Avalanche of Childhood Wounds

If we look at this picture below, what thoughts and questions are racing in your mind? What are your emotions as you view the physical abuse? We all are human beings and sense pain in very similar ways and we all reflect the desire to help this child. If we see physical pain and cringe, why do we look the other way when we hear inner-soul wounds? 

Many childhood wounds stay with us into young adult years, marriage, middle-age, and even carry over into our senior years. Why? What makes us hold on to pain and reflect its brutal grip on us throughout our lifetime? Is it possible that emotional, sexual, and verbal abuse caused deeper wounds and scars than any physical violence ever could? 

Many of us encountered hurt and deep inner scarring  as a child growing up that is following us to this day. The stronghold of pain and its web of lies continues to undermine our faith and belief that Jesus Christ is powerful enough to set us free from ALL pain. We hear stories of sexual abuse, verbal anger lashed out at us, and even degrading ones life emotionally through the power of words, and hear how they overcame their struggles. Yet, we give our own lives, our own childhood areas of pain no chance for healing. The pain creates roots and starts to affect many layers of our lives from personal relationships to work conflict to depression symptoms. We cannot look the other way at the internal pain thousands of people including you and I have endured. We have hope in the news that Christ Jesus not only came to forgive our sins but to heal our brokenness and all of our pain. 

Internal Childhood Wounds That Need To Be Healed: 

1. Sexual abuses, inappropriately touched, forced to engage in acts, controlled by fear to continue the sexual acts. (Examples: Rape, peer intimidation, homosexual encounters, invite to porn, viewing sexual acts, forced to participate in sexual forms and positions, guilt and shame that carries itself with these things)

2. Verbal abuses, the use of derogatory words against your life, words and phrases like: stupid, dumb, weird, not normal, life without you is better, you are at fault, you have no meaning, you will never become what you want, you are a mistake, you failed, you are not strong enough, someone can do it better than you. 

3. Emotional abuses, the rejection and cold-shoulder effect of your life. For example, parents rejected you, your siblings thought of you as worthless, your friends bullied and made jokes of you, church members or leaders did not see raw talent so disregarded you, unacceptance of your peer group, constant desire for affirmation. 

If physical abuse is criminal and scorned in our society, why is the soul that moves us and gives us life worth less time and importance? The more I counsel and minister with people, the more I understand how deep internal pain and childhood wounds take its toll in the course of your life.

"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." -Romans 8:15. 

Father-God is willing and able to heal your pain, free your from fear, and give you boldness to live a life of supernatural freedom in the Holy Spirit. Are you willing to cry, "Abba, Father."? 

Jesus the Son of God does not want His bride walking in pain. He is gentle, kind, and loving and desires to touch EVERY area of our life so that it is a wellspring of life. Give God a chance to heal your childhood wounds. If man cannot understand the pain you went through, Jesus Christ can! 

If you would like prayer or additional counsel on a personal life experience feel free to contact me.
Email: Paul.Muzichuk@gmail.com
Facebook: Paul Muzichuk
Twitter: @PaulMuzichuk 

Desiring God ALONE

Psalm 62 has been my food for the soul for last few days. I see our society and the description of our condition in this psalm. Over and over and over David writes about waiting on God, trusting God, seeking God in the midst of a crooked and perverse people. I want to share my heart for I know you will see God in this too!

Psalm 62 (NKJV)
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
² He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.

³ How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
⁴ They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah

⁵ My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
⁶ He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
⁷ In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

⁸ Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

⁹ Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
¹⁰ Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.

¹¹ God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
¹² Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work.

Some personal thoughts I wrote down on each verse from what this psalm has been teaching me and it may teach you too.

1.       Close My Mouth! Not all my seeking God must be with a barrage of words but in cutting out distractions including my own words and just hearing the voice of Holy Spirit. Before I speak stay silent before the Lord.

2.       My Security is God! He is my rock because the foundation is unmovable, He is my salvation because I am saved by faith it is a gift, He is my defense for the military of legions of angels fight on my behalf. As a result I will not be moved! Wow.

3.       Protect the Abused! Verse 3 warns of constantly attacking people who are vulnerable and helpless just like a leaning wall that might break any minute. If I join in mocking, scorning, and abusing the poor, helpless, needy I will be punished by God. So this is a call to be the protector of the helpless!

4.       Persecution is Evident! This world will do everything it can to lie about God, lie about heaven, lie about purity, and with the same mouth they flatter and praise the humanitarian work of Christians yet in their hearts they curse the works of God. Trusting God alone is the only path. No prideful man, no sensual organization, no worldly entity will promote God but instead try to persecute the work of the righteous. (Example happening in our days: http://goo.gl/iGvdc )

5.       Peace in Crisis. While war and conflicts arise around the world, while terror is highlighted and death shown on television, while persecution and scorn is elevated, while fear and crisis arise I will be in full peace in my soul because God alone is my hope. Hallelujah!

6.       Holy Spirit Protection! My soul will not be influenced, swayed, or converted into the methods, strategies, and knowledge of the world because GOD ALONE protects my soul. I walk in faith and not fear knowing my soul is in perfect peace with God! Is your soul at peace with God?

7.       Honor Comes ONLY From God! It says He is my glory and in another translation it says He is my honor. True honor is knowing God personally. It is not degrees, career positions, business growth, or even church expansions, it is knowing the Lord Jesus Christ personally. If I want honor, I need to know Jesus.

8.       Be Real with God ALWAYS! We sin, we fail, we have struggles but that’s not the time to hide from God but pursue God. Our faith has to be strong enough to know that even when we sin knowingly, we can still communicate with God. Pour your soul out to Him. Not only at crusades, conferences, and special church events but in your kitchen table, your living room chair, your study room. God wants you always!

9.       All trust in men is worthless! Another version of verse 9 says, “Ordinary folks are merely a breath and important people a sham; if you lay them on a balance scale, they go up-both together are lighter than nothing.” Wow. All men “important” or “ordinary” when you put your trust in any man or women or leader or teacher put them on God’s scale he says its less than nothing. Think about that!

10.   Greed must be cutoff! God is not talking about how evil money is in verse 10 but how much greed is in the hearts of men that they are willing to literally rob people’s money, force their way into taking money away from you, and ultimately trusting in the increase of their wealth. This is our society! But the deeper question is, is this in MY heart??? We can point fingers but let’s examine our own motives and hearts. Is greed a part of my life?

11.   God is Influence! Strength is not determined by the muscles on our arms in the Bible but by the level of influence and impact one has over others. Bottom line in verse 11 is that GOD ALONE IS THE ULTIMATE INFLUENCE! TRUST GOD!

12.   God STILL Loves YOU! Mercy it says BELONGS to God. It is His! He rewards our deeds but in mercy. He doesn't “punish” me or you out of anger. It is always a form of discipline not punishment through the gateway of mercy. God loves you so much! The love of God is incredible! After describing all the heart of man in this psalm the conclusion is God still loves you, wants His mercy to be evident in your life, and desires you to know Him only! God is so good!

This should make you and I jump for joy that if we fully trust God, He will protect us, give us courage, inspire us, honor our lives, give us influence for the name of Christ, create a giving heart, and a life of passion and purpose to reach the world with the love of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! 

Song to Inspire your walk with God: 

Impact of Spiritual Fathers

I would like to introduce you to my three spiritual fathers who have been keeping me accountable, mentoring me, and encouraging me to reach the deepest levels of God. Having a spiritual father is one of the best things you can do for yourself apart from having parents. Best advice has been to find at least two spiritual fathers to keep praying for you, teaching you, and imparting their wisdom into your life. I was blessed to find three.

Apostle Paul was a prime example of finding spiritual sons and investing his time, energy, and resources to empower them for the kingdom of God. One of the closest relationships that he bonded was young Timothy and himself. In fact it was so close that the last New Testament letter written by Apostle Paul was not addressed to a church but to Timothy. His final letter was the second letter of Timothy. It was his wisdom and love being poured out to pass the torch of living faith into the next leader. This should be our example also.

Pastor Len Showalter, President of Len Ministries, Inc.| Jacksonville, FL 

Pastor Len and I met in June 2005 in Jacksonville, FL when I just moved down with my two brothers to serve in a local Slavic church called Living Stream Church. Pastor Len has been pouring encouragement, prayers, training, wisdom, and ministry advice from that time until present day. I am very thankful for his generous heart and loving spirit that has helped me pass through some difficult days personally. He has been a great source of inspiration in my years growing in the ministry. Despite his schedule and ministry obligations he always finds time to talk with me when I need it most. He is a true spiritual father. His heart is to win souls for Jesus Christ and to train and equip members in the body of Christ to effectively present the gospel to unbelievers. My wife, Maria, and I have completed 13 week training that completely equips us to share our faith. One nugget of wisdom I have learned from Pastor Len: be accessible to ALL people. Believers or unbelievers they need personal time with you. Spend it on people not yourself.

Pastor Mark Peters, Founder of Siloah House Ministries|Wilmington, OH 

Pastor Mark and I met in a pure God-sent way. During the July 4th weekend in 2010 he flew down to Jacksonville with my sister Anna and having never met anyone one of our family members prior to this, brought us a word the Lord had spoken to him about specific needs in our family. The Lord used him in healing areas in the family. It sparked a wonderful and fruitful relationship that has been growing to this day. As a spiritual father, he has been a great influence in uncovering my skills and talents that I had never noticed. He helps navigate me into areas of past pain, hurt, and wounds and with the ministry of the Holy Spirit restores those areas. At any moment and time he will be ready to pray for me upon request. At times, he just calls and prays over me to encourage me throughout the day. His heart is set on teaching God's Word on the Father's heart for His people. His message on how the Father heart of God is so evident and needed in our days is visible with the first sentence you speak with him. I thank God for sending this spiritual father into my life. One nugget of wisdom Pastor Mark has taught me: Be authentic and transparent. This world has too many wanna be's and imitators but God has created you and I original and unique. Be what God made you.

Rev. Lee J. Grady, Director of The Mordecai Project| Lake Mary, FL 

Lee and I met at a leadership conference in Orlando, FL in April of 2012. He was the keynote speaker and when he talked about discipleship he showed a picture of a Russian friend of mine from Philadelphia, PA on the PowerPoint.  As soon as I came up and we began to talk we had an immediate Holy Spirit connection of hearts. Since that time to present day he has been deeply pouring his heart, life, and wisdom into my life. We spent time together in Columbia on missions and bonded so deeply that he invited me to work with him at The Mordecai Project and Bold Venture Discipleship Conferences as the international field director. His passion for investing into young men is unprecedented. His spiritual father heart is burning to empower young spiritual sons with spiritual fathers and for the hearts of the younger and older generations to unite. Lee's humility and reverence for God continues to teach me how important it is to leave the hoopla of a name and draw from Jesus alone. One nugget of wisdom I have learned from Lee is: advocate for the poor, oppressed, and abused; character is worth more than anointing; invest in other people younger than yourself. (Lee ministers around the world with a message of confronting the global abuse of woman, empowering them, and transforming nations.)

Spiritual fathers are gifts from God. I thank God for these three men who daily influence my life for Jesus Christ.

If you do not have a spiritual father or mother in your life, simply pray and ask for one. That's what I did and the Lord brought more than I requested into my life. He will fill your life with men and women of God who can help shape you to be bold for Jesus Christ.

In the words of Apostle Paul to his spiritual son Timothy: "You therefore my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

Faithless Walk, Prideful Heart

Recently I was walking with a good friend on the Jacksonville Beach shoreline and talking about how faith must have room in our walk with God. As believers, we sling around the word ‘faith’ so much we at times forget what it even means. Worse, we don’t apply it in our relationship with our heavenly Father. Faith has become a derogatory word in the eyes of this world because the only time they hear it is during church tithes and offerings, television evangelist fundraisers, mission-letter mailings, and books and DVDs on how to become healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. Jesus did not give us the concept of faith to use it as manipulation but to apply it in the smallest to the largest life decisions. We must walk in the faith of the Holy Spirit again!

No Room For Faith
Our comfortable lifestyle has squeezed out the opportunity for faith to be a center position in our lives. We as the Church have fallen asleep to the great exploits God wants us to accomplish. But how can we act on them when all we want is money, fame, riches, stock portfolios, sex-driven appetites, porn inflamed minds, and a greedy heart of making my life and my family prosperous? Where is our heart for God and our thirst for the moving of the Holy Spirit? Is it really about us living well and going to Sunday service once a week? God is moved by faith in His people yet we want nothing to do with faith. Why? We have no control of our circumstances. We plant our life strategies to leverage the best possible outcome for MY life. Where, Church, has our God cause gone?

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Another translation says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When faith is present in our hearts we continue to trust God in all circumstances of our lives including the big and small things God is calling you to do. I often repeat Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” The faith-inspired words written in the Holy Bible must be permanently written in our hearts and minds. They will direct, guide, and encourage us to continue to walk by faith with God. This world we live in wants nothing to do with the concept of faith. They want things immediately, they want to do it on their own power, and they want to be praised for it. It doesn't work like that with God.

The Bible clearly teaches us in Hebrews 11:6 a very vivid picture of how to please God. I want to share a few translations so we all understand that we must have faith in what we do for God to be pleased: 

                “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”(NIV)
                “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (NLT)
                “But without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that draws near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them who seek him out.” (DBT)

Faith is the key to stirring God’s heart. His desire is for us to search Him out, walk out the plans of God not seeing the evidence of them first. Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit so He can be our Counselor, Helper, and Comforter. Let’s counsel with the Holy Ghost for His faith building principles within us. We must walk by faith.

Hard Questions
Let me ask some hard questions that possibly the Holy Spirit is trying to ask you yet you are too busy for Him.
                Is Jesus Christ your salvation, your life, your passion or just your security blanket?

If faith is our calling, what have you put aside or disregarded because it was too big for you to personally handle? Is it possible God wants to exercise your faith and give Him all the glory?

Do you find yourself drawing wisdom from people yet have no room for personal time with the Lord? Are you too busy for conversations with God but block out your time to meet with “important people”?

Has the Holy Spirit been asking you to do something, talk to someone, start something but you have been pushing it away?

If we live like everyone else in this world, why do we need God then? Is it to make us happy and babysit our sins? Is it to tell me I am going to heaven and yet live a prideful life? We have no testimony if we are not walking by faith.

Pride Controls Our Heart
Despite our disagreements and debates about faith, there is a division that happens either we like it or we don’t.  If we do not live by faith in the son of God Jesus Christ, we live by pride. We live in a time where saying the hard truth is not politically correct in churches. I am not even talking about the world anymore. We want people telling us how wonderful everything is when in reality Christians are losing their God given strength by being soothed by “Delilah”. We want the pleasures of sexual sins, lusting after women, talking about their bodies, greedy for business position and power, talking with curse words and evil speech, talking about how many great things we have. It’s all hidden in the heart. The immorality that is happening inside Christian hearts is worse than we see on TV. We mask it so well and love to have these tombs washed and shined yet present dead man bones of life inside. Church its time to ask the Holy Spirit to restore us! Pride never wants to let go of control, not in our life, not in our ministry, not in the churches. We ask ourselves where is the power of God? Yet we secretly sit and lust after this world. What is it going to take for the Church of Jesus Christ to wake up from this slumber party and get to work in the fields of God!

God is Mercy and Grace
Despite our shortcomings and lack of diligence God is still gracious and merciful to us. He will still accept you, affirm you, love you, and shape you to be a faith builder in the kingdom of God. We have grace that surpasses our logical understand over our lives. We do not deserve the love of God but He still loves us. We fail Him so many times yet He still pursues us! God is LOVE! He wants His Church in the power of the Holy Spirit not in the pride of life. Friends, ask God to fill your daily walk to be one of faith. God is wanting His people with a resounding testimony of the love and power of Jesus Christ!

Remember dear friend, “being confident in this, that He who has started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Approaches of Spiritual Opposition

One thing is for certain- our citizenship is not here on earth it is in heaven. We live as wise people who know that our time must be redeemed to bring the most glory to God. We live everyday with hope of seeing Jesus Christ face to face and his second coming again. Our mindset must be set to use our talents, skills, resources, and all the blessings bestowed upon our lives to influence our family, friends, close relationships, co-workers, churches, nations, and this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. So what stops us?

Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus reminding them and all of us that, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12NKJV) In plain English, our war is spiritual! We see things happening in the natural but our understanding must go deeper and perceive greater the knowledge of spiritual opposition combating against our spiritual exploits for the kingdom of God.

Spiritual opposition is very real in our lives. I want to take a few moments and look at a few verses that will give us an outline of the approaches of spiritual opposition that come into our daily lives. The Bible in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 describes the forces of resistance Apostle Paul had to face:

“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness”

Guideline of Spiritual Opposition Approaches:

1.       Sickness/Pain in the Body. “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.”
The enemy will try with all his force to disrupt your health so you will be crippled in carrying out the work of the Lord. When you add up the amount of times Apostle Paul was given these “stripes” it accounts to 195 times! Be ready to fight the enemy in prayer for your health.

2.       Crowd/Organizations silencing your voice. “Three times I was beaten with rods”
In the days of Apostle Paul they would use rods or in another translation sticks to beat and this speaks of usually a group of people with an authoritative and prominent voice stirring up regular folks to join the campaign. They can be large in organization or small but the main agenda is to silence your voice of truth. Be ready for spiritual opposition in groups of people/organizations trying to stop your speech.

3.       Religious Control. “Once I was stoned.”
The only folks who would be stoning during this time would be the Pharisees, Scribes, or religious leaders. Religion will always want to control your speech, your actions, your methods, your influence, your outreaches. They way this happens is when they “stone” you or in our modern language, when they discredit you, your ministry, and who you are. It is a form of killing away your ministry. Stay on guard.

4.       Loss of material goods. “Three times I was shipwrecked”
When a shipwreck occurs and you survive you lose everything you had possessed materially. Often the enemy will try to shake the accumulated things in our homes, our possessions, and often our ministry assets to discourage us from engaging in spiritual warfare. Stay on guard!

5.       Abandonment/Disowned. “A night and a day I have been in the deep”
This is a time when Apostle Paul was completely alone in the ocean. A time of despair, loneliness, and feelings of abandonment will creep in. It will hit you with full force trying to break your spirit and will to continue your walk of faith. But friend God never forsakes you!

6.       Disruption of Travel “In perils of waters or rivers”
During these days the primary method of travel was boat. They used channels, river passages and seas to get to further lands. He was in danger in his travels. Many know this too well. Your car breaks down, flight gets cancelled, taxi doesn't show up, accident occurs all to position you out of your way to your intended destination. Many who travel on missions understand this too well. Stay on guard.

7.       Financial Fraud “In perils of robbers”
If Apostle Paul got robbed what is it to say about us. He constantly carried ministry funds from one church to another. How many ministries, churches, or outreaches get taken advantage of and blinded robbed? It’s not just greed its spiritual opposition to the work of God. The enemy will use anyone weak enough to unsettle our influence financially. Be on guard in your finances!

8.       Betrayal in your closest circles of relationships “In perils of my own countrymen”
Your own family members, friends, church members, ministry partners, will be used to betray you and your influence for Christ. Just in case you forgot, not all people who call themselves Christians walk in righteousness. The last days Jesus said will be marked by betrayal even in family circles. Be on guard so your spirit is not crushed when it comes about.

9.       Non-Christians will attack your name “In perils of the Gentiles”
Gentiles were considered those who never knew Jehovah and were far from him. We see this increasing daily of how the world with the media is trying to attack and malign the name of Christians everywhere. Be persistent as Apostle Paul was and stay the course. Don’t give up! We fight not for our name but for the name of Jesus Christ. Stay vigilant.

10.   Government/City laws “In perils in the city”
There were times when Apostle Paul was thrown out of cities. Remember it’s the people who run the cities and establish the laws that protect its people. People can cause harm but in these cases when laws and ordinances are established to limit, suppress, or eradicate your ability to serve God know your spiritual opposition is in full force. Continue steadfast in prayer!

11.   Personal Struggles and Doubt “In perils in the wilderness”
The wilderness speaks of personal temptation, personal struggles, only things that crush you internally will be exponentially put to the test. Dangers are very much there when struggling with personal issues. Find a mentor, a spiritual father or mother and have them walk it out with you. Don’t let the evil one cause you to fall and negate the name of Christ.

12.   Long term trips and travels. “In perils in the sea”
The sea was a place of distant journeys. Once you hit the sea you would be traveling for a long time. The enemy will set traps in your travel overseas, in different nations, long-term assignments to cause you to be fully discouraged with finishing the work of God. Press through, continue in prayer and your heart will be renewed by the Holy Spirit. Be ready in all seasons.

13.   Pastors/Leaders who compromise sin “In perils among false brethren”
The hardest place to be is knowing when a trusted leader or pastor has compromised his or her position in Christ. They take bribes, commit adultery, fornicate, driven by power, distant from accountability, these are true dangers. Especially when it is not always evident in the natural what is happening in their hearts. Stay on guard to keep trusting people but not letting them crush your passion for God.

14.   Physical Stress. “In weariness and in toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
There is a sacrifice that must be paid for the kingdom of God to advance. It’s not five star hotel rooms, and limousine pickups, and large honorarium amounts that represent a servant of God but the inner passion despite all spiritual opposition to continue the work of Jesus Christ. Stress will have its place in our walk of faith but when we do it in the name of Jesus Christ our reward is great in heaven.

We understand now that the approaches of spiritual opposition are varied and can come against us in small and big ways. One thing we know is that our love for God and our desire to make His name known to all nations must not be hindered by the enemy’s methods. We already know that we have the victory in Jesus Christ so let’s begin to walk our faith out despite the oppositions, relying on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, strength, and love to pursue this world with hope. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!

Abuse of Slavic-American Women

Enough is enough.

Our Eastern European culture here in America and overseas has given men the authority to verbally, physically, emotionally, and sexually abuse their spouses and their daughters. The position women have been cornered into is one of domination, scorn, weakness, and simply expected to be a “good mom” in the home. Even men in key Christian leadership positions have not seen the wrong in treating women as second class people. We preach for God to use everyone for His glory yet it’s a stronghold not many Slavic-American men are willing to submit to in their hearts. God is the freedom giver of His people and we must see that God can use both women and men for His glory.

I have personally spoken with many older Slavic women, younger mothers, single ladies, and even young teen girls about the culture of an abusive household mainly having to do with men taking advantage of the women in their homes. Does this indicate that all Slavic-American families have a stronghold of a macho-domineering attitude?, of course not. However, we cannot let the neglect and pains continue without addressing its core roots and making way for the Holy Spirit to heal and restore.

Verbal Abuse
How many Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Moldavian, and other Slavic-speaking cultures have had a history of verbal abuse of women in their families? We must accept the fact that it is deeply enrooted in Slavic men to verbally malign and discredit their wives, daughters, and close women relatives because of their sex. It not only is pervasive in non-Christian homes but more shockingly exists in long time Christian families.  Slavic men use sharp words to wound, offend, and crush the spirit of women. Wounds that last years and in some cases a lifetime without being healed. It is pride and its poisonous root that makes it difficult for men to address their weakness. Men, our tongues can create life or it can cause death so let us be wise to understand that those words spoken out of anger or hurt can leave deep wounds within our spouses, daughters, sisters, and other relatives. It’s time we find ways to protect our women not only from any physical harm but more of any wounds that can cause immense pain emotionally and spiritually.

Physical Abuse
It pains me deeply to write on this subject of physical abuse. There is a blindness that has masked Slavic men’s eyes to the fact that if you slap, punch, throw-down, shake, bruise, or cause bodily pain to spouses, daughters, sisters, etcetera that it is not called physical abuse. Many men have said that it’s only the anger that did that but it was not them.  If we want God and His Holy Spirit to reign in our homes, we must have a spirit of liberty and love in them. There is no room for physical violence to have its way in our homes. Our hearts must find ways to ask forgiveness to the women whom your hand has caused pain. In our generation, it is common to see a Slavic man who says he loves his family yet comes home at night semi-drunk and hits his wife in front their children. I have counseled ladies as well as young adult men who had seen this behavior in their homes and it has wounded them deeply. The root of unforgiveness towards their dad was still so fresh that they could feel its pain emotionally. How many of our wives, sisters, moms, daughters, are still in the cycle of physical abuse in homes that have a title of Christianity? Pride must be cut-down and its effects. I pray the Holy Spirit begin a work within our Slavic men to soften hearts, mold them into men of humility, and cause a spirit of kindness to grow deeper than ever before.

Emotional Abuse
When I asked one older Ukrainian man of his thoughts on emotional abuse in the homes of Slavic families he answered me with a smirk and said that doesn’t happen because we are holy people. I followed up by asking about his life story and his family upbringing. Later I was able to draw out some deep thoughts out of him because as it happened that his father verbally and emotionally abused his mother by calling her worthless names, telling her to do as he commanded all in the name of ministry and God. Needless to say, we had a good open discussion about emotional abuse with a man who never thought it even existed in our culture. How many of our women cry from pains encountered during their childhood upbringing, or their current marriages, or their relationships with their brothers? We love to make way for the Lord and His presence but let’s take time and make a way for healing to enter the hearts of our precious ladies in our lives. We as men laugh when women cry but at times just don’t understand the pain, wounds, and deep emotional scars that have been inflicted in their lives. If we want our family to be carriers of God’s presence we must lay our life, our pride, down and ask for the Spirit of God to start the healing process in our relationships.

Sexual Abuse
Yes, this is a very sensitive subject but one that must be addressed with the grace of the Holy Spirit. In a previous blog called “Hidden Wounds: Sexual Abuse in Slavic Families”, I shared a story of how 3,000 Ukrainian women many who were pastors wives, or key leaders in the church came to the alter for healing from sexual abuse in their past or current situations. It deeply touches me to the core to know how many hidden wounds of sexual abuse there is masked in our culture. Women must find healing from this abuse. It is not enough to just pray over them we must advocate godly sexual practices in our homes. It doesn't matter what title you may have as a man, we must cherish and never take advantage of our spouses. I know there are thousands of women who are seeking healing from sexual abuse and are afraid to talk about it. We as Slavic men have put fear inside their hearts that if they don’t do as we say and don’t pleasure as they we want that there will be hell to pay. God must be honored in EVERY area of our lives. Our dear Slavic women need men who love God, love His Spirit, and will surrender not only their lives to ministry but surrender their hearts to the brokenness of the Holy Spirit. We must make a path for healing to pour out. Sex is almost put into a black hole and never ever talked about in Slavic Christian circles. We are living in a generation that is obsessed with sex and wants its worship in every form. Men, I challenge you to talk to your spouses and your close ones about this subject.  Many will see how real this is and how the Holy Spirit wants deep healing to be made evident in thousands of women’s lives.

Remember only the Holy Spirit is the one who can heal. In the blood and stripes of Jesus we receive our inner healing. It is His kindness, His love, His passion for us, His pursuit of our lives, His drawing that breaks us down to open up the most painful areas of our lives and for him to make us whole and complete. My heart’s cry is that we as Slavic men would stand in the gap for our women and ask the Father to heal any form of abuse in our relationships so healing can flow and the name of Jesus Christ can be glorified not only in the church but in our homes. 

How to STOP Holy Spirit Revival

What would happen if after 60 years of praying for revival to come your son who becomes the next pastor stops it? What would you do if you started a prayer group that got together once a week for gang-bangers in Toledo, OH and your pastor said to stop it because it was not happening inside the church walls? These are tough questions to think about and even tougher to experience but it has happened and causes us to ask can we be in the way of Holy Spirit revival?

Andrew Murray who had written a great number of books in his time described his account of how he stood in the way of revival. He had pictured it one way coming forth in his mind but it appeared in a different light. In his book titled “Humility” he recounts his story of how he hindered revival and its effects on him: 

                “Murray followed his friend to investigate. As they neared the room, the sound grew louder and louder, Murray, confused by the thunderous noise he couldn't identify, opened the door and discovered that all sixty young people were on their knees loudly praying and praising God. They didn't notice their pastor when he entered the room. Deciding that this behavior was inappropriate, he tried to silence them, but they didn't hear him. They continued praying and singing late into the night, finally leaving the church to go out into the streets where others joined them.

                At the next church meeting, Murray finished his sermon. As he led everyone in prayer, the members of the congregation-young and old- spontaneously and simultaneously knelt and loudly prayed their own prayers. Again he tried to quiet them, walking up and down the aisle, begging his flock to calm down. But this time a stranger in the back of the church interrupted him, telling the preacher that he had just come from America where he had witnessed the very same thing happening. He told Andrew that he needed to realize that the Spirit of God was at work in his church and that he should do nothing to stop it. He realized that in spite of him, the revival he had been praying for had finally arrived and that he was to be its champion instead of its opponent.” (Pg 6-7, Humility)

Remember that Andrew Murray’s father had been praying for revival to come for the past 60 years and when it finally came his own son was trying to stop it. What a series of events that must have been to shake all religion out of Andrew Murray. In summary the biographical account of this period in his life continued as follows:

                “Interestingly, when revival finally came to his church. Murray resisted it. At first glance, this is difficult to understand. After all, he had grown up in a house of a father who prayed passionately for revival and the house of an uncle who facilitated it and exposed young Andrew to the finest minds of the movement. Murray, himself, had prayed for revival. But when the time came for him to participate, he was held back by his belief that the Holy Spirit only moved through the preaching of the Word, and therefore only through the pastor.”

Pastor Andrew Murray finally accepted the revival that had been sweeping South Africa at the time and became a staunch advocate for its movement. It makes us think again, How many times have Christian leaders suppressed, stopped, or detracted a move of the Holy Spirit because it was not in their theological views?

More recently, I had an opportunity to listen to a great man of God named Charles Gregory who lives in Toledo, OH. He was sharing his life testimony at a men’s conference of how painful it was to see the move of the Holy Spirit begin with rival gang members and have it stopped by his local pastor.

He shares how once a week, every Saturday morning, rival gang members would gather in a home where Charles would facilitate a prayer group. These were no ordinary child-boy gangs. These were gangs like the Crips and Bloods. They were very violent and extremely dangerous yet the love of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit reached their hearts. Again, I remind you, RIVAL gang members came together for PRAYER!

Our love for programs and having our church buildings packed out was more preferred for the story of Charles Gregory and his inner urban ministry. His local pastor asked him to move the prayer inside the church building facility or the prayer would have to stop. Charles still growing in the Lord and in ministry submitted to the pastor and moved the prayer to the church. Within a few weeks the prayer stopped and the gang violence in his city increased.

What’s it going to take for us as Christian leaders to recognize the moving of the Holy Spirit instead of our agendas? Are we even looking for what the Holy Spirit is doing anymore? We begin meetings with notebooks of programs and to-do lists instead of having prayer meetings with leaders. Do we even rely on the Holy Spirit these days? Is the Holy Spirit just here for us to make us look good when our programs don’t work out as planned?

Friends, our generation is screaming out for a fresh anointing of God’s Spirit on women and men. The Holy Spirit does not seek a building or a program or a 5 year church growth plan, what He is seeking is hearts walking in humility and are desperately seeking His presence and leadership.

Are you willing to take off your glasses of denomination, past experience, and seminary studies and listen to the moving Spirit of God? God wants to have HIS name glorified and in HIS way! Be Blessed!

Instant Spirituality

In our modern society we have one common phrase we use on a daily basis that makes our walk with God of no value. It has no cultural boundaries, no language boundaries, and no levels of society differences. If you are middle-class or wealthy, if you are Russian or American, if you are black or white there is one modern term that has made us into Christians who want instant spirituality and its the phrase, "I'm busy."

I have the opportunity to travel to various nations and many different cities in the United States and what I find alarming is the number of Christians who seem to know the above mentioned phrase memorized. I ask questions about their prayer lives, fasting, discipleship, mentoriship, outreach missions, going on missions trips and serving the needy and poor and the response is often the same...."I'm busy with......"

Friends, Jesus Christ was not too "busy"to come down to earth from heaven and live a humble life, be rejected by people and ultimately get crucified on the cross for the sins of the world. He was not busy to reach out and save us. He was not busy to save YOU! He loves you and invested everything He had to make sure you have a way into heaven that you can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit here on earth doing His work. Yet we have Christians who seek instant spirituality. 

Why Instant? 

We as believers want instant spirituality because we just don't want to go through the process of purification and holiness. My dear sisters and brothers, what if Jesus said the same thing? What if Jesus said to God, "God, I am too busy detailing the work with the angels here in heaven. I just don't have time to go to earth." It seems foolish to even think that is possible. Why are we so lazy or should I say why are we so afraid of the process of holiness? 

We want the reward without the sacrifice. We want the blessings of God without knowing God. We want to have the gift of working miracles and raising the dead without praying for the lost. We as the Church have lost our passion, desire, and love for God. It's hard to hear that. It's hard to type that but it's the truth. We are a society hungry for instant healings, instant miracles, instant financial breakthroughs, instant rewards, instant restorations of our marriages, instant growth of the churches, and it goes on and on. Where is God in the instant? Where is your God pursuit in the midst of your busyness? God wants YOUR heart not your talents, skills, or wallet but your HEART. He wants you! 

When Jesus was here on earth He would model for us the thirst of being with the Father. Despite, His ministry, despite His mentorship of the disciples, despite all the people promoting His name and spreading His fame, despite Jesus traveling all over the cities of His day, Jesus made it a priority to be with the Father. He was thirsty and hungry for Him. He could not live one day without talking to Him and being in intimate communication with Him. Jesus set the example for us today. If we are too busy for God and for a personal time alone with God then we have a problem. We have become spiritually sick. 

We become seekers of instant spirituality. We start cutting corners to get the most out of God. We bring the business of this world into the business of the Father. This worlds says, buy cheap and sell high. Make profit as much as you can. Do what you need to do but make sure you are making more profit every year and make sure it is higher than the year before. This is what is happening in the Church today! We are becoming cheap with God in our time and our heart and expecting Him to give us all the glorious benefits of His kingdom. Please keep in mind that salvation is free and instant when you accept Jesus Christ into your life and you repent of your sins. Its the gift and grace of God that he freely gives each of us. However, there is such a deeper and more richer experience of God then just salvation. We must earnestly thirst for the Holy Spirit to lead us back to the prayer closet to be with the Father. 

If Jesus made time to be with the Father, its our model then too. He wants us to be in on going relationship with Him. We want to go once a week to church and expect to win 6 days of battles. We need God everyday. As a Church we must find time to pour our souls and our hearts unto the Father through our savior Jesus Christ. Being in the presence of God will put your busyness to rest, will give you wisdom, and will give you a fuller joy of living in God. 

We are so bored with God today. We are expecting Him to give us large bank accounts, restore our relationships, give us growing ministries, pack our churches with members, make our names known all over the world. Friends, we have lost the heart for God. We must repent. We must ask for a renewal of the wind of the Holy Spirit to flood our souls. It will not help if you criticize your local church, what will help is when you spend time in the prayer closet with God. You become a flame on fire lighting others on fire. By the time you know it, God has sent prayer revival to your group of friends, to your church, and to your relationships. Every revival in Church history has been preceded with a hunger and thirst for prayer and being with God. 

Let God continue the process of holiness inside of your heart. There will be areas where you will need to repent from, areas where you will need to cut away from but God will begin to mold you into His image for His glory. Church, we must stop our hunger for instant spirituality and start hungering the one who gives us eternal salvation and a place called heaven. 

Join me in praying for a revival of prayer and thirst to sweep our souls. It must sweep our souls first before we can even begin to ask others to do the same. Start praying today! 

Be Blessed.

God Answered Me In A Dream

Several days before leaving to visit family and friends to Rochester, NY during the third week of December 2012, I was in prayer and kept pressing God to show me the condition of the Church. I asked God to show me the spiritual state of the Church of Jesus Christ. I wanted to know what we need to understand for the days in which we are living in. I pleaded with God to show me a revelation of the diagnosis of where we as a Church stand today. I was deeply moved as God was faithful in answering me in a dream several days later. 

God Answers in a Dream
I vividly remember waking up at exactly 6:00am on December 29, 2012 and praying in tongues not knowing why. It was such a powerful presence of the Holy Spirit that I asked my wife to wake up and continue in prayer with me at the kitchen table. We both sat there holding hands and praying earnestly in the Holy Spirit. I began asking God to revive the Church to bring passive believers to a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ. As my wife and I took time to meditate I began to share with her the dream God had shown to me that night.

I was standing in front of a large white building that had the structure and composition of a church. It was a clear day and everything seemed to just be normal. Birds were flying around, small sounds of vehicles passing by, and light wind breezing across my face. I was so intrigued at this church building that I decided to go inside and be part of the service. As I approached the main entrance of the church, I noticed something strange about the building, it had no doors. As I looked to the left and to the right door posts I could see the doors were removed without damage as if someone came and unscrewed the doors. I decided to walk inside and see other doorways. As I began to search room to room and hallways and corridors the same thing was repeating, there were no doors at any of the entry ways.

It was so odd to see this large white church building having no doors of any kind throughout its entire internal structure. The next thing I saw in my dream were people walking towards the front entrance and pretending to open the front doors with their hands. There was no actual door but they used motions with their hands to pretend to open and close the doors. One by one they were filing into the sanctuary because service was about to start shortly.

I sat down with the people to see what would happen next. As the service began and the preacher came to the pulpit to speak a message I observed people all over the sanctuary trying to swat away flies and insects and rusty leaves and tiny dirt particles that kept swirling inside the building from the outside. Because there were no doors all the debris was swirling in and out of the church building. The preacher is speaking the message yet at the same time people are focused at trying to remove all this debris that they have no time to listen to what is being said.

I stood up and went to the back of the church and saw how certain people throughout the service would run to people back and forth and shake them by their shoulders and point their finger towards the door posts and say, “Can’t you see there are no doors?! We need to place doors and we need to do it now or else we will never hear what God is trying to speak to us!” Most people shrugged off the suggestion and even replied, “Every church on the block and in our city has no doors. It’s the new style now. Don’t worry about it, for it’s perfectly okay and normal. So sit back down because you are disturbing us.”

I was witnessing something so uncomfortable and so out of place it is hard to put into words. While I was standing in the back, flags from countries from all over the world began to be waved and shouted. Each country was making its representation known. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me and gave me understanding.

The Church has taken off doors of holiness, purity, and righteousness. It is letting the world influence the atmosphere of the  Church and distracting members from hearing the Lord’s Word. Each time someone would try to clear out the flies or insects or debris it represented how each person is trying to find a way to make themselves look “clean” or holy with their own hands. While doing so, they have completely missed the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to them personally. Once I understood how the world has invaded the culture of the Church and kneeled down and began to weep. I began to ask God to first place doors in the Church and to revive those who are in the building to hear the message and not look at themselves. This is when I woke up.

My wife and I continued in sincere prayer and recorded and wrote down this dream. We have shared this dream with only a few close friends and mentors and now the Lord wants me to share it more publicly. 

 The Spirit is Calling

The Holy Spirit is drawing us unto our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ deeper than ever before. He wants us as the Church to hear His voice clearly and vividly. Are you living a selfish and proud life where God cannot even find room to talk with you? He wants purity and holiness and righteousness where it belongs- inside the hearts of his beloved! He wants YOU pure, holy, and full of His Spirit.

Ask our Father in heaven to revive you from a compromising life with this world. Don’t run away from the pricking of the Holy Spirit inside your heart, just ask God for renewal and strength. He wants His people full of His power and wisdom to combat evil workings of the enemy. Friends, we cant be lazy in our walk with God its time to stand up for the name of Jesus Christ and pray for holy revival to make its place back into our preaching, singing, teaching, and praying.

May the Holy Spirit speak to you right now of where you are in your walk with God.

Be Blessed!