I wanted to write this article to address the behavior, which many young people engage in called "cutting." I have to admit that I have had no temptation to ever cut myself. But I hope this will not dismiss anyone from reading my thoughts on matter. Why? The reason is that the Christian religion revolves a great deal around blood, cutting and bleeding. It is on this clear platform that I believe the Holy Scriptures and God might have much to say about subject.

Hebrews 9:14 "much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

Hebrews 13:12, "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate."

Some might wonder what I mean by saying "overkill" in my title. We will get to that shortly. First I want to ask: why do we suffer with pain and sorrow both on the outside and inside. Why does the whole human race suffer so much? Why does out hearts hurt so much and why do we feel so alone?

Answer, Sin is the answer for everything in life that is not positive but negative, boring, hurtful, evil, perverse, painful and disgraceful. All have their lives destroyed and messed up because of sin. All people and people groups can relate to it. Before Adam and Eve sinned against God, meaning they reject infinitely beauty and pleasure, they and the whole physical universe were without corruption, distress and sorrow. The human race's cosmic treason against God, lead God who is the universes Judge, to pronounce judgment on us for our horrible disrespect to Him.

God created the human heart to admire Greatness, which is namely Himself. God is the sum and only original fountain of all greatness and beauty. What sin forever did was separate us from enjoying that greatness, which is the Glory of Christ who is the image of God.  Sin is the problem why we are so hungry for pleasure and happiness and yet are never satisfied.  Sin is why we hated God and why God had wrath stored up against us.  Sin is why we and all creation suffers from: corruption, disease, death, sadness, why every thing in life we work at seems to work against us, why our conscience bothers us and why we hurt ourselves and why we hurt other people and why other people hurt us.  Sin is "THE problem" for the human race.

Most would agree that even in hard physical conditions if a person has true inner peace and joy that it truly makes life more pleasant. For we have all heard of stories of people who lost everything dear to them, even losing the ability to walk, who still live life with an authentic smile because of real inner joy. So I say all of this to make the point: what we authentically feel and experience in our heart, does in fact matter the most when it comes to finding true happiness and joy in life.

Now we come to the point for why I have spent time arguing the above: Scared arms are the outward signs of a scared heart. A healed heart will in accordance show itself outwardly in healed arms. A healed heart will heal scared arms!

Part 2:

            Now the question, which begs to be answered, is how can your heart be healed?

This is the simplest way I know how to say it: The blood does not have to be yours; someone has already bled for you! Now I am going to explain what that means.

I have often heard persons who cut themselves describe the reason why the do this is that the bleeding helps to release the hurt or anger they feel. The bleeding helps to flow out some of their pain and stress.

It is odd that blood is so important throughout all the earth, whether people, animals, birds and fish. It is not by chance "cutting" which releases out physical blood, which flows from our physical hearts seems to help pour out the poison, which we and life have injected in our spiritual hearts! Therefore it is not by coincidence Jesus Christ bled when God the Father poured out His anger and wrath on Him, if you would poisoning Christ with so much grief and shame of barring our sin that Christ bellows out in pain being under the weight God's anger that He said: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" This anger of God was supposed to be directed on us. But Christ the Lord took our pain and sin as if it was His and bled profusely, for many horrific hours. Therefore all the poison of our sin, pain, shame and the weight of God's anger was fully and completely bled out of Christ our Lord.

Christ blood was of such a worth He purchased for all His believers the gift of the Holy Spirit. Why is this so important you might ask? Also some at this point might say this sounds really good so far in what you are saying, but how dose effect me now in real life? First I would say that the knowledge itself of Christ blood is more potent than you think in healing your heart this very minute, if you are able to truly perceive the truth and really live in it in your trust.

Christ purchased the Holy Spirit for us because Christ will one day bring all His saints home to Him in heaven. It is here Christ will make it so that no outside source, or even yourself will hurt you and cause you grief. You will see the infinitely glorious God pour His love and kindness over and in you forever: perfect peace. You will see your God Jesus Christ, who bled for your sin and pain, face to face! But until then Christ has sent His Holy Spirit to liven our hearts with His presence, to comfort and sustain us until that time.  The Holy Spirit helps us to view the stress and pain of this world as what it is, temporary and see the shamefulness of our sin as truly covered by the blood shedding of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit causes us to walk purely before our God whom we love and long to obey with joy. The Spirit conveys the sureness of Christ's promises purchased by His bleeding such as, "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

This is why I say cutting yourself is "overkill." You mock the pain Christ went through to bring you healing, mercy and happiness, by His bleeding when you cut yourself. God takes it as if His Sons blood was not good enough for you. This is not to say there is no hope if you cut yourself. Because all sin is a mocking of God in some sort or manner, yet all sin is forgiven in the bloodshed of Jesus Christ for those to believe in Him. Every sin in man is man trying to find happiness, find relief or find satisfaction in some manner. Which is why I tell everyone that all sin is deceptive, it promises satisfaction but it never delivers what it promised to be; the same is with cutting. The devil is promising you false relief, which in the end will leave both your soul and body spent without true satisfaction in your hands. So I urge you to look to Jesus Christ, to the good news of His grace! May His bleeding show you that your blood is unnecessary and even unhelpful if you wish to find true healing of both your heart and arms!

Question:

-How do you know if the bleeding of Christ, which it is this bleeding that provides our forgiveness and healing for our hearts, it truly ours to own and cherish?

-We know because God Has commanded all people to only but believe in the Name of Jesus Christ (to believe God did send Him, that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God who did die 2,000 years ago for my sin) that His bleeding unchained my forgiveness and healing because Christ blood was of such worth that it was able to purchase from God the Father all the good to all believe forever! We know this when we walk in authentic sincerity of love and obedience before our God whom we believe and love. The promises of Christ are as certain as the rising of the Sun.

-The sacrifice and bleeding of Christ reminds us that Christ's love and mercy toward us is the only true nourishment for a broken soul to everlasting life.

-To whom is the healing balm of Christ's blood applied to?  To whom is the promise of Christ's Holy Spirit and love given to?

-To those who are authentically sorrowful for their sin toward God. Who by trusting, believe they are forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ. Who also believe their remaining sins are covered by His bleeding, death and resurrection. To those who earnestly desire to have their faith strengthened to grow in holiness. But hypocrites who do not turn to the bloodshed of Christ for forgiveness with sincere hearts only live life and cut judgment on themselves.

The blood does not have to be yours!

Someone has already bled for you!

Revelation 1:5, "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood."