Is That Egg On Your Face?

Have you been here?

One particular Easter Sunday became a fiasco when I got into an argument with the worship team drummer, who was my brother in law, about a backing track that I had worked very hard creating so I could sing a special song with it that day during our upcoming special Easter worship set. With his normal unpleasant attitude toward me, he sighed “Can we take the drums out of the music you created?” Instantly my hackles were up! I was a full time volunteer at this church while also holding down a full time job. It had taken me hours to create that track. Something snapped in me,“Well you have a crappy attitude this morning, don’t ya?” So began the downward spiral resulting in, you guessed it, a much larger family/team meeting where I poured out my heart through anger at my whole co-pastors/in-law family. Can you guess how that Easter Sunday service went?

Contrary to popular belief, I do not believe that time itself heals our wounds. I have found that time numbs, falsely buries  or even amplifies our pain. 

Three years later, through the tools that we use in Sozo, I was able to go back into the memory of that early Easter morning  and receive healing from Jesus.  When I asked Jesus where He was in that memory, He took me back to my tirade and as I saw myself speaking, arrows were flying from my mouth and shooting towards my family.  I could once again feel the shame and the embarrassment of my actions. Without hesitation, Jesus at the speed of light, ran to my embarrassing situation, and stood between  my family and myself. The arrows went straight into His chest, but they did not move Him.  He said ‘“I  took this for you and more. I am strong enough to handle your faults. Your flaws do not scare me or embarrass me.” Through this encounter with Jesus, I was able to let go of the regret and pain I had experienced and caused that day.”

Have you ever been caught in a blame game? 

Are you blaming yourself, blaming your spouse, blaming your parents, or blaming your co-workers for pain in your life? You have the ability to walk in the fruits of the Spirit today.

Do you see unhealthy patterns in your life? Are you repeating the same cycles where you are the victim, villain, or rescuer resulting in resentment toward yourself and others? According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Through intimacy with the Holy Spirit, there is hope to change your life for the better! You do not have to continue in the unhealthy patterns you’ve been in.

Do you know what your responsibility is?

You are not responsible for other people’s opinions, feelings, or actions toward you, but you are responsible for your opinions, feelings, and actions toward yourself.

What do you think about you?

Bill Johnson says “I cannot afford to have a thought about me that He does not have about me.”

'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.'
Romans 8:1

The Holy Spirit convicts us unto our identity.

Condemnation is associated with judgment and punishment for sin. The accuser condemns us unto false identities. Condemnation is NOT inspired by the Holy Spirit. The goal of the enemy in condemnation is addiction. 

So what is the opposite of addiction?

Conviction is a work of the Holy Spirit. The goal of conviction is connection which is the opposite of addiction. The Holy Spirit is convicting us unto our identity in Christ where there is no condemnation! He is wanting us not to turn away from Him in shame but to turn towards Him for comfort, truth, and healing.

Your soul is like a garden. Have the weeds of shame been choking out God’s truth?

Song of Solomon 2:15 in The Passion Translation says 'You must catch the troubling foxes, those sly little foxes that hinder our relationship. For they raid our budding vineyard of love to ruin what I’ve planted within you. Will you catch them and remove them for me? We will do it together.'

Can you feel hope stirring on the inside?
There is healing available to you today. Jesus is your deliverer and He is waiting with open arms.

What are some of the “foxes” that have snuck into your garden? – Jealousy, anger, confusion, control, judgment?

'For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. '
John 3:17-18

So who is your judge?

Take a look at Psalm 50:6
' The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah ' God is the judge, but fear not! God is holy, just and righteous. He has made a way of escape for you.

Christ died once, for all. There is freedom through Christ, through His blood. Because you have received Jesus, it would be unjust for Father God to punish you for your sin because the penalty for your sin has already been paid in the currency of the Blood of Jesus. Punishment for sin after receiving Jesus, the propitiation for sin, would be double jeopardy. 

“What does jeopardy mean and what does that have to do with me?”

Glad you asked! In legal contexts, jeopardy often refers to the risk of criminal liability that a defendant faces at trial. Jeopardy attaches at the moment a prosecution commences. The “law of double jeopardy” basically states that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime. That is good news for you. God is not holding your sin against you and He wants to heal you of all the shame and guilt that goes along with it.

'For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. '
Romans 8:3-4

Since there is “now no condemnation in Christ,” is it time you met with Jesus and allowed Him to heal you from your regret and shame?
Jesus is your advocate. He is interceding on your behalf.

'Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.'
Romans 8:33-34

What does it look like to forgive yourself?

Forgiveness detaches us from judgment, shame, and condemnation and attaches us to what Christ did on the cross. It is choosing to see yourself through the Blood of Jesus, reconciled to your Heavenly Father.

Would you like to be free from shame and regret?

Ask Holy Spirit if there is anything you need to forgive yourself for.
If you are struggling to find words, try to connect with God using the example prayer below:

“Father God, I repent for walking in unforgiveness toward myself and holding __________ against me when you are not holding __________ against me. I forgive myself for holding _________ against myself and I release myself from all of my judgment”

Now ask Holy Spirit what He is giving you in place of unforgiveness toward yourself.
What are you thinking, feeling, seeing, and sensing?

Forgiveness does not equal trust.

Have you forgiven yourself but you still don’t trust yourself?
Trust is rooted in healthy boundaries. We must set healthy boundaries and follow through with those boundaries in order to learn to trust ourselves and others again. If we continue to violate the boundaries that we have set for ourselves or not follow through on boundaries we have set with others, we will continue to betray our own trust. 

'Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. '
Mark 11:23-24

The word “doubt” here is diakrinō which means “To be at variance with oneself” - Blue Letter Bible
To be at variance with yourself means to disagree within yourself. Doubt and distrust go hand in hand. Being at odds with yourself will cause you to be unable to discern and hear the voice of God clearly.

Are you betraying yourself?
You don’t have to continue making promises that you just can’t keep and violating your boundaries at the expense of your peace. Don’t delay your healing another day. Come in for a Sozo and appropriate what Christ died for you to have!

Does deliverance sound scary to you?

In the past deliverance has been depicted as loud and humiliating. God does not want to humiliate you or embarrass you. Sozo means salvation and wholeness, spirit, soul and body. We believe that deliverance can be gentle.

One encounter with God can accomplish what years of other healing modalities can’t even touch.

What happens in a Sozo?
As the Holy Spirit leads, you’ll be invited to ask God about lies you’re believing, wounds that need healing, people to forgive, unhealthy relational/generational ties to break, and sins to renounce.

Psalm 18:3  says: 'I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. '

Using your voice is a component to accessing your deliverance!
You’ll invite God into your areas of pain and experience a fresh revelation of God’s love for you. You’ll learn God’s perspective on whatever situation you’re facing, and this insight will bring the next layer of freedom you need.

Each Sozo is specific to the person being ministered to, and every session is unique. God knows best what you need, and our goal is to facilitate the next step of your healing journey.

You’re invited to offer feedback and confirm/deny the direction your minister(s) is heading throughout the session.