The medical definition of scar tissue is the connective tissue forming a scar; composed chiefly of fibroblasts in recent scars and largely of dense collagenous fibers in old scars. These areas of your body tend to go through a transition from blood to bruising before the healing process leaves subtle indentations or marks. While your body may completely heal physically, emotional and psychological scars remain. Depending upon what traumatic events you have endured in life, the Devil has a way of dragging up these painful memories.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control, 2 Timothy 1:7.
One of the spiritual scar tissues that exists for me is the fear of public speaking. As someone born with a severe speech impediment, my mother barely understood a word I was trying to say as a child. This resulted in a couple of challenging years of elementary school, especially when called upon to read out loud in class. After one particular embarrassing moment early in the school year, I pretended to not know where we were. I decided it was better to get into trouble than endure the pain of stammering and stuttering in front of my peers. The idea of actually expressing myself was a foreign concept, something I never thought was possible.
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [[full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue), 2 Peter 1:3.
I spent the first 21 years of my life living in fear, doubtful that God can remove this communication barrier. Instead, I allowed the Devil to fill my mind with past failures. I was resigned to live my life as a hermit, like a turtle afraid to come out of it’s shell. Yet, during high school and college, the Lord brought a series of Christians into life, challenging me to face my fear of public speaking. During a Lay Witness Mission in Friendship, Maryland, the Holy Spirit consumed me as I gave my first sermon. Like a resurrected person, the Lord spoke through me like never before. This one victory propelled me into youth ministry after college, a high school Bible teacher for a decade and now as a writer. When you stop letting the Devil drag up your past, dreams, goals and visions can be fulfilled if you just let go of control and let God lead you in 2021.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 