June Newsletter

June 2010

Last month I shared a brief overview of the International House of Prayer, its purposes, goals, and needs. This month, I will focus on another aspect of our ministry—Restoring the Foundations, or RTF. Restoring the Foundations was founded in 1992 by Chester and Betsy Kylstra to bring healing and freedom to the body of Christ. Based on Scriptural principles, its chief goal is to remove hindrances to growing in intimacy with God; providing freedom to love and pursue Him wholeheartedly; which is virtually impossible for the broken and wounded. Another important purpose is to obtain healing from issues that hinder relationships with others. We offer two different formats—Thorough and Issue-Focused; ministering in teams to those seeking wholeness. We have used RTF since this ministry began in 2006, and I have used it since 2003. Since then we have ministered to over 160 people, many of whom were radically transformed through it.

Every believer struggles with basically four different areas in the process of becoming more like Christ, and growing in our relationships with others; each of these areas is covered in the ministry sessions. The results of generational sins; lies we believe about ourselves, others, and God; emotional hurts, and demonic oppression make up the majority of obstacles to living the abundant life Jesus paid for us to enjoy. RTF provides both effective ministry and important tools to enable individuals to get free and stay free, when coupled with the receiver’s persistence to make godly choices as they continue their journey. It is not a quick fix, but rather a proven method, using an integrated approach to healing that other similar ministries typically do not provide. There is more information on these four areas and the formats offered on our website, along with downloadable applications for ministry under the link Healing and Restoration.

We also offer training for those who want to help others find freedom, by ministering as part of our team. More information about that opportunity can also be found on our website, under the link Training and Equipping. RTF is one facet of our ministry that continues the work Jesus began in His earthly life; destroying the works of the enemy in the lives of people created to know and love Him. Sadly, most that we minister to have been wounded in the Church; often by leaders who are wounded themselves, and therefore, unable to effectively lead God’s people into wholeness. For this reason, members of our team are required to receive personal ministry as part of their training. I can personally testify to the power and success of RTF after receiving ministry during my training seven years ago; it was truly life changing! Testimonies of others who have benefitted from it can be found on our website as well.

Over the last few months, several individuals from Atlanta, Miami, Auburn, and Americus have come here for RTF ministry—this is exciting, and we praise the Lord for this opportunity to reach beyond our community! None of this would be possible if it were not for you, our faithful partner, as you continue to support us through your prayers and gifts. We so greatly appreciate your willingness to co-labor with the Lord and with us, as we see Him heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free—bearing fruit that will last for eternity!

Blessings,

Charlene Hughes

Feeling What God Feels by Jerry & Denise Basel

“FEELING WHAT GOD FEELS”

“WHAT YOU FEEL I FEEL”

There is a wonderful song by Brian and Jenn Johnson that was released about three years ago and it is entitled, “Where You Go I’ll Go.”  The majority of this song is directed to God the Father, and the chorus has the following words:
 
Where You go I go
What You say I say,
And what You pray I pray
 
As worship leaders we have led others in this song many times, and as powerful as it is, there is one additional phrase that we would have liked to have seen included . . . that being “What You feel I feel.”  Although we know that we are all called to do what Jesus did—that being to pray what the Father prays, say what the Father says, and go where He directs us to go—we believe unless we are able to connect with His heart . . . and His feelings . . . it will be very difficult to fulfill this calling.
 
OVERLOOKING WHAT GOD FEELS AND ITS IMPACT ON OUR HEALING
As we continue to work with many people who come to find deeper healing and a greater level of intimacy with God and others, we frequently observe reoccurring themes.  One of these themes is the lack of awareness of and connection with how God feels . . . not about our sins or our failures or our successes . . . but about US . . . you and me!  Some of the people with whom we work may share that they ”know” how God sees them, but yet when we ask the question, “What do you think the Father feels about you?” or “How did the Father feel when that happened to you?”, they don’t even know what to say.  This demonstrates a great disconnect between “head knowledge” and “heart experience.”
 
UNDERSTANDING THE EMOTIONS OF GOD . . . DOES HE HAVE THEM?
Before we go further, it is important to decide if the concept of God having emotions or feelings is biblical.  Though there are some who may argue that God does not have feelings, Scripture has many references to the contrary.  For example, in Jer. 31:3 it states the following in reference to the Lord and His people:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”  The Hebrew word for “love” in this passage is the same word that is used in many places in the Old Testament and it is described as “having a strong emotional attachment to and desire either to possess or to be in the presence of the object,” and it includes the love between a man and a woman as well as the love that a parent has for a child.  It’s more than a “loving action.”  It’s also the related feelings.  In Isa.66:13, again in reference to God and His people Israel, it states that “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you . . . “  This Hebrew word for “comfort” is used in many places in the Old Testament describing the actions and feelings of comfort, given from one to another.  In the New Testament there are many examples of Jesus expressing emotion.  Looking at just a few, John 13:23 makes reference to John as “. . . the disciple whom Jesus loved . . .” The word for “love” here does not refer to a “loving action” but rather to Jesus’ “tender affection” towards John.  We know that Jesus wept (John 11:35), and we know that He was very angry when He dealt with the money changers in the temple (John 2:14-17).  And as it states in John 14:9 when Jesus addressed Philip’s request that Jesus “show him the Father,” He replied “. . . anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.”  So, we can conclude that thefeelings of Jesus reflect the feelings of His Father (God).    
 
WHY IS ANY OF THIS IMPORTANT? 
You might be wondering, “Is it really all that important to know that the Father feels?”  Our response would be “Yes, it matters a great deal!”  To be able to say, “I know God loves me” is important.  However, to be able to say, “Ifeel His love for me,” moves this fundamental truth from our head and to our heart.  For example, when we are grieving over a significant loss—whether that be a loss from childhood or a loss today—when we can feel that the Father grieves with and for us, it draws us more deeply into His heart and opens the door for greater healing and intimacy with Him.  It makes the words in Ps. 34:18 even more meaningful when it states (paraphrased) “When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you…”  And in John 17:23, when Jesus spoke of the love of His Father, He said that the Father’s love for us is thesame as the love that He had for Jesus.  To know that is very important, but to also feel this love from the Father takes it to another level . . . a level that we believe the Father desires for all of us!  In addition, when we can feel the emotions of the Father—including His “cry” that we (individually and as a nation) turn our hearts to Him—it can motivate us in ways that otherwise doesn’t occur.  If, as it says in Rom. 2:4 that it is the kindness or goodness of God that leads (motivates) us to change (repentance), but if I only know but are unable to feel His kindness and goodness towards me, then making the change that He desires (for my own good) will be more difficult.   
 
DIFFICULTIES IN FEELING THE FATHER’S EMOTIONS . . . AND A PRAYER
There are many reasons why we don’t feel the Father’s emotions regarding us and others.  In many cases our own walls of protection and inability to feel—often from early childhood experiences—causes a block in our heart that may require deeper healing.  The first step is believing that the Father (God) has feelings and the next step is asking for that intimate connection with His heart.  Please join us in this prayer . . . Father, I desire to feel what You feel . . . first about me and then how You feel about others.  I want to live more from my heart and less from my head.  I invite You to open my heart and begin to remove anything that hinders me from feeling those things that are in Your heart for me.  Your Son, Jesus, lived from a passionate heart and I want that as well.  I believe You have made me “in Your image”—feelings and all.  Father, like Jesus, I want to “go where You go, say what You say, pray what You pray, and feel what You feel.”  I ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen. 
 
From the Father’s Heart,

Jerry and Denise Basel

True Love Makes Us Whole by Graham Cooke

Setting people free is the core of true love. The true wisdom of love and freedom is this: “If you love something, set it free. If it doesn’t come back, it was never yours to begin with.” Love desires freedom and the need to be trusted. If we do not learn to love openly and without fear then the objects of our affection will struggle in their relationship with us. Love gives permission for people to explore their life and identity and to make mistakes in the process. Whenever we do something for the first time, we cannot make a mistake because we haven’t done this before. Therefore we can only learn from what happened. Then we must make an adjustment and try again.

If we do not adjust, but make the same attempt with the same result, then that is a clear mistake. If we continue doing the same thing then a pattern of behavior emerges. With that pattern, we develop a history that will need to be redeemed. A history and a pattern of behavior are two different things. The pattern is the cause; the history is the effect. In relationships, the pattern of behavior is the responsibility of the offender, while the history is in the control of the one not blessed.

Forgiveness is a major part of our own breakthrough and therefore must be done for our sake as a priority. It cannot be demanded of us. Often forgiveness is a process in itself. Without forgiveness there can be no trust and a true expression of love is impossible. People must not be shamed into forgiving. If it is not readily accessible then it will be a process that is designed to produce healing in the one who is wounded. Love values wholeness.

Sometimes history can be forgiven relatively easily, but we still have to live with the pattern in someone’s behavior, until it changes. If it does not change then history will be repeated and we are back to square one in the relationship. When a person does not take steps to change their pattern of behavior, then trust is the casualty.

There is given trust and gained trust. The first is the province of the one wounded. The burden for the second is on the behavior of the one offending. It does not matter which one starts first; both parties are responsible for being who they want to be in the situation. They do not have to start in the same place, but can grow independently and then reconnect later. Every human situation is different.

When we change our pattern of behavior it is not just to win someone back. It is because we are choosing to be a different man or woman. Change must primarily be for our sake or it cannot last the course or pass the tests of time and behavior. All relationships are tested by events; that is how we grow in love, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and trust.

Part of the adjustments that we make is founded on good loving questions that we must ask others and ourselves. Some of my best (not necessarily favorite!) questions are as follows:

What is it that you believe about yourself that makes you act in this way?
What is it that you think about me (her, him, them) that makes you imagine that this behavior is acceptable?
How do you see me (her, him, them) that makes you feel that your behavior is justifiable?
How do you plan to restore trust in this relationship?

When a person is behaving in a way that is self destructive, injurious to others, and without proper consideration, then we must determine a place to start for recovery. Asking the right questions will provide a clearing in the woods, space to breathe, and the possibility for new direction to be received.

We must be careful not to get caught up in this behavior too, while at the same time we want the pattern to be interrupted. Love seeks freedom. If we are the victims of that pattern we must seek the freedom to be loved properly, and to have our own actions defined by love. In the clearing we establish parameters that allow love to be restored if not initially, then eventually. That will depend upon how much trust is in the emotional bank account.

We can accept a person without approving of their behavior. God does that all the time. There is a process even with Him that allows us to become transformed. The first stage is Godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Thinking differently, and then acting in line with that change of perception, is the beginning of repentance. The end of repentance occurs when trust has been restored and transformation achieved. That can be a lengthy process that will involve reconciliation (trust given) and hopefully restoration of relationship (trust regained).

Repentance must have a conclusion or it is not complete. The beginning of repentance is only the start. There is no breakthrough without follow through. Many people have a desire for the end result or repentance, but no regard for the process that guarantees it. The gap between aspiration and achievement can only be filled by development. Given trust can play a part that allows for reconciliation. However, only gained trust can complete the repentance required for restoration.

Sometimes letting someone know you love them, regardless of what they do, is the very thing that will cause them to turn around, although there are no guarantees. Love is never a doormat. Though we may choose to sacrifice for the cause of love, we can never be victims for the sake of it. Love that does not make us whole is no love at all.
-Graham Cooke