Tips for wellness of the mind and spirit

The solution to our problems is simple: we must remain in close connection with God (the essence of good), but achieving it isn’t easy. The world has become an increasingly busy place, full of distractions designed to consume as much of our attention as possible. These distractions can cause us to neglect our responsibility to remain in a healthy relationship with God. It is no surprise that mental health is spiraling out of control.

I am a busy father of three, I have a job that keeps me very busy, and I also choose to spend time focused on my health. It gets easy to neglect the most important thing we were created for—a close spiritual connection with God. My wife and I wake up an hour early to make sure we get our spiritual time in before the kids wake up. It is important that you set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour of your day to focus on your mental and spiritual wellbeing. We encourage you to share what is working for you on our community blog. I find the most value in the spiritual exercises I have laid out below.

Attend to God’s Words

I am inspired by Proverbs 4:20. God said, “attend to my words,” which means put God’s word first. Read it, study it, learn it, meditate on it, and act on it. That is exactly what God wants me to do! He wants me to shut out everything around me and give my undivided attention to what His word is saying to me. A Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is a great way to focus on God.

DBS was developed by David L. Watson and Paul D. Watson and is used around the world. It is the most effective tool I have found to discover what the Bible is saying to me.

I begin every day with a 15 to 30-minute Discovery Bible Study. I follow my church (CrossBridge Community Church) Bible study. I open the app, go to the weekly bible sturdy, and I read the Bible passage for the day, and then I meditate on six questions:

1. What is going on in this passage?
2. What does this passage say about God?
3. What does it say about people?
4. What is its good news?
5. How would life change if people followed these teachings?
6. What should I do (or avoid doing) to apply it to my life?

After I meditate on each of these questions, I journal the answers that God gave me. I open my daily DBS time with this prayer:

Heavenly Father, guide me as I read and reflect on Your word today. I want to discern Your voice from all other voices. Father, I acknowledge that the Holy Spirit never speaks to me in a way that contradicts the Holy Bible. I proclaim that I will reject what is coming from the enemy and that I will only receive and obey what is from You. Father, I welcome your Holy Spirit, speak to me as I study Your word today, I pray all these things in Jesus’s name, Amen.

 DBS is a critical part of my relationship with God. Understanding the word of God empowers me to reject evil.

Listen to God’s Sayings

God has taught me to listen to what He is saying. I don’t understand how it works, but God doesn’t require me to understand how it works. All He asks me to do is believe. I don’t understand how a lot of things work, but I know what makes it work. Faith in what God is saying makes it work. I open my ears to the word of God and turn off everything else so that my undivided attention is on what He has to say. That is where my victory lives. When I close my ears to outside things and keep my ears open to God, I close my heart and mind to fear, doubt, and unbelief.

When the word of God and what He communicates to me in my prayer time gains entrance into my heart and spirit, my faith will grow. My faith in God’s word is the secret that unlocks the door to supernatural strength, hope, love, and comfort.

We must learn to listen to what God has to say about every situation. We shouldn’t listen to what everyone else is saying, because sometimes their message can weaken us spiritually.

 Let God’s Words Not Depart from Your Eyes.

I am to look as well as listen. When I battle cancer, I look to the promises of God instead of looking at the circumstances.

When I consider my experience with cancer, I feel the presence of that condition. But I don’t respond to it. Instead, I look to what God has promised in Scripture.

We need to respond to His word no matter what circumstances we may face. Unfortunately, most people don’t want to respond to His word if it means they must live according to Scripture. They don’t want to take responsibility for changing their lifestyle. But there is great power in being faithful to God’s word: faithfulness in the good times prepares us to turn to God when times are hard. Don’t let God’s promises depart from before your eyes. They will give you life!

After my 15-minute DBS, I set aside another 15 minutes for Freedom Prayer. This time in meditation energizes me with unwavering faith. I cannot guide my boat by myself. I step inside the Ark; God wants to seal me inside it like Noah. I do my best to obey everything He places on my heart, and I rely completely on Him to guide me. I use this prayer to help me focus:

Father, You are the God of goodness. You are grace, mercy, compassion and love. Father, I pray for your Holy Spirit to come, first in me, and then through me for others. Father, I admit that I am a sinner, and I tune my heart’s resolve to Your song. I want to live the way You say is best for me. Father, include me in the work You are doing today. I want to share Your goodness with others. I give You this time today because I love You, and I want to have a meaningful relationship with You. Father, show me what you want me to focus on, fill me with your Holy Spirit, and guide me through this day. I rely completely on You. Please show me the way.

After I repeat this prayer a few times, I silently wait for God to speak to me in meditation. I ask Him to give me an image of Jesus to warm up my mind’s eye and prepare me for what He wants to share with me. I ask God the following questions:

• Father, what about me delights You?
• What is something I did this week that You are celebrating?
• In what ways am I seeking to earn Your favor rather than living by grace?
• What does my heart need to hear most right now?
• Is there something specific You want me to do today?
• Is there someone You would like to bless through me today?

 I never get an answer to all my questions, but I give Him time to speak to each one.

 My struggle with cancer does not define my entire experience with God. Sometimes, God gives me an image of a friend or family member that needs support, or He encourages me to be bold in loving my neighbor. Sometimes, God speaks through my inner voice with something to contemplate or consider, and sometimes He gives me a specific memory or song lyrics. The Holy Spirit communicates with me when I give Him my time and focus.

When I start my day with God, I am prepared to experience hope, peace, joy, and comfort, and I give thanks for God’s promises. This practice has a profound impact on the rest of my day. A healthy relationship with God makes it natural to Be Golden.

Freedom Prayer has worked well for us, and we encourage all members to share what is working for you on our community blog. 

Below is an expanded look at Freedom Prayer, which will give you the tools you need to face the everyday adversities of life. 

Here’s my perspective on how it works:

Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The most important thing for us to do as humans (Mark 12:30-31). God communicates to us through these channels. To love God, you must have a healthy relationship with God. That means you have to give God your undivided attention and communicate with Him. Freedom Prayer provides practical tools that help us use these channels of communication to establish a strong connection with God. Investing in your connection with God is the greatest thing you can do for yourself and your family. I will walk you through the Freedom Prayer and meditation processes in this segment.

Before we dive in, it is important to note that one of the enemy’s favorite tricks is to try and fool us into thinking he is God, and that is why he hacks into the same channels that God uses to communicate with us. The enemy tries to get into our minds and hearts to plant lies that lead us towards sin and death. Some people do awful things and claim an inner voice told them to do it. That is why it is incredibly important for the people of our country to understand how to recognize and reject what is not coming from God, so that we only allow the essence of good into ourselves. The best way to do that is to study scripture and understand the character of God. Scripture tells us His love for us is like that of a perfect loving father. God’s communication is ALWAYS:

1) Consistent with scripture.
2) Consistent with God’s character as a good father.
3) Full of grace and truth

His voice can sometimes convict us as He reveals how we can be a better reflection of His love, but God’s voice is never condemning. He loves you no matter what. 

When we are in prayer or meditation and receive something that conflicts with any of these characteristics, we can be assured it is not God who is communicating with us, and the message can be rejected. There are other voices that try to interfere with and overshadow God’s communication with us. One inner voice that competes with God’s voice is our own inner voice. Our personal will can sometimes overshadow what God is trying to show us. That is why it is important to ask God out loud to show or tell you the answer.

To understand how we can love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Please close your eyes and have the Holy Bible app read to you Psalms 23. Open the app, go to the bible section, find the book of Psalms, and select #23. Find a quite space, then close your eyes and hit play, and let the narrator read it to you as you visualize what you are hearing. When finished, answer the questions below.

• Did you get a vision of a shepherd? 
• What did he look like? 
• What was he wearing? 
• Where were you? 
• Were you close to the shepherd? 
• Or was he far away from you? 
• What was surrounding you? 
• Did the Psalm trigger a particular emotion or feeling?
• Did you get a vision of green pastures and still waters? 
• Did you get a vision of a dark valley? 
• Where were you in this vision? 
• Was anyone else in the vision? 
• What was around you? 
• Did this vision stir up an emotion?

 If the feeling wasn’t life giving, ask God to show you when the first time you had the negative emotion. Then, ask Him if that caused you to believe a lie. Ask God to show you what the truth is about that situation, and wait for Him to speak. He may give you an image in your mind, He may speak through your inner voice, or he may pop some song lyrics into your min. God will speak life to you if you wait for Him. 

Freedom Prayer takes time; it cannot be done effectively in a rush. I typically take several pauses in prayer and meditation to journal things God has communicated to me. Freedom Prayer guides you through a process that gets you to God, so that you receive exactly what you need to face whatever darkness is present in your life. Freedom Prayer ministry calls this process the fruit loop. You can use this prayer exercise as you enter Freedom Prayer alone. When you get good at it, you can start using the tools to help your family maintain inner freedom and wellness. Here is how it works:

1) Fruit – Ask God to reveal the bad fruit that is present in your life (anger, fear, shame)
2) Root – Where did it come from and why? Trace bad fruit back to its bad root. Drift back in time, invite the Holy Spirit in to show you; ask God to reveal the first time you experienced the bad fruit, including first occurrences, origins and reasons.
3) Boot – Get rid of the bad roots that are producing the bad fruit. Bad fruit is always rooted in at least one of three things: wounding, sin, or ungodly beliefs.
4) Loot – Ask God what blessing He wants to give you for life and healing. Take back what was stolen. God intends for our healing and restoration to cost the enemy something.
5) Scoot – What life choices and changes do I need to make to guard our new freedom. We need to walk out and defend the new ground that has been taken from the enemy. Victory is product of both God’s power and human will and desire. We need to identify steps, decisions, and actions that should be taken to make the inner freedoms permanent.

• How to Eliminate Bad Roots 
  • Bad fruit is always rooted in at least one of three things, wounding, sin, ungodly beliefs.
  • When we partner with God to trace the bad fruit (anger, shame, guilt) back to one of these roots, we can partner with God to address the problem at the root and experience inner healing in a lasting and sustainable way.
• WOUNDING: (FORGIVE AND BLESS). 
  • Matthew 18:21-22: Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” 
  • 1. Count the debt: Make a list of all the offenses or sins the person has damaged you with. 
  • 2. Cancel the debt: “In the name of Jesus, I choose to forgive (say the person’s name) and cancel their debt to me.” 
  • 3. Repent of judging: “Jesus, I repent of judging and instead I give all judgment to You.” 
  • 4. Bless: “Lord, I bless in your name. Will you show this person how much you love them?” 
  • 5. Ask for needs to be met: “Jesus, I trust all of my needs to be met in You. Will you meet those needs?
•  SIN: (CONFESS AND REPENT) 
  • 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 
  • 1. Reveal the sin: “God, is there any place in my life that is not yielded to Your authority?” 
  • 2. Get God’s perspective: “Jesus, will You show me how this sin has impacted my life?” 
  • 3. Confess & Repent: “God, I confess I have chosen to sin, but I repent of that choice today and choose to follow You.” 
  • 4. Receive blessing: “I ask You, God, to fill the empty, clean places with Your forgiveness, blessing, and Spirit.”
• UNGODLY BELIEFS: (RENOUNCE & BELIEVE) 
  • John 8:31-32: “To those who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
  • 1. Reveal the lie: “Lord, what am I believing that causes inner struggle (feelings of anger, guilt, unworthiness, abandonment, or whatever you are wrestling with)?” 
  • 2. Hear truth: “Lord, if I have been believing a lie…what is the truth?” 
  • 3. Renounce the lie: “In the name of Jesus, I renounce the lie that (confess the lie you have been believing: you are not good enough, or you are not worthy of love, or bad things happen because something is wrong with you).” 
  • 4. Declare the truth: “I receive and declare the truth that nothing can change God’s love for me, and there is nothing I can do that will make God love me less.” Prayer leaders may use scripture to speak truth into the lie God has revealed. 

Our connection with God is our compass of joy. If the enemy tries to hijack your connection with God, simply reject his attempts. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God comes to bring life, and to bring it abundantly. When you find yourself receiving a message that is not life giving, confront it by asking God to reveal the truth about the lies of the enemy. 

Our founders can testify that when you have the courage to team up with trained prayer leaders, you will gain the advantage of teaming up together with God to free yourself from what the enemy is using to pull you into darkness. Investing in your own inner wellness is the greatest thing you can do for your family. 

Andy Reese and Jennifer Barnett have laid out the how to guide for establishing healthy relationship with God. We encourage everyone to read their book, Freedom Tools. We have provided our perspective on how the ministry works, but we encourage you to read the book yourself. Investing in yourself is the greatest thing you can do for your family. As you learn these tools, you can then use them to guide your family towards inner freedom and wellness.   

After you read the Freedom Tools, we encourage you to go through Jennifer’s book Walking in Freedom. Our founders can testify that freedom prayer has the power to transform lives.

It’s important to note that Freedom Prayer ministry is typically conducted within a Christian context and is rooted in the belief in the power of prayer, the authority of Scripture, and the work of the Holy Spirit in facilitating healing and transformation. It often complements other forms of therapy or counseling and is not intended to replace professional mental health treatment.