Wholeness Prayer ( Restoration and Discipleship ) Session 4 ©2014, 2007, 2006 Freedom for the Captive Ministries

Basic steps ( Ҝ ) in wholeness prayer: Recognize Recent Root Receive Renew

If our joy is stolen or if we have unhealthy thoughts or are acting in unhealthy ways, these are signs that there is something we need to take captive and pray through.

Basic steps ( Ҝ ) in praying through emotional wounds based on false beliefs : Recognize Recent, root –Feelings –Memory –False beliefs Receive Renew

Key wholeness prayer paradigm shifts and basic principles: Hearing God speak directly to us Helping others to grow in hearing God speak directly to them Taking our thoughts captive and praying through any root issues

Key wholeness prayer paradigm shifts and basic principles: 3-way prayer God Person Praying Person being Prayed for

Key wholeness prayer paradigm shifts and basic principles: God leads the process We partner with God Humility: ↔ (same level) not ↓ (one person higher than another) Keep confidentiality!

Paradigms that don’t fit with wholeness prayer principles: Immediately offering advice Immediately giving direction Immediately teaching biblical principles The usual pattern of intercessory prayer

More wholeness prayer principles: All followers of Christ Feelings aren’t “stuffed”, hidden or addressed alone Empower the person being prayed for

Basic steps for inviting God to carry unpleasant emotions based on truth: Feel as much of the pain as God wants you to feel now, in His presence Ask God to carry this burden.

Keys ( Ҝ ) for working through anger: Anger is not a root emotion Work through the root emotion together with God. This is usually: Frustration Fear Shame and/or Hurt.

Keys ( Ҝ ) regarding seeking healing from trauma: Pray through each event in the trauma God carry the burden(s) Bind and cast out all evil spirits connected with the trauma

Keys ( Ҝ ) regarding working through grief and loss: Working through grief is a process Pray through stuck places God wants to walk alongside the person and carry their burden A good listener can be of great help to the process

We must forgive others from our hearts. (Matthew 18:21-35)

Forgiving someone means releasing the offenses and the results of those offenses to God. It doesn’t mean that what the person did was right, or that they should be trusted.

Keys ( Ҝ ) regarding forgiving someone: Bind and cast out (evil spirits) Forgive (pray through any ”rubber bands”) Receive (the person) Bless

Keys ( Ҝ ) regarding forgiving your parents: Differentiate between the person God created your parent to be (receive) and their sin (forgive) Pray through any negative vows Take responsibility for your reactions Bless

Ҝ [key] to working through negative vows: Pray through why chosen (root) Ask God to nullify

Ҝ (keys) regarding feeling cursed: Pray through root and related issues God break and replace with a blessing God protect

Ҝ (keys) regarding sin issues: Pray through anything that contributed to the decision to sin in this way (why chosen)

Ask God to reveal to you any unhealthy patterns presently operating in you life Ask God to show you what triggered this unhealthy pattern Ask God to show you a healthy way to get back to joy from the first negative emotion Ask God to show you what a healthy response would have been to the initial situation Understand and apply the new pattern Highlighted steps regarding replacing unhealthy patterns with healthy patterns:

Ҝ (keys) regarding replacing unhealthy patterns: Identify unhealthy pattern, including ”first” emotion and trigger Get God’s perspective at the root(s) Identify healthy pattern for responding to ”first” emotion and trigger Practice

Identifying people who have healthy patterns –Seeing those patterns modeled –Asking questions –Talking through case studies (while guarding confidentiality –Role-playing Ways to learn healthy patterns include:

Learning through books God directly helping you create and implement a healthy pattern Ways to learn healthy patterns include:

Replacing unhealthy patterns with healthy patterns facilitates building healthy relationships with others –Spouses –Parents

Basic steps in working through sexual sin: Recognize : –Any unhealthy one-flesh bonds Recent, root –Break, restore, cleanse –Ask God to show you anything within your that contributed to your decision to sin in this way. Work through these issues. Receive His perspective Renew : Commit, decide, ask

Ҝ (keys) regarding working through sexual sin: Pray through anything that contributed to the decision to sin in this way (why chosen) Break, restore, cleanse Develop healthy boundaries (Sample prayer)

Steps in developing healthy boundaries (Overview): (Develop healthy boundaries before you are involved in the situation.) Find appropriate healthy boundaries Apply the healthy boundaries Ҝ : Find, Apply

Find appropriate healthy boundaries: –Search God’s Word for relevant principles –Ask mature followers of Christ who understand your context –Ask God to help you have healthy boundaries for your context –Submit the results of the above interactions to God and test the potential boundaries by His Word.

Apply the healthy boundaries –Ask God to help you. –If anything within yourself is hindering you from applying these healthy boundaries, work through those issues. –If someone else is hindering you from applying these healthy boundaries, seek wisdom on how to proceed. –Share with someone. Ask to be held accountable.

Examples –Balance of work and rest –Holiness –Knowing what is your job (and what is someone else’s) –Holding on to what you know is true –Not following “the crowd” –Healthy interdependent relationships

Addictions (Overview) Explanation A common progression Four kinds of experiences Three parts to address Overcoming an addiction is a process

Four kinds of such experience: –Creating a feeling of elation or excitement –Relieving anxiety or some other emotional distress –Creating a feeling of power or confidence –Creating a feeling of connection or unity

Three parts to address in breaking free from addictions: –Painful underlying emotions Family dysfunction Personal trauma –Chemical dependence –Pressure of society

Ҝ (keys) regarding overcoming addictions: Root emotions, Family patterns, Social pressure Mindset, Lifestyle, Root, Cloak Process. Practice and pray through with God until total victory is reached.

Highlighted steps for working through an addiction to pornography (overview): Ask God to reveal anything within yourself that contributed to your decision to sin in this way. Work through these issues. Ask God to show you if you’ve chosen to follow after any counterfeit desires. Work through these issues.

Highlighted steps for working through an addiction to pornography (overview): Work through feelings of shame Develop a healthy, intimate relationship with God Develop healthy relationships with others Build healthy patterns Share your story with someone. Ask to be held accountable

Ask God about your relationship with Him: Is there anything hindering you from having a healthy, intimate relationship with God? Is your relationship with God healthy and intimate? Do you know that God hears and answers your prayers? Work through any issues together with God.

Ask God about your relationships with others: Do you know how to have healthy relationships with other people? A question for males only: Do you know how to have a healthy relationship with a woman?

Ҝ (keys) regarding overcoming sexual addictions: Addiction Counterfeit desires Shame Relationships Healthy patterns Accountability

Ask God to reveal to you significant times in your life: –When you felt blessed by your parents or other significant family members. Receive these blessings in the name of Jesus. –When you felt either a curse of a lack of blessing from your parents or other significant family members. Ask God to replace these with a blessing. Ҝ : Receive blessings, Curses replaced with blessings Highlighted steps regarding replacing family curses with God’s blessings :