Skip to main content

Free in Christ

Galatians 5:13
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
To be free in Christ does not mean that we can use our freedom to continue in sin. Yes, Christ’s love is abundant and His grace is sufficient for when we do fall short, but when we surrender our lives we must understand that change is inevitable. As Pastor Mike conveys in his presentation of the potter and the clay, when we surrender our lives, Christ is then able to center us in His perfect will and begin the process of removing the “gunk.” This is the most difficult part because pain and suffering comes with letting go of those things we hold on to that we do not want brought to the surface. However, being honest with God regarding the things we are struggling with is a key component in allowing Him to change us from the inside out, but it begins with us. He is only able to do as much as we allow Him to. Will we surrender to Him the deepest parts of ourselves so that we may begin to become more like Him? Will we consult the support of those who He has placed in our lives? I find it unbelievably challenging to be honest to the Lord or to those around me concerning the very things that bother me. Whether someone has said something or done something that has offended me, I will generally mask it with a smile and continue on. For a girl that is always so seemingly happy on the outside, I sure am miserable on the inside, but how can anyone help me if I do not let my walls fall down? What am I so afraid of? People care, Kaydra, you just have to let them in.

Application
This week, I will reach out to a trusted member of leadership with the aspects of my life that I have been struggling with so that I may bring these issues to light and move on. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Off Balance

1 Corinthians 12:14-15 “ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.” Simply spoken, even when we feel as though we do not belong, that does not mean we are allowed to quit. Each one of us has a vitally important role in the body of Christ, just as the foot plays a vitally important role to the body. Without the foot, the body would be off balance and we would not be able to walk. Without the ability to walk, how would the will of God be fulfilled? It wouldn’t. Similarly, we must be willing to submit to the calling the Lord has placed on our lives without being quick to reject it. His plan is perfect, and even if it is something we are not accustomed to, if it is in His will, it will pan out for our good and His glory. I despised the majority of my time as a nurses aide, and looking back, I realize now that I was relying on stre...

The Remedy

1 Timothy 4:8 “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” To be disciplined in exercising our physical bodies, we must push ourselves everyday to do more, to be better. We must endure the pain that follows if we want to remain fit but after a while, it becomes routine and though the pain might still be evident, it is no longer bothersome. It becomes so routine that it feels odd when we do not do it, as if we are breaking a law that we ourselves have put in place. In the same way, we must exercise our faith in the Lord on a daily basis to remain in His will for our lives. Our Father strives to have that personal relationship with us, but like any earthly relationship, it takes effort; it takes prayer, reading, and listening to what the Father is conveying to us. Though exercising our physical bodies may give us relief for a short while, spending quality time with the Lord is...

Vertical Identity

Psalms 139:13-14 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” It is so easy to get caught up in the lies of the enemy who whispers in my ear that I am not good enough. It is so easy to look to the left and to the right at my sisters in Christ and compare myself to their seeming flawlessness, forgetting that Jesus died for their sins, too. Sure, I am louder and more outspoken than most, but this by no means indicates that the Lord loves me any less because He created me to be that way. It is only when I come to accept these aspects about myself that I consider to be so detrimental that the Lord can use them for His glory and my good. Does this mean that I will assume perfection? Absolutely not, but it does mean that I no longer have to be a slave to self-hatred. It means that I no longer have to rely on horizontal approval when my identity...