Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm 25:4-5
Last week, I finished a book that I believe is my #2 read from 2021. Of course, the #1 spot is God's alive and active Word, the Bible. But, anything that helps expound upon God's Truth is a joy to read, too. The book is called Anatomy of the Soul by Dr. Curt Thompson and has served as a tremendous resource in my journey of inner healing.
Inner healing may be a phrase that rubs you oddly because the world has de-Scripturalized many things (even Scripture itself) and the Church has made many Scriptural topics weird (God is not weird, friends). But, healing within our heart and mind is scriptural and necessary for us to become more like Him. It doesn't mean we become inward-focused and self-absorbed. It also doesn’t mean we ignore our past or try to not think about our own hearts. Instead, we should take a balanced approach and recognize that our rugged and rough-edged life story holds sacred meaning. God desires to redeem all the nooks and crannies, so we are a beautiful dwelling place for Him.
Below are several verses about how God renews our minds and changes our hearts.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
”Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10“Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 18:31
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
"In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Ephesians 4:22-24
“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” Romans 2:29
And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh…” Ezekiel 11:19
“And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” Colossians 1:21-22
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5
How does this renewal work happen? The renewal occurs organically as you continue to be in God's Word, fellowship, and prayer. However, Paul encourages us in Philippians 2 to "work out your own salvation." [Notice it doesn't say to work out your neighbor's salvation or your spouse's or your co-workers. It states to work out your own.] Paul doesn’t say to work for it, but to understand that our "completeness" comes with work.
We must take our ordinary, everyday life and do the hard work of working out our salvation. We were born into a broken and sinful world. We each had different environments and experiences growing up. And those environments and experiences shaped our thinking, beliefs, and behaviors as we matured. Scripture tells us we become a "new creation" when we choose to follow Christ; yet, the old way of thinking, belief system, and behaviors still exist. We have a new nature — the nature of God — within us, but it takes a process of sanctification to work out the old man and work in the new man.
And, that's okay. Psalm 25:4 says, "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths." God isn't tapping His foot on the floor, wondering when you're going to get your act together. He's not annoyed with you, disappointed in you, or frustrated with you.
If you believe those things, that means God has more work to show you His true character and reshape those beliefs in you. That is beautiful and delightful work, and He enjoys it!
A couple of months ago, my Grandma suffered a minor stroke. As a result, she lost her short-term memory, and many of the day-to-day tasks of life became impossible for her. As the weeks passed, we've witnessed progress in her abilities; yet, everything is still a struggle in her mind. While our family sees significant progress and celebrates this daily with her, she becomes frustrated with the lack of speed.
As I was thinking about all this, God reminded me of how frustrated I can get with my progress (or lack thereof). But, He sees it differently. He is celebrating and delighting in the progress that happens each moment. Oh, if we could see ourselves as He sees us!
"Lead me in your truth and team me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long." Psalm 25:5
Let us wait on Him to do the work, friends. Your inner healing journey is a process, and you have to work at it. I've been a believer for a couple of decades now. However, it wasn't until recently that I truly felt and understood God's love personally for me. Sure, I knew God loved me, and I knew God was Love. But, I didn't have an intimate understanding of how He felt about Tiffany. It wasn't until I began asking God to help me understand His love that freedom came powerfully.
Part of my healing journey was doing the Keys to Freedom study on Sunday nights with a small group of ladies. It took time for me to examine my thought life, belief system, and behaviors and for God to become the Healer of unhealthy areas. It took work. It took confessing the dark side of my story to a small group of people who were committed to walking this healing journey with me. It took practicing forgiveness and allowing myself to feel and verbalize my emotions that had been over-ridden by a lifetime of practiced logic. Finally, it took time for me to understand how healing comes through God, uniquely, and by letting my story live in the Light.
Here are a few examples to help you know if God has some sanctifying work to do in you:
You run anxious in life. Trying to get to "the next thing" as quickly as possible.
Your thoughts never shut off.
You're unemotional. You don't "feel" with ease.
You're too emotional. Your feelings drive your day.
You are distant, not allowing people to get close to you.
You don't communicate with transparency.
You are sad or depressed but don't know why.
It's difficult for you to empathize with others.
You criticize and judge others quickly.
You have a propensity to "perform" or desire consistent recognition.
You feel unseen, unsoothed, unsafe — and therefore, insecure.
You feel unworthy.
If any of these struck a chord, you have work to do. Like I do. We cannot be healthy and whole believers if we're unwilling to work on ourselves. We cannot give others something we do not have ourselves. The purpose of becoming free and walking in that freedom is to point others down the same path, which is why David wrote in Psalm 25:4:
"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths."
In our journey to knowing the Healer and being healed, we bring healing to those around us. We are to have unity in the Church, and the Church needs to step up and do the hard work because it's through unity and community that we become whole.
"Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long." Psalm 25:5
