Desperate for Healing

was brought up going to church. But I didn’t know Jesus—and my view of God was that He had a whip in His hand.

As a kid, I was very lonely. My sisters were much older, and I was pretty much ignored. I resented my mother because I felt she loved them more than me.

Plus, she was emotionally un-available. I don’t ever remember Mom doing much with me or be-ing close and loving.

Dad, on the other hand, was very affectionate, that is, unless he was drinking.

I was supposed to be a boy, so he treated me like a son. He took me fishing, hunting, and even into the bars with him. He also let me go to his work on many occasions.

The attention Dad gave me was the most meaningful part of my early years.

But he was so tormented and got drunk a lot. I was actually terri-fied of him when he drank.

At about the age of eight, I start-ed putting on weight and got quite heavy. He sometimes called me his “little fat juicy” girl. He thought it was cute, but it only fostered shame and insecurity in me.

I started my first diet at age twelve, and my weight has been a problem ever since.

During my teen years, Mom started drinking more and more. I hated seeing her and Dad drunk.

One night they both got wasted and came into my bedroom. My fa-ther had a shotgun and threatened to shoot me.

I couldn’t believe what was go-ing on. It was like a horror movie, a nightmare—how could this be hap-pening?

When I grabbed for the phone, he ripped it out of the wall. Thank goodness I was able to escape and run to a friend’s house.

As soon as I could, I got married just to get away from all the chaos. But right from the beginning, my

I

(The picture in this story is a model, not the actual person)

September, 2011 Vol. 15, No. 5

by “Jo Warner”

marriage to “Brad” was rocky.I was twenty-two years old when

I cried out to the Lord to save me. I was unhappily married and

in deep emotional pain. Late one night, I was lying in bed weeping. Through tears, I lifted both hands up to the ceiling, and cried out.

“Jesus are you real? Because if you are, please help me—my life is a mess.”

My marriage improved for a few years, but as I became more depen-dent on Christ, my husband drifted away from the church.

I went to my pastor for marital counseling and after several weeks, it became evident that he was more interested in me sexually than help-ing to get my marriage on track.

I was shocked and disappointed that a man of God could behave like this. I knew I needed to get out of that church and soon began looking for another place to worship.

My marriage continued to fall apart, but I was deter-mined to try and make it work—somehow.

Then the day came that “Brad” told me he wanted a divorce, that he hated me, as well as my faith in Christ.

It was as if someone had shot me with a rifle. I felt my heart explode. I wanted our marriage to work, but he wanted no part of it.

I began drinking everyday to kill the constant inner pain, and I was tormented by nightmares of

failure and rejection.My life was destroyed, my secu-

rity gone, and many of my friends disappeared.

All my life, I’d struggled with rejection, self pity and shame, and this just added to it.

Shortly after the divorce, my nine year old daughter asked me why her dad was hugging and kiss-ing my best friend, “Janie.”

When the truth of what she said hit me, it was the first time in my life I felt rage.

People had tried to tell me about the affair, but I wouldn’t let myself believe it. However, now I

was forced to face that reality.

All the time I’d been cry-

i n g

on my girlfriend’s shoulder, she was seeing my husband. I later discov-ered their relationship had been go-ing on for years.

I made a promise to myself that day I’d never trust anyone again. I put up walls around my heart and became bitter and resentful.

I was angry with God, and out of ignorance, argued and blamed Him for all my pain. “Haven’t I suf-fered enough, God?!”

The more bitter I became, the less I wanted to have anything to do

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I wanted so much to experience His great love in my heart, not just in my head.

Before “Suzy’s” wedding, she went to Faith Family to prepare her heart for married life and had a wonderful experience. She felt it would greatly benefit my life, and encouraged me to at least consider going there.

It was a difficult decision as it meant a flight across the country. But I’m so grateful Jesus made a way for me to go.

I call it an “Intensive Care Unit” of the Holy Spirit. My time there brought about such a sense of re-lease and peace. I cannot begin to tell you just how deep the healing was!

The ministry hours cut away all the darkness and feelings of un-worthiness that had kept me from receiving God’s full love my whole life.

Toni was the Lord’s angel, His surgeon and His hands of compas-sion. Our time together was incred-ible!

Jesus lifted the veil over my heart, and I melted in His arms of mercy and grace.

No matter what tomorrow brings, I know I am changed—a new whole person, learning to sur-render to Jesus and allow Him to live His life through me.

And oh yes, I’m in the process of preparing to return to mission-ary work, doing short term service. God is so good!

with the church. I just seemed hell-bent from that point on.

I had a child out of wedlock, and while that relationship fell apart, I was blessed with a precious little daughter.

Since my other children were grown by this time, I lost myself in my baby girl, and as she grew up, our lives became totally inter-twined. When “Suzy” hurt, I hurt; when she was happy, I was happy too.

Eventually, we got back in church, and I even served a stint as a missionary overseas.

When “Suzy” left home a num-ber of years later, we both experi-enced separation anxiety, which I’m thankful to say, eventually worked itself out.

A few years ago, she married a godly man and has a wonderful marriage. They have given me two beautiful granddaughters, who I dearly love.

But still, life for me was lacking. I was tormented by old emotional wounds.

Plus, the guilt and shame of how my children suffered from all my mistakes took hold of my entire being.

I knew it was wrong to let the devil deceive me. I knew I was com-pletely forgiven, and I knew God saw me as precious—so what was my problem?

I became desperate for God’s healing and cried out to Him again and again for help—for truth.

The Lemonade Diet is a wonderful way to cleanse the body. But, before beginning any new regimen, you should check with your health care provider to make sure it is safe for you. The diet works well for us, but unfortunately nothing works for everyone.

During the diet, we use a laxative herb tea right before bedtime each night, and then again first thing in the morning. (Be sure to follow package directions!)

We drink the lemonade for ten days (no other food).

Coming off the diet properly is highly important — so, please follow the directions carefully.

On the first two days after the diet, we drink freshly squeezed orange juice and water only.

The third day, we have freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast and homemade vegetable broth for lunch and supper.

By the fourth day, we have normal meals. At this point, you may want to celebrate. Therefore, it’s best to have a plan in mind so you don’t “celebrate” too much :)

HealtHPoint

leansing toxins from the body and correcting nutrient deficiencies are essential to living well. We all face enough stressful situations without adding disease to the list—wouldn’t you agree?

There are several good methods of cleansing, but I’ll share just one of my favorites.

I learned about the Lemonade Diet through a fellow minister some years ago.

I had been a very sick woman and was crying out to the Lord for healing. He answered my prayer by teaching me how to live a healthy lifestyle.

He taught me how to eat a balanced diet, exercise, and regularly eliminate the toxins from my body.

Many people use the Lemonade Diet three to four times a year. For us, one of those times is right after the Christmas holidays.

We have also had the Cardio-ION Panel done, mentioned in our July, 2011, issue. This has been a huge help in finding and correcting our nutrient deficiencies.

C

De-Stress Your Life Part 4

43

Recipe by the glass ...2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon orlime juice (remove seeds)2 Tbsp genuine maple syrup (not maple flavored sugar-type) 1/10 tsp liquid cayenne pepper

Combine juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz. glass and fill with water (spring or purified).

Recipe by the gallon ...1 cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (remove seeds)1 cup genuine maple syrup (not maple flavored sugar-type) 20 drops liquid cayenne pepper

Combine juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper in a glass gallon container. Fill with water (spring or purified) and refrigerate.

Use fresh lemons or limes only, never canned or frozen juices, and use organic when possible.

Grade B maple syrup is darker in color than Grade A and has more mineral content, as well as maple flavor. If this is important to you, you can find Grade B at most

Health Food stores.Drink six to twelve glasses of the

lemonade daily, and more if you get hungry. However, take no other foods or vitamins. Also, do not use a colonic during the diet.

If you don’t like the lemonade quite so sweet, you may use less syrup. That’s how I make it for myself, but I make Bill’s with the full amount.

The syrup is the only ingredient you can adjust. The amounts of juice, cayenne pepper and water are imperative for the diet to be successful.

Drinking water between glasses of lemonade is fine. Plus mint tea may be used occasionally as a pleasant change.

Its chlorophyll helps as a purifier, neutralizing many mouth and body odors that are released during the cleansing period. Your spouse and friends will especially appreciate that!

Happy cleansing!

iving life in God’s peace doesn’t necessarily mean inac-tivity.

Many people are super busy, but one reason they enjoy tran-quility is they’ve learned to pri-oritize their time.

They focus on what’s really important in life and don’t get hung up on the small stuff. They have a solid grasp of God’s design for their lives.

Fear and worry aren’t part of their experience because they know how to abide in God’s presence.

In the Old Testament, we’re taught that we can live in per-fect peace as our minds are kept on Him (Isaiah 26:3).

But, what does that look like practically speaking? To answer that, let’s look at John 15.

We read that as we abide in the Lord, His life flows through us, producing His fruit, which we get to bear.

I believe this abiding life produces the results of a fruit-ful ministry, but also it produces the fruit of Christ’s character.

Just remember, Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do

nothing.” I certainly see that in my

own life. If I choose to walk in the flesh (apart from Him), my fruit looks pretty sorry. How about yours?

The fruit of the Spirit is a display of God’s character, and we all know God is love.

Can you imagine having His love flowing through you to everyone with whom you come in contact—your family, your community, your church? Wow!

As you abide in Him, His other characteristics of joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gen-tleness, patience, self-control and faithfulness, will be evident in your life as well.

Just think! As you abide in Christ, people can actually encounter the Spirit of God flowing through you.

Our fleshly fruit is dead. But the beauty of abiding in Christ (the Vine) is that His fruit is alive—and it contains repro-ductive seed.

Wouldn’t it be a wonder-ful testimony of God’s grace to those around us if we lived this

LShelter In T he Storm

65

way in our fast paced and often times stormy world!

It would be a breath of fresh air for sure!

Imagine a truly authentic, vibrant Christian filled with the fruit and power of God! Not wearing a mask, but a human being exempli-fying the character of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Sound like some-thing you desire?

We l l , let’s con-sider how to imple-ment what w e ’ r e t a l k i n g about.

Number one, you may have to trim your schedule back so the demands on your time and energy are more manage-able.

While life can often be super busy, it does not have to be har-ried.

Number two, ask yourself if you are giving the Lord the first fruits of your day—spending early morning time in fellow-

ship with Him. I love my quiet time first

thing in the morning, as it gets me started on the right foot.

I made a decision many years ago to end my day at a reasonable hour so I could get up early to meet with God.

This time sets the tone for

my entire day, and I find that k e e p i n g my mind on Him comes a lot more naturally.

I enjoy my devo-t i o n a l book by O s w a l d C h a m -

bers, plus I read through

the Bible in a year. I also read a few chapters in a Christian book, as well as journal my prayers.

Though I have difficulties in life just like you, my heavenly Father is always there to go through them with me.

His love shelters me in the midst of all my storms, because I make sure I am abiding in Him—where it’s safe!

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Dear Treasured Friend,

Our story this month is about a woman who desperately sought the Lord for emotional healing. She knew in her head that God loved her, but she needed the veil lifted so she could experience His love in her heart as well.

Do you experience God’s sheltering love in the midst of your storms? You can, you know! He’s so ready to show Him-self mighty in all the circumstances of your life.

De-Stressing Your Life (Part 4) offers more positive ways to handle stress. Finding and correcting nutrient deficiencies and detoxifying are helpful in dealing with the normal irrita-tions of life. You can’t eliminate the stress, but these methods will certainly help you deal with it better.

From time to time, someone will come up to us or send an e-mail to say how much they’re enjoying The InnKeeper. Many of you are praying for us and sending financial support as well. We sincerely appreciate all of you for standing with us. You’re the reason we’re here, and it’s because of you, we’re able to do what we do. Thanks!

Our Best,

Faith Family Ministries 4011 Fenworth CourtFort Mill, SC 29715Locations in SC & GA 803.554.HOPE (4673) ffm@faithfamily.net - www.faithfamily.net

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