Principle 2 - RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEYOverview
The main theme, if you haven't already guessed, is having our relationships restored with people around us, with ourselves and with God. I will repeat myself over and over but there is a reason for it. We need to hear it over and over! Because I know for a fact that If we aren’t in fellowship (relationship) with God, how can He give us anything? We prevent Him from moving in our lives because of our OWN THINKING! Can you trust your possessions to someone you don't know? Would you hand over your billfold to a stranger to hold while you do an errand? No, of course not. But that's how we treat God, like a stranger. This is evidenced in the way we live our lives. Do we trust God with our life, finances, our family? Until we understand the Love of God, we cannot receive anything from Him in the amount He wants us to have. So if we haven’t received His love for us personally, we certainly can’t love ourselves, let alone love others. Are you trying to forgive and love? Did you know that all your "trying" will only cause you to be frustrated?" Wouldn’t it be nice if you can simply "forgive and love?" Did you know that forgiveness and love brings health? As we enter into this teaching session, it is important that you take your time going through it. Give it time to absorb. I’ve had people say that there is a lot of knowledge being imparted and it’s very over-whelming to take in all at once. But be "diligent" and don’t give up because a diligent person will obtain righteousness and honor. (Proverbs 21:21). This ministry believes in the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We need to understand these three characters of God in their entirety in order to understand who God is for us. (Ephesians Chapter 4) We will be identifying each of the God-head separately for complete understanding and knowledge. Many don't know Jesus personally, God personally or the Holy Spirit personally. It's important to see all their attributes and characteristics so we can "know" them fully. What Does Relationships Have to Do with Healing? Our bodies are balanced in perfect homeostasis when our hearts are balanced in relationship with the Lord, ourself and with others. I was in bondage to fear until I understood and received relationship with the Godhead fully. It opened the door for me to love myself and to love others. This is one of the most important teachings offered to help in your restoration and healing. The book of Jeremiah talks about relationship with God, others and with ourselves, explaining the results of not abiding in truth! Take the time to read through Jeremiah for further understanding. The following teaching describes the relationship we are to have with God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, ourselves and others. Hopefully this will help you discern your own life. I found that we need to know ourselves before we can really move forward. And I would suspect that many reading this don't know themselves very well, some avoid seeing within their own hearts, and some refuse to admit their own failings. We have to get past all that, and face ourselves in truth. But we can only do this when we get a revelation on God's love for us. Because it's His love that will help us see within more clearly without guilt, shame, condemnation or fear. And if we do feel those things, we won't stay there long because we truly understand the Love of God. Sometimes we are living under "fear faith." To really understand the enemy's wiles (which are the opposite of God's) then click on the button below. This scriptures is KEY for foundation:
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God (relationship) with all thine heart (spirit man), soul (psyche) and mind (physio) and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Upon this, the law and the prophets hang." (Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:29-31.) You can’t love yourself and have self-hatred and guilt. You can’t love your neighbor with unforgiveness. You can’t love God, because scripture teaches, how can you hate your brother whom you have seen and love God whom you have not seen? By breaking down this key passage of scripture, it will help us gain KNOWLEDGE necessary to IMPACT our lives to change our mind, body and soul: "We are to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul and mind…." How do we Love God? First we need to know His nature and character. You’d be surprised how many people see God as a tyrant waiting to pounce on them when they do something wrong. They don’t see Him as a loving Father wanting to help His children. They only have their own fathers to compare God with and don’t understand the Love of God. They may fear their fathers to the point of avoiding them. Many people transfer this kind of fear to God. God wants us to come to Him any time, day or night, about anything! What have you believed about God? Proverbs 2:1-5 says, "My son if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding, Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding, if thou seek her as for silver, and searches for her as for hid treasures, THEN shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE FATHER It’s time to begin participating in your "sanctification" process. Get your tablet of paper out and begin to answer these questions. 1. Do you see God as a tyrant? If so, why? 2. Do you feel you cannot come to Him for everything? If so, why? 3. Are you fearing Him to the point of not talking to Him? If so, why? 4. Are you mad at God for your life or current situation? If so, name the situation 5. Are you unhappy with how He created you? If so, what is it you don’t like about yourself? 6. Do you see God as your Heavenly Father? If so, how? We need to identify where we are RIGHT NOW so that we have a starting place! The first step in healing and freedom is "Recognizing". Compare your notes to these truths about who God is: (If there are scripture references, please take the time to open up the Bible and read for yourself – remember, God’s Word heals and delivers. What we say, doesn’t! (Proverbs 21:31) "The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance and victory are of the Lord."
............................................................................ RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE SON - JESUS Once we have begun to see who God the Father is. It’s now time to see who Jesus is. Write down the answers to these questions: 1. Who is Jesus? 2. Is He your personal Savior? 3. Is he the center of your thoughts? 4. Do you accept the total redemption he paid for you or do you think you have to earn it somehow? 5. Do you have to pay penitence for your sins? 6. Do you love him? He said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. What kind of a relationship do you have with Jesus? These are some of the attributes and characteristics of Jesus:
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT Once we have learned about God the Father and Jesus the Word. It’s now time to identify who the Holy Spirit is. Write down the answers to these questions: 1. What do you think about the Holy Spirit? Or have you even given Him thought? 2. Do you know what power He has given you? (For those who are in Christ) 3. Do you know His attributes? 4. Do you believe you have been equipped to do all things? 6. How do you see the Holy Spirit? 7. Have you ever received gifts of the Holy Spirit? If so, what are they? 8. Do you believe in eternal salvation? 9. Did you know the Holy Spirit speaks to us through our conscience? 10. Did you know He brings to our minds things we need to get through trials and tribulations. Scripture References. Please look them up before going on.
"….. and love thy neighbor as thyself…" RELATIONSHIP WITH SELF Before we can have a good healthy relationship with others we need to have a good and healthy relationship with ourselves. In the following session, we deal specifically with loving and forgiving ourselves. I know that perhaps many of you struggle in this area. But we have to realize that if God loves and forgives us, who are we to think any different. If we don't take Him at His word, we are making our thoughts higher than his and that is sin. We put ourselves in our own predicament, but then blame God. We can see what's wrong in other people, we may even have a 7-step plan for their breakthrough, but we just don't see inside ourselves as clearly. (We think we do, but we really don't.) If you really want to know what is inside you, really want to know, ask one of your family members or closest friend. Believe me, they know. We can see clearly in other people's lives, but we just can't see clearly in our own. One day I was talking to a friend at work. She said to me that she felt a dis-ease from me. She had thought I was mad at her or something. I sat her down and said, "let's investigate. " See I know from experience that others see me better than I see myself. So after we talked for a bit, I confessed to her that I was going through some personal issues and was hurting and that's what she sensed. I didn't even know what I was going through caused my demeanor to change. So after we talked a bit more I asked her to pray for me. She prayed for me and I had a heart to heart with my Heavenly Father and was restored. See I had not realized how I was being, but then through someone else's eyes, I saw it. I was set free! I could have brushed this off and said, "Oh, there's nothing wrong, I'm not mad at you, that's silly. " But then we would have both still "felt " the dis-ease. This way, we were both set free. See, God will use others to help us see stuff in ourselves as well. Once we recognize (which is the first step to freedom) what is in us, then we can cooperate with God as He begins purging those things from our lives. We need to be open to get to know ourselves. It could be a bit unnerving at first because you're not sure what you'll find. But it is so rewarding. I remember when the Lord introduced me to me, I cried for 3 days and never wanted to show my face in public again. I saw selfishness, bitterness, anger, fear, resentment, self-hatred, pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, greed, jealousy and envy, distrust, frustration, control and manipulation, self-pity, self-centered, and on and on. Believe me, it wasn't pretty. But after I had my screaming fit about it, God closed up my heart and put a zipper on it. He said that He wanted to show me what He sees (because He knows the heart and all that is in it - Psalm 44:21; Psalm 51:6) and to know that He still loves me and that I need to love me too. His mercy keeps those things covered until we are ready to see it so we can be set free. Because of the call on my life to help others, we had to begin working right away and didn't have a lot of time to mess around. So I got to see all this stuff at one time. I do remember saying, "But God, everyone sees all that in me." He said, no they don't, I have protected you from that and only showed you what was there so we can work on these things together without you falling apart as we begin the purging process. Believe me, this is a process, but the best road you can be on. As you begin getting purged from within, your life improves in your relationship with your Heavenly Father, relationship with yourself and relationship with others. I found myself in the store one day just talking away with myself. And yes, I answered. I heard the Holy Spirit say, "It's nice to see you enjoy yourself, you are becoming your own best friend now. " What is it that keeps good things from happening to us? (Jeremiah 5:25) Our own sins and iniquities, the very things we are talking about here. Take a look at the following scriptures to discover more truth about you and your relationship with God, yourself and others. We need to take time to see what the Bible says: Proverbs 8:22; II Corinthians 3:18; Romans 14:23; John 5:30; Leviticus 19:18; John 7:18; John 17:5; Leviticus 19:34-37; Hebrews 12:2; I Corinthians 4:3; Deuteronomy 6:5-9; Jeremiah 33:8; Titus 1:7; Numbers 13:33; Jeremiah 8:15; II Peter 2:10; Romans 13:16-18; Jeremiah 8:6; II Corinthians 13:5; Romans 13:2; Jeremiah 9:23-24; II Timothy 3:2; Proverbs 28:9 and 13; Jeremiah 10:24; James 1:22; Proverbs 28:25; II Timothy 3:1-12; Leviticus 4:1; Romans 12:10; II Timothy 4:2; Mark 7:9; Proverbs 28:16-18; Jeremiah 10:13; Romans 12:3; Matthew 5:22-25; Jeremiah 14:19-20; Matthew 5:25; II Chronicles 7:14; Romans 5:20; Leviticus 20:7; Luke 11:1; Habakkak 3:16; Job 39:28; Psalm 62:1; II Corinthians 10:5; Ezekiel 37; Romans 7:19 .................................................................. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS Once we have begun this journey of relationship, it naturally flows out to others. It no longer is a burden to love, it’s a pleasure, because you now have what it takes to love others. "Love covers a multitude of sins". Did you know that if someone hurts your feelings, or does something to hurt you, that you are supposed to love them anyway? How can we? By the Love God has imparted to us when we receive His love. Let’s identify where we are with relationship with others: Write down your answers to these questions:
"Desire leads to seeking which leads to knowing which leads to believing which leads to receiving which leads to trusting which leads to love which leads to obedience which leads to peace. And if you are like I was, my whole desire was to have PEACE!" Our obedience comes easily when we know the one we are to obey loves us. Sure, we can just obey, but both you and I know it is very hard to do at times. We even say, "Why can't I just obey?" It's because you don't know the One intimately with whom you are wanting to obey. We will trust someone we know intimately. I submit to my husband without question because I "know" he loves me and I don't have any fear in our love. I'm sadden when I hear that there are women who have a hard time in this area because they don't think their husband's really loves them. But we can know God loves us and we submit to Him in obedience because He loves us. But if you don't believe God loves you, then this will be hard. In Matthew Chapter 5 Jesus tells us to handle people like this: If someone hits you on one cheek, turn the other also. If someone wants your shirt, give him your coat also. If someone wants you to walk a mile, walk with him 2 miles. If someone wants to borrow something, let him have it. These are instructions on how NOT to get offended! You overcome evil with GOOD! But again, we have to have that "good" planted in us to be able to do it, right? I'm not saying you are to stand there and be a punching bag, but the principle here is we look upon what others need before we look upon our own. Here’s a situation many of us may have experienced: Have you had a problem with an individual and you shared it with a friend, their suggestion was to "just forget it, it’s not worth it?" So you take that advice and you try forgetting it. It’s hard to do, sometimes it takes a very long time to forget. But the truth of the matter is you really haven’t forgotten it at all. What you have done was pushed it down inside to the point it's simply avoided. But it’s inside you still! It’s in there to torment you when it wants to come up in the future. It's also used as a "filter" toward other people and that's why you act the way you do. You may treat someone badly and not even know why. It's because of the "junk" you still have in your heart toward a past relationship comes up when someone is a reminder of that past situation. You don't even have to recall the past thing, the devil does it for you. God want’s this "junk" out of you so you won’t be tormented in the future! So you won't allow it to distort your perception toward others. When the junk is removed, the bitterness is gone, the offence is gone. Later in this teaching, we go into forgiveness. How to forgive someone who hurt you so badly it's almost impossible to think of forgiving them. Or lets say you have forgiven someone, but you have conditions to that forgiveness. Or, you don't even know you have unforgiveness. What you don't know "can" hurt you. Scriptures to reflect on:
|
|
|