Monday, December 28, 2015

"Journey of Freedom: Pursuing Freedom From The Bondage of Traumatic Experiences" 2015 Complete Series



What it consists of:
A.  AWM Counseling Recovery Program
  1. The Importance of Forgiveness Recovery Program (Click here for complete teaching)
  2. Violence & Abuse Recovery Program (Click here for complete  teaching)
  3. Anger Management Recovery Program - This is the Anger Management Part
C.  "Unholy Matrimony: Healing ForThe Abused Woman"  Book Discussion Group Study Guide, Including These Topics
  1. Rejection
  2. Loneliness
About It! The name says it all! "Journey of Freedom: Pursuing Freedom From The Bondage of Traumatic Experiences" is a declaration for 2015 and beyond that you are going to continually pursue your freedom from whatever that has had you in bondage for years, recently, or at present!! Continually pursuit of your freedom means that you will stay free by any means necessary!! You will no longer tolerate foolishness of any kind!! You will rise up and by God's grace take back everything that the enemy has stolen from you (your self-esteem, your self-worth, your freedom to live life as God designed you to, your boldness God gave you through Jesus, and much, much more!! This year, 2015, is the beginning of your life and the best is yet to come!!! God has a plan and purpose for your life and I am your life coach; I am here to show you how to be set free from bondages so you can know and embrace God's will for your life!!

Abused Woman Ministries, Inc. is dedicated to helping women, their children and men who have been abused! We do this by providing them with the tools they need to recover from the bondage of domestic violence and abuse. However, we know that domestic violence/abuse is not the only traumatic event that can keep a person from having a healthy relationship! Therefore, we will also focus on recovering from the following traumatic experiences in the "Journey of Freedom: Pursuing Freedom From The Bondage of Traumatic Experiences:" sexual assault, rejection, abandonment, neglect, loneliness... (whatever other traumatic experience God gives me to include).
The AWM Counseling Recovery Program's Importance of Forgiveness Recovery Program which was taught last year (Click here to study it), is the first course to your "Journey of Freedom Program!" I am dedicated to walking with you (I cannot do it for you - I am an instrument that God is using to help you recover - as He gives me your tools of recovery, I give them to you then you must decide to take this journey) so are you dedicated to take the journey? If so, let me know by responding to this post!

The journey may not be easy but we are in this together and we will hold each other up; no person left behind!!! If you have any problem, post it here and we will respond or contact me directly!! We got you!! Most importantly, God got you in the palm of His hand and nothing and nobody will be able to pluck you out!! God will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!! Trust Him!!

The Journey of Freedom Program is part of Abused Woman Ministries, Inc. Abused Woman Recovery Program (an explanation of this Program is attached). Now let's do this!! We are moving forward; not backward!!! We are gaining our momentum; God is catapulting us into our destiny!!!



Welcome to your "Journey of Freedom!!" Let the Recovery begin!!!
Theme Song: “Freedom” by Eddie James

May God give you the strength you need for your journey!
Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks

NOTE: These materials are copyright protected therefore you must request permission to reproduce any part of this material. To request permission, please contact Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks: drdehooks@abusedwoman.org.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

"Fear & Domestic Violence: Overcome Through God's Perfect Love"



Fear and domestic violence goes hand in hand; it is a great example of how spirits work together to carry out the plan of satan! What is the main tactic that the abuser uses in domestic relationships to make a woman stay with a man or vice versa? Fear! The man or woman will intimidate the victim of domestic violence until he or she do whatever he or she says because of fear! But once you know and understand God's perfect love for YOU, you will never allow anyone or anything to bind you again!! God is the ONLY Answer to the spirit of fear and abuse of any kind!!

Definitions of “Fear” and “Intimidate”
Before I go any further in this teaching, I would like to explain the terms, “fear” and “intimidate.” You can see the meaning of these words, along with the synonyms of the words, in domestic violence relationships. Dictionary.com defines "fear" as "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid." Synonym for fear is dread or alarm.” Dread is defined as "a great fear." Dictionary.com defines “intimidate” as to make timid; fill with fear” and to force into or deter from some action by inducing fear.” The synonyms for “intimidate” are frighten, subdue, daunt, terrify.” Do you see how these spirits work together to cause havoc in your life? Also, do you see how the words which defines fear, intimidate, and the synonyms of those words, work together in a domestic violence relationship? Fear is NOT of God!! 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us this: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (biblegateway.com NKJV). This is how the Amplified Bible (AMP) says it: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well- balanced mind and discipline and self-control” (biblegateway.com).
Violence and Abuse Goes Into the Victim’s Soul
Where do you think all the trauma a person sustain in an abusive relationship goes? That trauma goes into the person’s soul; it does what it was designed to do destroy the person! If a person’s soul is destroyed, what do you think will become of the person? Yes, he/she will cease to exist! The devil is not playing games; he is out to steal, kill, and destroy God’s people!! I say God’s people because the devil already has the ones who are not serving God so he is not worrying about them but he will do ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING to stop God’s TRUE warriors!!  
                                                                                                                                    
Abuse traumatizes a person’s soul, therefore, it is going to take God going into that person’s soul and delivering him/her! The hollering and screaming associated with domestic violence/abuse is designed to frighten (product and manufacture fear in the victim) the victim so he/she will be too afraid to stand up for him/herself!

When a fight erupts in an abusive home, what do you find most victims doing? The victims are hiding, when they can, trying to escape from the verbal and physical attacks! Hiding is a sign of fear; the person is too afraid of the abuser to stand up to him/her! What did Adam and Eve do after they had sinned in the Garden? They ran and hid from God because they were afraid; the victim of domestic violence/abuse run and hide from his/her abuser because he/she is afraid!

Fear Causes Torment But God’s Love Stops It!

Fear causes torment according to 1 John 4:18; fear often uses torment to affect people minds and bodies, causing mental and physical disease. This is what 1 John 4:18 says:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (biblegateway.com NKJV).

If we are in fear we are not made perfect in love. In other words, our fear prevents us from receiving God’s love. In fear we are calling God a liar and telling Him that we do not trust Him. This kind of fear is unbelief! 1 John 4:18 shows us that God’s love expels ALL fear; it lets us know that when someone is afraid, he/she has a fear of being punished and the person has not experienced God’s love fully! The person who is being abused has a fear of punishment from the abuser because he/she has not fully experienced the love of God! The person who is being abused is so focused on getting his/her abuser to love him/her that he/she is blind to the fact that God loves him/her; the devil want to make sure he/she does not wake up out of their sleep he wants to keep the person bound!

Fully Knowing God’s Love

To fully know the love God has for us, we MUST dwell and continue in God because God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love, dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him (1 John 4:16). 1 John 4:17 lets us know that only with the type of union and communion mentioned in 1 John 4:16 with God will our love be brought to completion and be made perfect in us!! There is no reason to fear ANYONE, especially an abuser who is man (woman included)!! God’s love makes us confidence in the day of judgment because Jesus has already PAID THE PRICE for us with His precious Blood and He is our Advocate, Savior, and much, much, much more!! We are saved by grace, through faith in Christ; we had NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR SALVATION!! ALL THE CREDIT GOES TO JESUS!! This is what Ephesians 2:8-9 says: 8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; 9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself] (biblegateway.com Amplified Bible - AMP).
 There is no reason to be afraid of the day of judgement; 1 John 4:17 tells us why:
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (biblegateway.com NKJV).

                                                       The devil Is A Master Copier
The devil is always trying to copy God or twist God’s Word around! Do you see how the devil is using abusers everywhere to instill fear of judgment (judgment of them) into their victims? The enemy wants the victims to be afraid of the abuser’s punishment he/she will enforce on the victims if they do not obey him/her! That is NOT what God’s Word says! We saw in 1 John 4:17 that Jesus’ love has been perfected among us so we can have boldness in the day of judgment and as Jesus is in this world, so are we!! We are NOT to be afraid of no man or woman; God is our ONLY Judge and we should obey Him!! Jesus died so we could be set free from ALL bondage and we should not allow anything or anyone to bind us!! The ONLY thing the victim of domestic violence/abuse should be focused on is ALLOWING God to perfect His love in him/her so he/she will not fear God’s Judgment!!
The devil wants us to lose our focus on what God is calling us to do but he is a LIAR!! We will FIX our eyes on the ball; on what God has called us to do!! PLEASE DO NOT LOSE YUR GOD GIVEN FOCUS! These are critical times and Jesus is soon to come! I am going to write out the Amplified Bible version of 1 John 4:18 so you can meditate on it:
“There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection] (biblegateway.com).
If we are fearful, God’s love needs to be perfected in us! There is no slack in God; the slack is in us if there is any! We can get too busy with daily lives, and miss out on TRUE living; the living ONLY having a personal relationship with Jesus, knowing God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our steps can give us!! Jesus came that we might have abundant life but the devil wants to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us he is a thief and that is what a thief does (John 10:10)!! Jesus is a Giver but the devil is a taker!! It is time for us to stop allowing the devil to take from us!! It is time to get into union and communion with God so that we can experience His perfect love for us!! God the Father is love. In Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (biblegateway.com NKJV). We are to love God the Father, not be afraid of Him. God is the only one that loves each of us perfectly; man cannot love us perfectly man is fallible but God is infallible!!



STOP THE CYCLE!
The cycle of abuse, fear, and intimidation can stop with YOU; right here and right NOW!! STOP!! ALLOW God to deliver YOU; don’t worry about the abuser, God will deal with him/her!! If you are going from relationship to relationship without allowing God to thoroughly deliver you from the original one, your soul will continue to be bound; not only will your soul be bound, but you are compiling the problem and it will take you longer to be delivered! Fear is what is keeping you trapped in that abusive marriage, abusive friendship, or abusive relationship or any sort!! God wants to touch your soul right now, heal you, deliver you, and set you free from the bondage situation you are in!! God wants to deliver your soul from EVERY hurtful word that was spoken to you, disappointment, maltreatment, brokenness, abuse, and anything else that has you in bound!! God is waiting on YOU to open up to Him so He can pour His love into your wounds in your soul; God wants to use YOU for His glory!! God WILL get the glory out of YOUR life!!
Why not make up in YOUR mind to surrender ALL to God, right here and now? Holy Spirit is speaking to you all right now, telling you to what to do and what to say as you cry out to God for your deliverance!! Push pass your pain and any/everything that is hindering you from surrendering ALL to Jesus; from touching the hem of His garment!! PLEASE DO NOT DELAY; DO IT NOW!! God said there is an urgency for you to surrender ALL to Jesus now, right now! At the end of this message, you will be given the opportunity to pray the prayer of freedom from fear so you can be set free from that! But right now, pray and surrender yourself to Jesus and give your life to Him so He can deliver you! As I said before, Jesus is coming soon (you can see the condition of the world Bible signs all around) and it will be too late for the ones who has not accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior! It is time to get it right with God and accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior is the first step! Do not wait until tomorrow because tomorrow is not promised to you and do not harden your heart when you hear God’s Word (Hebrews 3:12-15). To accept Jesus as YOUR personal Lord and Savior, click here; this is a generic prayer of salvation listen to the Holy Spirit as you pray and He will tell you specifically what to pray if you need to pray something else but start with this prayer!
 
God’s Prayer for You!
I am going to stop here and pray a prayer for you that God wants me to pray; I am asking God to BREAK EVERY CHAIN of bondage in your life - “Break Every Chain” Tasha Cobb: “I pray that God will get ahold of the person who is abusing you and set them free by the Power of Jesus’ Blood and that he or she will find rest, healing, deliverance, salvation, and whatever else they need to STOP terrorizing you in the Name of Jesus, the Name that is above EVERY other name!
Father, I also pray for EVERY person who is reading this message and is suffering from ANY KIND of trauma as a result of ANY KIND of abuse, that You would RELEASE them from the bondage of their abuser. Father, destroy EVERY stronghold in the soul of the person who is being abused; the stronghold that is holding her or him captive in their mind (soul) to the person who is abusing him/her! Father, free this person in his/her emotions from EVERY crippling affect that the abuser has caused or will cause them in the Name of Jesus! Father, You said in Your Word that You have already provided this person a way of escape, therefore show him/her, his/her way of escape and send him/her help to escape the bondage of abuse; it does not matter what kind of abuse he/she is suffering or has suffered!
Father, I thank You for freeing Your people today; Your wounded, heartbroken people who have lost hope! But God I know You as a Deliver, I know You as a Restorer, I know You as a Healer of broken hearts, I know You as the One who delivered me out of seven abusive marriages – six husbands abused me and I abused one by neglecting him as I was neglected from birth and by the six husbands this happened because I was NOT healed or delivered from the previous abuses before I got involved in another relationship! The lack of deliverance caused me to become bitter, angry, and not know how to receive love! Father, I thank You for bringing me out of my abusive marriages and forgiving me I forgive myself and my ex-husband whom I neglected has forgiven me!
Father, I stand in the gap today for EVERY abusive marriage and EVERY abusive relationship (in whatever capacity); I am asking in the Name of Your Son Jesus because I know it is Your will to set these victims of abuse free Your people God!! Therefore, I am asking You Father to deliver the victims of abuse out of EVERY form of abuse known and unknown to man, like You did for me! I am asking that You heal the victims of abuse like You healed me from the bondage of abuse and heal their souls so they will NEVER enter into another abusive relationship of any kind like You did for me Father! I am asking Father, that You restore unto the victims of abuse EVERYTHING that they have lost while they were in the abusive relationship, marriage, or any other type of abusive union! I am asking You Father to restore EVERYTHING that the worm, cankerworm, palmerworm, locust, and the caterpillar has eaten up that belongs to them! I am asking Father, that You strengthen and establish EVERY person who WERE in ANY forms of abusive relationship, marriage, or union that involved abuse, in Jesus’ Name (I say “were” because after this day, you will rise up in God’s strength and abilities and NEVER be victims of domestic violence [or any other type of abuse] as long as you live)!
Father, open the victim’s eyes so they can believe that Jesus has already set them free, that He died so they could live the abundant life in You! Open their hearts Father and let them know that the ONLY way for them to obtain their freedom is through Jesus Your Son - Jesus is their Savior and He is the ONLY Way, the Truth, and the Life no one comes to You Father but through Jesus! Father, You love the ones who are being abused and the abuser very much and You want to see both set free!!
Father, I thank You for breaking and destroying EVERY soul tie between the person who is being abused and the abuser, in the Name of Jesus! Father, heal their heart and deliver the people who are being abused from EVERY form of fear, intimidation, and any other demonic force associated with the abuse! Father, I am asking You to replace fear with Your faith and hate with Your love in Jesus’ Name!
Father, I am also asking that You deliver the children that are involved in the ALL abusive situations; God heal the children’s soul (mind, will, and emotions) and please don’t allow them to be affected by the abuse when they grow up let them be normal according to Your definition when they grow up! I also ask that You deliver, heal, restore, strengthen, and establish EVERY child who are or were affected by ANY kind of abuse, in Jesus’s Name!
Father, You sent me to teach the person who is being abused or were abused how to recover so I ask You to get the glory out of my life as well as their life! I pray this prayer in the Name of Jesus, knowing Father You will deliver, heal, restore, strengthen and establish Your women and men who are being abused in ANY way, Amen!!”

In this message, I also want to pray against domestic violence; I am praying a prayer God gave me   a couple years ago but it is still powerful God can and will do what He did back then for me, for you too!!
Prayer Against Domestic Violence

I come against the spirit of abuse in domestic relationships by the Blood and authority of Jesus and pull down every stronghold that is associated with it. I cast the spirit of abuse out of the body of Christ and the nations. I command it to go wherever Jesus tells it to go, never to return. I pray for the salvation of every abuser (men and women), that they will accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, so they can become born again. I pray that the fire of the Holy Spirit will cleanse their minds and their hearts and bring about repentance to God and to their spouse for what they have done. Father forgive them, deliver them, and save them. I ask that you bring them to repentance; first to You then their wives, husbands, and everyone else who has been affected by their abuse - especially their children. God I ask that You heal the children in these abusive homes; don’t allow them to grow up mixed up, confused, and thinking abuse is normal. Help them to know You Father and the love You have for them. Save the children Father at an early age so they might serve You. I am asking for restoration of every woman and man who has been abused; whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, sexual, or verbally. I ask all these things in the Mighty Name of Jesus, the name that is above every name. Amen!


In closing, I want to give you the “Prayer to Overcome Fear” to help you overcome the fear that was instilled in you when you were abused; this prayer was provided by Dr. Art Mathias. Dr. Mathias is the Pastor of Wellsprings Ministry Alaska, and the prayers are from his book, “Biblical Foundations of Freedom Destroying Satan’s Lies With God’s Truth!” The purpose of the “Prayer to Overcome Fear” prayer is so you can denounce abuse, fear, intimidation, and every other spirit that is associated with those spirits and be set free; then you will be able to leave that abusive relationship! God does not condone abuse and does not want you abused! He delivered me from seven abusive marriages and He will deliver you too if you allow Him to!! Why not allow God to give you a way of escape that is best for you?


Also, at the end of this message, I have enclosed other prayers (including a more detailed “Prayer to Overcome Fear” and list of fears) by Dr. Mathias and a collection of worship music so you can be delivered, healed, and restored in every area of your life! I have put the other prayers in the order I believe God would have you to pray them; don’t be afraid, God is there with you if possible, pray them when you are alone so God can speak to you and He will speak!! God wants you to walk in the wholeness Jesus has already provided for you!



Prayer to Overcome Fear

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, I confess, and repent for allowing the (name specific fear or fears) in my life, and I repent for all my generations. I ask You, Lord Jesus, to forgive me. I purpose and choose to forgive myself, from my heart, for allowing this (name specific fear or fears) in my life and I release myself from this fear. In the name of Jesus, and by the power of His blood, I cancel all of Satan's authority over me in this fear. In the name of Jesus, I command this fear to go. Holy Spirit, I invite you into my heart to heal me of this fear. Please speak your words of truth to me about this situation.

While you are praying this, the Holy Spirit might speak to you. Write down what the Holy Spirit spoke to you or what He did in you. This is His testimony to you. When you have prayed through each individual fear, command the principality of fear to go in Jesus’ name. God gave you the power and authority of His Son, Jesus Christ, to defeat fear. The Holy Spirit in you, as you pray this prayer, will drive satans influences out of your life; fear has to go in Jesus Mighty Name!! You will then live in courageous victory!! NOTHING is impossible with God!!




May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds ALWAYS!!! 
Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks

****Click to accept Christ as YOUR personal Lord & Savior****