By Kathi Pelton

“The pain behind us often blocks us from the joy ahead.”

I heard this said recently and it hit deep!

I have been hearing from so many people throughout the body of Christ that God has brought them into a place of deep healing. It is happening to people who didn’t even know that they were functioning out of a cycles and internal-systems that allowed them to be high functioning while not having to deal with deep rooted pain. 

The Spirit of God said to me,

“THESE INTERNAL SYSTEMS ARE NOTHING LESS THAN BROKEN CISTERNS!”

Jeremiah 2:13 (NIV): “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

Now, let me be clear, in Jeremiah 2 God is speaking to his people who had utterly turned away from him (forsaken him for the lusts of the flesh). I do not believe that most people are intending to sin or forsake God when they try to manage deeply painful situations that touch their lives. Yet, when we don’t trust God with our pain and we don’t stop long enough to deal with it— we inevitably establish internal systems (cisterns) that make a place for sin to enter. We depend on ourselves and use flesh to protect ourselves. 

When we forsake his refuge and begin to manage our lives (our trauma/pain) in our own strength— we open up that space in our lives to enemy forces. Our flesh (strength), apart from God, is corrupt therefore the internal systems that we establish to protect our lives from past pain will also introduce corruption. These systems become broken cisterns! It is rarely intentional or even deliberate, but nonetheless— corruption comes in and living water is not contained. 

I want to be clear and transparent, “I too am being healed and set free of broken cisterns (systems) caused by past pain.” 

Within the process of allowing the Holy Spirit to search me and know me— every part of me— I have to be willing to see and repent (and be healed) of the places where sin was introduced by dependency on my flesh (my strength) rather than receiving his springs of living water to wash and renew my soul. 

We often view sin as those greater evils that we deem as worse than other sins: adultery, stealing, perversions, etc. But we must recognize that when we withhold part of our hearts (souls) from God, we have entered into a place of forsaking him, not trusting him and separating part of ourselves from him. 

The areas that do not belong to God but have become slaves to a hard taskmaster.  Like the children of Israel under the harsh conditions of slavery under Pharaoh’s rule — the bricks of pain get heavier and the strength of our flesh grows weaker as we remain in our captivity. 

But the Lord has come and announced, “LET MY PEOPLE GO!”

It’s not a momentary thing — it’s a process. It takes trust, faith, repentance, vulnerability and humility. It may even require you to cross your own personal Red Sea of pain and fear. The insurmountable obstacle that has separated you from joy and freedom.  

The Lord is with you— his rod and staff are there to comfort you and to part the sea of fear that has laid before you.

As you pass through he will heal you. 

Your DELIVERER is with you— to heal you and set you free. 

Psalm 144:2: “My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge.”

Isaiah 12:2: “Look, God is my deliverer! I will trust in him and not fear. For the LORD gives me strength and protects me; he has become my deliverer.”

God is exchanging broken cisterns for LIVING WATER!

Broken cisterns have cracks that cannot contain living water, rendering  them useless! But when God becomes our absolute refuge— we are able to hold and contain the living water that  refreshes us, becomes our source of life, imparts truth to us, and gives us lasting joy.  

(Apart from receiving the living water, we are forced to replace it with temporary comforts that have to be continuously replaced.)

Let us run to the source of living water. Let us drink from the fountain that never runs dry and let us be HEALED!

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