Seeing, Hearing, and Imagining
“I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones!” (Ephesians 1:18 TPT).
Tammy came to me for help last month, physically ill and mentally tormented. At 62, she had been a believer in Christ for many years, as well as a faithful church goer. Yet her spiritual and emotional life had been in decline for decades, her most important relationships in life always suffering as a result. It had been a life of “shame, fear and overwhelming sadness” and a belief that God was “not happy” with who she was. Lately, the voice of the Accuser rang loudly in her ears: “Own up to it! You are just like your mother!”
I led Tammy into a memory of “the worst thing that ever happened” to her. She was a young child, about five years old. The setting was home, where tension in the air was always thick—and where, on this occasion, Tammy’s parents were fighting about some misplaced items urgently needed for her dad’s two-week national guard trip.
Apparently, Tammy’s mom had moved the items in question and could not remember where she put them. This threw her dad into a rage. He marched violently around the house trying to locate the items, while her mother curled up in a ball against the wall, crying hysterically.
Later, Tammy’s dad slammed the front door. There were no good-byes.
Tammy cried in the corner. Her sister, a brave girl with wisdom beyond her nine years, instinctively pulled their distraught mom up from the floor and led her to bed, where she remained for the rest of the day.
Rewriting a Traumatic Memory
After Tammy’s dad stormed out of the house and her mom lay in a melted heap against the wall, I prompted “little” Tammy to invite Jesus to come and be with her and her sister there.
“Come, Jesus, I need you!” the girl sobbed.
Immediately, Jesus appeared in the middle of the room, a tower of strength and safety, beckoning both girls to come and rest in His gentle, outstretched arms. Divine love flooded the room. “Don’t be afraid,” He said, holding them close. “I will take care of you. And I will take care of your mom.”
“Little Tammy, can you give Jesus your fear?” I asked. “Yes, I can,” she replied. With no hesitation, she cupped her small hands together and “put” a visible “picture” of her mother there. Then she “gave” her mother to Jesus, along with all her fears of rejection and abandonment. Tammy’s sister did the same. As Jesus held them tight, the pain and fear drained completely away.
Tammy’s mother was still on the floor, crying uncontrollably. But suddenly the hysteria ceased. Her red, blurry eyes had somehow gotten caught up in Jesus’ loving gaze! “You are forgiven,” He assured her. Shaking in fear, Tammy’s mom crawled to her knees, attempting to stand. But Jesus was there to pull her up into a warm embrace. Her fear drained out.
Then Tammy, her mother, and sister stood with Jesus in a circle of love. “I love you mama,” Tammy whispered. “And I forgive you,” she added. “Thank you, baby,” her mother answered, wearily. “I love you, too.”
At that point, Tammy invited her father and all her other brothers and sisters to join the circle of love with Jesus (even though they had not been present originally)!
Little Tammy declared that the curses of abandonment, rejection, fear, shame, and sadness had been broken in Jesus’ name. Then she commanded all spirits associated with those manifestations to detach and leave.
Tammy, her mother, father, and siblings all hugged one another. Then, together, the whole family “melted” into Jesus.
The Use of Imagination in Modern Psychotherapy
Recently, I was horrified to discover that a popular psychological technique used to create “new” neural pathways in the brain might encourage the use of “unholy” imagination. In the video I watched, the creator of ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy), a therapy that utilizes “voluntary image replacement” (that is, the rewriting of memories), explained how this technique works to desensitize the memories of clients experiencing PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) triggers.
The childhood memory the therapist related was this: As a young girl, the client had spilled a box of cereal all over the floor which was covered in dog and cat hair. Later, the child’s father forced her to crouch down and eat the “wasted” cereal off the floor.
In the rewrite of this memory, the subject told her father that he had to eat the cereal off the floor. Since she was “in charge” of the storyline, he did as he was told, while she gleefully watched. Then this young girl decided to take her father to “The Parent Store,” where she judiciously “traded him in” for a better parent!
Now, according to the ART therapist, it didn’t matter “what” the client rewrote. What mattered was that the outcome was acceptable to the client. It was in fact this alternate outcome that “tricked” the brain into letting go of the past and creating new neuropathways in the process. This is the deal: When the brain “lets the past go,” the “trauma” can no longer interfere with the person’s ability to function properly.
Note: The ART technique also involves the therapist’s “side-to-side” hand movements. In the therapy session. the client “focuses” on these movements while he is recalling the traumatic memory and then again while he is “rewriting” it. The hand motions (like REM sleep) serve to “calm” the client’s “emotional brain” (also called the limbic system)—so a proper balance between the rational and emotional brains can be restored. Regulated breathing techniques work in a similar fashion. (Books such as The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., explain in detail how all these functions are supposed to work.)
Coming into Alignment with What God Is Saying
The technique used by the therapist in the example above “worked” to calm the client’s emotional brain—at the same time allowing the left and right sides of the brain to connect and function together more normally.
But with that said, the client’s memory rewrite didn’t jive at all with what the Holy Spirit would have directed her to do! Obviously, the young girl did not wish to forgive, bless, or honor her abusive dad in the least. Nor did she rely on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which was needed to adjust her thinking about the choices she was making.
Jesus told his disciples, “If you openly and publicly acknowledge me, I will freely and openly acknowledge you before my heavenly Father” (Matthew 10:32 TPT). Here, the word “acknowledge” (which is often translated “confess”) is homologeo, a Greek word which can mean “to agree” or “to say the same thing.”
In other words, if we listen to what the Godhead is saying to us from the heavenly realm, and if we agree with Him, or come into alignment with what He is saying, at both intellectual and emotional levels, we emotionally heal. When we don’t listen or come into alignment with what he is saying, our healing is marginalized or short-lived. Unforgiveness is a particularly damning emotional response—and the culprit of many sicknesses and diseases.
I quote from the National Bestseller A More Excellent Way, by Dr. Henry W. Wright: “The first block to healing (physical) is unforgiveness and this is the most important one. In fact, we go here first with every person to whom we minister. If we don’t get this first block dealt with, we are going no further in any dimension. We are wasting our time with roots or the other possible blocks.”
The need to forgive is critical. Time will tell if the “healing” the ART client received constitutes a “pervasive” healing (due to her obviously vindictive and unforgiving spirit).
With this said, there are two other things I believe we must agree with God on before we can make good progress in our healing journey. One, we must agree with Him concerning who we are. This means, we must understand that we are first and foremost, “spirit beings”—with souls (minds, wills, and emotions), in bodies. (Genesis 2:7) (Too often, we have reverse thinking, mistaking ourselves to be “human” bodies who have souls—with the spirit aspect of who we are overlooked altogether.)
Two, we must understand how we are designed to function—that is from “above” (John 3:5-6), with our spirits joined (becoming one) with the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
Seeing, Hearing, and Imagining from the Heavenly Realm
I believe the healing process I take hurting individuals through is successful because it always starts and finishes “from above” (in the heavenly realm)—where they can begin to see what God is doing, hear what He is saying, and then use their inspired, holy imagination to change things.
Before my friend Tammy invited Jesus to come into her traumatic memory, I asked the Holy Spirit to lead her into the Father’s presence in the heavenly realm. We rested there with Him, together, receiving His love and peace. We took our time. I blessed her with the “what I know to be true” declarations (from my recent blog entitled Mindset: Everything the King Has Is Mine). Only when Tammy was completely calm and restful did I ask the Holy Spirit to take her back into her traumatic memory.
The Holy Spirit leads a bit differently in each healing session. But in Tammy’s case, after her family’s engagement with Jesus was complete, we went into the heavenly courtroom to deal with what I perceived to be the “generational root” responsible for Tammy’s low self-esteem. I won’t go into the details of that here. (See Chapter 4–5 of Invite Jesus into Your Traumatic Memories for more detail on generational curses and how to dissolve them in the courts of heaven.) But suffice it to say that what Tammy discovered in the heavenly courtroom was incredible and completely lifechanging.
Here is the highlight: At the very end of the courtroom scene, Tammy came before her heavenly Judge to receive His “verdict.”
(In heavenly court, the Judge is the Father, the One who loves you, who is good, righteous, and just. Jesus is the Mediator and the Redeemer. Holy Spirit is the Comforter and Legal Aid. Of course, Satan is the Accuser.)
“Father, I have sinned against you,” Tammy said. She listed all the major “sins” in her life (ones for which she had repented time and time again—but ones that she had continued to “hold” onto because she couldn’t let go of the belief that God was still not pleased).
“Lord, what is your verdict for my sins?” Tammy asked.
There was a pause. (I knew the accuser, Satan, did not have one leg to stand on. But would Tammy “hear” it right? Would she hear God speak?)
“NOT GUILTY!” the Judge bellowed. (This is what Tammy told me she “heard” Him say!)
NOT GUILTY! INNOCENT! It was final! Tammy broke down into tears of joy. For the first time in her life, she was free!
Imagine the Blueprint God Has Designed for You!
Set into motion all the good things God wants for you now by first receiving Jesus into your life and into your memories by way of the heavenly realm. Let Him remove the blocks that have kept you separated or distanced, terrorized, fearful, guilty, and sad. He is your Redeemer. Give Him your life and He will give you back His!
Then feel the Father’s passion.
Be able to finally forgive others—and yourself!
Hear His voice, just as Tammy did: “Not guilty! Innocent!”
Feel the immediate rush of peace that comes from knowing that you are truly loved and forgiven.
Be free from all the condemning voices and subsequent feelings of low self-worth and guilt.
Then be assured the Father will continue loving you through all your current issues, situations and circumstances. He will not abandon you!
Last, know that far greater things are coming. Embrace the vision, the blueprint, the design He has had for you since before the creation of the world. Imagine it. Take hold of it. His supernatural grace (found in His heavenly presence) will give you the ability to fulfill it!
To read Tammy’s testimony letter to Emily, visit the Testimonies page or click here.
To watch Emily’s video of this blog on YouTube, visit the Videos page or click here.
Related Scripture Verses:
“And as members of the church of the Firstborn all our names have been legally registered as citizens of heaven! And we have come before God who judges all, and who lives among the spirits of the righteous who have been made perfect in his eyes. And we have come to Jesus who established a new covenant with his blood that continues to speak from heaven, ‘forgiveness’, a better message than Abel’s blood that cries form the earth, ‘justice’” (Hebrews 12:23 TPT).
“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath (Hebrew is neshama which means “breath” or “spirit” or “inspiration”) or spirit of life, and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7 AMP).
“Jesus answered, ‘I speak an eternal truth: unless you are born of water and Spirit-wind, you will never enter God’s kingdom realm. For the natural realm can only give birth to things that are natural, but the spiritual realm gives birth to supernatural life! You shouldn’t be amazed by my statement, You all must be born from above!’” (John 3:5–7 TPT).
“But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17 AMP).
“This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord: ‘This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit’” (Zechariah 12:1 NLT).
Jesus said, “For I’m not speaking as someone who is self-appointed, but I speak by the authority of the Father himself who sent me, and who instructed me what to say” (John 12:49 TPT).
“So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does’” (John 5:19 NLT).
“But there is [a vital force] a spirit [of intelligence] (Hebrew is ruach which means “spirit”) in man, and the breath (Hebrew is neshama which means “breath” or “spirit” or “inspiration”) of the Almighty gives men understanding” (Job 32:8 AMP).
“[It is] the Spirit (Hebrew is ruach which means “spirit”) of God that made me [which has stirred me up], and the breath (Hebrew is neshama which means “breath” or “spirit” or “inspiration”) of the Almighty that gives me life [which inspires me]” (Job 33:4 AMP).
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name” Psalm 23:1–3 NLT).
“Don’t worry or surrender to your fear. For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in me also. My Father’s house has many dwelling places. If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly, because I go to prepare a place for you to rest. And when everything is ready, I will come back and take you to myself so that you will be where I am” (John 14:1–3 TPT).
“For you bring me a continual revelation of resurrection life, the path to the bliss that brings me face-to-face with you” (Psalm 16:11 TPT).
“The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17 AMP).
“For your Maker is your Husband—the Lord of hosts is His name—and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called” (Isaiah 54:5 AMP).
“He has recued us completely from the tyrannnical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. For in the Son all our sins are canceled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood (Colossians 1:13–4 TPT).
“But now [in spite of past judgments for Israel’s sins], thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, and He Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captives]; I have called you by your name; you are Mine (Isaiah 43:1 AMP)'.
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of HIs Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life (Romans 5:10 AMP).
“And there is still much more to say of his unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, ‘You are now righteous in my sight.’ And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9 TPT).