“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
Acts 20:32, 34-35 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/act.20.32-35.NIV
Building Your Army
That night, the Lord told Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah, his servant, went down to the outposts of the camp.
Judges 7:9-11 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jdg.7.9-11.NIV
This little girl is my son’s daughter, my precious granddaughter. She is fearless, like her daddy. After leaving my abusive ex, I suffered extreme anxiety; my whole body shook. She said, “Nana, pull over. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she prayed a powerful prayer relieving me from the spirit of fear. We went into the house while he was there; he changed the locks on the house. I could not go in without him there. However, after she prayed, I was strengthened, and like a mighty warrior, she did not let me out of her sight because she discerned his gaslighting several times when she visited me before. The Lord opened the eyes of several people who visited with me, and they saw what was happening to me and began validating and defending me; even my mother, who believed his lies and accused me of things I knew nothing about, saw his true nature. Validation is a powerful tool to help strengthen a victim’s escape, and we do this by saying, “I believe your story.” If you can’t understand why a victim stays in an abusive situation, Google it; the last thing they need is interrogation; you are only re-traumatizing them, and if you question their perception, you too are gaslighting them; be careful you are sacred ground.
Trauma victims need reliable helpers to help them walk, like a baby taking her first steps; they need support, and I needed a reliable source. I suffered from cognitive dissonance; I needed her brain. When he said something, I would turn to her, and she would say, “Yes, Nana, he said that, or yes, he did this.” Gaslighting damages a person’s perception of reality. Jesus says that a house divided will not stand; I could not stand alone, and I still need help in many areas as I walk on my healing journey. I am still on the road to recovery, and I have my reliable friends to help me when I become overwhelmed and go into Freeze mode. Healing takes time, and we can’t do this alone without the LORD, His helpers in the professional field, and godly men and women in the faith of Jesus Christ to pray and help meet our needs with the gifts He gives; nothing is of our own.
Heavenly Father, Commander and Chief of the LORD’S Army, open our eyes to the needs of others and direct us in ways we can give and support their needs with the blessings You provide. If it is through prayer, then help us pray in the Spirit. If it is financial support, then let it be with a cheerful heart; if it is faith, then let us give as Peter said, silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have, I give in the name of Jesus Christ, may we give in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Many are willing to help. Click the links below where you can find resources close at hand and others on my Resource Page: