This past Sunday I was reading in Luke 13:10-17. This is a
story about a woman being healed on the Sabbath. This woman had a spirit of
infirmity for 18 years and couldn’t lift herself up. Now, if you think about
it, the spirit of infirmity is a representative of Satan. So Jesus saw this
spirit that has plagued her as a demonic attack. Now, for many of us abused
victims, we didn’t ask for that spirit to be upon us – the person who raped us
infected us with their spirit. And for us being so young, we didn’t know what
was going on. What we have to understand is that when a person rapes a person
or a child, the rapist and/or abuser is already plagued with a demonic spirit.
I don’t care if that person is behind a pulpit or sitting in the pew, their
spirit is so full of evil. For some people who have been abused, they fall into
what’s known as the “victim mentality.” When you think about it, being a victim
of things is really a trap of the devil. I’m not saying that it’s your fault.
It was placed upon you against your will when you were raped and/or abused. The
devil’s residue was left upon you. I believe with all of my heart that there’s
a strong chance that you have a purpose that will make a tremendous impact and
you are called for something great. Because we were targets of the devil and he
tried to kill us via abuse and destroying our mind especially at a young age,
he thought (and I emphasize thought) that we would stay bound for the remainder
of our lives as a victim. I’m not saying the abuser is off the hook, for he or
she will pay. But many people in the world and church allow the abuser to get
off the hook. The abuser is wrong and we need to place the blame where it really
belongs, to the devil! I encourage you as a fellow survivor, to voice your
story (even at the risk of your life). You need to speak out. A wrong
(truthfully, A CRIME) was done unto you. And for anybody to say don’t worry
about the abuser, let them off the hook. That’s allowing a crime to go
unpunished. And we wonder why there’s so much corruption in the world?
Depending on the magnitude of the abuse and how bad the devil wants you dead
will determine how long you will stay in the victim mentality. Sadly, we as the
body of Christ can be so ugly towards abused victims (granted, some were ugly
towards me) and thinking they are acting that way in service of the Lord.
Separate the people from the church. There are some good apples and some bad
apples. Know that there will only be a few who will be able to get in the water
and help you. Some just need to stay out of the water because they’ll drown you
and themselves. Back to you my fellow abuse survivor. Some of us will never get
the apology we deserve from those who abused us because of denial or other
reasons that we may never know. Let them
go, set a boundary. Your life is much too precious to let them have a say so
for our lives. You will never get the approval from those who neglected you,
abandoned you, and abused you. I’ll be honest, my childhood was stunted when my
uncle moved in the house with us (I was eight years old) – that’s when the
physical abuse started with me. I said all of what I said above (I know I said
a lot, and keep reading because there’s more) to say this: you have so much to
live for. Raise your voice and don’t be afraid to share your story (you will be
attacked, but it’s worth it). I know me typing this blog is going to cause more
persecution for me, but it’s worth it. Know that I will always have your back.
OK, I got off my script, but back to the Scripture verse. Now,
Jesus called her unto Him and said “Woman Thou Art Loosed.” Jesus longs to heal
people who are plagued with demonic spirits. Sadly, in this culture, people are
so full of self-love that they close their eyes to those who are hurting as a
result of rape, incest and abuse. A true Christian will see a person hurting
and will love that person without judging them and making them feel like
they’re at fault.
A short interlude: this paragraph will not go over well
among those who have never been abused, for those who feel they have all the
answers, for those who like to point fingers at those who’ve been abused
telling them to “get over it,” who love to reject those who have been abused
telling them “oh, you need counseling.” Can you for once put your pride aside,
your spiritual ego aside to include coming out of your elite circle and offer a
word of encouragement for those who have suffered abuse? If this were to happen
in your family, you’d want everyone around you to stop and pray. Can you get
outside your box for a moment? I promise you it will do you some good. It’s
people like you why many abused victims either turn their backs on church or
consider suicide and if we’re going to continue focusing on self, our grade on
conduct will always remain an F-. We can’t go on business as usual.
Now that what I’ve typed above is off my chest, let me
get ready to bless the Lord. Stay tuned for Part 2.
