"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
- Isaiah 61:1-3

The Heart of Our King

Notice the healing words mentioned above reflecting the heart of our King, Jesus; good tidings, heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty, open prison doors, to comfort, to console, to give beauty, and to give the oil of joy. These are the CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY BELIEVER, A HEALTHY CHURCH, AND A HEALTHY MINISTRY. True shepherds possess the heart of the Great Shepherd, and in turn, pass this same spirit on to their fold.

The 1st Step to Spiritual Repair:
Allow God's Word to Wash You Daily as you Encourage Yourself in the Lord and Re-Renew Your Mind!

No, the word "Re-Renew" above is not a typo. One of the most devastating affects spiritual abuse has on believers is how it twists and warps our perspective of God, His Word, and our world view in general.

Let me be so bold to recommend a book that revolutionized my life in the mid-eighties by Charles Swindoll called The Grace Awakening (you can buy it online here).

In a time when spiritual abuse really began to raise up its ugly head, God raised up Charles Swindoll to write a book showing how God's grace frees us to be creative, spontaneous, and to think outside the box. God's grace can cure all your fears, improve your perspective and outlook on life through the lens of joy rather than the fog of pessimism and legalism. Grace strengthens relationships, gives you freedom to be yourself, and freedom to let others be themselves, without feeling a need to judge, control, or manipulate one another. God's grace is an incredible gift to all believers that reveals His love each and every day. Get the book!

I remember many years ago when my dad, Jim Glassford, was asked in an interview, "What was the hardest thing you had to overcome when you received Christ in your life at fourty-two years old?" My dad replied, "I had to begin the "unlearning" process." In other words, although he was raised in a religious culture, the truth he had learned was either not the truth at all or they were half-truths. He had to UN-learn those warped principles and renew his mind to the true truth in Christ. (NOTE: Another excellent book is called "IN CHRIST" by James T. Glassford - you can order it here).

Below are a list of scriptures fully dedicated to our life in Christ. Place YOUR NAME in the places where the words "I", "we", "you" or "us" appear. Every single promise of God is for every single believer and by personalizing scripture, we are simply acknowledging that we truly believe these things to be true...we, in a sense, are releasing our faith in what God has already said about us.

For example; Paul said of Himself in Philippines 4:13 that he could do all things through Christ who strengthens him. Many times each week, I will say to myself out loud, "Greg, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you today!" I affirm, accept, and acknowledge what God has already said about me as a believer. This builds up my confidence in Him and what He has already done, not on my works, accomplishments, talents, or anointings.

I acknowledge and declare by faith the following truths:

I am a new creation in Christ. Old things have passed away and all things have become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I am forgiven, in Christ. (Colossians 1:13-14)

I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

In Christ, I am free from guilt and condemnation. (Romans 8:1)

In Christ, I have been redeemed from the curse of the law.(Galatians 3:13)

In Christ, I am the recipient of His grace, given to me before the beginning of time. (2 Timothy 1:8-9)

In Christ, I have been reconciled to God by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)

I have received the righteousness of God, in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

In Christ, I am holy. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

In Christ I am free. (Galatians 2:4)

In Christ, I am joyful, prayerful and thankful according to the will of God. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I forget about what is behind me and I continually press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ. (Philippians 3:13-14)

I was created to live and walk in victory. In Christ, I am always lead to triumph. (2 Corinthians 2:14)

In Christ, I am in two places at the same time.
In my physical body, I am God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for me to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

In my spirit, God has raised me up with Christ and I am seated with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus! (Ephesians 2:6-7)

Ephesians 5:26 gives us great hope for recovery from legalism and spiritual abuse: "...that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word."

When I am sitting with the Lord absorbing His Word, I like to think of myself under the most beautiful and gentle waterfall in the world. By the time I am finished reading and meditating, it's as if I just took a wonderful long, hot (or cool) shower (depending on the time of year). I feel so refreshed and the cares and stress of the day, week, month, or year have literally washed off of me.

One of the people who greatly inspired me to pick up the guitar and sing in the first years of my new life in the Lord was Nancy Honeytree. Her song, "Clean Before My Lord I Stand" got on the inside of me way back then and I so appreciate her obedience to the Lord for writing that very special song. (NOTE: Honeytree is still winning thousands to Christ and her music is available HERE).

Let the power of the Word of God start washing you today!

The 2nd Step to Spiritual Repair:
Ask the Lord for a True Brother or Sister in Christ who You Can Talk To Without Reservation.

An exchange between two believers does many things, but one of the outcomes 100 percent of the time is edification, encouragement, and comfort. In other words, you will walk away feeling refreshed, encouraged, and in this case, burdens and bondage's will start falling off of you as you talk about your spiritual abuse.

PROPER SHARING RELEASES YOU

I knew a woman who until this day is in denial of her childhood sexual abuse. As a result, the awful memories and images in her mind affected her and her husbands intimacy in critical ways until the marriage was ruined and lost.

Denial is bondage - plain and clear. One of my favorite Proverbs is in 27:17, which declares, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Strength, stamina, courage, and healing are only a few of the results that come with healthy verbal and heart-to-heart communications. Find that special someone and start letting it out, praying all the way.

The 3rd Step to Spiritual Repair:
Remove Yourself

If you know for a fact that you have been in a spiritual abusive church, under controlling and manipulating leadership, gracefully opt out now.

Do not feel you are under any obligation to give a detailed explanation for your departure. Prepare yourself, however, for a not-so-pleasant confrontation. Without a doubt your decision will most likely not be received well. If the leader starts "going off" on you, gracefully thank him/her and tell them you must go now. Do not stand around and take anymore abuse! It's time to move along and repair and rebuild.

Under normal circumstances when a person or couple is being stirred to move to a different church, I exhort them to follow a much different process when spiritual abuse is not a factor in their determinations. But like a physically abused woman, she is under absolutely no obligation to remain in the room (or the relationship) while her abuser beats the daylights out of her. He has violated her and has crossed the line, So it is with a spiritual abuser.

In the most extreme cases, you are not even obligated to talk to anyone - just leave - get out of there and run under God's covering!

I promise you, you will sense a significant release the moment you do!


The 4th Step to Spiritual Repair:
Find a Ministry You Can Sit Under for a Season Where You Feel Safe and Where You Have Peace.

I learned in my early Christian years to always, always be led forth by peach. This wonderful principle has its foundation in Isaiah 55:12, "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

Another great scripture about peace is found in Philippines 4:7 declaring, "...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

The Holy Spirit will start guiding, comforting, and repairing you when you are out from under the influences of spiritual abuse. It is important to somehow maintain Christian fellowship during your healing process. Maybe find a small group or home church with like-minded believers. Even having coffee or tea with a couple of like-minded believers a few times a week will do the job. (NOTE: Online fellowship is okay for encouragement, listening to the Word, or getting inspired from time to time, but it is not meant to replace the physical gatherings we are taught to emulate in Acts chapter 2).

The 5th Step to Spiritual Repair:
Start Seeing Yourself as Valuable and Extremely Loved by Jesus and the Father!

God's love is incredibly amazing!

"Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39, AMP).

Isn't it wonderful to know that nothing can separate us from the love of God? His love is truly amazing. It goes beyond any human love we could ever know. There's nothing we can do to make Him love us or value us more, and there is nothing we can do to make Him love us any less. His love is everlasting.

Oftentimes, when people make mistakes or feel that they have disappointed God, they think they have to stay away from Him until they "get their act together" so to speak. But nothing could be further from the truth! He's always there with open arms, ready to receive you and make you new. Remember, God's not mad at you; He's madly in love with you! He thinks that you are really something! You are on His mind day and night. His thoughts are precious towards you.

If there is anything in your life that is keeping you from receiving His amazing love, choose to set those things aside today. Get rid of all those spiritually abusive mind sets that have been drilled into you in the past. Let His love restore you and make you brand new! Simply come to Him with an open heart and receive everything He has in store for you.

Here is a great prayer to get you started:

"Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me with an everlasting love and valuing me even with all my stuff. Thank you for letting me be "not okay" all the time - Your grace and love are truly amazing to me! Thank You for receiving me and making me new by the precious blood of Jesus. And thank You, Lord, for cleansing my heart and mind from all the remnants of spiritual abuse I've experience in my life. I love You. In Jesus' Name. Amen"

Lastly, I want to encourage you to go back to our home page and turn up the music as Chris Tomilin sings the song, "I Will Rise." Then, go online and find and download the song by Joss Stone, "Bruised But Not Broken." You should add these two songs to your daily listening regimant throughout the healing process.

God isn't through with you yet...He saves the best for last!

Many Blessings,

Greg Glassford