An online lifestyle magazine for Christian women
Is there something in your life you want to be free from? Perhaps you are wrestling with addiction. Maybe you are struggling with intrusive thoughts that cause you distress. Or you could be stuck with a heavy anxiety or depression that just won’t seem to budge. The process of finding freedom in Jesus is one that often takes time. True, there are stories of being instantly set free, and I believe that can happen. But often, freedom is a process of unlearning old thought patterns and habits and replacing them with new. It takes time and patience!
There is one component of freedom, however, that is very important. The times I’ve experienced a faster freedom in my life were the times when this piece of the puzzle finally clicked into place. That puzzle piece is the belief that God is both willing and able to set you free. You need to have FAITH that he can do it!
I wrestled with intrusive thoughts that were causing me great distress. For such a long time, I was praying and asking to be freed from them. One day, I made a choice to verbalize those thoughts to my husband, even though I was afraid to say them out loud. When I spoke about my struggle, something in me immediately changed. I suddenly had a belief that God would actually be able to set me completely free. And that was it – the thoughts were gone. And they have not returned since.
There were two things I did that I believe led to my freedom. The first was confessing my thoughts to someone I trusted. This was a powerful step. I got them out of my head and into the open. This took away the fear that the thoughts were giving me. My husband shared with me some thoughts he was struggling with. This helped me feel less alone and realize that I’m not the only one.
The second thing was faith. As I confessed my struggle, I was given the faith to believe that God would set me free. Before this moment, I was wrestling with unbelief. I felt like I was going to be struggling indefinitely. I couldn’t see an end in sight. But once I believed, I was able to receive my freedom.
“Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”” – Matthew 21:21-22 NIV
This passage is the very words of Jesus. He promises that we will receive what we ask for in prayer, but we have to believe. Without faith, our prayers won’t be as effective. So how do we get more faith?
“And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” – Luke 17:6 ESV
A mustard seed is a tiny little seed, but it grows into a big tree. Here, Jesus compares faith to a mustard seed. I think the point is that even a little bit of faith can grow into something big! If your faith is small, know that it can always increase. Ask God to take your mustard seed of faith and increase it!
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17 ESV
In this verse, the apostle Paul writes that faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. God’s word almost always comes through reading scripture, or the Bible. Spend time reading the stories of faith in the Bible and it will grow your faith! I also believe that included in this passage is our prayer life. Spend time in prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. This too will grow faith!
“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” – Revelation 12:11 ESV
I think a great and powerful way to grow your faith is to hear how someone else has been set free. Listen to the testimonies of others who have struggled as you have yet overcome. You can read such stories online, but I believe that if you start opening up to your friends and fellow church members about your struggle, this could put you in a position to hear more testimonies. The more you hear about what God has done for others, the more this will instill in you a faith that it can happen for you too!
It’s important to recognize that we are not always going to find instant freedom from our struggles. Believing this can lead to some very unhealthy mindsets. You might start to wonder if God is ignoring you or you might stop trusting that he is sovereign. You might also question your faith and wonder why you aren’t finding freedom.
I believe that when someone finds that instant freedom in Jesus, there was probably some invisible foundation that was already laid in their life that allowed them to find their freedom in that moment. Freedom can take time and patience, and that’s okay! Trust God in the waiting and allow him to continue to work in you. I believe he does desire our freedom and that he will bring it to pass in his timing!
Lauren Magazine is an online lifestyle magazine for Christian women.
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