Mark DeJesus's Blog, page 132

Do You Have a Rejection Mindset?

A rejection mindset is something we will all have to face in our lives, especially because it will infect how we process relationship. The following is a “Rejection Detection” quiz that will help you to understand how rejection may be affecting your thoughts, feelings and perspectives. If you answer yes to at least one of these, then you will see where this toxic mindset may have contaminated your life. If you answer them honestly, you can position yourself to receive greater healing and breakthrough. Take a moment to mark which ones you believe could apply to you:

Do you feel insecure in relationships?
Do you anticipate rejection or negative communication from people? Do you anticipate people rejecting you?
When someone questions you or disagrees with you, do you become deeply irritated and angry?
Do you find that people say you are “super-sensitive?”
Do you feel a need to be right in discussions?
Do you “over-talk” in relationships? Do you seem to walk away from social interactions drained, because you expended so much energy? Do you struggle with silent moments when interacting with people?
Do you feel better when you perform something well at work, yet crash when things did not go so well?
Do you repeatedly feel compelled to tell others about the accomplishments you have achieved or flash your resume when you talk to people?
Do you not even share about yourself, thinking no one really cares anyway?
When you are honest with yourself, do you do things to get attention from people?
Do you become easily hurt and offended by people?
Do people’s accusations seem to stick with you and bother you longer than they should?
Do you struggle with addictive habits?
Do you find that you do not know who you are?
From a general view, do you have a hard time figuring out where you are headed in life?
Do you constantly deal with fear in the form of anxiety, stress and worry?

Get your copy today of “Exposing the Rejection Mindset” and uncover this tangled web of thinking for good! Question: Which of the 16 questions do you find that people struggle with the most? 

Comments: Do You Have a Rejection Mindset?.

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How I Got Healed from Acid Reflux and Stomach Issues

For years I had to take the purple pill to alleviate the pain I experienced while eating the foods I enjoyed. The spicier the better. Being half hispanic, I loved the foods with rich spices, but I also had a terrible time afterwards, often experiencing incredible abdominal pains.

In addition, I inherited what I often call a “Puerto Rican Stomach” that includes a nauseous stomach first thing in the morning. Most usually try to cure this with a cup of coffee and very little breakfast, typically because the appetite is not very strong first thing in the morning. In addition, there was this “nervous stomach” that was also follow me around, where my appetite would go up and down, dependent on what was happening in my life. 

I found out I had acid reflux, where stomach contents leak back into the esophagus, creating a great deal of pain. After a while, the purple pill was not helping, so I ended up going to a stronger medication to help with my regular occurring stomach pain. My trouble with my stomach even landed me in the hospital twice, with such incredible abdominal pain I could not even stand up straight. I was further diagnosed with a hiatal hernia, a condition where part of the stomach sticks upward into the chest. 

I was told after an investigative procedure to simply lose weight and stop eating any of the foods I enjoyed. At the same time, God was doing a deep renovation in my life, healing my heart and delivering me from ways of thinking that were working against my growth in God. I was especially going through becoming free from various works of fear in my life. As God was healing my heart and delivering me from oppressive thinking, I became aware that the stinking thinking I had allowed to infiltrate my life was also affecting my gastrointestinal tract. 

Fear’s Work Against the Stomach

I went before God about the fear issues of my life. I really began to see how fear compromises the health of our digestive system, robbing us of enjoying foods and being able to process the nutrition foods offers. If the nervous system is sensing any lack of peace within us, over time the stomach and intestines can begin to lose the productive jobs they were designed to do. In fact, there is even a separate nervous system that surrounds the stomach called the enteric nervous system. Your body is keenly aware if you fear issues that are going unresolved. 

The Fear Issues I Addressed:

Here are the fear issues relating to my stomach issues. I addressed them with authority and began to take my peace over them. 

Insecurity:

I began to come before God and repent for serving insecurity. I was living in constant performance and perfectionism pressure, but never realizing how much it was affecting my life. My identity was wrapped around what I did and how well I did it. I listened to the thoughts of rejection telling me that I the “pressure was on” when it came to ministry, singing, speaking or putting an event together. Once and for all, I receive the love that Father God had for me and began to take my peace over my identity. I renounced living for approval and instead began to live FROM the approval that Father God already gave me. 

Fear of Failure:

This is a big one if you want to overcome any kind of gastrointestinal issues. I recognized that a fear of failure was robbing me behind the scenes. I would live each day focusing on what dreading events or scenarios were coming my way. I took pride in being able to calculate everything that could go wrong. This was working against me, because I had lost my peace regarding the future and could not enjoy the present. 

Worry: 

Even though Jesus commanded us, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” (Matthew 6-7) I had a hard time walking in that. I had to receive a revelation of the Father’s love for me; knowing that He would take care of me and provide for my every need. I had to renounce that fear of failure, which drove me to strive and put so much energy into avoiding something going wrong. Instead of simply doing my best and taking my peace, I was tormented with the pressures I had allowed the enemy to put on my heart. The worry wart had to be put away. 

Shifting a Generational Pattern 

On top of that, I had to practice taking my peace daily with God and the situations I found myself in. My family line is riddled with worry warts and restless minds, so I knew I was confronting a generational way of thinking. In overcoming this trait, I was not only letting God change my mind, I was giving Him room to even rewire my personality; into a way that was not afraid to fail or be tormented by tomorrow. I was free to enjoy the day that was in front of me. This wasn’t just about my stomach being healed. This was about a new way of seeing life! 

Jesus taught that there is enough to focus on today. We do not need to project into tomorrow what could go wrong. Listening to fear of the future and dread does nothing to help us. Too many live in a private shame of all their worries and fears. They are left to think, “Well this is just the way that I am.” We lose any sight of a better future with health and wholeness. 

Healing Manifestation

As I began to walk this process out of turning from fear, anxiousness and worry, my stomach was healed! No more acid reflux. No more purple pills or any pills at all for my abdominal pain. No hyatal hernia. No one even laid hands on me for healing! I was able to eat what I wanted and take my peace again.

My body came into health as I aligned myself with heaven’s way of thinking. There is no worry in heaven, so walking in that kind of peace gives us the health that God designed us to possess. 

Am I perfect in this walk out? No way! I still have a dump truck of thoughts that God is working out in my life. But I am excited about it, because He is faithful to patiently love us through each stage, so that we become more like His Son Jesus Christ. I am enjoying learning to be an overcomer. My body thanks me for it. 

He is faithful to love the fear out of us and deliver us from all our fears. 

Question: Where do you need to confront fear and allow God’s healing power to come and heal your life? 

Comments: How I Got Healed from Acid Reflux and Stomach Issues.

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How to Got Healed from Acid Reflux and Stomach Issues

For years I had to take the purple pill to alleviate the pain I experienced while eating the foods I enjoyed. The spicier the better. Being half hispanic, I loved the foods with rich spices, but I also had a terrible time afterwards, often experiencing incredible abdominal pains.

In addition, I inherited what I often call a “Puerto Rican Stomach” that includes a nauseous stomach first thing in the morning. Most usually try to cure this with a cup of coffee and very little breakfast, typically because the appetite is not very strong first thing in the morning. In addition, there was this “nervous stomach” that was also follow me around, where my appetite would go up and down, dependent on what was happening in my life. 

After a while I found out I had acid reflux, where stomach contents leak back into the esophagus, creating a great deal of pain. After a while, the purple pill was not helping, so I ended up going to a stronger medication to help with my regular occurring stomach pain. My trouble with my stomach even landed me in the hospital twice, with such incredible abdominal pain I could not even stand up straight. I was further diagnosed with a hiatal hernia, a condition where part of the stomach sticks upward into the chest. 

I was told after an investigative procedure to simply lose weight and stop eating any of the foods I enjoyed. At the same time, God was doing a deep renovation in my life, healing my heart and delivering me from ways of thinking that were working against my growth in God. I was especially going through becoming free from various works of fear in my life. As God was healing my heart and delivering me from oppressive thinking, I became aware that the stinking thinking I had allowed to infiltrate my life was also affecting my gastrointestinal tract. 

Fear’s Work Against the Stomach

I went before God about the fear issues of my life. I really began to see how fear compromises the health of our digestive system, robbing us of enjoying foods and being able to process the nutrition foods offers. If the nervous system is sensing any lack of peace within us, over time the stomach and intestines can begin to lose the productive jobs they were designed to do. In fact, there is even a separate nervous system that surrounds the stomach called the enteric nervous system. Your body is keenly aware if you fear issues that are going unresolved. 

The Fear Issues I Addressed:

Here are the fear issues relating to my stomach issues. I addressed them with authority and began to take my peace over them. 

Insecurity:

I began to come before God and repent for serving insecurity. I was living in constant performance and perfectionism pressure, but never realizing how much it was affecting my life. My identity was wrapped around what I did and how well I did it. I listened to the thoughts of rejection telling me that I the “pressure was on” when it came to ministry, singing, speaking or putting an event together. Once and for all, I receive the love that Father God had for me and began to take my peace over my identity. I renounced living for approval and instead began to live FROM the approval that Father God already gave me. 

Fear of Failure:

This is a big one if you want to overcome any kind of gastrointestinal issues. I recognized that a fear of failure was robbing me behind the scenes. I would live each day focusing on what dreading events or scenarios were coming my way. I took pride in being able to calculate everything that could go wrong. This was working against me, because I had lost my peace regarding the future and could not enjoy the present. 

Worry: 

Even though Jesus commanded us, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” (Matthew 6-7) I had a hard time walking in that. I had to receive a revelation of the Father’s love for me; knowing that He would take care of me and provide for my every need. I had to renounce that fear of failure, which drove me to strive and put so much energy into avoiding something going wrong. Instead of simply doing my best and taking my peace, I was tormented with the pressures I had allowed the enemy to put on my heart. The worry wart had to be put away. 

Shifting a Generational Pattern 

On top of that, I had to practice taking my peace daily with God and the situations I found myself in. My family line is riddled with worry warts and restless minds, so I knew I was confronting a generational way of thinking. In overcoming this trait, I was not only letting God change my mind, I was giving Him room to even rewire my personality; into a way that was not afraid to fail or be tormented by tomorrow. I was free to enjoy the day that was in front of me. This wasn’t just about my stomach being healed. This was about a new way of seeing life! 

Jesus taught that there is enough to focus on today. We do not need to project into tomorrow what could go wrong. Listening to fear of the future and dread does nothing to help us. Too many live in a private shame of all their worries and fears. They are left to think, “Well this is just the way that I am.” We lose any sight of a better future with health and wholeness. 

Healing Manifestation

As I began to walk this process out of turning from fear, anxiousness and worry, my stomach was healed! No more acid reflux. No more purple pills or any pills at all for my abdominal pain. No hyatal hernia. No one even laid hands on me for healing! I was able to eat what I wanted and take my peace again.

My body came into health as I aligned myself with heaven’s way of thinking. There is no worry in heaven, so walking in that kind of peace gives us the health that God designed us to possess. 

Am I perfect in this walk out? No way! I still have a dump truck of thoughts that God is working out in my life. But I am excited about it, because He is faithful to patiently love us through each stage, so that we become more like His Son Jesus Christ. I am enjoying learning to be an overcomer. My body thanks me for it. 

He is faithful to love the fear out of us and deliver us from all our fears. 

Question: Where do you need to confront fear and allow God’s healing power to come and heal your life? 

Comments: How to Got Healed from Acid Reflux and Stomach Issues.

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#008 What Are You Hearing? [Podcast]

In today’s episode, my subject is entitled, “What are You Hearing?” But before we get to that . . .

Encouraging Thought for the Week: 

Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously. 

1. Wherever you are, stop and just smile in the mirror.

2. Laugh at yourself when you make a mistake.

3. Let others see that you don’t take yourself too seriously.

Feature Presentation: What Are You Hearing?

In our feature presentation today, I want to talk about, “what are you hearing?” I want to help you understand the message of freedom, healing and transformation that God brings. But the question is, are we hearing His message?

The Message of Transformation (Isaiah 61):

1. The Anointing of Father God. The work of Abba. The Father’s Love

2. Good News from a Good God

3. Delivered to Those Who Recognize they Need It

4. Heal the Broken Hearted

Then God releases a proclamation . . . he sends a message to us.

Isaiah 61:1 – To proclaim liberty to the captives

Proclaim: 

1. To call out

2. To address by name

3. To cry

4. To read aloud

5. To summon, invite, commission, appoint

God is sending a message, through the work of His Son, Jesus . . . a message where He is calling you, addressing you by name, He is crying out to you, summoning you and inviting you into receiving a message that is very personal for your life.

But we have to tune our spiritual ears to hear it.

Revelation 3:22 NKJV He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

This is not just having physical ears, but a spiritual hearing to be able to hear what God is saying.This comes through a heart that is teachable . . . especially a heart that has gone through a healing process . . . this is why we must allow God to heal out hearts, so we can better hear what He is saying for our transformation . . .

Matthew 13:14-15 NKJV

14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘ Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them. ’

How God Brings in Change and Transformation:

1. Send a word. (thought)

2. The word is heard.

3. The word is believed.

4. The word is acted upon.

5. The activation brings change.

Everything in the Kingdom of God first happens in a proclamation or declaration being sent:

1. Genesis 1 – creation of the world

2. Old Testament – God speaking to His people

3. He sent His word and healed . . . (Psalms 107:20 NKJV) He sent His word and healed them,

And delivered them from their destructions.

4. Faith comes by hearing . . . (Romans 10:17 NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

When a declaration is sent, it must be received with a believing heart and then activated:

- we must hear the proclamation – get a picture of freedom before we actually move into it.

- freedom is available for me.

- healing is available for me

- transformation is available for me

- change is available for me

- I don’t have to be the same person that exists right now

- “what does living free look like?”

What is being proclaimed? Liberty to captives.
 Liberty: 

- Liberty

- A flowing

- A free run

- Freedom

Liberty:

1. the quality or state of being free:

- the power to do as one pleases

- freedom from physical restraint

- freedom from arbitrary or despotic control

- the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges

- the power of choice

2. a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant :  privilege

- permission especially to go freely within specified limits

Liberty is the quality individuals have to control their own actions.

Freedom: 

1. the power to act, speak or think without hindrance or restraint.

2. Absence of domination

3. the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved

Freedom:

- free heart.

- free mind

- free body

- free to overcome

- free to move mountains

 

God wants to come and give you your liberty and freedom back!

- For so many, they do not walk in a way where they feel free to live and move and have their being. You are constantly restricted, in the sense of being pulled into all the ways you don’t want to be bound to. (fear, anger, despair, addictions, guilt)

- We have been slaves, but God’s message is to deliver us from slavery, but we still walk as slaves, never taking the invitation to really be sons.

- God’s message of transformation involves you becoming empowered in God to walk in freedom.

 

We have to be taught what it means to be free:

- Notice the message of liberty and freedom comes first.

- Because the next step involves walking into that freedom.

- We call this the walk-out.

What Liberty and Freedom is Not:

1. Liberty and freedom is not God taking everything that is evil, oppressive and binding off of you. He teaches you how to be empowered to overcome them yourself, with His strength working in you.

2. Liberty and freedom is not God changing your circumstances, but you growing up despite your circumstances into who God made you to be.

3. Liberty and freedom is not change from the outside in, but from the inside out.

- Not just healing to a disease, but healing you on the inside, which may be causing this disease to manifest

- Not just ridding you of tormenting thoughts, but helping you to see what is at the root of that oppression

4. Liberty and freedom is not just things dropping out of sky to rescue you, but ways of thinking, speaking and acting that cultivate a liberty and freedom infused life.

Liberty and Freedom Involves:

1. Knowing You Are Loved

2. Knowing Who You Are

3. Knowing a Purpose

4. Knowing How to Fight

5. Overcoming

What Interferes with our Hearing:

1. Brokenness

2. Disappointment

3. Anger (God and others)

4. Self-Contempt

5. Unbelief – inability to be convinced . . .

6. Wrong focus – we are looking at the wrong thing – distracted

God is saying, “Can you hear me?”

How Can We Identify the Deeper Issue that God is Speaking Liberty and Freedom To?

1. You seem to be stuck in the same situation over and over.

- relationships

- health

- financial

- you run into the same problems relationally over and over

2. Stop asking God to only change your situation. Ask Him to change you.

- By this, your circumstance will begin to change from you changing, or you will be moved out of that toxic situation.

3. You have the same toxic reactions to circumstances.

4. What things do you get so angry about in others?

5. Where are your relational breakdowns?

6. Where are we stubborn? Prideful?

Next Week’s Topic: How God opens up liberty and freedom?

- Question, in what areas do you need liberty and freedom. Write in the comment section.

Closing Song – Freedom: Lindell Cooley

Question: What do you need liberty and freedom from? What is the proclamation you are listening to? What changes do you need to make in your hearing, so that you can hear what God is saying? 

Comments: #008 What Are You Hearing? [Podcast].

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Practices that Heal the Heart

In a world that can often values surface image more than spiritual heart health, attention to matters of the heart must be something we daily pursue and steward. We must be intentional about this. Our hearts not only need healing, but regular nurturing and tending to. In doing so, here are some daily practices you can put into place that will help keep your heart healed and healthy. 

1. Remain Humble

Because of brokeness and past hurt, a pride can develop in our hearts, keeping people from seeing our weakness or flaws. This keeps true humility away. Biblical humility is not self-deprication, as some show. Its simply living authentically in a true posture that is not superior to others or God. True humility can be felt and it cannot be faked. It usually involves accepting weakness, vulnerability and need in our hearts. We are not too far beyond needing the help of God and others. God loves it when we admit weakness and vulnerability! The Bible says He gives more grace to the humble, but He will resist the proud. (James 4:6)

2. Forgive Constantly 

You will be challenged constantly all day with experiences and thoughts that will cause you to become offended. This snare of offense leads us into planting a root of bitterness if we are not careful. Learning to forgive daily keeps bitterness and helps us to carry a constant lens of love and compassion for others. Our heart loves it when we forgive! It releases pressure off of us and detoxifies our system. 

3. Facing Your Hurts and Disappointments

We don’t like facing pain, but facing the deep issues of our life is good for the heart. It can be painful at first, but our hearts actually become stronger when we go through a divine healing process with God. Maturity comes when we learn how to process disappointment and even talk out our pain with God and others. We may weep for a while, but we come out of it stronger and more able to help others in their pain. 

4. Facing Fear

Jesus mentioned that in the last days, men’s hearts will fail because of fear. (Luke 21:26) I believe this is both spiritual and physical, especially because our spiritual heart condition affects our physical heart condition. But more than that, we must realize that fear will not go away from the world. it will grow and increase, but it does not have to rule over the people of God.

In this day and age, God is calling us to face our fears and overcome them, so that we will not be overtaken by fear when it crashes the minds and hearts of people of the land. Someone will need to be steady to help them in those times. Those who faced their own fears will be positioned to help minister hope. Facing what you fear is so heathy for your heart, because it brings spiritual fitness to your life. 

5. Taking Your Peace

Jesus told us, “My peace I give you” but it is my responsibility to “take it” each day. (John 14:27) Taking my peace is a daily practice. No matter what is going on and what may be bombarding my thoughts, I must learn to take hold of the peace of God. The peace of God in my heart is something I guard and treasure daily, as there are so many situations, people and circumstances that want to become “peace robbers” in my life. I must remain firm in taking my peace and keeping it. The peace of God will actually stand watch over your hearts and keep your mind guarded from interference. but we must practice this daily. (Philippians 4:7) 

6. Living in Rest

Rest is not just taking a nap or taking a vacation it is a lifestyle. While it is important to have daily, weekly and yearly times of rest, we must learn to live in a lifestyle, where “rest” is the condition of our hearts. The book of Hebrews commands us to remain in the rest of God, which involves taking our peace, while living at the pace that heaven has set for us. (Hebrews 4)

For so many, the hurried and driven pace by which we live does not produce the fruit of heaven. It can leave a bunch of man made works, but no lasting fruit and hearts that are stressed, overworked and overburdened. Those who live healthy and free know how to keep a way of life whereby they stay tuned to the pace of God in their life. 

7. Time with God

We still believe we can live healthy lives with great fruit without spending regular time alone with ourselves and with God. Every time we steal from this precious time, we cheat on the health of our hearts. This is not to be received with condemnation or guilt, it’s just important to love on the health of our spiritual hearts by spending proper time cultivating relationship and tend the soil of our hearts. 

Question: Which practice have you found to be the most helpful in the health of your spiritual heart? 

Comments: Practices that Heal the Heart.

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8 Signs You Have a Broken Heart

The ministry of transformation must be built upon the premise of our hearts bring healed by the love and power of God. Yet millions walk around not realizing they have a broken heart. Even if they do know, they shove the pain down in attempts to keep moving on. Yet a broken heart is a condition that leaves us open to further bondage, limited relational growth and can even wear down our health.

The following are some clear signs you have a broken heart:

1. You are very untrusting in relationships. 

Whenever we are hurt, we have two choices. The first is to walk the harder road of processing the pain, allowing healing to come our hearts so that we can approach relationship in a wiser way, while still remaining open to trust. The second option is the one most choose. Get over it as quick as possible. Avoid the situation. Shove it down. Move on….period. 

The problem is that when we do not properly heal from past hurt, we carry it into our present situations. We start to put up relational walls to protect ourselves. Yet over time, what could have been healthy boundaries has now become prison walls that are holding us hostage. Our lack of trust turns into deep suspicion and even paranoia. 

2. You have unrelenting struggles with fear, anxiety and worry. 

The Bible says, “He who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18) In other words, if you struggle with fear issues, including anxiety, worry and unrelenting thoughts that torment, then love has not had a full work. You have not experienced love in the way you were designed. This is by far the greatest work of broken-heartedness that exists on the planet: people that were placed in our lives to love us did not love us. They did nothing or they operated in destructive behaviors towards us. This creates a broken void where we struggle to be established in love. Those who struggle with fear have a love deficit in their life, which means they carry a broken heart. 

3. You have a hard time processing love. 

People attempt to love on you and it does not land naturally. You either quickly toss it back or say anything to take the attention off of yourself. When someone genuinely gives you a hug, there is something in you that squirms. Affection does not flow naturally for you. 

For millions, we have no grid in our lives to connect heart to heart with others. We are so goofy talking about subjects that bring up emotions or exchanging affectionate words to each other. We are all crying out for it, but when it comes, we don’t know how to handle it. 

So we live life in the shallow end as much as possible.

Why is this? Because our broken hearts can handle the deeper stuff. There is too much pain there. We keep up the facade, as our hearts are terrified of genuine love interaction. 

4. You to react in anger a lot. 

Anger is often a counterfeit protecting agent of hurt. When we carry hurt in our lives and we do not get true healing and resolve, anger becomes a common manifestation. Anger can be either pent up or expressed. Many people are bursting at the seams with anger, simply because they have not dealt with past issues of brokenness.

5. Your body is beginning to break down. 

Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

People have said, “he died of a broken heart” but we don’t actually understand how true this is. Our bodies are a responder to the condition of our mind and heart. Whether we admit we have a broken heart or not, our bodies know the truth and will react to that brokeness. Many diseases in our modern world come down to an unhealed broken heart; where the body is in a compromised state; no longer able to fight of disease like it was designed. 

6. You are stuck in life.

A broken heart will keep us stuck in the same patterns and dysfunction, until we wake up to our brokeness and allow love to heal us. You are in the same relationships that are dysfunctional and in the same limitations over and over. It is like you are walking around the mountain with attempts to climb higher, but you still keep passing the same spots as you circle around. This is a clear sign that you may need to face an area of brokenness that has not been addressed.

7. You have become robotic.

The life of the heart has been stripped away, so you are now left to just go through the motions. Your days are more numb then they are fulfilling. You go through the robotic daily tasks to try to be a good soldier, but your broken heart is now forming a callous layer around it. The pain has been too great that the walls of protection have solidified, creating an impenetrable barrier to anyone coming in. No oner can hurt you. The problem is, no one can love you either. 

8. You are a human being. 

The fact is, we all live in a broken world with broken people who are in need of God to bring heart healing in our lives. The quicker we recognize this, the faster we can move into powerful stages of transformation.

Most of the people around you carry a broken heart and dont know it. They think a broken heart is only those in very open and obvious brokenness. Too many of us hide our brokenness while remaining “functioning” in our life. But is that really functioning? 

Where have you been hiding your brokennesss and need to become more honest before God? 

Question: What would be another sign of carrying a broken heart? 

Comments: 8 Signs You Have a Broken Heart.

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#007: What Everyone Needs [Podcast]

In today’s episode, my subject is entitled, “What Everyone Needs.” You won’t want to miss this key insight for your transformational journey.

News and Announcements: 

1. iTunes Review: thank you to Alyssa Martinez.

2. New York City Q&A: you can find the article and video of my day in Times Square, New York City by going to markdejesus.com/newyork

3. Exposing the Rejection Mindset: Getting to the Root of Our Relationship and Identity Struggles is available and for sale. Pick up your copy today!

4. Join Mailing List – First person to join our mailing list will get a free mp3 copy of “Effective Journaling: Documenting the Work of God in Your Life,” a new teaching by Mark DeJesus.

Recommended Resource: Evernote

From time to time I like to take moments to recommend resources that will help you in your journey of transformation and give you some recommended tools.

This past Sunday, I taught my church how to effective journal your walk with God on a regular basis.

A tool that I use is Evernote – you can find this at evernote.com. If you are a “techy” at all, you probably already know about Evernote. Evernote is a digital filing and organizing system for all your thoughts, reference files and notes.

Use it to store all the notes you take on teachings you hear.
Use it to store web page articles that are meaningful to you
You can store recipes in there.
You can put product manuals in there.
Use it to help you live in a paperless world.
I use it for:

Filing research notes. I have been filing and categorizing notes on certain topics since I was about 20 years old.
When I listen to a speaker and I want to take notes, I use my laptop, iPad or iPhone and take notes using Evernote.
I jot down thoughts I will use for future books, articles and teachings.
I even store my smoothies recipes in Evernote.
I also write my journaling thoughts in Evernote. I recently gave a teaching on the subject of journaling, called, “Effective Journaling: Documenting the Work of God in Your Life.” That resource is available in our store today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feature Presentation: What Everyone Needs

In our feature presentation, I want to talk about the subject I have entitled, “What Everyone Needs.”

We we all born with some very key needs. Throughout life, we develop needs as a result of what we experience or what we don’t experience. In fact, every human in the world has very similar needs in their life. Very deep spiritual needs.

Problem is: we all don’t know exactly what those core needs are. We think we do, but we are really looking at areas or issues that are not the core issues.

We Focus On:

Freedom from a troubling thought system.
Freedom from an addiction.
Healing to the body.
Change in relationships.
Help for family.
A bad marriage.

But there is a deeper need than those areas . . . something more deeply rooted that actually affects ALL those areas. But we often miss it because we have not been shown the importance of it. We often want to chase down an issue, but the issue we are chasing is not the main issue!

What we all really need is healing to our heart.

Isaiah 61:1 (NKJVS) He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted

What is the heart?

It is where your treasure is.
(Matthew 6:21 NKJVS) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Is the core of who you are and what you hold dear.
True life, centers from the heart.
It is where we connect from in true relationship.
It is the combination of who we are in spirit and in soul.
Central location of who you are and what matters to you.
Contains the springs of the inner life.
It is the place that contains our motives, our intent and our desires.
Experience flows through the heart.
There is a difference in living out of just our minds and living from a healthy heart. Life is lived best from the heart.
In the Hebrews Old Testament, there was not really a word for mind. It was all about “heart.”

What does it mean to have a broken heart?

Broken:

to burst (literally or figuratively)
break (down, off, in pieces, up)
crush, destroy, hurt
quench
tear

We all to some degree carry a broken heart.

We don’t realize that a broken heart can come out of going through life where someone, who was supposed to love you and affirm you . . . doesn’t. It leaves you with an empty heart, which was meant to be filled with love.

We were all born with a love bucket, designed to be filled with love, acceptance and validation. When that bucket is not filled:

cracks form
counterfeit things come in to fill it (fear, self-hate, lack of value, lack of worth, unworthiness, shame)
we live with lies covering our lens
we carry a story . . . that story gets projected onto our future . . .

Key Question in Your Transformation Journey: Who broke your heart?
Why People Don’t Engage Life-Changing Heart Healing:

They don’t think they need it.
They think it is a one time event.
They are blind to how their broken heartedness has affected them.
They were never taught how to nurture the life of the heart.
Society does not model the value of heart healing and heart health.

Society values “success” but the definition is counterfeit.
Society values performance and appearance.
Society values productivity and look of achievement.
Drivenness is the value.
Busyness is achieved



What Happens When We Don’t Engage Regular Heart Healing:
1. We become very shallow in our journey.

- No depth for others because there is no depth in themselves.

- We talk to people in cliches.

2. We become stressed and overburdened.

- the fear factor takes over.

- we have not taken time to let our hearts be refreshed.

3. We become angry.

- What does not get processed in tears will come out in anger.

- Anger is often a protective tool that stands over our hurts.

4. We get sick.

- (Proverbs 13:12 NKJV) Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

- (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV) A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

5. Love grows cold.

(Matthew 24:12 NKJV) And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

- Numbness to life

- Zombie effect

6. We become hopeless and unbelieving.

- hard heart

 

My goal is not to create a victim culture. But I also want to shake people out of their denial.

- so many people were told, just get over it.

- so many were told, you just need more faith . . . when often all you need is a mustard seed.

- so many were told “the past is the past.” This is true, unless you have not dealt with it.

- I am so passionate about helping people put their past in a healthy place, so they can truly move on.

- so many are shamed by their past . . . yet they repeat it. Their families are repeating it.

Engaging Heart Healing:
1. Recognize your need . . . your continual need.

- Most people need to hit a breaking point.

2. Begin to give God permission . . .
3. You may need to give someone permission to be a healing vessel.
4. Be ready to face things in your heart.

 

Question: What do you need to face today, so that you can begin walking into deeper heart healing? 

Special Song: Healing Rain/Let it Rain by Michael W. Smith from the Album “A New Hallelujah“

Comments: #007: What Everyone Needs [Podcast].

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Interviews in Times Square NYC

This past week I had the privilege of spending the day in Times Square, New York City, where I was able to interview numerous people on the subject of rejection. Stan Doll and Austin Melendez accompanied me and made the interviews a success.

My heart was to get a pulse of various perspectives on the subject of rejection. I did not set them up, except to simply ask, “What comes to mind when you hear the word, ‘rejection’?”

My latest book helps the reader identity a rejection mindset and how it affects our identity, relationships and wholeness. My desire was to hear from everyday people how our personal breakdown in relationship effect us moving forward.

Both on camera and off camera, the responses I got were incredible. What each person shared actually confirmed how rejection affects people’s lives, embedding a rejection mindset into our life view. Each person shared from their current life view and experience.

Maybe it was a heart wrenching break-up, a perceived failure in relationship or a painful experience growing up. Each person expressed their own story, showing us that our relational grid affects how we process future relational interactions.

We all long for love, acceptance and a sense of belonging. The answers I got from those on the street all express what a rejection mindset seeks to attack, keeping us from walking securely in who God says that we are.

What a tremendous experience and I am grateful to all those who participated! Enjoy!

Get Your Copy of “Exposing the Rejection Mindset” today!

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Have You Felt Rejected By God?

When it comes to rejection, the father wound is certainly a major place where healing is needed. In order to become healed from this rejection, however, we cannot simply run to our earthly father and ask for his approval, because most likely he does not know how to give it. We have to run to our heavenly Father. He is the only perfect Dad. Unfortunately, we learned how to relate to God by how we related to our earthly father.

Intruding Voices

When listening for God’s voice, we have been trained to tune into the voice that sounds most like our Dad’s. When we have not been loved properly by our fathers, rejection trains us to hear a voice that is a counterfeit of God’s, though we may have thought it was God. This voice was colder, conditional and distant. It may have been an angry or harsh voice that now becomes transposed to God. Therefore, over time, we placed the attributes that our earthly fathers possessed onto God.

Did God Leave Me Hanging?

These rejection roots deeply penetrate into the soil of our lives. We start to blame our struggles and frustrations on God, as though He left us hanging. Satan knows if he can make God the reason or source for our pain, there will be a sense of separation from His love. Many believers confess a sense of not feeling close to God and struggle feeling connected to Him. Rejection is often the common root.

Angry with God

The world is full of people who are tormented by this bondage of rejection and as a result are very angry with God. They have been mistreated and unloved by people in their life; God’s nature has been misrepresented. A skewed view of God develops and festers, while rejection continues to create a sense of separation from God’s love. The pain of a person’s life gets projected onto God as though He was the author of it or He carelessly let them become wounded and hurt.

Awkward with Father

Another critical aspect of rejection is that it causes people to deeply struggle in relating to Father God Himself. In becoming believers, they were familiar interacting with Jesus, praying to Jesus and calling out to Jesus, yet they carry a deep awkwardness in having relationship with Father God. I was one of those people. Because of the rejection strongholds in my life, I was very uncomfortable interacting with Father God, especially in the dimension of addressing Him as Dad or Daddy, which is what the word “Abba” means. I felt like it was sacrilegious to address God as Father, or even Dad. I preferred to call out to Jesus. There is nothing wrong with calling out to Jesus, but there is a deeper dimension of relating to the Godhead. God’s Word teaches this deeper dimension in our spiritual walk. Except for one Scripture, there is no mention in the Word of God about praying to Jesus. The Scriptures teach us that we are to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. Jesus is the way to the Father. We cannot have a relationship with the Father apart from Christ. At the same time, Jesus did not die on the cross so we could just know Him, but that we would also know the Father. Additionally, he took the sting of rejection on the cross. He knew what it meant to carry the sins of the world and feel separation from the Father on the cross. He took that upon Himself so we would never have to be separated from God. Rejection contradicts God and trains us to feel separated from Him. Question: Where has rejection taken your wounded and caused a sense of separation between you and God?  (From Exposing the Rejection Mindset)

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The Problem: You Have a Broken Heart

Who me? Yes, you.

Everyone, to some degree, has a broken heart. We live in a broken world, with broken people, who do not know how to love others properly. We have all, to some extent, experienced the pain that comes when someone, who should have loved us, did not.

Many people carry a broken heart and do not know it. This is mainly because many generations have lost the ability to understand heartache and its affect on their lives. They have never had the opportunity to see that, through the course of their life, they have had relationships and experiences that have pierced them and that they are still affecting them today. This is especially true if proper healing and resolution to the heart did not take place. In addition, millions of people are in denial that they even have a broken heart. This keeps them blinded to the problem and locked in their bondage indefinitely.

We cannot begin to address the work of rejection effectively if we do not address the key target of its work: the broken heart. If we want to revolutionize our lives, we must address the healing that is needed in every human heart. When Jesus began His ministry, His first and primary focus was on dealing with the heart of mankind, especially bringing life and healing to the broken heart.

Luke 4:18a The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because . . . He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted . . .

Why focus so much on the heart? It is because true life flows from the heart. It is the innermost place of desire; the relationship center that houses our deepest treasures and passions. The heart carries the work of what occurs in our spirit and soul. All of life flows from the heart. If damage to the heart has not been dealt with, you can expect bondage to flourish. Millions of people all around the world are seeking to overcome and change without addressing their broken hearts. No wonder it seems that so many wander in circles in their desperate search for change. Dealing with the issues of the heart cannot be bypassed if change is truly sought after.

The broken heart is the number one place the enemy uses to break in and steal our vitality. Many wonder how Satan can invade people’s lives so readily, yet we often fail to realize that Satan and his evil spirits gain access where our hearts have been broken. Satan brings a spirit of rejection to fill the broken heart by inserting bondage where love, acceptance and security from Father God belong. The enemy’s desire is to fill this space and pollute our well- being with rejection-based thinking. Part of defeating him is mending the brokenness found in our hearts.

(from Exposing a Rejection Mindset)

Question: Why are so many struggling to recognize the broken areas of their heart? 

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