An Ocean to Find

Today I want to give a big shout out to the Freedom Ministry Department at my church. They are teaching thousands of people how to truly walk in freedom, live in that mind set and share it with others. They are sharing their wisdom everyday to bring healing to the church.

I have noticed that it is very common for Christians to talk about "being free" and they often quote this scripture: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

But I am beginning to think the freedom they are talking about is simply freedom from hell. They are free because they are redeemed and will spend eternity in heaven. I am not disagreeing or making that fact any less valuable, but that freedom is just the tip of what the Lord offers to us.

I want to share an example with you because only when we see how specific the Lord is in freeing us, can we understand how deep He want to go to bring healing.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking with a friend and she mentioned hanging out with one of my other friends. Right then, something in me was uncomfortable. I didn't like that and really I just didn't want my friends being friends with out me around. I knew immediately that my inner response was wrong and not of the Lord so I thought about it all day wondering why I would have such a childish feeling.

After work I went to another friend and told her that I had something that God needed to change about me and I wanted her help. So we went to a room by ourselves and she said "Holy Spirit show Katy the first time she felt this way." I saw myself in my room when I was in 6th grade and a friend of mine was telling me something bad about one of our other friends. Right then I knew that if she would talk bad about her she would talk bad about me.

That was a negative experience as a child, but it would have had no effect on me if I had not attached a meaning to the situation. So my friend walking me through this said "Holy Spirit, show Katy if she believed a lie when this happened." I knew right away what I believed. That you have to be perfect for there not to be anything bad to say about you, and you can't have good friends if your not perfect.

See how my lie that I believed really wasn't the truth? The truth is that my 6th grade friend shouldn't gossip. But the enemy that hates us uses even the smallest negative event to lie to us.

In my little "ministry session", we continued asking God questions and going down memories to find out what I believed from those instances. By the end, we had unfolded a web of lies that effected my friendships even today, and I forgave those who were involved in the memories the Lord showed me. It was so freeing to know that my relationships would be healthier from this simple act of uncovering lies and claiming the truth. It was another layer of strongholds broken, all in a days work!

I am grateful to be learning how God wants to not only redeem us for eternity but redeem us for today. There is an ocean of freedom available for everyone if we search it out. God will always show up because He is eager to speak to us about our true identity.

- Katy