Last weekend
we had an amazing Women’s event, a true Night of Encouragement. We had about 90
women; some brought their children because we offered an amazing childcare
experience. And to think that this is only our second year and God has blessed
us and this incredible opportunity to minister to so many women is just mind-blowing.
This is only the beginning of what’s to come; we are looking forward to next
year’s event on Friday, January 6, 2017. The theme of the night will be “Beauty
for Ashes”. It’s going to be transformational and we invite you beautiful
ladies to join us. More information will be shared as the time approaches.
As we settle
into mid-January, I want to talk about Slaves
of Fear. One of the definitions of the word slave is a person who is strongly influenced and controlled by something. When you are
under the influence, you lose control of your actions. It’s a power that affects
and takes over the person, thing or course of events. And for many, fear has
been that stronghold. Fear has become a powerful influence; it has gained control
and has dictated the course of the lives of many people. Take for example 2015;
can you honestly say that you accomplished everything you had set out for? Be
honest. Only a small percentage can probably say YES, the grand majority will
say NO. We get answers like, “I tried but I didn’t get around it “or “I was
going to but then something came up and I got discouraged”, “Maybe next year”, “I
wanted to but I got scared”. And there it goes again, fear creeps up until it takes
complete ownership of our lives. And what’s sad is that we begin to believe all
of the lies that the enemy infiltrates in our minds. We become Slaves of Fear.
The bible
declares in Romans 8:37 that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved
us. That’s powerful, isn’t it? His love makes us more than conquerors, His love
makes us face our biggest fears, and His love assures us the victory;
therefore, we shouldn’t live in fear. 1 John 4:18 tells us that “there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…” and
that perfect love can only be found in Jesus. Last weekend, we were
encouraged not only to Be Brave but despite what unforeseen challenges we may
face in this year, we will declare victoriously that We Will Not Be Shaken! In order for that to come alive in your
life, you have to live in complete freedom of fear! Yes, that means kicking
that little sucker to the curb. John 8:36 says “so if the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed.” As children of God, we are no longer held in bondage,
we become free in Jesus. And that goes for any situation. Through Jesus Christ we
are free from bondage, strongholds must come down, addictions must be broken,
sinful activities must cease, and our past must be forgotten. And yes we must
be free of fear. Fear can no longer control you. Is it easy? No. Will it happen
overnight? Not really. Will you struggle with it? Maybe, but remember Romans
8:37! Ask Jesus today to help you and He will. Be receptive to His Word,
because His Word will guide you into all truth.
When we are
in Jesus, we are free, it’s not something temporary. This does not consist of
being free on Sunday mornings during worship and then we become captive on
Monday afternoon, I’m talking about a permanent freedom; free indeed as
the bible states. Do not be captive by the lies of the enemy that try to bully
you. Do not be a Slave of Fear. 2
Timothy 1:7 assures this, “for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of
power and of love and of a sound mind”. Fear does not come from God, the only
spirit that comes from God is the Holy Spirit; therefore you have the authority
to cast out any fear that wants to come over you. Whatever the Lord has placed
in your heart to accomplish in this New Year, I pray that the Holy Spirit
guides you into completing His perfect will. Something interesting happens when
you surrender your dreams for God dreams; they become a lot bigger and bolder
than what you could have ever imagined. And although the dreams may seem scary
at first, it just feels right. A sense of peace comes over you and the sweet whisper
of God tells you, “Do not fear; I am with you, everything will be alright.” When
this happens, you will begin to see how much more productive you will become in
whatever you do because you just know that …God’s got this!
Be
Encouraged, Be Blessed!
~landypf
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