An Inner Healing and Deliverance PerspectiveIn a particular season of my life, I was relearning who I was and how to operate with the Lord on a new level. He was pouring love and instruction into me every single day as I sat with him first thing in the morning.
The Lord started teaching me a concept of inner healing and deliverance that I call "Tending your inner garden." This concept is likened to a garden because it is such a Biblical concept to dwell with God in the Secret Place, our personal Garden in Eden. Here is an excerpt from my book, The Psychology of Potty Training: The Art of Pulling Up Your Big Girl Panties: "The Lord began to pour into me new things about how to heal and move into and work out of this place of rest. There was work to be done! As I sat in the swing, I started to have an intense desire to work in my yard. The ivy seemed to be taking over a portion of the yard! It was if God was saying, “Leslie, look at the ivy. Don’t you think you would like to clean that up?” My response was, “Yes, I would! I know that I should… But I don’t want to get poison ivy!” “Don’t you think I would protect you from that?” “Well, I suppose since you’re asking the question, then yes, I think you will…” Not wasting any more time, I suited up into my work-in-the-yard clothes, complete with rubber gloves and long sleeves to protect me from the ivy… you know, incase God decided not to! The minute I touched the first ivy root, the Lord began to open my vision and teach me through the plants and the work of my hands about deliverance and inner healing. He said to examine the root system of the ivy. As I pulled the vines, I followed it to the root and pulled that. Once I pulled the root, it pulled a whole system of ivy! This tiny little root was attached to many different vines, and if I were to find the roots, I could automatically take care of the vines that grow from it. I filled bag after bag of ivy and worked morning after morning cleaning and learning. One morning, I started feeling like I wasn’t making much progress. I looked around and found that I had cleared a lot, but there was still so much more to be done! Discouragement started to fill me and I asked if I was even making a difference. The Lord stopped my work for a moment and said, “Look around you. What do you see other than the ivy?” “I see lots of things! A beautiful oak tree with Spanish moss hanging from the branches, flowering trees with a sweet fragrance, towering pines that sway in the wind, a grassy section that provides a place for the kids to play…” I named all of the pretty things I saw to Him. He began telling me that we are all given an inner garden to tend to. My yard, and the work I was doing represented this inner garden. Within the garden are many types of plants and vegetation, and it was my responsibility to clean up the ivy (negative spiritual activity), and care for the beautiful things contained within (cultivate Christ within me). However, it was not all bad! He said, “The trees represent the solid beauty in your life. They have deep roots and are strong and will survive the toughest of times. The flowers are your delicate beauty, the desires I placed within you to tend and grow – it’s fragrance is enjoyed by those around you. While there is work to be done here, look how far you have come! Look how much beauty surrounds you! Don’t only focus on pulling the ivy. Take time to smell the flowers and admire the strength of the oak tree. Gaze at the beauty of the towering pines that provide shade and then, continue to remove the ivy from it’s bark so that it will continue to live.” He continued to teach me there for several weeks. I learned about inner healing and deliverance; I learned about value and acceptance; I learned about the things of the Spirit. I learned how to heal emotionally and how to fight for the beautiful things. I learned how to walk in obedience. You see, sometimes, we need to begin something to realize there is a revelation to be had there. God will give us activations to call us higher and teach us new things. He will use whatever He wants to, and if we are obedient to meet Him there, we can learn great things about ourselves and the world around us – both seen and unseen." You see, the ivy represented the demonic activity in our lives. It doesn't take over who we are!! It just feeds off of our beauty and tries to suck the life out of that aspect of who we are. When we go to the root of the problem, it takes care of all the fruit attached to that one thing. The cultivation of beauty in the garden is the healing. We plant new seeds, trim and prune what is there, and allow the sunshine and soil nourish the plants. We do this with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide us into this perfect and beautiful healing process. No matter what needs to be done, there is always beauty. Never lose site of that! To read more from The Psychology of Potty Training, The Art of Pulling up your Big-Girl Panties visit: Amazon for a copy of the Book! :)
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Dr. Leslie BaylisPastor, life coach, aromatherapist, speaker, trainer, author, wife, and mother Dr. Baylis has a passion for speaking biblical truth into the lives of mothers. Her podcast, articles, and books, coupled with conferences and seminars, are centered around fostering a sense of freedom and purpose as each mother walks worthy of the calling they have received on their life, regardless of the circumstances they face. Archives
March 2021
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