I was doing nothing in particular when I heard the Lord whisper to me, "I want your undivided attention." When I hear a "still small voice" like that (see 1 Kings 19:11), I know I'd better listen up. So I went out to my patio to listen. It was a bit chilly so I moved my favorite rocking chair into the sunshine. I had rescued it from a someone's trash years ago and painted it blue. Something about "redeeming" this lovely rocking chair makes it special to me.
As I sat before the Lord a picture came into my thoughts of something from my teenage years. Nothing about it seem particularly meaningful to me. I wondered why it came to mind. But then I began to recall incidents of that time in my life. Teenagers are particularly subject to disappointments, hurts, competitions, etc. At least I was. I felt that the Lord was showing me that I had to forgive every person and every incident in my life that came to mind, not limited to those years. It wasn't that I went digging things up in my memory, I just dealt with each one as it came to me. Not that I saw a picture of them all, I didn't. They just came to mind. I spent some time repenting and forgiving wherever it was needed
I then saw how every hurt in some way damages our souls... as if there is a part missing, or a wound where a scar still remains. Whether we remember these events or if we no longer have consciousness of them, they still affect us somehow. The Lord then led me to pray and ask the Him to restore every and any parts of my soul from where the enemy of our souls may have any hold on my own soul as a result of anything that was harmful to me in any way.
Does that make sense to you? Can you see where, for instance, fear, sadness, or insecurity, or shame, or ________ (you fill in the blank) may have come from an old emotional wound? Repenting and forgiving is the key to release and freedom from the enemy's stronghold upon our souls. Whatever is not in line with the way we are meant to live in loving trust in the Lord, is cause for repenting. Forgiving is what Jesus died to bring to us, both to receive and to give.
Having come to quietness, I then gave my heart and my soul anew to the Lord Jesus and asked Him to make me fully His. I prayed like this: In the places where I do not 'feel' things, I cancel every tormenting demon that might remain, from any and all hurts, disappointments, rejections, broken relationships, diversions from truth or abdications of responsibilities. I repent for every inner vow to not feel emotions that were too painful and/or that retreated into thoughts that were not of God and His loving goodness. I repented of irresponsibility and denial, of excuses and giving up and allowing confusions to remain instead of going to God to help me resolve them.
I took back my soul where there had been an opening to the enemy - spiritually, emotionally, and relationally - including with myself, and also financially. Again I surrendered these areas to Yeshua as my Lord and Savior, and surrendered each area to HIs authority, renouncing anywhere that fear, or unbelief, or anything that is not of God has had influence in my life.
"Jesus said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). As all authority is His by the Father's edict, I repented for anywhere in my life that I was not living in accord with His authority. That included areas where I might try to think my way through things on my own realizing as I did that I could have avoided some confusions even of what seemed insignificant but which allowed for confusion I likely could have avoided.
As Yeshua's authority was given to Him to fully lead us to His Father, consider this ultimate verse: "Then comes the end, when He (Jesus) delivers the Kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power" (1 Cor. 15:24). If ever we were in a time that was to prepare for Yeshua's return, it is also to participate in establishing His authority and power, beginning with our own lives. Selah.
This time of sitting in my "redeemed" rocking chair with the Son of God shining His light into parts of my soul, brought a new dimension of His "redeeming" authority into my life. I thought of this as a precious and private time between me and the Lord, but evidently He wanted to share these thoughts with some who would be reading this. Might that be you?
[Stay tuned for more of what I learned from my heaven experience. ]