1BREAKING FREE FROM THE PAST #1 Healing For the Wounded Spirit

Pastor/Teacher Ken Birks

I. Introductory Remarks.
I am beginning the series of messages titled, "Breaking Free from the Bondages of the Past". As I begin this series of messages I want to ask yo a !ery im"ortant # estion. "Are yo tired of being chained to yo r "ast... emotional wo nds, broken relationshi"s, addictions and other areas of yo r life that kee" yo in bondage from being the s ccessf l "erson yo wo ld really like to be$ If so, I want yo to know that there is ho"e for yo . %es s came to heal the brokenhearted and the o""ressed and &is '"irit is with s today carrying o t this im"ortant " r"ose in o r li!es. Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel
to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted , to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed...

In today(s message I wo ld like to begin talking abo t a s b)ect that has affected e!eryone of s no matter who we are. I want to talk abo t the emotional wo nds that we all recei!e along life(s "athway. I say this with confidence, beca se I am aware of the cr el and im"erfect world we m st all co"e with. *one of s are e+em"t from being emotionally h rt from time to time, b t yo need to know that ,od(s desires for yo to be healed of these wo nds. -!en King .a!id had wo nds that needed to be healed. Psalms 109:22
or ! a" poor and needy, #nd "y heart is $ounded $ithin "e.

*o matter who we are... a b siness"erson, sales"erson, constr ction worker, bl e collar worker, com" ter whi/, "rofessional "erson, mother, father, h sband or wife 0 life can be !ery cr el and hard, gi!ing s emotional wo nds and scars that affect o r li!es in a !ery negati!e way. 1n the o tside, we may look good, b t on the inside many of s are h rting from the emotional wo nds we(!e "icked " along life(s )o rney. 'ome of yo ha!e already acknowledged and dealt with yo r wo nds and ha!e
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&ealing For the 3o nded '"irit

Pastor/Teacher, Ken Birks

recei!ed healing and are li!ing s ccessf l li!es as a res lt4 and there are some of yo ha!e acce"ted yo r wo nds and are co"ing with life as best as yo can. And then there are those of yo who are barely able to f nction beca se yo ha!e become so in) red as a res lt. Is there hope for o!" #an o!r $o!n%s &e heale%" I &elie'e the ans$er is an !ne(!i'o)al es*

II+ So)iet ,s In%i)ators.

There are many indicators in o r society that re!eal to s how far reaching these wo nds ha!e s"read. The recent s icide of rock star, 5 rt 5obain, from the rock band *ir!ana e+"resses the ho"elessness that his fo nd in many of today(s yo th. -!en tho gh he was !ery s ccessf l as a rock star, he had lost his desire for life. &is most recent alb m was almost titled "I hate myself and I want to .ie." It was said that he li!ed a !ery sad and angry life, and all of that came o t in his m sic. A society that is addicted to e!erything and anything. The "o" larity of thera"ists and s ""ort gro "s. There are s ""ort gro "s for e!erything. The to"ics on the many talk shows eg., 1"hra 3infrey, .onah e and others. The dr g "roblems and gang !iolence. The reason this is so far reaching is beca se h rt "eo"le, h rt others. It(s an nbroken chain reaction. If o r society(s ills are going to be broken, than we m st begin to break the chains in o r own li!es and sto" this endless cycle of h rting and wo nding one another. To do this, we m st first identify the ca se of the wo nd and how it has affected o r li!es.

III+ -o!n%s . Their #a!ses / Res!lts+

1+ The Major Causes of Most Wounds. -motional wo nds inflicted by "arents, eg. story of boy 6 father. Physical, mental, !erbal ab se. 'e+ al ab se 7familiar fig re coming to yo ways that are not right8.
Breaking Free Pt.2

in the night, to ching yo in

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&ealing For the 3o nded '"irit

Pastor/Teacher, Ken Birks

Abandonment. ,eneral meanness in others, eg kids can be !ery mean sometimes Broken relationshi"s. :a)or disa""ointments. *asty .i!orce. :a)or moral fail re, eg. ad ltery, abortion, etc. 0+ Results of Most Wounds. :aybe yo are not s re how affected yo ha!e been by yo r wo nds. ;o may think e!erything is ok. &ere are some indicators as to how yo may be affected. 3o nded "eo"le h rt others -+d s 9<=>0?. Anger, bitterness, !iolence. hate 6 that *o 5onfidence esteem. 0 low self

Aonely and withdrawn 0 !ery few friends. Bnable to res"ond to others "ro"erly. -ating disorders. ' icidal tendencies. Afraid to show lo!e.

@e"eating the things ha""ened to yo . 'elf condemnation.

'hame, g ilt 6 nworthiness.

Bnfort nately, the "erson we ha!e become has been sha"ed by these wo nds and their res lts. The wo nds ha!e "rod ced ma)or strongholds in o r li!es that render s ineffecti!e and n"rod cti!e. This is why many "eo"le are nha""y with the way their li!es are t rning o t. They ha!e failed to deal with these im"ortant iss es and as a res lt they are im"aired from ha!ing a life filled with ,od(s riches and ab ndance. As indi!id als it is im"ortant for s to break free from the bondage of the "ast if we are to be s ccessf l in the "resent and the f t re. ;o r life doesn(t ha!e to remain as it is. To often the bondage of the "ast im"airs s to the "resent and the f t re. 3e are looking thro gh the "resent and f t re thro gh the glasses of the "ast. The (!estion to%a
Breaking Free Pt.2

is1 2Is there hope for

o!"

#an

o!r $o!n%s &e

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&ealing For the 3o nded '"irit

Pastor/Teacher, Ken Birks

heale%"2 The ans$er is an !ne(!i'o)al es* %es s said... 3ohn 14514 "The thief does not co"e e%cept to steal, and to &ill, and to destroy. I have come that
they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly".

All of the abo!e ca ses and res lts are from the hand of the enemy. &e has contin ally sown corr "tion into the li!es of "recio s indi!id als e!erywhere. 3e ha!e all been affected in one degree or another.

I6+ How Does Healing

ome!

I(m sim"ly going to introd ce yo to these "rinci"les today and in the ne+t message we will look at them in more detail as we disc ss "5learing the 5l tter of the Past".

3e m st belie!e that %es s really wants and desires to heal s. 0 Mark 2:17
& Hebrews 4:14-16.

3e m st come o t of denial and o"enly acknowledge and confess o r wo nd 0 Psalm 62:5-8, Psalm 118:5-6 and John 8:31. 3e m st deal with the root and not ) st the sym"tom 0 mos 2:!. 3e m st forgi!e and let go 0 "oloss#ans 3:12-15. 3e m st lo!e o r enemies 0 Ma$$hew 5:44. 3e m st find a safe en!ironment to take off o r mask 0 James 5:16. 3e m st take comfort and strength in ,od(s word 0 Psalm 11!:5%, !2-!3. 3e m st engage in '"irit al warfare 0 &'hes#ans 6:1%-14. 3e m st re"ent in areas where o r own sin has ca sed the damage 0 ($s
3:1!

3e m st ha!e the co rage to face the "ain and the gliness of the wo nd.

6+ #on)l!%ing Re7ar8s+
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore $e also, since $e are surrounded by so great a cloud of $itnesses, let
us lay aside every $eight, and the sin $hich so easily ensnares us, and let us run $ith endurance the race that is set before us, loo&ing unto 'esus, the author and finisher of our faith, $ho for the (oy that $as set before Hi" endured the cross, despising the sha"e, and has sat do$n at the right hand of the throne of )od.

Ill!stration a&o!t sports )ar tr ing to p!ll a trailer+

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&ealing For the 3o nded '"irit

Pastor/Teacher, Ken Birks

It wasn(t designed to do so, therefore it hindered its ability to f nction and mane !er according to its design.

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