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Last week we discussed when we are the unknowing victims and there is no way for us to “have known better.”
This week I want to talk about an even more troubling situation when women have put themselves in harm's way. Therefore, it’s not as easy to be set free as those who couldn’t have known, and this is exactly where the enemy will torment you.
What hope is there for women who are not completely innocent? Such as women who may drink or who have put themselves in harm's way or when they chose to be alone with a man, knowing that they actually sensed there was any danger? In other words, they should have known.
Is there hope for women who are partially or even fully to blame?
ABSOLUTELY!
The key verse that is the foundation of our faith is “While we were yet sinners!” (Romans 5:8) Jesus didn’t die because we were good or even partially good, none of us were innocent of sin. No. It’s when we were sinners, that’s when He loved us enough to die for us!
This means that even when we played a part in what happened to us, He is standing there with His arms open wide ready to speak kindly and lovingly to us!! And not only do we receive His love, but He goes beyond what we could ever imagine!
Isaiah 40:2—“Speak kindly . . . And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the LORD'S hand DOUBLE for all her sins.”
So, this means, if you’ve been battling a war against shame and guilt—with regrets and revisions playing over and over again in your head “I should have known!!” and it’s even partly true, YES, you should have known better—but it’s time to give the battle to Him and then spend your energy and focus on reaping the DOUBLE blessings He died to give you!
Exodus 14:13—“Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today..."
If you do need to confess something you should not have gotten involved in, ask the Lord how He’d like you to take care of it. Don’t wait, stop to ask Him now. So then, when you’re accused or tormented again you’ll be able to remind yourself you are forgiven, and not only forgiven, you’ve been blessed double!!
From that moment on, each and every time the accuser tries to torment you, you can smile and look up with gratitude in your heart, because the truth is that the enemy can’t steal your peace from you. It is finished.
Clearing up your past is something you don’t have to make a project of. Instead, just deal with them one-by-one as they come up in your head and mind.
One thing is to make sure you’re clear on, and a truth that will set you free, is that though you may (and probably will) remember something, you’ll find that when you give it to the Lord and resolve the pain, shame and every other negative emotion—when you think of it again, there should be NO negative emotion attached. In other words, YES, you’ll remember but it remains in your head, without emotions from your heart being attached.
It’s important to know this because the enemy is clever and crafty, so he loves to lie just enough to torment you even more: when you do remember, he will say that because you still remember, it means you haven’t forgiven. That’s a lie.
The reason HE still has you remember is for one reason only—to help minister to other women! With the pain, shame and every other negative feeling gone, leaving behind only the double blessings, that begins with you "sowing" these truths into the lives of others.
And to help you to do this, we want to encourage more of you to begin seeking God for wisdom about writing your own Restoration Journey Novel.
If you’ve faithfully filled out all the lesson forms while journalling to the Lord, then you’ve been documenting your journey and it can be used to create chapters for your book.
Unleashing the TRUTH