How Free Do You Want to Be?

How free do you want to be? Interesting question, isn't it? You may even think it's a ridiculous question. Of course, you want to be as free as you can be.  Who doesn't?

But did you know that the degree to which you are free from emotional pain is entirely up to you?

Now, if my statement offended you, give yourself a chance to reconsider. Our emotional freedom depends on our choices.  Yes, you read that right.  Our emotional freedom depends on our choices.

Choice is a function of the will. God created each of us with a free will. While we may not be able to control what happens to us, we can always control how we respond to what happens to us.  And therein lies the potential for emotional freedom.

What does it mean to be emotionally free? It means to be free of the turmoil, the pain, the anguish, the conflicts, the fear, and the struggles of a troubled soul.  To be emotionally free means to experience peace, joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, hope, and the expectation of good things.

But how do we get to the point of emotional freedom? We get there by first recognizing that we cannot heal ourselves.  We need a Healer.  The good news is that we have a Healer, and His Name is Jesus Christ.

After we recognize that Jesus Christ alone is our Healer, we need to embrace Him and surrender to His will for our lives.  His will for us is that we be totally healed in spirit, soul, and body.  He wants you totally well. But not only does He want you totally well; He has also provided all that you need to be well in His Holy Word, the Bible.

The Bible gives clear instructions on how to be free of emotional baggage. It gives clear direction on how to be healed. The more you study the Bible and apply it to your life, the freer you will be.  In fact, you will be free to the degree that you believe and act on the Word of God.

So ask yourself this question: How free do I really want to be? Then when you've asked yourself that question, ask yourself this one: Am I willing to allow Jesus Christ into my life, to follow Him, and to obey Him?  If you answered yes, then you are on your way to total freedom.

Godly Intervention

There can be no healing of the heart without the intervention of Jesus Christ. Scripture reveals the following:

• Psalm 147:3 - "He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds."
• Psalm 23:3 - "He restores my soul."
• Luke 4:18 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because  He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

If you are hurting today, Jesus can heal you. Not only can He heal you, but also He WANTS to heal you. 

Think about this for a few moments. Jesus WANTS to heal you! It is His desire that you be whole, that you be free from the hurts of the past. He died on the Cross and rose from the dead for that very purpose: to set you free in sprit, soul, and body.

What Jesus Christ did for you is called Salvation. The word "salvation" comes from the Greek word sozo which means wholeness.  

Salvation is a gift from God to you. But you have to accept the gift of salvation in order for it to bring healing to your life. This gift of salvation is Jesus Christ Himself.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, why not do so now?  Here is a simple prayer you can pray:

Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I believe you died and rose from the dead for me so that I can have a relationship with You and be made whole. I accept You now as my Savior and Lord. Make of me what You created me to be. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the Family of God!  You have just made the most important decision of your life. Please let me know, and I will send you some information to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

God bless you!

Do You Want to Get Well?

Do you want to get well? This may seem like a silly question, but it is the question Jesus asked the paralytic (John 5:6).  Why would Jesus ask such a question? Surely, everyone wants to be well.

The truth is that not everyone wants to be well. The desire to be well precedes all healing.  If you do not want to be well, then you will not get well.  But if you want to get well, you will get well as you seek God's wisdom and pray for His direction. You will get well as you believe that you will get well. 

How can you tell if you want to be healed?  Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1) Am I using my physical sickness or my emotional illness as a means of getting attention?  If so, am I willing to give up that desire for attention in exchange for wholeness?  

2) Am I willing to renounce the doctrines of men and the doctrines of devils in exchange for the truth of God's Word? Much false teaching is out there regarding healing. This false teaching comes from people and from demons. You may have been the recipient of this false teaching in your church or elsewhere. False teaching will keep you from wanting to be healed. If, for example, you have been falsely taught that God makes people sick to teach them something, then you will feel conflicted about wanting to be healed because you will think that you are violating God's will. But, if it is true that God makes you sick to teach you something, then you are violating God's will by going to a doctor.

3) Am I willing to concede that, while I may not be responsible for what happens to me, I am totally responsible for how I respond to what happens to me? It is far easier emotionally and psychologically to blame others for our troubles than to assume the responsibility ourselves. But the truth is that we cause many of our own problems.

4) Am I willing to concede that while God is in control of the universe, He has given me dominion over the earth, a free will, and, therefore, dominion over my choices?  It is far easier to blame our negative life situations on God's sovereignty than on our responsibility. Saying that everything happens because God is in control is a cop-out.  Some things happen because of our poor choices. God never intended for them to happen.

5) Am I willing to give up all of my excuses to pursue emotional health? Am I willing to go through the pain in order to discover the freedom that is on the other side of the pain? Emotional health requires a price on our part.  That price is the laying down of our own solutions to our problems and the embracing of God's solutions as found in His Word.

So, do you want to be healed?  I hope you'll shout a resounding YES! :)