freedom – Anna's Alcove

Have you ever read or heard a verse that leaves you puzzling for days? Whether you’re a new Christian or have been a believer for a while, God’s Word always has something new to offer. There are so many levels to the letter that He’s written us in the Bible that there’s no way that we could know and understand everything about our heavenly Father. It’s a constant learning process.

A couple weeks ago, I encountered this verse in two completely different setting. The first one was an online speaker I was listening to (Katie Souza) and she was talking about how God is light and how we’re able to speak light because His Holy Spirit dwells within us. The second instance was after a powerful prayer time at church, where a majority of my church family (including me) received prayer for freedom in Christ.

The verse was Isaiah 60:1 (AMP), and it reads like this:

“Arise [from the depression and prostration
in which circumstances have kept you – rise to a new life]!
Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord),
for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!”

At first, I didn’t take much notice of it. I acknowledged it as a good verse to think about and probably posted it as my Facebook status for that day. Then I heard it repeated by my pastor on Sunday and he expounded on the fact that we’re not called to just sit back during this thing called life. We’re called to freedom in Christ and the power that comes with that is too great for us to not act upon.

That caught my attention.

So, throughout the last two weeks, I’ve been puzzling over what this verse could mean for my own individual walk with Christ. I came to the obvious conclusions – yes, the old me is dead and I am made completely new, the glory of the Lord is mine and I am the light of the world. But I knew there had to be more to it than that.

I kept pondering… and then it hit me.

The only way I can truly shine for Christ and become that light is to hunger after His word! If I’m continuously thinking about His Word, meditating on what it could mean for my life and diving into the Word for more, I won’t be able to contain the fire that will ignite in me. God doesn’t want lukewarm Christians; He wants us to be on fire for Him, to be a light that attracts the lost, to reveal the truth that is within us…

to “be radiant with the glory of the Lord”!

Don’t settle for less. Make an effort to spend time in the Word every day. Ask for a spiritual hunger and revelation if you find yourself struggling. God wants nothing more than to reveal Himself to you and when you ask, He will most certainly follow through. 🙂

The spirit of fear is a nasty thing to contend with. It can creep up, whisper lies into your ear and convince you of something that hasn’t even happened yet, leaving you curled up in a little ball, holding your head, shaking and squeezing your eyes shut in an attempt to block it all out.

If you’ve ever dealt with fear and anxiety, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Ever since meeting my wonderful husband, God has been taking me on an incredible journey to reveal who I am in Him and what it means to truly live as a daughter of the Most High. During that process, He’s brought to light how much of a hold fear had on me and how I needed to be set free of it in order to fully imitate Christ’s lifestyle.

Fear and worry used to be a big thing in my life. Whenever events or situations came up, my first response would be to worry about all the “what ifs.” What if they don’t like me? What if this sickness turns into a horrible disease? What if our plans don’t work out? What if I never get married? What if I fail at being a Christian?

And the list goes on and on.

The spirit of fear is something the devil traps us with, making us think that it’s part of who we are and something we just have to deal with for the rest of our lives. But what many of us don’t realize is the complete freedom that is waiting for us in Christ! All we have to do is take hold of it and believe in His goodness and grace. As Dan Mohler said in his “School of Kingdom Living” series:

Don’t take to heart what the devil throws at you,
for you have already been delivered! It’s not who you are!

You don’t have to listen to the lies. Why? Romans 8:1 puts it plainly:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

As long as we have God on our side, we can stand firm in our faith and turn to the One who saves whenever we feel another bout of fear coming on. Now, I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. I struggled for three consecutive months to rid my life of fear and anxiety – crying out to God, leaning on my husband, curling up in a ball just wishing the world would leave me alone.

But once you come to a realization of what it means to live as a child of the Most High God, it becomes easier to reject the lies that the devil throws at you. “Once you’ve submitted to God, you’ve already resisted the devil. There’s no need to tire yourself out by fighting” (Dan Mohler). It’s all about having the mindset of Christ and continually being refreshed by the Spirit.

How do you accomplish that? Through communion and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Spend time in the Word. Pray. Talk with God and wait for Him to respond. “The key to resisting the devil and making him flee is to build yourself up in God” (Dan Mohler)

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and you are complete in Him,
who is the head of all principality and power.”
(Col. 2:9-10)

You are loved by the Creator of all things. Praise Him in the dark times and He will set you free!

Anna's Alcove

Let's do life together!

Tag: freedom

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