A breaking under can be draining on so many levels. From causing shame and insecurity in our hearts, to inspiring bitterness and cynicism towards the church and other Christians, spiritual and emotional abuse by a church leader can take a toll on us. One of the most devastating results of a breaking under is it can skew our perspective away from Heaven’s narrative for our life. That’s because the devil doesn’t care if you stay a Christian and go to Heaven, but he will throw everything he can at us to make sure we don’t take anyone else with us. Getting Christians to lay down their God birthed giftings, calling, and assignments and settle for an inactive, comfortable, safe Christian country club spirituality is his goal for us. When we go through a breaking under, especially if it’s a particularly a bad one, we can lose hope for the future. The ironic thing is that as a staff pastor, lay leader or volunteer, you inspired hope for the future in Christ in others, but now are lacking this hope in God for yourself. One of the focuses for this ministry though the blog, podcast and book Broken Under Rising Above is to inspire hope to those wounded by a church leader in though times you are short of it. Here’s a few encouraging thoughts.

 

Silence is not rejection.

Silence is usually Jesus telling you to be still and know that He is God. The silence you encounter when going through a breaking under season can be painfully deafening to your soul. During good seasons and bad alike, we look for input from friends in the Lord, and the leaders we sit under. Sometimes we’re looking for feedback to let us know how we’re tracking. Other times it’s encouragement for the season. But too often when there is a spiritual and emotional wounding happening, the people who once spoke into our lives won’t even give us the time of day. That’s the symptom of a larger problem in the body of Christ and it’s leadership. However, for you the faithful leader of the Lord, it matters not – because God is in the silent moments. In the silent moments we are forced to contend with who we are in Christ, whether this contemplation is brought on by a positive or negative circumstance doesn’t matter to the Lord. He is wanting you to hear His voice because He’s saying something to you - I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. (Isaiah 41:9 NIV84). Like Israel of old, the silence of others does not mean rejection by God, it just means the Lord wants to do something different in you in the silence than He does in the noise.

 

You belong to Jesus.

But now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1 NIV84). The enemy uses Breaking under seasons to try and disconnect us from the heart of the Father. Our identity in Christ is often the first target a spiritually and emotionally abusive leader, because it’s the first place the enemy attacks us. The enemy uses everything he can, our insecurities, our personal blind spots, our shame, pride, anger, essentially whatever he can get his hands on that we give to him to break our sense of identity in Christ. Our hope for the future never rested on our gifts, charisma, influence or level of fame – it was always directly connected to the simple yet powerful fact that the Lord looks down on you and says that you are mine. His, not the enemy’s. His, not the leader who wounded you. His, not the ownership of the will of man (John 1:13). As long as you continue to win the battle of your identity, that is, as a son or daughter of King Jesus, you will always have hope for the future, because the one who never abuses, wounds or hurts is your future.