I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.
- Ephesians 1:18-19a
We are made for more than a life of failure, of being trapped in the loop of defeat, of being ruled and made the conquered servant of our senses and emotions, our own self image, our rationalizations and excuses and our guilt. We are made to be more than the conquerors, to be victorious, to have the abundant life of a child of the King in which nothing can prevent us from carrying out what we are meant to do, because nothing has the authority to do so.
Once some of the big chains are removed, it's tempting at times to stop there. Free of the bondage and addictions that were quickly and painfully killing us, some of the minor things can seem like nothing more than annoyances or inconveniences. It doesn't seem worth the fight. They don't seem to be doing much damage. Why bother facing the struggle to fight the lies and bondage of what we have always believed about self image and self identity, to treat the sickness that doesn't seem to be as active as it once was or doesn't seem to cause pain or discomfort or pain nearly as often or as severely as before. But just because a sickness seems under control and the effects do not appear to be interfering with life much does not mean that things wouldn't be much much better if the disease was eliminated completely.
I can remember times when my mother told me things like you're not a brat, so don't act like one. When teachers complained to my parents that I could do much better and had more potential than the results of my studies were showing. Many instances and periods in life I simply did not live up to the idea of being the best I could be, and that settling for living and being less became easier.
When it just seems too hard to eliminate self hatred, anger, fear, etc. we can remind ourselves of the truth of who we are. I am not my sin. I am not my past. I am not my failure. I am not the mistakes I continue to make. Neither are you We are the children of the King. We are the precious people He says were are. We have His power within us and full access and authority to use it. We are not shackled by our own abilities and understanding. We have His ability and His wisdom by grace.
We need power and ability beyond our frail attempts and fickle resolve. We need strength greater than our senses and emotions, habits and past patterns. And we have it. We have within us the truth and the grace to live out that truth. The truth is we are not the worm but the butterfly. We are who He says we are. We were made for more than this.
Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments and or listens to the messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions to more people by sharing the Moments and messages that you read or listen to? Hitting the share button instead of or in addition to the like button will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.
If you would like to have notifications of new Unshackled Moments and messages sent to you via email, send an email to dalynwoodard@mail.com requesting to be added to the list. You can also follow Dalyn Woodard (@Dalynsmsings) on Twitter or Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment