Born to Bloom, Heal From Sexual Abuse

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11, Psalms 139:13-16, Matthew 11:28, Deuteronomy 31:6

You are Loved

The idea of being loved can feel very foreign to those of us who have been abused. This love was once foreign to me too. Having experienced trauma early on in life is something I understand all too well. Although my abuse might be different from yours, it impacted me in ways I didn’t understand at the time. However, those effects later revealed why I would sabotage my own life in certain areas. 

Once I discovered how the abuse impacted the six key areas of my life, I began to replace the impact-meaning the negativity, with the goodness of God. These areas are; spirituality, relationships, emotional health, physical health, career, and finances. Yes, abuse impacts every area, but with God you can take what has impacted you negatively and begin transforming it into the positive. You can do this! I began by taking any wound that surfaced and transformed it into what God said about me. When I felt hurt, I wrote down the word healed. When I felt used and abused, I wrote down the words new, restored, whole and complete. When I felt dirty, I wrote down that I was clean and pure. I encourage you to do the same. It is as simple as learning your antonyms. Write down the negative word and then write the opposite word for your godly narration. 

For just a moment, I invite you to experience the greatest love you will ever know. Listen as I speak the words to you that our Father wants you to hear; 

“My precious child, I know you are weary and carrying a heavy burden. Come to me and I will give you rest. I will refresh your life. I am your safe place.

I love you so very much. I am so very sorry that you were hurt. Come to me now and let me heal every part of your life. It is time for you to rest. Time for you to heal. Let’s do this together. I will show you many beautiful things that I have created for you to focus on. Let’s begin with how I wanted you here in this world, how I formed you, and the great plans I have for you, plans for your beautiful future.

There is nothing you need to do to prove yourself to me, just rest in my grace and love. You are worthy and you are deeply and completely loved by me.

I want you to know my child that you are not alone, nor were you ever alone. I have been with you every moment of your life. When you cried, I cried. I see you here now, an overcomer, victorious and ready to prove to the world that you will not be defeated! I am so very proud of you!

I made the lotus flower as a symbol of your fortitude and strength. The lotus flower begins deep in the dark trenches. Yet this flower seeks the light. It begins pushing through everything in order to get to the top. Nothing will stop it! It was designed to rise above it all and bloom into the most beautiful flower of all. You my dear are born to bloom. You have been given everything you need to rise above it all and bloom into a unique and incredibly beautiful flower, more beautiful than them all.

Let’s begin with your mind my child. Each and every day speak the words of life. The words I have given you and who I have created you to be. Continue to add to your list beautiful life giving words. I have an endless supply of words to give to you! Come to me each day and let me give you a new one. Your life is going to be transformed in the most glorious and incredible way! You are not only going to heal, but you will also become a healer for many! I am so excited for you. Remember, I AM the great I AM, when you say these words make sure you identify with who I created you to be.

Say it with me my dear, I AM loved, I AM victorious, I AM healed, I AM an overcomer, I AM strong, and I AM Born to Bloom!

You are loved precious one!

Scriptures: Jeremiah 33:6, Hebrews 12:1, John 5:2, 2 Corinthians 1:4

Choose to Heal

Today is a new day! As you arise you get to make choices about this day. Will you choose to heal, or will walk in your pain? The choice is yours. As Jesus was walking the earth healing people, He never forced healing upon anyone. He would ask, “Do you want to be well?” just as He did for the man lying by the pool in Jerusalem. (John 5:2) 

God desires to heal you! He simply only needs your willingness to let go, to surrender and allow restoration to happen. When you choose to heal it means you: 

1. Face the truth. Facing the truth of what happened is a very courageous step. Many people walk in denial throughout their life, postponing the healing that is available in truth and awareness. Facing the truth is about discovering how you were impacted. The clearer you become about truth and the impact, the more you can transform the wound into healing. 

2. Change and heal. Are you willing to change the way you think and deal with things? Are you ready to heal? To do so means you will think different and act different. You will visualize and imagine your life differently. You will make the necessary plans and take the actions steps to accomplish the healing you desire. I know you have already committed to that because you are reading this devotional right now! Say it with me; I AM committed to godly vision, godly speaking, and godly actions. 

3. Plan for success. Decide right now exactly when you will read God’s Word, pray, speak godly affirmations over yourself and visualize your success. Will you do this first thing in the morning for 15-30 min? 

4. Be held accountable. Do you have a safe friend or coach that will gently hold you accountable? It is important to create a healthy inner circle. These are the few safe people you are closest to that will help hold you accountable to your healing. This could be a 10 min daily call, or a weekly check in. You decide. 

5. Help others. As you are walking out your healing process, it is also valuable and helpful to think of the purpose of your pain and how you can serve others. Of course, your story is important, and you must process it first and gain your freedom! However, even while you are healing, you can also serve others. The more you think of others, the quicker you will heal. 

This is your time to heal! You are victorious! You are safe and loved! You are a helper and healer to others! Speak it over yourself my friend; I AM victorious! I AM safe and loved! I AM a helper and a healer! I AM Blooming!

Scriptures: Psalms 139:13, Isaiah 43:18-19, Ephesians 1:4-5, 2 Corinthians 5:17

True-Identity

Who you believe you are will determine what you can accomplish. Your beliefs will determine your future. Therefore, having a strong sense of your true, God given identity is what will propel you into the success you were designed to have. 

Let me give you a basic definition of identity: 

1. A set of characteristics by which you are definitively recognizable or known. 

2. The set of behavioral or personal characteristics that make you recognizable as a member of a group. 

3. The quality or condition of being the same as something else. 

4. Your distinct personality—your individuality, what makes you uniquely you. 

5. The relations established by psychological identification — in other words, what is in your mind about who you are. 

You can see from these definitions that you have the ability to alter or shape your identity. Your identity is a choice. Will you choose to identify yourself with the characteristics of God? God is healed, He is perfect and complete. You were created in His image. This means you too are healed, whole and complete. 

I know that abuse can cause you to forget who you are, what your personality is, what your passions are, what made you laugh, and more, but the good news is that God has not forgotten! He knows because He formed you in your mother’s womb with characteristics, ideas, passions, and purpose. All you need to do is spend time with Him so He can remind you! 

God will also give you a fresh anointing of seeing things in a new and bright way! You will be better than you were before anything bad ever happened to you! 

I am so excited for all that God has in store for you! 

You are beautiful! You are passionate, purposeful, healed, and complete! Speak it over yourself: 

I AM beautiful! I AM passionate! I AM filled with purpose! I AM healed and complete! I AM positive, and I AM walking in my true, God given identity!

Scriptures: Matthew 5:37, 2 Corinthians 3:17, 2 Corinthians 1:7, 2 Timothy 1:7

Boundaries

What are boundaries, and how do we establish them in our lives so that we can live with clarity and peace?

Boundaries are a way of clarifying what is my part and what is yours—what I should and will take ownership of and what someone else should and will take ownership of. Boundaries determine where we draw the line. They are markers that empower us to do what works for us, allowing us to give without giving too much, enabling us to care without becoming codependent, and allowing us to live our lives in ways that keep us healthy.

Boundaries by very nature mean being able to say no. Because of your abuse, it may be difficult for you to say no. You may feel that your voice and opinions don’t matter, that they aren’t heard anyway, so what is the use. You may have felt responsible for others and therefore developed unhealthy empathy. You are here to build your strength, to learn to say no and to take responsibility for your parts of life only, not the parts that are the responsibility of someone else.

Empathy is a positive quality when it leads us to take healthy actions in a healthy way with safe people. On the other hand, if empathy has caused you to be codependent, (meaning doing something for someone that they should be doing for themselves,) then it is time to take a look at boundaries in each area of your life and begin learning what to say yes to and what to say no to.

By their very definition, boundaries mean that we are choosing to say yes to something, which means we are saying no to something else. This is important in today’s world, because we are surrounded by messages that tell us that everything is acceptable, that all things are good, that we are free to do whatever we want. But there are always consequences to what we choose, and so it is important to protect ourselves by choosing what is good and godly.

As you begin to decide what and who you will allow into your life, remember that God honors your decisions and gives you the freedom to create a good life. He desires for you to have self-control and to be the designer of your own life, making healthy decisions and implementing boundaries even with healthy people.Get rid of any guilt you may have and move forward in the freedom that God gives to you, thus creating a healthy and successful life. A life filled with great peace, happiness, and enjoyment as you experience soundness of mind living an abundant life filled with goodness.

God has given us His Word to tell us that He has not given us a spirit of timidity, but He gives us the Holy Spirit which gives us power, love, and self-discipline.

You are strong my friend! You are wise and discerning, able to make healthy decisions to give you a good life. Speak life over yourself: I AM strong, I AM wise and know how to set healthy boundaries. I AM able to follow through. I AM filled with the Holy Spirit of power.

Scriptures: Hebrews 12:1, Jeremiah 33:6, John 10:10, Psalms 139:23-24

Reprogram Triggers

Have you ever been absolutely infuriated and then acted in a way that you knew was wrong?

Perhaps you were confused by your actions, they came out so much stronger than you had intended. What has most likely happened is you were triggered to re-experience a negative feeling from a past wound. Our minds are programmed to keep us safe, so when anything looks or feels remotely similar to a past wound, we react to defend ourselves. The problem is that there often isn’t present danger causing a need to defend oneself and therefore the actions were out of context.

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “let go of every wound that has pierced us, and the sin we so easily fall into.” What this means is that you were wounded, yes. The wound was not your fault! And God desires to completely heal you! Hurt people hurt others, and God knows that you do not want to go around wounding others, therefore He has designed a way for you to get the wound healed so it does not affect others by acting from a wounded place.

Begin to reprogram your triggers by becoming aware of them. Awareness is your friend. God has told us the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God has come to give us life to the full. (John 10:10) 

Using the scriptures in Psalm 139:23-24, which says; “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting,” go through each area of your life and ask yourself how the abuse impacted that area. For example, starting with your spiritual life you could ask yourself how the abuse impacted you spiritually. Maybe it caused you not to trust God. You could then begin affirming yourself with the words, “I AM trusting God.” Maybe in your relationships the abuse caused you to feel as if you didn’t have a voice or opinion. You could then affirm yourself with “I AM using my voice in a healthy way. I AM valued by God and my opinion matters.”

Using this pattern continue to explore and to become aware of the impact abuse had on you in the areas of your emotional health, physical health, your career, and your finances. As you do so write a positive, godly affirmation for each area. This is how you take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) God desires for your thoughts to be healthy and life giving to you. He desires your mind to speak to you the way He intended, with love, goodness, wisdom, and direction. As you work on your godly narration daily, affirming yourself in your true-identity and reprogramming your negative triggers into positive ones you will find yourself filled with the peace of God that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

You have the mind of Christ my friend! (1 Corinthians 2:16) You speak words of life over yourself, the words that God Himself would say to you! Speak it now: I AM filled with God’s peace, I AM aware of the enemy, I AM choosing to listen to God’s Words, I AM healed and whole, I AM living the abundant life!

Scriptures: Genesis 2:2, Psalms 139:14, Mark 12:31, Romans 8:1

Loving Yourself & Self-Care

What Is Self-Care? Simply put, self-care is the practice of doing things daily that support and strengthen your well-being in body, mind, and spirit. It is the practice of caring for the six areas of life — spirituality, relationships, physical wellness, emotional wellness, finances, and career/service. Positive daily activities and habits that keep us healthy in all these areas are essential to our overall well-being, which leads to balance, a sound mind and a happy life, and success.

Self-care is vital to the healing process. Often those of us who have been “trained” through neglect or abuse to constantly care for the needs of others can be neglectful of our own needs. Perhaps you may have been told that you are selfish and therefore feel guilty when taking some much-needed time. Always remember there is no condemnation in Christ. God certainly will not condemn you for caring for yourself. God is our great example, remember He too rests. He rested on the seventh day from all His labors. It is important for us to find balance and to remember that life is not all about service, it is also about rest, relaxation, and enjoyment.

Self-care begins with our ability to love ourselves as God loves us, to see ourselves the way He sees us, that we are loved, valuable, fearfully and wonderfully made, and pleasing in His sight! God has given you permission to love yourself. He has told us to love others as we love ourselves. We cannot love anyone until we first get healed by loving ourselves.

Learning to care for ourselves is an act of loving ourselves as God loves us. It takes practice and time, but it is worth it! You are so valuable to God! He wants you to love yourself! He wants you to appreciate all the wonderfulness of who you are in His eyes.

When we fail to care for ourselves, it can wear us down. We can become exhausted trying too hard to meet the needs of everyone around us except ourselves. We often grow sick, discouraged, and burned out. Our mood, our emotions, our energy levels, our ability to eat well and sleep well can all be impeded, even affecting our faith and our ability to pursue our God-given purpose.

On the other hand, when we know how to set proper boundaries, avoid toxic people, and watch over our own well-being, we can enjoy our lives more, as well as serve others better.

You are valuable and worthy of caring for yourself my friend! Speak this love over yourself:

I AM caring for my body, mind, and spirit. I AM taking the time to care for my needs. I AM worthy of love and self-care.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:11, Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 61:3, Luke 4:18-19

Comfort Others

One of the sure ways to move farther in your healing is to comfort others. You have learned some tools here and received some healing, heal even more by giving back. This will bring great victory into your life and will take what the enemy intended for harm, to bless and save others. (Genesis 50:20). Begin comforting others with the same comfort you have been given, with the same message you have heard here in this Bible plan. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Are you ready my friend to live a life of victory? Will satiate yourself in God’s love daily and allow Him to heal you? We all need our daily bread. We need His love daily to give us life.Even on days when you don’t feel like it, read and memorized scriptures, visualize and imagine yourself helping others. 

With God you will not fail! Simply hold tight to Him, allow His thoughts to become your thoughts. Speak life over yourself daily and allow yourself to let go of the past! 

There is a very bright future for you! God has great plans for you! 

You can choose to embrace the good life that God has planned for you. And move forward into the rest of your life with joy, enthusiasm, and hope for good things while carrying out your purpose and caring for others—living a life that is fulfilled in every way! 

I too have gone through my share of abuse in life. I felt tormented, depressed and even suicidal. But instead of allowing the enemy to win, I reprogrammed my mind with God’s truth. I learned how to use godly vision for my future and because of it, I have a victorious life! 

You too do not have to remain stuck in the past any longer. You have an opportunity to have a new life, one that is healthy, with a godly way of thinking about and caring for yourself and others. Your story has a purpose! 

One of the reasons we get empowered is to empower others. One of the greatest gifts God gives to us is the ability to reach out to others in His name. You have a purpose in life that goes beyond just living. You are chosen by God to bless others, to make a difference in the lives of those around you. 

Allow God to heal you so you can help others heal, through the power of His Word. Your pain has a purpose, and “Born to Bloom” will help you teach others how to see beauty instead of ashes. 

You have been anointed with a message of hope and healing to those who are broken-hearted and hurting. You are on assignment, through your story, to demonstrate God’s redemptive power and showcase the Father’s heart. 

God bless you in every way my friend. You are loved! You are worthy! You have got what it takes to live a very full and blessed life! 

Speak life over yourself! I AM loved! I AM worthy! I AM anointed to comfort and heal others! I AM healed!