THE WORD - THE ROUTE TO DELIVERANCE

Psalm 119:105

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

2 Peter 1:19

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

It is not the Father’s will that His children (sons) be subjected to pastoral abuse. When we look inside churches where this is going on, we should be moved with compassion to pray.

2 Peter 2:9

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

In this passage of scripture, God clearly allows us to see that He knows how to preserve those who have a heart toward Him. We must pray they are exposed to the true Word, which is their route to escape and deliverance. Anyone subjected to pastoral abuse must first realize God has a route for deliverance and see God’s purpose inside what He has allowed in their lives.

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

God saved us in accordance to His purpose; therefore, what He allows us to experience works together for our good. We cannot allow our hearts to either move to or remain in hatred and unforgiveness toward our abuser. We must see that individual as a soul who is truly in need of God’s help. It could be they abused you simply because they, themselves, were abused inside ministry and this is all they know. We must realize that if we do not forgive them, God will not forgive us for any trespasses we might commit.

St. Matthew 6:14-15

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

There is so much knowledge to be gained from every experience we encounter. God will anoint the experiential knowledge and use it inside of ministry. From the experience we must examine:

1. How we got into the situation. (How did we get to a place where we were willing to disobey the Holy Ghost in order to satisfy someone’s flesh?)

2. Why we remained there so long? (Ask yourself what were you receiving from the situation. Did you stay because your own fleshly desires were being satisfied?)

Never condemn yourself for sins you might have committed as a result of pastoral abuse. Before God judges anyone, He makes sure they have had access to whatever was necessary for their deliverance. We already, as believers, have the Spirit of God within us.

1 Corinthians 2:11 tells us that the Spirit of God within us knows the things of God. The truth of God is our escape from these captivities, and He will make certain we are exposed to enough truth for us to choose to walk in deliverance. This truth will come as either the written or spoken Word. When this happens, the Spirit of Truth within us will bear witness to the truth we receive. When that abused saint is exposed to the truth of God’s Word, he must make a decision to walk in the truth. Ultimately, we all must assume responsibility for our own salvation. We must know in our hearts that God wants us to be delivered even more than we want to be delivered!