STEWARDING FREEDOM.

Seconds passing by with every breath.
Minutes turn into hours, which make up days.
Days morphing into weeks, and weeks into months.
Before you know it the time is here.
 
Being purposeful with my life with an aim to live intentionally,
Every step, every breath.
 
Everyday, I’m reminded to be a good steward of everything my life contains.
Time. Relationships. Finances. Emotions. Struggles. Jobs.
 
These things are pretty relevant the topic of stewardship, but something so intriguing the Lord has been speaking to me about is people stewarding their freedom.
 
Over and over I heard these bold words that wouldn’t leave my spirit.
I began to ask God to continue to explain and express this concept to me.

Over the weeks, it’s been discretely explained through a couple of ways. 
 
One. The heart wrenching sight of a person I have seen go from one extreme of being on fire for God to the other extreme of drifting back into the bondage that they once experienced. 
 
Two. Going back in time and taking a glance at my own life.
 
I once was that girl, which found freedom every summer, at every camp, at every conference just to come home, love Jesus, share Jesus, and slowly choose to return to my same vomit. Same sin. Same chains. Same misery. Same bondage.
 
Sadly enough, I feel this is the way for most people. They feel they are free from something, they dabble in it again to find themselves back to where they were.
 
I was there. That was me.

Finally obtaining what I had always dreamed of, freedom, yet taking it for granted and not stewarding the precious gift that God had given to me. I am thankful that even though, I abused the freedom, chose other things, and didn’t value it,
 

 
 
Freedom is a huge word that encompasses a lot of different ideas, thoughts, and meanings. Throughout this journey of finally being able to walk in the light, I have learned that
 

 
I feel like the hope of total freedom and the thought of being free forever is something that in today’s world seems impossible and extremely far-fetched. Everyone has a struggle. Everyone has their one dirty sin. Well at least I’m not doing (fill in the blank).
 
I truly believe the justification in those sentences is nothing but a lie.
 
My bible says that

who the son sets free, is free indeed.
 
Let me assure you that you can choose freedom.
It is possible.
No matter where you have been.
No matter where you go.
It’s available to you and always will be.
 
The cry of my heart is that people would take hold of this truth. We don’t have enough time in the world for me to sit here and tell you everything that it has done for me.
 
I easily go back to those times that I remember crying in my bed, night after night, day after day, asking God, “Will I ever be free? Will this ever end?”
 
This perversion.
This hatred of myself.
This insecurity.
This hurt.
This pain.
This cold heart.
 

 
I can honestly sit here and tell you that who I once was, is not who I am today. 

I have been set free.

With tears streaming down my face, I can’t express any greater amount of thankfulness to my God, the deliverer, who brought me out of the pit I was in.
 
My heart hurts for those who are currently in the place I was.
I pray that freedom would find you and you would find freedom.
May you not only experience God through observation, but encounter Him in supernatural ways, face-to-face, hand-to-hand.

 
I know it’s getting lengthy, but I can’t leave you hanging here. As I’ve contemplated and thought about this whole idea of stewarding your freedom, I haven’t discovered all the answers by any means, but I have been able to recognize things in my life that have continued to keep me on the path that the Lord has for me and everyone who may choose.

The path of freedom.
 
As mentioned above, freedom is a gift.
A gift that needs to be taken care of through a variety of ways.
 
Spiritual Authority.
Yes, I said it. The “A-word”
Just as bad as you hate this word, you need it in your life.
I can’t tell you where I would be without the great, Godly counsel that I have received over the past 5 years.
At times when I thought I could lead  myself, I was quickly reminded that I couldn’t and glad that someone else could.

My advice to you.
if you don’t have it, don’t go another day without it.
If you do have it, then listen, heed, and yield even when it hurts.
 
Spiritual Disciplines.
The bible tells us that we are to renew our minds.
This to me is a huge key. Part of walking in freedom is doing away with all of the lies that you have believed about yourself, others, life, and such.
The bible is truth. The truth will set you free. It’s that easy.
Don’t expect to live a life in freedom without continually seeking the very thing that set you free.
The bible also tells us that a young person stays pure by obeying the word.
Well, lets be real. How can you obey the word, if you don’t read it.
Believe me, it’s totally worth it.
Even if you hate reading, like me.
 
Without Prayer, there is no power.
Pray, Pray, Pray! I can’t stress this enough.
When you begin to spend time in his presence, freedom is inevitable.
The more you see his face, the more you’ll fall flat out in love with it.
 
My advice to you.
Even if you hate it, keep going till you love it.
It’s called a discipline for a reason. Develop that habit.
Again, don’t go another day with out it.
 
Being lead by the Holy Spirit.
Insanity – doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Sadly enough, this is what happens.
You receive and believe you’ve been set free for…..
A day.
A week.
10 days.
A year.
7 years.
Whatever the time frame is.
 
Then you start making the same choices you were and wonder why we end up exactly where we were, 7 times worse.
 
You have to realize that freedom in Christ enables you to say “no” to things you once said “yes” to.
Live a life asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your every step, every decision.
 
My advice to you.
You have been sent a helper for a reason. Utilize Him as much as you can.
It’ll make or break your day, your hour, your every second.

Lasting Friends.
By "lasting", I mean friends that are going where you are going as fast as you are going. 
Not friends that you have to drag by the hair to keep up with your walk with the Lord.
You need friends that have your best interest at heart and that will tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.
Friends that love you enough to tell you things others wouldn't. 
Friends that have the same morals and values.

My advice to you.
You don't have to be popular.
You need "God-send" friendships.
No friendship is neutral – it's positive or negative.
PICK WISELY.

Honest Heart Checks.
Evaluate yourself. Okayyy… TRUTHFULLY evaluate yourself.

Why are you doing this? Why is this so hard for you to let go of?
What is motivating me to do this? Why am I getting so angry at this little thing?
Why are you hiding from the pain?
Why can’t you talk about the hard issues? What idols do I have in my life?
Why do I like attention from so and so? 
Am I filling a void in my life with something other than God?
 
Ask yourself the hard questions and be honest with yourself.
This has saved me so many times, seriously.
It hard, but it’s worth it.
 
And finally, I urge you to ask yourself, are you willing?
 

 

 
My final advice to you.
If you’re willing, He’s ready to deliver.