The Story of a 16-year old Ex- Cutter

Hi Everybody!

Today I would like to address another issue that remains undiscussed or left in hindsight because it isn’t an obvious activity amongst our young generation. We sometimes wonder what causes a child to want to commit suicide or take drugs or drink alcohol, club like no tomorrow, starve themselves and become anorexic or bulimic or practice binge eating etc etc. There are soo many reasons why these things happen but we have to understand it in a biblical point of view here. The generation rising is what the devil is trying to destroy. When Moses - the sent deliverer was born, Satan was after his life and tried to kill a generation of children that were 2 years of age and under using Pharaoh to decree it as law …When Jesus popped into the scene as the Messiah and the one who came to save us, Herod decreed the same law that permitted the killing yet again of young children 2 years of age or younger in pursuit to kill Jesus as a vulnerable baby.

It should be clear to you that Satan is after the young generation rising that could be sent to be the solution to our future and to the world’s existing problems. Why wait until they are full blown adults when the assignment is to destroy them before they realize their full potential. Is it such a mystery as to why abortion is on the rise???? Is it such a mystery that youth are dying everyday to addictions and violence???? Is it such a mystery that pop music, the internet and social media has such a strong influence in youth culture??? Satan will do whatever and use whatever means possible so that he can and infiltrate in whatever way he can to get at the minds of young people and abort their destinies. The stuff some young people are dealing with to this day is stuff you’d be surprised about because some activities never really existed 20 years ago. This saddens me because I see this operating a lot to this day and it rarely gets any recognition or awareness that it deserves because of the simple fact that parents are oblivious and ignorant of the affairs of their children. This just proves how Hosea 4:6 is still in effect in our current generation…but what I want to see is  2 Timothy 3:15-16  & Proverbs 22:6 to be in effect people!

So today I want to give you a short video clip of a young 16-year old girl’s testimony of how she is an Ex-cutter and what she discovered during the healing process to overcame the addiction. Check out her story.

Now, I found it interesting how Ashley said that she “heard a voice that told her to start cutting”. Folks, the practice of cutting isn’t a new thing at all, in fact I was surprised to find it practiced in the Bible. The practice of cutting yourself was practiced by Baal worshipers in the book of 1 Kings 18. When Prophet Elijah challenged the Baal prophets to see which “God” was really the one true God that should be worshiped, he proposed that they both make alters where a bull was to be sacrificed and laid there for the purpose of the “True God” to supernaturally accept the offering by Fire that was not man-made but divine in origin as proof of whose god was really God.  During this process, the Baal Prophets practiced cutting themselves (the flesh) until blood flowed which was a typical custom for their religion in an attempt to get their god Baal to “answer them”. You will find they practiced this nonsense in vain because the God of Elijah, the one true God defeated their so-called gods as God answered to Elijah’s offering with a divine Fire that consumed the entire offering. Let’s read it so you know where I’m coming from if you think I’m making this stuff up.

1 Kings 18: 20- 38

Elijah’s Mount Carmel Victory

²⁰ So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.²¹ And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. ²³ Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.²⁴ Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”

So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”

²⁵ Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

²⁶ So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.

²⁷ And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.” ²⁸ So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.²⁹ And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. ³¹ And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”^[b]32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. ³³ And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” ³⁴ Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. ³⁵ So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.

³⁶ And it came to pass, atthe time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”

³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.³⁹ Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

Why make mention of this Sherline????

I’m telling you that the practice of cutting isn’t a new phenomenon in children today. It was practiced in the days of Elijah by the prophets of Baal (a false god; a demonic entity) and you will find that a lot of the afflictions that run in countries and families to this day can be sourced to ancient practices that are transmitted as curses from one generation to the next. For Ashley, she first heard a “voice” which is obviously demonic in its source when she started to practice cutting. When she engaged in it, she felt ‘relief’ or some sort of ‘high’ after doing it because of the unstable state of her mind at the time. It then ended up being an addictive practice for her to deal with her emotional pain and stress. It became something she unwittingly started to worship and exalt and without realizing that she was now turning the activity into a subtle form of modern-day idol worship. The addiction gave glory to her cutting her flesh until blood flowed which rewarded her addiction with a false sense of temporary “relief” and “security” when what she really needed was some serious help. She never turned to God for help because she was already self-absorbed in it all that she kept it a secret that cutting was the answer to relieve her pain. This is obviously a lie that she now felt convinced was her ‘truth”. Do you see how subtle lies work to train a person into practicing sin by these unhealthy activities?   

Cutting is a form of IDOLATRY just as drugs are a form of IDOLATRY and any other addiction for that matter.

You become what you worship.

It makes you wonder doesn’t it… If people aren’t worshiping God then what are people worshiping these days?

In this case…Ashley became a cutter which is something Baal worshipers used to do in the days of Elijah as was their custom. Don’t get me wrong here because I’m NOT implying that Ashley is a Baal worshiper… What I am trying to say is that the origin to this sinful practice of cutting human flesh is demonic in nature and has been passed down from generation to generation as an ongoing generational curse from our fore-fathers, so it isn’t a new phenomenon if you find that people are still engaged in this dangerous activity behind closed doors.

Ecclesiastes 1:9
That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.

Lamentations 5:7
Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we have borne their iniquities.

If Baal worshipers did it as a customary thing in their worship to a false god then cutters are essentially doing the same thing…they’re worshiping the “relief” that cutting their flesh produces to an extent that over-exalts the knowledge and the truth of God found in Jesus Christ.

John 14:1
[ The Way, the Truth, and the Life ] “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Notice how Ashley didn’t even think to pray to God or even seek help from her family or friends to stop this unhealthy behaviour. She was so self-absorbed in relieving her pain that it didn’t occur to her that she was hurting her family and other people that cared for her. These unhealthy addictions and activities cause people to be blinded to how their behaviors affect other people around them and also they too become blinded to the extent that they cannot see that they also need help. Cutting became such a serious stronghold in Ashley’s mind that it hooked her and silenced her as she remained bound by the oppression of this secretive activity. Notice that her mind was not normal…if such an activity were OK by normal standards…why do it in secret??? These are the types of sins that our young generation are facing to this day that needs to be brought to the fore front and must be confronted with Compassion and Love and Education.

Each time Ashley faced a personal crisis, she turned to cutting rather than calling on God or seek Godly counsel to help her deal with her emotional issues. She had a sister and a mother that were available to listen to her problems, but she didn’t even call on them for help. The practice of cutting is like a drug in that it is a self-absorbed activity that idolizes having “control” and a false sense of “security” with something (an activity) where you have none.

How can one be secure with cutting themselves and yet lack self-control? The act of cutting is in and of itself a blind side contradiction in that it serves no purpose to provide a person “real security”or “self-control” over their emotions. Such self-serving addictions are dangerous in that a person engaged in the activity for a prolonged period of time will essentially become bound by lies that convince them that they do have “self-control”  over their addictions when they don’t, and these lies are the kinds that lead to death. All addictions lead to death. Ashley started to enjoy the feeling of ”relief’ that came from cutting that it ended up being an unhealthy obsessive compulsive behaviour that she tried to hide.

If Ashley’s cutting behavior had not been exposed by her sister, I don’t think you’d be reading this post today about this girl’s victory. You’d probably be reading her grave stone epitaph right about now. This is how serious addiction is people, but unfortunately…this isn’t the only type of activity that is being practiced by youth today in secrecy.

These unhealthy activities that children are getting into these days are becoming alarming. I have heard of some crazy new things that are becoming a fad as of late amongst young teens that live in this age of new technology and innovation. If you are a parent then you have to seriously get in-tune with what’s going on and keep up with what is going on because the devil is finding new things to get young people absorbed in different forms of IDOLATRY and other sins. Sin releases curses that affect people generationally and that is how generational curses continue from seed to seed, from child to grand child etc etc.

Deuteronomy 5:9
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Numbers 14:18
‘The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’

Friends, if you are a parent or guardian, I think it’s about time that some of us get serious here and start getting involved with your children’s lives.

Recognize the signs of isolation, recognize when a child is acting withdrawn…seek spiritual discernment (which is gift provided by the Holy Spirit) on these areas so that you can pray effectively for your children. Don’t just stop and pray though…you’ve got to be actively involved with their lives to be an effective intercessor. Intercede for them with prayer and be sure that they are involved in a Bible believing church and that you are also a part of their lives as well. A lot of young people don’t communicate these struggles out of fear, guilt and shame. Parents, if you want to reach out to your kids effectively, respond with love rather than condemnation. Show your children that you care for their well being rather than condemning them for being involved in these unhealthy activities. They will shut down and won’t respond to criticism which again fuels continual secrecy, silence and continual practice in the addiction.  Also understand that the times are changing  and the days are evil. You need to get informed of the new fads that are targeting your children today that are essentially killing a generation.  I’ll give you an example….if you don’t know what a “sex bracelet“ is, or “the Choking game” or “Car surfing” is by now….then this is how ignorant and out of touch you are of what is going on in youth culture today.

Ignorance kills destiny, wisdom PRESERVES LIFE. 

Proverbs 10:27
The fear of the LORD prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Proverbs 14:27
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.

All I am saying is that it’s one thing to discuss healing and deliverance for an individual… but if you are unaware of what some people are struggling with…how can you know what they need to be healed and be delivered from?????How can you know what to pray for???

Education is key here and research is key. My message is that we need to start getting some knowledge of current day practices if we want to effectively minister to someone that is going through some struggles that are unfamiliar and new territory for us.  We have to fear God enough to purpose to change the current status quo of a dying generation of the world’s solutions. Children are the solutions to our future…but we must step up and protect them with the same zeal as how Moses – the deliverer for the Children of Israel was protected as a baby and how even our Savior Jesus was protected as his life hung in the balance by Herod’s blood lust to abort His destiny at the expense of other children’s lives which was to become the Saviour of the World.

Final Word: Let’s pray and get educated about the new trends that are keeping people bound in silence out of fear, guilt and shame so that we can be effective at interceding for the current generation that needs covering so that they can all rise up to meet their full potential.

 Romans 8:19 (NIV)

April 30, 2012 | Categories: Inspiration, Inspirational Music, Motivation, Personal Meditation, Self-help | Tags: Addiction, Cutting, education, Freedom, Jesus Christ, Knowledge and Understanding, Love in Action, overcome, Prophet Elijah, prophets of baal, Solutions, Truth, uncovering ignorance, Victory | 10 Comments »