joy – Hope for Complete Healing

HOW TO REPLACE SADNESS WITH REJOICING

What makes you sad? I was addicted to sadness because that was all I knew growing up. When I say addicted to sadness, I would make up something to be sad about that wasn’t real. I would get so depressed about something that did not happen except in my mind. Read Breaking Emotional Addictions to learn how I overcame this addiction. You can be addicted to other emotions as well. Some people want to feel good all the time, which leads to pleasure addictions.

What is Sadness?

Sadness is pervasive in our society. There is so much to be sad about. Sadness is a feeling of sorrow about a loss, which could be someone else’s loss. Sadness is a feeling of dejection from some form of rejection, even perceived rejection. Dejection is a low spirit, like melancholy, depression, or discouragement. It is the opposite of gladness, which is a happy and joyful attitude.

You have heard of the saying that some people see the glass half empty, which is why they are pessimistic and sad, or someone sees the glass half full, and is optimistic and happy. Which are you most of the time? We all have moments where we are happy or sad, but where do your thoughts dwell for most of the day, especially when you are by yourself? Do you feel you need to escape your thoughts by watching YouTube videos?

What Influences Your Emotions?

What do you allow to influence how you feel? Have you noticed that grateful people tend to be genuinely happier people? I have a friend who sees the negative in everything, and even when people are kind to her, she can’t see it or be thankful because they are not kind enough. Are you a grateful person? Some people see the good in others and show appreciation. Appreciative people show happiness for what others do or say, and it makes the other person feel valued and happy. We all want to feel valued. Do you show appreciation?

I have another friend who allows the news and her family to dictate how she feels about our political environment, which affects all aspects of her life. People who allow others to influence their feelings and attitudes have given up self-control of their thoughts and emotions. They internalize the negative energy of other people and their negative views and comments. Do you know people like this? These people are very sad.

The Power of Thoughts

Many of us are unaware of the power of our thoughts and the words of others, and how they influence our feelings and actions. Only you can control your thoughts. Negative thoughts make you sad or mad, and positive thoughts make you happy or grateful. What generates your thoughts? Is it a positive influence on your emotions or a negative influence?

Social media is known to be a negative influence, making people depressed. If you feel depressed by watching the news or viewing social media, then stop taking in the negative influence. If your friends and family are always negative, then limit your time with them. Negative energy increases your stress hormones, which affects your health and causes an imbalance in neurotransmitter connections in the brain. Negative thoughts lower both your serotonin and dopamine levels, which leads to depression and anxiety.

Replacing Sadness with Rejoicing.

We know that our thoughts control how we feel. Hebrews 10:5 tells us to take our thoughts captive and make them obey Jesus Christ, who is God. God forgives and is love, joy, peace, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled. If something sad happens, or something makes you mad, take those thoughts captive, pray, and give the negative thought to God, then rejoice and be thankful for something. Once, I was in a situation that made me angry, so I took the thought captive and gave the situation to God, then asked Him to give me patience and kindness. Next, I tried to think of something to be thankful for, so I said I am thankful that I am not a leper in India. I had just heard the story of how bad the conditions are in India for those with leprosy. Changing my perspective about my current situation helped me feel happy again. I was also able to respond with grace and kindness to the person who made me sad. Read Practicing Healthy Conflicts – an Example.

Philippians 4:6 states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” By praying to God about our situation, you are taking the thought captive. Making supplication is petitioning God for a desired outcome. Being thankful is acknowledging that you are trusting God to work out the situation for good or in accordance with a promise He made. When we thankfully give God all our cares and concerns, we will be filled with peace and joy.

The Apostle Paul also tells us what our thoughts need to be in 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.” These are the thoughts we should meditate on and put out all other thoughts. If your mind dwells on these things, then you won’t be sad or mad.

Philippians 3:1 and 4:4 tell us to rejoice in the Lord, that is, to be glad and delight in what He has done for us and for His promises. Worship is part of rejoicing and being thankful. When we stay in a state of worship, then we will continually be filled with joy.

To change your thoughts, review the following posts.

POSTS on Thoughts

365 DAYS OF WORSHIP

POSTS about God’s Promises

FREEDOM POSTS

12 Joy Stealers

Truth Statements to Dwell on.

I choose to stay focused on God and receive His love and joy. John 17:13; 15:11

I choose to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and be thankful in every circumstance because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes. 5:16-18

The God of hope fills me with joy and peace as I believe, and I will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 15:13; 5:3-5

The joy of the Lord is my strength. Neh. 8:10

Being in the presence of God through prayer and praise gives me joy. And He leads me down the path of life and abundance. Ps. 16:11

Nothing has power over me unless I allow it. I choose to rejoice always and not be anxious about anything, but continually give my concerns to God. Phil. 4:4-7

Joy is knowing that even the demons are subject to Jesus’s name, and I am protected from evil. Luke 10:17; 1 Jn. 5:18; Jn. 17:15; 2 Thes. 3:3

I find joy in believing the truths of the Word of God. John 15:11; Mk. 4:16

I can have joy despite my circumstances, knowing happiness depends on circumstances. I can be thankful even when life is hard because I am becoming complete and lacking nothing. James 1:2-3

A joyful heart is good medicine, and I will focus on God and not my circumstances. Prov. 17:22

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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, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises 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.

How to Eliminate the “Unworthy” Belief to Have Joy

Have you ever thought, “I have no worth?” This unhealthy belief is one of the many false beliefs that alters reality. My website is about changing unhealthy beliefs to experience a new reality. What we think and say comes from what we believe, and what we believe directs our behavior, and our choices determine our destiny. In this series of posts, I will expose the unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and how to transform them with the truth to experience a new reality. Today’s post will help you learn how to transform the “unworthy” belief that makes you sad and depressed so you can have true joy.

Where Does the Unworthy Belief Come From?

The feelings of being unworthy to be loved and valued were the hardest unhealthy belief to transform. This harmful belief is developed in our formative years when our expectations were not met. As a child, you may think that your parents do not value you or love you because they didn’t let you play with so and so, or get you that toy you wanted, or didn’t come to your school event, and so on. You may have forgotten about the disappointment, but the memory still controls your thoughts and beliefs. Remember when you were a pre-teenager? Those were my worst years. It didn’t help that I had learning difficulties, and my family was very poor, so I didn’t have nice clothing like the other girls. I was so insecure and awkward that I didn’t have many friends. I sat alone most days in the lunchroom and on the bus. Then as a young adult and beginning to date, I won’t go there, you know what I mean. The object of your crush has the power to destroy your sense of worth.

What Is the Truth That Replaces the “Unworthy” Unhealthy Belief?

The unhealthy belief of “I’m unworthy…” can be replaced with different truths depending on the source of rejection or disappointment. When you feel unworthy, you have no joy. I was sad and depressed most of my life, even when I was a Christian. My transformation happened when I asked God to show me why I was so sad. He brought to my mind the memories of unfairness and mistreatment by my parents so I could forgive them and receive His healing. I explain this process in my book on my website. God also transformed my many insecurities from feeling unworthy. Most of the time, our sense of unworthiness comes from our wrong thinking about ourselves. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to feeling unworthy of love and being valued.

I transformed the “unworthy” belief with the truth of what God thinks of me. He sees me as holy and beloved. Colossians 3:12-14 states, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Not feeling loved as a child, pre-teen, teen, or adult because of other people’s unkindness and impatience prevent us from loving others well. My book explains how to put off unhealthy beliefs and put on the truth.

God’s chosen are those who believe that Jesus is His Son and paid the debt for our sin to save us from His wrath for sin. God loved us and sent his Son to the earth to experience the pain and temptations we do. Because Jesus did not sin, He became the perfect sacrifice, and He willingly laid down His life for us so we can be forgiven of our sins and have hope for eternal life.

How To Change Unhealthy Beliefs

1. To transforming unhealthy beliefs, recognize you have them. Listen to what you are saying and pay attention to your thoughts.

2. Take it to God and ask Him to show you the truth.

3. Ask God to show you if there is a painful memory controlling your thoughts and decisions.

4. Pray and put off the unhealthy belief and put on the truth God shows you from His Word.

I first loosed the wrong thinking that God showed me and replaced them with scripture truths like the following:

** I am worthy of being loved because I have been made complete in Christ, and I am a new creation. Col. 2:10; 2 Cor. 5:7

** I am valuable because I am made in the image of God; this makes me significant. Gen. 1:27

** My future is full of hope because God has begun a good work in me, and He will complete it (Phil. 1:6). I am His workmanship created for good work. Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12b,13

** I am okay because, by God’s mercy, I am being regenerated in my thinking and renewed in my spirit by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5b

** I choose to stay focused on God and receive His love and joy. John 17:13; 15:11

** Nothing has power over me unless I allow it. I choose to rejoice always and not be anxious about anything but continually give my concerns to God with thanksgiving. Phil. 4:4-7

** I am a beautiful work of God, and I am valuable, and I will value myself. Eph. 2:10; Ps. 139:14

** God is love, and God loves me. Nothing in the universe can separate me from the love of God. Rom. 8:39

Conclusion:

The reasons we feel unworthy are many. I learned that forgiving those who had mistreated me or did not meet my expectations helped me overcome my sense of unworthiness. I still struggle with insecurity when my expectations are not met. The key is to acknowledge you have the feeling quickly, find the wrong thinking, put it off, and then forgive if you need to and put on the truth. The experiences in my life showed me that transforming the “unworthy” belief has allowed me to experience joy, God’s love for me, and to love others better. I can write a lot more, but you understand because everyone has experienced the feeling of not being loved and valued. I would love to hear how you overcame this unhealthy belief.

WORDS HAVE POWER—PART II: Words Produce Death or Life Energy

Freedom from the Snares of Disrespect, Unworthiness, and Failure

Breaking Childhood Rejection and Insignificance Strongholds.

12 JOY Stealers

JOY Issues

How to Remove the “I Can’t” Belief to Change Your Destiny

All verses are from the English Standard Bible unless otherwise indicated. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share the links with your friends and family, hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. No part of the posts or my book may be reproduced without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

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, salvation for non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. Please leave your name so I know you are a person making the request.

How to Recognize and Eliminate Emotional Cancer

Emotional cancer stays hidden deep in your heart even when you think you are okay. It is infectious and spreads into other areas of your life, and it destroys your peace, joy, and righteousness (spiritual right thinking). God gave me this revelation last week when it was triggered by an email. It was hidden, and I didn’t realize I had it until it was triggered.

How did I discover I had emotional cancer?

Last week I received a layoff notice. I accept that I am getting laid off because of the hardship placed on the University from the COVID-19 pandemic, and I have a peace that God will provide for my needs and lead me to another job. In my last post, I describe how I was processing this difficult news and how I felt betrayed by the Department Head because she told us that all our jobs are secure and that everyone matters to her. So when I received an email from her, wanting to know when she could chat (her words), I became anxious, and for a lack of a better word, I felt this unsettling “grrrrr” inside my soul. I felt like the cat on my home page. Do you know that feeling?

I had forgiven her and put off my negative beliefs and turned it over to God, and I was doing good. So I thought. So, I read two of my blogs called “Being Thankful During Hard Times” and “Caution—How to Get Out of The Pit,” and they both helped me change my wrong thinking and refocus again on God’s promises. I didn’t know why I felt offended when I saw her email until I read a blog post about grief where the writer wrote about the need to tell your story and not to allow your grief to turn into resentment. As soon as I read the word “resentment,” I realized why I was still upset, it was resentment for being, well, betrayed.

What is resentment and how do we develop this emotional cancer?

The dictionary defines resentment as a feeling of indignation and showing displeasure toward a person, from a sense of being injured or offended by some act, remark, insult, etc. I felt injured by my Department Head and became offended. A person who has resentment will show anger and ill will for any real or perceived wrong or injury, which they believe is unfair. Resentments build up and grow in your heart throughout your life. These painful memories cause negative thinking and false beliefs, which continue to feed our resentment. When this emotional cancer is not exposed and healed, it leads to bitterness and hate. Job 7:11 states, “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” A bitter person only focuses on their pain and it prevents them from maturing. Have you noticed that the older a person gets, the more bitter they become? When my mother got dementia and could not remember her painful memories, she became a very pleasant, peaceful person for the first time in her life. Read, “Hope for Lasting Peace, Love, and Victory” to learn more.

How to know you have resentment.

Read the following questions. If you answer yes to any one of them, you have hidden resentment.

Do you complain about someone or something?
Do you dread being around a certain person?
When you hear a person’s name do you feel irritated with that person?
Do you feel something is unfair or someone was unfair to you?
Do you become depressed and pouty, or angry and unkind when you are disappointed?
Do you feel jealous or envious of someone because of that person’s rivalry, success, or advantages?
Do you feel hurt by something someone did or said?
Do you recognize you do not have peace, joy, and right thinking?

Why is feeling offended a sign you have the emotional cancer of resentment?

Most people do not realize they have offenses in their hearts. So be mindful of how you answer the questions in the previous section. When you experience emotional pain and displeasure from an unkind act, unfairness, mistreatment, disrespect, betrayal, unacceptance, and being ignored it creates a painful memory and an offense in your heart. Disappointment also creates a painful memory and causes us to be offended because we are not getting what we want and we feel it is unfair. Once you are offended, the seed of resentment is planted. We will always have disappointment, so resolving to maintain a forgiving and thankful attitude will prevent us from becoming offended and resentful. This is why it is essential to discipline your mind to stay on heavenly promises. Read how to develop heavenly thinking in the posts called Can You Be Too Heavenly Minded? and How to experience a heavenly life on earth.

Recall your last argument or the last time you were frustrated or disappointed. Using the definition of an offense, can you identify what you or the other person was offended about? Once you discover the cause of the offense, then you can work to solve it and heal the emotional cancer of resentment. My book called “Hope for Complete Healing” on my website identifies many causes for offense and the solution. I encourage you to read it so you can love well and have peace, joy, and right thinking. Also, read, “#1 Destroyer of All Relationships and the Solution” for a better understanding of how destructive being offended is.

How do I eliminate resentment?

I recommend the following actions. First, capture the offending thoughts by acknowledging they exist. The evidence is not feeling peace, joy, and thinking the right thoughts. Second, once you acknowledge you are offended, then ask God to show you why you are offended. Third, forgive the person or persons involved. You may have to accept the situation you are disappointed by and trust God’s promises. Fourth, ask God to remove the wrong thinking and false beliefs about the situation and then to take out the seed of resentment sown in your heart. You don’t know you have resentment until it sprouts and takes root in your heart. So as soon as you realize you are offended by a perceived unfairness that causes disappointment, then immediately ask God to remove the seed of resentment before it causes problems. If resentment is left go, it will become bitterness and hate, at which point, the emotional cancer is at stage 4. Hebrews12:15 tells us to “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Please read the Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul for the prayer model, you can pray to eliminate offenses and resentments.

Conclusion:

You now know that emotional cancer is resentment and how it develops in your heart. I ask some questions to help you uncover the hidden resentments you may have. The key indicator you have this cancer is feeling offended. Eliminating emotional cancer is not easy but is necessary so it does not spread and affect your decisions and relationships. There is hope for healing resentment in your life, but you first need to ask God to expose it for Him to heal it. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “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.”

RELATED POSTS

Love from a Pure Heart

WHY HEAL YOUR HEART AND PURIFY YOUR SOUL?

The Link Between Disappointment, Resentment, and Self-control

Why Should I Forgive?

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

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

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

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

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

Have you ever felt forsaken by God? Jesus has, I have. So, why does the Bible say, “He will never leave you or forsake you?” We feel forsaken when our expectations are not met. This is true with our human relationships as well. The next time you feel forsaken, asked yourself what expectations were not met. Were they realistic expectations? Remember, God is the only one who can be faithful and loyal to you. My last blog post explains how to recover from broken trust, and I encourage you to read that if you haven’t: Pt. 1: Forsaken? Betrayed? How to trust again.

Maybe you feel God has abandoned you when He did not answer a prayer. Unanswered prayer is an unmet expectation that causes an offense to form in your heart. God did not answer my prayer to heal my abusive first marriage and keep my family together. I felt forsaken and despaired as I faced divorce. I felt abandoned by God. I poured my heart out to Him and told Him I was going to walk away from my faith. And God answered, “What is the alternative?” I thought about it and knew that Satan would love to destroy me and my children. So, I stayed tight with God by submitting my many troubles to Him while going through the divorce. I do not encourage divorce but sometimes we don’t have a choice. I experienced many miracles because God was faithful to me, which I share in the post, Trust God to Keep His Promises.

The Bible says, He will never leave you nor forsake you when you seek Him (read Deuteronomy 31:6&8 and Hebrews 13:5). This promise is for those who are followers of Jesus Christ who believe and confess Him as their Lord and Savior. When you believe, you are promised forgiveness of your sins and are promised eternal life (see John 3:16). Read my post on the 15 Promises We Can Trust God to Keep

―Are you afraid?

What are you afraid of? Deuteronomy 31:6,8 says you must “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you.” Again, in verse 8 God says, “Do not fear or be dismayed.” These two verses are part of Moses’s last message to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land (Israel). When I think about being courageous, I think of David and Goliath. David knew he could take Goliath because he compared the size of Goliath to the size of God. By faith, David conquered his foe with God’s help. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Also, read James 4:8.

Are you afraid you don’t have enough money? Hebrews 13:5 says to, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” You can trust God to provide for you, so you don’t need to be anxious about how much money you have or don’t have. Philippians 4:19 explains, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” When I was a single mother with two toddlers and no job. I began a sewing business and God provided for my every need when I trusted Him. I was never in need of anything. Because there was a 90% chance I would marry another abusive husband, I did not date. After a time of healing, God provided an awesome husband, who is totally submitted to Him and compatible with me. God is truly good.

My favorite promise is in Isaiah 41:10, which says, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Really think about this promise and claim it when you are facing a tough situation. Fear and worry are indicators you are not trusting God. You will have peace when you keep your mind on the Lord God through prayer, praise, and pondering scripture. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.” I wrote in a previous post, how you know you are trusting God when you attain righteousness, peace, and joy.

―How do you make God your refuge in times of trouble?

Psalm 9:9-10 states, “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in You, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You.”

What do the following phrases mean?

“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed”? Refuge means a place of shelter and protection from danger. The word oppressed means to feel burdened or heavy by troubles in your body, spirit, and mind. We make the LORD (God) our refuge through prayer by giving Him all the things that burden our hearts and are heavy on our minds.
“A stronghold in times of trouble.” A stronghold is a strong fortress that we can run into and be safe. Psalm 37:39, also states, “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.”
Those who know Your name trust in You for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You. Are you seeking God? Jeremiah 29:13 tells us, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Also, read Matthew 7:7-11.

God can be trusted, though He may not answer all your prayers the way you want Him too. His knowledge and ways are greater than ours, and He has a good purpose and plan for you (Jeremiah 29:11-13 and Isaiah 55:9). You will never know His good purpose for your life until you have submitted to Him. Submitting to God means accepting His sovereign plan for you and give Him the authority to take over. I wrote a post on how to submit to God. When I finally submitted, I became free from an anxiety disorder. Read: Why, What, and How to Submit to God and be FREE

Pray the following truth statements if you find it hard to trust God. Found in TRUST AND FAITHFULNESS Issues.

It is safe to trust God and do what is good, and He will direct me. Ps. 37:3-5.

I can trust God’s faithfulness to be a shield around me as I put my trust in Him, and I will not be afraid. Ps. 91:4; 56:4,11.

Trust believes the good thing God is doing, and my heart need not be troubled, for He is my salvation. John 14:1, Isa. 25:9.

I can be trusted, and I am faithful with what God has given me. Lk. 16:10.

I can trust and believe my life has a purpose, and God has a plan for my life, which gives me hope… Jer. 29:11-14.

As I trust in God, He is my refuge, and His unfailing love and favor surround me. Ps. 32:10; 7:1; 5:12.

When I trust and believe in Jesus, I will not be disappointed. Rom. 9:33; I Peter 2:6b.

I will not put my hope in the uncertainty of riches but in God who richly supplies me with all things to enjoy. I Tim. 6:17; Phil 4:19.

I am blessed when I trust and hope in the Lord, and I make him my confidence. Jer. 17:7.

There is hope for complete healing when you seek God with all your heart and trust Him. The short book on my website is the result of God healing my heart when I trusted him to show me my wounds and sin so I could repent and be healed. 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories

I am praying for you. If you have a prayer request, I would love to pray with you, send me an email, or if you comment with a request, I will not publish your request, unless you give me permission.

RELATED POSTS

Read my posts on Psalm 91 found in Psalm 91 Posts

If you find my posts and website helpful, then please share the link to my post and website 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).

How to Experience a Heavenly Life on Earth.

Living a heavenly life sounds too good to be true, but you can, and I will show you how. Because I care about you, I will explain how to experience a life of flourishing growth through righteousness, peace, and joy. Romans 14:6 states, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Please join me in my journey of experiencing the kingdom of God at this present time. This does not mean you won’t have hardships, but you will experience a heavenly life that raises you above the hardships. Does this sound good to you? The key that opens the door to heavenly living is your attitude. An attitude of rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and being thankful for everything (1Theselonians 5:16-18).

Experiencing the Kingdom of God in this present age can only happen when you submit everything into God’s care first. Many who call themselves Christians are not submitted to God and are spiritually dead because they do not have righteousness, peace, and joy. Have you been around a “Christian” who is dishonest, angry or depressed, and an ungrateful, sour person? What I describe are signs of spiritual death. I was that kind of Christian for many years until I discovered how to heal the painful memories of hurt and offenses to have peace and joy. Read my short book on my website to learn how to heal painful memories so you can live the heavenly life to the fullest on earth. 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories

In the last post, you learned how the Spirit gives life. In this post, you will learn what the role of righteousness, peace, and joy are in the life-giving process. Our text is Romans 8:10, which states, “But if (the Spirit of) Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Read my last two posts for context: HOW TO BE IN CONTROL OF LIFE and How does the Spirit give life?

Where did spiritual death through sin come from and what is life through righteousness?

Romans 5:17 states, “For if, because of one man’s trespass (Adam’s disobedience), death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” So, through the Spirit, you can put to death the deeds of the body and let righteousness rule your spirit and live the heavenly life. Just as eternal life is a gift from God (see Ephesians 2:8 and Romans 6:23) so righteousness is a gift. The following verses verify the correlation between life and righteousness.

Psalm 119:40 states, “Behold, I long for your precepts (direction for moral conduct); in your righteousness give me life!”

Proverb 12:28 states, “In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway, there is no death.”

Romans 6:13 states, “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”

In these verses, you learn that righteousness is the reason the Spirit is life. So, what is righteousness? According to dictionary.com righteousness is the quality or state of being righteous and righteous means acting in an upright, moral way (knowing right from wrong); virtuous. So, what do we have to do? 2Timothy 2:22 tells us, “So flee youthful passions (selfish thinking) and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

How do you pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace?

You pursue righteousness by putting your faith in Jesus Christ’s ability to help you do what is right because He is your righteousness (see Romans 1:17; 3:22). Pursue faith by reading God’s Word and memorizing Scripture (see Romans 10:17). Become more loving by putting off pride and forgiving those who sin against you (see Matthew 6:12-14 and 1Corinthians 13:4-7). Increase in peace by giving all your problems to God, trusting Him, and be thankful (Philippians 4:6,7). If possible, you are to live peaceably with everyone (see Romans 12:18 and Hebrews 12:14). Your heart becomes pure when you purify your soul from fleshly sins and obey the truth in God’s Word, then you can love one another (see 1Peter 1:22).

The evidence of righteousness is holiness and peace.

When you purify your soul, you become holy as explained in 2Corinthians 7:1. “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” The fear of God is reverent awe and a desire to please Him, knowing He disciplines us. Hebrews 12:9-11 states, “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10) For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it”. And, Isaiah 5:16b explains, “the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness.”

Isaiah 32:17 also tells us, “And the effect of righteousness will be peace and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.” Do you think peace and quietness are better than the turmoil resulting from setting your mind on your selfish desires and sinful behavior? Do you have peace and quietness in your life right now? Isaiah gives us a clue as to why you may not have peace. Isaiah 48:18 states, “Oh that you had paid attention (listened) to my commandments (instructions)! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;” When we obey God and do what He instructs us to do, then we will have righteousness and peace. This is living a heavenly life.

To increase your righteousness and know abundant life, you must make peace with others. James 3:18 states, “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” Making peace with others can be difficult. Romans 12:17 & 18 explains, “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable (upright, moral) in the sight of all. 18) If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” And, Hebrews 12:14 encourages us to, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” Peace and holiness are essential pursuits if you want to experience the heavenly life and see the Lord in eternity. If you have a problem being at peace, work through the instructions in my book to remove past offenses that keep you from living in peace and joy.

For example, someone was throwing trash in my yard as they drove up a private dirt road that runs along my property and in my front yard along the main road. I was losing my peace over it and through a process of elimination I figured out who it could have been. I began to roil inside. Then I thought, wait a minute, I am no longer living above my problems. So, I captured my thoughts and turned them into a prayer and began to rejoice in God’s goodness and mercy and thanked him for blessing me. I had just memorized Romans 12:17&18, so I thought about how I can bless the person throwing trash in my yard. I came home that very evening from work and my side yard along the dirt road was all cleaned up and no trash has been thrown in since. Praise the Lord. Do you see how living the heavenly life of righteousness, peace, and joy is better than revenge, worry, and anger?

There is hope for complete spiritual healing as you pursue righteousness, peace, and joy with the help of the Spirit and live a heavenly life above all hardships.

P.S.: Experiencing 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).

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