As most of your probably saw, I went bungee jumping the other day. Chances are you were not surprised, as I tend to be a little bit on the crazy side. However, it was a very terrifying thing for me. You see I’ve been scared of bungee jumping for years. Which is weird since I’ve jumped out of an airplane and did the world’s largest rope swing. But it’s the bungee that has always scared me the most, which is why I didn’t do it in Nepal. Something about seeing the ground made me decide it would never get checked off my bucket list. But God. Stay with me here. It’ll all come together ok?
I’ve always considered myself a pretty fearless person. I am confident in most things and really didn’t think I was afraid of much until I did the race. After God began to do some surgery on my heart, I was surprised to find some fear that had been lying dormant for years. I was unaware of the fear I had been living in: I was afraid that I would never find the right person, I was afraid to be vulnerable and honest about my struggles, I was afraid to face my past, I was afraid of what people would think of me, I was afraid to be my true self in fear of rejection. FEAR. We are a slave to whatever spirit we obey. Now, because of the powerful work of the cross becoming real in my life, I am no longer a slave to fear.
I have the same fears as most. I was so afraid of being judged or what people would think of me, I wasn’t able to ask for help to overcome my struggles. But God. That’s no longer the case. God has given me the courage to overcome my fears and in doing so He has brought complete freedom in my life. He’s also given me wonderful people that were willing to walk with me through it. Sin no longer has a grip on me.
The past is the past. I cannot go back and change it. However, I faced it. I am no longer afraid to look in the face of the pain I’ve experienced. And now because of that, I have actually grown from it and it has produced character in my life. Only when I chose to allow the Holy Spirit to bring to light the fear in my life, was I able to find true freedom from it. You cannot overcome what you are not willing to confront.
I no longer worry about the future or what it might bring. Tomorrow with all its joys, sorrows, triumphs and troubles, isn’t here yet. I am not even guaranteed tomorrow; therefore I will not be anxious concerning it. God has given me today as a gift. This moment, right now, is all I have. I will make the most of it and give it the very best I have. (Thanks Jason for that reminder)
Through this freedom, I have found a new trust that goes deeper than ever before. An assurance so strong, I can face anything that comes my way, knowing that the power of Christ in me is truly greater than everything that I come up against. My prayer is that God will continue to enlarge my faith so that I can continue to extinguish all fear so that I can be ALL that Jesus died to make me. He didn’t only go to that cross to save our sins. Although words couldn’t express how grateful I am that He did. He also went to that cross so that we could become everything that God intended for us to be.
Don’t live in fear today. Stop allowing the enemy to rob you from the freedom and peace Christ has for you. Fear is not faith, and anything that is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Sin in our lives reveals where our loyalties are. And let me tell you, it’s like a cancer that grows silently until one day it is discovered, but by that point the damage is done. Choose to separate yourself from all that doesn’t glorify God, because there is a high price to pay when we don’t. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be free of sin and walk in wholeness in Christ. We can no longer be controlled by fear or any other sin that tries to entangle us. God is in control of our lives and as we surrender to Him, in our brokenness, He will bring us out of darkness and into His brilliant light.
I’ve been on both sides, and trust me this side is SO MUCH BETTER.
Nothing feels better than being entirely FREE.
Be afraid of nothing. In Jesus we have the power, strength and courage to overcome the greatest challenges and face the most mountainous and miniscule fears. Freedom is yours today, reach out and grab it!
So you see, by facing my fear of jumping off a 100-meter bridge face first into the open sky, I was able to unwrap so much more that God was doing beneath the surface. True deliverance is the cutting loose from anything that controls you other than God. Fear no longer has a hold on me. Through the freeing and life-giving work of Jesus, I am now fearless.
