Know what's inside

Right now there is much grief over our Country. When a Country is in trouble, and needs repair, God calls his people to grieve, mourn, fast, and pray. Don't stuff it in, get it out. Emotions need to be expressed. Many of the people I counsel aren't even aware of what their emotions are, therefore, they cannot express what they do not know.
A good way to find out what you're feeling is to sit before the Lord and ask him to reveal it. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
Psalm 139:4. The Lord already knows, but you also need to know what is going on inside in order to bring it back out to Him. This is one more way to avoid stuffing feelings that lead to destructive addictive cycles.

Pour it out

Pour it out. When we don't pour out what is inside, we either become stagnate or toxic. When we become stagnate or toxic, we try to mask what's going on inside through other mind altering substances or activities.
Pour it out just like the psalmist did. If you can't get out your own feelings in a psalm then pick a psalm that you identify with and speak it out for yourself.
For example: Psalm 6 6 I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. 8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.
This Psalm, like so many, identifies, feelings of despair, sorrow, and ultimately hope. So get your pen and paper and pour it out to the One who hears and cares.

Fill up

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. The more we fill ourselves with the Spirit, the less will fill ourselves with wine or any other substance. So fill up on all God has to offer and watch the other cravings become less to none.

Keys to Balance

Imbalance in life causes imbalance in emotions which can lead to masking emotions through addictions of various sorts. In the Jewish lifestyle, we can see a balance that Western Society does not have. For example;
Nehemiah 8:11 says,
"So the Levites calmed all the people , saying, "Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved ." 8:12 All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them."
There was a time to celebrate rather than grieve. But very soon after celebrating, it was a time for repentance and mourning. Nehemiah 9:1 "On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads."
Most of us live in a society where balance does not exist. In order to avoid and/or overcome addictions, it is up to us to follow the biblical principles of balance by
pursuing God's design for the full range of emotions to be expressed.

Stages of Grief

Whether you are grieving a job loss, saying goodbye to your drug of choice,going through a death of dreams, or death of a loved one or friend, these stages of grief are helpful to know. Above all, remember that you are not alone.
For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.2 Corinthians 1:5

Stages

1) Denial:

* Denial is usually only a temporary defense for the individual. This feeling is generally replaced with heightened awareness of situations and individuals that will be left behind after death. [1]

Example - "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."

2) Anger:

* Once in the second stage, the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue. Because of anger, the person is very difficult to care for due to misplaced feelings of rage and envy. Any individual that symbolizes life or energy is subject to projected resentment and jealousy. [1]

Example - "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; "Who is to blame?"

3) Bargaining:

* The third stage involves the hope that the individual can somehow postpone or delay death. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made with a higher power in exchange for a reformed lifestyle. Psychologically, the person is saying, "I understand I will die, but if I could just have more time..." [1]

Example - "Just let me live to see my children graduate."; "I'll do anything for a few more years."; "I will give my life savings if..."

4) Depression:

* During the fourth stage, the dying person begins to understand the certainty of death. Because of this, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This process allows the dying person to disconnect themself from things of love and affection. It is not recommended to attempt to cheer an individual up that is in this stage. It is an important time for grieving that must be processed. [1]

Example - "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"; "I'm going to die . . . What's the point?"; "I miss my loved one, why go on?"

5) Acceptance:

* This final stage comes with peace and understanding of the death that is approaching. Generally, the person in the fifth stage will want to be left alone. Additionally, feelings and physical pain may be non-existent. This stage has also been described as the end of the dying struggle. [1]

Example - "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may as well prepare for it."


Kübler-Ross originally applied these stages to people suffering from terminal illness, and later to any form of catastrophic personal loss (job, income, freedom). [1] This may also include significant life events such as the death of a loved one, divorce, drug addiction, or an infertility diagnosis. Kübler-Ross also claimed these steps do not necessarily come in the order noted above, nor are all steps experienced by all patients, though she stated a person will always experience at least two. Often, people will experience several stages in a "roller coaster" effect - switching between two or more stages, returning to one or more several times before working through it. [1] Significantly, people experiencing the stages should not force the process. The grief process is highly personal and should not be rushed, nor lengthened, on the basis of an individual's imposed time frame or opinion. One should merely be aware that the stages will be worked through and the ultimate stage of "Acceptance" will be reached.

Seize the moment

Today is a brand new day to receive healing so seize the moment
Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Take Time for House of Mourning

When a loved one died, the Jewish tradition was to have a time called Shiva. It was a seven day period that the mourner stayed in their home to purposely grieve. To go to a house of Shiva, was to to a house of mourning and that was the entire focus. It was to dive in and immerse themselves in their grief rather than suppress it or run from it. When a person does not go to the house of mourning (grieve their losses), they are more likely to go to the house of pleasure(various forms of escape). Whatever your loss may be, give yourself the gift of taking time to mourn. Mourning for a little while can help you avoid other unnecessary grief for the rest of your life.
The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Ecclesiastes 7:4

For those who want to overcome

When we learn to grieve, we learn to purge the pain. Tears are like the healing waters that God designed to cleanse the soul. There is so much to say about grief and I am excited to impart more of the God given remedies that will help you to be an overcomer!

Grief related to addictions video series

The "Grief related to addictions" video series has begun. Just go to my Youtube link on the side. I hope this series is helpful. We will be having a live seminar, with question and answer time coming soon, so watch for details to come.
God bless you.
Sheryl Sarmento

Grief related to addictions

Hello Everyone,
A topic that we will be covering soon is addctions related to grief. Many addictions are rooted in a lack of a proper grieving. This grief could be anything from a death, to grief over inevitable traumas and losses in life. God gave us keys throughout His word to help us cope with everything in life that comes our way. But if we do not know those keys found in God's word, then we usually end up burying pain and other emotions that need to be expressed in healthy biblical ways.
For example, Romans 12:15 says, Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. How often do we weep with those who weep? Since weeping can be uncomfortable, most of the time we try to fix that person and get them to stop crying, rather than weep with them.
But the result is supressed emotions that lead to other physical, emotional,, and spiritual problems.
A person who does not learn how to express pain usually does what is called, "self medicating." That means taking something or doing something to numb their emotional pain such as drugs, food , alcohol, or workaholism.
Finally, when a person continues to self medicate they wind up in a horrible cycle of addiction.
But God's word has the answers and I pray that the keys you find here will be helpful in bringing freedon from addiction. We will keep you posted :) with keys to this important topic in the days ahead.
God bless you

2 Corinthains 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Why do we need inner healing?

I wonder if you are wondering why we need inner healing, just like I used to wonder. One time I was really seeking the Lord about why we need inner healing, when we are complete in Christ. After much prayer, the Lord revealed to me that it is because we live in a society of emotional inadequacy. We're missing some key principles in God's word that keep us emotionally healthy.

Throughout God's word people knew how to get their emotions out, whereas we live
in a culture that stifles and suppresses emotions, causing many emotional and
physical consequences.

When a Jewish person was in distress he was taught to get out his emotions.
Here are just a few examples of God's design for emotional health. Es 4:1 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. The other Jews followed suit. Es 4:3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. The Psalmnist poured out their emotions through writing as well as other jewish customs. Ps.6:6 I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. 7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

Joy was expressed through Feasts and regular celebrations all throughout the
year

2 Chron. 30:21 The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread {for} seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day after day with loud instruments to the LORD. Jesus expressed many emotions from grieving over Jerusalem, showing anger at injustice, compasion on the crowd that followed him, and a full range of emotions in between.
Luke 13:34 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!
John 2:15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
Matt. 15:32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, "I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way." Hopefully these few examples help to shed some light on why we need new biblical tools and keys that will help us to be all that Jesus has called us to be for His kingdom and His glory. I look forward to going on this inner healing journey with all of you. God bless you!