Hatred.  Is a consuming fire.  It is a raging cancer that consumes hearts until there is nothing left of us.

Hatred controls.  It controls every movement within our bodies.  There is a wild fire in America spreading and causes much damage.

I am sharing an article that I wrote several years back about the damage done to ourselves and to others when we allow rebellion to consume our souls.  Take heed.

It starts with a tattooed heart.

A TATTOOED HEART

Have you ever hurt so much that you thought your heart would literally break into?  If so, you can relate to my words today.

Have you ever hurt so much that you rolled up into a fetal position and just wailed with pain?  If so, you can relate to my words today.

 Bleeding Heart Flower

Today, we continue with our series on the Five Steps to a Full-Blown Rebellious Heart.  The first step is hurt or a wounded spirit.  Those moments of having the wind knocked right out you.  Sometimes you see it coming and sometimes all you see are stars floating around in your mind.

I am sure most of you have heard an old English children’s rhyme called “Sticks and Stones.”  Its purpose is to try and persuade a child victim of name-calling to ignore the hurtful words and just to remain calm and good-natured.

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.”

The saying has been helpful in some situations but my response to that is:  THAT IS A BIG FAT LIE FROM THE ENEMY.  There are so many people walking around today in unnecessary pain because WORDS can harm you.  Those words can easily become attached to you and if you are unable to shake them off – they become like tattoos.  Marks upon a tattered heart that has bled over the years.  They hurt – the name callings.  You are stupid.  You are fat.  You are ugly.  You will never be worth anything.  You are __________________________.

The pain is inexpressible.  For years, we build up walls around our tattooed hearts and we have tried to pretend that those words would never harm us.  Until we can knock down that wall of protection built around our hearts – our hearts will never heal.

YET TODAY I COME WITH GOOD NEWS!  These are the very words of Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”  (Luke 4:18-19 KJV)

Those very words Jesus spoke came from a scroll that he read from on a Sabbath day in the Synagogue.  Those words were prophesied many years ago and can be found in Isaiah 61.  Take time to read all of Isaiah 61 there is healing in those words.

Isaiah 61:1-2 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourns.”

READ IT AND THEN BELIEVE IT – THAT IS TRUTH – JESUS HEALS OUR BROKEN HEARTS.

Allow God the time to do heart surgery – to cut through the threads that have attached those words of hurt to your soul.  Yes, there could be some pain involved – but after the removal of those tattoos – freedom starts forming in your heart.  The freedom bell that rings when you realize how much God has loved you all these years and those words spoken over you were nothing but BIG FAT LIES from the enemy.  Nothing else in this world will ever bring healing to your heart like the love of God.

Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

I have spent time this past week thinking of a story that I could share with you – a “Show and Tell” lesson about the beginning of a wounded spirit.

I am going to leave out names – but I feel that if we had time to sit and think we could all remember a time that we may have wounded the spirit of a child.

I have worked with young children a good portion of my life.  I have taught pre-school in many different types of settings.  This is a story in a children’s church setting:

I would carefully walk through the auditorium and then wait for children in the hallway so that they could walk with me to the classroom.  Children need the comfort of knowing that others wait for them and that they have the opportunity to learn what the routine is.

On one particular Sunday morning one of the children was not there.  I could not see him.  I thought to myself maybe he didn’t come today.  So I walked on to the classroom with the other children.

About five minutes later, in walks mom carrying this child with his arms wrapped around her neck.  I could have easily just allowed mom to put him down and not truly welcome him to class.  But at that moment, it was like God touched my heart and said, “He thought you forgot him!”  WOW!!  I jumped up from where I was sitting, and ran to this child and said, “There you are!  I have been looking for you.  I am so glad that you are here today.”

This little three year old child’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.  Oh the joy on his face that I actually did not forget him.

Without that acknowledgement of love and caring – that could have been the beginning of a terrible hurt – a wound to his heart that I didn’t care for him.  Sure, that child will get hurt and knocked down many times throughout his life, but the more we take the time to look out and study a child – we will help them find their way a little easier just from a few words of kindness spoken out.

 God loves me even when I don’t feel LOVED!

Wounded hearts start early in life.  We need the tools to know how to help one another to feel loved and cared for.  If we never have the tools to know how to handle difficulties in our lives, these wounds will get sewed on in our hearts tighter and tighter and the result is a tattooed heart – a wounded spirit.  This is the first step to a rebellious heart.

I mentor and counsel with many people.  Hurts are real.  Whether these hurts are real or perceived – they are real to the one who is hurting.  I can also say that when a person finds that place where the pain first started and they can reach out to the Lord for His healing – the rest of the hurts can tumble down like a domino effect.

What tattoos do you have attached to your heart?

• Fear
• Doubt
• Unbelief
• Rejection
• Isolation
• Dumb
• Stupid
• Useless

Remember, Satan has a job here on this earth.  Satan has come to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  He wants us to feel pain – he wants to witness the blood oozing from our hearts with words that hurt us.

BUT also remember that Jesus came so that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).   Jesus wants us to know freedom.  He wants to remove those tattoos on our hearts that have caused pain and conflict and rebellion in our lives.  When we finally have those hurts removed – the beauty that is placed before us is the Love of God.  I pray that if you have never experienced that Love of God, that you will be able to start letting go of those pains in your heart so that you can see that you were never meant to live that way.

Others may have said you have made a mess in your life.  BUT God says that you are HIS MASTERPIECE.

Father God, thank you for your love.  A love that surpasses all loves in our lives.  A love that brings healing, compassion, deliverance and joy with perfect peace.  I pray for those who may have never been able to experience that love of a Heavenly Father.  I pray that you would bring someone into their lives that can point them to the way – to the path that is filled with healing for their souls.  Father God, let freedom bells ring out – there is freedom in Christ alone.  I love you Lord.  I ask this in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.

NEXT WE WILL LOOK AT STEP TWO TOWARDS A REBELLIOUS HEART – BITTERNESS