I recently finished taking a SOZO class offered at Bethel. SOZO stands for saved, healed, and delivered. It’s a gentle inner healing/deliverance ministry where the focus is to get to the root cause of those things hindering our personal connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not only did I take the beginners training course, I also had my own SOZO appointment at the Bethel Transformational Center.
My SOZO appointment indeed proved to be transformational in my own life. Did you know we gain a lot of freedom when we forgive? J It’s true. Forgiveness is actually the key to freedom. A large portion of this ministry is helping others forgive as well as identifying lies and exchanging them with truth. I took the class because I’m very interested in helping people receive inner healing. Little did I know how much inner healing I would receive as a result of being equipped to bring healing to others...so thankful.
During one of the classes I watched a picture of true love unfold before my very own eyes. There was a ministry time at the end of each class. So during one of the classes, they invited anyone who was feeling hopeless regarding dreams they had to come forward to receive prayer and encouragement. I wasn't feeling hopeless so I didn't go forward for prayer. Instead I stayed in my seat and asked God if indeed I did need to go forward (just to check). When I still didn’t feel the need to go forward for prayer I lifted my head and observed the ministry at the front of the church. There was a long line of people waiting to receive prayer. As I watched the scene unfold, there was a middle-aged lady that caught my eye. She was one of the prayer servants ministering to those waiting in line. The next person to receive prayer was a young man who looked to be in his 20s. She looked at him with such a pure love with joy on her face (yes – she was smiling!) and grabbed his hand and pulled him close as a mother would embrace a son to pray for him. To me it was a picture of God saying through her actions, come here my child - I'm in a good mood, and I love you. In fact I like you. I accept you - there's no judgment or condemnation here. Let's just take care of this thing that's weighing you down and free you to know my love for you and to live out my plans for you. And then let's party!
Watching that one act of this woman loving a younger brother in Christ through her invitation to prayer with no trace of judgment or condemnation gave me a whole new glimpse of what it really means to love each other - what it really means to love as God loves us. It was a glimpse of true love. She approached him with care, with grace, with joy, with hope, with honor, and with true love. How was she able to do this? I think it’s because she’s had a revelation of the Father’s love for her previously….much like God gave me a revelation of His love for me (for anyone really) through her actions. And out of that revelation of God’s love for her, she spread the Father’s love she had received.
There's so much love, honor, and grace lived out here at Bethel that I'm just blown away. They are the real deal. I’ve been here for almost three months now, and I can testify that this is the kind of love that is demonstrated daily. And it makes all the difference. It has brought me a lot of inner healing to just be in this environment where religion (striving to perform and being legalistic about rules/laws) has been exchanged for a true love relationship with Papa God. It’s a relationship where grace really trumps condemnation and unconditional love truly embraces you exactly where you’re at and draws you to a new place where you become a better you. Why? Because when you allow yourself to be loved by your Creator, you can’t help but become a better you and you can’t help but love others in the same way. The love He gives us is so full and abundant that it can’t help but be spilled out on other people. Just like this woman demonstrated love. Because of the true love she has received from Papa God, the love she experienced overflowed into this young man’s life. And then it impacted me – a mere observer – or so I thought. I love how God whispers to us and encounters us even when it appears that we’re simply observing. So even though you may not be here with me experiencing all of the things I am first hand, I believe you can still receive so much from the Lord as you “observe” what He’s doing here at Bethel. With that said, I pray God encounters you right where you’re at in such a way that you know His true love for you at a greater level – with new revelation that reveals the Father’s heart for you. And as you receive that love, watch out, it can’t help but spill out on those around you! That’s good news, my friend. Don’t you think?
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