Things that Keep Us from Living a Fervent Life Part 1: Unhealed Wounds

Last time I shared how God radically changed my life and gave me a passion to live fervently for Him the rest of my days. I think most Christians, when asked, would say they want to live passionate, fervent lives for Christ. But I think many Christians struggle to do just that.

In this series we'll be talking about five things that can keep you from living a fervent life. Today in part one we're talking about unhealed wounds. This one strikes a huge chord for me because of my story. I won't elaborate much on that in this post but if you'd like to know more about my testimony you can check it out here .

Suffice it to say I was an extremely wounded person years ago. I couldn't even comprehend what a fervent life was. If I was honest, I didn't get verses like John 10:10 where Jesus said He came to give us abundant life. Actually, if I’m really honest, I just flat out didn't believe Him.

My heart hurt too much. I had too many wounds. Too many questions. Too many doubts. Too many fears. Life had brought with it too many catastrophes. I was too tired, too weary, too depressed.

I chose this topic as the first one in this series because honestly I believe that unless we deal with our unhealed wounds we'll never be able to move on with our lives. For instance, My dad was a very broken man. His heart held many wounds. But instead of opening up and dealing with those wounds he chose to hide them. He chose to put on a mask instead; a brave face... all the while the infection of his wounds spread until eventually they consumed his heart, mind, and soul. He committed suicide on September 1st 2013. He made a choice. And he chose to ignore his unhealed wounds.

It took several years of counseling, and fighting, and surrendering. It took saturating myself in God's truth, and soaking myself in His loving presence, It took taking step of faith after tiny step of faith to realize with absolute certainty that I have the ability to choose a better way of life because of Jesus Christ.

Healing is REAL and I can choose it because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection. Because of Jesus I can endure and persevere in the healing process. Because of Jesus my wounds can be healed and my damaged mind can be reprogrammed. Because of Jesus I can experience the joy and the abundant life He offers... and so can you.

I urge you, Beloved, if you are struggling with unhealed wounds please seek help. Cry out to Jesus, find a Gospel-believing counselor or therapist. Open up to a trusted mentor at your church. Be real with a Jesus-loving community of believers. It can be terrifying sometimes but they truly can encourage you on your walk, strengthen you in the fight, and maybe-just maybe-they'll open up too and you'll realize you're not alone.

Fervent life. Passionate faith. Enduring joy. It all starts by being honest about our wounds with ourselves, with God, and with those in the Body of Christ He’s brought alongside us.

And remember, because of Christ, you are never ever alone. His very name, Immanuel, means "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). Isaiah 53:3 says this Savior of ours "was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief..." (NLT). Jesus came down to us, endured the most gruesome torture, and gave up everything for us on the cross so we wouldn't have to go through this journey on our own. He came down from heaven and experienced rejection and sorrow and deepest grief so we wouldn't have to walk through ours alone.

Years ago I once said I didn't believe healing was real. I said I didn't believe we could ever be healed on this earth; that we were doomed to trudge around with our hurts and our bleeding emotional wounds until the day we died.

I no longer believe that's the case. In fact, I know it’s not. I now believe that God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do. I believe He can heal, and restore, and redeem. He can breathe life into the dying, and light into the darkness. He can use the enemy's attacks against him. He can work all things for good. He can bring life, and hope, and joy out of the darkest of night. He did it for me, and He can do it for you.