Freedom

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ~John 8:32

One of my greatest desires is to know the truth in all things. For most of my life, I lived in and believed lies which led to me being in spiritual, emotional, physical and financial bondage. Thankfully, by the grace of God, I have been set free from these bondages, which allows me to live the abundant life that Jesus died to give us all!

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ~John 10:10

Now that I walk daily in my blood-bought freedom, I have a keen sense of discernment when I am being led out of my land of peace and back into the land of bondage and darkness.

One of the tell-tale signs that I am being led astray is when a task I am undertaking or a relationship I am in becomes unusually burdensome and confusing. When I find that I am forcing myself to make something work; desperately trying to find solutions to maintain a relationship and feeling overwhelmed in the process, I know I am outside of God's will because the Bible tells us that HIS yoke is easy and his burdens are light (Matthew 11:30).

With that said, today I realized that I was slowly but surely drifting from my post of peace when I began desperately trying to order online tickets to an event before the best seats and lowest prices were gone. However, despite my efforts, I could not seem to complete the order without being interrupted. (Hint: when God is in it, I notice that things simply work out effortlessly. But when WE are behind the wheel, navigating, controlling and reasoning, nothing seems to go right!)

Well, that is where I was, nothing was working out at all. To make matters worse, the person I wanted to go with me didn't show the slightest interest in going (and this was not the first time this had happened).

As I drove home, warm tears began to stream down my face as I felt the sting of rejection, pain, and helplessness pierce my heart. I had looked forward to this date for weeks, and in an instant, I saw it all vanish before my eyes. I gently whispered to God that I could not do "this" anymore; I could not continue to share my love, hope, and heart with someone who could care less about me, much less my desires and plans.

It was in that moment of brokenness that I sensed God speaking to me to LET GO; to stop trying to make things happen and let Him finish what He started. At first, I thought it had to be the enemy trying to get me to quit and give up. So to make sure I was not being deceived, I decided to call a friend to vent, but I could not find one friend in my call log that had not heard this sad story before. Upon realizing that I had been whining about this situation for years, I knew I would not get an impartial/unbiased view from any of my loved ones, and worse, I ran the risk of upsetting someone's day with a matter that only God could truly counsel me about.

As I conclude this article (and after my chat with the Lord), I'm happy to share that once again I am back in the land of freedom, where I long to remain. Yes, I know that the enemy will present other opportunities for me to step back into hard labor, but I am confident that the minute I become anxious, it is not because I need to work harder, it's only a sign that I need to LET GO and give the person or problem to God to handle-after all, that's what Fathers do.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:6-7

By: Moms Rebuilding Their Homes