Healing for a Broken Spirit

The following quote is from my novel “A Reason to Pray at Mountainview“:

He [Mark Torrell] had dozed off in the chapel praying for his family and to ask God … again … for forgiveness, something that he has never been able to accept from God. And again he found that neither medication, sleep, nor a religious setting was strong enough to quiet his soul and to remove the shame that kept him enslaved to his past sins.

“I guess it’s only right that God wouldn’t hear me, and I guess that it would only be right to let me die. I know that I deserve to, I just hope …”

Common Struggles

I’m sure that all of us can relate to Mark Torrell, in that he had more than one crisis hit him at the same time. We may differ in our situations, but we all know that life doesn’t pull any punches. Mark’s punches were coming at him faster and harder, and his spirit was getting weaker with each punch. The hardest punches were leaving him beat up and broken. They were guilt, shame, and regret. These three were leaving him flat on the mat, deterring him from praying and discouraging him from believing. The longer he was kept down, the more fear and hopelessness were taking their toll on of his life.

For Mark, his weak spirit was rooted in his past. It was a past that continued to work against him to keep him from finding the peace of God’s presence and from holding on to God’s promises. Yet Mark is not an isolated prisoner to the past. Is there anyone who has not found themselves confronted with a past that tries to condemn and even break them? Perhaps you, or someone you know, has a past that is haunting you and deterring you from living in the joy and peace of Christ. The effects of a broken spirit reach further into our lives than we would ever expect. When a person begins sliding downward, it becomes more and more difficult to stop and turn around. If we don’t learn to address our past, we may find ourselves more like Mark.

Proverbs 18:14 (NKJV) — The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?

John Piper, addressing Proverbs 18:14:

“…if the spirit is broken, if our hearts are downcast, if our soul is flat like a deflated beach ball, what can you do? The very will is broken; the flags of our affection just hang there with no wind to unfurl them.”

This quote reminds us of a dire need that is often neglected, which is the care of our spiritual health. A strong spirit gives hope and encouragement; it sustains us through life’s struggles, and is able to find traction to walk with the Lord. John Piper went on to say:

“If our hearts are strong in the Lord, if our soul is refreshed, we can endure the pain of the body.”

Finding Healing for a Broken Spirit

“The Gospel is the difference-maker, all the difference in heaven and earth.” (From “A Reason to Pray at Mountainview“)

Jesus delights in healing broken hearts, broken lives, and broken relationships. God is glorified in healing brokenness. That is what He does. Who else can? Drugs? Therapy? An adrenalin rush? Entertainment? Only the Maker of the spirit can heal a broken spirit. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings healing, peace, cleansing, love, and forgiving. The Gospel is what the human heart needs.

Psalm 147:3  (NKJV) — He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Charles Spurgeon encourages:

His deep sympathy with mourners is a special mark of his goodness. Few will associate with the despondent, but Jehovah chooses their company, and abides with them till he has healed them by his comforts. He deigns to handle and heal broken hearts: he himself lays on the ointment of grace, and the soft bandages of love, and thus binds up the bleeding wounds of those convinced of sin. This is compassion like a God. Well may those praise him to whom he has acted so gracious a part. The Lord is always healing and binding: this is no new work to him, he has done it of old; and it is not a thing of the past of which he is now weary, for he is still healing and still binding, as the original hath it. Come, broken hearts, come to the Physician who never fails to heal: uncover your wounds to him who so tenderly binds them up! (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 120-150 (Vol. 6, p. 415). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Jesus said,

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

The Psalmist, David, knew where to run when overwhelmed and broken.

Psalm 61:1–2 — Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.  From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

It all goes back to the One who offers eternal life and liberty–Jesus Christ.

Confession of Freedom in Christ

If you are In Christ, then you are free. You are free with an exclamation point. We need to be careful not to replace His exclamation point with a comma and add to what He did and Who He is for us. Don’t add requirements, rules, or yokes of bondage of human-works to the simple Gospel of Grace. It is by faith alone; grace alone, in Christ alone, … plus nothing!

John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

The “Indeed” is Christ’s exclamation point. Don’t add a “… yea but …”

 

A Confession of Freedom

Jesus, You set me free and I live in Your Grace …

So that I can enjoy You, my God and Savior;

So that I can bathe in Your Love, in Your kindness towards me, and drink from Your fountain of Life;

So that I can walk with You and talk with You in both the Good times and in my struggles and heartaches;

So that my flesh nature will grow weaker and more dim in its influence and voice;

So that I can become the child & son who You created me to be;

And so that I may know You, My God and Savior.

 

I live free from the fear of Your rejection;

Free from the fear of disappointing You;

Free from worrying if I’m good enough, strong enough, righteous enough, or religious enough.

Because I am not and I can’t be, and Jesus Christ is for me.

 

I live free to love You without wondering how You love me;

free to be just me, and I don’t have to strive to be like anyone else – to be a ‘cookie-cutter’ Christian;

I can live free from what others think about me because I know What You think about me.

free from Who religious people try to make me to be, which is like them;

free from trying to keep a list of requirement to be loved by You.

 

I am free to serve my God not because I have to, but because I can and want to serve You;

I am free from all requirements to be saved, to be accepted, and to walk with my Jesus;

I am free from my past, and that includes yesterday. I can enjoy the Now with my Savior and Father;

I no longer live under a yoke and in religious shackles, but in the Ocean of Grace.

That is why I boast in nothing but the Cross.

I am free… TO LIVE!

If You Speak Against Me …

“If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, “He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.” ~ Epictetus

This is the response of love as Jesus taught.

This is not the way of the worldly minded who prefer self-justification and/or revenge. The person who puts his identity and personhood in how others view him will react in a defensive mode or be wounded.

He who accepts that he is who he is only by the grace of God:

  1. Will not deny his imperfections and sinfulness, but can agree with them. I John 1:8-10 reminds us not to deceive ourselves and call God a liar by denying that we have many faults and that we do blow it. Yes, we do sin, but we have an advocate who is also our propitiation, and He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
  2. Will see himself through the blood of Christ and through the opinions of others. He knows that the acceptance that actually counts in life is not from accusers, but from the Defender–Jesus Christ.  His image is found in Christ Jesus, not in whether he fits into the world or conforms to the world’s mold. The Apostle Paul wasn’t relying on the approval of man, but of God. Should we not follow in those footsteps? (Galatians 1:10)
  3. Will not be afraid of words spoken against him by man. He cares what God says about him. Such a person expects the unbelieving world to think of him as strange, as one who is of a different world or different set of values and standards. After all, are we not living according to another kingdom, under a king not of this world? (Psalm 27:1-3)
  4. Will be able to remain at peace and in joy because he has a mediator, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who has silenced the accuser before the throne of God. He knows that the righteousness of Christ Jesus has been imputed to his account and nothing can remove it, for nothing can take away what Christ has given. (Romans 831-39)
  5. Will bless and pray for those that speak against him. (Matthew 5:43-48)

If anyone tells you that you’re a no good, rotten sinner who deserves hell (probably adding some flowery adjectives mixed in the description), reply with gentleness and meekness with,

“Yes, I know. And you don’t know the half of it. But God, who is rich in mercy, forgave me of all that stuff when Jesus Christ bore my sins and their penalty when He was on the cross. And if He did it for this rotten sinner, He can do it for you. Would you like to know how?”

This video is from Shane and Shane, “Embracing Accusations.” The lyrics may even surprise you. The message is sound biblical truth to live by.