Posts by Victim to Victor

I was sexually, mentally, emotionally and verbally abused by my father as far back as I can remember until I left home at the age of eighteen. He did many terrible things…some which are too distasteful for me to talk about publicly. But I want to share my testimony because so many people have been hurt, and they need to realize that someone has made it through their struggles so they can have hope.

More than anything, I want you to know and really understand that anyone who has been abused can fully recover if they will give their life completely to Jesus.

What Does “Abuse” Mean?

The sound is seared into my memory. Heavy footsteps. Pounding. Screaming. A storm of violence on the other side of my bedroom wall. More heavy footsteps and a slammed door. Eerie silence.
I was just seven years old when my mom’s boyfriend, the father of my younger brother, terrorized our family. He was a jealous, controlling man with a volcanic temper. If another man as much as looked at Mom on the street, she was in for a beating.
My brother and I cowered, terrified. When the storm had passed, I crept through the apartment, eventually finding my mom sprawled unconscious and bloody. I ran into the hall and knocked on neighbors’ doors. No one dared answer. I had to go to the bar next door to call 911 on a pay phone.

Your friend has just told you that they have been sexually assaulted, abused, stalked or raped and you want to support them but you’re not sure what they need. Maybe it happened to them decades ago, in childhood, or maybe it was as recent as today. You want to help your friend in any way you can. Situations may vary, but here are 5 tips for friends of survivors.

Has a painful childhood or life experience left you feeling broken? You CAN heal and take back your life!  Learn how to overcome emotional trauma with help from God’s Word.

The emotional trauma you experienced when a painful life circumstance took place may have been a one-time event or recurring over a period of years. Maybe it was the way your dad left your family and never came back. Or the loss of a loved one at a tender time in your life. Or maybe it was physical or emotional abuse. Either way, it left a mark. And you can’t seem to shake it.

The NSPCC explains what parents can do if their child reveals they have been sexually abused. How should we react? What do we say? How do we report abuse? There is never a right or wrong way to feel when your child has told you they have been abused. Quite often it will be a mixture of shock, anger, horror, disgust and helplessness. 

Our words have creative power. When we speak something out, we give it the right to come to pass. It’s one thing to believe you’re healed, but when you say, “I am healed,” that releases the healing. It’s not enough to just believe you have favor, that you’re blessed, that you’re going to fulfill your dreams. The Scripture says the spirit of faith is in our words. When you say, “I have favor and I’m coming out of debt,” good breaks will find you, the right people will track you down. You can think positive, believe for favor, and pray for God’s blessings—that’s all good—but nothing happens until you speak.

In this corona era, many local communities are reporting up to a 50% decrease in 911 calls in general but a 20% increase in domestic violence calls. There is no surprise here. When we first heard the news of orders to shelter in place, many of us immediately thought about what that would mean for women and children who are battered or sexually abused in their homes. Basically it meant being locked up with one’s abuser, having limited access to help from the outside, and limited opportunity to escape.

Some of you recognize Lacey Sturm as the former lead singer for the alternative rock band Flyleaf and now as a solo artist. If you’re not familiar with her journey to new life in Christ, it’s an amazing story. Lacey Sturm was just 10 years old when her three-year-old cousin was beaten to death by his stepfather. The tragedy rocked Lacey’s world so hard that she lost all assurance that God noticed or cared about her.

By now you’ve likely seen the images of the maddening maelstrom outside the White House last Thursday night following President Trump’s acceptance speech to conclude the final night of the Republican National Convention. Mobs of individuals behaving in a vile and vicious manner harassing and haranguing departing attendees, including Senator Rand Paul and his wife, Kelley.

The longer I live, the more I realize how strong a connection exists between our thoughts and our words. I honestly believe that this connection is one of the most important things we can learn in our lives.  
So many people’s problems are rooted in their way of thinking, which can actually produce a lot of the problems they experience.  
How does this happen?