“By the power of Christ’s healing love, dead men walk out of tombs”. I used to be that dead man. I remember sobbing in Pastor Ken’s arms after receiving prayer at a ministry retreat.
We all have our stuff!
Lazarus being raised from the dead (John 11) might sound like some kind of miraculous story that only happens in the Bible, but the truth is it happens every day—usually in slow motion. You know this to be true if you have ever attended a Celebrate Recovery meeting, a Deeper Still retreat, Pure Desire 7 Pillars group, or numerous other inner healing ministries we offer here at Petra. Almost all of us can relate to feeling STUCK at some point in life; no one is exempt from developing hurts, habits, and hang-ups. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind”. As a professional counselor, I live for those moments when I get to witness people getting UNSTUCK; set free. It truly is a miracle, but definitely not the end of the story.
Over the past fifteen years, my wife, Marci, and I have soaked in just about every ministry, growth, and healing opportunity Petra has offered: from parenting seminars to deliverance prayers; inner healing to marriage conferences; small groups to receiving prophetic words. My testimony is that dying to my pride and choosing to receive with an open heart has set me free, but not all at once of course. In God’s timing, and through the hard work of chipping away at my areas of woundedness, I have experienced more and more freedom and healing. It is a process. It’s not a once and done deal; it’s a lifestyle. We look at it as an investment of our time and finances. It takes perseverance and desire—coming to a place where we surrender all to God—not just so we can be healed but because we desire The Healer above all else.
Why do we pursue freedom? First and foremost, this healing directly impacted the most important ministry I have–My family! I desire to be the best husband and father I can be. I certainly don’t get it perfect, but thank you Jesus that I didn’t stay stuck in my broken state of trying to do things out of my own strength. Thank the Lord that every step of healing that I take is changing my family-line for generations to come. It is not just for myself but my children and their children and their children’s children.
The second sphere I apply my healing to is in my business and in our church community. My wife and I started our journey by sitting through marriage seminars, and now we’re teaching them. We progressed from learning about parenting to mentoring and counseling other parents, and from receiving inner healing to helping coordinate inner healing events. My wife’s office is here at Petra, right beside mine. We are a team, and we love to pass on to others the tremendous love and grace-filled kindness the Lord has shown us.
In my experience, the call to receive healing goes beyond working through your own journey. Your healing doesn’t just benefit you so you can enjoy a better life. The Bible teaches that those who are faithful with the little things will be given more responsibility. Submitting to shepherding from your leaders and replicating the healing process for others around you is a powerful calling. We are grateful for what God has accomplished in our lives, and for those who walked with us, and we want to do the same for others. That is a privilege.
My goal is to have my life align with my leadership. What does that look like? We have safe people in our lives that love us and pray for us and know our struggles. We can be transparent and accountable to them. And as a couple we chose to trust and be open with one another. Healed healers do not live secret lives, nor do we sojourn alone. It doesn’t mean we don’t have stuff, but rather that we are committed to humbly allowing others to come along side us, as well as lead those coming after us.
Whether it is providing supervision to my anointed team of counselors, or Marci overseeing the Lifesprings healing ministries, we are fulfilled and humbled by God’s sustaining power. What exciting and unique opportunities does the Lord have waiting for you to minister to someone else?! My prayer is that the greater body of Christ will come into the full measure of God’s calling in our lives so that we might live out our faith and change the world one person at a time!
Tags: resurrection, transparent, healing, healer, recovery, process
