I recently saw the movie “Oz, the Great and Powerful!” James Franco plays a small town carnival magician who uses illusion, misdirection, and slight of hand to fool the locals in the small towns they perform in. He also is a bit of a cad and he flirts with the wife of the circus strongman and is found out. Pursued by the irate strongman (husband) he jumps into a hot air balloon to escape and is then driven by a tornado to a place called Oz. Upon arrival, he is believed to be a wizard prophesied to overthrow the wicked witch.
When push comes to shove and he is looked to for the answer to overcome the evil witch he admits that he is “A con man, a carnival magician, I’m just not the man you want me to be.” Glenda the Good Witch responds, “Maybe you’re capable of more than you know.”
What a wonderful picture of “good” speaking truth into the broken view that he has of himself as a man. Healing of shame, self-hatred and what I call a poverty spirit comes as our “good” Father speaks into the deficits we believe about ourselves.
To hear the loving, affirming Voice of the Father is foundational to our healing process. If we are not able to receive and contain the true words and the love that comes with those words from Him it becomes difficult to overcome our broken ways of seeing ourselves: and to overcome the false ways that we live our lives.
How can we respond to God’s loving initiative towards us if we are not able to hear His loving words?
1 John 4:19, We love because he first loved us.
So many good people struggle to believe the above verse because they have yet to grasp the love God has for them. Let me remind you of the many places in Scripture that we are told to “abide” or to “remain” present to Him. This “better place” of sitting at His feet will bring the healing we have longed for these many years.