God does not want you to suffer in an abusive relationship. He designed you to have a wonderful life and a beautiful future. You are His beloved daughter.
Christ came to set us free from slavery to sin. Abuse is sin. Do not allow yourself to be burdened by the yoke of slavery.
Living in abuse is living in darkness. Jesus does not want His beloved daughters to live in darkness. He wants the sin of abuse exposed so that they can be brought into His light.
He rescued us from darkness, not so we could return to darkness by living under the oppression of abuse.
It is good to expose deeds done in darkness. Keeping domestic violence secret gives it power to continue.
God will open our eyes to the darkness of abuse and oppression and He will guide us to freedom.
God knows what is best for you and will guide your steps out of oppression.
Words of encouragement that build up a life come from a godly man, but words of destruction come from abusers.
Verbal abuse is destructive. It is important to inform yourself about domestic violence to be able to respond in a healthy way to all forms of abuse.
Proverbs 29:9 (NAS) When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, the foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.
You will not win an argument with an abusive person. He will turn your words against you.
We must guard against an abuser taking us captive through his deceptive interpretation on the meaning of scripture, twisting them to make us feel that we must comply with his wishes rather than relying on what God desires for us as His beloved.
Jeremiah 23:36 (NLT) But stop using this phrase, 'prophecy from the Lord.' For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
Spiritual abuse is twisting God's Word to the abuser's advantage. Do not be confused by the abuser's deception; God will speak directly to you through His Word as you seek His will.
God hates divorce and hates a man mistreating his wife with violence. Most women are familiar with the first part of the verse, but are not aware that the verse also includes God's hatred of violence.
It is reasonable to report physical domestic violence, which is illegal, to the governing authorities.
A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty, if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
It is good to allow a violent person to experience the consequences of his actions. Consequences teach and promote change. Often times contacting the authorities may be the impetus for change in his behavior.
If you are in danger, it is wise to seek safety.
Your body is the temple of God and should not be destroyed by abusive words or actions. When he is abusing a believer, he is abusing the temple of God. This is why the woman needs to remove God's temple from the evil of abuse.
Husbands love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Husbands are called to be servant leaders in their homes.
God expects husbands to lay down their lives for their wives. This would include protecting, providing for, caring for, loving, defending, understanding, and helping.
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you …. If he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
This stresses accountability by involving others to confront the sin of a brother in Christ.
Verse 17 admonishes us to involve the leaders of the local church when a sinning brother refuses to respond to reason. This is not betraying your husband, it is holding him accountable for his sin.
An abused woman is wise to look for behavior change not just words of repentance. Repentance means turning around away from sin and toward God, which will produce a change in behavior over a long period of time that will be obvious to you and others.
Children who witness abuse experience trauma. They may repeat the pattern of abuse in their adulthood or become a victim of abuse.
It is right to expect those in authority in our communities and in our churches to stand with us and to help protect us from abuse.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NAS) are taken for the Holy Bible, New American Standard Bible. Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundations. Used by permission.