Freedom From Fear And PTSD

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Freedom from Fear &

PTSI Dennis & Dr. Jen Clark

For video demonstrations and other teachings: www.forgive123.com www.DeepReliefNow.com

Copyright © 2012 by Dennis and Dr. Jen Clark

Freedom from Fear and PTSI by Dennis and Dr. Jen Clark Printed in the United States of America All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version, © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by NavPress. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the New Living Translation, © 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the New International Version, © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked PNT are taken from The Power New Testament, © 2003 by Shalom Ministries. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked ERV are taken from the Holy Bible: Easy-ToRead Version™ © 2006 by World Bible Translation Center, Inc. and used by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

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CONTENTS

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FEAR HAS TORMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

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PTSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

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FLESH AND SPIRIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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LOCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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YIELDING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

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FORGIVENESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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Deep Relief NOW (DRN) . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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THOUGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

FEAR HAS TORMENT _____________________

FINDING RELIEF _____________________

GOD DIDN'T GIVE YOU FEAR and He never intended for you to waste years of your life in anxiety and torment. Fear is not normal, even though it may be the common condition of man in our modern world. Although trauma may be at the extreme end of the spectrum, 95% of the population suffers from fear. Most people struggle with fear, are motivated by it, make decisions based on it, or think it is "just the way they are." For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is an emotion from hell. Fear is like living in a dark prison cell. It shrinks your world and robs you of life. It lurks in the darkness, steals your sleep, sabotages your relationships, causes you to lash out in anger, suffocates your motivation...and it kills your dreams. PTSI (Post Traumatic Stress Injury, formerly known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) may include "moral injury" such as survivor's guilt. What have you tried so far? Is what you are doing now working for you? If what you have tried so far hasn't worked, are you ready for another plan? In contrast to what you may have tried in the past, we’ve discovered an approach that can provide deep relief for your deepest hurts and fears! That is why we called our book Deep Relief NOW. Look at what this means… 5

• Relief. The proven method presented here has brought true and lasting RELIEF to countless people—and it can provide relief to YOU as well!

• Deep. Many people don’t believe it’s possible to actually heal their deep hurts and traumas or be set free from fear. So what’s the next best thing? Instead of seeking deep relief, they settle for solutions that merely mask the symptoms. But the truth is, you can experience DEEP, complete, and lasting relief of your underlying emotional hurts.

• NOW! Deep Relief NOW means just what it says…You can receive true and lasting relief…relief that is deep rather than superficial. And you don’t have to have years of counseling—you can experience freedom NOW! In addition to books, manuals, and booklets, we have DVDs and coaching CDs to walk you through the process. We'll give you effective tools so you can handle whatever life throws at you. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, WELLMADE WEAPONS of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a LIFE-ORDEATH FIGHT TO THE FINISH against the Devil and all his angels [emphasis mine] (Ephesians 6:10-2 MSG). 6

PTSI ______________________

THE PROBLEM

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STRESS AND TRAUMA are not uncommon. According to statistics provided through the Veterans Administration (VA) at least one serious trauma is experienced during the lifetime of about 50% of all women and 60% of men. From this group, approximately 20% of the women and 8% of men develop the symptom cluster identified as Post Traumatic Stress Injury— PTSI. These numbers are much higher for incidents such as combat exposure, childhood abuse, and sexual /physical assault, terrorist attack, bad accident, or natural disaster.

Definition PTSI is a stress related emotional injury triggered by a terrifying event. Common symptoms may include severe anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, and intrusive and uncontrollable thoughts. Most individuals have been exposed to some frightening events that could lead to the symptoms of PTSI but don't seem as seriously affected as others. The diagnostic key is symptoms that persist. Experts recommend that a sufferer seek help if the signs last longer than three months. Common reactions to trauma may include: • • • • •

Generalized fear and anxiety (hyper-vigilance) Sadness or depression Anger, irritability, impatience, sudden rages Feelings of guilt or shame Unhealthy behavioral changes

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Symptoms of PTSI Symptoms usually start within three months of the trauma, but may not begin until years after the event occurred. The four types of symptoms included in PTSI are: 1.

Re-experiencing, or reliving, an event through vivid memories. • • • •

2.

Emotional numbness • • • • • • • •

3.

Memories may be triggered by sights, smells, or noises. Recurrent nightmares about the event. Flashbacks in which you relive the trauma. Reliving the event for minutes or even days at a time.

Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the experience. Feeling emotionally numb. Suppressing emotions or blocking out certain memories. Lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed. Hopelessness about the future. Difficulty concentrating. Memory problems. Difficulty maintaining close relationships.

Hyperarrousal, with chronic feelings of irritability, anger or jitteriness. • • • • •

Paranoia in certain situations. Easily disconcerted or frightened by loud noises. Feelings of rage and outbursts of anger. Insomnia. Seeing or hearing things that aren't there. 8

• •

Overwhelming guilt or shame. Self destructive behavior, such as using drugs or drinking too much.

4. Avoidance reactions. • • •

Staying over-busy to avoid thinking. Avoiding places that are crowded because you fear you can't be "in control." Avoiding activities that remind you of the traumatic event.

The VA provides a brief online diagnostic PTSI screen:

PTSI Screen In your life, have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible, or upsetting that, in the past month, you:

❑ Have had nightmares about the experience or thought about it when you did not want to?

❑ Tried hard not to think about the experience or avoided situations that reminded you of it? ❑ Were constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled? ❑ Felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings? Current research recommends that if you answered “yes” to any three items, you should seek more information from a mental health care provider. - www.ptsd.va.gov

Treatment: Ordinarily, treatment includes long-term counseling to help individuals cope with their symptoms, often with prescription medications to get some emotional relief.

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A Better Way? Diagnostic symptoms are just man's way of describing clusters of feelings—emotions—and behavioral reactions to those feelings. Even if you have been labeled "PTSI" or any other psychological terms, that is not who you are. It is not a permanent part of your identity. It is just a constellation of symptoms. What if there were a faster, more thorough way to get relief from your symptoms? God doesn't label someone PTSI and leave them to cope with symptoms the rest of their life. After all, there should be some help through prayer and the church, shouldn't there? A Christian law enforcement official once said, "They tell you what to think, what to say, and how to act, but they don't teach you what to do with your feelings!" That is exactly what we want to remedy. We want to teach you what to do about your feelings! When you get healed at the root level, the symptoms dissipate automatically.

From Trauma to Testimony Do you remember when you got saved? Many of your thoughts and feelings changed instantly. It was a supernatural happening. You could remember what you had been like before, but now you had a testimony. God had done something that changed your life. What if God could "wash away" the bad feelings and they would be gone permanently? The trauma would just be a memory—without the fear and anguish! It could change your life. It would be a testimony.

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FLESH AND SPIRIT __________________

CONNECTION

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GOD WANTS TO BE LORD of your entire life, not just your "spiritual" life. Since God made us thinking, willing, feeling beings, He wants us to allow Him be Lord of our thoughts, choices, and emotions. 366 times in the Bible God says "fear not." He doesn't tell you to do something without providing a solution. Throughout the Bible we’re told: • • •

God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 11:33-34). God's will is preferable to the choices we would make on our own (Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 3:5-7). God's love is superior to our carnal emotions (1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 2:15-17).

God is Spirit The word “spirit” or “spirits” is used more than 900 times in the scriptures. God is Spirit. The solutions He gives are spiritual solutions. God's solutions are superior to man's ideas. In John 4:24, Jesus says that, "God is Spirit." Jesus also tells us that God is known and worshipped through the spirit. In other words, a spiritual God communicates and communes with man in the spirit realm. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

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Flesh or Spirit Would you agree that you sometimes have thoughts and emotions that are clearly not godly? Do you occasionally make choices that are not God's will? The fallen nature of man, the flesh, is not at all like God's nature! They don't mix. Either flesh rules or spirit rules at any given time. When a person is saved, the spirit has been made alive, but the carnal nature wars against the spirit in them. Both the flesh and the spirit vie for control. Spirit is always stronger than flesh. Willpower is flesh. It can only withstand spirit, either good or evil, temporarily. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh (Galatians 5:17).

Spirit-to-Spirit A Christian connects with God Spirit-to-spirit by quieting the flesh, the soul, and yielding to the Spirit. This is what happens when you pray. To walk in the spirit, a believer must learn to maintain a spiritual connection with God in everyday life. Surely I have calmed and quieted my SOUL, like a weaned child with his mother [emphasis mine] (Psalm 131:2). If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit] (Galatians 5:25 AMP).

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LOCATION ____________________

FIRST LESSON

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THE NUMBER ONE PRINCIPLE of real estate is location, location, location. The first lesson to learn for effective Christian living is also location! It is essential to know the location of your spiritual real estate.

Locate Your Bible Heart Whenever the Bible talks about the heart, it is not referring to the chest area or physical heart. In the Old Testament and New Testament alike, words such as belly or bowels are regularly translated heart in English. In John 7:38, Jesus refers to the heart by the word belly in the Greek, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his BELLY shall flow rivers of living water [emphasis mine]." • •

The heart is the center of man's inward life and the sphere of divine influence. The Bible locates the heart in the belly, not the chest.

Locate Your Thoughts Everyone gets this right. People always point to the head when you ask them the location of their thoughts.

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Locate Your Emotions The Bible tells us that the heart is below the chest, in the belly area, and is the seat of emotion. According to the Bible, the emotional heart is in the belly. The words of a talebearer are as WOUNDS, and they go down into the innermost parts of the BELLY [emphasis mine] (Proverbs 18:8 KJV).

PRACTICE Close your eyes and place your hand on your belly. Think of a stressful situation in your life. Now think of a pleasant memory. Notice how it feels in your gut.

Locate Your Will The Bible tells us the belly or gut is not only the seat of our spirit and emotions, but also of our conscience and will, the faculties of choice and decision making. The word will, in some translations of the Old Testament, is translated reins, or literally our kidneys. I the LORD search the heart, I try the REINS [kidneys], even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings [emphasis mine] (Jeremiah 17:10 KJV). 10 14

Locate the Door of Your Heart The door of the heart is the will. It is in the belly. Scripture tells us that the door of the heart can either open or shut, choose or refuse. Jesus says, in Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the DOOR and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him." ...................................................................

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YIELDING ____________________

DROP DOWN

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ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL LESSONS followers of Jesus can learn is understanding how to yield the will. Unless this lesson is learned, a believer will struggle in many areas of their Christian life.

Connect Yielding instantly connects you to Christ within. When you don't yield, you are left to your own resources! When you yield and connect with God, God works... .... It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13 NASB).

Distance is a Deception He is the Christ who is with you, in your heart, easily accessible, always there for you. He is near, close at hand. Distance is a deception. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28 10 NLT). ". . . they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us" (Matthew 1:23).

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"Drop Down" Drop down is a shorthand term that means "get out of your head and go to Christ in your heart". When you close your eyes and pray, focus on Christ within. It's like dropping a bucket down in a well. When you acknowledge the Lord spirit-to-spirit, you include Him in your life. Proverbs 20:5 in the Amplified Bible says, "Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well." • •

Drop down means get out of your head and go to Christ in your heart. Dropping down is like dropping a bucket down in a well.

PRACTICE Close your eyes and "drop down". Yield to Christ within. It is like relaxing, down low. It is the opposite of being tense. That opens the door of your heart, and makes space in your life for God. Yield even more. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Sense the peace of being in His presence. Now try this! Stay dropped down and open your eyes. As long as you drop down, you stay at peace—even with your eyes open!

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Peace is Practical Jesus is the Prince of Peace. When Jesus is ruling, His peace is present. As soon as you drop down and yield you feel His peace. The peace you feel in God's presence is available all the time. You don't have to be in your prayer closet to "drop down." Actually, you need peace even more when you are at work, on the road, or when the computer crashes. [L]et the PEACE of God RULE in your hearts [emphasis mine] (Colossians 3:15). • • •

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. When you drop down and yield you feel His peace. You can drop down to peace at any time.

God Emotions In the Garden of Eden, before he sinned, Adam only experienced the love, joy, and peace of God—God Emotions—in his emotions. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). When Adam sinned, his spirit was separated from God. He died a spiritual death. Harmony between God and man was fractured. Adam became flesh-ruled instead of spirit-ruled. Man's fallen nature and God's heavenly nature no longer matched. Adam's thoughts, choices, and emotions—in his soul—were now carnal, ruled by flesh.

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Emotions are Signals When a believer yields to God, they experience God Emotions as the fruit of the spirit. When a Christian fails to yield, they experience carnal emotions. Your emotions sound the alarm to let you know which Kingdom is ruling. God Emotions mean the Prince of Peace is ruling in your heart. Negative emotions mean that the enemy has taken some ground. How do you know if you have entered Enemy Territory? Negative emotions. How do you know if you are in God Territory? God Emotions, or the fruit of the spirit! [T]he kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

Forgiveness Gets You into God Territory Forgiveness is the God Tool that takes you out of Enemy Territory into God Territory. God rescued you from the kingdom of darkness and granted you citizenship in the kingdom of God. Forgiveness keeps you there.. ............. He [God] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13). He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was LOVE [emphasis mine] (Song of Songs 2:4 AMP).....................................

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NOTE:

If you are a born again believer, it doesn't mean you have lost your salvation when you temporarily get in Enemy Territory, any more than a United States citizen loses their citizenship if they visit a war zone in a foreign country. It just means that you need to get back into God Territory so you will be safe!

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FORGIVENESS ___________

CHRIST THE FORGIVER

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GRACE IS THE PERSONAL PRESENCE of Christ empowering you to be all that He called you to be, and to do all that He called you to do. Have you learned the definition of "grace" as the unmerited favor of God? That is true. But grace is much more than that. Grace is God doing for you what you can't do for yourself.

The Grace of Forgiveness We forgive by the grace of God. Christ Himself does the forgiving through us. Christ the Forgiver in us does all the work. And everything He does is easy for Him! • • •

Grace is the personal presence of Christ empowering us to be and to do. We forgive by yielding to the grace of God. Christ the Forgiver does all the work.

Forgiveness Defined • • •

Forgiveness must be from the heart and include mind, will and emotions. Forgiveness is a Person. Christ is the Forgiver so He forgives through us. Forgiveness is not an option; it is a command. 18 23

• • • •

Forgiveness releases us so that our lives won't be poisoned. Forgiveness releases others so that God can work in their lives. Forgiveness is canceling a debt. Forgiveness is ceasing to sit in the place of judgment and releasing others to God.

Forgiveness is NOT • • • • • •

NOT being a doormat. NOT pardon in the sense of removing consequences. NOT absolving another's sin. NOT just pretending to forget. NOT reconciling with a person when boundaries still need to be established. NOT releasing someone from personal responsibility.

Christ the Forgiver Christ is the Forgiver. He went to the Cross to give the gift of forgiveness to mankind. Christ the Forgiver does the forgiving in and through us. Forgiveness is grace in action. Through grace we are saved, and by grace we live in the spirit. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. Therefore, it is no longer I who love but Christ who loves through me. It is no longer I who forgive, but Christ who forgives in me! My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me [emphasis mine] (Galatians 2:20 NLT). 19 24

Receiving the Gift of Salvation Remember when you got saved? What happened when you prayed, "Jesus, I ask you to save me and forgive me for my sins"? You opened the door of your heart to Jesus and received forgiveness instantly as a free gift. You then experienced peace with God. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in [emphasis mine](Revelation 3:20). In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins [emphasis mine] (Ephesians 1:7). [T]here is peace with God through Jesus Christ [emphasis mine] (Acts 10:36 NLT). How did you RECEIVE Christ into your heart? Open, forgiveness, fruit. 1. OPEN: You OPENED the door by YIELDING your will (Revelation 3:20). 2. FORGIVENESS: You experienced God's FORGIVENESS (Colossians 1:13-14). Forgiveness removed the barrier which separated you from God. 3. FRUIT: You experienced PEACE with God by receiving forgiveness, experiencing the FRUIT of the Spirit (Romans 5:1; Galatians 5:22-23).

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Walking in the Spirit How should you live the Christian life? In the book of Colossians, Paul tells believers that the way they received salvation is the pattern for Christian living. You can only "walk in the spirit" when your spirit connects with God's Spirit. In John 15, Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." A believer walks in the spirit by maintaining a spiritual connection with God, or abiding in Him. As soon as you disconnect, you are in the flesh. As you . . . have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk [live] in Him (Colossians 2:6). How do you WALK in the Spirit? Open, forgiveness, fruit. 1. OPEN: Keep the door OPEN by YIELDING your will (Revelation 3:20). 2. FORGIVENESS: Live a FORGIVENESS lifestyle. (Luke 24:46-47; Colossians 3:12-13; 1 John 1:7). Forgiveness continually removes barriers separating you from God and others. 3. FRUIT: PEACE is evidence that you are right with God and people (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). Whenever you lose your PEACE, you can instantly regain it dropping down or forgiveness.

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Deep Relief NOW _______________

DRN PRAYER STEPS _______________

Forgive in Three Directions GOD-SELF-OTHERS. Forgiveness goes in three directions: toward God, self, and others. Sometimes a person needs to forgive in two or more directions. If in doubt, forgive. You can't love or forgive too much! • • •

Forgiveness goes in three directions. Forgive God, self, and others. If in doubt, forgive. You can't forgive too much!

1. God: God didn't do anything wrong, but people get angry at Him anyway. Sometimes people feel hurt that God didn't do what they wanted Him to do, or become angry that God didn't stop something from happening. Forgiving God gets your heart right by releasing your judgments toward him. • • •

God didn't do anything wrong. People may get hurt or angry at God if He doesn't do what they want. Forgiving God gets your heart right with God.

2. Self: If you are angry, disappointed with, or ashamed of yourself, you need to receive forgiveness for judging yourself so harshly. Frequently people are much harder on themselves than other people!

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•

•

If you are angry, disappointed with, or ashamed of yourself, you need to receive forgiveness for judging yourself so harshly. If you feel fear, receive forgiveness for taking in fear, something God didn't give you. Frequently, people are harder on themselves than other people.

3. Others: Release forgiveness to other people. It sets you free!

PRACTICE

DRN PRAYER STEPS FIRST

- First person or situation. What is the first person or situation that comes to mind—in an image or memory?

FEEL

- Feel the feeling. Allow yourself to feel. What is the emotion you feel in your gut?

FORGIVE - Forgive. Yield to Christ the Forgiver within and allow a river of forgiveness to flow from the belly until the emotion changes to peace.

FACT - Fact. After forgiving and getting peace, if there is a lie, renounce the lie out loud. Next, ask the Lord for the truth (scriptural fact) and receive it.

FILL - Fill. (1) Forgive first, then (2) release demands

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on people to give you what you needed, such as love, attention, or approval. (3) Receive filling from Christ within. 28

NOTE: Most emotional healings require ONLY the first three steps: First-Feel-Forgive. Forgive 123.

Important Keys for Prayer • • • •

•

Christ is the Forgiver so forgiveness works every time! Forgiveness is instant, not a process. There is no "big or little." It is all easy for Jesus! Sequence is important, so always go in God's order. Pray through one thing at a time until you get peace.

Forgiveness is the answer for dealing with conflict and offenses in the moment as well as the baggage of the past. Forgiveness is THE answer for FEAR—traumas of the past, anxiety in the moment, and worries about the future! God graciously cleans up a lot of things in a person's life at the moment of salvation and some ways of thinking, feeling, and motivation change immediately. However, sanctification is a process, and no one has dealt with every issue past and present.

God Tools God has given us God Tools and expects us to cooperate with Him in the process of sanctification. In 2 Peter 3:18, we are instructed to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." We use our powerful God-tools for . . . fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 MSG). 29

You can only give what you have received. Most believers have not known the easy way to deal with issues, and have simply coped with fears, pain, and shame. If you are still wounded in an area, you do not have an anointing to minister healing to someone else.

Hurt People Hurt People When you are hurting, you will identify with the same hurts in others (trigger one another's wounds) or project your own issues on others. Fear is a snare that isolates you, damages relationships, and blocks your potential. Angry people wound others. Hurt people overreact to even mild stimulation, lash out at others, withdraw from relationships, put up walls, see life through distorted lenses, and can be easily offended. Hurt people hurt people.

Healed People Heal People After the Lord brings healing to you, an anointing flows through the scar to bring healing to others. When you are healed, even the area where you were wounded the most can become your greatest anointing to minister life to the hurting. Healed people heal people! Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

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THOUGHTS ___________________

EMO-COGNITION ____________________

MAKING THE CONNECTION. As we have learned, your heart has a door. God uses this door to make a Spirit-to-spirit connection with you. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:20). How does this connection work in relation to prayer and forgiveness? When you open the door of your heart in prayer, the love of God can flow to your whole being. If the door of your heart is already open to God, all you have to do to be forgiven is yield to His forgiveness. Let me explain how this all works.

Feedback Loop Have you ever heard of something called a feedback loop? One example of a feedback loop is when the pancreas increases the production of insulin after you eat. If blood sugar levels rise, the endocrine system triggers insulin production in the pancreas to counteract the increase and return blood sugar levels to normal. At this point, the pancreas is signaled to stop producing and releasing the insulin. It is a closed unit that operates automatically. You ALSO have a feeling-thought feedback loop that connects your head, heart, organs, and systems.

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You see, emotions cannot be divided from thoughts. Because the brain automatically links your thoughts and emotions together, it’s impossible to separate them. They are inextricably joined as feeling-thought units.

Feeling-Thoughts The Bible reveals a clear connection of our heart, our emotions, our thoughts, and our hurtful ways (the will):

FEELING-THOUGHT

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me (Psalm 139:23-24 NASB). Your brain combines thought and emotion into indivisible units. When an event is stored in the brain’s long-term memory, it’s saved as a feeling-thought entity, merged within the loop. The feeling-thought incorporates the will in the same loop. This causes the will to act based on the emotional information.

Emotion + Thought + Will = Behavior When you deal with the emotion, the thought loses power and behavior can change. This system explains some of what Paul was struggling with in Romans 7. 28 32

Because the activity in the feedback loop is beyond our control, it keeps on operating the same way despite our attempts to change. Have you ever said that something “pushes your buttons”? That means your feeling-thought loop has been triggered, bringing a negative emotion to the surface. Every time that button is pushed, you react automatically. So does that mean it’s impossible for change to occur? Not at all. However, it takes something from the outside breaking into the loop to change the dynamics within the system. Otherwise, the same cycle just keeps repeating itself. Forgiveness instantly deprives the thought of negative emotional power. Even though you may still hear the thought occasionally, if it doesn't trigger a negative emotion, you can ignore the thought.

THOUGHT CATEGORIES: • •

Random thought or worry: For example, ... Strategy - just receive forgiveness for any anxiety and release it, let it go, from the gut until you feel peace. Emotional trigger: In prayer, ask, "Where did that come from?" Pray through the memory using DRN prayer steps. To deal with thoughts, use the FACT step after dealing with the emotion.

FACT

- Fact. After forgiving and getting peace, if there is a lie, renounce the lie out loud. Next, ask the Lord for the truth (scriptural fact) and receive it. •

Flashback: Pray through the memory using the DRN prayer steps. To deal with thoughts, use the FACT step after dealing with the emotion.

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FACT

- Fact. After forgiving and getting peace, if there is a lie, renounce the lie out loud. Next, ask the Lord for the truth (scriptural fact) and receive it.

TEST YOUR THOUGHTS Don't accept thoughts, or "own" them, just because they come into your head. Put them to the test! Take responsibility for your thought life. Refuse to listen to the wrong voices. Test thoughts by applying these three tests: Word, Spirit, Fruit. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but TEST the spirits, whether they are of God [emphasis mine] (1 John 4:1).

1.

Test by the Word Does the thought line up with the Bible? God will never violate His written Word. Obviously, the more Bible you know, the more you can recognize as scriptural or not scriptural. God will never encourage sin or violate a teaching in His Word. Is the thought scriptural, or something a loving God would say? All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

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2. Test by the Spirit Does your spirit bear witness with God's Spirit, or does the thought make you feel uncomfortable in your gut? When God speaks, it is spontaneous and revelatory. When you spend time with God in prayer, you become familiar with His presence. His presence is pure, holy, and full of love. Even a corrective word from God has all the love of heaven behind it. When God speaks, His voice imparts life. When the enemy speaks, the thought is intrusive, negative, or seducing. The voice of the enemy releases poison, or death. But the [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach (1 Timothy 4:1 AMP).

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Test by the Fruit God's voice produces good fruit. Does the thought cause a bad feeling in your gut? Will it produce a good or bad ultimate outcome? If you listen to the thought, will it ultimately produce good or bad fruit? You will fully recognize them by their fruits.. . . every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit (Matthew 17:16-18).

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KEEP THE DOORS CLOSED You don't have to fear fear. Use your God tools consistently and you will always be able to get the upper hand. Deal with fear issues one at a time as they come up. Even if you had 100 traumatic incidents to deal with (and nobody has that many), if you dealt with just one a day, you would be finished with them all in three months and ten days! For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-4 AMP). We use our powerful God-tools for . . . fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity [emphasis mine] (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG). One last strategy: Fear only has two doors to get a foothold in your life: the mind door and the emotion door. When you are free from fear on the inside and guard your thoughts, you can stay free. The good news is that, if you accidently let a thought get the better of you, or give in to some fear temporarily, you can deal with it immediately—and get your freedom back!

You NEVER have to tolerate fear again!

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