to it. We will never have lasting peace, love, or victory if we do not forgive. If you find it hard to forgive, read: WHY SHOULD I FORGIVE

I hope you found these five facts helpful and know that lasting peace, love, and victory is possible. In my website, I list many truths concerning key character traits to help you replace the devil’s lies with truth. I encourage you to look at these and be blessed.

Escapism; Protected by Strongholds of Loneliness and Discontentment

#1 Destroyer of All Relationships and the Solution

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

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

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

Freedom from the Spirit of Jealousy

Can a spirit control us? I say yes, based on my experience and observation. So, do we have an excuse for atrocious behavior or making wrong choices? No, because we still need to love God, others, and ourselves from a pure heart! So, if we have unloving behavior, then we need to look for the source.

For example, at a family gathering, I became emotional because I felt discounted and said things I should not have said. I was embarrassed by my reaction, so I asked God to reveal the source of why I became emotional. He showed me I had a spirit of jealousy (Numbers 5:13, 30; Ezekiel 8:3). I discovered that corrupt spirits attach themselves to memories of being offended by unloving actions or unkind words. In my case, God revealed I was jealous of my younger sister. I cannot remember specific memories as I was to young, but I do remember being angry with her our entire childhood.

Being a twin meant I already had to share my parent’s attention and care. Then, thirteen months later, my second sister was born, which meant I had to share my parent’s love and attention with two other needy beings. Unfortunately, my new sister was born with a disorder and was hospitalized often. This meant that she received more attention than I did. Even babies and toddlers can be offended when their perceived needs are not met, especially for love and attention. Humans have a natural need to love and to be loved. So, because I had to share my parents attention with my two sisters, I understand how I became offended and how the spirit of jealousy attached to my soul. This spirit controlled my reactions when I thought I was being discounted. Have you ever felt discounted?

Furthermore, on my website (chapter 3 of my book), I describe how I became free from the mental strongholds of injustice and unfairness and how they protected the wrong beliefs and behavior of being impatient. Consider the following, when something unfair happens to us as a result of another person’s advantage over us, then jealousy naturally occurs. As a result, we become resentful towards that person, which displays itself through anger. For example, someone gets VIP treatment because of their high position in the company, and you are sent to the back of the line. Or, someone gets a better parking space because they have more money. Or, your spouse gives their attention to someone else. Have you ever experienced this? The next time you get irritated, ask God why you are getting irritated. You may have a jealous spirit. I never thought I had a jealous spirit until God showed it to me.

Thankfully, God is all knowing and knows everything about us, and He alone can reveal repressed memories and unhealthy beliefs. God showed me I had developed the unhealthy belief that my sister was the favorite and received preferential treatment. Because of my resentment towards my sister’s advantage over me, I mistreated her, which caused her to fight back, which then lead to my punishment. So, I believed I was being unfairly punished for things she did or instigated, which caused me to resent my sister more. Another unhealthy belief was being unlovable and feeling worthless. Consequently, from early childhood, I tried to earn my parents attention and love by working hard and doing things for them, such as, cleaning the basement and garage. In the same way, doing work for people’s attention and approval carried into my adulthood. Therefore, my sense of worth was based on what I did and what people thought of the quality of my work. I was freed from this mental stronghold as well. Do you feel you have to please people to get their love and attention and to feel accepted and wanted? Do you have a sibling you feel was favored, maybe they were a better athlete or had better grades? Do you have a co-worker that receives more privileges because they are favored by the boss?

After learning the source of my jealousy, I asked God to lose and remove the memories of being offended (not getting the love and attention I wanted) and to remove the spirit of jealousy from my soul. I then replaced my wrong beliefs with the truth. For example, the truth is my mother did love me, but it was overwhelming to take care of my sick sister. Another reality was the fact that it was not my sister’s will to be sick, she could not help it, and I can show her compassion. Then, I sought forgiveness for my spiteful behavior. Now when I think of the current situation that revealed my jealous spirit, I no longer get upset. You can learn more about how to heal memories and transform unhealthy beliefs with truth by reading my short transformation testimony book on my website, hopeforcompletehealing.com.

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

PEACE—A Parenting and Marital Goal

What would it be like if our children lived in peace with each other and we had a peaceful marriage? Let us take a moment to imagine that the people in our lives are serene, tranquil, calm, undisturbed, friendly, kind, and helpful. How does this make you feel? Does this make you feel relaxed? Does this describe how you relate to people? Consider, with me, three causes that deprive us of peace and how to restore peace.

Peace was the only Mother’s Day gift I would ask from my children, which never happened. The reason was because I never sowed peace into my children. Have you ever heard the saying, “you reap what you sow?” A farmer sows seed into the ground and depending on what the seed is that is, what the farmer will reap. So, if you don’t have peace in your family and marriage then maybe peace has not been sown. If there is strife in your life, consider where the source of strife is coming.

The first and main source of strife comes from past offenses stored in our memories and unforgiveness in our hearts. Because I was an angry person inside from the many painful memories of being abused, I could not live in peace with anyone, though I desperately wanted to. After God healed my painful memories, offenses, and unhealthy beliefs, I no longer was upset about everything all the time. I can now live in peace with those around me, including myself. Had I known about this when I was raising my children, I would have dealt with the strife differently. I would have located the offenses in their hearts from disappointment, instead of reacting in anger. To learn more, read the chapters of my book, listed in the right margin. Also read: The Link Between Disappointment, Resentment, and Self-control

The second source of strife comes from daily offenses that we react too. Just drive in the city, and you will have plenty of reason to be offended. Being around people offer many opportunities to be offended. These little offenses steal our peace, and the best solution is to take those thoughts captive by first, recognizing them, acknowledging them, and then taking hold of them. Next, ask God to remove those thoughts of offense, forgive if necessary, and then ask God to give you patience and love for those around you. Again, I elaborate more on this in my book on my website.

The third reason we lack peace can also be from the following peace robbers. In fact, these peace robbers greatly affected my health and your health. I share my testimony of how I transformed these peace robbers in my book found in my website.

Tension: mental or nervous strain
Fear of something bad happening:
Dread: to fear greatly; be in extreme apprehension
Fright: sudden fear or terror
Nervousness: emotional tension; agitation
Anxiety: distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune
Worry: to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret
Anger: a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath
Terror: intense fear

For example, my husband took my two young sons (10 and 12) spelunking in an abandoned cave. I objected greatly but the boys wanted to go, and my husband was an experienced spelunker. Needless to say, I experienced all the above peace robbers. Thankfully, the Lord was watching over my children and husband as there were many dangers. My husband had fun but my children to this day never want to go spelunking again.

Not only do we need to pray and ask God to remove these peace robbers from us but also the associated unhealthy beliefs. The following are some examples of unhealthy beliefs that need transforming through prayer and truth:

Something bad will happen.
The future will be like the past.
There is no peace for me.
I don’t deserve peace.
Why even try to get peace? It is useless to try.
I lost any chance for peace when I lost _____.
I caused ____ to lose peace.
I am afraid I will never have peace.
If I have peace, bad things will take it away.
If I can just get more ____ I will have peace.
My lack of peace is due to my lack of ____.
Other people have taken my peace from me.
If only others would leave me alone I would have peace.
They don’t deserve peace.

The following truths can be used to transform the above unhealthy beliefs and any other unhealthy beliefs that God shows you when you ask.

The peace of Christ rules in my heart, and I am thankful. 3:15
I pursue peace and do what is good. 12:14; 1 Pet. 3:11
I can be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for others. Titus 3:2
When I make peace, I will be blessed and be called a child of God. 5:9
The peace that comes from God is beyond understanding when I give my troubles to Him and thank Him. 4:6
God fills me with all joy and peace as I believe and trust Him, and I will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 15:13
I will have great peace and will not stumble when I love God’s Word. 119:165
I can be at peace with others. 9:50; Rom. 12:18; Heb. 12:14
Peace comes when I trust Jesus, and I will not let my heart be troubled or anxious. John 14:27; John 16:33; Phil. 4:6, 7; 26:3

Minimize Memory Clutter

Do you know any minimalist? My husband and I read a book on being a minimalist. The author said that a minimalist sells, throws away, or gives away possessions they do not use or does not have sentimental value. Minimalists say that decreasing ones possessions will reduce stress and free up time. My husband wants to be an extreme minimalist and reduce our possessions to the smallest amount possible. I think he wants to get rid of my things that he thinks is unnecessary. I told him to start with his things, such as the crow decoys in the shed and hunting blinds in the basement that he never uses. Do you have an attic, basement, garage, spare room, or shed full of stuff you know longer use or need? For more information, watch the YouTube videos on being a minimalist.

So, can our memories be mental clutter that keep us from being productive and stress free? I learned from Dr. Caroline Leaf that most of our memories are in our subconscious mind and we are not even aware of how much they are controlling our thinking. It is my experience that my subconscious painful memories dominated my life and caused tremendous stress. The reason was because my memories controlled my thoughts, which often led to emotional stress and dysfunctional reactions. To learn more read: HOW MEMORIES INFLUENCE OUR THINKING, EMOTIONS, AND BEHAVIOR

So why should we minimize painful memories? First, you will think more clearly, that is, your memories will not control your thoughts. Secondly, you will be free to choose loving and kind responses during stressful situations instead of following programmed memory behavior scripts.

When to minimize memory clutter. Do you think about the painful things done or said to you? Do you feel angry, impatient, irritated, or frustrated? Do you complain? If you answered yes to any one of these questions, then you need to clean out the unloving and unkind memories that do not help you be a loving and kind person.

So how do you minimize memories? Romans 12:2 states, “… but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” The last blog I posted was on this topic of inner self transformation and renewing your mind. So, I will not repeat what I wrote and would encourage you to read that post to learn more. WHAT IS INNER LIFE TRANSFORMATION? My Story Also, 2 Corinthians 4:16 states, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

We minimize our memory clutter the same way we minimize our physical clutter; one item at a time. The only exception is we need God to search our minds and to bring those memories to be eliminated out of our subconscious. I explain how to do this on the pages listed on my website. 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories

Reducing memory clutter of all the negative, painful, and disappointing experiences in my life freed me to enjoy my life, love others, and to be thankful.

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

WHAT IS INNER LIFE TRANSFORMATION? My Story

When you view yourself in the mirror what do you see; a beautiful butterfly or an ugly caterpillar?

Before my life transformation, I looked in the mirror and saw a lonely, hurting, and unlovable child in an adult body. I desired to be a person who would know, feel, and show love. I wanted to be joyful and not sad and disconnected. I wanted to feel peace instead of anxiety and anger. Because of the many offenses in my heart from my abusive and dysfunctional past, I developed unhealthy beliefs and unloving thoughts that controlled my emotions. But, before I continue with my story, I want to explain what the terms abusive and dysfunctional mean. And what are offenses? The following definitions are from the Webster dictionary.

Dysfunctional is to be abnormal and/or emotionally impaired. A dysfunctional person is not emotionally stable, secure, or peaceful. They are usually full of unreasonable anger and anxiety. Also, a dysfunctional person is someone who can be impaired by alcohol, drugs, mental illness, addiction, etc.

Abuse is the mistreatment of others that causes physical, emotional, and mental harm. Abuse also includes using insulting, coarse, or bad language about or to someone.

Offenses are resentments, hurt feelings, and displeasure from the pain of unfairness, mistreatment, disrespect, betrayal, nonacceptance, and being ignored.

My Story

My transformation began at eight years old when I heard the good news about Jesus Christ, and I believed. After asking Him to come into my heart, I felt His life come into me, and I felt hope for the first time. I continued to live in a dysfunctional and abusive home where painful memories and the related emotional stress continued to build up. Because I didn’t feel safe, I became anxious. In addition, I was lonely and discontent, which led to different escaping behaviors. And, I became angry from the mistreatment. Though both my parents professed to be “Christians,” they continued to sin because of offenses in their hearts from the repressed painful memories of their dysfunctional pasts.

My first marriage was to a hurting “Christian” man, who would be abusive because of the offenses in his heart. As a result, I became depressed, even more insecure, angry, and controlling. I realized I needed to change for the sake of my children, students, and friendships. So, I went to several psychologists; read many self-help books; and attended several bible-study groups, but did not experience any change in my life. These activities only exposed the depravity of my heart. And since my repressed painful memories weren’t transformed, I continued to act out of my wounded heart. I ended up having to separate from and then divorce my first husband. Because I trusted in God, I saw many miracles as He helped me go through the divorce and custody battle. This story is in the post called: Trust God to Keep His Promises.

Because we live in a sinful world with self-centered people, not one of us can escape from having painful memories and negative heart issues. Therefore, we all need inner life transformation. Unresolved negative issues affect all our relationships and even our destiny. You can expose them by paying attention to what you think, say, and do.

I encourage you to keep a journal of your thoughts, words, and reactions for several months. In a separate journal record as much as you know about your family as far back as you can remember. Ask your parents and grandparents to tell you what they know. Write about relationship dynamics and any dysfunctional patterns. Record any major events that shaped their lives and yours, such as a death, divorce, addiction, mental illness, disability, or a major change that was upsetting. Every detail will give you a clue about how your family dynamics were shaped and any dysfunctions that were passed down. By journaling, you will better understand your parents, and their unresolved negative issues that may be affecting them, which is also affecting you.

Next, write as much as you can remember about your life, even the beginning of your life, which your mother could tell you. Record the relationship dynamics between you and your parents, siblings, and extended family. Some memories will be painful, and they need to be healed for you to be healed, which is the purpose of exposing them. Like cancer treatments or heart surgery, they are painful but necessary for healing and experiencing life. Reading my short book on my website will help you heal these memories. To learn more about memories, read HOW MEMORIES INFLUENCE OUR THINKING, EMOTIONS, AND BEHAVIOR.

Working through unresolved negative issues takes time, but it is well worth the time. I have been working on my negative heart issues for the past 20+ years, and I have seen incredible results in my life, marriage, family, and workplace relationships. Now, I am mindful of what I say and how I react, I can correct my behavior by changing my thinking, so I can love from a pure heart. I refer to the “issues” worksheet pages on my website to resolve the negative memories from my past, which create negative issues in the present. I am also quicker to recognize when I become offended from other people’s negative issues, so I can forgive and remove the offense out of my heart. To learn more about how our words have power read: WORDS HAVE POWER—Part I: Overcoming The Destruction of Offensive Words and WORDS HAVE POWER—PART II: Words produce death or life energy.

I was the perfect person to test what worked and did not work for transforming a hurting heart into a loving heart. With each negative issue, I asked God to show me why I reacted with unloving behavior, and how I need to change. God showed me how to heal the hurts and offenses in my heart with the truth in the Bible using specific prayer requests outlined next. This process is described in detail in my website hopeforcompletehealing.com.

For each negative issue, I asked God to:

Uncover repressed painful memories that caused the offense. Then I asked Him to heal the image and to help me forgive those involved. If you struggle with forgiving, please read WHY SHOULD I FORGIVE.
Identify and eliminate the unhealthy beliefs created by the painful memory that causes wrong thinking and then replace them with the truth. For more details read UNHEALTHY BELIEFS PART 1: What are they and where do they come from?
Identify and eliminate strongholds that protect the painful memories and unhealthy beliefs from being healed. To understand what strongholds are read STRONGHOLDS PART I—What are they and how do they affect us?
Identify and eliminate generational curses and sins that prevent the transformation of dysfunctional patterns.
Eliminate the oppressive spirits (negative energy) associated with the painful memories and beliefs which perpetuate the offenses and attract more offense and pain.

Now, I look in the mirror and see a happy, emotionally healthy, and content woman; not a hurting, lonely, and unlovable little girl. When you view yourself in the mirror what do you want to see?

Ultimately, the Bible is the most important book to read for complete healing and transformation of our minds, hearts, and health. 2 Corinthians 4:16 states, “Do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” Ephesians 4:23 and Colossians 3:10 tells us to renew our minds to reflect the image of God, which can only happen when we read the Bible.

Furthermore, for our prayers to be effective, we need to have a right relationship with God, because it is God who ultimately heals and transforms us. If you have issues with God, I would ask that you believe the fact that He wants to heal your hurts and give you a new life. This begins with spiritual healing by believing and confessing that Jesus Christ is God the Son, who died on the cross to pay the debt for sin and who forgives our sins and frees us from sins control (See Jn 1:29; 1 Jn 4:15; 1 Pet 1:18-19; Col 1:14; & Gal 5:1). When we confess this with our mouth and believe it with our heart, then God the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and fills us with the love, life, and light of Jesus (See Gal 4:6 & 1 Cor 6:17). If you have not made this confession, then do it now to begin the transformational healing process (See Rom 10:9-13 & Eph 2:1-10). Moreover, we are transformed by the love of God the Father as we stay close to Him and trust Him to transform our lives according to His truth. See John 17:17.

Our sin, and especially the sin of pride, also blocks our prayers from reaching God. Psalms 66:18 states, “If I have cherished sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2 states, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear.” To know if you have sin, ask God to search your heart and mind. Jeremiah 17:9-10 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10) ‘I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.’” (Also see Revelations 2:23.) But we can become free from sin by confessing it to God. 1 John 1:9 tells us “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Becoming self-controlled: Self-control and Maturity and The Link Between Disappointment, Resentment, and Self-control and How to be Self-controlled in What We Say

Becoming free from anxiety disorder: Why, What, and How to Submit to God and be FREE

Becoming free from pride and negative feelings: The Core Negative Heart Issue

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

If you read my book and find it helpful, please leave a review. Also, if you want to do a Bible study with it, email me and ask for a free PDF of the leader’s guide. The PDF will have suggested discussion questions after each section. Quick links to all the scriptures in the endnotes for you to review or to copy and paste into your notes. Website links to review supporting material. Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com

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.

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

7 Ways to Suffer Well: (Part 1)

Why do we have to suffer? Suffering is inevitable in this world. Having gone through much suffering myself, I can make seven suggestions for how to suffer well.

1. Accept that suffering happens to everyone in the world, and we can’t control when, how, or what happens to us. We can only control how we react to it, so acceptance is the first step to suffering well. The reason for suffering is because we live in an imperfect and unpredictable world with imperfect people. Often we cause our own suffering from the wrong choices we make. Suffering can be called a trial, a tribulation, or an affliction.

1 Peter 4:12-14 states, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery (painful; NIV) trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13) But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.” Also read Romans 8:17&18.

2. Allow suffering to strengthen you and to make you more compassionate. For instance, when you endure afflictions well, then you can support and comfort others going through the same affliction. My friends, who had been through similar difficulties, have supported, encouraged, and helped me. Their encouragement gave me strength to go through my troubles. Now, I am able to comfort and support others who are going through similar difficulties.

3. Don’t take it personally. Embrace suffering as a part of life. Allow your difficulties to expose your character flaws, so you can remove them so the fruit of the spirit can grow. Personality flaws are often the result of painful memories, which generate unhealthy beliefs, that then control your negative reactions. My website, hopeforcompletehealing.com, explains how to discover, transform, and reprogram painful memories and unhealthy beliefs, so you can deal with difficulties in a healthy way.

4. Forgiving is the key to suffering well. Forgiving those who cause or have caused your suffering is the only way to keep your peace and joy. When you don’t forgive, then you become angry, bitter, and resentful because you are self-absorbed and focused on the injustice of the suffering. For example, I could have resented my ex-husband for allowing my son to go down the wrong path of drugs and alcohol but, I realize my son is responsible for the wrong choices he makes. I could have resented my son for making wrong choices, and bringing embarrassment and shame to the family but, I realize I am no one special and I am not alone. My point is not to take offense, because of another person’s weakness or sin. Be quick to forgive and practice the truths in the Word of God. Refer to my post on forgiveness WHY SHOULD I FORGIVE.

5. Turn your suffering over to God and allow Him to work in your life. Difficulties perfect you, strengthen your faith, and increases your ability to endure. Submit the outcome of the trial or difficulty to God and don’t lose His peace and joy. Remember, you cannot control what, when, or how difficulties happen, but you can control what you do when they come.

James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces¹ steadfastness²(endurance; patience). 4) And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect³ and complete⁴, lacking in nothing.” (ESV)

** 1) Produce means to bring forth; create; bear (as a plant bears fruit and seed); etc..

** 2) Steadfastness means firm, fixed, settled, or established. 2. Constant; not changing.

** 3) Perfect means complete in all respects; without defect.

** 4) Complete means lacking none of the parts; to make entire, thorough, or perfect

** 5) Endurance means the ability to last, continue, or remain b) ability to stand pain, distress, fatigue, etc.

** 6) Patience means the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, or irritation.

?? Why is it important to test our faith?

Testing your faith reveals what you really believe. Testing also strengthens and purifies your faith. Trials and suffering give you the opportunity to practice the truths in God’s Word, which strengthen your faith and transform your thinking, attitudes, and character.

Romans 5:2-4 states, “Through Him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3) Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4) and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” (ESV)

6. Stay focused on the truths and promises of God’s Word and do what it says. When you do this, then you avoid the depression that often accompanies suffering. Grief is healthy, but depression is not. Depression is inner anger, caused by focusing on what you don’t want. Looking up and finding the rainbow, and maintaining a positive view, helps you suffer well. The Bible says to “be thankful in everything, pray without ceasing, and rejoice always” (1 Thes. 5:16-18). This sounds hard to do, but with God’s help, all things are possible.

Philippians 4:6-7 states, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” And, 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

7. Stay humble. Suffering will often lead to pride because we think we didn’t or don’t deserve it. So suffering well is to humbly seek God’s help and strength to endure and overcome. Remember, Satan also causes afflictions to draw us away from God; read the story of Job. Satan wants you to become angry and depressed, which is why you need to resist him and draw near to God.

James 4:6-8 states, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it states, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ 7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

None of us likes suffering, but it happens. What you do during times of suffering will either make you stronger or miserable; it is your choice to suffer well or not. Also, keep suffering in proper perspective. I often say, “This too shall pass.”

Romans 8:18 states, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 states, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18) as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Read about how Joseph suffered well: Joseph, an Example of Suffering Well and God’s Response: Part 2 of Suffering Well

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRUTH STATEMENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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