OVERCOMING THE TRAUMA OF SEXUAL ABUSE
BY JOY ELIZABETH HELLMANN
Copyright 2018 Joy Elizabeth Hellmann. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the author.
Disclaimer: Some names have been changed.
Published by:
PO BOX 1072
Pinehurst, TX 77362
LifeWiseBooks.com
Cover Design and Interior Layout | Yvonne Parks | PearCreative.ca
To contact the author:
www.JoyElizabeth.org
ISBN (Print): 978-1-947279-40-7
ISBN (Ebook): 978-1-947279-41-4
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to the thousands of sexual abuse victims who have suffered wounds from not being heard or understood. I dedicate it to those who were most certainly not believed, and the most tragic, not being protected. This is for those of you who have been violated through sex trafficking, by relatives, church members, leadership authorities, Satanic ritual abuses, or by total strangers. By His grace, I have cooperated with my most loving Savior who has been with me, guiding me to a completed healing in this area. I do believe He has completed this miraculous healing within me, and will do the same in you, which will be my deeper satisfaction, and weightier reward.
I pray He will bring His rays of light into any darkness of soul. I pray His Spirit of Healing into infected wounds while imparting the inspiration to proceed forward, in this, your unique journey. You are precious in His sight. He cares. He listens. He understands. He alone is the healing solution for our whole man (spirit, soul, body). He has an individual plan for your heart and recompense for your assaults. He wants to walk you out of the trauma and out of torment. His power is so much greater and His light so much brighter than any darkness you have experienced. I pray you experience His healing presence washing over every cell in your body as I share the secrets of my journey with you. In Jesus name.
DEEPEST APPRECIATION AND THANKS
I would like to first thank my Savior, who is the Mighty Counselor, for His loving, healing, and faithful power in my life. He is my healer and has done oh so well, in this great task of saving me. He used a variety of methods, resources, counselors, and mentors to ensure healing and wholeness from sexual abuse. However, I know with certainty who was behind each face, each book, each tool. It was my beautiful, most loving friend, Jesus Christ.
If it wasnt for Jesus empowering those He strategically brought into my life, they would not have had the grace to walk me through such heartache. Because they had willing hearts and open minds, Jesus was able to flow through these individuals with miraculous power that only comes from Him. These rare ones are the heroes in my story. God uses people to heal people. Sometimes we need Jesus with skin on, so to speak, to get the job done.
I thank these brave, selfless individuals who cooperated with the Lord to bring about the healing I needed, to become the whole person I am today.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
It has finally arrived! There is a move of God taking place in the world and in His church that is bringing a supernatural awareness of the prolonged and nightmarish issues of sexual abuse. This is happening prophetically and strategically by the grace and love of God. Its amazing to watch these God happenings unfold before our very eyes. Ive asked myself the questions, Is this for real? Can it be? After so many years of constant cover-up, now truth is being brought into the light. Are we finally being heard and taken seriously? Furthermore, are those in authority helping those who have been defenseless? Is awareness on the topic finally causing a monumental shift, sounding the alarm that sexual abuses have, and will forever be, inexcusable?
I hear God answering with a resounding, Yes, and this move is here to stay!
In all of history, we have never seen a day such as this. It has finally arrived. Many hearts will experience long-awaited relief. Help is on the way! Dont give up, today is a new day. No more hopeless wishing. No more delay.
I desire to give you, precious survivor, a gift of wisdom, that will allow you to make some substantial shortcuts in your healing journey. Please keep the following in mind as you read: I have written every word of this book with love and compassion for those who have experienced sexual assault. You matter, your pain matters. I labor in love to show you this with my words. I want you to feel and experience the love you never imagined you would ever experience. It is only by Gods grace that I have cooperated with Him. Jesus is a loving Savior who has been with me, guiding me to a completed healing in this area. I believe He is The Redeemer! I do believe He has completed this miraculous healing not just for me, but for you, survivor. You are the one I write my story for.
CHAPTER 1
choices
SALVATION
I was five years old living in Mobile, Alabama. One evening my dad and I were watching a biography of the life of Elvis Presley. While I was watching, I remember a strange compassion started to roll over my heart. I had never felt anything like it. I was filled with deep concern for Elvis salvation. Strange, right? But this was just how it began. God used normal, ordinary happenings to reveal Himself to me. He was (and is) always speaking. This compassion did not let up. There was a beautiful presence that intensified, and continued to increase, as if to tell me I should go and be alone. So, I went into my bathroom where I stood overwhelmed with so much love, conviction, and reverential fear, though I did not know exactly why yet.
I was standing in the corner of that little bathroom when a dramatic scene began to unfold. The Spirit of God gave me one of my greatest giftsan encounter with Jesus. He was indescribable love. I recognized immediately that I was a sinner in need of a Savior, but also that the choice was up to me. I knew I needed Him in this life as well as in the life to come. I thank God to this day for the awareness of the lost state I would be in without Him.
These scriptures explain exactly how I felt: For I was born a sinneryes, even from the moment my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:5; NLT).
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of Gods glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood (Romans 3:23-25; NLT).
In this moment, I knew Jesus was real. He was only love, and He loved me beyond my capacity to explain. I started to cry saying, I want Jesus. I dont want to go to hell. I wanted others to know Jesus and didnt want them to go to hell either. This was an encounter with God. I now know that I was made aware of these truths by the Holy Spirit. Man cant impart these types of spiritual revelations.
I stood there sobbing as Jesus came to me. I could see Him clearly with my spiritual eyes and hear Him clearly with my spiritual ears. He was smiling and consoling me, with a love that only He possesses. Jesus said, You dont have to go to hell. There is a hell, but you dont have to go there. There is a devil too, but you can choose me and belong to me.
