Spiritual Abuse

Abuse. One word but a word that conjures hurt, disappointment, pain, a sense of helplessness, anger, frustration….the list goes on.

The Church in Biblical context is Christ. Christ is Jesus as the Head and His body (the congregation).

Jesus is the epitome of love. All accounts of Him represent peace and kindness.

The Church whom He calls His bride does not always represent the kindness of the Master. Ironic, the bride, i.e. women, are said to be the weaker sex in the Bible (representing the gentleness of their nature).

How then does the Bride go so far at times so much so that abuse dares to happen within God’s own ‘marital home’?

I am not talking about physical or sexual abuse. Yes, that happens too. That cannot be discounted nor ignored. But I am talking about that subtle abuse, that abuse called spiritual abuse.

I am talking about abuse that wounds the spirit and pierces the soul. These are the inner core of your being.

The wounds and scars on one’s physical body will decay into the earth. Alas the spirit and soul lives forever. And therefore we must do everything to protect our true self.

The Church is for the perfecting of saints. Even leaders are being perfected. And that is why we must always pray for our leaders. And that is why we as Christians must NOT be spiritually abusive. Watch and pray!

No one is above the judgement of God. Absolutely no one.

There are 3 words that got stuck in my mind some years back. It was from a renowned preacher whom I respect a lot. Finding himself between death and life, as he was coming back to life, he heard these words in his spirit…DON’T BLOW IT!

It was a warning from God. God had added years to his life but was giving the preacher a stern caution. One that we all do well to pay heed as Christians.

One day, we will give account for every bullying word. One day we will give account for every threat. One day we will give account for every intimidation. That we dare to do in His Name.

One day we will give account for all our ‘subordinates’ and how we mistreated them. One day we will give account for taking away the power of choice which even God never took away. That we dare to do for His sake.

One day we will give account for the lies we told to get ahead and the tender feet of those we stepped on. All because we were just too ambitious for ourselves in ministry. All we claim to do for Him.

One day, we will give account for all those we coerced into doing things they knew deep down was not right but they did because we used our ‘power’.

One day we will give account for the camps and factions we helped form in the Groom’s home.

And one day, we will give account for why we turned His house of peace and love into a War Zone of abuse!

Read 6 Massive Signs of Spiritual Abuse

About The Author

Zoe

Zoe met Eze (Chuck) in the 14th year of what turned out to be an 18 year ‘journey’ with mental illness. They got married less than a year of meeting with Zoe fully knowing Chuck had a diagnosis of mental illness. In the 18th year, Chuck defied the odds of mental illness. A consultant psychiatrist signed him off the mental health system with a bill of NO MENTAL ILLNESS. The consultant was so amazed by Chuck’s astonishing recovery that he even questioned how Chuck was diagnosed with mental illness all those years before, in the first place! Today Chuck is free from medication, its dependency and hospitalizations. Zoe’s award nominated book, DEFYING THE ODDS, chronicles the highs and ‘lows’ of this journey. Zoe, often writing from the standpoint of a caregiver, clearly understands that mental illness does not only affect an individual challenged with the disease, but also families, marriages and society as a whole.

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