Finding God in Our Pain Sherrie Pilkington

In my conversation with Psychotherapist Healey Ikerd we talk about spiritual disciplines and how we can use them to heal anxiety. Healy emphasizes the importance of reading the Bible and meditating on its truths. We discuss the benefits of implementing spiritual disciplines, such as facing fears and evaluating negative thoughts with biblical truth. We also highlight the role of trust in God and the need to intentionally choose healthy thoughts and behaviors. We talk about why reading the Bible helps us think better, behave better, and ultimately feel better. I especially enjoyed the part of our conversation where Healey also addresses the tendency to make anxiety part of our identity and encourages us to replace negative thoughts with truth from God’s Word. We cannot overestimate the life changing power of scripture in transforming our thinking and helping us trust God more fully. While transformation comes with discipline and intention, Healey also touched on the importance of giving ourselves grace and getting back on track with spiritual disciplines when we fall off.

You will be so encouraged to hear all that my guest, Serena Dyksen has to share. Serena is an author, speaker and she and her husband Bruce are the Chief Visionary Officers for the ministry, She Found His Grace. After Serena found healing for her abortion, she accepted God’s invitation to spearhead His plan to bring healing and restoration to others just like her.
Per their website SheFoundHisGrace.org, their mission is “For men and women to find forgiveness after abortion and be set free from shame, guilt and regret. Turning our pain into purpose.”                 
I’ll start with this statistic that Serena shared however, this episode does not shame or guilt anyone. You’ll hear Serena share her abortion experience at the age of 13 and how it impacted her life for many years, even in ways she didn’t connect with the abortion. We are discussing truths, facts, personal stories and examples but only encouragement for those who are hurting is what you’ll hear.
Serena shared that 63 million babies have been lost to abortion so that made me think about the ripple effect. If we want to look at, say a ballpark figur with regard to the level of pain that is present in our communities, our families, our churches we can’t forget that there is a set of parents. We need to remember that the abortion has affected 2 additional people (per baby) who will potentially live with guilt and shame.
She Found His Grace Ministry has a mission to provide post abortion healing so mothers and fathers can find forgiveness, purpose and redemption. Every hurting heart that connects with She Found His Grace is pointed to the only One who can do such a transformational work of the heart. Only God is the superior opponent for satan. God is the only reason we can know anything good in the reality of a broken world and an enemy who hates us.
God has the power and the authority to use the very thing that satan meant to destroy you with and give it purpose in your life. Victory over sin and shame is God’s expertise. How can we experience a come back from one of life’s most devastating choices? Jesus’ example on the cross and his resurrection is for us today and He offers us that same ability to rise again to new life in Him. Yes, we’ll know new life in eternity with Him but the God of the Holy Bible is alive and active in our life today and he offers us new life. New life to experience and to know it in the here and now.
I stress this because I want you to know that you can never go too far and that you are not alone in your pain and confusion. Throughout this podcast episode you’ll hear reason after reason to reinforce this truth.
Serena and I talked about so many things one of which was how the abortion pill has shifted the abortion clinic from an office environment into the personal home. This move shifts the responsibility and magnifies how the mom is even more isolated in her abortion experience. Something that Serena is hearing more and more is that when the so called “clump of cells” passes from the body looks more like a baby than the women were prepared for. The level of trauma is layers deep. What are they supposed to do under those circumstances because abortion clinics do not offer any after care even though they know how traumatizing it is for their customers.
Something that I wasn’t aware of and I don’t hear it being talked about AT ALL is the abortion pill reversal option. Serena shares some helpful and encouraging information and a beautiful testimony of a woman who regretted taking the abortion pill, took action within the required timeframe, received and took the reversal antidote pill and was able to deliver a healthy baby.
Here’s a perspective I never considered, on the She Found His Grace website there are personal stories from siblings who grieve the loss of the aborted baby and Serena shares that these are some of the most passionate supporters because they see the healing transformation thei

My guest, Cindy LaFavore Yorks and I discuss the importance of understanding and managing emotions in a society that often encourages following one’s feelings. Cindy, shares her mission with her podcast, which focuses on emotional rescue and navigating through life’s challenges. She emphasizes the need to discern and react to emotions using self-reflection, transparency and the word of God. We also discuss the dangers of letting emotions guide every decision and the importance of identifying and processing emotions. Cindy talks about using an emotion wheel as a tool to help identify and understand emotions, as well as the role of prayer and the Bible in guiding emotional processing with the goal of living with more freedom and peace.

In this conversation, Rachel Shirley, a Pet Loss Grief Coach, discusses the importance of acknowledging and addressing the grief that comes with losing a beloved pet. Pets are often the best companion many people have but pet death is often not taken seriously. Because of that Rachel found a deep need in the hearts and lives of those grieving the very important loss of a pet. She offers needed support and understanding during the grieving process. She also talks about the question of whether pets go to heaven, stating that it aligns with God’s nature and character to extend our pet relationships into the afterlife. Rachel provides insights into healthy ways to grieve and offers suggestions for supporting friends who are experiencing pet loss. She also discusses the importance of creating a legacy or memorial for the pet and finding ways to pay it forward in their honor. Overall, Rachel emphasizes the importance of seeking support, being present for grieving friends, and finding ways to navigate the grief journey with compassion and understanding.

Do we or others, have the power to stop or block God’s plan for our lives? I think the answer is both yes and no. Listen in for two powerful examples of why your poor choices nor the choices of others can thwart God’s plans for you life. Before I wrap it up I share one way that we can block or shut down God’s plan for our life. Listen in to find out how that’s possible and the encouragement to turn it around.

Ever wonder why Christians can still struggle with sinful habits? Just because we’re Christians does not mean we’re perfect. We have trauma reponse ways of living, lie based thinking and self-protection methods that we’ve created in order to cope. My guest Frank Meadows helps clients experience healing and mind renewal with Theophostic Healing Prayer. The result? Internal peace and external victory.