Lose your chains and live freely!

 

Helping others was my goal for writing my first two books. I needed to be very transparent and real with the retelling of my colorful past to do this.  We all struggle with so many things in life and I want to offer some encouragement through my books and classes to those who are going through rough times. Those who are dealing with the repercussions of their mistakes, life happenstances, or to those who have found themselves out of rope and out of hope.

I had abandoned my God, who promised me a hope and a future, for thirteen years and for a DIY life that took me into a dark abyss. My story is one of redemption, repentance, and restoration and I want to share how I became an overcomer. An overcomer of what seemed at the time, an impossible mountain of stuff to work through.

The Bible study I wrote, “Making Wise Choices”, is about change. Just like the caterpillar, we must demolish our old selves down to the point that the only DNA left is God’s DNA to start the rebuilding process. Only then, with God’s help, will we be able to become the beautiful butterfly, the person, that God created us to be.

Let’s look at the THREE R’s that had to take place for me to get headed in the right direction, up.  

Change will not happen until we are ready for it.  Those who say, “I can’t change my habit”, are really saying, “I won’t change my habit.”

We must develop a new mindset that says, “I will change, with God’s help.”

Definition of Redemption

Redemption means to free someone from bondage. It often involves the paying of a ransom, a price that makes redemption possible.

EXAMPLES:

·        The Israelites were redeemed from Egypt.

·        We were redeemed from the power of sin and the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13)

o   Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

o   We were redeemed through Jesus. (Rom. 3:24; Col. 1:14) “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus and in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

o   And we were bought with a price. (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23) “You were bought at a price, so therefore honor God with your bodies and do not become slaves of human beings.”

The word redemption also came to be used about the release of someone in slavery, and sometimes of a person under sentence of death.

In the Bible, redemption references freeing of someone from bondage.

Biblical redemption centers on God. God is the ultimate redeemer, saving his chosen ones from sin, evil, trouble, bondage, and death. Redemption is an act of God's grace, rescuing and restoring his people. It is the thread woven through every page of the Bible.

Repentance

Repentance is the activity of reviewing one's actions and feeling remorse or regret for past wrongs. It involves a commitment to personal change and the resolve to live a more responsible and humane life.

Redemption (The first word we learned about) calls for confession and repentance. So maybe you need some redemption. What is it that you need to work on, what is keeping you from living a holy life? What has you all bound up?

 

It can be many things. You will need to confess what it is and repent from it to be redeemed. Pray that the things that you are not seeing or the things that you need to be unchained from will be revealed to you.

 

Two verses come to mind when it comes to making changes in our lives.

 

·        Philippians 4:13 ¹³I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

 

·        Matthew 19:26 "But Jesus looked at them, and said, with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

 

In the Philippians verse, Paul is speaking to the church in Philippi, and he is thanking them for their gift of aid. He is talking about his times of need and his times of plenty and how he has learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. And he states that he can only do this through him who gives him the strength to do it.

 

One of the first steps to personal change is learning the secret that Paul is talking about. The secret of being content.

 

Iwantitis (instant gratification) usually leads us, tricks us, into making bad choices. Jesus can give us the strength to be content and help us to fight impulsive behaviors.

 

In the Matthew 19 passage, Jesus is speaking in the region of Judea. A rich man had asked him what he needed to do to get eternal life. Jesus first told him to keep the commandments. The man replied he has done that and inquired as to what he still lacked. Jesus said If you want to be perfect, then go sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.

 

The man went away sad, for he was very rich. “It is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus said to his disciples. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. “Who can be saved then, the disciples inquired?”

 

We cannot save ourselves, and the most impossible thing for us to do is to get into heaven on our own, it is simply impossible. There are many other things in life that we cannot do on our own as well. This Matthew 19:26 verse is saying that by having FAITH in God, all things are possible. And most importantly, heaven is possible through Jesus Christ.

 

Many need to learn the secret of content that Paul is talking about to bring about some changes. Some might learn, through faith, that they can gather the strength that is needed to do the day, from God, and only God. We most certainly can make changes for the better with His strength. We can be overcomers, not victims, we can be emboldened to make the right choices, we can feel strong to face our fears and take on insurmountable challenges and do the impossible, with God.

 

Restoration

 

Meaning- The biblical meaning of the word "restoration" is to receive back more than what has been lost, to the point, where the final state is greater than the original condition.

 

Let’s look at two different kinds of biblical restoration.

 

 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:12 (ESV)

 

The restoration, in this verse, is speaking about the restoration of the soul and spirit, one that can only come from God. Only He can restore our joy, hope, and peace. We can get ourselves depleted with life and become overwhelmed with messes, struggles, and responsibilities. We get depleted because we forget to keep God at the center of everything. Renewing or “restoring” a right relationship with God brings us back to the place of contentment and inner peace.

 “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 (ESV)

 

Paul is addressing the church in Corinth, encouraging them to get along with each other. Being able to live in peace and harmony will help us experience more fully God’s love and peace. We must always seek restoration with others.

We can be renovated from past experiences, behaviors and from the results of making wrong choices. Pray for redemption, repentance, healing, and restoration.  We can have those things. With God, the Word, and the support of other’s we can be overcomers and thrivers by walking the path of the restored.

Lose your chains and live freely!

 

From the Lecture Series “Making Wise Choices”

Debra Lee | Author | Keynote Speaker | Biz & Life Coach