Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Set Free!

Yesterday I read a post a dear friend wrote about her battle with fear and its relentless effort to control her mind.  This woman has an amazing faith and lives each day serving God in more ways than most of us imagine.  Yet, there is this one area of her life that Satan uses to try to bring her down. The comments from her post showed clearly that there are many, many people dealing with fear of one form or another in their lives. These people are faithful, loving Christians who like all of us struggle in one way or another.

What intrigued me most about Linny's struggles with fear was that I identified with her so much.  Like her I have experiences going back as far as age 6 that have given fear a place to grow and flourish inside of me.  They mostly revolve around the need to feel safe.  Just so you get a perspective here, there are also many areas of my life where anxiety and fear are not in the equation.  We have stepped out in faith hundreds of times over the years during our adventures in faithful living.  And yet there is this undercurrent of fear regarding safety and health issues that can lift me off my feet and sweep me out to sea. 

Like the sea, there is an ebb and flow surrounding this area of my life.  I have worked to replace fear with trust and most of the time I succeed, other times not so much.  I am definitely a work in progress. I am loved by a powerful God and I know that, as Linny says, Jesus sets us FREE.  The good news is that we do not need to be held captive by fear or any other negative emotion in our lives. There is hope and healing for all. 

 I have been re- reading Wayne Muller's book, "How Then Shall I Live" and one sentence resonated with me today as I pondered the strong emotion of fear.  "Perhaps we are not prisoners of our history."    Isn't this delightful to ponder?  Perhaps.... and might I say with Jesus we could say, "For sure"! 

Yes, with Jesus in our lives we have hope for freedom from that which holds us captive ~ fear, anger or other strong emotions.  Jesus sets the captives free!  We can claim that promise every single day.  I like to visualize myself sitting at Jesus feet with my head in his lap.  Elaine from
Hope In The Midst says that when she struggles she goes back to where she feels safe and loved ~ in Jesus' loving arms.  I can think of no better place to be.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful post and I love this last paragraph especially. Hope you are having a good week Renee. Have a restful night.

Joan Hall said...

I think all of us struggle with fear in one way or another. (At least some of the time.) I know I do.

One of my biggest fears has been for my husband to be without a job. This comes from a time over 12 years ago when he was without work for almost 18 months. Of course, it happened last week, but instead of fear, I feel peace. There have been times when Satan has tried to put doubts and fear in me, but praise the Lord, I can rest in His promises.

I'm not saying I won't have times of struggle, but I'm thankful that God is holding on to me.

Blessings,
Joan

Jan Lyn said...

"Perhaps we are not prisoners of our history." Oh, my, Renee that does resonate very deeply with me as well. I struggled and still do at times struggle with fear and anxiety. I think it is only natural within illness, but I also can trace mine back far into my childhood. At the same time, I have had long periods of life without any at all. This is such a great post. I know we can turn to God within, who wishes us freedom from all fear, life and love always.
Thank you also for your encouraging comments in my blog.
JL

Renee said...

Hi MIldred
So glad you like this post.....God bless.

Renee said...

Hi Joan
It is so important where we keep our focus, isn't it. Thanks for your thoughts here.

Renee said...

Hi Jan Lyn
Thanks for sharing your own thoughts and feelings here, and for your encouragement.