Several years ago, Jane was with us, and she called upon this young girl who had only been in the program two weeks. We didn’t know much about the girl, but we thought she might be a cutter because she wore long sleeves in the summertime. Well, Jane was ministering and said to the girl, “May I pray for you?” The girl went up to Jane but her expression read ‘God I dare you to do something for me.’ Jane, being a person with her eyes on God, began to speak over the girl.

Now, I was sitting there, and I got up on the edge of my chair thinking this ought to be interesting. I’d watched Jane minister for years, but it never got old seeing how God would reach as far as He needed to reach. He’s not moved by anything we’ve done, who we’ve done it with, our attitude, our demeanor, our stance, nothing.

The girl approached with this ‘I dare you to pray for me’ look, and Jane just met the girl where she was. Jane looked her right in the face and said, “I hear the Lord.” The girl dropped her head in shame. She was masked by this tough exterior that was trying to push God away before He could even work, but God kept pushing because He has yoke-destroying, bondage-breaking power.

Jane began to say, “God says to tell you that you are not forgotten,” and she kept saying it. “You are not forgotten. God says to tell you that you are not forgotten.” About this time, that tough little chick started sobbing and crumbled to the floor. At first, I didn’t understand why she had such a strong reaction. I knew that God would say that to anyone, but God is so personal. He knows us inside and out. Though Jane and I didn’t know, God knew that that little girl had deeply carved the word forgotten on the inside part of her arm. She had had numerous suicide attempts, a severe eating disorder, a history of sexual abuse, and many other issues, and she felt like God had totally forgotten her. That Word probably wouldn’t have meant much to me, but it was a Word that came from the very heart of God because He knew what was going to touch that girl.

Jane continued to speak into her life, and after we dismissed, the girl came running up, pulled up her sleeves, and said, “Did you know? Did they tell you about me?” I was amazed and said, “I didn’t even know that was there. You’re new. We didn’t know this was there.” Her life changed that day. From that moment, she began a deeply intimate relationship with God because she knew that God knew her.

See, when He said go proclaim liberty and freedom to the captives, He didn’t just say, “Go.” He said, “And as you go, I will go with you. And as you speak my Word, I will watch over my Word to perform it.” That’s a deal. We don’t have to do the healing. We just have to speak what God tells us to speak, and He’ll do the work. Jane spoke God’s word, and He did the work.

We’re here to proclaim liberty and freedom to the spiritual and the physical captives.  We do not have to remain in captivity because Jesus paid a price.  The Kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  Bottom line, it doesn’t matter what the problem is, Jesus is the answer.  I know that because I’ve seen it first hand for thirty years.  Some people say, “We understand that God can help those people, but what about the trafficking victims?”  When God said that He was more than enough, what part of that do we not understand?  I have seen God work, and He came to seek and to save that which is lost.  He is able to save to the uttermost, and if we love people, we need to tell people the truth.

Principles of freedom help people overcome abuse and addictions.  Many people have been to treatment programs that have said “Once an addict, always an addict,” but that is not what the Bible says.  Love does not hold someone in captivity.  Love does not tell someone they can’t be free just because their recovery is slow.  Instead, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If any person be in Christ Jesus, they are a new creation.  Old things have passed away, and all things become new.”

Don’t misunderstand me, God uses support groups.  Many people go to groups, meet believers, get plugged into a local church, and move forward.  There are awesome support groups that teach you how to forgive, and they teach that the name of Jesus is above every name.  These places get your mind renewed to God’s Word and your heart transformed!

What does love do?  Love tells people the truth.  I don’t want someone I love having to identify for the rest of their life with what they used to do. Their identity is in Christ. They are a child of God.  They are a daughter of the King.  They are a princess.  They are not a prostitute.  They are not a trafficking victim.  Yes, they may have been trafficked, but they’re not going to live with that victim mentality. They can come out of that because their mind can be renewed to God’s Word.  Romans 12:1 says that we should dedicate our bodies to God, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable.  The Living Bible says it this way, “When I think of all that Christ did for me, when I think of the fact that Christ died for me, is it really too much to ask that I just live for Him?”  I don’t think so.  He paid the price for us so that we could receive freedom.  Christ died once for all.  In Him, we discover all we really are.

There’s a challenge for us.

Forgiveness does not mean you condone what’s been done, and it doesn’t mean that you wait to feel forgiving.  If you waited for the perfect time to forgive, you would never do it.  Instead, forgiveness is a choice that you must make to give yourself release. Forgiveness allows you to sever the tie between you and your past so that you no longer identify with it. Identify with being a new creation in Christ and allow Him to restore everything that He promised in Isaiah 61:7, “Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion.  Instead of disgrace, you will receive inheritance. And so, you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.”

Whether it’s someone escaping sex trafficking, someone escaping addiction, someone escaping severe abuse, or someone escaping a broken relationship, we all have opportunities to forgive in our life.  If we decide to sit in a corner and say “Well, I’m just mad at what life’s thrown at me, and I’m not forgiving anybody,” then we’re going to live in a place of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness.  Release yourself from inner-captivity and forgive.

I believe that one element of love is telling people the truth. This truth – There is no such thing as a changed life apart from a new heart and a new spirit. Being born again. Jesus is not a way, he is the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. And, I believe that God is raising up a bunch of bold women to tell people the truth.

If you really love people, this is what you are going to give them: not a pill, not a label, not a diagnosis, not an “Oh I feel so sorry for you because you’ve been sex trafficked.” We do feel sorry, but we don’t stay there. We don’t camp out with them around the horrible things they have been through. We say, “Let me tell you something girl, I know this is awful.” We walk through it with them but we say, “Guess what? Jesus came to seek and save that which is lost. He is able to save to the uttermost. There is nothing too hard for Him. The name of Jesus is above every name, and he bore the pain and the shame of everything that you have been through so that you can turn to him in your time of need and you can receive healing because he paid the price for your freedom, spirit, soul and body. Not just our sins forgiven, but he paid the price so that we can be made whole, spirit, soul and body. I Thessalonians 5:23 says, ‘I pray your whole spirit, soul and body be found complete at the coming of the Lord.’”

Truth is what brings change and transformation. Rescue is good, but we’ve got to take it to the next step and bring transformation. It’s not a place called Mercy Ministries that sets people free, it’s a God of mercy that sets people free. And it’s not about a place, it’s about knowing Him and having our hearts and minds transformed. This is the way it happens.