Collected Essays of Valerie Lynn Stephens (Part 12)

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ISBN: 978-1-365-35197-6

©2021 Valerie Lynn Stephens

ON SANCTIFICATION & THE CONTINUAL STRUGGLE WITH SIN

Even after our conversion, believers continue to be besetted by the temptation to commit and/or the committal of bodily sins. Yet as we allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to sanctify & anoint us, He will remove these 'thorns' from our flesh one by one. We must only persevere in our submission to the Lord's will for our lives and our bodies. And we can always take comfort that: "...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) And soon enough we will find, that those offerings of the 'flesh' which we once revelled in, pale in comparison to the pleasures & nourishing of the 'fruits' of the Holy Spirit. The 'feelings' and experience we have while walking with the Lord will eventually cause the 'sins of the flesh' to lose their allure as we experience more & more fulfillment & joy in Him.

DO WE AUTOMATICALLY ASCEND TO HEAVEN UPON OUR PHYSICAL EXPIRATION?

For the sake of expediency & clarity, I'll try to keep this summary spare. What we do know & can deduce from the Scripture itself is that no one but Jesus Christ has actually ascended to heaven in His totality of being. This Scripture is pretty clearly spoken in John 3:13: “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who came down from heaven.” Furthermore, in 1 Timothy 6:16, we are told that Christ alone “is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light.”

Thus, the issue becomes one of semantical differentiation & assignation. The 'spirit' spoken of in Ecclesiastes that 'returns unto the one who gave it' most likely refers to God's sustaining life breath itself (ruach) which departs the body at physical death. Secondly, the immortal human 'soul' (psyche) is not to be confused with the 'Holy Spirit' which is imparted unto believers. This aspect of the believer by essence also most likely returns unto the One Who gave it upon somatic expiration.

Our individual 'souls' must therefore be assumed to remain in 'sleep' before they are 'awoken' to appear before God & Christ at the 'White Throne Judgment' to be judged before being either accepted into Heaven or condemned. Based upon the imperative of Scriptural integrity, this should be the only answer to our inquiries which stands to reason, in both our 'intellects' as well as our 'hearts'.

ON EVIL

Evil is the natural theological effect of the Satanic force arising out of the Enemy's oppositional intent towards Good. Yes, God created all things & creatures/entities, but 'allows' for freedom of will & choice in that His plan may be manifest & brought to its utmost completion & perfection. Now, this is not to suggest that God merely allows for evil to play out for His own sadistic amusement. But rather, that He is Good & Holy, & that this world in which we now live is ruled by dark, unseen principalities with the purpose of bringing all to completion & perfection.

Without the Darkness (Evil), God's Goodness & Light would not be complementarily contrasted & thus, fully revelled in & spiritually benefited from, by His children. The presence of Evil brings us nearer & nearer to spiritual maturation through the necessary submission of ourselves to the workings of the Holy Spirit. And, speaking personally, if I had not encountered and had to be subject to certain evils in my life, I would not have been nearly as motivated to seek out God's Word and God's will & plan for my life.

Suffering & Darkness draws us nearer to our Heavenly Father & to His Love & Light & Truth. Therefore, God created beings with the potential for evil, although this is merely a naturalistic outcome of the world which He allows to run its course. But we must never forget that the Lord's reasons for doing anything that He has done or will do always stem from pure Goodness, Love & Perfect Wisdom.

ON THE ISSUE OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY

Philosophically speaking, all human beings are potentially vulnerable to sexual immorality. And sexual immorality assumes many forms, even known to being practiced in the so-called ‘marriage bed.’ As in the case of homosexuality, I believe that these urges are mainly due to corruptive exposures in one's earliest environment and to the culture at large which pervert one's views on things related to gender, sexuality and morality. I also believe that in most cases, it is due to some kind of trauma having been experienced where violations of one's person of a sexual nature have interfered with normal psychosexual development. However, all of God's professed children are called to strive to resist each our own temptations, whatever our perfidious proclivities may be. And though we may stumble along the way, he will never let us fall, as long as we sincerely repent and give Him control over our lives again.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY

Overall, the study of Philosophy can prime our minds for critical thinking development, which can certainly be useful in this life. But I also believe that God imparts reason and higher wisdom where cognitive dissonance may be present, through His Holy Spirit and His Word. In other words, one's intellectual and spiritual development are not solely dependent upon 'secular' academic pursuits, or upon mere biblical scholasticism, but one can complement the other. As with all things, it's a matter of application.

ON THE INFALLIBILITY OF SCRIPTURE

Many ‘false brethren’ out there will make the claim that there is only one proper version of the Scripture. Yet what they fail to realize is that it is important not to equate a version of the Bible that uses different words and phrasing with one that is therefore, merely because it is referred to as 'another version', steeped in perverse or unsound Theology or exegetics. Reputable Exegetes who have studied both the KJV as well as the NIV versions of the Bible, agree upon the uniformity of their shared soundness of Theology.

Certain words & phrasing may differ, but in this case, this does not equate to a deviation of inerrancy. This is why it is essential that we interpret Scripture in light of God's intended meaning of each passage (“exegesis”) and not our own fallible, sin-self-serving interpretation (“eisegesis”). If either the KJV and/or the NIV or others, are perceived to be errant, the fault lies with the reader and not the original Authors and interpreters.

SACRED VS. SECULAR LITERATURE:

To Read Or Not To Read?

In many cases one still arrives upon a discovery of Ultimate Truth, which I believe to be found in the Holy Scriptures of Judeo-Christianity, while remaining open to more 'secular' avenues of thought. This is mostly due to all so-called human intellectual endeavours being, I believe, a mere iteration of either God's intelligence and wisdom or Satan's deceptions.

This is not to say that a well-rounded exposure to other avenues of thought, when undertaken with a sincere intention of arriving upon God's Ultimate Truth, can strengthen one's faith and also authenticate it, as it has withstood the test of false doctrines & cognitive fallacy. A healthy flexibility of intellect, when exercised in subordination to the Scriptures, can actually support one's spiritual development and growth.

However, 'secular literature', etc. not explored in tandem with the Scriptures, can and will lead one into the darkness of perplexity and existential angst and despair. I have personally walked down both paths, and thankfully never traveled down the latter path so far that my Heavenly Father and Saviour could not reach me and restore me to health in both mind and Spirit. I like to look at Judeo-Christianity as being the perfect synthesis of Intellect- or 'Head' (Judaism), and Spirit-or 'Heart' (Christianity). For truly, all is made complete in Him.

ON CYBER-BULLYING

In today's split social realm of “cyber” time vs. “non-cyber” time, (although that gap is deftly closing) much good has come out of this shift, & much bad has come out of it as with all human 'progressive' endeavours. The good that has come out of it is more obvious in how people who live in different geographical locations can still “keep in touch” via any of the various “social media” sites available today.

However, I wish to focus on only some of the negative effects that this increasing foray into a mostly cybernetic life has had. The main one that I wish to express my thoughts on is how many persons, who would otherwise be deemed “sociopathic” and/or “criminal-minded & intentioned” often thrive with insidious relish on the cybernet. After all, people can always “hide” behind falsely self-representative “avatars” & even “User names”, etc.

It never ceases to both fascinate & yet astound (& even disturb) me, how many crimes of the emotional & psychological variation run rampant on various websites & social media forums. In most states, at least here in the United States Of America in which I reside, the kinds of verbal & emotional/psychological violence which some people inflict upon others is punishable by law amongst “regular” society.

For example, the crime designated as “intentional infliction of emotional distress” is, at least in my state of Ohio, deemed a Felony which is not only subject to “criminal” prosecution but also subject to “civil” prosecution (lawsuits). Thus, unfortunately, many of these people who cannot fulfill their criminal & psychopathological impulses out within “regular” society find their relative Utopia on the World Wide Web.

In fact, if anyone has ever interacted (even with the best of intentions) on any website, eventually one will see this become a disturbing verity before their very eyes. Although it is true that the issue of legislation of “cyber” laws to bring these people to justice & to protect the community (especially children & teens) from these kinds of people & the enforcement of them would be tricky if not altogether impossible to implement & sustain.

Nevertheless, this is why it is of utmost importance for individual users (who, of course are not of the “perpetrator” variety) to report (or merely don't play into) any abusive &/or potentially harmful activity (& that most certainly includes “verbal” activity as the Internet is mostly a “verbally-centered” interface) to the administrators of whatever particular website the crime (& make no bones about it-yes, emotional abuse/psychological violence is a crime!) is committed on. Things can be done, one person at a time to promote a healthy & safe environment for all persons except those “cyber-criminals” mentioned above who have forfeited this privilege through their recklessness & malfeasance.

We must remember: Where there are people, there needs to be laws & this includes the Internet! All human beings need to be held accountable for any acts of malfeasance-this holds true for “regular” society & for “cyber-society.” Most importantly, there needs to be laws that are consistently enforced if any human society/community is to remain free from undue distress or impingement upon its overall well-being. And this includes each individual cyber-user to develop discernment of more ‘hidden’ and ‘covert’ forms of psychological violence and abuse which certain types of individuals employ. It's up to each one of us to keep our cyber-communities healthy & safe mostly by not engaging AT ALL with cyber-abusers. Let the session hereby commence! Vulneratus non victus, cyber-bullies!

COMPLEX PTSD & PTSD: MENTAL 'ILLNESS' OR PSYCHOLOGICAL 'INJURY'?

“Survivors of severe, systematic and prolonged abuse, whether as a child, teen and/or an adult get labelled as being "mentally ill", when in fact, we are suffering from Complex PTSD, which is now acknowledged as a 'neurological and psychological injury' and not a "mental illness." And while an individual may suffer from what they call "comorbid" symptoms and conditions, I believe that the application of Occam's Razor ("Assume no more than is necessary") is the most expedient, and least harmful way to approach Trauma-related conditions, both diagnostically and therapeutically.”-Valerie Lynn Stephens

There has been much heated debate about the assertion that Complex PTSD is not a mental illness but a psychological 'injury'. The reasons for distinguishing between the terminology is not to derogate or to make comparisons about who is 'ill' and who is 'healthy', but to unburden survivors of the internalized shame which their original abusers inflicted upon them by the abuse of psychiatric terminology and diagnostics to scapegoat and dominate them. Basically, what it comes down to is: The abusive, exploitative, sociopathic individuals who injured us in the first place are the ones who must be identified as 'mentally and morally ill' if deep recovery is ever to be breached for survivors.

After all, most of our Complex Trauma is a direct result of being coerced and systematically 'programmed' and gaslighted into an interpersonal dynamic which merely sought to 'scapegoat' us into being the 'identified patient' and the one with the 'problems'. In truth, it was our abusers who suffered such disorders of personality and character. Of course, this is not meant to discount the fact that many sufferers of C-PTSD and PTSD have not been diagnosed with 'comorbid' conditions.

However, many professionals and laymen alike have often remarked that if the DSM were refined, many conditions currently being treated as discrete disorders would, in fact, be best served and acknowledged as direct and indirect symptoms of deeper interpersonal trauma. Nevertheless, the importance of, as Shahida Arabi puts it, engaging in 'reverse discourse' with our 'programmers' and abusers, remains an intractable aspect of full and deep recovery for all survivors.

We have earned the right (in fact always possessed the right) to be assessed fairly and pro-socially, in ways that are not merely more demeaning and derogatory, and in ways that do not, at the expense of our well-being, merely reinforce old ‘roles’ and cognitive patterns which predatory and character-disturbed individuals would benefit in keeping us in.

There is a moral imperative for each individual to be granted full reign over that of their own self-actualization. There is also a moral imperative for each one to “carry their own load” (and not just physically, but psychologically). We all must do our own ‘Soul Work’, as it has been called, in order to not only stop the cycle of injury which humankind seems to relish and choose indifference towards inflicting upon one another, but to support a healthier, more robust Society for all individual persons to be able to contribute each their own brand of genius and skills to. As within, so without. Thus, individual recovery work is a potential salve for the collective, one Complex PTSD thriver at a time.

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