Continuing the Conversation with God Gives Us Confidence

Welcome to De-Commissioned, a place for former members of the Great Commission movement (aka GCM, GCC, GCAC, GCI, the Blitz) to discuss problems they've experienced in the association's practices and theology.

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[Janet Easson Martin]

Jordan1984, God Bless You for speaking up for yourself and for others reading hear who also have been spiritually abused. I very much agree it is a big step in healing to label our abuse, and to realize we were under harmful shepherding. You are correct, that no amount of sin makes spiritual abuse okay.

I am so glad you are healing and growing in the confidence of the beloved person you are in Christ. Thank you for speaking up to potentially thousands of victims of spiritual abuse by GCx. Your voice likely represents a hundred others.

Rejoicing with you that you are taking YOUR STORY back! God definitely restores the years the locusts have eaten. He even gives double for our loss. Somehow my own relationship with God just keeps getting better. (Not that there aren’t troubles.)

Been thinking recently about God’s treatment of us as his children. His word says he disciplines us always to correct us (for our good) —never to punish us. “He is always leading us in His triumph.” Elated He will never forsake us.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins
or repaid us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are dust.

Psalm 103:10-14  

Here is an affirmation I like to claim about my purity and position in Christ:

My sin has been so entirely blotted out and atoned for
that its power to keep me away from God is completely and forever taken away.

[Janet Easson Martin]

It has taken me years to heal from leaving GCX. My formula is simply grace + truth over time. It takes time to heal. And I was stuck in the lie that because I left a church on bad terms, that I couldn’t be saved or forgiven. But that’s simply not true. Even if you walk in darkness for long periods of time, even when darkness is your closest friend, God can still come through.

-Jordan1984,   2020



Yes, God will surely have compassion on all our ruins as we bring them to him and trust him to turn them into gardens!! By the way, almost always leaving a GCx Church no matter how has been an automatic condemnation (said or implied) by them. Their definition of sin as it relates to “loyalty” is quite false.

Paralyzing shame is often a bad fruit of being under spiritual abuse. We falsely are taught and believe that God is distant from us. Often false teaching wrongly persuades we are turning away from God when we don’t do such and such, or don’t follow their traditions. Condemnation from false teaching makes us feel and believe we are distant from God, but it simply isn’t true. The Bible talks about false teachers coming between our savior and us, stealing the joy of our acceptance by Him, communication with Him, and freedom in Him.

We may have lost heavenly rewards and hurt ourself and others when we turn away from God and go our own way, but we NEVER LOSE our relationship with God! If we have truly received him then we have the RIGHT to be His child and live with Him always and forever.

I like your formula for healing above: Grace & Truth. Here is a brief excerpt from Dr. Henry Cloud on the debilitating shame even continual spiritual condemnation without grace produces:


I can tell that you’re very depressed... Laurel had, had many years of “truth without grace.” As a result, she was experiencing bad feelings and failure. Everywhere she turned, she ran into some “should,” and very little acceptance.

Truth without grace is judgment, and it can kill someone’s spirit. True love is grace and truth together.

-Dr. Henry Cloud

https://www.boundaries.me/blog/the-devastating-results-of-spiritual-abuse-shaming

[Janet Easson Martin]

What beautiful words!



Phillipians 4 - God’s Peace - Bible in Song

https://youtu.be/Wdiqc-WLVAs?si=L2r3Gqh4KVcCUbPF

[Janet Easson Martin]

Continuing the Conversation with God
Stills Our Soul Deep Within

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5 and (again in) 11

There was something that began to be at unrest in my life. Nearly once a week I went through this. Identifying it was confusing and out of reach. I couldn’t really relax in that surrounding. Perhaps it was me who was out of whack, worried “I wasn’t spiritual enough.” Wrestling with this unrest was somewhat a burden. I even preferred to avoid it, though I knew way down that wasn’t the real solution. I continued to question my own confusion. What a mess that can become.

Finally, I began talking to God about it. Just talking it through with him. Telling him how much it seemed to pain me inside and chip away at my joy. It felt better to talk with my father in heaven about this burden. I didn’t get the immediate answers I was hoping for. But I did get more of a sense of stillness. Since I was regularly in these circumstances, the unrest still nagged at me. I believe I felt God Telling me to wait for his answer. Some verses, I read in my daily time with him did speak to my deliverance. I knew God wanted me to put my whole dependence upon His Word.

Weeks and months went by requiring me to be in the surroundings, but now with my focus more on my help from heaven. One thing that greatly helped me was to be concerned simply with pleasing him and not men. This gave me more confidence.

After sometime, I came right out and asked God (as if I was meeting with him in person), “What is it that is bothering me?” That cry came from deep within my soul and his response spoke to me in that deep place. The answer was a little unexpected, but identified my anxiety which was important to consider and contemplate.

I asked him again another day like people I read about in the Bible who needed confirmation. This time God met me at the deeper place in my soul with more clarified gut facts. It was like seeing a very helpful and discerning counselor. That quiet but trusting moment of waiting and hearing an answer deep within was so cool —comforting that He cared so much about me. Then, confirmation through another believer validated my anxiety and God’s answer. God’s personally meeting me in my deepest need has settled my soul. It has given me the confidence to keep looking for his guidance to get through it; and has stilled my soul more than words can describe. I am SO praising Him!

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls…

Psalm 42:7