You Are Not Alone

Dory at Wittenberg Gate has an excellent series of posts on something I have been very vocal about since we birthed MoltenThought. It's a must read for anyone who has experienced or is experiencing abuse in the Church.

For me, this problem was addressed by a book I have mentioned here more than once, "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse," by Johnson and VanVonderen. But Dory's take is also very helpful. He sheds light on the issues surrounding spiritual abuse and points out that while Scripture is very vocal about this, followers of Christ are seldom willing to call people out on their behavior. Why? Because the abuser hides behind the institution, with the full knowledge that because he is in charge, his accusers can be more readily disposed of.

A particularly moving message from Dory:

Let me end this... with some encouragement. A manipulative person may successfully deceive men, but he will never deceive God. God may allow wickedness to escape the judgment of men, and He may allow His people to become victims of evil deeds. However, as in all things, God is sovereign and His will will be done. It is His will that all things will work out for the good of those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose. Therefore, we, the people of God, can trust that any trials that have come our way will be used for our good, as well as for the glory of God. Perhaps they will enable us to help others similarly afflicted. Perhaps they will strengthen our faith in God by shaking our faith in men or our faith in our works.

As with all of our troubles, our comfort is in the cross of Christ. God Himself has done for us all that we need. He is our salvation; He is our protection; He is our justice. We need to remember that these things are in His hands. When we remember that God holds all power to keep and to save, we can also know that our abuser has no power over us at all. Our abuser's words cannot condemn us when our Advocate is Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Father and pleads our cause. If the God of All Creation finds our pitiful souls worth dying for, the opinion of a mere man can't alter His opinion. And God assures us in His Word that He will never turn away those who call upon His name. If you are willing to call upon Him it is because He has made you so, and He has made you so because it is His will to make you His own. No one whom He wills to make His own will be snatched from His hand by an abuser or anyone else. So let us stop trying to please men and serve appearances, and lay our sins and our weaknesses before God in repentance and in trust.