Healing from the Past and Hope for the Future from Unlikely Sources, Part II of IV

It really hasn't been until the last couple of years that I've been willing to really deal with how I was hurt in and by churches growing up.  It's been a process and, through the Lord's graciousness, He has helped me heal from these wounds with tenderness, compassion and gentleness.

Help has come from some of the places you'd expect -- counseling, time with the Lord Himself and in the Bible, a loving and non-abusive church.  What's surprised me more, though, is some of the unlikely people and sources the Lord has used as part of the healing process.

Today I will talk about an unlikely source the Lord has used in my healing: He has used people prophesying over me.  

Growing up charismatic, Pentecostal churches, I was no stranger to speaking in tongues and prophecy.  As I began healing from many of the wounds I suffered and giving the God thing another try, though, I distanced myself from situations where these spiritual gifts were employed with regularity.  Over a year ago, I felt God's unmistakable leading to spend a weekend at the International House of Prayer.  I was scared.  I was nervous.  I wondered, "What should I do when I'm there?"  And once I was there, I felt like I needed to visit their prophetic ministry.

"Anything but this, Lord.  Please no!"  I cried in my head.

He did not relent.  I needed to do it.  And to my huge surprise, what was prophesied over me was completely on target and incredibly encouraging.

The first person prophesying began.

I feel like the Lord is removing accusation and the lies of the enemy in this season, and He is speaking identity and love over you.  You keep hearing the accusation but at the same time you begin hearing the truth and your heart is torn.  The Lord is fighting for you in this season -- for your heart to be free and to walk in His love and the freedom of acceptance and confidence. 

Another person continued.

The Lord wants to speak identity to you.  He wants to break off every lie and accusation and come in like a mighty force with truth.  You are beautiful.  You're not "less than."  You are not forgotten.  People have taken so much advantage of you, and the Lord wants to restore that.  There is a season of restoration and refreshing coming.  I feel like there's things you've done and people haven't acknowledged you -- but the Lord acknowledges you.  You bring healing to the brokenhearted.  You have so much compassion and mercy.  You don't like to see people hurting or in need and you do whatever you can to help.

I cried and cried as they prophesied over me.  I listened to this prophecy probably (literally) 100 times.  The first 20 or 30 times I listened to it, I cried.  "Could this be true?" I wondered.  Could it really be that I was loving and compassionate and not argumentative and manipulative like I'd been told over and over growing up?  Could it be that I'd grown up being told lies and not the truth about who I was?

As I prayed about it, played the prophecy over and over, continued in counseling, and put one foot in front of the other, the Lord began healing me. He began showing me even more lies I'd grown up believing, and what the truth was.  Little by little, I was gaining strength and healing -- and it all began with a prophecy which was the last place I would have expected it to start.