Freedom

I wasn't sure if I was going to write this on here.  It is pretty personal, and it does make me a little self conscious.  However, this is my blog and I am going to share what is on my mind.  If you, my readers, don't like it, then just don't read.  :)  Not that I don't love you all, I just want to be honest.  Anywho, now that I have that out of the way, let's get onto what the Lord is revealing to me.

For quite some time I have felt like I was in a spiritual daze.  I was neither on fire for Christ or non-Christian, just in the middle.  That's lukewarm and the Lord does not really like that.  Why?  Because if I am not serving the Lord and loving him fully, then why bother loving him at all.  It makes sense to me that way.  I'm a 100%-all-in girl (have you noticed that in my enthusiasm for crafty stuff??).  I have always been that way, so this mediocrity in my faith has been slowly killing me.  The Lord revealed that to me recently, through words from a good friend and mentoring couple.  Our women's study has been on the book The Bait of Satan by John Bevere.  It is a fantastic book about how we get offended by circumstances and people and Satan wants to use that to divide the church and separate us from God.  The most recent chapter was about how God's revealed word in our hearts is what changes us -- not just Biblical head knowledge.  He shared the story of Simon-Peter and how the Lord had revealed the true nature of Christ to him, and how that enabled him to stand firm like a rock and not be shaken (Matthew 16:13-18).  I asked the Lord to speak to me and give me a true hunger for Him.  He showed me that I had been afraid of being on fire for Him, of being marked as different, of being set apart.  I did not want people to judge me.  Well, I'm over it.  I know who I am and I am a daughter of the King.  If I am judged and looked down upon, then those people are not really my friends, so I don't care. 

I also have been learning that "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free."  (Galatians 5:1)  I had heard people saying that at church recently (because the Lord has been freeing a lot of people from the chains and bondage to sin) and just nodded my head and went with it.  But the Lord finally impressed upon my heart (or revealed to me) what it truly meant.  Accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is just the first step.  At that point, we still let ourselves be chained down by sin.  We need to make a daily decision to turn from that sin, to hold on to Christ's hand that is right there, and to walk in freedom.  We may be tempted by sin, but we can know that we can stand firm with Christ and walk in freedom.  I recently did a Beth Moore study on that (Breaking Free), but the depth of that freedom did not hit me until this very week.  Once we let go of that sin and our dependence on it, we can walk in freedom with Christ.  Let me tell you, that is a beautiful place to be.  Our hearts will be light and we will be able to trust the Lord.  I know that trials will come and I will still be tempted to sin, but Christ's love has set me free and I can walk firmly in that.  Not in the way I was before -- bogged down by the pains of this world and the half hearted desire to be different.  Know that I am different.  Praise the Lord.

Whoa, just felt like Beth Moore. I really wanted to get that off my chest.  Maybe this message is for one of you out there, maybe it was just for me to write out publically what the Lord impressed upon my heart. I am not certain, but I challenge you to hunger for the Lord.  And listen when he talks to you.

Regularly scheduled crafting posts to come back soon.  :0)  Though, there may be more of these posts mixed in. Blessings to you all!