October 27, 2018

Jesus became very sad at times during His earthly walk and even became tearful. One such occasion was when He was approaching the city of Jerusalem, and when He saw it He wept over it saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation." (Luke 1942-44). As He contemplated the coming destruction of Jerusalem which He loved, it made Him sad and tearful.

Sadness is not the only emotion that Jesus showed. He also showed feelings of grief, anger, and disappointment at times. For this reason I like to call these the "Jesus" emotions. Other emotions are based upon lies or distortions we believe, but since Jesus was the Son of God He did not have any lies that He believed. When we experience sadness, anger, grief, and disappointment they are usually fact-based emotions and are not based upon lies we believe or upon any distorted thinking either. We have to recognize when we have these fact-based feelings and know how to overcome them.

A woman told me that she had prayed on her own about her grief over the loss of her grandmother 15 years earlier and she thought that she had resolved it. But as I spoke with her about her grandmother she began crying so it was obvious that she still had a lot of sadness or grief about her.  I asked her what she still missed about her grandmother. She said she was very close to her and spent a lot of time with her every day. She missed spending time with her, she missed their close friendship, her smile and positiveness, talking with her about everything, hearing her call her "my Miss America," celebrating the holidays together, her generosity and cooking, and her being a "dream mom" to her. We made a list of 18 things she missed about her grandmother and then I led her in a prayer and she asked the Lord to take all her grief from her. I asked the Lord what He wanted this woman to know and she said "I will be with her again for eternity." She said that a large weight lifted from her chest.

I asked her how she felt now as she thought about her grandmother and she told me that she still felt some sadness because she cannot be with her, her daughters did not get to know her well, she suffered pain from her cancer, she became like a skeleton, she said things in her deteriorating state that were not typical for her, she died slowly and painfully, and this woman felt so helpless to do anything to help her grandmother. I led her in another prayer to tell the Lord why she still felt sad, and she gave all of these things to Him. Then I prayed for her again and asked the Lord what He wanted her to know. She told me that she visualized her grandmother in her mind smiling at her and she was happy. She said, "She looks happy and beautiful!" I asked her how she felt after that visual picture and she said the she felt "Wonderful!" 

This is how the Lord takes away our grief and sadness. This woman first made a list of the things she missed about her grandmother and gave that grief to the Lord, then she listed the things that made her sad and gave her sadness to the Lord. When we give all of our grief and sadness to the Lord it gives us His joy and peace also. That's what He desires for each of His children, to have his joy and peace. Jesus said, "Peace, I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful" (John 14:26-27).

October 9, 2018

My wife, daughter, and I went on a cruise last week at the request of our daughter whose health would likely benefit from the salt water. On previous cruises I had been able to pray with many people by wearing my Set Free shirts and sitting in the dining room in a conspicuous spot while reading my Bible. This time I was unable to make such contacts until Friday morning when a Christian Cruise worker from India spoke to me and invited me to a Bible study that evening at 11:30 PM. I went back to the dining room with seven of my books at about 11:10 to prepare for the meeting where I anticipated being able to share with the Bible study group.

Immediately after sitting down and laying my books out on the table in front of me a man stopped to ask me about the book. He began flipping through one of the copies of "Stopping America's Violence Epidemic" and asking me questions about it and my solution to violence. He stated that he worked for the Houston police department and said that he was a pharmacist. He authoritatively asserted that psychiatric medications have saved a lot of lives and was very skeptical about my claim that people can quickly resolve their grief and anger through prayer, although he stated that he was a Christian. He told me authoritatively that it has been proven that most people with emotional problems have chemical imbalances and would not listen when I countered this with some facts. He was very close minded to what I shared with him about the power of prayer to set us free from anger and grief, the underlying causes of violence.

Then I went to the Bible study and met four Cruise employees, the Indian man, a man from Uganda, a woman from Zambia, and a young lady from the Philippines. As I began to share with them my story and how I had learned from 25 years of failure that traditional counseling techniques did not work, they listened intently. Shortly after I bean speaking, a couple on the cruise joined us and I proceeded to share with these six individuals about how to be set free from grief. Then I shared briefly how to be set free from anger and the woman from Zambia became emotional as I spoke. It was obvious that she had some anger that she needed to resolve. I asked if anyone would like prayer to release some anger or grief.

The man on the cruise said that he had some anger toward God because of the pain that he suffers daily from being obese and being unable to lose weight. He admitted that he was angry because God didn't answer his prayers and because He took his parents from him five years ago.  He stated that he quit going to church at that time but he wanted to release his anger toward God. I led him in a prayer and he asked the Lord to take his anger from him. Afterwards he told the group that his anger was gone and he felt peaceful.

Witnessing this enabled the woman from Zambia to request prayer. She said that she had been angry at her mother for many years because her mother abandoned her at age 6 and never had any other contact with her until age 19. She was sexually abused at age 13 and her mother was not around to protect her or help her with that trauma. She had no relationship with her mother, was forced to go on welfare, and always felt unloved. This woman identified 11 reasons for her anger and admitted that she hated her mother and was afraid to get involved in any relationships. I led her in a prayer to release her anger and she said that she felt better but still had some hatred toward her mother.

She identified two more reasons for her anger: she could not muster up the courage to call her mother, and when she did speak to her mother it reopened her wounds and they had nothing to talk about. Her mother did not care about how she felt or what was happening in her life. I led her in another prayer and she gave these resentments to the Lord. I asked the Lord what he wanted her to know and she said "It is well. I feel much better. I have no negative feelings now."  The group was amazed at her release from her anger and hatred. 

We hugged and prayed and took pictures of each other. The man whom I prayed with bought the seven copies of my book and gave one to each person, who asked me to sign their copy of the book. When I returned to my room I was so excited about the experience that I couldn't sleep for hours. It is so exciting to see God work and bring healing into the lives of deeply hurt individuals!!

September 13, 2018

Yesterday morning I went to Burger King for some breakfast. As I drove into the parking lot I noticed a small RV parked in the lot and I was curious to see if it was for sale. I drove by it and saw no sale sign so I parked my car and walked toward the front door. I noticed a man heading for the RV so I asked him about the RV. He said that he lived in Arizona but he had driven to Oklahoma to deal with some property he had inherited from his mother. He asked me about the sign on my van window that said, "Set Free from Grief, Anger, Shame, Depression, and Addiction." He said that he was very angry toward a relative who was trying to steal his inheritance from him and he asked me how to get rid of his anger.

We went into the restaurant and he told me more details about his situation. He had a cousin who was trying to cheat him out of his inheritance of some property his mother owned. He was previously very close to his cousin and grew up with him, but it made this man angry that his cousin was cheating him out of this property even though the cousin was already wealthy. This man drove from Arizona to confront his cousin but he would not answer his phone so this man was getting ready to drive to his cousin's home. He was afraid that he might become violent with him. I encouraged him to continue identifying the reasons for his anger and he told me that the cousin felt he deserved the property, he was stingy, his other relatives also had huge homes, and this cousin was just greedy. Finally, he said that the cousin claimed to be a Christian but was a hypocrite.

I explained that in order to get rid of his anger he first had to be honest about the reasons for his anger and make a list of them, which we had just done.  Secondly, he needed to pray and tell the Lord why he was angry and ask the Lord to please take his anger from him. He said that he was a Christian and believed in prayer so I led him in a prayer to ask the Lord to take his anger from him. After telling the Lord why he was angry he tearfully said, "I am tired of being angry so right now I choose to give you this anger and ask you to carry it for me." I asked the Lord what He wanted this man to know and he said, "Make amends." 

I asked this man how he felt toward his cousin now and he told me that he felt no emotion. His anger and desire for revenge was gone. He was amazed and began reflecting on what had just happened. He realized how his anger had consumed him and almost led him to violence and then he felt some sadness for his cousin. I shared with him that many people have feelings of anger and need someone to show them how to release their anger and he broke down and began crying because he was so thankful that the Lord had brought us together to stop him from violence. He then told me that he was excited to share this with his friends and church. I gave him some literature to encourage him in his new freedom and to help him learn more about how he can help others with their anger and to help stop the anger and violence in our country.

September 4, 2018

Set Free Prayer Ministry was invited to Las Vegas for a follow-up training session on August 24-27, 2018. On Friday afternoon we conducted the Basic Training seminar to a group of believers from several different churches, and then we prayed with many of the individuals. On Saturday afternoon we met with the Full Armor Biker's Church and gave a brief presentation on how to overcome grief, anger, and shame. Then we broke into four small groups and prayed with individuals. Many of them were set free from emotional struggles they had carried all their life.

I had about ten men in my small group and one of them volunteered for prayer. He indicated that he was very angry and felt like he was on the verge of exploding. He stated that he had been angry since age 7 when his alcoholic stepfather began beating his mother, his sister, and himself. His father told him that he was worthless and yelled at him and cussed at him. He was like a violent "monster" and this man grew up feeling fearful and helpless. We made a list of the reasons for his anger and gave them to the Lord. When I asked him how he felt after the prayer he said he felt "Void" and "Calm." His anger toward his stepfather was gone!

We also talked about his anger toward his mother for bringing this violent alcoholic into his life, told his stepfather when he had misbehaved, and made his sister have an abortion. He identified three reasons for his anger toward her, then he prayed and gave his anger to God. I also prayed and asked the Lord what He wanted this man to know. The man said he heard the words, "Be still" and "Stop fighting." Afterwards, he felt sorry for his mother and he felt some guilt and shame over her. We prayed about these feelings and the Lord took away his guilt and shame. He said "My mom is alright."  When I asked him how he felt afterwards he said he felt "blank" and had no more anger or sadness.

This man who appeared very upset initially, began smiling and the other men in the group affirmed him and shared their appreciation for him. During the next hour as we remained at the church visiting with others this man did work at the church and continued smiling all evening. I prayed with another man privately who had gone through a painful divorce recently and he was completely set free from his anger toward her. Other group leaders witnessed similar miracles in their groups; many of the bikers were set free supernaturally that evening. Pastor Ray of the biker's church said to someone the next day, "Las Vegas will never be the same again." 

July 20, 2018

Studies of women from Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand have indicated that from 20-35% of women have received unwanted sexual attention during childhood, and that these women are more likely to have significant problems with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse. This is a significant problem in our society and much attention has been given to it by mental health professionals with very little success. However, the Lord can easily set men and women free from their childhood sexual abuse.

A young woman came for help with her addiction and her sexual abuse. She stated that she was molested at age 2 or 3 by a babysitter, which led her to have nightmares all her life, which were continuing. Around age 14 she was molested twice by her stepfather and this led her to become very angry at him. This young woman was somewhat skeptical of this prayer ministry but was desperate to receive help and end her cycle of destructive behavior and to repair her relationship with her children. While conducting an interview with her I identified seven men toward whom she was angry, and five significant losses she had experienced. I asked her what she wanted to pray about first. She stated that she was still very angry at her stepfather and would like to get rid of her anger, so we discussed the reasons for her anger. She said that she was very close to her stepfather initially and she trusted him, then he molested her twice and broke her trust. It destroyed her trust in men and damaged her emotionally and led her to have trouble in all her relationships in her teenage years and early 20s. It made her angry to  recall how he had watched her at night, how he never suffered any consequences for what he did, and to realize that he probably had other victims besides her.

We made a list of seven major reasons for her anger toward her stepfather, then I led her in a prayer and she asked the Lord to take away all her anger. After praying I asked the Lord what He wanted her to know. She said, "It wasn't my fault. God has my back; He's my protector." She said that those thoughts felt true to her. I asked her how she felt about her stepfather now and she said, "I feel sorry for him; something must have happened to him. I hope he gets help." She stated that she had no more anger or feelings of shame about her sexual abuse from her stepfather.

The  following week she stated that she still had no more anger toward her stepfather but she still had nightmares about her sexual abuse as a young child. She said that she had regular dreams about being molested by two individuals when she was only 2 or 3 years old, which made her feel fearful and shameful. She felt guilty because she believed that she should have told someone, she should have not pretended she was sleeping, and she felt dirty about what happened to her. I prayed with her about these beliefs and asked the Lord what He wanted her to know about them. She then said, "It wasn't my fault. I need to forgive them." She remembered lying in bed as a child thinking she was going to be hurt and she could die, so I prayed about these thoughts. This time she had the thoughts that "He was there with me; He will protect me and my babies. Let go. It's going to be okay." I asked her how she felt after hearing these thoughts from the Lord and she said that she had no more fear, anger, or shame. 

The following week this young lady told me that she had no more nightmares and she felt no more anger, fear, or shame about her past sexual abuse. She admitted that she had been very skeptical but she was smiling and hopeful about her future. The Lord set her free from her childhood sexual abuse which had contributed greatly to her drug abuse and relationship problems her entire life.

It's exciting to see the Lord set a person free like this from abuse they experienced at an early age. Our society is full of such cases and mental health professionals do not know how to help these individuals find freedom from their anger, fear, and shame, but anyone who learns this ministry can begin helping friends, neighbors, relatives, and co-workers find freedom through Christ. The Church is full of individuals who have been damaged by sexual abuse and other forms of abuse and the church must step up and learn to pray with them about their damaged emotions. Through prayer and the Holy Spirit these individuals can find true freedom and then help others find freedom as well. It is only the Church that is capable of helping those damaged by sexual abuse to find freedom through prayer. I pray that many believers will take up this challenge and learn how to pray effectively for others about their emotions so that they will find freedom and spread the good news about the Wonderful Counselor.

I was invited to speak with 17 men in a Christian recovery program who had been recently released from jail and were seeking help for their addictions. Before the meeting I visited with several of the clients who were understandably skeptical about me since I was a professional counselor. I shared with them how I went into the counseling field after discovering how many Christians struggled with emotional problems. I shared with them that after 9 years of college and 25 years using secular techniques I learned that anger management did not work, grief counseling did not work, and I was not able to help alcoholics or drug addicts. Then I learned a simple prayer-based way to set people free.

I shared with these men how to be set free from grief and anger through two simple steps: 1) Make a thorough, honest list of the things you miss or resent about the person, 2) Tell the Lord what you miss or resent about the person and then ask the Lord to take your anger or grief from you. The men were very attentive and their attitude changed dramatically toward me as I shared my message of freedom. Several men spoke with me afterwards, including one man who had been somewhat defiant and resistant initially, but he apologized to me afterwards and thanked me for what I shared. Another man asked me to pray with him about the recent loss of his grandmother that had led him to abuse drugs again.

This man shared with me that his grandmother had died three weeks earlier. She had been very loving to this young man and tried to talk with him about his need to get closer to God. He was full of feelings of guilt, shame, and grief and shared with me that he was suffering so badly that he shook and was barely able to function. I asked him what he missed the most about his grandmother and he told me that he missed her love and affection, spending time with her, going to church with her, and spending time talking with her at her home. He identified 20 things he missed about her and he became very tearful as we spoke. Then I led him in a prayer in which he asked the Lord to take all of his sadness and grief and carry it for him.

After the prayer he said that he felt much better and that he felt a load lifted from him. He began smiling and thanked me for spending time with him. Four days later he called me and told me that he was doing much better. He shared that he had a long history of drug abuse and had been placed in a mental hospital twice and was given medications for his depression, but it did not help him. He texted me these words: "Thanks to you all of my guilt and pain and grief about my grandma is no longer. I gave it all to God and he left me with just her good memories. I try to cry every day over her and can't shed a single tear. God truly works miracles if you believe he can. Everything is possible with God and nothing is possible without him! Thank you for listening to my story and God bless."

This man was set free from his grief over losing his grandmother just three weeks after she passed away. He even tested himself each day and tried to stir up his grief and sadness but could not do it because the Lord took it completely from him. I never push this ministry on people who are grieving, but when they are ready like this man then I will share with them how to be set free completely from their grief. Praise God that He "is able to do exceedingly beyond all that we ask or think"!

A young woman grew up in a Christian family and went to church with her parents every Sunday. But her parents fought a lot and this made her and her sister very anxious and angry and led them to bicker. When she was 10 years old her cousin died and this made her very sad. Then she was bullied in middle school and she had three boyfriends in high school that cheated on her or hurt her by preferring their drugs over her. At age 17 her grandfather died and this made her very sad, then the following year her uncle died and she got high. 

She began smoking marijuana at age 17 but began using meth after her uncle died in her home, and she continued using until she was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and sent to a rehab center. She left this treatment before completing it, then volunteered to enter a Christian recovery program where I talked with her and other clients about how to overcome their anger.  I encouraged her to identify someone with whom she was angry, then make a list of all the reasons for her anger and to give her anger to God in a simple prayer.  The following week she stated that she had done this and had released all of her anger toward her parents.  She was encouraged to do this again and to continue praying about all of her sources of anger, including her three boyfriends and the bullies at school.  

The following week she proudly told me that she had released all of her anger and she went to court and stayed with her parents several day. She was amazed to see that her parent's bickering did not upset her and she did not even get upset with her boyfriend.  She smiled and said that she is a testimony to the ability of this prayer process to set people free from their anger. She was set free from her anger and and her grief and she was full of joy and peace by praying through her anger and grief on her own, and she stated that she has no more urges or desires to use drugs. She also made a pledge to live by Ephesians 4:27-28 and began wearing a wristband that says "Do not let the sun go down on your anger." What a joy it is to see someone like this young woman be set free in such a simple way and to make the pledge to not let the sun go down on their anger again. 

A young man became tearful during a group session as I spoke about grief and loss.  I asked him if he wanted to pray about some grief and he indicated that he did.  He said that two months earlier his former girlfriend hung herself.  He stated that he felt some sadness, anger, grief and shame over this loss.  I suggested that we begin with his anger toward her.  

The young man said he felt angry toward the woman because she killed herself, and did not ask for help or give any warning.  I led him in a prayer and he told the Lord these reasons for his anger and asked the Lord to take his anger from him.  I asked the Lord what He wanted this man to know, and the thoughts that came into his mind were, "She's fine where she's at, and she's better off."  I asked him how he felt "now" and he said, "My mind is not racing now" and he said he felt no anger toward her anymore.

He said that he still felt sadness and grief so I asked him what he misses about his former girlfriend.  He told me that he missed her energy, how she liked to "mess" with him, her positive attitude, her smile and laughter, and how calm and happy she was.  He said that he missed her friendship for ten years, he missed going for walks with her, watching movies, going to a youth group with her. and spending time with her at his house when he got into trouble and was restricted to his home, and just talking with her about everything.  He identified twenty things he missed about her, then I led him in another prayer and he gave his grief to the Lord.  I asked the Lord, again, what he wanted this man to know and then he said, "I made amends to her and apologized to her for things I had done.  There was nothing more that I could have done."  He told me that he felt better.

He indicated that he still felt a little sadness that she died so young and that she was so miserable and unhappy that she hung herself.  He prayed a third time and told the Lord the reasons for his sadness and he asked the Lord to take his sadness and carry it for him.  After this prayer he said that he felt ""100% better and he felt peaceful.  I asked him what he thought about this and he said "It's amazing!"

The young man had been very sad and tearful when we began, but when we finished he was at total peace.  God is, indeed, the "God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God " (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).  May you comfort someone today with the comfort which you have received through prayer.

A young woman came for help with her addiction to pills. She stated that she had been using drugs since age 18 and had stolen a lot of money and pills from her parents, which caused a lot of problems with them. I did a social history on her to identify the underlying emotional reasons for her drug abuse and she told me that she was raised by her biological parents until age 4, when her father divorced her mother. Her mother remarried and she got along well with her stepfather but said she clashed with her mother. She indicated that she got along well with her two younger siblings and she did well in grade school.

In middle school two of her closest friends died, which led to some depression. She saw her biological father in a restaurant around this time and when he did not recognize her it made her angry and more depressed. In high school she went to a party and was raped while intoxicated, and this was videotaped and the video was passed around at her school. She was very angry and hurt by her former friends who did this so she changed schools, but she was in trouble all the time at this new school and got pregnant by her boyfriend, at age 16.

At age 18 her grandfather died and this was difficult for her. When she was 21 y.o she married her boyfriend and they used drugs together, but they divorced after three years when he became abusive with her. Her husband began to harass her and filed for custody of their child, which made her more angry at him. During our first prayer session we prayed about her anger toward her husband. She identified 16 reasons for her anger and gave it to the Lord. She identified 4 more reasons for her anger and released them also. After this session she said she felt no more anger and she felt a lot of relief.

During our second session she prayed about her anger toward her mother, and made a list of 13 reasons for her anger. Then she identified 8 reasons for her anger toward her biological father and released them. She indicated afterwards that she felt no more anger toward either of them and she agreed to pray about her grief over her grandfather on her own. When she came to our next session, she had prayed about her grandfather and was able to release this grief on her own.

At the third session, she expressed some more anger toward her ex-husband and identified six more reasons for her anger. She asked the Lord to take this anger from her and felt much better. She also prayed about her grief over loss of contact with friend of her husband who was very good to her. She identified 9 things she missed about this woman and she then prayed and asked the Lord to take this grief from her. She felt peaceful and calm afterwards. She also talked about a close friend of hers who died in a car wreck and identified ten things she missed about her. She gave this grief and sadness to the Lord and her grief was resolved.

When we met for our fourth session, this woman said she prayed about her anger toward another boy and she identified 7 reasons for her anger and gave this to the Lord. Then she talked about the death of another friend who died from an accident and she identified 17 things she missed about him, and 6 things that made her sad about him. After she released these feelings she said she felt peaceful and calm. She also said that she was getting along well with her parents, was holding down two jobs, was no longer upset at her Ex., and had no more urges to use drugs. She asked her parents to forgive her for her stealing and mistreatment of them. I asked her how she felt and she said, “I haven’t felt this good in a long time.” 

A month later her parents confirmed to me that she was still doing well. She was set free from her opiate addiction after only four prayer sessions. There is a solution to the opiate problem in our country and it is teaching people how to pray about their underlying, negative feelings and giving them to Jesus.

January 16, 2017

A young woman sat through a class discussing the consequences of anger.  She was looking for help with her emotional problems resulting from her anger toward her father.  She stated that she had two relationships with young men who wanted to marry her but she was unable to have a relationship due to her anger toward men.  As we discussed Ephesians 4:26-27 and talked about how anger gives the devil an opportunity she came to understand that she needed to release her anger toward her father.  She stated that her pastor had tried to help her forgive her father and she had prayed about her anger, but she still was very angry toward him.

She stated that she was angry at her father because he cheated on her mother twice, and threatened to punish her if she told her mother about it.  He promised to never leave her or her mother, but when she was 16 years old he divorced her mother and married another woman.  Then he spent all his time with his new wife and stepdaughter and favored the stepdaughter over this woman.  The young woman was angry because he ignored her and spent a lot of time with her stepsister, and he always blamed her when they fought.  Her father never told her that he loved her and never showed her any affection and this damaged her relationships with other males.

We made a list of 15 reasons for her anger and then I led her in a prayer, telling the Lord why she was angry at her father and then asking Him to take away her anger and carry it for her.  After this I prayed and asked the Lord what He wanted her to know, and I told her to be quiet and see what thoughts came into her mind.  She began to smile and said, "He is my true father and He loves me and will never leave me."  I asked the Lord if there was anything else that He wanted her to know.  She said, "Even though dad treated me badly I need to love him."  I asked her how she felt about her father now; she said, "The anger is gone and I love him."  She also said that she felt peaceful and happy.  I asked her what she thought about this.  She smiled and said, "It's awesome." 

Most pastors know that people need to forgive those who have wronged them, but they don't know how to tell them how to forgive.  Usually, they tell people to just forgive and this may work if there was one, single offense, but when there are multiple offenses over a long period of time this will not work.  The individual may pray and express their desire to forgive the person who wronged them, but the anger continues to return because it was never resolved completely.   This young lady's pastor tried to help her but did not because she had anger that had built up over her entire life.  When she was completely honest and identified the fifteen reasons for her anger and then gave it all to the Lord, her anger was completely resolved.  If we partially confess the reasons for our anger, we will experience partial release, but when we thoroughly confess all of the reasons for our anger and give them all to the Lord, He sets us free completely.  Praise God for setting her completely free from her anger and replacing it with forgiveness and peace.  

Set Free from Depression

Dec. 23, 2017

       A young man was seen who was very depressed. He grew up in a church where his father was a deacon and was his best friend, but in his senior year in high school his father became sick. He witnessed his father’s rapid deterioration from being a strong man to being unable to care for himself ten months later, and over the last few months of his life he screamed out because of his pain and begged the Lord to take it from him. This young man began using drugs and pain pills before his father died. He married a young Christian woman but she eventually left him due to his drug abuse, so this led to more depression and anger.

       I explained that the main cause of depression is grief, and I asked this young man if he would like to get rid of his grief. He said that he would so I explained that the first step was to be honest about his grief and make a list of everything that he missed about his father. He said that he missed his guidance, his fatherly influence, spending personal time with him, and how he was always so happy and friendly with others. He also missed fishing with him, talking with him, going duck hunting with him, going to church with him, and talking about the Bible. He identified 22 things that he missed about his father, then I led him in a prayer and he told the Lord what he missed about his father and asked the Lord to take his grief from him.

       After this I asked him how he felt and he said that he felt sad because of how quickly his father deteriorated, how much pain he endured, how he became an invalid within six months, and how his life fell apart when his father died. It also saddened him that his father died so young and his younger brothers had to grow up without a father. We made a list of 8 reasons for his sadness and he gave his sadness to the Lord. I prayed and asked the Lord what he wanted this young man to know, and he said he could hear his father’s voice saying, “Son, I love you.” He stated that he felt calm and peaceful after this.

       When I asked him how he felt afterwards, he said that he had some anger toward God for taking his father from him, for allowing him to experience so much pain, and for allowing him to die so young when he was so faithful to God and was such a good man. I led him in a prayer, giving his anger to the Lord, and then I asked the Lord, again, if there was anything that he wanted the young man to know. He said, “All things work together for good, and there’s hope and there’s a reason.” He stated that he felt no more anger toward God.

       The young man stated that he felt some guilt and shame for disappointing his father, for being a poor example to his younger brothers, and for causing his mother so much heartache and stress. He confessed his failures and sins to the Lord and asked for forgiveness. He said that the Lord told him that he was forgiven but he still felt some guilt and shame, so I prayed for him and asked the Lord what He wanted this young man to know. He immediately responded, “Jesus took my guilt and shame and He has a purpose for me.” He no longer felt any guilt or shame.

       He also had some feelings of grief over the loss of contact with his family and feeling trapped in the treatment program. He gave these feelings to the Lord and I asked the Lord, again, what He wanted this man to know. The thoughts that came to his mind were, “Draw near to Me” and “Come to me all who are weary.” He said, “God will get me through this,” and he no longer felt hopeless or trapped. His depression had dropped from a rating of 10 to 4.

       A week later I saw this young man again and he said that he was doing well and that all of his depression was gone. He had prayed on his own about his grief, anger, and sadness over the loss of his wife and was able to resolve these feelings on his own. The Lord completely resolved this man’s depression and anger through one prayer session and he is likely to do well and remain drug free now that he has resolved these underlying emotions. We have an awesome God who promises to give us His peace when we learn to cast all our cares upon Him!

Overcoming Feelings of Rejection    

December 12, 2017  

A young woman said that she struggled with feelings of rejection and friends had noticed it and pointed this out to her. Feelings of rejection are belief-based feelings so I asked this woman when she first felt rejected. She stated that her mother left her family when she was 2 years old and then her father married her stepmother. When she was 4 years old her stepmother took her stepsister to a girl’s sleepover, but she would not allow this girl to go because she was “too much to handle.” This made her feel very hurt and rejected and she no longer wanted to hang out with her sisters. In the third grade she lived with her mother for a year and her mother “sold” her brother to some friends who could not have children and wanted a child.

Before praying about this woman’s feelings of rejection, I knew it was important to first resolve any feelings of anger and resentment. I asked her if she would like to get rid of her anger toward her stepmother and she said that she would. We made a list of things she resented about her stepmother, starting with her comment that she was “too much to handle.” She also resented that her stepmother hit her and her siblings a lot, treated them differently from her own children, sent them to their grandparents when their father was gone, verbally abused them, and pushed them out of the car one time, intending to leave them. Her stepmother also mentally abused her by cutting up her clothing and telling her father that the dog did it. She identified 9 resentments and then prayed and asked the Lord to take her anger from her.

Immediately after the prayer she said that she felt no more anger toward her stepmother. I prayed and asked the Lord what He wanted her to know about her belief that she was rejected, bad, and unloveable. She said, “It’s untrue. God accepts me. I am good and I am likeable.” Her anger toward her stepmother was gone and her feelings of rejection were also gone because the Lord gave her truth in her heart to replace the lies she had believed since age 4.

This young woman also wanted to get rid of her anger toward her mother, her father, and her grandparents, so we prayed about each of these. All of these individuals were abusive to her and we identified 7 resentments she held toward her mother, 22 resentments she held toward her grandparents who raised her for eight years, and 28 resentments toward her father. It was exhausting to listen to the horrible abuse she had suffered from each of her caregivers while growing up, but when we finished she said that she felt no more anger toward any of them and that she loved them. What a miracle it was to see the Lord set her free from her anger and her feelings of rejection that were based upon her rejection by each of her caregivers!

Set Free from PTSD and Meds

Nov. 2, 2017

A young man came for help with multiple problems, including social anxiety, depression, Panic disorder, PTSD, and an addiction to opiates. He grew up in a Christian family and got along well with his brother and his peers and never got into trouble until age 18. He drank some in high school and admitted that he was somewhat rebellious and disliked his parent’s rules, but he never got into legal trouble.

After high school he joined the Army and after completing his basic training he was constantly degraded and put down by his commanding officer, who screamed at him constantly. He began drinking and getting drunk but was helped by another soldier who became his best friend. One day this friend suddenly pulled out a gun and shot himself in front of this young man, which traumatized him. He developed a panic disorder, social anxiety, major depression, and PTSD and was heavily medicated, and four months later he was medically discharged from the Army. He then lived with his parents but had severe social anxiety and he abused opiates. He also was arrested three times for drug-related charges and he began selling drugs.

This young man came for help with his depression, PTSD, and social anxieties. He was taking two medications when first seen, which he said helped him be less anxious so that he could work. We talked about the suicide of his best friend and he talked about his grief over the loss of this friend. He shared how he missed his friendship, talking with him, spending time with him, going fishing and hunting, watching TV together, and working together. He identified 14 things he missed about his friend then I led him in a prayer and he asked the Lord to take his grief from him. He said that he felt happy afterwards and felt that God was with him.

We discussed his feelings of anger and sadness he felt toward his friend. He was angry that the friend shot himself in front of him, and never told anyone about his own emotional struggles. He prayed about his anger and asked the Lord to take it from him, as well as the images of the traumatic event. He felt a sense of relief and calmness after this. He also discussed some feelings of sadness that his friend was gone, he didn’t know if he was saved, he couldn’t call him or spend time with him. He asked the Lord to take this sadness from him. After this prayer he said he felt more peace and relief.

He admitted that he felt shameful that he did not see this suicide coming; he felt that he should have known something was wrong and been able to stop it. I prayed and asked the Lord if that was true. The thought that came to him immediately was, “The decision was already made.” This thought brought him immediate relief and he said, “I feel calmness over my whole body.” We also prayed about his anger toward the commanding officer who degraded him so much, and he was able to release all his anger toward him.

I saw this young man four months later and he admitted that he had one drinking episode after his wife was arrested and incarcerated, but he quit drinking after that and had been sober two months. He told his doctor to wean him off his medications and was drug free, he was holding down a good job, and he had no more PTSD, social anxiety, or anger. He had some depression over the temporary separation from his wife so we identified 13 things he missed about her and gave it all to the Lord. After that he said that he felt happy and had no more depression. He reaffirmed that he was still at peace with the suicide death of his friend. The Lord set him completely free from all of his diagnoses, including his opiate abuse and drinking, through three prayer sessions. He is involved in a church and wants to share with his church how the Lord has set him free, indeed, through prayer.

PTSD in Las Vegas

October 8, 2017

        A retired man was introduced to me at the Valley Bible Fellowship in Las Vegas who attended the country music concert last Sunday where 59 people were killed and 500 were shot. He was sitting in the front row of the concert because he and his friend were handicapped and walked with canes. Just before the shooting began a young woman stood up and shouted “You’re all going to die!” When he recognized the sound of machine gun fire this man shoved his friend under the stage and followed him. A man in front of him was shot in the hip and they used their shirts for tourniquets to stop the bleeding. He witnessed women, children, and brave policemen being shot as bullets flew around him and he wanted to help more people, but he prevented his friend from trying to run and probably saved his life. After ten minutes of non-stop shooting everyone began running for their lives and this man fled the scene with his friend. He was convinced that there was more than one shooter.He was convinced that there was more than one shooter.

         When I met with him six days later he admitted that he had trouble sleeping and had PTSD and survivor guilt from the event. I listened to him as he told us his story and shared the thoughts that were going through his mind during the incident. I asked questions to help him identify the various feelings he was experiencing. He said that he was “at peace” with God and not afraid of dying but he felt some guilt, some anger, and a lot of sadness. As he spoke I took notes and made three lists of things that made him feel anger, shame, or sadness. He felt enraged that: 1) anyone could take out their anger on helpless women and children, 2) a pregnant woman was shot, 3) children were shot, 4) brave policemen were shot, 5) a brave woman survived but later committed suicide, 6) Satan is trying to destroy the world, and 7) his body is breaking down so he cannot do what he used to do. I explained to him that there were two steps to releasing his anger and he stated that he wanted to release it. I led him in a prayer, telling the Lord each of these seven reasons for his anger, and then he asked the Lord to take his anger from him. I also asked the Lord what He wanted this man to know and he said, “He loves me.” He stated that he no longer felt any anger toward the shooter.

         I then asked him about his feelings of shame. He said that he felt guilty because he couldn’t help more victims due to his leg, he felt that he should have done more, and he believed that if he had done more some more people could have lived. I prayed and asked the Lord what He wanted this man to know. The thoughts that came to his mind were, “You can only do what you can do. He’s proud of me; it’s in the past. I couldn’t do more; it’s not my fault.” After hearing these thoughts from the Lord this man said he felt no more guilt or shame.

        We then discussed his feelings of sadness. He was sad because: 1) the faces of the panicked people were so fear-stricken, 2) so many helpless people were being shot, 3) the screaming and panic in the crowd, 4) children and women were being shot and terrified, 5) so many people were emotionally traumatized, 6) some parents lost their children, 7) his grandkids almost lost their grandfather. I led him in a prayer and told the Lord each of these reasons for his sadness, then asked the Lord what He wanted this man to know. The thoughts that came to him were: 1) He was there, 2) I saw many kind people doing brave things. These thoughts brought him peace but he remembered one woman who helped many others survive then later committed suicide, which made him sad. He prayed again and gave this sadness to the Lord. He said, “I understand that God allows evil people to live because He gives us many chances” (2 Peter 3:9).

         When we were finished praying about these three emotions, this man said he felt no more anger, sadness, or guilt. He said that he felt peaceful and calm! He also said he would be willing to share his testimony the next day with his church, where seven people were killed and 40 wounded from the shooting and where I will be teaching them how to help those with PTSD. Praise God for His love, comfort, and truth that sets us free, indeed!  Pray for the Lord to set Las Vegas free!

  Girl Set Free from Porn Problem

Sept. 21, 2017

An 11-year-old girl came with her parents for help. Her parents were Christians and got along well and she had received Jesus as her Savior, but her father caught her late at night looking at pornography on her tablet. She admitted that she had been looking at porn for about a year. She had a difficult time in school the previous year after another girl told her that her uncle had molested her and she told her parents, who then reported it to the principal. A boy told her that his mother allowed him to watch pornography with her, so she asked her mother what pornography was and her mother told her that it was bad and she should avoid it. She disclosed this comment from the boy, to the school principal, also, so the other children began calling her a “snitch” and her teacher treated her badly so she was moved to another class. In addition, her best friend broke off their friendship, and another close friend moved away which made her sad and lonely. I explained how these bad feelings could make her vulnerable to looking at pornography to feel better.

She was very embarrassed to talk about the pornography but admitted that she was curious about it so one night she looked up pornography on her tablet and watched a sexually explicit movie. She was shocked, but intrigued, and the images stuck in her mind and she continued watching other movies late at night. This continued for about a year until her father caught her. Her parents were concerned about this and took away her tablet and cell phone so that she would not have access to this pornography, and they called to set up a counseling appointment.

The girl denied that she had ever been molested or exposed to any sexually explicit material previously. She stated that she felt badly about the pornography, and she said she wanted to get rid of her shame and guilt and feel normal again. First, I explained how to resolve her guilt through 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” She said she wanted to confess her guilt, so I led her in a prayer to confess her sin and to ask for forgiveness. Then I asked the Lord what He wanted her to know. She said the thought, “You are forgiven,” came to her mind, but it did not feel true because, “the past still affects me, and I didn’t listen to mom" and she still believed that she was "bad and dirty.”  I prayed about this and she said, “God can make me white as snow, and I’m clean.” I asked her how she felt about herself when remembering her behavior. She said she still felt "bad for looking at something bad which has affected my brain and defiled my holy temple.” I prayed again, and asked what the Lord wanted her to know about these beliefs. The thought, “You are forgiven,” came to her mind again. She said that that made her feel good, but she said, “The devil’s trying to tell me I’m dirty.” I asked the Lord again what He wanted her to know, and she said, “God sees me as white.” This time it felt true to her and she began to sit up straight in her seat, she smiled, and she began making good eye contact with the counselor. The change in her body posture was striking.

It was interesting that an 11-year-old could recognize that her negative thoughts were coming from the devil. I explained that when individuals feel anger, grief, or sadness they are very vulnerable to temptations of all sorts, including pornography. I suggested that we pray about some of her anger and grief to give them to God so that she was no longer so vulnerable to the devil, and she agreed. We prayed about two sources of anger and she was able to release her anger completely. Then we prayed about one of her losses and she released it also. When we finished she was smiling and she was able to think about her losses and sources of anger without feeling any sadness or anger. As the family left my office I was ecstatic to have helped a child avoid a lifetime of shame and guilt that could have destroyed her emotionally and spiritually.

This girl had never had any significant losses or traumas in her life, but she had some anger and sadness that made her vulnerable to temptation. Even children in Christian families can have emotional struggles that make them vulnerable to temptations, and all parents need to realize the dangers to their children who have easy access to porn through cell phones and computers. What a joy it was to see this young girl set free from shame and guilt. The following week her parents told me that she held up her head high and smiled at church and no longer struggled with feeling like she didn’t fit in at home or church. She also knew she was forgiven and she told her mother, “I’ve always known what it meant to be happy. I really missed it last year. But now I actually know what joy is.” Her mother commented, “How incredible is it to actually witness a miracle like that!”

September 4, 2017

A man came alone for help with his marriage. He told me that he and his wife had both been married once previously and that they had been married for ten years. Before he became a Christian he had lived an immoral life and used pornography but after he was saved he gave all this up and had been faithful to his wife. He was a leader in a growing, healthy church.

But he stated that he and his wife fought frequently and viciously in front of their three children and he tried hard to please her but could not. Their arguments usually centered around her anger that he admitted that he occasionally had sexual thoughts about other women, which he always confessed to the Lord and he sought deliverance from his impure thoughts. Initially, he denied such thoughts when his wife inquired about it, but when he admitted the truth she became upset and accused him of lying to her for ten years. She also demanded to know all about his past relationships, and any impure thoughts he had about women in their church. During their arguments she told him that he was disgusting, proud, lazy, selfish, and had a demonic problem with sexual perversion and she told him he should resign from the church. These comments hurt him deeply and made it difficult for him to feel affectionate with her.

We discussed his background and he admitted that he had some anger toward his father who had been abusive with him during his childhood, so I explained how he could release his anger by listing all his resentments and giving them to the Lord. He did this and was set free immediately of his anger toward his father. We also made a list of his resentments toward his wife and he gave these to the Lord and felt much better. He left feeling hopeful about his marriage.

When I saw this man two months later he stated that they got along better for a few days but then the fighting began again, and they had considered divorce several times. It was the same story; his wife became upset about his past relationships and began harshly accusing him of immoral thoughts and told him he was disgusting and had a sexual perversion. I explained that he could not afford to let the sun go down on his anger and that he needed to release it every single day so that he would not get caught up in the arguments and lash back at his wife when she was upset.

We made a list of 12 more reasons for his anger toward his wife and he released them. The Lord told him that He loved him and he needed to be consistent and calm. He admitted that he still felt some sadness about his wife, the way their fighting was affecting the children, and that she could not forgive him for the past. We made a list of 8 reasons for his sadness and then prayed and asked the Lord to take his sadness from him. Afterwards, this man said he felt peaceful and calm and the Lord told him that He was with him and he needed to be patient.

He left feeling calm and determined to live every day in obedience to Ephesians 4:26-27 and to never let the sun go down on his anger again. If he continued this, I suggested, his wife will notice the change and will one day be receptive to him showing her how to get rid of her unresolved anger from her past that was interfering with their marriage or she would be willing to come for help with her own anger and unresolved emotional issues.

August 14, 2017

       A man stated that he struggled with feelings of aloneness even when he was in a room full of people, and he felt unloved by God even though he knew from the scriptures that God loved him. When he went through a divorce he felt a desperate fear of being alone the rest of his life. Such exaggerated feelings always have roots in past experiences so I asked him when he first felt such strong feelings of aloneness. He said that he was an only child and he spent a lot of time alone in his childhood. When he tried to interact with his parents they found it annoying and sent him to his room where he read encyclopedias and tried to entertain himself.

       When he was alone he felt ostracized, misunderstood, and unaccepted by his parents. His parents spent time together watching TV and did not want to be bothered by him. His talking and behavior annoyed them so much that his father duct-taped his mouth. He believed that he was annoying and an inconvenience, which led him to feel unloved and to feel a strong need for companionship and for being with others.

       I encouraged this man to think about this childhood memory and to feel those feelings, then I prayed, “Lord, what do you want him to know about his belief that he was annoying, unloved, and alone?” I told him to listen quietly and let me know if he had any thoughts come to his mind. He said the following thoughts came to him: “God was training me to study; I know that I am loved by God and my mother; and God says I’m special.” I asked him if that felt true and he said it did. I prayed again and asked the Lord if there was anything else He wanted this man to know about his belief that he was unloved and unwanted. He became tearful and said, “Jesus felt unwanted and rejected also, and it is a lie that I was unloved and unwanted.”

       After these truths came to this man he said that his chest was lighter but he felt sad for his father, and pitied him for what he must have gone through to be so uncaring to this man. I led him in another prayer in which he told the Lord why he felt sad and asked the Lord to take his sadness from him. After this prayer he said he had no more sadness and he felt hope. He also said, “I want to see my father get help.” He had previously released his anger toward his father but after these prayers he released his feelings of hurt and sadness, also.

       I asked him to think about having his mouth duct-taped as a child and to tell me how he felt now. He said, “I don’t care; it doesn’t matter anymore. My childhood is free of it now.” I prayed again and asked the Lord if there was anything else he wanted this man to know about his feeling of aloneness. This time he said he heard the words in his mind, “I was there with you and I have some awesome plans for you so hold on.” He became tearful again and said that this thought from the Lord made “the hair stand up on my arms.”

       After praying with this man about these matters he said that he felt much better. He felt energized and hopeful and was no longer bothered by feelings of aloneness. He thanked me and left with a smile on his face and peace in his heart. The Lord set him free from his feelings of being unloved and alone that he had carried for over 30 years. It is truly awesome that the Lord does indeed heal the brokenhearted and comfort us when we learn to pray about our feelings.

                                                                                                                August 19, 2017

A young man in a treatment program requested to see me. He told me that he had recently disclosed in a group meeting that he was sexually abused at age 10 and he had never disclosed this to anyone previously. He was glad that he shared it and he admitted that this event had affected him for over 15 years and it still bothered him. I asked him how he felt when he thought about the event and he said that he felt dirty, unclean, and guilty that he had never told anyone previously. I asked if I could pray for him about this memory and he consented. I prayed, "Lord, what do you want this man to know about his belief that he is dirty and unclean because of what happened to him, and that he is bad for not telling someone previously.

I told the young man to be quiet and let me know if any thoughts came into his mind. He said, "It's not your fault. I was too scared to tell anyone, and He still loves me." These were thoughts that he reported to me. I asked him how he felt now while thinking about this traumatic event and he said, "It's nothing but a memory and that young man needs help." He stated that he felt calm and peaceful and felt no more shame or guilt about the incident.

I glanced at my watch and we had only been talking for about five minutes. I commented to him that he had been carrying this for over 15 years and it was resolved in less than five minutes and I asked him what he thought about this. He smiled a big smile and said, "It's amazing!" I agreed with him and we turned our attention to some anger he felt toward his mother. He identified 15 resentments he held toward his mother and then he prayed and gave the Lord his anger toward her.

Afterwards I asked him how he felt toward her and he smiled again and said, "I love her and I feel no anger toward her."

This is amazing to witness and it is truly a miracle to witness this happen over and over again. What a joy it is to pray with others and watch the Lord set them free from their emotional bondage and to experience His peace!

April 19, 2017

Many Christians struggle with feelings of guilt and shame. When you sin and break God’s laws you experience guilt and the only way to find relief is to confess it to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). But if you still feel guilty after confessing your sins, those are feelings of false guilt or shame and the Lord wants to remove them from you so that you feel forgiven.

A Christian man was seen who was struggling with an addiction. He told me that his father died when he was five years old, and then he had six or seven stepfathers in his life. He began using marijuana at age 13 and then advanced to pain pills. He completed a Christian drug program and was able to remain drug-free and to hold a good job for several years, but when his wife left him for another man he lost his daily contact with his children. Then he lost his job and began using drugs again.

This man was very distraught and anxious so I asked him what his greatest concern was at the moment. He said that he was most concerned about his elderly mother who was moved into a nursing home. He felt very guilty for putting her in the nursing home and for treating her so badly in the past. He admitted that he had stolen objects from her which he sold for drug money and she had to kick him out of her home. He felt guilty that he had caused her so much stress that she became ill and had to enter the nursing home.

I asked this man if he would like to get rid of his guilt and shame and he said that he would. He told me that he had already confessed his guilt to the Lord and believed he was forgiven but he didn’t feel forgiven. I prayed and asked the Lord what he wanted this man to know then I asked him if any thoughts had come into his mind. He became tearful and said, “Be at peace. She’s taken care of and she is where she needs to be.” He believed these thoughts came from the Lord. I asked him how he felt now as he thought about his mother. He said “I love her. I feel no more shame.” I asked him what he thought about this and he said, “It’s great!” Feelings of shame are based upon a belief that “I am dirty and shameful because of what I’ve done.” When we confess our sins to the Lord and then listen to Him, He will bring the truth into our minds to set us free.

We also prayed about his son whom he was afraid would forget him. He identified fifteen things he missed about him, then he prayed and asked the Lord to take his grief and carry it for him. I prayed again and asked the Lord what He wanted this man to know. He immediately broke into a smile and said “He won’t forget me.” He said that he felt “a lot better.” He went from overwhelming grief and guilt to feeling peaceful and calm in just a few minutes as we prayed.

The Lord does not want us to live in guilt and shame. He wants us to confess our guilt and sin to Him so that He can forgive us, then He wants to take all our shame from us so that we experience His peace and can live for Him. When addicts like this man release all their grief, anger, and shame they feel good and no longer have the urge to drink or use drugs to feel better. The Lord wants to set us all free from our guilt and shame so that we experience the “peace of God that surpasses comprehension” (Philippians 4:7) and can live for Him.