Let Freedom Ring!

Today in the United States we celebrate the birth of our country and the freedom it brought to many. Those 242 years ago many came across the ocean from other countries to obtain religious freedom. They sought free enterprise.  And they longed for a better life for their families. Most of those people prayed to our loving Lord Jesus Christ to guide them, provide for them, and protect them. They trusted in our Lord Jesus, but they also worked hard to help secure a future for themselves and their families.  Many of those men and women and children suffered the greatest loss, losing loved ones to disease and sickness. But they continued to trust in God. They persevered, they didn’t give up. They were full of hope, faith, and trust in God.
As I thought about this today I wondered if many still believe in that freedom our ancestors fought for. That freedom they spoke of comes to us in only one way, through our Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us this.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom].”
‭‭2 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭AMP‬‬
That is the freedom our ancestors desired more than anything. To follow our Lord, to have the freedom to worship our Lord. That is true freedom.
They did not want to come here to this land to harm anyone or harm our land. They wanted to come and be free to serve and worship our Lord Jesus Christ.
No matter what crisis comes our way, no matter what health need or financial need we may be facing,  our Lord Jesus is in control. Just reach down inside with all you have and pull out that tiny grain of faith, grab ahold of that and trust that Jesus will get you through whatever you are facing.
It was exactly 7 years ago, I had surgeries #2 and 3 on my spinal cord.  I could not walk. I had excruciating pain.  In all of that, I knew Jesus was in control. I knew I would be ok. I spent 2 months in the hospital. In the middle of that I was diagnosed with the leukemia.  But I still knew I would be ok. I held on to that grain of faith. I knew Jesus had more than that for me. I pushed through and persevered. I am able to walk. It may be less than before, but I can.  The leukemia is controlled with the chemo I take. I consider this freedom. The freedom only my Lord Jesus can give.
Whatever you are going through, grab ahold of Jesus, let Him help you through it. He has freedom for you.

How do we react when we are having a bad day?

“Bad days”, we all have them. Sometimes they come in bunches.  Sometimes they come seldom, thank goodness. Sometimes we get swarmed with them and then we don’t have another one for months. Personally I like the seldom category.  However, we have no control when we are hit with a bad day. What we do have control of is “how” we react to them.
That’s my next question, how do we react?  Do we carry on and make a scene, or make ourselves look foolish? Or perhaps we keep it bottled up inside and let it torment us all the more. We all have our own pressure points. What may hit my pressure points  may be trivial to you and vice versa.
Either way, we all get bothered at times. Therefore we must learn to deal with these times and be overcomers. We have the power and strength through our Lord Jesus Christ to be overcomers.  He fills us with His peace and comfort. He has already fought these battles for us. Therefore we can have the victory.
A lot of the outcome depends on our attitudes. Do we truly trust in the power Jesus has, and the strength He has given us? Do we sit and pout about the bad day we had? Do we go on social media and write an essay describing our bad day?  Or do we stand tall, and declare victory in the name of Jesus, giving all of our troubles to Him, allowing Him to help us be strong?
What describes a bad day? It may be financial. It may be relationships. It may be work situations. Or it may be your health. No matter what defines your day, it is not more powerful, or stronger than our Lord Jesus.
I want to encourage you, faithful readers, make a decision to join me, let’s do our best to be victorious.  Let’s stand tall.
Trust me, I know it can be very hard. But we have to push through that barrier with all we have. Yes, Jesus already won, but He wants us to get up and be proactive.
I pray that you are encouraged to stand your ground.  I pray that Jesus fills you with His power and strength. I know He is here with us all and cross s that victory line with us.  Amen!

Where does our power come from?

We all need a power source. Without one we are powerless. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, what you believe, you still need a power source to plug in to. The question is, who or what is your power source.
I am not talking about our electricity. I am not talking about our finances. I am not talking about our flesh.  I am talking about our spirits, our souls.  I like to break this down into two categories, a power that gives life, and a power that gives death.
We all want life. But we all don’t seek the life giving power of Jesus. So many think they can do it on their own, or rely on the resources of the world. Those resources are not all bad. But unless we are drawing from the life giving power of Jesus Christ then we will fail and fall into darkness. There is only one way for us to live in the light, live in the life that lasts for an eternity. That is through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is it. That is the only way.
We all have struggles we go through. It could be your job, your finances, your personal life, your health. No matter what it is, it can wear you down. Unless we have the life giving power of Jesus, we cannot overcome those struggles. Remember, I am speaking of our spirits, our souls. But these struggles will affect our inner being, our souls.
As I’ve written before, my health is a daily struggle. I have a choice as to how I will handle this struggle. I could lay in bed all day and choose to be in self pity.  By the way that is a dark place.
I could complain all day and ask God why I have to deal with this. Or I can get up, stand firm on the Word of God, and draw on the power of Jesus, determined to walk in the light, hope, love that Jesus fills me with.
That is the kind of power I want. Nothing drains your power and strength more quickly than dwelling in a negative, dark place. Jesus gave His all so we can walk in His light. He doesn’t want His children dwelling in darkness. He loves us too much. That is why He sacrificed His own life, so that we could live an eternity with Him, in His light.
I’m sure some may be thinking how can I say that since I am not healed. I don’t know why I am not totally healed. But what I do know is Jesus gives me victory everyday. Every step I take is a miracle. Every breath I breathe is a miracle. Every beat my husband’s heart beats is a miracle. (That is a story for another time). Just because I haven’t been totally healed doesn’t mean I have lost my battle. Jesus is working in my body 24/7. And the same for all of you. He has plans for all of us.
My prayer has always been for Jesus to use my situation to help others, and that He be glorified in it all.
I would say for me, this is walking in the power of Jesus. My heart wants to always please our Lord God. Sure I may slip, but He is right there to pick me up. And the same for you. No matter what your struggle is, Jesus is there to lift you up, He is there to fill you with life giving power.
He is the great I Am! You don’t have to go through life alone, or in a dark place. That is a lie from the pit of hell.  And it is powerless in our lives because Jesus reigns and His power rules over any other power there is.