healing – Page 2 – Sarah Guldalian

Receiving Jesus as your Savior

“Thomas said to [Jesus], ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him” (John 14:5-7).

We all want to know where we are going when, one day, our earthly bodies fail us. We know we are finite. And none of us can deny we have failed — sinned. We know our own failings greater than anyone. We all, at some point, feel lost.

The GOOD NEWS is that we are not groping around in the dark for the answer — for the path.

JESUS. He is THE way. Jesus is the answer. There is simply no other way back to the Father, to eternal life — to the life God designed us to have. There is no other way but Jesus.

Thankfully, Jesus loved us so much so that He freely gave His innocent life – in the most gruesome death – to pave the way for us back to the Father, back to Himself (as God) to spend eternity with Him.

Do you know Him? He is not some far off entity. He is near. He is one sentence away. Call out to Him. Say His name, “Jesus.” He desires a relationship with you.

The Bible says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

It doesn’t matter where you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done. You are never too far gone to receive Jesus as your Savior. And, when you do, you can have full assurance of where you are headed at the end of this earthly life.

And, oh, how freeing and peace-giving it is to have the assurance of eternity with Him!

If you have never asked Jesus to come into your life, but you are ready to ask Him to be your Savior, I invite you to pray this prayer today:

Dear Jesus,

I need you. I need your help and your healing in my life. I invite you into my life to be my Lord and Savior.

I repent for my sin — for the things I have done that have separated me from you. I repent for trying to make myself, others, and things gods in my life. I confess that you, Jesus, are the only way, the truth, and the life.

I receive your free gift of salvation today. Please remove my sin from me and make me a new person. Please forgive me. Please heal me and show me the way to walk.

In your name I pray, Jesus, Amen.

If you just prayed this prayer, congratulations! You just made the biggest and best choice of your life — one that will impact you for eternity!

I want to encourage you to download the YouVersion Bible App to your phone to hop into the Word of God, God’s love letter to us, where He speaks directly to us on every area of life! Start in the New Testament, in the book of John, and read through the Gospels. You will be encouraged and nourished through the words of Jesus Himself!

And, if you are a woman who would like to walk alongside other women through Bible Study, I encourage you to invite me at The Rooted Sisters online or in-person, where we meet for Bible Study the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:30 am central and for Prayer every Friday morning online at 7:30 am.

Sending you the love of Jesus! – Sarah Guldalian

Jesus: Light of the World

This world is dark, yet you do not need to fear the dark. Instead, put your trust in God.

“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God” (Isaiah 50:10).

His light and His power are far greater than the darkness. Jesus has already defeated the devil.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

Jesus is the light. He was not and will not be overcome.

“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). – Jesus

And, He invites us, those who believe and trust in Him as their Lord and Savior, to shine brightly in this dark world for Him.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

The Bible also gives us a warning:

“But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment” (Isaiah 50:11).

We are not the source of light. On our own, we are still groping around in darkness. If we attempt to lead others in our light without Jesus as the source — the Authority in our lives, we lead them into darkness, as well meaning as we may be. It is a dangerous venture.

But, when we invite Jesus in – Light Himself – He shines into our depravity, exposes what is hidden, floods us with healing, and fills us with His light. We become the light of the world as He shines through us.

And, as we go out into a dark world each day, His light radiates through us. We become vessels – conduits – of Christ, shining for Him everywhere we go. And this can lead others to Him, leading to eternal life for them!

Though some places might alarm us, by how very dark they are, we can feel confident remembering that light shines into the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.

Therefore, we need not fear the dark. Instead, we become bringers of the Light when Christ dwells within us. And, in doing so, others will experience His powerful light and be brought out of their darkness into the glorious light of Christ.

So, wherever you go today, shine. Shine everywhere you go. Shine always, knowing He will always be with you, lighting the way, when you make Jesus your Lord and Savior, and follow Him.

The Tangible Presence of God

Before God descended to earth and revealed Himself as a human in flesh as Jesus of Nazareth, He revealed Himself to the people living in Old Testament times in numerous tangible ways all throughout.

He was tangibly experienced as a pillar of smoke, a pillar of cloud, unconsumed blazing fire, and wind. He is seen and experienced over and over by His people in a tangible way.

He is very practically seen by Moses and the Israelites as He travels with them on their journey as the cloud by day and fire by night: “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night” (Exodus 13:21).

God’s presence is so supernatural, and yet He comes to us through elements we can see and sense in this life, with the power and comfort of His presence, and the functional help of light and protection.

The Bible tells us that, in the case of the Israelites, He served tangibly as a cloud for covering and as fire to illuminate the dark: “who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go” (Deuteronomy 1:33)

As time moved on, and we moved further and further away from God, God came down to us in the form of a human – as Jesus – to walk with, live with, to physically see and touch. And He left His divinely miraculous handprint on the earth through tangible healings. Most importantly, He used His divinity, His humanity, and His never-ending love for us to break us free from spiritual bondage.

Then, when He ascended and went back to heaven, He left His presence with us through the Holy Spirit — a tangibly seen and experienced mighty rush of wind at the day of Pentecost.

And He left with us a physical representation of Himself with us, through His divine power at work every day, in the form of food – something we can hold, taste, and smell – through communion, as a regular reminder of His available healing and forgiveness for us every single day as we move through life.

God is close to us, and He wants us to very tangibly experience His presence in every decade, era, century, and millenium. So, He comes to us as fire, wind, a cloud, in the flesh, and even as bread.

God is real, and He is speaking to us. He desires to have a relationship with us, because of His unconditional, unconsumed love for us as a present Father who provides for and protects His children. His love for us is powerful, mighty, undeniable and unending. He is so, so good.

Prayer Thank you, Father, for always being present, for always loving us, and for always providing for us – your children. I love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Be Healed.

When you surrender to the Lord, invite Jesus to come into your heart and do a healing work in your life, just watch Him. He will do it.

And, when you walk through this process with the Lord, and the Holy Spirit brings you healing, be healed. Be healed.

Leave it. Leave it all in the past. And move forward in your purchased freedom — a heavy price fully paid by Jesus.

In John 5, Jesus healed the leper. Then, He told him, “Pick up your mat and walk.”

Though his identity had been tied to being under, though his identity had been tied to being sick, overlooked and forgotten, Jesus healed Him and told him to get up and walk out of that history — out of that identity. It was time to move forward.

In John 4, Jesus saved an adulterous woman from being stoned to death by an angry mob. When every condemner had gone, Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” He saved her life, and then He called her to walk into a new life — a life no longer plagued by her sin and her shame.

I feel convicted that, for some of us, including myself, we need to understand the moment we are in – the healing we have been given by God – and we need to make a deliberate choice to leave our hurt, heartbreak, feelings of rejection, feelings of victimization… we need to leave it in the past.

If you have invited the Lord in to do a healing work in your life, and He has healed you, be healed.

In Ecclesiastes 3, it says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… a time to weep and a time to laugh … a time to mourn and a time to dance … a time to tear and a time to mend.”

For some of us, the weeping has taken place – maybe even for decades – the mourning has happened, taking from us long enough, and the Lord has come in to heal us, bring us laughter, and bring us dancing. He has healed us. So, let’s be healed. Let us enjoy the freedom He bought for us.

If you gave Him your past and He has healed the past, quit telling the story. It is another person’s story — not your own. It no longer belongs to you, and you no longer bear the weight of sharing it.

I shared a story the other day of the past, and it felt so odd to me, so alarming. I felt like I had hijacked someone else’s story and was parading it as if it was my own. I was so confused by how unsettled I felt by telling it, when it is historical.

I asked the Lord why I was so bothered, and He revealed to me that it is because He has healed and restored me — that story no longer belongs to me. I surrendered it to Him, He released me of it, and it is now gone. I am a new creation, the old has passed, and I am made new. Therefore, it is not my story to tell.

Working with the Lord to be healed is a beautiful thing. When we go to Him and ask Him to reveal truth to us, He will. He showed me very specifically what part of my history is gone, because I am healed, and what I need not speak of any longer, because I am healed.

Perhaps, like me, you have surrendered hurt and heartache from your history. However, because it became your story, you adopted it as your identity. But, I believe that the Lord wants me to share with you what He has shared with me:

You are no longer sick.
You are no longer in shame.
You are no longer a victim.
That person no longer exists.
Those stories no longer belong to you.

You are free.
Walk free.
The Lord is writing a new chapter in your life and giving you new, beautiful stories to replace those with.

I love you all.

Repenting

Pride is a sin. Vanity is a sin.
Sin separates us from God.

Pride separates us from God.
Vanity separates us from God.

Pride makes it about me instead of God.
Vanity compares me to others and puts me above others, above God.

I repent for pride in my story. I repent for the times I took glory for things God had done for me and in my life.

I repent for vanity – for the times I put my reputation and others’ perception of me above my love for our relationship, above my love for the Lord.

As I look back on my life, on my career, I see where I had pride. I see where I had vanity. And it repulses me. I am repulsed by my own sin.

I don’t need consoling. I need to call it out for what it is so that it stays far, far away from me.

It is by the hand and graciousness of God that I have ever had any cool opportunity and the provision we have needed to pay our bills and supply for our family.

I will be honest… pride can reverse itself, as well, making me want to hide any neat thing I have ever done now, to share any stories or even my gifts sometimes, because I am afraid I will get some of the glory. But that too, I am realizing is pride, because I am keeping the praise under wraps instead of giving it outwardly to the Lord for what He has done in my life.

So, today, as I look ahead to a big, new year, where I will need to use the gifts, lessons, and experiences God has given me to lead as I am called, I surrender my pride. I surrender any false humility. I surrender sin and the shame of sin.

I cast off any stumbling block that has me at the center and relinquish it to God… thanking Him for the opportunities I have had, as well as for the discipline He has provided me to make me a worker who can be used in the field… because, as long as we have ourselves at the center, instead of Him and others, we can’t be used in the Kingdom of God. And I want to fulfill the call the Lord has for my life.

PRAYER

Thank you, Lord, for every blessing and opportunity you have bestowed upon me to be a blessing to others and to provide for my family. And, thank you, Father, for disciplining me over these past 8 years to make me usable in your Kingdom.

You are so gracious and so kind, Father. I surrender to you, Father. I give you both my pride as well as my shame, and I thank you that you have created beauty where my pride and vanity had produced ashes. I thank you that you discipline those you love, and that you love me so.

Help me be more like you so I can be a part of your Kingdom work to the effective measure you have intended, in Jesus’ name.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Hebrews 12:6).

Those Who Called Us Higher

I was sitting here thinking about all the people who have helped us along the way… Yet, some of them, we have formed a subtle indignance towards — a parent, teacher, pastor, doctor, trainer, boss, or friend — for doing so.

We have decided to be offended, instead of grateful, for their help… many of them just genuinely supporting us or calling us higher, because they love us, motivated by genuine care and concern.

I wonder how many genuine relationships we shunned because of our sensitivity towards correction.

As I age, I look back at some relationships over the decades – at some people – who I felt offended by or irrirated with because they took a genuine, healthy concern for my well-being.

Out of a desire to control my own life, yet feeling as if they were impeding upon my independence, I shook them off. Yet, later, looking back, I see that they cared more for me than those who agreed with or applauded me at the time in my childish ways.

As I age, it becomes clearer that I wasn’t always right. Like a toddler whose mother knows best yet their will and desire for independence reigns supreme, I shook off wisdom and correction that was for my own good.

Yet, as time marches on, I have come to realize that they were not trying to shut me down. They were genuinely trying to help me — to not waste my time, resources, or give away important things. I realize that there is a lot I didn’t know that they did, and they cared enough to share it.

And, as I age, instead of thinking I know everything, I gain the perspective that I simply don’t know everything and that I didn’t…

I realize that I need to open my hands to thank and hug those who helped, even when I took it as critical. I realize I need to open my heart to hear from Godly people even when its hard. I need to open my hands in generosity. I need to release my pride and receive instruction. I need to open my mind to learn more than I know. Most importantly, I need to open my hands in surrender to the Lord.

Thank you to my parents and to every teacher, pastor, doctor, trainer, boss, or friend who put yourself out there to help make me better from a heart of love and concern. In some cases, it has taken awhile for me to lower my wall and receive it, but I draw from those lessons daily — some bestowed even decades ago.

Get Over Yourself!

If we are going to be used by God and effective for Kingdom work — or any work He has called us to — we must get over ourselves and gear up to follow His lead!

“Get Over Yourself!” is a message I shared at the Biblical Business Training (BBT) Community Connection, where a group of Christian business and ministry leaders gather. I shared some of the key “things I’ve learned” over the last eight years, especially as it relates to Christian leadership in business and ministry.

If you are interested in watching the recording, click here.
To view the presentation, click here.

How Is Your Soul?

“Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit” (3 John 1:2).

Our physical health is so important. The Bible tells us our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are to steward it with honor. And the Lord wants our bodies to be healthy. He wants us to live abundantly. He wants us to be free.

But some of us are neither healthy in body nor spirit. We have traded caring for our souls – what is inside, what is eternal – with a hyper fixation on our bodies, the temporal. And some of us have confused vanity for health. I know I have.

Vanity is not health. Believe me, I know from experience. In fact, this question I pose today is one I asked myself.

You see, in my 20s, I was super skinny but extremely unhealthy. I drank coffee to be skinny, counted every calorie, and judged myself by each half-pound. If I had eaten the amount of calories I had allotted for myself earlier in the day, I would isolate. I wouldn’t get together with my friends at dinner to avoid eating more calories and being asked questions. And then I called it self-discipline and self-control, when it was actually self-deprivation leading to health issues. I needed the Lord to do a supernatural healing work in my soul to find health again.

Some of us are eating but absorbed in our looks. If it’s not a pound, it’s a fine line or wrinkle. Or we lament not having the budget for the clothes we’d really like. Whether we feel good about or terrible about our looks at any moment, we are hyperfocused on our bodies in a way that takes all of our energy and focus.

But… how is your soul? How is your Spirit? What voice is guiding your actions? The critic — the enemy? A voice of criticism from your past that says “it’s not good enough,” “you’re not good enough,” or “prove yourself?” And, at the end of it, where does being rich, chiseled, or fashionable lead you if you have neglected your soul? Would you finally be full or still empty?

I hope you know I am in no way judging anyone. Frankly, I have had to ask the Lord to give me enough grace for myself over time. This is a struggle. It has been in my life. I have needed to really dig into my Bible and receive Godly counsel to learn to hear the voice of God louder than the accuser in my life.

I share vulnerably in an effort to expose what is hidden into the light so Christ can shine on us. Because, here’s the deal — God wants us free, so much that He sent Jesus to earth to save us from ourselves, our own confusion, depravity, and self-sabotage.

Whereas the Lord gives us a desire for healthy things, the enemy works hard to twist beautiful desires into something dark. He can twist our desire to be healthy into disorder. He can turn our enjoyment of fashion into obsession. He can tilt our desire for good things into fixation. He can take our enjoyment of fashion and make us obsessed and broke.

The enemy would love nothing more than to put us into poverty spiritually, physically, and financially. That is his goal. He fights to keep us away from the abundance that Jesus came and died for us to have.

Yet, all is not lost. Jesus meets us wherever we are. He meets us in our exhaustion, our fatigue, our sickness. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

What I have learned and continue to learn as I go is this:

Major in Jesus more than self-help, health, or any other thing. Keep your eyes on Jesus above all. Open your Bible. Read it more than any other book. Look to Jesus for your self-worth, not influencers. Tend to your soul more than you do for your body, because our souls are what will last.

Some practical things I have learned, as well, are:

Set the scale aside. Eat and enjoy healthy food. Get outside. Enjoy creation. Exercise. Strengthen yourself.

Talk to a friend if you’re struggling. Get a journal. Get a Christian counselor. Talk to Jesus most.

Thank God for His abundance. Enjoy your health. Enjoy the clothes you have. Quit isolating. Get with friends. Enjoy the goodness God has given you. And eat a cupcake every now and then.

I love you guys. And thanks for loving me.

“Til Death Do Us Part”

“Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18).

I feel that romance – real romance – does not come from over-the-top gestures, like gifts, trips, or charisma. But instead, I feel that real romance comes from aging.

I know that may sound counterintuitive to many. In fact, you may believe you have to do everything you possibly can to look the same way as you did when you met, but I feel quite the opposite. As we age, I find my husband more attractive than ever.

It is not because he works out all the time, drives a fancy car, has a certain title, or buys me things. It’s not for any of those commercial reasons, that you see in the cinema or social media, that make him more attractive to me. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

When I look at my husband, and I see the gray in his beard or the handsome lines around his eyes, I find him more attractive than ever before. I truly mean that. And here is why:

Looking at his face, aged from when we set out, means he is still here like he promised he would be. And, to me, there is nothing more romantic than looking at my husband and I aging together, because it shows we are doing what we promised to do in your vows…

“I take you to be my wedded wife (husband), to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”

I feel aging is more romantic than any swift, overt gesture someone can show, because – to me – dedication and commitment are the most romantic actions.

And I am so blessed he feels the same, because I feel honored, treasured and loved in every era, which allows me to look in the mirror as I age and smile more with each passing year.

Light Exposes.

Are you tired of being afraid, of trembling in fear when learning about difficult realities? Tired of diverting your thoughts when you begin pondering injustice? It can be easier to push off an unsettling inkling, telling ourselves we are paranoid in order to convince ourselves the darkness doesn’t exist or it is not quite as dark as it appears.

For example, when we read a story that is true yet unsettling, we might even try convincing ourselves it isn’t real in an attempt to divert our thoughts and comfort our nervous systems. But the truth is, there are terrible things happening in the dark. And just because we don’t want them to be true doesn’t mean they’re not. And, just because we are unsettled doesn’t mean we aren’t to know.

What if we are meant to be unsettled? Some things should break our hearts, whether it is happening as closely as in front of our face or more broadly in our communities. Because, we are called to know for the protection of our families, this next generation, the people we love and steward, and those around us. When we are gifted with knowledge and insight to steward, the question becomes, “What do I do with this, Lord?”

I want to share something I am learning in this season:

My life verse is Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” Mostly, this beautiful verse reminds me I am an encourager. I have, and many others as well, have often viewed me as a bright, bouncy ball. Yet, the Lord is teaching me this: Light does not simply shine and radiate. Light also exposes. It exposes what has been hiding in the dark. And, when light exposes, it also heals.

Think about a cut on your arm. If you hide it under a dark, moist setting, it will fester. But if you expose it to the sunlight, it will heal.

To help experience true freedom ourselves and to help others find safety and freedom, we must stop and acknowledge unsettling reality, which means we must allow ourselves to be uncomfortable. We must give ourselves permission to be unsettled for a moment.

With Jesus as our Chief Cornerstone, we can do this in a way that leads to healing, not spiraling. We can face difficulty head-on to help the defenseless in practical ways to protect them or even help them on their healing journey. It means we have to be willing to be uncomfortable, even grieved, for a time to see true breakthrough happen and freedom take place.

A very difficult reality that is hard to accept but is true is the exploitation happening to our youth in our communities. I became friends with a powerful, Godly woman this year, who founded a non-profit, called Pursuit 3416. They provide training and education to youth and adults at schools, churches, and other places, to prevent exploitation and stop predators from reaching our youth here in St. Louis.

The name of this organization was inspired by Ezekiel 34:16, which says, “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”

If you too feel convicted to understand what is going in the dark in our communities to protect our youth, this is an organization with a Godly cornerstone that can help you as a parent, grandparent, leader and educator.

You can also learn what is happening globally through the powerful work of the Tebow Foundation. The work Tim, Demi, and their teams are doing is beyond what I could fathom. It is hard to even process. Yet the Lord is giving them power to see people set free from darkness.

While it is heartbreaking to learn about these realities, I feel convicted to know so I can be in prayer for them, their teams, and have Godly wisdom on how to educate and protect our youth. The work of these organizations is difficult and heartbreaking but it is beyond life changing.

Prayer
Father God, Help us! Help us parents and grandparents be awake to the realities happening around. Give us wisdom, discernment and passion to see the truth and to shine your light with courage and boldness to be like you, Jesus — both the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah! In Jesus’ name, Amen!