By Joshua and Zechariah
Bless Those Who Curse You
We have decided to make a joint post because God has been working in both of our lives and focusing us on the importance of the spiritual truth behind blessing our enemies rather than harboring bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. We hope that those of you who have been in similar situuations as us will find value in this spiritual principle of blessing the ones who have caused you pain.
As we continue to work through the hurt and anger our abusers have caused, we have come to a place where we no longer simply view our abusers as our abusers, but rather God has shown us that they are victims as well. Victims in a sense that they have believed the lie that power is obtained through various forms of control such as in the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of others. In their mindset, gaining control over another person means that they themselves are free from control– and staying in control will relieve them of their feelings of powerlessness. But this lie is actually causing and fueling their misery, holding them in slavery.
Slavery
Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” (John 8:34 NKJV)
Slavery leading to death
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. (Romans 6:16 NLT)
As hard as it may be to fathom, Jesus loves our abusers just as much as He loves us. Jesus desires to set them free from their slavery to sin and the bondage Satan has them in. Jesus has shown us that we should not let our emotions control our mindset, rather we need to take a more mature perspective by praying for our abusers and their deliverance from the web of lies that they live under and the misery that drives them to hurt others.
To imagine the depraved state of mind someone must be in to hurt innocent and helpless children in an effort to gain “power” gives us a better understanding of our abusers and helps us pray for them more effectively.
Bless those who curse you
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44, 45)
If this message has resonated with you, and you feel that the Holy Spirit is prompting you to pray for your “enemies” please join both of us in the following prayer:
Jesus,
We pray for the people that have hurt us so deeply. We ask that you would break through the lies that they believe about who You are and show them that even in the midst of their chaos, You love and care for them, and desire for them to experience the freedom and peace that they have never known. We know that they too have been abused and that as wrong as it is, they are only doing to others what has been done to them. Show them that they do not have to continue to find release by hurting others, as they have been hurt. We pray that you would break through the darkness and despair that they live in and touch them with your love in a way that they can understand. We ask that in your sovereignty, Jesus, you would open their eyes to Satan’s true intentions with their lives, and show them yours. In Jesus name, amen.
Zechariah and Joshua Manning
By Joshua
Strength from God
One passage of scripture that God has continually brought to my attention through numerous people, and continues to reveal to me, is 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10:
“And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake, For when I am weak, then I am strong”.
I can relate to this passage Paul wrote because in my life’s experiences, when I have encountered very troubling times, which have physically and emotionally drained me, I found myself calling upon Jesus for strength. At which point I felt the Holy Spirit provide me with the necessary strength to press forward and not give up.
Looking back over the last two years when my brother and I were in the process of attaining restraining orders against our former family members who abused us, my brother and I observed our abusers, who lived an hour and a half away, in our neighborhood of residence on numerous occasions. Their goal was to intimidate and use their appearance to threaten us to keep us from attending the trial and testifying in open court about the violence and abuse we had currently lived under. However, both my brother and I, pushed through all of the intimidation and numerous threats by our abusers and testified under oath about the abuse we had sustained growing up, as our abusers sat and listened.
Receiving the 10 month restraining order by the judge was a victory that allowed me to know that I could be my own individual and no longer live as a controlled slave again. During this time of my life, my prayer was “Jesus, I am giving this situation over to you, I ask that your will would be done in this situation and I ask that you would provide me with the necessary strength to press forward and not give up.”
Jesus used this long and difficult time to teach me patience and to trust in Him, which ultimately resulted in the tremendous growth of my faith in Him. For anyone who is currently facing any sort of difficult and/or nearly impossible circumstance, never give up and continue to place your trust in Jesus Christ and allow Him to work in your situation.
By Joshua
Joshua’s Harbor-Introduction
Hello everyone! The purpose of my blog is to create a safe place for hurt and abused teens to be able to talk and present questions regarding their lives.
I have experienced severe physical, sexual and emotional trauma growing up, and so I understand how it feels to be violated in such a despicable way that causes you to feel dirty, ashamed, and to feel as if no one would understand and/or believe you if you disclosed any information regarding the abuse you sustained by unlikely offenders such as, family members, and “family friends”.
Joshua’s Bio -About Me
My name is now Joshua Manning and about to turn 20 years old. I am currently a full-time college student, majoring in Business Administration. I also coordinate an outreach program called Joshua’s Disciples (For more information, go to LHWE homepage and click on the link titled “About us”).
Ever sense I was a child, I was constantly being sexually and physically abused by family members and “family friends.” My offenders threatened that if I were to ever tell anyone of the abuse, I would regret it with my life, as well as the life of my younger sister and/or my older brother. Having been young and incredibly scared, and full of guilt and shame, I believed them and never told a soul. In an attempt to continue living life as normally as I knew how, I accumulated my own friends, some who had the same experiences that I did, played sports, and went to school; unfortunately, nothing could take away from the immense pain and anguish I felt deep down inside.
Once I reached the age of 18 during my senior year of high school, I knew I could legally leave my family and not be obligated by law to return to them if they demanded it. Events unfolded, which forced me to relocate to live with my newly adopted parents; my dad, Matthew and my mom, Christa.
After having lived through a hellish environment, began a process of healing and a new healthy life through Jesus, I have acquired a deep passionate desire to help others who have been deeply hurt and abused and/or currently living in an abusive environment. There is a way out, and that way is through Jesus Christ. If my life experience has spoken to you and you wish to share your story on this blog, I would love to hear from you and stand with you as you let your voice be heard.
By Board of Directors
TWO NEW LHWE BLOGS COMING SOON
“Zechariah’s Harbor” and Joshua’s Harbor”
Announcement from: The Board of Directors, LightHouse World Evangelism, Inc.
Two new blogs will be posting soon for the sole purpose of helping hurting people find freedom, hope, healing, and restoration from traumatic abuse sustained during childhood. For those of you who are not aware, Pastor Matthew and Christa Manning (our founders and President) adopted two adult children through the legal adoption process in November 2008. Their names have been officially changed by the court, as well as their birth certificates which now show Pastor Matthew and Christa as their father and mother. Zechariah (29) came to Pastor Matthew in 2004 for biblical counseling and advice on how to get away from the sexual, physical, and controlling family environment in which he was currently being forced to live in. In October 2007, Joshua after turning 18, moved out of that same controlling and abusive environment and came to live with his brother and the Manning’s. After two years of legal wrangling and 10 months of restraining orders, the two men are living free from the slavery and bondage that their abusers told them they could never get away from.
Zechariah and Joshua have requested permission from the Board of LightHouse World Evangelism, Inc. to begin two separate blogs, in which they could tell their stories of how Jesus Christ helped them get away from such an abusive environment in hopes that others who may be in similar environments could find a safe place to share their pain and trauma and receive prayer, comfort, encouragement, and biblical advice on how to walk out of painful environments or mindsets that keep them in bondage.
We, the Board of LightHouse World Evangelism, want to make it clear that the identities of those that were involved in the abuse of Zechariah and Joshua, as well as those who might post their experiences on our blog, will not be disclosed. We will also take every reasonable measure to not permit any slandering of persons on these blogs. We would also like to make very clear, that all parties that have been, or may in the future be arrested for the sexual, physical, or mental abuse of Zechariah and/or Joshua, or any other referenced person or persons from others that might post on these blogs, are innocent until proven guilty in a court of Law.
Zechariah, Joshua, Pastor Matthew, Christa, and the Board of Directors of LightHouse World Evangelism, Inc. have one motive for these blogs and only one. These blogs are to provide a safe, virtual environment for those that are currently being abused, or have been abused and are currently working through the process of freedom, forgiveness, and healing to be able to write about and express their thoughts and feelings regarding their journey, or experiences. This “Safe Virtual Harbor” is for all of those needing to find hope and healing from living in abusive environments and thinking there is no way out!
THERE IS A WAY OUT! COME TO THE HARBOR AND FIND REST!
