Hey, Phil, I don't remember reading this the first time around, but a small 
testimony springs forth from me.

Some know - and it's no secret - that I have suffered a good deal of 
depression in recent years.  A few years back, when praying through various 
things concerning my Mum, I asked the Lord that I wouldn't be in her 
position.  Well, I suppose I meant that I didn't want to suffer the deep 
depression she suffered.  Well, down I went and sometimes thought the Lord 
hadn't answered me!  Then one day, quite recently, the Lord said something 
very important to me:  He told me that I was not in her position and our 
circumstances were not the same.  There was one big difference between us: 
I have Him in the centre of my life and so any depression has to go through 
Him!

Be encouraged everyone:

--
Carol - Reading, UK

To you, o Lord, I lift up my soul;
In You I trust, o my God.  . . .."  PS25:1-2 NIV.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 9:49 PM
Subject: Worth Reading Again


>I was looking through files today and found this one.  It seemed as if
> somebody might be encouraged by it so I'm posting it again.
>
> Phil.
>
> From Father To Everlasting Father
>
>
> By Phil Scovell
>
>
>     For several months, I felt the Holy Spirit trying to tell me
> something but I could not put my spiritual finger on it.  I prayed
> about it often, when it would come to mind, but I simply could not
> isolate the feeling.  It seemed related to my father.  He died
> when I was 11 years old.  Based upon all the healing I had
> experienced concerning my fathers sudden death, I really didn't
> think there were other places of healing which were important
> concerning my relationship with him.  That was, however, exactly
> where the Lord took me.
>
>     The specific memory which came to mind wasn't an event but
> just a memory image of my father.  At the time this memory
> suddenly returned to my memory, I was praying with a lady and
> couldn't focus on the impression due to the lack of time.  I tried
> pushing it to the side, at least until after the prayer session,
> but it kept reappearing in my thoughts and I could feel it in my
> emotions.
>
>     As the lady was in silence pondering, I quickly asked the
> Lord what He was talking about.  He clearly said, "You are not
> like your dad."  In two other vivid memories, the Lord had told
> me, "You are not like them because you are like me now."
>
>     As I grew, my mother said hundreds of times, "you're just
> like your dad."  Her statement was always complimentary.  I, on
> the other hand, had said it to myself many times but negatively
> during times of stress and anxiety and not knowing why.  My
> father was tormented with depression, inferiority, a lack of self
> value, and the feeling he was not good enough and that he wasn't
> going to make it.  I never saw any of this in action as a child
> growing up but I clearly felt it at times.  Being a child, I
> could not discern the meaning of the feelings I experienced so I
> dismissed them.  After his death, my mother let me in on some of
> this information but even then, she left out a lot of details.  It
> was in prayer sessions I discovered the lies my father faced
> through his 46 years of life.
>
>     As I was waiting for the lady to respond, I finally gave in
> to the spiritual impressions I was feeling about my father.  I
> told the Lord that I could see nothing out of place.  So, I asked
> the Holy Spirit to show me the lie that I knew had to be there.
> That was the exact moment when the Lord said, "You are not like
> your dad."  I personally, and automatically, finished the
> sentence, "Because I am like you now."  Peace and freedom filled
> my memory and something else I would describe as relief.
>
>     What are you feeling today?  Is it something you can't put
> your finger on?  Is it painful or is it just a wound that won't go
> away?  Are you afraid?  Do you feel guilty?  Can you say with
> confidence, "I am like Jesus now?"  Look for the presenting
> negative emotion you feel at the time because that will lead you
> to the lie you believe.  why do you believe the lie?  Because it
> feels true.  If you need help, call me.
>
> Safe Place Fellowship
> Phil Scovell
> Denver, Colorado
> Mountain Time Zone
> Phone:  303-507-5175
> Web:  www.SafePlaceFellowship.com
>