Freedom Fridays

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Welcome to Freedom Fridays…a powerful insight from Jennifer’s heart to ours about emotional, spiritual and physical freedom! Grab your coffee and your strand of faith for some knot-worthy truths!

Are you running in or running out?

I was recently attending a church conference and one of the keynote speakers stated, “Fear will make you weird.” I laughed out loud because I knew that to be true of myself but didn’t know that anyone else felt that way.  On my freedom road I have encountered lots of fear [and certainly acted weird]. 

There are circumstances in my life that can certainly make me feel afraid: Fear of confrontation, failure, emotional pain…. The list goes on.  When contemplating all that I heard loud and clear I can’t help but ask: “Are you running in or running out?”

To me it meant this: When I start to feel afraid, do I stand in my own strength or am I running into my Heavenly Father?  When I do anything in my strength, it will drain me so I have nothing left but emptiness.  That’s the opposite of how we are supposed to function.  “Fear not” is mentioned in the Bible 365 times!!!!  That’s not a coincidence.  One “fear not” for every day of the year (except for this year :-)).  I know that I have to change the direction I am running in.

For me, fear has become the identity that the enemy wanted me to have.  I have been abused and molested by people close to me.  I grew up in fear.  I was 23 before I could walk into a dark room. I’ve lived my life in fear.

Fear is not what the Lord wants me, or you, to identify with.  He will change our identity if we let Him.  He changed Simon (meaning grass) to Peter (meaning rock). 

What if you knew you couldn’t fail? Psalm 34:4 “God met me more than halfway; He freed me from my anxious fears.” I know I want to be free from my anxious fears.  If we start walking towards Him He will meet us.  It takes obedience, not faith, to walk forward when you are in fear.  Often we spend our time looking back but looking back is what is holding us back from what He has called us to do.

Fear will never co-exist when God is seen as a loving father.  Seeking the kingdom first will give us an un-intimidated point of view.  I know walking away from fear is hard [I am learning how to each day!] so I will leave you with this thought to contemplate.

1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. In this way love now has the run of our house and becomes at home and mature in us so that we’re free of worry. Our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Fear is crippling and causes us to live a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—it is safe to ask: is one not yet fully formed in love?

Run in obedience towards your freedom (and leave the fear behind)!

Running towards freedom,

Jennifer