Shining Freely: Overcome Your Past and Set Your Purpose Free

By Josie Muterspaw

The day we stop hiding is the day we start healing.

Running freely after the dreams God has fashioned in our hearts only happens when we learn to face and let go of the things that are holding us back. We all have our reasons for turning off the light within. Past pain, shameful experiences, hurtful words, and disappointment, make us long for certainty and safety. The problem is the protective strategies we create in the dark, wont work in the light. Bringing together personal experience, years of clinical practice, and Gods Word, Josie guides readers in discovering the limiting mindsets and protective strategies that keep our hearts far from healing and our lights hidden.

Healing starts with awareness. What we arent aware of we simply cannot heal, and we end up living imprisoned by our own minds. By identifying and exposing the limiting mindsets holding us back, we can begin to rebuild our lives on the truth of how God sees us. Shining Freely gracefully leads us on this journey of self-discovery so that our hearts become free to shine for Christ. Topics include:

Identifying Key Hinderances to Healing

Self-discovery

Emotional Awareness

Healing Invisible Scars

Habits That Promote Change

Discovering the Light Within

Hearing Gods Heart

A special chapter is devoted to the healing power of rest. All freedom begins with rest and learning to allow, God, the greatest dance partner of all, to lead the way!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973625230

Josie Muterspaw

Josie is a speaker, author, and professional clinical counselor who has spent the majority of her career helping others find both freedom from their painful past and a renewed sense of purpose. In her work with people who have felt broken, damaged, and not enough, she has witnessed their struggle to hope again, and it has molded her passion to become an outspoken voice for those who are held back by their past. Her message of healing is driven by the desire to see others set free to share their unique God-designed light with the world! After many hard lessons, it became obvious to Josie that no program can surpass an encounter with God. True healing comes when Gods heart and perspective intersect with our broken places. This realization lead Josie and her husband, Nathan, to create Shine Healing Ministries and Selah Ranch. Their goal is to see women, families, and ministry leaders reset, restored, and empowered to shine their light in this world! Josie is a wife, a momma to two girls, and a Buckeye (O-H-I-O) through and through! She loves her quiet time, country air, and all furry creatures great and small!

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Copyright © 2018 Josie Muterspaw.

Copy Editor: Caroll Shreeve

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2522-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-2523-0 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/04/2018

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Turning on the Lights

Chapter 2 The Avoidance Trap

Chapter 3 Discovering You

Chapter 4 Limiting Mindsets, Protective Strategies,and Self-Promises

Chapter 5 Discovering God—The Source of Our Hope

Chapter 6 Discovering Forgiveness

Chapter 7 The Unfortunate Result of a Closed Heart

Chapter 8 Revealing God’s Perspective

Chapter 9 Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty

Chapter 10 Rebuilding a New View

Chapter 11 Shining Your Light

Chapter 12 Discovering Rest

Notes

Appendix 1: Further Reading

Appendix 2: Ministry Information

About the Author

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scriptures and additional materials quoted are from the Good News Bible © 1994 published by the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible© American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017 by BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Dedication and Special Thanks

To my family and friends who put up with me during this long journey of personal transformation and to all my clients who inspired me along the way! You are the bravest and strongest women I have ever had the privilege to know.

INTRODUCTION

I decided it was time—time to pick up my pen and step beyond the borders of my comfort zone. I want to be a light in dark places, and I realized that my pen could be that light. A light that helps others see and heal from emotional scars that have caused them to hide for most of their lives. My hope is the words etched within these pages, light the way to greater levels of freedom in your life. Let me lend you a hand and be an encouraging voice that gives you the courage to overcome your past and shine your light in this world.

My day job as a trauma specialist and professional clinical counselor has given me the opportunity to witness a troubling trend. They say that only two percent of people are successful in accomplishing their dreams. After twelve years of listening to the common thoughts that consume the heart, I am confident I understand why. I see these amazing women walk through my door day in and day out all chained to the similar haunting belief I’m not enough. This belief in some form or another has robbed ninety-eight percent of us from becoming the light we were created to be.

This book is for the ninety-eight percent of us who struggle to feel worthy in one area or another, and it stops us from going after the dream God has fashioned in our hearts! God has placed within each one of us a unique light just waiting to be set free. The only difference between the two percent of people who achieve their dream and the ninety-eight percent who don’t is that the two percent believe there is something greater within them worthy to be shared, and they refuse to entertain any thought to the contrary.

Now don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t just about believing you can and everything will work out perfectly. For true change to occur, we must not only believe differently but also act differently. Every one of us has been exposed to experiences that have the potential to produce beliefs that turn into rigid mindsets that hold us back. These mindsets produce protective strategies that keep us chained to our past. In order to heal, there are things we will need to learn to let go of so that we can receive the freedom that God has in store for us! Shining Freely is about discovering the limiting mindsets and protective strategies that are holding us back and learning to trust God with our hearts, so that he can set us free.

WHY SHINING FREELY?

I am kind-of a dictionary nerd. I get excited about word meanings. When I titled the book Shining Freely it was because of the depth of meaning underlying these words. Shining means to give out and reflect bright light, and freely means without restriction or interference. Isn’t that what we all want as Christians—to reflect Christ in our lives and do so without any hinderance? More than anything, I believe we all have a calling on our lives to be this light in our world and to not let anything hinder us from sharing it! The problem is our painful experiences can get in the way. They make us feel like we are unworthy of shining the light that is within, and we come to believe things that are contrary to God’s truth and lose sight of who we are—light bearers!

When we accept Christ into our hearts, he automatically becomes a part of us. We are not light without him. Paul said, but now you have the very light of our Lord shining through you because of your union with him (Ephesians 5:7, TPT). The healing process centers around this truth—healing isn’t something we accomplish on our own. Instead it is something we realize is within us. Ephesians 5:13 tells us that Whatever the revelation-light exposes, it will also correct, and everything that reveals truth is light to the soul (TPT). There are simply things that our hearts hold that need the light of God’s truth to set us free. As we learn to submit to God’s process and allow his light to accomplish in us what only he can, we will shine without restriction. Our lights were never meant to remain hidden. No, we were created to shine freely for all to see (Matt. 5:14, NLT).

THE SHINING FREELY JOURNEY

I began this journey not realizing where the path would lead. As I dove head first into every chapter, experiencing what I will be asking of you, I began to feel new levels of freedom in my life. I’ll admit, it wasn’t always pretty, but the end result was more than I could ever have dreamed of. I realized this book was as much for me as is it for you. We all have things that we are unaware of that are holding us back. Shame researcher, Brené Brown, says we all have it. Shame slips into every one of our hearts silently and places chains on us that hinder us from moving forward. If you’re saying, Oh, no that’s not me, I don’t feel shame, I’d ask you to look again. To be human is to experience deep hurt, moments we can’t explain, disappointments, and being misunderstood. These unrecognized wounds can direct us in ways we never want to see or admit. If you are curious and want to discover what parts of your past may be driving you, then dare to take this journey with me. You will find you are not alone in your struggle.

This book is not designed to be a complete treatment program, but more of an awareness journey. The main intent is to bring awareness and revelation to your heart, so that you can grow in your relationship with God and discover the things that are keeping you from being all you were created to be. My hope is to guide you to the possibility of perceiving yourself in an entirely new way and to give you the tools to connect the dots in areas of your life that have been gray and confusing. What I have come most to understand about healing is that it is an intentional decision each of us alone must make.

However, some of our experiences are too complex for self-help alone and may require the assistance of a professional. If you are feeling stuck and can’t seem to make sense of things that are brought to your awareness, I highly suggest you find a professional to walk alongside you.

MORE TOOLS FOR YOUR TOOL BOX

There are further tools provided at the end of each chapter called Lighting the Way. It has been my experience, personally and professionally, that awareness, prayer, God’s Word, and focus are powerful tools that guide our healing journey! Therefore, I have included a place for personal reflection, a prayer, scripture, and what I call the Shine Mentality focus for each chapter. Your focus will either block your progress or open the door to greater levels of freedom in your life. Martial Arts World Champion Michael Chandler says, Ninety percent of success is between the ears. He has learned that the first battle he has to fight before ever stepping into the ring with someone else is the battle within himself. He said, Every time I go into battle, I focus on talking to myself. If I sit and listen to myself, I’m going to hear negativity, doubt, and fear. But if I choose what gets dwelt on, I’m in the driver’s seat.

Many of us have been listening for way too long. The lies from our past feel like truth so much so that the promises that lay before us in God’s Word are what seem false and unobtainable. It is time to start talking to ourselves. That is what the Shine Mentality is all about. We must choose to dwell on the one and only truth that will lead to victory in this battle—God’s Word! Because the right mindsets lead to the right dreams—God-size dreams. So, I encourage you to use this section to reflect, pray, soak in the truth of God’s Word, and create your own personal version of the mindset shift you need to be intentional about pursuing in order to get the results you are seeking.

NEXT STEPS

Knowledge alone does not equate to change—awareness plus action does! That is why I have created the companion 40-Day Journey devotional and guide to provide you with daily actions steps that will help you walk in freedom. My hope is to make an overwhelming process feel more possible and to provide you with valuable resources that light a path to your purpose in Christ.

Be sure to also get connected with even more resources through our website at shinehealing.org and join us for one of our, in-person Freedom 23 Experiences! But for now, let’s get started learning how to become a part of the two percent of people who shine their light freely and boldly! Darkness has no choice but to flee, when we allow God’s light in to set us free!

A FEW POWER VERSES TO BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY

Second Samuel 22:29 (NIV)

You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light.

Isaiah 60:1 (AMP)

Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come, and the glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you.

Psalm 107:14 (NIV)

He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.

Isaiah 42:16 (NIV)

I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Mark 4:21–22 (MSG)

Jesus went on: Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don’t you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open.

Daniel 2:22 (TLB)

He reveals profound mysteries beyond man’s understanding. He knows all hidden things, for he is light, and darkness is no obstacle to him.

John 1:5 (NIV)

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Ephesians 5:9 (GNT)

It is light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Ephesians 5:13(TPT)

Whatever the revelation-light exposes, it will also correct, and everything that reveals truth is light to the soul.

CHAPTER 1

Turning on the Lights

Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.

—Brené Brown

At the heart of any matter we wrestle with are things that elude us, things we just don’t understand. It has amazed me how many times I’ve heard over the years, I just didn’t realize that was still bothering me or I never would have guessed that incident from my past was connected to this. It is a common experience. We are avoiders by nature. No one enjoys peering into their pain. The problem is what we aren’t willing to see, we can’t heal; without light, we remain in the dark.

Ephesians 5:9 (GNT) says, It is light that brings about a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. In order for us to experience God’s goodness, righteousness, and truth, light is necessary. When we allow God’s light into the places we want no one else to see, truth can be found and God’s goodness experienced. When we lay our hurt, brokenness, and shame before him, he gladly exchanges it with his righteousness and acceptance. All he is asking for is our willingness. Unfortunately, this proves harder than we might think. Sometimes we are too afraid of what we will find.

My clients are always referring to the fear of the unknowns that will emerge from looking deeper. After all, light makes the invisible visible and forever changes how we experience what’s right in front of us. God’s truth is that light. The light that makes visible the perceptions that are keeping us bound and far from healing. I pray this book is full of light bulb—aha—moments that completely change how you see yourself and the painful moments you’ve walked through.

May you find the courage in the pages that follow to face the fear of what you might find so that you can discover who God has always intended you to be. When we allow God to shed his perspective on the painful moments we want to keep hidden, we give ourselves the opportunity not to change the past but to change where we are headed.

Over the last thirteen years as a professional clinical counselor, I have come to realize how unaware we are of wounds that keep us bound. I have witnessed many light-bulb moments while sitting across from my clients who, for the first time, realized a connection from their past that was influencing their actions in the present. The problem is it’s an all too common experience to repeat the past and not even realize we are doing it. Especially, with wounds that have been left unaddressed and pushed down under the surface.

We all have our reasons for turning off the lights. Only you can decide when you are ready to turn them back on. But just remember no light equals no healing. Healing begins with awareness—being willing to acknowledge your story and all it contains.

THE FOUR BUILDING BLOCKS TO HEALING

In the quiet space of my office walls I saw it time and time again—women grappling with the idea of what healing would look like for them. Sadly, most of them couldn’t picture it. They wanted direction. They wanted to know how, but simply had no idea where to begin. Many doubted that there was a path to healing for them at all. This propelled me to find a way to make a complex concept like healing more understandable because what we can’t see, we end up viewing as out of reach.

The four building block’s that follow form the foundation for healing as I have come to understand it through God’s Word. It’s simple, but in no-way does that imply that it is easy. The truth is healing is an intentional practice where we walk out the four building blocks of awareness, revealing, rebuilding, and shining as a lifestyle. We bravely hold our hurting hearts open before a God whose perspective is always life-giving and life-changing. It is a process—a process of fighting the old to embrace the new and learning to become an open vessel filled and spilling over with God’s Truth so that all other views are washed away.

So, let’s dive in with eyes wide open and discover what the four building blocks to healing can look like for you.

Awareness: Opening Our Eyes.

The first building block required in healing is awareness. Awareness is about opening our eyes and discovering what is blocking our progress. We have to look for and identify the obstacles and debris that have piled up within our hearts. The debris most often created by