Often we’re more concerned with alleviating the effects (symptoms) of our problems and difficulties rather than identifying and tackling the cause of those problems – that is, getting to the root, or source.
To be blunt, that’s like brushing away spiders’ webs in the hope that we’ll be able to say ‘good riddance’ to webs ever returning. The reality is, we’ll forever be dealing with recurring webs – so long as there’s spiders there. The answer: evict the spiders.
Over the years I’ve had opportunity to share this simple principle with people and it’s been helpful in bringing release to many lives. Often a person will recognise things which might have been a bewildering feature in their ‘make-up’ for years…things about their responses to certain situations, or how they find themselves reacting to an event or an experience, even a conversation just seems to trigger feelings inside them. Somehow, a reverberation or ‘echo’ of something much deeper than what is actually ‘presenting’ triggers inexplicable responses inside us. Frequently this dynamic is written off with a glib explanation we claim, “it’s probably just part of my personality…”
That may appear reasonable when something has been present in our life for a long time – a sense of resignation tells us, “well this must be who I am…”
But it’s there’s likely another explanation. We are incredibly made by God with a physical part to our life, but importantly we have a soul and a spiritual part to us as well. Our soul is where emotions originate, while our spirit is the seat of intuition, fellowship and conscience. Together as an integrated being, we are extremely receptive to receiving information and forming perceptions far beyond just what our brain and physical senses can process…as marvellous as those faculties are!
Life events are proven to readily imprint deeply into our being- especially when shock or trauma is involved. Remarkably, we can be exposed to activating events as early on as while developing in our mother’s womb, carrying residual effects from birth, throughout a lifetime. These can be of a positive nature – or negative. I have spoken with many people whose back-stories confirm clearly how fears, insecurity, emotional feelings such as rejection, abandonment, originated en utero.
Where there is effect… there’s cause. Years ago my wife Michelle used to become highly agitated in the front passenger seat of a car – particularly driving winding roads at night. She’d cover it, but ‘applying the brakes’ and sweaty palms, said it all. A respected friend once visited us and Michelle casually asked, with no particular sense of need or expectation in mind, if he would pray with her – our friend felt to ‘pray off’ a ‘spirit of death’. Interestingly, Michelle had narrowly escaped a near fatal car accident in her late teens but we’d never connected any ongoing relevance. That prayer, brought amazing deliverance – specifically the incredible realisation of being totally, dramatically free from tormenting ‘driving’ fears. A ‘spider’ had been evicted – and no trace of a web ever returned.
The incomparable joy of experiencing freedom is God’s purpose for everyone.
