A Nugget from New Life Network
(excerpts from Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (January 6, 2017)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)
Many people are walking through life with a broken heart. Although they hide it well behind the smiles and social activities, deep inside there are open wounds and pain from the past. What causes a heart to be broken? What causes a person to hide the pain deep within? The answer to this question is both simple and complex at the same time, but it usually involves rejection, unfaithfulness, lies, and/or betrayal by a trusted friend or loved one.
Years ago, a young couple was separated because their parents felt they were not good for each other, and through the years the pain of the separation never went away. Another lady discovered that her husband was living with another woman on his sales trips. A young girl, sexually abused by a family member, kept that secret for decades. As an adult, she was not able to respond to her husband correctly because of the abuse that she kept hidden away in her heart. All of these people and others like them are living their lives each day hiding the hurt, masking the pain, and not living life to its fullest because of a broken, hurting, abused heart.
When Jesus was in Nazareth, He said that God had sent Him to heal the brokenhearted and to set at liberty those that were bruised (Luke 4:18). If this is true (and it is), then why are there so many Christians living with broken hearts?Everything in the Word of God must be received by faith. Faith is simply believing that God has done everything He said He would do and believing it so completely that everything we say and everything we do is based upon that belief. According to the Bible, we only receive what we believe.
Many retain their broken heart because they have given up hope that their heart could ever be healed, or they have tried using the world’s methods with negative results. Psychology in its proper perspective can help, but only the power of God can completely heal a broken heart.
The truth is, Jesus has already paid the price. He has already done everything that needs to be done for your heart to be healed. It doesn’t matter who has wronged you. It doesn’t matter who has lied to you. Regardless of the physical, verbal, or emotional abuse that you have received in your life, the good news is that Jesus has paid the price for your freedom. Jesus has done everything that needs to be done for your broken heart to be healed and for you to no longer be held captive by the problems of the past, and to walk free, from this day forward, in victory.
How can this happen? Actually, it is so simple that most people miss it. In the same way that Jesus paid the price for our salvation, Jesus paid the price for our emotional freedom. In order for you to have everlasting life, there is nothing that you need to do except to receive the gift that He has already paid for. He died on the cross. God raised Him from the dead. And when you believed that, receive that, and spoke that you were born again. In the same way, He has paid the price for your broken heart to be healed and in the same way you can receive healing for your broken heart.
When Jesus was talking to His disciples, He told them that if they would continue in His teachings and believe them that they would come to a knowledge of the truth and when they received this truth, they would be set free (John 8:31-32). The truth is this. You can have a heart full of joy and happiness. You can live in peace without regret or feeling the pain of the past. You can awake every day knowing that the freshness of life is before you and the blessing of God is on your life.
You may say, “Is this really possible for me?” The answer is yes, it is possible, but it’s not possible for everyone. It’s only possible for those who will believe and receive. So I have this good news for you. If you woke up today with a heart that was broken, you can go to sleep tonight with a heart that is healed. The decision is yours. Believe and receive what Jesus has done for you. Lay it all out to Him, just like you did when you got saved, and thank Him for healing your broken heart.
