A New Legacy of Healing Can Start with You

What was the last thing you said “yes” to?

Maybe a business deal. 

Maybe a date.

Maybe dinner with a friend.

Whatever it was, you probably didn’t overthink it; you just agreed.

From the beginning, the human story has been shaped by the question, Who will we agree with?

In Eden, Adam and Eve agreed with the serpent’s deception instead of God’s word (Genesis 3). That one agreement set in motion a ripple effect that we still feel today.

Because agreement isn’t neutral, it’s covenantal.

It ties us to a story.

And whatever story we agree with begins to shape our identity, our belonging, our destiny.

Here’s where it gets close to home.

Trauma works the same way.

Trauma isn’t just what happened to you; it’s what you came to believe about yourself because of it.

Psychologists tell us that trauma imprints not only on the mind but also on the body.

As Dr. Gabor Maté says, “Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.”⁶

That’s the hidden power of pain; it speaks. 

It whispers lies that settle into our bones.

“You’re worthless.”

“You’ll always be alone.” 

“You’re broken beyond repair.” 

“You deserved it.”

And here’s the sobering part: more often than not, we agree.

Not out loud, but quietly, by replaying the words in our minds until they feel true.

By shrinking back when we enter a room because we don’t believe we belong.

By sabotaging a relationship because deep down we’re convinced we’ll never be loved.

The Bible has a name for this: strongholds.

Paul writes, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4, NIV)

Strongholds are nothing less than agreements with lies. 

And here’s the catch: strongholds don’t fall by trying harder. 

They fall when truth, God’s truth, breaks through.

Think back to Eden.

The first sin was really the first false agreement; Adam and Eve chose the serpent’s story over God’s. Humanity has been living in that tug-of-war ever since.

But agreement cuts both ways.

Just as agreeing with lies keeps us stuck, agreeing with Jesus brings healing.

Peter reminds us, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24, NIV)

Trauma may have written lies across your life, but Jesus carries scars, too.

His scars tell a different story.

They are not marks of defeat but of victory, and by them we are made whole.

Healing begins when we break old agreements and step into new ones, as in the gospel story. Sometimes it’s as practical and daily as declaring:

I break the lie that I am unwanted. I agree with Jesus that I am chosen (Ephesians 1:4).

I break the lie that I’ll always be alone. I agree with Jesus that He is with me always (Matthew 28:20).

I break the lie that I am dirty. I agree with Jesus that I am washed and made new (1 Corinthians 6:11).

This isn’t about self-help mantras. It’s about Spirit-empowered transformation.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of truth (John 16:13).

It’s the Spirit who exposes lies, reminds us of who we are, and empowers us to live free.

Because after all, it’s the truth that sets us free. (John 8:32) 

Remember Genesis 4?

God warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door, and he had to master it.

Cain failed.

But we have what Cain didn’t—the indwelling Spirit of God, making us new creations.

Prayer

Jesus, I confess the ways I’ve agreed with lies spoken over me—by trauma, by others, even by my own heart. Today, I break those agreements in Your name. I choose instead to agree with Your truth: that I am loved, chosen, forgiven, and healed. Holy Spirit, fill me with Your power to walk in freedom and to believe the story You are writing over my life. Amen.

Reflection

So the question lingers: What agreements have you made that need to be broken? And what truth is the Spirit inviting you to embrace today? Journal your answers.

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⁶Gabor Mate’, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture