Freedom

Freedom

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

“EVERY DAY I THINK ABOUT what I did,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks, unchecked. “I think about the choices I made and wish I could go back and do something different. Each day I say how sorry I am, but I think God is punishing me.” Her voice trailed off as she turned to watch our kids swimming together in the pool.

I sat a little stunned before reaching across our chairs for her hand. She turned back slowly, her gaze not quite reaching mine. “God doesn’t do that,” I whispered as I squeezed her hand. “He sees your pain, and he knows you’re sorry. God forgives us; he doesn’t continue to shame us. You’ve punished yourself enough for this.” Her eyes slowly came to meet mine. “He grieves with you. He wouldn’t saddle you with this guilt and shame. That is not who God is.”

She let out a deep sigh as we continued to talk about God’s grace and love—his character. I could tell she had a hard time believing. The lies of the enemy had wrapped tightly around her heart, weighing her spirit down with heaviness, and the process of cutting loose from those old beliefs would take time. Before we left, I prayed for my friend, for freedom from the things that had weighed her down.

The enemy will use whatever he can to keep us from knowing the truth of all that God would have for us, mainly the freedom that we can find in Jesus. When we hang on to guilt and shame over our past, we allow the enemy to put heavy loads of anxiety, depression, and self-defeating thoughts on us. But freedom is found when we realize that these things are not from God and that, in fact, Jesus wishes to set us free from the bondage of these lies. No matter what we have done, God’s redemption and love are available to each one of us, right now. We don’t have to wait for freedom—it’s already here.

Lord, thank you for the freedom we can find in you. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Write down a lie you have been believing and ask God to help you combat the lie with the truth of his Word so that you can walk in freedom.