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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mystery of Wisdom Summary

How much do you know about wisdom? To know if you are wise, see if you can answer the following questions? Click the link for a reminder.

___ What are the five differences between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom? See Part 1.

___ What are the nine benefits of fearing God and how do they relate to wisdom? See Part 2.

___ Where do you get wisdom, or do you rely on your understanding? Why? See Part 3.

___ List the six ways a person can be foolish or wise. See Part 4.

___ What are the seventeen instructions from Jesus that increase your wisdom? See Part 5.

___ What are the seven ways to cultivate wisdom in your life? See Part 6.

___ What are the five benefits of having wisdom? See Part 7.

___ Can you list 10 out of 32 attributes of a wise person? See Part 8.

How did you do on this quiz? I pray you have a better understanding of what wisdom is, how to get it, how to cultivate it, and who keeps wisdom. I wrote this series of posts to learn what wisdom was and to recognize my false beliefs about wisdom. We learned a lot about wisdom, but how do we apply it? In the next series of posts, I will expose harmful beliefs that lead to unwise decisions.

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.

Who shows wisdom? – Part 8

Would you agree that knowing about wisdom and having understanding does not mean you are wise at making good decisions? Do you want to exercise wisdom through what you say and do? Can someone testify that you are wise in what you say or do? King Solomon was known to be the wisest man ever to live. He wanted wisdom more than riches. Why? He asked God for wisdom. Are you asking God for wisdom? 1Kings 10:24 states, “And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.”

Have you read the other posts about wisdom to know if you are wise? Wisdom only comes from God, and it begins when you fear God by turning from evil and doing what is right. James 3:13 explains that a wise person is humble and does good towards others, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness [humility] of wisdom.” Also, Ecclesiastes 8:1 states, “Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.”

Can you say you have the following attributes of a wise person?

1. Do you have understanding? A wise person shows wisdom through understanding. Do you try to understand another person’s circumstances? Do you know the Word of God? Do you understand how you should conduct your life in the fear of God? Do you have the common sense that comes from obeying the commands of God?

Proverbs 14:33; Wisdom rests in a man’s heart of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.

Proverbs 10:13; On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

Proverbs 10:23; Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

Proverbs 14:6; A scoffer[mocker] seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

Proverbs 15:33; The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

2. Are you humble? A wise person is humble, which is evident in how they speak. Humility shows strength in being self-controlled and not thinking of yourself more highly than another person (Rom. 12:3 and Phil 2:3). A wise and humble person does what is right and does not brag, nor are they arrogant.

Proverbs 10:31; The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

Why do the righteous, which are those who have Christ Jesus in their hearts (1Jn 2:29), speak wisdom?

Proverbs 11:2; When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

3. Do you show good judgment in choosing the right thing to do? A fool cannot grasp the right thing to do. A wise person also listens to wise advice to make the right decision.

Proverbs 10:8; The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Proverbs 12:15; The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Proverbs 17:24; The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

Colossians 4:5; Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

How do you walk in wisdom to make the best use of your time?

4. Do you obey God? A wise person reads the words of God and does what God commands. They do what God commands and tells others about God’s instructions on living a life of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:9; Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Colossians 3:16a; Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.

How do you let the Word of God dwell in you?

Matthew 7:24, Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Why is building on the rock significant?

Wise person and a foolish person comparison, which side are you on?

Proverbs 9:8; Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. (Do you get upset when someone corrects you, or do you thank them?)

Proverbs 12:16; The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.

Proverbs 14:3; By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Proverbs 14:7; Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

Proverbs 14:16; One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Proverbs 15:20; A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 17:28; Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Proverbs 18:2; A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Proverbs 18:7; A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Proverbs 20:3; It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

Proverbs 21:20; Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.

Proverbs 23:9; Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.

Proverbs 28:26; Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Proverbs 29:9; If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Proverbs 29:11; A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Ecclesiastes 10:2; A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.

Conclusion

Wisdom only comes from God, so seek Him to have the spirit of wisdom. The Bible refers to wisdom as a feminine spirit. Proverbs 8:11 states, “For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.” Do you desire wisdom more than anything else? Do you desire the spirit of wisdom and understanding to rest on you? Isaiah 11:2 explains, “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.” Can you say you have the spirit of wisdom, or do you act like a fool?

RELATED POST:

Wise Thoughts vs. Foolish Thoughts

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

Check out my first 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.

The Mystery of Wisdom—Part 7

So why is wisdom more important than gold and riches? What are the benefits of having wisdom? For advertisers to get us to buy their product, they must show how it will benefit us. In this post, I will share Scripture passages written by King Solomon, the wisest and richest man to ever live, that show wisdom’s benefits. So far, we learned in the past six posts:

Part 1: Overview and the difference between godly and worldly wisdom.

Part 2: Wisdom begins with fearing God and what that means.

Part 3: Where we get wisdom.

Part 4: Those who get wisdom.

Part 5: Why a person or nation is considered wise when they obey God.

Part 6: How to cultivate wisdom.

First benefit: Wisdom will add years to your life.

Who doesn’t want years added to their life? When we follow sound wisdom, we will know the right path to avoid pitfalls and setbacks. Proverbs 4:10-14 states, “Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. ¹¹I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. ¹²When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. ¹³Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. ¹⁴Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil.” Entering the path of the wicked and walking in evil looks different for each person. When I think of evil paths, I think of drugs and alcohol, which have destroyed many lives. I have worked with many inmates, and I have a son whose life has been destroyed by drugs and alcohol. I taught him to follow Jesus and to fear God. He knew how harmful drugs and alcohol were, yet he foolishly pursued this destructive path and did not keep hold of wise instructions. Life is not going well for him or the inmates I have worked with. A sinful path could be committing crimes, lying, gambling, adultery, idolatry, and so on.

Second benefit: You will have hope.

When you make wise choices, you will have hope, expecting something good to happen. Proverbs 24:14 states, “Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” For example, if you wisely save or invest your money and don’t spend every penny on foolish desires, then you will have hope for a comfortable retirement, and so on. Also, when you do not walk in wisdom, you will walk in wickedness, which destroys your future. Jeremiah 29:11-13 states, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” The key to wisdom is to seek God and trust Him by obeying Him.

Third benefit: You will be delivered from trouble.

The kinds of troubles we will be delivered from vary from person to person. I was delivered from a life of pain and suffering by making wise choices in what I ate. Because I wisely tithe and live on a budget, I am delivered from the stress of not being able to pay my insurance or heating bills when they come due. Proverbs 28:26 states, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” Proverbs 3:5-10 states, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. ⁶In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ⁷Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil [sin, wickedness]. ⁸It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. ⁹Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; ¹⁰then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Tithing is wise, because when you invest in the kingdom of God, then God will give back to you . Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” When I was a single mother living on a seamstress income, I still tithed, and God always provided all I needed.

Fourth benefit: Your life will be preserved.

This next verse was also written by King Solomon, the wisest and richest man. He writes in Ecclesiastes 7:12, “For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.” Growing in the knowledge of truth leads to wisdom. How does wisdom preserve your life? When you preserve something, you protect it from going bad. Wisdom preserves your life by instructing your mind to make the right choices, such as not getting drunk, not having an affair, not stealing, not lying, and so on.

The following is an example of how I preserved my life by changing my diet. Like my mother and her family, I had degenerative joint disease (DJD). My mother had five back surgeries, shoulder surgery, and needed hip surgery. In my thirties, I began having severe back and joint problems, so I asked God to give me the wisdom to know what I needed to do to avoid being crippled like my mother. He showed me that it was the food I was eating. I read books and went to nutrition classes to increase my knowledge. I learned that certain foods (e.g., wheat and corn) have lectins (type of protein) that cause inflammation and degeneration. I gave up eating those foods and substituted them with foods that did not have those lectins. I am now in my sixties and just completed hiking the Mid-State Trail from Maryland to New York, which was a moderate to hard hike. So, I have no joint problems if I avoid wheat and corn products. I also learned that wheat and corn also contribute to dementia. My mother has dementia, and her mother had dementia, which I don’t want. A wise person will avoid the things that harm their health so they can add years to their life and preserve it. You can read more about this change in my post called Sick and Tired? Change Your Destiny! Be Free From the Infirmity Stronghold.

Fifth benefit: You will succeed.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 states, “If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.” This verse says it all. It does not pay to be intelligent if you are not wise in knowing how to use your God-given intelligence. You may know how to do something and why, but wisdom directs you to take the right actions so you succeed. Are there relationships in your life that are failing? Are you failing at your job? If circumstances are not going well for you, ask God to give you the wisdom and understanding to know the right path to success, then obey how He instructs you. My website and the online book will help you grow in wisdom so you can succeed.

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

Check out my first 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.

The Mystery of Wisdom—Part 6

Have you ever planted a garden but weren’t motivated to weed and water your garden? What happens? Your heart is the garden, and you plant truth and wisdom from God’s Word into your heart. Fearing God and obeying His commands is the beginning of wisdom. Let’s say you fear God and obey Him and pray for wisdom, but what do you do to cultivate that wisdom, so it grows in your life and produces fruit?

Review of the two types of wisdom.

There are two kinds of wisdom; which one are you cultivating? We learned in part 3 that worldly wisdom comes from experience but is biased. It is often jealous of others and selfishly wants what they have (James 3:14-16). God gives godly wisdom. What is godly wisdom? James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” Therefore, a person who seeks to be wise is also at peace with themselves and those around them. So, strive to be humble, gentle, and sincerely open to reason and other people’s ideas and desires. I can only imagine what the world would be like if everyone would get rid of their self-centered pride and arrogance, then humbly value others as more important than themselves (Romans 12:3). A wise person is humble and seeks to do good for others (James 3:13).

How do we cultivate the wisdom God gives us?

I found seven ways we can stay motivated to cultivate wisdom, knowledge of God’s truths, and insight in our lives. As I have been studying wisdom, I realize that we need to desire wisdom, knowledge, and insight (understanding) more than anything else. I learned that wisdom keeps us on the path of righteousness and protects us from evil. I also realize that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding must be cultivated every day.

1. You need to delight in growing God’s truth in your heart by desiring to learn the wise truths of God found in the Bible. Psalm 51:6 states, “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”

2. Know that life is short, so seek to be wise with every day God gives you. Psalm 90:12 states, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

3. Do not forget to seek the Bible’s wisdom daily. Love wisdom more than gold and silver. When you get wisdom, you also get the knowledge and insight of truth to make the right decisions. According to dictionary.com (2022), insight is penetrating mental vision or discernment and the ability to see into inner character or underlying truth. Wisdom will guard your mind and your life. Proverbs 4:5-6 states, “Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. ⁶Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.” And Proverbs 4:7-9 states, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. ⁸Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. ⁹She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

4. Be prudent, and you will have wisdom. Dictionary.com (2022) says that prudence is being cautious about practical matters, using discretion, and being frugal (careful). Someone who is prudent does not make rash decisions. Proverbs 8:12 states, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.” Discretion is the quality of being discreet (careful, restrained), especially concerning one’s choice of actions or speech.

5. Seek and take godly advice to build wisdom in your life. Proverbs 13:10 states, “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.” And Proverbs 19:20 states, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

6. Discernment is recognizing what is true and correct, which eliminates unhealthy beliefs to increase wisdom, so you know the right decision to make. Proverbs 14:8 states, “The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.”

7. Discipline gives you the power to grow in wisdom, knowledge of God, and understand the truth by removing sinful and foolish thinking. Proverbs 29:15 states, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” God also reproves us when we are not wise but act on our foolish thinking. Hebrews 12:6-11 tells us, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. ⁷It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children, not sons. ⁹Besides 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? ¹⁰For 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. ¹¹For 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.” The goal of discipline is to be holy, which means to be set apart to bring glory to God. When we act on sinful and foolish thinking, we don’t bring God glory, so He lovingly disciplines us. The discipline of God also teaches us to be wise so we make the right choices.

Conclusion:

If you desire free, organic fruits and vegetables, you need to grow them yourself. Sure, you can go to the farmer’s market or the grocery store to get fruits and vegetables, but they will cost a lot. In the same way, you can go to church to learn about wisdom and get some wisdom, but the wisdom you get when you dig into the Word of God will be a more significant benefit. Just as a garden needs to be prudently weeded and diligently watered to produce a harvest. So, our hearts need to be kept free of sinful, foolish thoughts and filled with God’s truths, so we produce a crop of wisdom. You also need to discern when you have an insect problem and know what organic pesticide you need to kill the harmful insects destroying your plants. So, you need discernment to know when you have an unhealthy belief and what truth will eliminate it. Taking advice is like putting fertilizer on your garden, so your plants grow better and produce more.

I pray you are blessed and grow in all knowledge, insight, and discernment.

RELATED POSTS:

The Mystery of Wisdom-Overview

THE MYSTERY OF WISDOM—PART 2

The Mystery of Wisdom—Part 3

The Mystery of Wisdom –Part 4

The Mystery of Wisdom—Part 5

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

Check out my 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.

The Mystery of Wisdom—Part 5

Have you ever played a game where the rules kept changing? How much chaos did that create? Did you think it was fair when another person changed the rules to give them an advantage? God is just, so He values regulations and laws. Without laws, there is chaos, and people will follow their self-centered, sinful nature to do all manner of evil. In the last post, we learned that those who seek to do what is right and please God show that they have wisdom and understanding.

A nation that is not governed by laws will dissolve into chaos. The evidence can be seen in the cities that let criminals run free to do whatever their sinful hearts directed them to do. What makes a nation great? What is the difference between a wise leader and a foolish one? How can you tell if a person is wise or foolish?

What Makes a Nation Great?

In Deuteronomy 4:5-9, Moses teaches the Israelites the following.

⁵See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

⁶Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes [laws], will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

⁷For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?

⁸And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?

⁹“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children.”

Summary of a Great Nation and People Who Are Considered Wise.

1. The leaders and the people obey God’s rules.

2. Having a God who is near when they call upon Him.

3. A nation and people who value the righteous laws established by God.

4. People and leaders who don’t forget God and all He has done.

Why America is Not a Great Nation:

Right now, there is a massive push by those deceived by the devil to remove all references to God from every part of our country. Prayer was removed from the school. Then killing children became legal. The schools stopped teaching the Christian foundation and heritage of our country. The Ten Commandments were removed from courthouses and other places. Many people are not saying the pledge of allegiance because it acknowledges God. We are to say “Happy Holidays” because Merry Christmas references Jesus Christ’s birth. Foolish people want to take the words “In God we Trust” off our money. Idolatry is rampant, even in the church. If a nation is considered great when they obey God, what happens to the country that removes God and lives sinful, self-centered lives?

New Testament Obedience

Moses was God’s spokesman for the emerging Jewish nation. The New Testament Christian is not bound to the Laws given to the Jewish nation though the 10 Commandments still apply to us. God gave laws so everyone lived by the same rules, and there was order, not chaos. The principle of obedience still applies. So, what rules are the New Testament Christians required to obey? Let us see what Jesus, our spokesman, said to do in His first sermon in Matthew chapters 5-7.

1. We are to be the salt and light for the world by doing good works and giving glory to our Father in heaven (5:17-20).

2. Do not be angry and insult a fellow Christian; instead, be reconciled to them (5:21-26).

3. Do not lust because even if you have a lustful intent toward someone, you have committed adultery. Whatever is causing you to lust, remove it, such as the internet, books, movies, etc. and avoid places that tempt you to lust (5:27-30).

4. Do not take oaths. Let your “yes” be yes, and your “no” be no (5:33-37).

5. Do not retaliate (5:38-42). Matthew 5:42 states, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

6. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so as sons of God, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (5:43-48). This sounds impossible but with God’s divine power in us, we can be perfect if we obey God’s laws.

7. Don’t let people see you giving to the needy. Matthew 6:1 states, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”

8. Pray to your Father in heaven and forgive anyone who has sinned against you just as your father in heaven has forgiven you (6:5-15).

9. Serve God, not money (6:19-24). Matthew 6:24 states, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

10. Do not be anxious (6:25-34). Matthew 6:33-34 states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

11. Don’t judge (7:1-6).

12. Ask, seek, and knock through prayer (7:7-11).

13. Practice the golden rule (7:12-14). Matthew 7:14 states, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

14. Recognize false teachers by their fruit and avoid them (7:15-20).

15. Do your heavenly Father’s will (7:21-23). Matthew 7:21 states, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

16. Do what the Word of God says to do (7:24-27). Matthew 7:24 states, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Most importantly, you are to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, then love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:36-40 and Luke 10:27). Do you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Are you morally upright and call upon God? Do you obey God’s commands to show yourself wise and understanding to those around you?

Conclusion

Playing a game by the rules makes the game fun, and everyone knows what to expect. The Christian life is rewarding if we live by God’s rules established in the Bible. We learned that following God’s laws makes a nation great. Jesus gave us some standard rules or practices in His first sermon. The Apostle Paul wrote letters to the new churches, instructing them how to conduct themselves toward those outside the church and toward each other in the church. If you haven’t read the New Testament yet, please do that and note the rules the Apostle Paul lays out for the new and mature believers.

Related Posts

The Mystery of Wisdom-Overview

THE MYSTERY OF WISDOM—PART 2

The Mystery of Wisdom—Part 3

The Mystery of Wisdom –Part 4

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

Check out my first 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.