You Can Choose to Be Free

Emotionally sick people usually feel trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of pain and more pain. Satan wants you to believe that you are doomed to suffer forever and that there is nothing you can do to free yourself from your pain.  This is a lie, and if you continue to believe it, you will remain in bondage to your wounded emotions.

The truth is that you can be free of emotional pain. But in order to be free, you must first believe that you can be free and then you must want to be free.  The desire to be free is key to your becoming free. You must have a burning desire to be free, and then you must do what it takes to be free.

What does it take to be free?  Here are some of the most important things it takes to be free:

• Being free means acknowledging that you cannot heal yourself.
• Being free means acknowledging that you need a Savior to heal you.
• Being free means accepting your Savior, Jesus Christ, and trusting Him to heal you.
• Being free means obeying His Truth that will set you free. This Truth is found in the Holy Bible.

As you take these steps toward freedom, you will enter a new realm of living, a realm of peace and joy unlike anything you have ever known. 

Here is a simple prayer you can pray to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord:

Jesus, I come to You just as I am.  Broken, hurting, and deeply wounded. I know that You accept me just as I am. There is nothing I can do to earn Your love. You give it to me freely. Your love for me is not dependent on my performance but on Your goodness.  So I come to You now and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Heal my broken heart, Lord. Restore my soul. Make me the person You created me to be. In Your Name I pray and receive by faith.  Amen.

Once you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, you will be on your way to complete emotional health. But know that Satan will not like the fact that you are moving toward freedom. He will try to stop you at every turn by attempting to fill your mind again with his lies. Resist him. As a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you have the power and authority to resist the devil and he must flee from you. 

Please let me know if you have prayed this prayer. You can write to me at drmaryann@maryanndiorioministries.com.

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.

What Is Controlling Your Life?

Your life is controlled by your thinking, not by your circumstances. Most of us have made the mistake of believing that our circumstances control us and that we are helpless victims of fate. But this is a lie. If we continue to believe this lie, we will never be free of emotional pain.

The truth is that your life is controlled by the space between your ears. In other words, your life is controlled by how you think and what you believe.

The mind is the control center of our lives.  Scripture says, "As a man thinks, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7 TLB). 

What are you thinking on a regular basis?

A friend of mine once told me this powerful story about her little son.  When he was three years old, she found him staring out the window.  She said, "Matt, what are you thinking about?"  In the wisdom of children, he replied, "I'm thinking about what I'm thinking about."

Profound advice that we should all take to heart.  How often do we think about what we are thinking about?  How often do we analyze what we are thinking to determine if it aligns with God's Word or not?  If it does not align with God's Word, then it is a lie.  And if it is a lie, we must renounce it and replace it with the truth.

We will remain in bondage spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, and physically to the degree that we believe a lie.  By the same token, we will be free spiritually, emotionally, psychologically,  and physically to the degree that we know and believe the truth. 

The Truth is found in the Holy Bible.  The Truth is Jesus Christ.  He said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6).  He who finds and follows Jesus finds and follows Life.

If you are hurting today in any way--spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, or physically--turn to Jesus Christ and accept Him into your life.  When you do, you will be accepting freedom in all of its aspects.

Jesus considered you valuable enough  to die for you in order to set you free. But that freedom will never be yours unless you willingly accept His free gift of salvation.  Do so now. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If you have questions or would like more information, please write to me at maryann@maryanndiorio.com.