Overcoming Church HurtSample

Day 3: No Perfect Church Or People

There are no perfect churches or perfect people. We live in a fallen world where pain exists. and because of this, people, even church leaders are prone to hurt others intentionally or unintentionally. As mentioned on day 2, let’s not forget who influences evil in this world.

You and I are also prone to hurt others especially if we’ve been hurt. Don’t get me wrong, this does not excuse the hurt, pain, disappointment, abuse, or anything you experienced in a church, but I say this to help shift your perspective, so the devil doesn’t use the hurt and the particular incident to create ungodly strongholds (lies and a belief system that the devil has told you for so long, you believe it’s the absolute truth) in your mind and heart. As hard as it may be, pray for the people who hurt you.

It is easy to find a group of people who have also been hurt and chat about what happened, who did what, and why each of those people hates the church. The enemy loves this kind of pity party because the angrier you are, the more he tells you that Christians are bad, the church is bad, all they want is your money, and pastors are horrible people. Do these thoughts sound familiar? His ultimate goal is to destroy your fellowship with God and God’s people. Hebrews 10:25 tells us “not to neglect our meeting together…” Once you begin healing, participating in conversations that sow seeds of discord, slander, demean, gossip, or spread hurtful words about the people that hurt you, will only delay your healing.

COVID heightened the shift to online church, and I thank God for technology but even after the world reopened, many people still believe the lie that staying home and attending church online only, is safer and better, so they do not have to deal with church people. Does that sound like you? Isolation is one of the devil’s tactics to destroy a person. It is time to release and forgive everyone who’s ever hurt you spiritually. Allow God to handle the situation so you can find true freedom to enjoy God’s blessings and promises in Christ.

Read, internalize, and pray each scripture to deepen your faith.