The War On This "Identity Crisis"

You know, I was getting ready for work this morning, and right before I ate breakfast, this was dropped in my spirit.

Why don't we in the body of Christ sow into the lives of others (via an encouraging word, a word from the Lord, intercession, standing in the gap, etc.)? As I look at my life and many around me, I’m finding that there are so many who are self-sabotaging their futures because of past mistakes (or childhood abuse). I’ll be honest, when I was young and even now that I’m old, I find myself wanting to punish myself when I do something wrong whether it be in thought, word and deed. And this happens knowing that God loves me and will forgive me when I repent. Now watch this, many think that when they sin (and I’ve done this at times too), that God is mad at them and he hates them. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He hates sin, not YOU! All of this self-inflicting, self-pain, self-punishment is all part of the devil's plan, to divide us from people, but to also divide us from ourselves.

You know, Mark 3:24-26 says the following: If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. Did you get that? If the enemy is divided, he cannot stand and he has an end. When the enemy ensnares people with the sole intent to divide them from themselves, that's what brings about an "IDENTITY CRISIS." I don't know about you, but I'm tired of seeing my brothers and my sisters being picked off by the devil! That spirit can no longer hang over my brother’s heads & my sister’s heads.

So, how do we declare war on those with an Identity Crisis? As I am someone who speaks on mental illness, I want to be very careful with this. In most cases, many illnesses were brought on a person not by choice (especially when they have experienced trauma in their lives). In these cases (and this is the focal point of this particular blogpost), this all came from a demonic spirit. This is the war I’m referring to. But wait, this war is not against flesh and blood (it’s a spiritual war when it’s all said and done). But back to my question: how do we declare war on those with an Identity Crisis? First, we need to have a faith so grounded in Christ, notice I said Christ and not in people. As we live day to day, we see the world getting worse and worse (increase of wars, love of many growing cold – if you want to read the source of this, check out Matthew 24:1-14). As a result, people in the world are being picked off by the devil, but we in the body of Christ need to be extremely careful, that we don’t get picked off by the devil. Although the devil seeks those he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), but let me say this: 1 John 5:4 declares that this is the victory that has overcome the world—even our faith.

Second, it's time for some serious intercession within the Body of Christ for each other in a spirit of love and not to show how spiritual you are. We all need to experience the healing power of Christ especially in this hour, for Jesus is the Ultimate Healer. Believe me, a healing is needed for the minds, bodies, souls and spirits of many. We can sing Hezekiah Walker's I Need You To Survive, but how seriously do we take it? As for me personally, I’m determined (for His glory and not my own) to stand in the gap as an open and yielded vessel for those in the body of Christ who are hurting and struggling with an Identity Crisis.

Blessings,

The Mayne Man

Author Spotlight (Fiona Barnes)

I know it's been a while since I've done a blogpost (as well as an author spotlight). This author I actually met on Twitter and we became acquainted as we tweet on PTSD and child sexual abuse respectfully. She has quite a story and I still have to read her book about how she copes with living with a husband with PTSD. With that, I introduce to you today Fiona Barnes.

I'm a single mother of two delightful, insightful children, both of whom are battling PTSD. Not in the sense that they have it themselves (although it's likely), in the way of soldiers: with respect and ambition.

Their father, a firefighter, was diagnosed in 1999. Watching him fight two bouts in their lifetimes alone, they worry and struggle. They wake up with questions. Hopefully, they go to bed with answers. 

My job is to alleviate their fears, speak to their concerns, keep them safe, and treat their worthiness. I'm the anti-PTSD. :) and ;)

Paul (their dad) left our home in 2013. Recently, he's distanced himself even more from our family (the disease will do that). Our son is a musician. He plays just about everything (but he's magic with a guitar-listen at YouTube.com/ABFateless). He also teaches and engineers. Our daughter is a student. They're both lovers; they deem themselves here to help the world, much like our friend Tremayne, who asked me to write a simple bio. 

Far be it from me to be a really good listener, here he goes. I'm a writer; I've published three books so far. I have one more ready to go. I've got two more under contract with my brain. I write books that help people understand PTSD. I'm interested in wellness versus illness however, as well as support. I really, truly enjoy and admire watching others succeed. So far I've watched my son publish one book and one CD. (He threatened me his music wouldn't see the light of day if my words stayed in our living room. So perhaps 'watched' isn't an incredibly correct word.) Paul has written and seen amazing success with his first title. And a handful of friends have reached for their dreams on my watch. 

I lead a writing class for young ladies at the beach-that is to say, we enjoy scrawling exercises and prompts. We work on inspiration. We giggle a lot. It's endearingly fun and my roster has blown up in the one year I've been at it. In 2016, I'll release an online version. (Stay tuned to BeachChristmasLife.com if you're interested.) 

So who am I? An unapologetic mother, first and foremost. I'm a former marriage addict,  currently between husbands. I'm a voracious reader who loves words, and anyone who inspires them. I'm a star-gazing free spirit, dreamily chasing a filmy version of my own future reality. And I'm a grateful chick. 

Who does that add up to? I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out. In the meantime, tell me your dreams-I'm grateful already in anticipation of your inspiration. 

How Fear And Pride Hurt Others

You know, I was listening to a sermon over the weekend talking about Faith To Finish and I want to focus this blogpost on one of the points made (by the way, it was a great sermon overall). I turned the point that the pastor made into a series of questions and I want you all to think about my questions and the following example:

Why do we disobey God when He tells us to do something and we do something contrary? Here’s my example: someone comes to me for healing and I pray and ask God to give me a Word to speak to that someone. He gives me the Word, but I disregard the Word and go through the “healing” Scriptures, and lay hands on them and then go on my merry way (when in reality, it’s just to get them out of my face so I can go on with MY business). Now how does that look? Would you say a bit selfish? I also need to say this, there’s nothing wrong with praying a Scripture over someone and laying hands on someone who needs healing. But if I call myself a minister of the Gospel, I’m to be seeking God for a Word (or allow God to speak through me). So my final set of questions are as follows: Why do we disregard a Word that God gives us for either our lives or for someone else’s life? And as we disregard what God is trying to say to us, we parrot Scriptures that we know or deliver a word from our flesh (that’s really designed to manipulate the situation or the someone that really needs a Word from the Lord)?

I asked my co-worker this morning that very question and gave her the example I’m giving to you all, and she said this to me: “One of the reasons why we don’t do what God tells us to do is because of ‘fear and pride.’ It’s no different than the story of Jonah. God wanted Jonah to deliver a Word to Ninevah, and he went to Tarshish instead.” I said to her, “oh, you’re preaching good here.”

But that co-worker made me think after she brought up Jonah. It’s one thing to be fearful and prideful, but it’s a tragedy when we hurt others with our fear and our pride. That’s not good.

Let me use a situation that could’ve had a tragic ending. If you’ve read some of my other blogposts, you might have read this – but I want to use this and dissect it as to how fear and pride in people can actually have a tragic effect on a life that’s hurting and actually needing a healing from the pain inside (and more importantly, needing a healing that only God can give).

Back in 2012, I remember a woman posted on social media stating that she was going to take her own life. Now, I’m not condemning anyone who commented underneath her post, but it sure left the question if anyone consulted the Lord when they posted what they did. The majority of the comments were saying the following things, “get over it,” “rebuke the devil,” and some were even calling her a devil (it may not have been that specifically, but I know they called her anything but a child of God). I allowed God’s Spirit to speak to my heart and spirit because it was broken when I read that at 5:30am in the morning. God gave me specific instructions to approach this situation. He said to inbox her these words, “if you happen to get this message, give me a call and here’s my number.” About 4 hours later, she called me and all I said was this: “you have my undivided attention, talk to me.” She shared what was on her heart and all I did was listen to her heart. Just a simple ear to a hurting soul can help prevent suicide.

So, you could say this blogpost is really a #MayneMan admonishment to us believers. We have got to be so into Christ that we don’t allow fear and pride to cloud our lives and inadvertently destroy the lives of others.

Now that I’ve said all of that, let’s discuss this.

Blessings.

The Mayne Man

Author Spotlight (Brooke Lynn)

Being an author has many rewards. One of the rewards that I love and will always treasure is meeting different people. I met this author on Twitter. She was posting about the love of the Lord and how she overcame childhood trauma. So, this week, I want to turn the spotlight on fellow author & fellow survivor, Brooke Lynn.

"Raised by Strangers" is "Uplifting & Powerful".......Brooke Lynn was only five years old, when she was kidnapped and forced to live a life burdened with cruel and bizarre physical and emotional abuse. Her will to survive, inspired by an invisible hope, helped her fight demons and stay alive as she endured haunting experiences. Check out her true life story, "Raised by Strangers" & learn how God turns tragedy into triumph. You will find a renewed hope, discover your purpose and learn there is freedom in forgiveness!

 Author Bio:

Brooke Lynn is a writer and a speaker who passionately lives — reaching others with God’s word and love. She is a survivor of abuse, sharing her past pain and recovery to encourage others with hope. Brooke resides in the Washington D.C. area, has been married for nineteen years, has two children and three dogs.

“Raised by Strangers” is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com in paperback or digital format. 

Please visit my website at: www.BrookeLynnBooks.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BrookeLynnAuthor1

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BrookeLynnBooks

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/BrookLynnWriter/