The Father heart of God – 3

This week I want to look at: God is a healer.

 

I am fully convinced by scripture that God has included healing our bodies in the atonement that He purchased for us on the cross. If you need to read the scriptures, then read:

 

1. Psalm 103:1-3
2. Isaiah 53:4-5
3. Matt 9:1-7
4. James 5:14-15
5. 1 Pet 2:24

 

I want to touch on another kind of healing. What about emotional healing?

 

In Isaiah 61, the Prophet predicts that the Messiah will heal the brokenhearted. Jesus confirms this in Luke 4:18 when He reads that scripture and confirms that it was part of His purpose.

 

There are so many people that are emotionally broken. Life happens to all of us. We all have been hurt or have hurt someone else. If we know what to look for, we can find it everywhere. Men are particularly struggling because we keep it to ourselves. Jesus came to heal us from the brokenness we all carry. 

 

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power and He went about healing all who were oppressed of the devil. 

 

Oppression is different than physical healing. Physical sickness can affect you but the symptoms of our time are a generation that is stressed out, anxious and depressed. Emotionally people are wrecks.

 

In our men’s meeting this week, we came clean about some of our issues. How do we recognize emotional sickness?

 

1. Anger – People are mad. It takes nothing to trigger a reaction or have people lose it and get violent with each other. Men walk around angry for not getting their way, and their families suffer greatly. Dad’s are home but still absent. People plot behind the scenes to get even with someone who hurt or disappointed them. You don’t have to go far. People are angry at their Pastors, bosses, and co-workers. Paul tells us that it is okay to be angry – Eph 426 – but we must use our anger righteously, responding in love and not reacting out of our old self. Anger is a sign of brokenness. 
2. Distrust – Who do you trust? Our natural tendency is not to trust anyone. Growing up, you could close a deal with a handshake. Today, if you want to buy something, first you sign your life away, then you get what you want. Part of the reason we distrust is that we all still have some hidden agenda. Let’s be honest. Our motives are not always pure. So the question is: how do we learn to trust people. No one trusts without getting vulnerable. Vulnerability necessitates that we are in a relationship with other people and community with other people to get vulnerable and learn to trust again. Distrust is an emotional wound that will isolate you from the help you need.
3. Isolation – This is a tough one. Isolation is what the enemy wants. Many men live in isolation and struggle with a lot of issues. All the men I have worked with in the past who struggled with pornography engaged in it while they were isolated from other people. Isolation is the place of secret sin. Families live together, but they are separated individually because they are all on their phones. No more time for family time. We all grab a plate of food and eat in front of the TV. We are the most connected generation, yet we live the most isolated lives. Isolation is the spiritual brokenness Jesus wants to heal.
4. Fear – People are afraid of the future. Covid did not help. Everywhere I go, I hear the uncertainty people have, and they entertain fear to dictate their lives. They vilify you as a super spreader if you dare to travel during the pandemic. It is not just their fear, but they want you to feel the same way. Fear is a tool the enemy uses to oppress people. Fear is the first sign that the enemy succeeded in manipulating your thoughts away from the Word of God. He has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.
5. Being Stuck – I see this so often. People are stuck in a relationship. Marriages stuck in a place of the silent treatment. Men are stuck because they feel they failed in raising their children. Women stuck in an abusive relationship hoping things will change sometime soon. Churches are stuck in the ritual while God longs for fellowship and relationship. People are stuck in passivity. Any challenge seems too big or too hard because they have agreed and settled to be mediocre. People are too scared to express their emotions because they only get a judgment in return. Being stuck is an emotional wound Jesus wants to heal for you. Faith is the answer. Take the challenge and get unstuck from being mediocre.
6. Denial – From Adam, until kingdom comes, we all struggle with this. It is like our default setting. “It is not me, God. It is this woman you gave me.” Denial is the false power the enemy offers us to confirm the lie he wants us to live. Denial is also rooted in fear. What will happen if I come clean? Men and women live in denial. Men are scared to say what they struggle with in life. It leads them back to isolation again. Women are afraid to stand up against abuse because they fear retaliation, and in the process, they deny themselves the fulness of being free the way God intended it to be. Denial can be an emotional wound that will rob you of your potential. 
7. Addiction – People are more addicted today than at any time in the history of the world. Addiction is not just drugs and such, but people are addicted to pleasure, comfort, and self-gratification. How do I know or identify if I am addicted to something? How much time do you spend on something in a week? My phone sends me an update each week. It tells me what was my screentime this week. You spend 6 hours and 58 minutes on your phone this week.” I know it was not all from calls. How much time did I spend in prayer or worship or studying the Word? Addiction is the anesthetic that numbs the pain of our reality. Addiction always compounds the problem, never fixes it. Addiction is an emotional wound Jesus wants to heal.
8. Loss of Passion – people have lost their passion for life. The mundane repetition of trying to make a living has stripped people of joy and enjoying life. They end up going through the motions. Married couples have lost their passion for each other and are just waiting for the kids to be out of the house, then we can separate. You don’t have to look too far. Church on Sunday is just an exercise of conscience so that I don’t have to deal with guilt. Evangelism is the last thing we do because we have lost our passion for the very ones Jesus died for. 

 

Do you recognize any of these symptoms? There is good news. Jesus came to heal our broken hearts. 

 

Psa. 147:3  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.