Most of the girls who come to us have been sexually abused and live with scars on their hearts and minds. Our desire is to bring healing through counseling, love, and prayer. Each girl’s healing process is different, but one issue seems to be common: each child takes the guilt upon herself for what has been inflicted by others.

Stephani* cried in class, chewed her nails until they bled, and sat with her head on the desk, refusing to participate in class. The directors of the school contacted me with the concern that our girl had hit bottom. Nothing changed after their talks with her, and they asked me to step in for some spiritual intervention. Stephani had left her sinful life, but the enemy still had a hold on her, and she needed to be set free from fear.

I knew some of the pain Stephani felt because she lived with me. She didn’t know I had been seeking the Lord for ways I could help her. The time had come for serious sessions of counsel. Finding the cause isn’t the tricky part. It’s untangling all of the thoughts and feelings, besides working through the pain to see healing. I only had a few counseling courses, and would be considered an amateur, but I knew the Lord could heal her despite what I lacked. He would be my guide, and His promise to give me wisdom when I needed it brought me comfort.

“Stephani, you need to talk to me,” I said, as I lifted her chin so I could look into her eyes.

Her eyes flashed, and I could see darkness. “Honey, tell me what you are feeling.”

Moving her head down again, she mumbled, “I can’t.”

“Are you afraid of something?” I asked.

When she nodded, I took her face between my hands and gently pushed her bushy hair out of her face. “You do not have to be afraid, and I want to pray for that now. Are you okay with me praying?”

She nodded again and surprised me by not hiding her face. I prayed against any spirit of fear and spoke the promise from the Bible that God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear. After the simple prayer, I saw even more resistance and knew we entered the battle. We continued the process to set her free from fear as I sought the Lord for what we needed to do next.

*Name has been changed.