Prison Ministry Report 5

Last Friday was incredible, but I wanted to wait to tell you about it until after this Friday’s Bible Study. God is so good and faithful. He is doing incredible transformation work in the lives of these ladies. I would like for you to pray with me for these precious ladies.

Friday, January 23

Last Friday, my co-teacher, Sandy, taught us about forgiveness through Jesus’ life. Her lesson focused on Christ Jesus forgiving those who put Him on the cross because they were motivated by evil and did not know what they were doing. He had to forgive because His Father said to forgive, so if He was never to sin, He had to forgive before He died. What an incredible revelation. She explained how sin separates us from God and why we need His forgiveness and how Jesus’ death paid the punishment for all our sins. And those that hurt us were also motivated by evil and we need to forgive them, not that they are excused for what they did but that the power of the hurtful memory would no longer control our minds.

MJ kept asking, “How do I forgive.” Sandy explained that because Jesus forgave, He can help us forgive as we receive His forgiveness for our sins. MJ still insisted on knowing how to forgive. I was sitting next to her and knew that the memories of the abuse were beginning to take over her mind. She began to cry and recount the experiences. I took over and put up on the board the following outline for how to forgive.

FORGIVENESS PROCESS

Identify the hurtful memory. In Shattering Your Strongholds, Liberty Savard advised you not to replay your inner tapes of anger and guilt over painful memories, failures, humiliations, and the sins of others against you. So, forgive those who have hurt you, including yourself if necessary, and verbally put off the power those memories have on your mind and emotions.
Ask God to help you forgive the people involved.
Forgive the people who hurt you in the memory to break the power they have over your thoughts and emotions.
Ask God to remove all oppressive spirits from the memory so the memory does not control your thoughts, emotions, and decisions.
Ask God to forgive your unloving response to the hurtful actions done against you.
Ask God to show you the unhealthy or false beliefs that the hurtful situation generated. It could be a false belief about yourself, the other person, or even God. Then transform those wrong beliefs using God’s truth.
Find something to be thankful for about the situation or person.

Pray something like the following when you become offended:

I forgive (person’s name) for _(offense)_ and I release the resentment and the power it has over me in Jesus’ name. Lord, remove any attached oppressive spirits to the resentment. Fill me with Your love and grace. Forgive me for being unforgiving, unkind, or impatient. I put on and bind to my mind that I can forgive and be free because Jesus Christ helps me and sets me free as I submit to Him. (List other truths you can claim.)

As I explained the process of becoming free from painful memories, MJ was really crying, so I asked that the girls gather around her to pray. I asked MJ if she wanted to be free from the pain and she said “yes.” I laid my hand on her head and began to pray for her, I asked her to verbally say, “I forgive.” Sandy asked her to say it a few more times. I prayed for the oppressive spirits attached to her painful memories to be gone from her in Jesus’ name. She coughed several times and choked and then a calm came over her as I prayed for peace and joy to enter her heart. Other girls were crying as they forgave those who hurt them. MJ became calm. I continued my lesson and explained that oppressive spirits are attached through the wounds of our souls, and they keep us oppressed through painful memories. I also explained that being thankful for something about the situation transforms the painful memory. Being thankful is the hardest part of transforming a memory.

Friday, January 27

What a change in MJ when she came in tonight. She was unable to forgive, but after the deliverance, she later wrote down all the people who hurt her and what they did then wrote forgiven next to the incident. She then crumpled up the papers and flushed them down the toilet and submitted all her painful memories to the Lord. She then prayed like she never prayed before and felt a huge weight lift off her. Praise the Lord.

She had a problem retaliating against people who crossed her, which is why she is in jail. She retaliated against an inmate and knew she would get punished for it. At that point, she knew she had to forgive and went through the forgiveness process described above. When she was called to the superintendent’s office, she thought she was getting in big trouble for what she did, but she only got a warning. What surprised her was that she was crying tears of shame and repentance for what she did. Praise the Lord.

Sandy taught about the love of our Heavenly Father. Though we may feel abandoned, God does not abandon us. She started off by having the girls read Psalm 142. We can call on God at any time and He will hear us and help us. She shared her testimony of how she was sick for 15 years and could not eat except to drink carrot juice and was very weak. She had little children that had to take care of themselves and her, and her husband had to carry her up and down the stairs. She was ready to die and wanted to die. One of the inmates, who is not a Christian, amazed us and asked if that was a sin to want to die. Sandy said yes, and she had to repent and ask God to show her why she was so sick. To make a long story short, God showed her it was because she felt unloved and abandoned by her parents and she felt God didn’t love her and had abandoned her. She asked for forgiveness and went through a prayer of deliverance from the devil’s oppression and released the spirit of abandonment, and she was instantly healed.

I gave MJ a copy of my book, Hope for Complete Healing to help her transform other painful memories. If you have painful memories, you can find this book on my website, just click on the title of my book. Thank you for your continued prayers. I will continue teaching out of the study booklet called Living a Victorious Life. Every inmate gets one of these booklets. Please pray that the truths in this teaching material would transform the lives of the inmates.

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

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

Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

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

Mental Health Coaching – Training Opportunity

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

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

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

Course Orientation

Foundations of Mental Health Coaching

Mental Health, Care & Counsel Survival Tools

Mental Health Coach Code of Conduct

Unit 1: Introduction

Lesson 1.1: Introduction to Mental Health Coaching

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

Unit 2: Faith and Spirituality

Lesson 2.1: The Effective People Helper

Lesson 2.2: Bringing People into God’s Presence

Lesson 2.3: Spirituality and Counseling

Unit 3. Ethics and Coaching Responsibilities

Lesson 3.1: Professional Ethics in Mental Health Coaching

Lesson 3.2: Boundaries and Violations I

Lesson 3.3: Boundaries and Violations II

Lesson 3.4: When Helping You is Hurting Me

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

Unit 4. Crisis Intervention

Lesson 4.1: Trauma and Abuse

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

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

Lesson 4.4: The Crisis of Suicide

Lesson 4.5: Conducting a Suicide Intervention

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

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

Course Orientation

Mental Health, Care & Counsel Survival Tools

Mental Health Coach Code of Conduct

Unit 1: Coaching Skills

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

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

Lesson 1.3: Relationships and Communication: Core Coaching Skills

Lesson 1.4: Helping Others Find Significance in Life

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

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

Lesson 1.7: The Incredible Power of Intentional Listening

Lesson 1.8: Understanding Our Differences: Personalities and Coping

Lesson 1.9: How to Help People Change

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

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

Unit 2: Small Groups

Lesson 2.1: Dynamic Small Groups and Spiritual Care Teams

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

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

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

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

Course Orientation

Mental Health Coach Code of Conduct

Unit 1: Addictions

Lesson 1.1: Models of Addiction

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

Lesson 1.3: Dual Diagnosis and Comorbidity

Lesson 1.4: Opioids and Addiction: An Alarming Tsunami

Unit 2: Mental Health Difficulties and Disorders

Lesson 2.1: Mental Illness & Character Disorders

Lesson 2.2: Depression, Mood Disorders and Suicide

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

Lesson 2.4: Bipolar and Spectrum Mood Disorders

Lesson 2.5: Eating Disorders: Diagnosis, Treatment and Referral

Lesson 2.6: Grief, Loss, and Complicated Grief

Lesson 2.7: PTSD and Complex trauma

Lesson 2.8: Psychiatric Care and Medication

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

What Kind of Heart do You Have?

Do you have a heart that desires to fear God and keep His commandments? I have been pondering the following scripture and wondered if I had a heart that wanted to fear God and keep His commandments.

Deuteronomy 5:29 (ESV) states, “Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” (NKJV) states, “Oh that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” (NIV) “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep all My commands always…”

How do you know your heart?

The first step to finding out what kind of heart you have is to ask God to show you but be ready to hear the answer. Psalm 139:23-24 states, “Search me, Oh God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Also, Jeremiah 17:9-10 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick [wicked; KJV]; who can understand [know] 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.’”

What does it mean to have a heart that fears God?

The fear of the Lord is to have deep respect, love, and awe, which we demonstrate in our obedience to God’s Word (Deuteronomy 6:2, 10:12; 1 Samuel 12:14). The following verses describe how we are to fear God and in fact is the demonstration that you do have a heart that fears God:

Do you Praise Him always? You who fear the Lord, praise Him! …glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, … ̶̶ Psalms 22:23

Do you faithfully serve Him? Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you. ̶1 Samuel 12:24

Do you turn from evil and desire to do what is right? Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 8) It will be healing to your flesh (body; NAS) and refreshment to your bones. ̶ Proverbs 3:7-8

Do you hate evil, pride, and disobedience? The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. ̶ Proverbs 8:13 (Froward means not willing to yield or comply with what is required or is reasonable; perverse; or disobedient.)

Do you have a submissive, humble heart? Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity (the pit). ̶ Proverbs 28:14

Do you trust the Lord? You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. ̶ Psalms 115:11

Why Should We Fear God and Keep His Commandments?

The Bible tells us that if we do fear God and keep His commandments that things/life might go well for us and for our children. Do you want that for your life? This does not mean that you will not have to go through trials to strengthen your faith and patience. Or suffer troubles because of the sinful world we live in, but life will go well in general. You will have peace and joy despite your circumstances. The following are five reasons why fearing God benefits us.

1. God’s angel protects you, and you will be blessed and lack nothing. Psalms 34:7-9 states, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8) Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9) Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!”

2. God will help you and shield you from all harm. Psalm 115:11 states, “You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.” Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.”

3. You will have confidence and you will feel safe. Proverb 14:26 states, “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.”

4. You will have wisdom and know what to do. Psalms 111:10 states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.” See my post about why the fear of the Lord gives wisdom. THE MYSTERY OF WISDOM—PART 2

5. You will have a long life. Proverbs 10:27 “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.”

Why don’t Christians fear God and obey Him?

This question is a hard question but after pondering it for several days, I think the parable of the soils explains it well. Let’s look at Jesus’s explanation of this parable in Matthew 13:18-23. Where is your heart in this parable?

vs18 “Hear then the parable of the sower:

vs19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

vs20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.

vs22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

vs 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Four Heart Conditions. What kind of heart do you have?

1) Prideful heart: A person who lacks understanding and is a fool. This person is more interested in being self-centered and following the desires of their flesh.

2) Cluttered heart: This person believes but doesn’t do the hard work to remove the rocks of offenses by forgiving and repenting of the sins in their heart. So that when the hard times and persecution come, they don’t have the depth of faith to endure and overcome.

3) Distracted heart: This person knows the truth, but is distracted by all they must do or want to do in the world that they don’t have time for God and kingdom living. Or they are distracted by materialism, and they become focused on acquiring wealth instead of obeying God.

4) Fruitful heart: This person understands and believes the truth. They desire to obey God and fear Him by repenting of sin and self-centered pride; putting off their old, sinful nature and putting on a new, regenerated self; forgiving offenses; and setting their minds on God to love and serve Him instead of being distracted by the concerns and materialism of this world.

Conclusion:

What kind of heart do you have? Even if you have a hard, cluttered, or distracted heart, you can change it with God’s help. You can break a hard heart by breaking up the hard ground using God’s Word and seeking God to remove your pride and sinful nature. You can restore a cluttered heart by forgiving all offenses and repenting of all sins. You can refocus a distracted heart by putting off the desires of the world and desiring instead to worship, love, and serve God only. The only motivation necessary to have a fruitful heart is a desire to fear God and obey His commands. Do you want the benefits of fearing God or the destruction of your self-centered, sinful desires, worry, and greed?

At the end of King Solomon’s life, he said in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14) For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” King Solomon did not always fear God or keep God’s commandments because he married foreign wives who distracted him and led him to worship their foreign gods. In the end, King Solomon realized his error. Where is your heart? I would love to hear your thoughts.

RELATED POSTS:

What Is Required to Stand Before God?

How to Embrace the Challenge of Change with Grace

Bondage to Unseen Controls

Thoughts That Create Peace Within and Without

What Controls Your Thoughts?

Identify and Replace False Beliefs

TRUST Leads to PEACE

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

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

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

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

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

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

FUNERAL LIES

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

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

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

Are You a Sheep or a Goat?

10—God Promises to Deliver Us from Wrath

What Will Cause You to Lose Your Inheritance

Prison Ministry Report 4

People are messy, but God is good and loves these girls. A few believe they are innocent and didn’t do wrong, some know they did wrong and want the judge to have mercy. Surprisingly some did wrong to get into jail so they can get the help they need. I will be writing about two meetings in this report.

Last Friday, we had three returning girls and three new girls. The new girls had a lot to say, but one was upset and wanted to tell her story. She believes she is innocent. Sandy taught on John 14:6a, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” She began in Haggai 2:4-9 and said that God was going to do something good, even great in our lives. Then she had us look up Scriptures about “the way” and what is the wrong way versus the good way. We are to seek the truth found in God’s Word. Find life in Him and how we should live and how the Holy Spirit helps us. At the end of our time, I asked if there was anything in particular that the girls wanted to learn, and they said forgiveness. That is a hard topic to teach incarcerated women.

This past Friday, I shared about forgiveness, and I did not get past the first page of notes out of five pages. We had four returning girls and three new girls. One of the new girls was the daughter of a pastor who rebelled and got into trouble, she seemed to accept being in jail, and wants to get right with God. One new girl broke down crying and left in the middle of the Bible Study. She can’t believe God forgives her and she can’t be forgiven because she killed someone and is facing life in prison and is 23 years old. She has been in prison since she was 20, so very sad. Please pray for her, she goes by Smalls (jail name). She did not want to share what happened because she doesn’t want it to get back to the block about what she did, and she threatened violence if anyone said anything to anyone back in the block. Then Tracy breaks down about Smalls’s situation because she is so young. I told you that teaching forgiveness is hard to do but so very important. Satan does not want us to receive forgiveness nor forgive others. Lord willing, I will teach on that next week. Sandy is going to first share how much God loves them, which is why He forgives them. Love is a hard concept for these girls to grasp as well.

I finally was able to move on to talk about the five reasons why we should forgive then MJ (another jail name) broke down crying because she is concerned that other girls are being abused like she was by a past boyfriend but no one believes her. We had to leave early because the correction facility went into lockdown and the inmates are to be in their cells. So, we couldn’t continue to minister to MJ, please pray for her, she has such a tender caring heart. The following is what I was able to share with these precious girls.

What the Bible Says About Forgiveness

God forgives us: 1John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We must forgive others: Colossians. 3: 13 states, “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.” And Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ―Ephesians 4:32

Perhaps the greatest demonstration of supernatural forgiveness in all of history is when Jesus prayed to His Father as He hung on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all of mankind, “Forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Share the salvation message with the girls.

Often, we need to forgive ourselves: After receiving God’s forgiveness and forgiving others, you may have guilt for the wrong you did towards God and others, which is why forgiving yourself for the sins you committed, will release the guilt you feel. The following passage is an example. 1Corinthians 6:17-20 states, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.¹⁸Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Why Forgive- 5 reasons

Forgiving releases us from the bondage of being offended and from resentment toward the person who offended us.
Forgiving helps us not to focus on that hurtful issue so we can love others as Christ does.
Forgiveness is essential for healing because it releases us from the power and control of a wrongful action or offense.
Forgiving someone does not excuse their wrong actions but sets us free to heal and move on.
Forgiveness releases bitterness from your heart and eliminates your desire to judge and punish those who hurt you. When you forgive someone’s sin, it begins healing the wounds from the painful memory.

Thank you for your prayers.

Joyce

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

MENTAL HEALTH COACHING

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

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

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

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

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

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

May God bless you richly in the coming year.

Joyce

RELATED POSTS:

ANXIETY: Protected by Worry and Fear Strongholds

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

Bondage to Unseen Controls

Prison Ministry Report 3

Today’s Scripture is James 4:7, “Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This verse gives the inmates hope to overcome their destructive thoughts and live a successful Christian life and overcome temptations. You submit to God by letting Him control your thoughts and actions. Our sinful nature and the devil will put tempting thoughts into our minds and entice us to sin, at this point put those thoughts out of your mind in Jesus’ name and focus on truth from God’s word or just pray for God’s help and mercy to resist the devil and sinning. The more you practice this, the quicker you will submit to God and not to the devil. In 1Timothy 4:7, it tells us to train ourselves for godliness, that is to train our minds to think godly thoughts, not sinful thoughts.

The women’s Bible study was canceled this week, so Sandy and I went to the men’s Bible Study, which was very enlightening. In the prison system, several blocks (A, B, and C) house different types of inmates. The women’s Block B was locked down for covid, so our women from block A had to work in the kitchen. Our husbands lead the men’s Bible study, and they were surprised when we walked in. I did not know what to expect. Usually, they have a large group, but they only had three because only one block can attend at a time to prevent covid spread. The men do their Bible study according to the questions the inmates have, so you need to know your Bible well.

Pres started with a question in Luke 12:54-56, “He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. ⁵⁵And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Jim (Sandy’s husband) referenced the fact that Jesus “also said” at the beginning of the Scripture, so he suggested reading from the beginning of the chapter to get the context of the scripture. The verses prior to the above verses referenced the coming of the Holy Spirit by fire and baptism, which Gary (my husband) led us to read in Acts 2 about the Holy Spirit. The Bible study went from Scripture to Scripture as the Spirit led to answer questions the inmates had. To do this kind of Bible Study you really need to know your Bible. Sandy and I like to prepare a Bible Study to encourage the women in their relationship with Jesus but leave room for the Holy Spirit to lead or change our plans. Like He did last Friday night.

Pres commented about another Scripture referring to us as sheep, which led to another Bible discussion. My husband spoke about the passage in Isaiah 53:4-6, “Surely he [Jesus] has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ⁶All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Then Pres asked what iniquity and transgressions meant. Sandy explained them as a progression of deeper sinful behavior but how Jesus bore them all on the cross and forgives us, but Satan will cause us to doubt. I added James 4:7 that when we submit our minds to God and resist the devil, our thoughts won’t be influenced by the devil, which led to another discussion about resisting temptations. It was an interesting Bible study. Please pray for the inmates. Pres, who desires to grow in his faith. Chris opened up and shared the self-denigrating thoughts he has about himself for the things he did and still does, and how his depression led him to commit crimes. Please pray for John and his wife as they work through the current situation with him being in jail.

How To Train To Be Godly?

Posts About Godliness

I have written Breaking Mental Strongholds which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Prison Ministry Report 2

It is a privilege to be a servant of God and to minister to those in need. Are you ministering to anyone in need? Ponder the following Scripture and ask yourself, “How am I serving Jesus?” Matthew 25:41-46 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Yikes! These Christians are in the second group.

This is a tough Scripture to read. I am afraid that people who say they are Christians may be in the second group who are going to hell. I know that faith saves us and not our works (Eph.2:8). Serving God and ministering to others is the demonstration of our faith. If you are not currently serving in some capacity in the church or community, earnestly seek God to reveal where He can use you, then go. Examples are, Gideons International, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Salvation Army, Samaritan’s Purse, food banks, making lunch for the needy, and helping in homeless shelters. There are many places you can serve. Jesus said in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” If Jesus is your life through believing and receiving Him into your heart, then you are anointed to proclaim the good news to the poor, set the oppressed free, pray for people, and so on.

Ministering to Inmates

The fourth week with the inmates was beautiful. We are trying to establish a core group of girls to disciple so they can then support one another throughout the week and be a witness of God’s goodness for the other girls on the block. We had four girls in attendance, including a new girl who was raised in a Christian foster home but rebelled. She knew the Lord as her savior and lead her cellmate to the Lord. We were happy to see Destiny come back; she is so eager to learn more about Christianity. Sandy reviewed her previous lesson in the Beatitudes for those that missed it and then finished her lesson. I reviewed my previous lesson in Matthew 7:13-14 about how Jesus is our life and will lead us to the path of life and keep us on it (John 14:6; John 10:10). I continued the discussion by explaining that once Jesus becomes our life, we have His Spirit and will understand the mystery of God (1Cor 2:9-12 ). Wrapped up the discussion by explaining the power of the Spirit of God in us helps us understand the Word of God which teaches us how to live the Christian life (Ps. 119:105; 2Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12). We ended by discussing Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law [God’s instructions] shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

The fifth week was right before Christmas. I taught about why Christ in Christmas. We had six girls with one new girl who did not know about the Christian faith but wanted to just listen. We began by understanding that God is a spirit and the trinity nature of God (John 4:24; 1Cor. 2:11-14). I explained that Jesus was the image of the invisible God and how His birth was predicted (Isa i ah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:34-35; Col. 1:15&19; Heb. 1:3a). Next, we discussed why He had to be born and how He came to earth to be tempted as we are, yet did not sin, and how he helps us not to sin (Heb. 2:17-18; Luke 4:18; Acts 26:18; 1John 3:5-8; John 8:12). Ultimately, the purpose why Jesus came to earth was to make atonement for our sins (John 1:29; 2Cor. 5:21; 1John 4:9-10; John 3:16).

Sandy ended by doing a paper communion, which was interesting because we can’t take anything in except paper and Bibles. She explained what communion was and the power of prayer (James 5:16) and how our prayers are incense in a bowl before the throne of God. Revelations 8:3 states, “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, ⁴and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.” So, Sandy had small pieces of paper with a picture of bread, and she asked us to write on the back something for which we are thankful. The second small piece of paper had a goblet on it to represent the wine. On this piece of paper, she asked us to write what we want God to do for us. We put these pieces of paper in an envelope and sealed it. Sandy was going to take them home and burn them to represent the smoke of our prayers going up to God’s throne. One girl was very confused because she wanted God to bless her and didn’t want her prayer to be destroyed. This is an unusual type of communion that Sandy put together for the inmates, but it was meaningful to them.

I have written Breaking Mental Strongholds which you can order on Amazon. To learn more about it, read my post called Breaking Mental Strongholds Book. Also, check out Fighting Unseen Battles on Amazon. To learn more about this book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Prison Ministry Report 1

Have you ever wondered what it was like to work with inmates at a corrections facility? Does the thought scare you? When God said He wanted me to do a prison ministry. I thought of everything bad that could happen and felt woefully inadequate. The Gideon’s International organization I was a part of began a Bible Study in the local corrections facility. I joined the prison ministry team a year later. God led me to write my healing testimony in Hope for Complete Healing, which I provide on this website. I gave this book to all the girls who came to our Bible Study to offer hope to these precious inmates.

Over the course of the next year, God was working on eliminating the strongholds in my life through a hostile layoff. So, I added the many strongholds God removed from my life to my testimony book. I have seen a miraculous change in my life and in the lives of the inmates.

The corrections facility has recently allowed volunteers back in after two years. In those two years, I published two books, Fighting Unseen Battles and Breaking Mental Strongholds. It is so good to be back to leading Bible Studies with these hurting women. We have completed four sessions so far this year. I will summarize each session to give you an idea of how we do our prison ministry.

The first week we had eight women, and only one girl knew nothing about the Bible or Christianity. We got to know the girls, what they like to do, and where they were in their relationship with God. Sandy is my co-teacher, and she taught that night out of Hebrews 12 about God’s discipline and His love. The inmates were eager to share their thoughts.

The second week, we had two girls come. Anytime two girls come, I know God wants to minister intently into their lives. One woman returned, Destiny, who knew nothing about Christianity, and a new girl, Kate, who grew up in the Amish community but left at 21 years old. They said others had signed up but were not on the list. I taught that week about how Jesus is the only one who gives us life and keeps us on the path of life. His spirit gives us understanding because the spirit of God knows the thoughts of God and will reveal them to us.

I began with Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” They already knew what the destructive path is, so I focused on the path of life, how to find it, and how to stay on the path of life. I had to explain what the Bible was, the difference between the old and new Testaments, an overview of the books of the Bible, who wrote it, etc. Destiny had a lot of questions. Kate said that no one ever explained the Bible to her, and she said she wanted to receive Jesus into her heart so she can be on the path of life. We went through the last page of the Gideon Bible and asked if she believed each scripture listed and she said yes, then she prayed to receive the Lord as her savior. How exciting! They sent her upstate to the women’s state penitentiary the next week. That was the only time we saw her. Please pray for Kate. Destiny did not know what sin was or understand who Jesus was, so she was not ready to receive Him. Please pray for Destiny.

One lesson I learned was to always pray for God’s protection from demonic forces. When you minister in a demonic stronghold, you must cover yourself with the blood of Christ and His protection, then when you leave, ask for all evil spirit attachments to be removed. We forgot to do that because we were so happy that Kate came to know the Lord as her Savior. The next morning, I could not wake up, I felt so tired. I went to my sister’s house, and she discerned I was being oppressed by demons, so she prayed over me, and they left. Then my feet and legs cramped, which I have associated with a demonic attack on my body. She prayed again, and it left. I called my friend Sandy, and she said she had the same experience.

In the third week, we had three girls, two new girls, and one from the first week returned. Destiny was not there. Some girls went home on probation or were sent to state prison. The girls that came said they knew Jesus as their savior. But one girl seemed to have a mental illness, which is not unusual because of drug use. Ashley was in a Texas state prison for several years and found the Lord there. When she got out, she got involved with the wrong people again. Now she is in our Bible Study and has rededicated her life back to God. Sandy taught about God’s love and the Beatitudes and how Jesus is teaching us how to live our lives. God touched each girl in a special way.

Teaching inmates is very rewarding. It is helpful to prepare lessons applicable to the needs of the inmates. Depending on the leading of the Holy Spirit is critical because each inmate has different needs. Next, be flexible because inmates come and go, and you may need to review or change the direction of what you planned based on the need of those who attended. Check out this post: Free from Anger–County Jail Testimony and Teaching to see how I ministered to an inmate who was extremely angry and wanted to kill her mother.

If you like these updates, I will continue to write about my experiences teaching at the county jail.

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.

Breaking Mental Strongholds Book

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

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

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

PART ONE: Mental Strongholds and How to Break Them

Part one will answer these questions:

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

• How are strongholds built?

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

• Why do you need to destroy strongholds?

• How do painful memories rebuild destroyed strongholds?

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

• How do words create bad memories?

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

• Why does emotional healing require forgiveness?

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

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

PART TWO: Fruit of The Spirit Transformation Guide

Part two will guide you to do the following:

• Find and transform conscious or repressed painful memories.

• Identify unmet expectations that caused painful memories.

• Recognize unhealthy beliefs that trigger adverse reactions.

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

• Discover and heal destructive actions that stole your joy.

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

• Repair painful memories of impatience and frustration.

• Realize and remove memories of unkindness.

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

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

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

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

PART THREE: Tearing Down Strongholds

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

CONCLUSION

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