Tag:

freedom from fear

Where The Spirit Of The Lord Is There Is Freedom

by Sarah Crockett March 31, 2022

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” That means that where the Spirit of the Lord is not there is the opposite – bondage, fear, confusion, depression.

Here are two ways to invite the Spirit of the Lord into any environment:

#1 – Worship

Where Jesus is worshiped the Spirt of the Lord is…and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!

Worship can come in many different forms, what’s important is Who is being worshiped. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He is the One worthy of all of our praise and honor. You can worship in many ways – singing, reading the Bible, playing an instrument, washing the dishes, folding the laundry… As believers, we can worship the Lord by doing anything we do in life unto Him.

Your worship to the Lord ushers in the Spirit of the Lord and, thus, freedom enters the room. Just imagine what could happen if you began to do every day tasks as worship unto the Lord. How free could you be?

#2 – Prayer

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…” Prayer is another way that we can invite God into our midst and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!

There is no “right” way to pray. Our relationship with the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit is just that – a relationship. Prayer is your own personal, relational conversation with Him. Pray the way you pray…but if you need some ideas try one of these:

Pray scripture
Say your prayer out loud
Pray lyrics from a worship song
Journal
Write a song
Paint

Again, there is no “right” way to pray. However, it is important that we communicate with God through prayer so that His presence can come…and with His presence freedom becomes available.

Try Something

As you can see, there are several ways to usher in the presence of God in order to spend time with Him. The truth in 2 Corinthians 3:17 is a promise! Jesus paid for this promise, “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom”, to be a reality in our lives.

If you’re feeling stuck, stop what you’re doing and take some time to worship or pray right now. Invite His Spirit into your circumstance and start accessing the freedom that is your inheritance!

March 31, 2022 0 comment

Faith

In This Season of the Great Contradiction, What Do You See?

by Andrea Joy Moede April 14, 2020

written by Andrea Joy Moede

As 2019 drew to a close, I felt an impression from Holy Spirit. I needed to finish a book that had been on my mind for almost two years. I knew our young family’s schedule would be more relaxed over Christmas break, so I set out in earnest to get the writing finished, spending several all-nighters at hotels to get it out the door. Editing, formatting, and marketing took the project into February, and I was able to release The Path of Truth: Stories of The Lies We Believe & The Power to Break Them on March the 2nd.

Fear Is A Liar

News of the coronavirus pandemic began to spread in early March, and I was listening to prophetic voices from around the globe. Cindy Jacobs stated that there were two fears attached to the virus: the fear of lack and the fear of death. After reading that, Holy Spirit reminded me that the very first two chapters of this book refute these two specific lies. Chapter 1 deals with the fear of lack. Its title is appropriately “Scarcity or Excess.” Hello toilet paper? Chapter 2 covers the fear of sickness and death and is entitled “Wither or Flourish.”

I began to process this, understanding that God had appointed this message for NOW. His urgency in the late fall, unbeknownst to me at the time, was to uncover and remedy a deficiency on the earth. I heard Him say, “My people are not free of lies! Fear is very real, and it’s roaming the earth today, seeking whom it may devour.” He knew this was coming and released yet another tool to add to our arsenal of weapons in the ongoing battle for truth.

Mayday, Mayday

The weeks have passed slowly, as we take care of our little family and pray for the world. I’ve been receiving quite a few “mayday, mayday” phone calls, from seasoned believers who are not in a good place. Unfortunately, most of these calls were not a surprise. What is truly in our hearts is being revealed in the shaking, in the pressing.

Just this morning I heard the Father say, “This is going to be the season of the great contradiction. Everything you see will defy My promises. People who know Me, people who are firmly planted on the rock, will be secure because they trust more in Me than what they see. However, for those who still walk by sight and not by faith, that too will be revealed.”

A New Place

I believe God is inviting us all into a new place, a completely honest place. He’s challenging us on what has been growing in our hearts: fear or faith. There is no place to stand in the middle any longer; these times won’t allow it. We must be firmly, irrevocably, in agreement with His ultimate truth. We must refuse anything to the contrary brought by our accuser!

Trading Anxiety For Peace

by Corine Channell June 13, 2019

written by Corine Channell

Anxiety.

That word comes with so much misconception, and pain. If you have experienced it you already know its damaging effects and how it deadens any hope of peace.

(I first want to clarify as in any mental health issue, there are extreme cases that may require therapy or counseling or medicine, and way more than just a small encouraging blog).

On a scale of 1-100, where do you find yourself IF you are someone who battles anxiety? I think I was at a bit of a normal level (if there is a norm) of feeling anxious in my life – raising 6 kids (before and after their dad passed away from cancer). I would venture to say the first bouts of anxiety were more regular stresses of a life with many children; worried about them, and money, and the future – worried if I’d get it right! After their dad died the worries tripled times 10 – or more. I tried to hold it all together and looking at me, sure – it seemed to be so.

Explosion of Anxiety

I think anxiety has been growing inside of me for a very long time; I simply did not truly understand it. I thought I was a very faith driven, positive, glass half full kind of person! Part of my anxiety (ironically) was trying to maintain being THAT person!

People needed me to be strong, to be happy, to cheer THEM on, to provide for them, to serve them, to love them with every ounce of my being. How I really felt got shoved way down, deep inside, and out of sight.

There can come a time when you just hit rock bottom, no matter how optimistic you are. Rock bottom despite all of its danger and fear and hopelessness, is indeed the place where Jesus becomes the solid ROCK of the bottom!

I fell apart on one particular day, due to an extremely painful situation in my life that pretty much leveled me flat. My faith in God was intact, but my soul was too shocked to remember how to apply all the faith principles I knew (I learned it’s okay to admit you’re NOT okay). At the time however, I still was not ready for that admission. In our frail brokenness God Himself is always holding us; even when we may or may not realize it at the moment of our hellish descent.

Rooted in Fear

So, anxiety. What is it basically? It is fear. We are worried or concerned about uncertain outcomes. It turns into agitation, tension, stress, foreboding, uneasiness (multiplied without number), and an overall sense of having lost our bearings. It sends you spiraling out of control – sometimes slowly, but other times it feels like you were shoved off a cliff into midair – flailing for your life all the while just falling – falling – falling.

The opposite of anxiety is so beautiful. Yes (shout, Amen!) there IS an opposite. It is PEACE. And it IS possible to find even in the midst of life’s worst moments. It is a journey, and it will probably be a solo journey. It is YOUR fight to find it. I love that pop song – “The Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. Part of the lyrics are: “…’Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.” When you get down to the bottom, there is this instinct that kicks in that says, THIS can’t be where it all ends!

That fight? That will to survive? That is God in you. Do NOT ever ignore it or make light of it. That will be the exact moment you will be able to look up (even just a glance upwards is enough) from the bottom of your anxiety, and hope will be ushered in – right from the depths of your OWN soul.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast [THROW] all your anxiety on HIM – because He cares for YOU.” Memorize this; it’s short and sweet and TRUE, and it really is possible. I have lived through some hellish situations that looking back, I wonder how I am still here – how I still can be a glass half full person.

He Brings Peace

The reason is I threw it ALL on Jesus! HERE! You take it, and do what You want with it – I can’t take it anymore. There is something that transcends human understanding that happens when you really surrender the worries and pain and anxieties to God. It is a trade. HE takes it from me, and then HE gives me back something in its place. He brings peace, which is stronger and more powerful that anxiety.

Anxiety is laced with the poison of lies from the pits of hell, meant to suffocate us, diabilitate us, and ultimately destroy us. PEACE is the real deal, truth that brings strength and hope right in the middle of a situation that has not yet changed. Yes. THIS is true.

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest…you will find rest for your souls.”

Visualize it as you take ALL your worries and hand them over to Jesus, however that looks to you if you were painting it as a picture. For me, it would look like broken, shattered pieces of glass with jagged edges. As I try to scoop them up the glass cuts my hands and begins to bleed. It hurts just handing it all over to Him. But I don’t want it anymore. I can’t! I can’t do it! I can’t handle it! It has sent me to rock bottom.

Then from the deep darkness of the bottom of rock bottom, from the depths of my broken shattered soul, comes the sweet exchange. I take my anxiety and fear and pain to the ONLY place where true relief can be found.

Call the bluff on the enemy of your soul. Let the fight song of your own life rise up! In that split second that you release the worry from your soul, God is there in that moment. Significant moments are tiny pockets where change is born.

Life still has all the elements of a tragic opera plot line. The change may not be in the outward circumstances, but the change will be inside of YOU. And this truly changes everything. “This is my fight song, take back my life song – my power’s turned on, starting right now I’ll be strong.”

The power is Jesus. The fight starts with US and the victory to win ends with HIS strength given to us as we surrender the worry. “Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4) This is my go to – take a deep breath and press on – scripture. I am not alone. You are not alone. We are held.

It is a win-win. Slowly, but surely you will rise from the ashes. Fear will not hold you for ransom anymore. YOUR fight song is blasting in the background as you go from fight to flight!

June 13, 2019 2 comments