Promises for the Battle

What, then, has God promised us that ensures that we will not only gain freedom in Christ but also walk in that freedom day by day? Here are six promises God gives to those who follow Him. Promise one: Blessings. First, God promises His blessings. Two specific ones described in Scriptures are note worthy. First, He gives us "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 1:3). In addition to our salvation and a place in heaven, those spiritual blessings include our freedom in Christ and the fruit of the Spirit that come as we abide in Him and serve Him. Second, there is the special blessing that comes by meditating on the Word of God. The one who learns about Him and His plan-the one who has "his delight...in the law of the Lord, and in [that] law...meditates day and night"-is blessed (see Psalm 1:1-3, especially verse 2). But these blessings do not come without cost. For instance, we can be certain that when God opens the windows of heaven to bless, Satan will open the gates of hell to blast (Revelation 2:9-10). The lost man's greatest terror is God, but God is the Christian's greatest joy. The best measure of our spiritual life is not its ecstasies, but our obedience. When we obey, we invite Satan's wrath, but God's blessings will always overcome it. Caroline looked at me from the chair she was sitting in and said, "I have a major problem. Every time I start walking the Christian life the gates of hell open up, and the enemy himself fires his darts at me, Ken, what do I do? "Caroline, you're experiencing the Christian life," I said. "If the enemy can keep you defeated, if the enemy can keep you a prisoner of war, he will just leave you there. If you are not doing damage to his kingdom, your testimony is not going to get anybody saved. If you're not raising your children in such a way that they will see Christ and have a desire to walk with Him, then the Evil One will back off. He could care less about you. But when you start taking steps with the Lord as you just described, you invite the blasts of the enemy. It might seem difficult at first, but if you keep walking, you will find that Jesus Christ will walk with you. He will teach you how to fight the good fight. You will see fruit and blessing in your life." Caroline began to understand that this life is battle; this life is warfare. I encouraged her and said, "Many Christan's go from the cradle to the grave and never comprehend. Heaven is over yonder; the battle is here today. The Lord has told us to fight the good fight because we do it in His strength. I assure you, He will be with you every step of the way." I am happy to report today that Caroline is in the battle. She is walking with the Lord, her life is being used of God, and she is doing tremendous damage to Satan's kingdom. Promise two: the ability to do His work. God's second promise is to empower us for His work. Paul expressed this truth twice in his letter to the Philippians: "God...works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" and "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (2:13; 4:13). Ultimately, what is the goal of freedom in our lives? To do God's work, especially in soul winning. God will strengthen us for each work. In the arena of winning people to faith in Christ, the average person doesn't care about how much you know until they've seen how much you care. Part of our walking in freedom is our obedience to the Lord in serving others by showing such love and care. A man in his mid-thirties, Leroy gave me the following testimony. "I work at a tire manufacturing plant and there are several fellows there who are Christians. They were kind to me and nice even when I occasionally pulled a trick on them. They would just laugh and become part of the joke. They kept inviting me to church. One morning I showed up. They invited me to sit with them, and then one of them invited me to come home with his family after church for lunch. They just simply cared about me. I continued to go to church because of the love, care, and concern of the people. It was not the preaching, it was not the music. It was the love that was displayed to me that drew me to Jesus Christ. One day under conviction of sin I trusted Christ as my Savior." Every church should have this testimony. We have the tendency to think that it is the music, or the preaching, or the fellowship dinners that draw people. But it is the love of Christians that draws people. The writer John said we would be known by our love. The question to ask yourself is "Are you known by your love?" Promise three: Wisdom. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him," the Scripture declares (James 1:5). Our walk in freedom is a wisdom walk. In times of trial or testing, we need spiritual wisdom. We will love and support and give our lives to what we treasure most. In effect, we should not give our passion and commitment to anything that we cannot take to heaven with us. Once a doctor told me that he had just sold the family home. I knew that Elvin was about to retire; I also knew that his wife and he had three grandchildren who probably would love to visit. So I asked, "How come you sold such a lovely home?" "Who needs a 5,000-square-foot home when we're going to be traveling a great deal abroad? he answered. I said, "Well, that's nice. You and your wife can do some traveling." "Yes," Elvin told me, and then he dropped his bomb. "Myra and I are committed to spending six months out of each year on the mission field. As a retiring physician, the mission agency will still let me do surgery. If they have no one for me to operate on, my hands work real well, and they can work a shovel and I can lay cement blocks and whatever else needs to be done. We are committed for the rest of our lives to serving the Lord Jesus Christ." I was amazed but also pleased to hear that in an age when retirement is often the very goal that people strive for, work for, and save for, here was a husband-and-wife team who wanted to give those golden years to the Lord Jesus Christ to advance His kingdom. Oh, may people of this kind of character increase! Promise four: Peace. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you" (John 14:27). During the time of storm, God's peace, "which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7), will sustain us on the inside as the waves beat on the outside. We must bother the Lord about everything or in time everything will bother us. That is exactly what the enemy wants. An agitated and uneasy saint (without peace) is targeted for a fall. Both meditation on who He is (consulting the Scriptures) and prayer give such peace. True, prayer can work. Perhaps that is why we are so reluctant to exercise it. But not only is prayer work, it is the greatest work. It gives us peace, and it moves the hand of God on our behalf. This leads to God's fifth promise. Promise five: Answers to prayer. God will hear and answer prayers of those who seek His help (though not always as we expect or even prefer). Jesus' commands in Matthew 7:7-9 are instructive. The three verbs that concern our prayer life are ask, seek, and knock. All are in a verb form indicating action that is continuing. In other words, "keep asking, seeking, and knocking." In verse 8, the Lord ensures the certainty of answers to our prayers. We are assured that He hears our prayers and answers them in His loving, fatherly way according to His perfect will. And it is our faith and trust in God that leads us to continue asking. Just as it would be an insult to knock once at someones door and leave, so with the lord in prayer. As the apostle James explained in his classic statement on prayer, a major reason you "do not have [is] because you do not ask" (4:2). Let's also remember that whether we pray for others or ourselves, it must be with the right motives, we will not receive because God is not going to help us fulfill selfish desires. A prayer less saint is prey for the enemy. Prayer usually determines whether our problems or God's promises have our life. The devil has temporary, limited control of our world system, which is why it is in such a mess. This alone should prompt us to pray. We ought to be so familiar with prayer that the moment the enemy shows up, our response is to call upon the Lord for help (Psalm 50:15; 91:15). when the enemy shows up, resist him and cry out to God. There is no better prescription for dealing with temptation. Promise six: Help against temptation. "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). These words offer encouragement and assurance that it is not necessary that we fall as the Israelites did in the earlier verses of this chapter (6-10). This is a call for us to learn from the Old Testament examples. From these we learn God is with us and He will strengthen us and help us stand. The temptation spoken of in verse 13 has two important aspects to it (1) any temptation to sin comes from the enemy, never from God, and (2) it's a testing that God allows for the purpose of our refinement and purification. Through the Lord's strength we can bear the temptation and pass the test. He is not the originator of the temptation, but He is in control of the temptation. He is always available to help us through the temptation. He not only limits the temptation, but in His sovereignty supplies the means of escape. Thus, we are assured that in His perfect timing the Lord will remove the trial. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Truth will Drive out Deception

What if the accusations being made against you are true? What if what Satan is saying is right? For sometimes he does say what's true. "You hurt so and so." Or, You sinned in such-and-such a manner." What do we do then? It always comes back to the same principle: "The truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Admit the truth, confess the sin, and go on. If restitution is necessary, provide it. Otherwise, leave it the hands of God. It's really as simple as that. How can we walk in the freedom Christ won for us at Calvary? Here are three truths about our relationship with God we can count on. 1. The power not to sin. First, as the redeemed, we do not have to sin. As God's new creation, we can walk by the Spirit, and He gives us control over the flesh. All of your sin (past, present, and future) is forgiven (Colossians 2:13). Now God can have an intimate love relationship with us as His redeemed ones. There is no more separation between God and redeemed man (even though God is still God and man is still man). In fact, God lives in union with the believer. God had declared us to be holy, irreproachable, blameless, complete in Christ, and fit for heaven. 2. Protection. As redeemed children, God the Father promises us protection from the enemy. We read, "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him" (1 John 5:18). The Lord Jesus guards the believer who walks with Him so that the enemy will not take hold of the believer and drag him off into sin. Though we will at times fall into sin, we will not abide in it. In fact, the verb form for sin in 1 John 5:18means to continue or remain in sin. If we have been born again of God, we know Satan cannot directly or continually drag us into sin. God's protection assures us. And while the spiritual battle is underway, we know God's superior might will protect us from Satan's overpowering us, "because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). 3. Comfort. God provides comfort when we are suffering. Have you noticed how in a time of crisis the enemy will send "Job's friends" to pitch their tents in your backyard? In some cases their unsolicited "comfort" can be worse than the trial you' re going through. (to see three theologically incorrect "comforters" in action, read, for example, Job 5,8, and 11. To see their error and God's response, read Job 42:7-9.) The true God of comfort sends true comforters who "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Overcoming the Enemy's Lies

Sometimes Christians know the source of true freedom, but cannot apply it because of sins of parents or others that leave lasting wounds. What can they do? Arnold grew up with an angry, alcoholic father. Though he longed to bond to his father, all he received was neglect, criticism, verbal mistreatment, and physical abuse. Arnold remembered at age seventeen standing in the kitchen and in total frustration screaming at his father, "I can never please you, no matter how hard I try. No matter what I do, it's never good enough!" Years of abuse, neglect, and criticism took a toll. At age thirty, Arnold would weep uncontrollably every time he made a mistake. Often, when he "flubbed up," he would hear the echo of his father's voice in his heart: "You stupid idiot, you can't do nothing right." When Arnold was young, his father followed such devastating words with the sting of a belt or the bash of a fist. Just recalling the memory in my office caused Arnold to shake all over. The tears would then stream down his face. He told me that over the years he had been unable to hold down a job, the fear of failing so paralyzed him. Despite these setbacks, Arnold was sensitive and intelligent. He accepted the Lord at a young age. His mother was a quiet Christian woman who stayed with her husband despite his abuse. She suffered as much as her son and put up with other sins. Like infidelity. His mother told me she remembered Arnold's father becoming angry when Arnold was one year old. The boy began crying for long periods. One day after slapping Arnold several times, his father threw him and his car seat across the yard. I spoke to Arnold gently of his need to trust the Lord, but that became a major hurdle. He said, "If God couldn't set things right when I was a child, how can I trust Him with anything now?" After thirty minutes of weeping during our first session, Arnold calmed down enough so he and I could pray. The amazing thing here was that not only was Arnold a believer but he had also served in a Christian ministry before becoming totally dysfunctional and unemployable because of his depression and despair. Two years ago he decided he could no longer wall off the awful memories of his past. Several people encouraged him to seek counseling. By the time he came to our office he was desperate to find real freedom-to live, to work, to give. To find real freedom, Arnold did what many must do: He forgave his dad. I could see the struggle on his face when he know he must do so. Finally, bowing his head and shaking with grief, he forgave his dad. In tears, he released the pain and offenses to the Lord. He asked the Lord to take back the ground given up by his bitterness, anger, and lack of forgiveness. "God, please forgive me, my dad, all of us!" This became the beginning of a process in which the Lord revealed deep-seated lies in Arnold's heart. As we prayed, the Lord began to speak to Arnold in a still small voice. In the end, God revealed to Arnold nineteen lies he was believing, everything for "sex is dirty" to "you are hopeless; God can't help you." Nineteen lies! They were piled there in his heart like so many logs on a bonfire that consumed him with anger, depression, and despair. As we dealt with each of those lies, though, Arnold found real freedom and praises God today. As he continues to renew his mind in the Scriptures, the remaining pain and bondage of the past leaves daily. Again, true freedom often means forgiving those who have hurt and offended you. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Satan's Attacks on Men and Women

Being aware of the enemy's devices is paramount here, but we must also reckon with the fact that God has created men and women differently. Satan often attacks men and woman in notably different ways. In general, he attacks men in their thinking and women in their hearts. More specifically, he tends to attack a man by telling him, "If you will do this (adultery, lust, anger, etc.), you will get this (nice feeling, happiness, fulfillment, etc.)," For instance, a man may get involved with pornography, drugs, and other sinful activities because he believes they will lead to short-lived "good" feelings (the pleasure of sin for a season). In contrast, Satan often attacks as woman in her feelings initially, arousing love or compassion or hope and then leading her into a sinful deed. This means she feels happiness or hope or desire, and that leads her into sin. This is precisely what happened with Eve in the Garden of Eden. She did not see eating the fruit as rebellion, but that is was "good for wisdom," She saw a positive result of the sin that would bless her and her husband. Trevor and Priscilla illustrated the difference during their counseling sessions. They wanted to speak with me individually concerning their marriage problems, so I simply said, "Ladies first." Priscilla came in and, after getting acquainted, she said, "Let me tell you what my husband is like. This is my second marriage. My first husband was abusive to such a degree I was forced to leave him. There were no children, and we got divorced. I began looking for a man who would love me and cherish me. When I met Trevor, I thought I had found him. However, shortly after we were married I realized there was a side to him that I had never seen before. I am really wounded; I feel beat down. I feel he is constantly critical of me, and I am little more than a slave to him. He barks orders at me and the children. He is very difficult to live with." "What do you do to deal with this pain in your life?" I asked. After starting at the floor for while, she said, "Well, I spend a lot of time with soap operas and romance novels, and I talk a great deal about this with my female friends." I said, walking on what might be really thin ice, "then occasionally you have a pity party." She said, "My life is one big pity party." I dismissed Priscilla and invited Trevor to come in. Again we got acquainted and I said, "Trevor, what's happening?" He said, "My marriage is on the rocks. This is my third wife. I can't understand it. It seems to happen every time I am married. I guess Just have bad luck when it comes to picking wives. She is cold to me and indifferent. When we were first married she did some housekeeping and cooked some decent meals, but now I have to yell at her to get her to do anything. We haven't been intimate in months. She sleeps in a different bedroom" "What do you do to deal with your pain in the midst of this?" "Well, I have been down at the bar some, spent a lot of time at the shop," he answered, "Far more time than I should has been spent with pornography." "Un-huh," I said. None of this was too amazing to me when it comes to warfare. It shows how a man and a woman respond differently to the same struggles. Priscilla turned inward when he was attacking her heart and her emotions. Trevor turned outward to her rejection and used drinking and pornography as his "aspirin." Their rebellion against God showed up in fantasizing, indulging in sin, and ignoring God's Word. The answer in this situation was repentance: Priscilla needed to repent for not fulfilling her biblical duty in respecting her husband; Trevor needed to repent for not fulfilling his biblical duty to love his wife. We went into much detail about these things and what the Scriptures had to say about them. Gradually, God took back the ground they had given to Satan, and the Holy Spirit brought grace into their life. Trevor recently told me they had taken a four-week vacation away from work, neighbors, and the children. He said, "My wife and I have never been so close in our lives. God is healing our marriage." Although men and women respond differently to the same problems, the answers remain the same: seeking God, repenting, obeying His principles, that apply to your situation, and beginning a renewed walk with Him. I'm always amazed that often it seems just that simple. What is not simple is finding the specific principles that deal with your circumstance. But that's my job. If counselees will follow God's way, I can almost always guarantee new freedom and health will come into their lives for good. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Grace and Truth Applied

The great deceiver ultimately wants to rob us of the power of grace and truth in our lives. Thus, he attacks our minds and emotions, looking for a place in our lives where he might gain a foothold. For instance, he will pressure us to become proud about certain accomplishments, talents, or physical aspects of our bodies. This pride opens the door to an attack on individual problems and practices that don't please God, such as prejudice, hatred, anger, jealousy, envy, lust, and numerous other things. Because of pride, we refuse to acknowledge the sin, and because of the sin we lose our reputation and perhaps even our careers, marriages, and so forth. It's then people come to me and say, "please fix it!" To "fix it," I have to go back to the bedrock problems that started the whole thing, then lead them to confess their pride, repair their character and make restitution for their sins. For many people, this is difficult to the point that they rail in anger at me, saying there has to be another way. In robbing us of grace and truth, the Evil One uses a bitter heart as easily as he uses as proud one. In 1979, during my first pastorate, I was called to the bedside of an elderly man I'll call Nelson. He claimed to have made a profession of faith as a young man, and he attended all the services of the church. But Nelson had the reputation of being the most bitter man in town. Nelson was dying, and the doctor said he would not live through the night. When I approached his bed in the intensive care unit, he called me over to his side and said, "Let me tell you about my no-good, worthless, rotten brother-in-law. I listened sadly as the story spilled out. "In 1929 I had a brand-new Model A Ford car. Back in those days we did not use antifreeze, we used alcohol. Being in a northern state, it was the fall of that year when we needed it. Alcohol was expensive, so I put water in the radiator until I could afford the alcohol. My brother-in-law wanted to borrow the car. I asked him to drain not only the radiator but also the engine block when he finished driving that night (he was taking the car home), because if it froze it would crack the block. "That worthless, no-good brother-in-law drained the radiator, but he did not drain the block because he was too lazy. It froze that night and cracked the block. He brought that new car back to me with the block leaking, laughed about it, and would not pay to have it welded." His brother-in-law had been unfair and perhaps mean-spirited, but I was astonished that this event, which had happened fifty years earlier, was the cause of all this bitterness. Yet as he told that story, the bitterness recked from him like some just-released poison gas. For fifty years, his hatred and anger had consumed him. At that time, my understanding of warfare was next to nothing. But I did do this: I asked him to please consider forgiving his brother-in-law. He refused, and to the best of my knowledge I don't believe he did before he died. Now you might say, "What does this have to do with warfare?" Answer, bitterness can burn in a person's soul for fifty years. Something that should have been forgiven the day it happened, all over something that cost a few dollars to repair. That vehicle in time went to the junk yard to rust. That vehicle really did not matter in an ultimate sense. But it had become an occasion of bitterness that destroyed the joy of a man's life for fifty years. In warfare, the enemy does not care what it takes to get our focus off of Jesus. He uses whatever works for his evil purpose; in this case all it took was a cracked engine block. I plead with you: If you are bitter toward anyone on earth-forgive that person. Release him or her to the Lord. Ask God to forgive you of your bitterness and unforgiveness. Ask God to take back the ground emu have given to the enemy and allow the Lord Jesus Christ to set you free. It's the only way. God will work a miracle in your soul when you do. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

What is Freedom

What then is the freedom we seek? It's the ability to live our lives in obedience to the Holy Spirit. The enemy's plan is to lie to us to get us to live in our power and desires-to live in the flesh. Living life this way leads only to more sin. This actually renders the believer entirely incapable of advancing the kingdom of God. Satan loves that. In contrast, Jesus offers us truth and grace, the two spiritual realities that lead to freedom. Truth is the direction God desires to take us, and grace is the means He uses to get us there. I say this in the case of Shelton. He came to my office moderately depressed, and surely mentally tormented. He had met his wife nine years before, after they had corresponded for a year by mail. Shelton knew from this that there had been one sexual relationship in Susan's background. It was not an issue for him; it took place before they were married and it did not bother him that she did not come to the marriage bed a virgin. Both of them had been saved about the same time. So for eight years their marriage had been blissful. The Lord gave them three children. However, Susan came under conviction that she needed to clear the air concerning some past issues. She finally told him that there was not simple one relationship but several dozen intimate relationships before she had met Shelton. Upon this admission, the enemy stole in and played upon Shelton's hurt and fear that followed the revelation. "You did not marry a wife; you married a prostitute," Shelton told himself. Although he knew all those relationships had been forgiven by Jesus Christ, Shelton still lived in a state of sheer mental torment. He said, "I can't even stand to look at her. If it were not for the children, I would divorce her." I knew that I was dealing with a problem where quoting Scripture would not be meaningful because the emotional baggage and trauma that he carried was overwhelming his thinking. So I said, "Let's pray." I began to cry out to God and said, "Concerning your dear wife, I am going to ask God the truth about her. Is she a prostitute or a forgiven woman?" In a matter of seconds, the Holy Spirit spoke to Shelton's heart and said, "She is pure by My [Christ's] blood." Then Shelton sensed the Lord saying, "But you have become defiled by not accepting what God has declared as clean. You have allowed the enemy to defile your own heart. "Shelton's extremely harsh judgment of his wife's actions before salvation had inflicted such bitterness on his soul that he was actually destroying himself. As I prayed and then Shelton prayed, God uniquely brought His grace and truth into Shelton's heart. He cried out to God to help him forgive his wife and release her and to allow the peace and joy of God to replace the bitterness and torment in his heart. God did exactly that. Through his tears, Shelton said, "I think God has released me and my wife from our sin!" Shelton went home that day and embraced Susan, asked her forgiveness, and they both had a quiet night of restoration, redemption, and love. I believe God salvaged their marriage that day in my office. God used truth to take Shelton where He wanted him to go, and He used grace as a means to get him there. That day the enemy lost a key battle. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

What is Bondage

In many cases, the strength of the flesh is powerful. We can't achieve freedom because Satan has "bound us." What is this bondage that can so destroy our lives? Bondage is living in a state of servitude to and dependence on someone or something else. The individual can't freely enjoy life in Jesus Christ because his sin encloses him and walls off the Lord's love and power. Bondage means living according to the flesh, being captivated or misdirected by the lies of the enemy, or falling in love with the present world system. For instance, one symptom is to be so absorbed and enamored with the world that your self-interests replace any level of devotion to God. This is characterized by willfulness, desiring your own way, giving in to the lusts of the flesh, and even religiously performing to improve your self-esteem rather than obeying God. Performing for others only pleases ourselves. But obedience glorifies God. The iniquities of our fathers. Through this process, one of the first steps toward freedom is acknowledging the iniquities of our fathers. This is a biblical command ordered in Leviticus 26:40,42 and first given in the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:5-6 and 34:7). I believe we are to acknowledge, as did Jeremiah (Jeremiah 14:20), and Daniel (Daniel 9:4-19), and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 9:22-37), that we are linked to the iniquities of our fathers. The Scriptures give many examples of the iniquities of the fathers being passed on to the children. We see deception being passed from Abraham to Issac to Jacob and Jacob's sons. King David passed the iniquity of immorality to his sons. I believe there is New Testament basis for confession found in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The word unrighteousness is adikia, the Greek word for iniquity. The Lord delights in setting us free from the influence of the sinful ground given by our generational lineage going back three and four generations. We are not guilty for their sins, but their iniquities (areas of willful self-advancement) tend to transfer to us. This will fullness becomes a problem for many because (1) we tend to imitate our parents and (2) we often justify sin by what our parents did. What is the remedy? According to Scripture, we must: agree with God and repent of our own sin. Admit our father's iniquities (Leviticus 26:40-42). Develop resistance against these sins. Not all willful behavior is influenced by our parents, of course. Some of us have godly parents who have themselves found freedom from the world's system. But if we see our selfish behavior being similar to that of our parents, we can suspect the iniquities of our parents as a major contributing factor to our behavior. In all the warfare counseling I have done, no subject comes under fire like the issue of the iniquities of the fathers. This happened in one family who came in for counseling. Harold, age eleven, and his father walked into my office one day. The dad said, "We as father and son have a problem. I have an anger problem and my son has the same. Part of it was probably learned from me, but I think part was passed on through my iniquities." After we talked I could see that there was clearly a predisposition toward anger in his life. On the basis of Scripture, I believe that the iniquities of the fathers (or mothers) in an area of weakness have a spiritual dimension that is perhaps greater than we can imagine. In Harold's case, I learned this anger problem had come from past generations as well. Thus, I had dad and son acknowledge the iniquities of their fathers to the third and fourth generation and ask God by the power of His Holy Spirit to break off the influence and power of those iniquities. Months later, Harold told me that from that day on he had a whole new level of control over his temper. His mother even said that Herold did the laundry without becoming angry toward her. When it comes to eleven-year-old boys, frankly, I can't think of a stronger testimony! I encourage you to search the Scriptures to see what God says concerning the iniquities of the parents. Ask the Holy Spirit to illumine the Word of God and see if there are some areas that perhaps need to be dealt with in your own life. It's a reality that we all must deal with to some degree, especially if serious problems have passed on for years. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Keys to Spiritual Freedom and Growth

How does anyone achieve God's kind of freedom? First, one must turn his heart toward the Lord. As Solomon writes, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Second, he must open his heart and mind to receive the Word into every area of his life. Third, the person must be willing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ in bringing every thought and desire into conformity with Christ's truth. I have found that the crucial point of all counseling occurs when a believer grasps his or her true identity in Jesus Christ. That happened to Stephanie, who entered my office saying she had "a screaming pain in my heart" that would not go away. I had never heard pain described like that before, so I asked her to tell me her story. She launched into it with a trembling voice that grew stronger as she talked. She had grown up in the church and received the Lord Jesus as Savior. Her parents were not overly involved in her life. They had given her a kind of freedom she really did not need, one with no proper boundaries to protect her. As a result, she often found herself in places she really should not have been. At age nineteen, she began to live with a young man. In due course of time she became pregnant. She asked the young man what he thought she should do. He said the decision was up to her. As a result, she went to an abortion clinic, was given some material to read over, and saw a counselor. She choose to have an abortion. A couple of days later the truth of what she had done began to sink in. She said, "Both of us, me and my young lover, slipped into depression." A short time later, they broke up. Sometime later she shared with her father and mother that she had aborted the child and they said, "We so wish that you had told us, because we could have helped you." The great deceiver had fed her a classic lie: "Your mom and dad don't care. Don't ask for help." And the screaming in her heart became worse. "The guilt deepened and the accusations in my heart only increased," Stephanie explained. Immediately I turned to the issue of forgiveness from God in Christ. I knew real freedom-freedom to choose rightly and have a clear conscience-were near. I carefully walked her through the process of admission of the sin of immorality, and of taking the life of her child. She agreed and asked God to forgive her and take back the ground she had given to Satan in her soul. I listened as she prayed. Almost immediately real freedom came into her life. We continued to talk about what God wanted for her now that she'd dealt with her heart problem. I asked the Lord to bring to her mind what lies the great deceiver had lodged in her heart. Stephanie recognized the big lie was that God would never forgive her because she had taken the life of her child. The truth was that the blood of Calvary had covered and taken away that sin. As we talked, I sensed the Lord assuring Stephanie that her child was safe with Him and that one in glory she would see that baby once more. Stephanie also said that while she felt dirty sand defiled, Jesus showed her she was pure and holy and righteous and clean because of His work on the Cross. For as long time, she prayed and dedicated her life to Christ. After several counseling sessions, she told me, "I feel that God has healed me and cleansed my life of every stain of my sinful past. I really want to do His will daily and live my life for Him." That commitment has paid off. Today Stephanie is married and God has given her a beautiful little girl. She and her husband serve the Lord faithfully. She builds new towers of truth as she meditates on the Scriptures day by day, and God has truly set her free. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Truth about True Freedom

On the 1st day of January, in the year of our Lord 1863, all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state, the people thereof shall then be in rebellion against the United Sates, shall be then, thence forward and forever [free]." Those words are part of the great document issued by President Abraham Lincoln known as the Emancipation Proclamation. It freed all slaves in the U.S. forever, and guaranteed that slavery would never again taint America's states. In a similar way, God declared our spiritual emancipation proclamation through the death, burial, and resurrect in of our Lord Jesus Christ. The moment Jesus rose from the dead, Satan tasted utter defeat and lost the legal right of mastery and control over the life of any believer. Satan possesses no legal, spiritual, or actual right to run our lives! However, though the enemy has no legal right, many Christians experience his intrusion into their lives due to unresolved issues of unconfessed and unrepented sin. This is why Paul commands us to "not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1). Clients come to counseling looking for the spiritual guidance that will lead them to freedom from sin and growth in Christ. True biblical counseling seeks to equip an army for warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil by helping them put on the spiritual armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-12). The result of such guidance is true freedom in our inner person-a freedom to serve God and love those around us, a joy while sharing our faith, and even a smile or two. That's what Riley found out. A pastor friend referred Riley to me, saying that Riley was hearing voices in his head. Riley had told the pastor that the voices had been speaking for the past twenty years, telling Riley he was no good, he was stupid, and he should curse God and Christ. When Riley arrived, I had an opportunity to get acquainted with him and his wife. I asked him to explain his situation, and he said, "When I got out of the navy, I was diagnosed as being schizophrenic. I have voices that scream in my mind. With enough medication they now have them down so that it's more like a conversation in the back of my head." It has been my experience with schizophrenics that medication sometimes takes away the voices. However, there are times when the voices are not speaking because of a biochemical problem, but rather there is an enemy behind them. I could tell that Riley had a heart that loved God and he was sincerely seeking help, so I asked him an important question. When did the voices start?" "When I was in the navy," he said, "I became involved in some homosexual activity. That was the beginning of hearing voices." I asked if he had ever asked God to forgive him for those wrongs and asked God to take back the ground he had given to Satan. To his best recollection he had not. We prayed together, I asked God to grant him repentance, and he asked the Lord to stop Satan's influence in his life. Afterward he looked at me with the most surprised look on his face and said, "This is absolutely amazing; the voices just stopped." I praised God, and Riley asked, "What do I do now?" I said, "Why don't you take a walk. Maybe enjoy life, enjoy the Lord. Come back in a half an hour and we will evaluate." He took a half-hour walk and came back. When we sat down in my office again, he said, "The voices are still silent. I can't believe it." We began to meet together on a weekly basis, and it was astonishing what would happen from week to week. After the first week he reported that his psychiatrist had said his schizophrenia had gone into total remission. He would no longer need medication. After the second week he said that for the first time in twenty years he was able to work. The third week he said for the first time in twenty years he was able to truly read the Bible, concentrating and praying on it as he went. The fourth week he shared with me that his love for his wife was growing by leaps and bounds. They now had an emotional connectedness that they had not had since the time he had met her. It has been several years since then. Recently I received a phone call from a man who goes to Riley's church. he said, "Ken, let me give you my perspective on Riley. He works a full-time job, he is out for calling every Thursday night, he plays on the church baseball team, and he teaches a Sunday school class. But none of that is the most amazing thing. The most amazing thing is that he grins all the time. I could only laugh for joy at this transformation that happened as a result of a little prayer of confession and the receipt of forgiveness. My friend said, "If I had gone through what Riley had gone through, I believe I would grin all the time, too." Most of us will not hear voices, but many of us still need to claim our freedom in Christ. Such freedom prepares a person to go forward in truth and to stand with Jesus Christ against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Often that all begins with a single prayer of repentance. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Lord is Involved in Physical Healing

Let us not forget that the Lord is involved in physical, and well as emotional and spiritual healing. Though abuse typically leaves emotional and spiritual scars, sometimes abuse leaves physical scars, and sometimes the abused person forgets that Jesus is the Great Physician. In addition, sometime we are afflicted with physical ailments and pain not related to abuse and again find ourselves asking the question of why. I believe physical healing happens-frequently-and it's something that we should honestly seek under certain conditions. The Scriptures speak much about some diseases resulting from separation or broken relationships with God, others, and ourselves. This is one reason we need to know each other in the body of Christ in depth, not just superficially on a Sunday-to-Sunday basis. I also believe some diseases are a direct result of sin. The see precisely what I mean, study the following passages: Deuteronomy 7:11-15; 28:15-22; Psalm 31:9-10; 38:3-7; Isaiah 5:13-14. Dorothy, though, is an example of genuine physical healing. She experienced several tragic events in her life. She was bedridden for several years with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. She also experienced a heart attack and breast cancer before age thirty-seven. She took prescription medications for her pain, and was severely overweight. With all these conditions, she chose to become angry and bitter. She came to our clinic full of bitterness and on the verge of a breakdown. After some time in counseling, she wrote me, "I recently repented of my bitterness and anger. The Lord set me free as I forgave those who so deeply hurt me." She also repented of gluttony and changed her diet. Nine months after her confession of sin, she had lost eighty pounds and lowered her cholesterol by 150 points. She told me, "With my doctor's blessing, I have stopped taking the prescription medication I had relied on for years. I now walk, run, work, and enjoy the life Christ has given me. I am no longer angry and bitter. I now have the joy of the Lord." Such physical healing often happens as people deal with the lies and sin in their lives that Satan uses to keep them in bondage. Before her repentance, Dorothy was angry and bitter toward God, herself, and others. The effect of sustained bitterness was destroying her physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Repentance brought her God's comfort and healing. In physical sickness as well as in anything else, we must not assign to the enemy what is not his. Many of our problems come form our willful disobedience. If a man commits adultery or visits a prostitute, he runs the risk of incurring a sexually transmitted disease. If a Christian drinks alcohol to excess or smokes cigarettes, he runs obvious physical risks. Consuming too much fat and cholesterol, or even gluttony, can result in all sorts of physical problems. In some cases, God may actually "judge" him or her by inflicting the disease because of the sin. Sometimes physical healing will be only partial; other times no healing will result. In either case, God has not been stumped. Instead He has chosen for His glory and good purposes to let the affliction remain. We need look no further than the great apostle Paul to see a godly follower of Christ continue to suffer with some unnamed "thorn in the flesh" despite "plead[ing] with the Lord three times that it might depart from me." The reason for the pain remaining? So the apostle might learn to depend on God's power in weakness, so "that the power of Christ" could be shown in him (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). This was what happened with Melody. She was involved n a car wreck that changed her life. At age nineteen her car fishtailed on wet pavement, then rolled down an embankment. She was thrown from the car, and the car hit her head as it rolled down the embankment. Her skull and right side of her face suffered multiple fractures. The doctors told her family she would not live because of the damage to her brain. Her lungs collapsed and she was on life support. When she didn't die, the doctors said she would be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life. She remained uncommunicative and in a state in infancy for six months; then she finally began to recover. The final word from the doctors was, she would have to live in a long term care facility. When she was ready to be released from the hospital to such a facility, her parents took Melody home against the doctor's advice. "God gave my parents a nineteen-year-old baby," Melody later explained. "The only thing I could do was eat, My mother gave me physical therapy, taught me how to walk and talk-she even potty trained me." A remarkable recovery occurred during the next eighteen months. After five lengthy surgeries, Melody's face and skull were reconstructed. In the end, Melody relearned the abilities to walk, talk, sing, and work. She considers her major recovery a miracle. The only signs of her trauma's are blindness in her right eye and weakness in her left side. "The devil wanted to destroy my life," she said, "but the Lord turned this experience around in a way that gives glory to Him. Because my understanding is more childlike, I am able to help more people. God has taught me to trust Him in many new ways. I'm happy to say God's glory has shown through in all my trials." Melody believes the physical loss after the accident was helpful. "I believe God allowed me to go through this trial to teach me how to better encourage people. My trial was twofold: to bring me to a place of full surrender to the Lord, and to show forth God's glory." Melody has heard Satan's lies shrieking in her mind, "What kind of God lets this happen to His children?" She could easily have reacted to this tragedy with bitterness and anger. Instead, she chose to walk with Christ in victory. Today, she sings in various churches as part of her family ministry team. She gives her testimony in an almost childlike voice using childlike terms. People, especially children and those who hurt, find Melody one of the most approachable people they've ever met. Everywhere she goes, she offers encouragement and the testimony that "God is with you in your pain, Look to Him and He will get you through it to victory." Would she have leaned these things apart from her accident and her agonizing medical problems? There is no answer. But the truth is that she did learn these truths through her accident and recovery and can praise God for it. That is a sign of a Christians who has done spiritual battle and found success through Christ. Melody learned through her accident that hidden treasures often come in ugly boxes. Do you seek healing from God in some way? Has Satan buffeted you on some level like he did with the apostle Paul, placing a "thorn" in your flesh? My word to you is that God is a God of healing. The same apostle Paul who could not fully understand his thorny allocation still accepted it, and in another letter wrote, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). God does heal the brokenhearted and the broken-bodied. I believe there is hope for anyone who will genuinely seek Christ. Perhaps your body will not achieve complete healing in this life. That doesn't matter. For you will be perfect in the next one. And for those who have listened to Satan's lies and become entrapped and sealed in them, I say with Melody, you too can break out of those boxes simply by trusting Christ, learning His Word, and seeking His love at every turn of life. When that love and joy fills your heart, no tragedy can overshadow it. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Steps to Healing

I know that spiritual warfare is behind much abuse. Only by understanding it, the enemy, and the Lord can anyone truly be set free and healed. What steps should a Christian take who has been wounded in order to find genuine healing? 1. Recognize there is a personal God who loves you (see John 3:16). His love can break through any darkness and help you feel not only loved but beloved, God's child and a member of His family, wholly accepted and given all the rights of being a family member: peace, joy, hope, and the love of His people. 2. Give your broken heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (see Like 4:17-21). This act of faith seals the relationship and brings you into intimate friendship with Jesus Himself. 3. Trust Christ for promised hope and liberty (see Luke 4:18; John 8:32, 36). Jesus will give you the hope and freedom you desire. He alone is capable. 4. Be strengthened in the inner person by God's power (see Ephesians 3:16-17). God alone can give us the strength to overcome. Time and patience are needed. Healing usually happens in a context of meaningful discipleship relationships, worship, prayer support, fellowship, teaching, and growth. It's a process that often takes time and patience. We need fellowship and the friendship of loving, accepting people. Many broken people are isolated and lonely. Loneliness is to the soul what starvation is to the body. As the testimonies in this chapter show, healing always takes place in the larger context of family, friends, and the local church. Getting involved in a God-honoring church is an essential of true healing. Don't give up on the local church. Furthermore, don't go to church to get beat up, but go to be built up. As God's truth enters the heart, the result will be spiritual wisdom that in itself will strengthen and heal that tender "inner person" that is often so vulnerable to the abuses of this world. Louise found this out in a beautiful way. Now thirty-seven, she had been in a series of failed marriages and a number of affairs until one day she found Christ after she "decided to try Him," she said. It happened when the Lord brought a precious lady into her life at work. This Christian lady began to share Jesus with her and eventually led her to Christ. "The problem I have now," Louise told me, "is I really don't know where I belong." She felt alone, perhaps because of her treatment as a child. Neither her father nor mother wanted her or her twin brother. She was unwanted, and her parents had made that clear every day of her life. I recommended a good, caring church. I even made a couple of phone calls to make the introductions of Louise. That Sunday, she later told me, it took all she had to get out of bed and actually go to church. By the grace of God, though, she made it. As she got involved, she soon found there were a number of problems in her life that had to be resolved. For one, she had not paid income tax for several years, An attorney in the church helped her get that squared away. The church also helped her with mortgage on her house that was about to foreclose, and they helped her purchase a car so she could get around. She told me the greatest thing they did for her, though, was being "there...when I desperately needed them. If one member of the body could not meet my need they would look and find another one who could. In a matter of several months of being in the church there was a realtor, a tax lawyer, a finance expert, a medical doctor and several sisters who came alongside to meet specific needs at that time in my life." I believe the greatest part of her growth and healing has taken place through her local church. I urge every reader: Do not give up on the church that Jesus Christ is building. Yes, God's people still sin; yes, and they make mistakes. But if you seek out people who are truly walking with the Lord, you will inevitably find them loving, resourceful folks who will often give you the shirt off their backs to help. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Jesus and the Occult

Satan uses all kinds of abuse to render Christians ineffective. One is direct-right out of his hand: occult involvement. Daisy grew up in a family that was heavily involved in the occult. She told me, "All throughout my childhood I was deathly afraid of my mom. she was an angry, cold, distant person who constantly (physically) abused me. It was as if she took all her rage on me. My father was the only doctor in our small town and was never home." What was most horrifying about her case was that, as a child, at times she could actually see a demonic presence. "As a toddler I distinctly remember evil beings coming through the window to harasses me. These beings would hover near my crib until I lost consciousness due to fear. Amazingly enough, God entered this arena unbidden. "Around that same time, God, in His great love, brought a godly Christian family into our neighborhood. Through their grandmother I first heard about the Lord Jesus Christ. I was too young to understand the depth of Christ's message, but I fully understood that there was Someone who loved me unconditionally." Daisy listened to these folks and found in them a source of comfort and hope. However, her situation at home did not change. "The conditions of my family and childhood worsened as I grew older. I became suicidal in my adolescence, and my mother threaded to commit me to a mental hospital. I got the message loud and clear that I was crazy. Seeking help, I began attending a nearby church. However, this church did not preach the Gospel, and it's social message did not soothe my conscience nor bring peace to my fearful heart. "Finding no hope in hollow 'religion,' I turned to drinking and sex." Daisy said, She found that the only love she knew was abuse, so when she met a charming but abusive young man (named John) she thought she was in love. In 1970, the year she turned twenty-one, she accepted John's offer of marriage. But she was not happy. "It was not long before my marriage fell apart, with my husband threatening to kill me," Daisy said. "He showed up at the hospital one day where I was being treated (for wounds he had inflicted on me) and threatened to kill my doctor. Almost immediately I filed for divorce." The strange thing in the midst of this was the constant call of God on her heart. In the midst of her horrid situation God spoke, and she says, "I was filled with a burning desire for God. I set out on as mission to seek the Jesus Christ I had heard about when I was a young child." After her release from the hospital and subsequent divorce, Daisy returned to wondering about what God would do with her. He answered swiftly: "A few months later my baby-sitter introduced me to a pastor's daughter who was holding Bible studies in her home. There I came to a fuller understanding of the work of Christ on the cross to free me from my sins and bondage to the evil one. There were many nights when I would stay up reading the gospel of John with my light on because of my terror of demonic spirits." During that time, she prayed one night for Christ to come into her life, not sure He really would. Instantly, she said, "A great peace came to my heart." Though this was a new beginning for Daisy, her journey was not at an end. She told me, "In 1986 I met a very nice man in the church I was attending. After a year and four months of dating we married. Almost immediately we had problems. We were triggering each other's woundedness. There was something that hindered our intimacy. After a very traumatic childhood and a turbulent adulthood, I had hoped that this marriage would bring the peace and joy of intimacy. However, there were things that the Lord wanted to change in me." After her second marriage dissolved she came for counseling and there God showed her the lies of Satan that she was still believing. As these truths registered in her spirit, God gave her the power to renounce those lies and believe His truth. We continued to work together, and she recently said, "I am now finding in Christ what I was looking for in marriage. Through the blood of Christ and the truth of Scripture I am being healed. The Lord has been faithful to keep His Word, 'You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities' (Psalm 31:7). He is my Yeshua, the Holy One of Israel, the Lamb of God." Daisy's case illustrates it's not a matter of drugs or human wisdom or even great compassion and love from a decent friend; no, it's the purpose and person of Christ who vanquishes the lies of the devil and takes back the ground the enemy has claimed. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Jesus Heals Wounds from Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse will create deep wounds that will require healing. As a child, Janet had been sexually molested. She spent much time as a child with her unmarried uncle who treated her "special," which was his euphemism for abuse. The painful memories of that molestation were burned into her heart. Now married for more than a dozen years, Janet found it difficult to have sexual intimacy with her husband. When she would attempt to have a physical relationship with Bob, the memories would surface and she would react. Bob interpreted those reactions as rejection. This set the stage for much pain and frustration in their marriage. Recently Bob confessed to having an affair, and Janet went into a deep depression. Bob sought counseling first, and he took responsibility for his adultery. He knew he had triggered Janet's depression, and he sought to win his wife's trust and rebuild a loving relationship with his children. During our counseling session, Bob broke and wept over the awfulness of his sin against God and Janet. Satan filled him with fear that she'd never forgive him, that he'd never find "true satisfaction sexually" from his wife, and that he would face even deeper emptiness for the rest of his life because God was against him. Bob, though, confessed these lies and as he faced them, he realized they were deceptions designed to keep him from real healing. In a sudden turn around, he shook his head and asked his wife to forgive him. He asked God to do radical amputation and cut the idols out of his heart. He prayed, "Father, I repent of the sin of adultery with (he named the woman). Please separate my body, soul, and spirit from the body, soul, and spirit of (he named the woman)." Later, as I talked with Janet, she realized that she had to forgive her uncle and release him to the Lord. His actions had made her feel dirty, trapped, and helpless; those actions also had made her uncomfortable about having sexual relations with her husband. Bob's confession and repentance had helped, but now Janet needed to forgive her uncle and purge those lies. Eventually she prayed, forgiving her uncle. Then the Lord spoke to her heart and erased the lies that had been planted there many years before. Gone were the feelings and beliefs of being dirty, guilty, worthless, and undesirable. As she submitted to God, love, joy, and peace took the place of those former feelings and beliefs. Now Janet was able to also forgive Bob from her heart for his adultery and released him to the Lord. I watched with joy as the Lord tore down the walls of bitterness that stood between them. Their hearts connected for the first time in their married lives. Bob reports today that their intimate physical relationship reflects what God intended all along and that they are learning that they can "trust in the Lord, and do good...Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:3-4). Almost daily in my counseling I hear the question asked, "Why did God let it happen?" Janet asked the Lord this question, and He gave her the answer that "I used it to bring you to Me." She told me, "It was during that awful time when I cried out to God that He saved me." God doesn't always give an answer like that, but He did give us Romans 8:28-29-the promise that He works all things for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. God the Father did not stop the crucifixion, but He gave us Easter. He is always able to bring good out of bad, if we'll only turn to Him in faith and trust Him to do it. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Help and Healing from the Great Physician

Healing from abuse requires forgiveness. Granting forgiveness is often not easy to do; it seems doubly difficult in the case of abuse. There has been an injustice; the perpetrator has inflicted hurt, even pain; and the consequences typically are long lasting. How can someone forgive? the answer: only by the supernatural grace of God. Indeed, He forgave so that we might be able to forgive as well (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus understood that the very people who crucified Him were not understanding criminals, but ignorant savages. Had they really understood whom the were nailing to the cross and seen the true motives of the leaders of the Jews, their guilt would have multiplied. But their ignorance and their own victimization at the hands of others makes their actions less malevolent. We will not always understand the reason for abuse. At times, the person's actions may have been selfish, an overuse of power at one's disposal. At other times, there may have been mitigating factors, but we must still love. And there are times when the specific reason will never be known, or the abuser was confused as to why he or she acted so wrongly. It matters little; one does not need to know the perpetrator's motive in order to forgive. Through His grace and forgiveness the Lord enables us to forgive, even as He commands us (Ephesians 4:32). When authorities-those who are in charge and whom we often respect-abuse us as children, that abuse can make us think strange things. We may think we indirectly caused the abuse-our stupidity, our disobedience, our failure made the person attack us. Satan lies to abuse victims; he tells them those very things that keep them mired in confusion and fear. It is up to counselors and those in the church to reveal the truth. As always, truth and love together can bring healing. I saw this in Harley when he visited my office. It was difficult for him to speak because he kept sobbing almost out of control. He unfolded his story one layer at a time as he told about growing up in an abusive home. It was a familiar scene: His father was an alcoholic-an abuse victim himself. Usually he would spank Harley, but at other times he would get in his face and scream. Typically he would yell cruel, cutting things: "You are a piece of garbage; you are utterly stupid." Harley said, "It was not the spankings that wounded me. It was the screaming that wounded my soul. The yelling and what he yelled were what lodged so deeply in my being." As we prayed,the Holy Spirit brought the lies to the surface, which we were able to dispel with God's truth. Step by step, Harley came to the freedom that is only found in Jesus Christ. The beautiful thing in it all was that God took Harley and put him into a loving local assembly of men who were willing to listen to him, encourage him, and help him mature in Christ. As God brought the truth about being made in God's image and being a child of God into Harley's life, he found true healing. Harley says, "I am not the same person I was a year ago. I know who I am in Jesus Christ. I am very glad to be alive and to know I have a place assigned by God in His kingdom." I have never in all my counseling years encountered a man or woman who was bitter and wounded because of biblical discipline, which includes spanking. However, I have come across many who have been wounded deeply because they were yelled at and called names; that is not discipline at all. It is verbal abuse that attacks the child's very identity. As parents we have a responsibility to treat children as they were created, "fearfully {that is respectfully} and wonderfully made" by the Creator. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Hearing God Speak Through Scriptures and the Holy Spirit

There are many afflictions, but the primary ones are from the inner brokenness, wounds, and crushed spirit that have been inflicted on many in our world. Wounds may come from childhood abuse. They often result from our own sinful acts. Wounds may also be caused by authorities overstepping boundaries. Often they are the results of us believing lies that have been placed in our hearts by the world, the flesh, or the devil. Many of my clients become upset when they realize that the enemy has attacked them. But the thing we need to remember is that the devil never kicks a dead horse. If you're feeling the kicks, you're still alive, and you can still experience healing and hope in Christ. That is the promise I always make to my clients. "If you honestly seek Christ in the midst of your terrible situation, you will be surprised at the amazing things He will do to help!" How exactly does Jesus help us and move us toward genuine healing? I believe genuine healing comes largely through Jesus communicating with us personally to reveal the truth in our hearts and expose the lies we've let control our lives. In the book Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby wrote, "If I do not know when God is speaking, I am in trouble at the heart of my Christian life." Being able to "hear God" is the primary point at which Satan attacks. He wants to dull our "faith sense" that enables us to hear God's voice and learn the truth we need to apply in any given situation. Blackaby goes on to say, "God never will lead you in opposition to His written Word." Occasionally, people come to me who believe God wants them to do things contrary to Scripture. They are supposed to unload their anger on their family as a means of "venting." Or they believe they should hurt someone physically who has hurt them. But my counsel is always "What does God's Word say?" If something we "hear" in our hearts is contrary to that, then we can be sure that is not the voice of God. As Blackaby noted, "What God speaks to me, revealing what He is about to do, that revelation is my invitation to adjust my life to God. Adjustments prepare me for obedience. I cannot stay where I am and go with God. God's greatest single task is to get His people adjusted to Himself." At that point, he made an insightful warfare statement: "The only way Satan can affect God's work through me is when I believe Satan and disbelieve God." I believe the Lord Jesus Christ speaks by the Holy Spirit using the Word, and that by the prompting of the Spirit He gives mental pictures both through the Word and by His "still small voice" that every child of God can hear within his heart if he chooses. In all such communication, God never adds to His Word, nor does He ever contradict it. This means by which He heals and opens a heart to the truth. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Wounds of Abuse

Child abuse has been found to be a more common occurrence than once thought. And it takes place in more forms than once thought. Beyond physical and sexual abuse, we now know verbal abuse can be just as damaging Daryl suffered from verbal and physical abuse more than fifty years ago, and the effect remind us of the long-term consequences. His eventual triumph over those consequences also reminds us of the spiritual victory that can result. When Daryl's older brother was sent to school, Daryl's mother sent him along, thinking he was smart and could carry on with the others in the first-grade class, even though he was only four. Anna Smithfield (not her real name) was just out of high school when she became Daryl's teacher. A two-month summer teaching course was all the formal teacher's training she had. In addition, the new teacher brought with her a childhood in an abusive home. Of course, more than fifty hears ago abusive experiences or tendencies were never mentioned or even considered in the hiring and employing of teachers or anyone else. Daryl at age four was not mentally or emotionally ready for the demands of school, even though he was exuberant and bright. It was soon obvious he could not perform as well as other first graders, but Miss Smithfield was determined to make a special case out of him. Instead of asking his parents to wait until he was older before they put him in school, she had him stay in class, determined to teach him if it was "the last thing I ever do." The challenge of teaching a four-year-old in the first grade would be tough enough for any seasoned teacher. But in Miss Smithfield's case, with abuse as her only disciplinary tool to compel children to obey, she began levying terrible consequences on Daryl when he failed to give the answers she wanted. Those consequences included lots of verbal abuse. She frequently put a dunce cap on his head and mocked him by parading him in front of the other students and calling him "stupid," "idiot," and other things. When even this didn't bring him into line, harsh spankings and other physical consequences followed. This went on for the first six years of Daryl's education in the one-room school of olden days. How did Daryl respond to this treatment? Like most children in such a situation, he did not turn his anger toward his teacher, Instead, he turned it toward himself, believing he was born stupid, would never amount to anything, and was the "worst case ever" of "intellectual inability." Fortunately, Daryl escaped that teacher a few years later when she left teaching to get married. He excelled in school from that point on, earning several degrees, including a PH.D. To his amazement, he possessed an acute business sense that made him very successful financially. He married a wonderful woman and raised happy, disciplined children who also grew into achieving adults. But successful as he was, Daryl fought an internal battle with anger that often threatened to rise to the surface of violent, curse-spewing outbursts. Purely out of self-discipline and raw determination, he never let the internal battle show outwardly except in private moments when on one was watching. Even then, his anger remained subdued and controlled, though he seethed with rage inside. This anger, though, manifested itself in another way: He developed a deeply critical spirit toward people in positions of authority. The government, teachers, policemen, and others became the objects of well-shaped barbs of hatred and revulsion. Daryl had nothing good to say about anyone who held such a position. As we worked through this history in my office and then prayed together, the Lord spoke to Daryl's heart in a way I've often seen but which always stuns me at the speed with which it can happen. God revealed to Daryl that he had walled off this tremendous anger toward his grade-school teacher, pretending that feeling never really developed, but manifesting the feeling in this solidly critical spirit. Through the years, the enemy told him, "You are angry at yourself (which he was) and at God who created you stupid, but not at your teacher." Daryl remembered Miss Smithfield, herself quite deceptive and evasive, had a pet phrase she used before she physically or mentally abused Daryl. She'd gravely say, "Daryl, this is for your own good. I am only doing this for you because I care about you. I really believe this will help you do better. This, in some ways, made her a saint in Daryl's mind. He believed that teacher so completely that the idea he was stupid, worthless, and useless stayed with him long into a successful adulthood. During our session, the Lord suddenly revealed the true source and effect of his anger. Sitting there, Daryl said, "You mean I'm not stupid? My teacher was wrong?" It was so obvious to me and everyone else that it was almost funny to see this successful, disciplined, and intelligent man saying such a thing But that is the power of Satan's lies. They imbue themselves into our mental machinery against all evidence to the contrary. I told Daryl that his belief resulted from his teacher's abuse, not because it was real or true. Satan had used the teacher to convince Daryl he was stupid; Satan had convinced Daryl that God had created him that way. For several minutes he sat there confused and amazed as he mulled over this monumental fact. In the end, though, he saw it was true. "I am not stupid. God has given me abilities. "Instantly, the confusion disappeared. All the anguish and bitterness were released in a quiet prayer of confession as he sought God and thanked Him for opening his eyes to the truth. After this confession, he immediately asked the Lord to forgive him for all the criticism he'd levied against others and for his bitterness. At that point, it was as if a dam broke in his soul. The simple prayer resulted in peace and joy flooding his heart, so that a new tenderness toward others gripped him. In only weeks, everyone in his family wondered what had happened. Gentle, kind words fell from his lips and the critical spirit disappeared. What had happened? The lie-formed through the verbal and physical punishment by a teacher-was exposed and he was free. He felt release from fifty years of bondage, not because of me as his counselor, but because God had brought light and life to him in a way he'd never experienced before. Daryl often used the word "healed" in explaining to others what had happened to him: "I've been healed. Today Daryl enjoys a deeper walk with the Lord and has a more effective ministry to the body of Christ than ever before. Real healing came into Daryl's life as the Lord revealed what was hidden; namely, a deep-rooted hostility and anger toward a teacher who abused him almost daily. Rarely does a small child ask, "What is wrong with the person in charge?" Instead, the child asks, "What is wrong with me?" Such abuse is all too common in our lie-bombarded world. A huge part of spiritual warfare is not knocking back the bastions of Satan, but helping his victims see the deceptions of the Evil One and directing them to true healing and hope in Christ. Healing is the best word for describing what happens to patients who have been lied to by the enemy. They were "sick" in the sense that they believed the lies that let them color everything they did and believed. Their conduct and behavior were "tainted" by the disease that the lies spread in their lives. For many of us, healing is the answer. What happens when you're healed from a sickness? When germs invade your body, they weaken it and then take over. If they're given freedom to proliferate, they can render a patient bedridden and eventually destroy his very life. Similarly, when lies attack our minds and we accept them, we can become dysfunctional and sinful, and eventually those lies can destroy relationships at home and work. Healing happens when an antibiotic or drugs in this case, truth-is put into the body (mind and heart), kills the germs (lies), and allows the body to heal (grow spiritually and emotionally). That's the essence of spiritual warfare. Germs have invaded our bodies, bent on killing us. But God gives us His powerful antibiotic-truth-and the lies are destroyed. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Spiritual Warfare in the Church

Young Charlie Smith (not his real name) was fresh out of seminary. Charlie couldn't wait to move to the parsonage of the church that had just called him as senior pastor. Armed with a master's degree and full of zeal, Charlie planned to set the world on fire. His face glowed as he thought of preaching in the pulpit of this beautiful auditorium, that still smelled new. The unanimous vote boasted his spirits, and he looked forward to leading a unified church. Within days of unloading the moving van and helping his wife and two young children settle in, Charlie realized the unanimous vote actually came from two factions that had split months before but were unwilling to leave the new building. Each side claimed a right to own it and remain, with the other group leaving. Each group also believed Charlie was their man. Several days after getting started, Charlie learned the chairman of the elder board was involved in an affair with a young married woman who was also a member of the church. The former pastor would not confront the issue; instead he chose to answer a call to greener and calmer pastures. During his early sermons Charlie saw a smirk on the face of the head elder almost as often as he observed the closed eyes of the elder who dozed through every sermon. Charlie began to dream of the "good old seminary days," when he carried a full course load and also worked forty hours a week in the freezer at the meat packing plant to make ends meet. This was difficult, but it didn't compare to the stress of this pastorate. Each group pulled on Charlie as members jockeyed position to take over the facility. Nearly every church event turned into a power play. Even a solemn event like a funeral became a show of force. One faction would tell Charlie. "You better not give him as Christian funeral. If anybody ever went to hell, he did." His sin? Siding with the other faction, of course. The only warfare instruction Charlie had ever received in seminary was some teaching on theological liberalism that had invaded the church. Excellent teaching that this was, Charlie was ill prepared for the all-out internal warfare going on in his pews. Though he also studied about church conflicts and how to "be in charge of the war" in a church situation, nothing in his class notes shed light on the present problem. Without question the enemy was behind this assault on the church, using all his classic tactics to divide and conquer. During this time, Charlie began to wonder if the enemy's purpose was not only to destroy the ministry of the church but to seriously blemish the reputation of the Lord. This hurt even more than the idea that the church itself might go down. So Charlie began to pray. He realized God had ordained the church for His service, and he asked the Lord to oppose whatever forces were at work in the church. He actually pleaded with God for a miracle. As he sought the Lord, the Spirit brought to Charlie's attention a group of committed saints who took neither side. He discovered that they, often with tears, were praying desperately for the church in the way only scared but committed saints can do: with passion, love, and genuine hope that God would answer. The group prayed, and Charlie led them with the hope of "winning one for the Father." One night as verse jumped off the page of the Bible as Charlie read, "The time has come for judgment to being at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17). Not sure what this meant, Charlie prayed that this would indeed be God's operative plan. However, he didn't really expect what was about to happen. The next day the leader of one of the factions died quite suddenly. It did cross Charlie's mind that God might have "struck him down," even as He had struck Ananias, Sapphira, and Herod Antipas (see Acts 5:1-11; 12:20-23). Pastor Charlie didn't say anything about his thoughts as he preached this leader's funeral; he did not try to rally anyone against the other group or even mention the conflict. But as he preached, the other leader suddenly fell sick, went into the hospital, and was not expected to live. Charlie visited him and prayed for him. By the unique grace of God, this second leader did live, and then accepted Christ while he was in the hospital. God, who had interceded twice already, was ready to act through this new child of His. One morning three weeks later, the converted elder stood before the congregation, gave his testimony, and then pleaded for forgiveness. As if setting in motion the gears of a great machine that had been idle, a genuine revival broke out. People crossed the aisles to seek forgiveness from one another. The chairman of the elders was disciplined for his adultery. Within a few short years, the church, now committed to honoring God, doubled in size. Charlie watched it all unfold, as astonished as the rest. but grateful that God had known what to do about the problem even if he hadn't. Through that experience, Charlie grew in his understanding of spiritual warfare as he searched and taught the Scriptures in order to build up the flock. He also warned the flock over and over that the wolf remained ready to attack again, so they must be vigilant and ready, as Paul said to the Ephesians in Acts 20:28-30. Charlie saw clearly there are two kingdoms operating in God's world, and they are mutually exclusive. He also learned that Jesus is the ultimate Lord of both kingdoms. This example, while a bit unusual, is not unique. God loves His church and protects it. The local church serves as the primary fortress and offense against the enemy. If you are a Christian and are not involved in a church, it's my hope that you will become convinced of the church's position before God and of its power, and of your own need to become allied with other Christians in the struggle. Lone Rangers rarely last long in the church. That's why it's called "the body of Christ." In that sense, Jesus Himself needs us to accomplish His purpose as much as we need Him. The miracle of Christianity is that God has made us His coworkers. Not slaves, nor merely servants. But coworkers and those who will share in the harvest! Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Growing in Christ is a Choice

A key arena in which we have the power to make real choices is in growing spiritually. Spiritual growth follows repentance. The enemy will do his worst to keep us from getting saved, but if that happens, he changes his tactics. Now he will do everything to keep us from growing in Christ so that we can be effective in building His kingdom. He hates what the theologians call "progressive sanctification," and what the Scriptures tell us is becoming more like Christ as we seek to know Him more and, by the Spirit, sin less. See, for example, these Scriptures: John 17:17,; 2 Corinthians 3:18: Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:26; Philippians 1:6. Elaine received Christ as Savior when she was sixteen; for the next two years, however, her spiritual growth was slow and sporadic. When she entered college she almost forgot she was a Christian. She earned her master's degree in education and landed the teaching position of her dreams. However, being an educator didn't bring the satisfaction she desired. She came to my office within weeks of being "dumped" by the man she was engaged to. "I know I'm a Christian," Elaine stated in the first session, "but the Christian life doesn't work for me." She freely admitted that she did not read the Bible and rarely prayed. She also revealed that she struggled with bitterness toward her ex-fiance and was addicted to cigarettes. As I shared principles of freedom with her, the Lord opened her eyes and heart. She repented of pride (running her own life) and bitterness. She sought the Lord's forgiveness for harming the Lord's temple through tobacco abuse. She asked the Lord to take back the ground she had given to the enemy. Back home, she made Bible reading and prayer a daily part of her life. The Lord led her to a local church with a dynamic singles ministry. "I have been walking with the Lord for three years," she later told me," and He is changing my life. I am like an onion-He is peeling off the old life a layer at a time. But with each layer He removed, He's added to my life Christian virtue, increased godly desires, and greater knowledge of Himself. The Lord is doing what I am not capable of doing myself. He is causing me to grow into His likeness." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Spiritual Warfare and Final Choices

The R word. Repentance is a concept with which even Christians at times struggle. It may be difficult for people to admit they're wrong, to agree with God that their attitudes and actions are sin. It's humbling to acknowledge to God-and often others-that your thoughts, words, or behaviors are wrong. Usually we must ask for forgiveness when we repent. And that's difficult, too. But that's the next choice we must make: Will we choose repentance? The enemy will do anything to keep us from this sacred reality. To repent means to "turn around, to change one's mind." Sometimes when we have sinned we do not recognize it; we do not acknowledge it. David realized this when he sinned with Bathsheba and wrote about his response to his adulterous actions in Psalm 38:13 "But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth." David eventually was confronted with his sin of adultery and the subsequent murder of Bathsheba's husband-by a prophet, no less! (Read about it in 2 Samuel 12:1-9.) Like David, many of us have difficulty admitting we have sinned. We tend to deny, rationalize, or blame others for our sin/problems. We are like hypocrites who chant, "Faults in others I can see, but praise the Lord, there are none in me." The truth is that only repentance brings hope. God actually has a solution to our sin problems. Through a simple act of repentance, we can be set free and set on a new course as if we were starting over! That doesn't mean there may not be consequences of our sin, but it does mean with God there is always a second chance, and a third one, and a hundredth one! Our problem is when we sin we tend to justify ourselves. We choose to minimize the evil we have done. We may plead guilty, but always with a request to say something on our behalf. "Yet, but..." and "I understand, but please let me say..." But we must learn to accept responsibility for our actions, our misdeeds. A friend of mine found this out when he ran a stop sign. A policeman wrote him a ticket. He decided to go to court to defend himself. He told the judge that several cars ahead of him ran the stop sign before he did and they were not pulled over. He urged the judge, saying' "Your Honor, is it fair that the get off Scot-free and I get the ticket?" "Did you roll through the stop sign?" the judge asked. "Yes, I did," my friend was forced to admit. "Guilty," pronounced the judge. My friend paid the fine. In the same way, as long as we justify our sin or blame other, we are listening to Satan's lies. We will only be free of sin when we see it as God sees it, when we recognize and turn from our misdeeds. How do we do this? We must come into His presence and there remain until all our self-serving arguments collapse and we fully repent. Then, and only then, do we come to that single mind, which is God's mind. Ethel's sin was fear. Not fear of God, but fear of people and, to a lesser extent, fear of death. Those fears were prompted by an almost deadly encounter with a crime suspect. She called me one day from the psychological unit of the hospital. Her words came out slowly, deliberately, and full of pain as she related her story. Ethel had joined the police force of a major city after graduating from the police academy, fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a law enforcement officer. But in her third year as a policewoman, she was confronted with a gun to her head. "My partner and I were called to as crime scene," Ethel told me. "The back door had been pried open. As I approached the door, a man leaped into the doorway with a drawn gun aimed at my head. He pulled the trigger on what was later identified as a .357 Magnum. The primer detonated but the gun did not fire. I fired before he had a second chance. He died in the hospital later that evening." Ethel was alive, clearly by the grace of God, and I thought this should have made her very grateful toward God. It Didn't. Instead, she said, "Since that day I have lost my confidence. I clutch in a crisis. Because of his I have made mistakes-enough to get fired from my job two days ago. Last night I took enough pills to, as my doctor say, kill a large horse; yet I lived. I see now that God has saved my life twice. But I'm confused. Please open your Bible and show me how I can have peace in my heart and become as whole person. The Lord me to discuss "The fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge," from Proverbs 1. taking about how "fear" really means "reverence and trust." Ethel soon admitted that even though she was a believer, she did not reverence or trust the Lord. From there, we talked about how the fear of other people can cause a Christian to stumble in his relationship with God. This made a lot of sense to her. It was then I moved on to what the enemy was doing in her life. I explained that fear is a tormentor, and the enemy was using her twin crisis-nearly being killed and taking a human life-to his own advantage. She nodded her head with understanding and said that for the first time in years, the need to trust God and not fear other people was real to her. Ethel recommitted her life to the Lord. I led her in prayer, and as we prayed, a window of understanding opened in her soul. She asked the Lord to take back the ground the enemy had taken in her soul. In the weeks that followed, we studied the Scriptures together, and Ethel continued to confess sin as the Lord brought it to mind. Ethel began to grow spiritually, and her growth reminded me of the jack-in-the-box I had as a child. When the lid opened, Jack sprang out of the box. In Ethel's situation, when the sin was confessed and the lies were removed, she jumped out of Satan's box and the growth in her life was almost instantaneous. Two years later Ethel said to me, "The Lord has put me in a desk job that I really enjoy. He has given me peace in my heart, and I now know I am a new creation in Christ. The fear is gone, and the Lord has replaced it with faith. That which Satan intended for evil the Lord is working for good." When you trust God with everything in your life, you need fear no one on earth, in heaven, or anywhere else! Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences and local church meetings.

Humility and Men

Submission means humility. And humility is the opposite of pride. The warning of Scripture is "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6; see also Proverbs 3:34). A humble, submissive spirit seems a particular challenge for most men. The male ego does exist, and many men are driven by it. I saw once again how this works in the case of Brent. "I've read warfare books, prayed steps to freedom, and I am trying to live the Christian life. What's wrong?" I sensed Brent's tremendous pride and knew what was at stake. We prayed together, and as I talked to the Lord, he said that the Spirit brought to his mind a "soul tie" he had with a married woman in his church. He had taken inappropriate sexual liberties with her. It did not lead to adultery, but he had truly "lusted after her in his heart," which Jesus called adultery in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:27-28). In my presence, Brent repented of this sin. I then turned him to the pride issue. Brent was an attractive man and was always flattered when women gave him attention. Moreover, his own wife would become jealous of the attention, and this in some way brought Brent even more pleasure. I showed him through several Scriptures how this pride had hurt him and his marriage. Brent immediately confessed this entire sordid thing to the Lord as vain and asked for freedom from such pride. I watched as he humbled himself, even with tears. Today, he continues to confess the pride problem on nearly a daily basis. "The battle of self is not an easy one," he says, "for I have learned that I am my own worst enemy." This had made Brent feel distant from God. He now sees what had happened. "The Bible, says, 'the Lord resists the proud,' and I think God was resisting me," Brent said "When the Lord resist us, we have no power to live the Christian life. That gave the enemy an opportunity to offer his substitutes: lust, pride, money, et cetera. To day I am thankful to be walking in fellowship with Jesus because He gives me all the grace I need to live for Him successfully." Something else happened when Brent humbled himself. When he first visited me, his initial complaint was "There is something in my head telling me I will never be free; the voice keeps telling me it owns me. "What happened to that voice assuring him he would never become free? It is gone. When truth showed up, it had no debating points left. It simply left the field. How are your choices going this week? Spend some time each day talking to God about the choices you've made and the ones you have to make. He will give you insight and genuine help if you seek Him honestly.