ABUSE

 

ABUSE:  To be used so as to injure or damage; improper use or treatment.  

1. Verbal – Attack with words, to hurt/harm. The neglect of anything positive.  (i.e.  “You are so stupid.”  “You can’t do anything right.”)  

2. Physical – To attack a person; to harm them, with hitting, or beating. The other extreme would be to never be touched.  

3. Sexual – Intercourse, fondling, sex used improperly.  

4. Rape – To seize and take by force, sexual intercourse without permission or consent.  

5. Incest – Sexual intercourse between persons so closely related that they are forbidden to marry.    

Are you a Jennifer who went on a date, and the kissing became fondling, and then you realized it was going too far?  You say no, but he hears yes and then it was over.    

Are you a Mary who gets kicked and punched every night, but you stay in the relationship because you “love” him?
 
Maybe you are a John, whose anger is uncontrollable, so you yell and scream at your wife, and a few times you almost hit her.
 
Or could you be a Cindy who has been sexually abused by her uncle, neighbors and dad?  You can't tell anyone, so you live in this dark secret, not really wanting to live.

If you have experienced any of these kinds of abuse, God wants you to know that you were violated, and it’s not your fault.  If you have inflicted any of these kinds of abuse on another, God wants you to know that you can be forgiven if you turn (repent) from your sins.  

If you have been or are being abused, God does not want you to continue to live in your abuse.  God loves you and He wants to give you a blessed hope, a hope that only He can give.

 

Pray this prayer with sincerity:  

God I give You my abuse.  I have lived in it long enough.  I want You to make me the new person that You promise in your Word.  Teach me to live by faith and not by how I feel.  Please help me to see that there is hope for me today.  The rest of the week I will cast all my cares on You because I know that You do care for me.  In Jesus’ name I pray…

Please continue to our next lesson as we look at our emotions.  May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.