Recently I went for a much-needed walk around my neighborhood. It was one of those nights when my mind was swirling with the details of life and my heart was heavy. As I walked, I saw an elderly couple that lives down the street. I visit with this couple from time to time, but we are not close friends. We talk about their health (which isn’t good), my kids, and we let our dogs sniff noses. When I saw this sweet couple in their yard that night, I decided to stop and visit. It was a short visit but …
A Christ-centered Approval Process
“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 People-pleasing! It is epidemic among women. No matter what a woman’s age, background, or social standing is, she longs to be loved and accepted by others. While this desire is natural, it becomes sin when the desire controls a woman’s life. People-pleasing inhibits freedom because it keeps us bound up trying to please others instead of Christ. In Galatians 1:10, Paul draws …
A Willingness to be Rejected
“So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:51–52 Acts 13:51–52 will not make sense to you unless you understand the context of the passage. These two verses of Scripture hold a principle that helps us understand God’s definition of freedom: godly freedom willingly accepts rejection. This is often a hard concept for women to accept. In general, women are pleasers. Women love to be loved and accepted. Women often go to great lengths to try to make everyone …
A Clear Goal
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” Romans 8:29 When I was growing up, I had a favorite sleeping bag. This sleeping bag was special to me because on the front of the bag was printed my favorite superhero—Wonder Woman. Do you remember Wonder Woman? I remember her shiny red and blue outfit and the sparkling tiara in her long, black hair. When I slept in my Wonder Woman sleeping bag, I pretended I was Wonder Woman. In my fantasy, there was no task too difficult for me, and no problem …
A Passionate Trust
“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1–3 (emphasis added) Have you ever been so unsure of your next step that all you know to do is hang on to Jesus and desperately hope that you …
A Kingdom Focus
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33 Freedom requires a Kingdom of God focus. When we have a Kingdom focus, we take a step back and make the choice to see life from a big-picture perspective. This involves seeing the events of our life from the context of eternity as opposed to our days here on earth. When we live with Kingdom focus, our goals …
A New Definition of Freedom
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 Today’s culture needs a new definition of freedom—a definition based on biblical truth. Believers in Jesus Christ grossly misunderstand freedom when they buy into the world’s definition of freedom by thinking that freedom means independence from any limitations of time, money, relationships, and consequences. This misunderstanding occurs when a believer thinks that they are free when they are able to do what they want to do, when they want to do it, …