MARCH 2026
We recently had a session in our Freed to Lead component of TRANSFORM dealing with building healthy people-systems.
"Wow this is such amazing teaching. Holy smokes. I thank God for putting me here to learn this stuff! I didn't realize that half of this teaching is what my dad has been trying to tell me my whole life! That is incredible. The motivating factor behind what you do, how you interact with people, if anxiety, is not love. It's about you instead. I know that was convicting for me this week!
Sometimes, when trying to get someone to listen to what I have to say, it's my anxiety for them and the fear of them getting into a bad place and trying to convict them out of my anxiety or fear of it, rather than out of love or trust in God leading them or recognizing they have a different purpose, call and relationship with God than me, and I have struggled with letting them make their own choices instead of trying to guilt them to make choices based on what I want them to do, when my responsibility is just to love them as a fellow human being and maintain my own peace, conviction and joy in Christ, and then entrust that person to God and not myself.
When sharing the gospel, I believe Jesus maintained His even keel; it's their choice, the timing and receiving of His teaching was up to God the Father, and we don't have to instill fear or guilt to convert people. He said everything from love not having an underlying anxiety or guilt beneath what He shared. We had a conversation about this just last night at CYA. I am working on this. A lot of this takes time.
And renewing your mind is so important! Science talks about neuroplasticity, and I love how it lines up with the Bible talking about renewing your mind. I didn't take people telling me the impact of gratefulness seriously enough when younger and still seem to forget it.
*****
FEBRUARY 2026
At 58 years old, I can honestly say I’ve never experienced a season of transformation like this one. Over the years, I’ve celebrated graduations, marriage, the births of my children, and mourned the loss of loved ones. Those were all life-defining events, but none of them reshaped the core of who I am the way these past few months have.
I accepted Christ as a child, but for most of my life, I didn’t truly understand what it meant to surrender everything to Him. I would look at others who seemed to have that “peace that passes all understanding” and wonder why I couldn’t find it. I believed I was too broken, too unworthy to ever really experience that kind of peace. Then, one quiet evening alone in a hotel room in Omaha, Nebraska, everything changed. I reached the end of myself and poured out every burden, worry, and fear before Christ. As I worked through the Steps to Freedom, I repented of everything—the obvious sins I’d carried for years and even the hidden areas of shame the Holy Spirit gently revealed as I prayed. I gave it all to God.
In that moment, I encountered the presence of God in a way I never had before. I could almost feel His loving arms around me, drawing me close. I was the prodigal son, walking home with my head low, only to see my Father running toward me—arms wide, smile bright, embracing me before I could say a word. I still felt unworthy, but He wrapped me in His robe of love and gave me the peace I had long desired.
Going through the Grace Course was like reading The Hobbit after finishing The Lord of the Rings—a deeper story that illuminated everything I thought I already knew. It helped me understand why God ran to me that night in Omaha. His love for me didn’t begin in that moment; it was there from the first time I accepted Him as my Savior. I just hadn’t been whole enough to recognize it. Through The Grace Course, I’ve come to see that I am complete. Colossians 2:10 reminds me that I am “made complete in Christ, who is the head over all powers and authorities.” I now know I am a holy one—someone God actually delights in spending time with. I used to struggle with the idea of “quiet time,” but now I crave it. Each morning, I look forward to sitting down with my friend and Savior, talking with Him as naturally as breathing.
For years, I understood the saying “garbage in, garbage out,” but now I grasp its true depth. What I do flows from who I am. If my being—my inner life—isn’t aligned with God, then I can’t do or sustain what He has planned for me. That realization has changed how I live. I now choose daily to fill my mind with what is good, true, and life-giving, knowing that my actions are simply an overflow of the person I am becoming in Christ.
This journey has completely transformed my heart and mind. I no longer live as someone striving to earn God’s love but as His beloved child, walking in His grace. I’ve tasted the freedom that comes from truly knowing who I am in Christ, and I never want to go back. My desire now is to keep growing in my relationship with Him—to walk in faith, to listen for His voice, and to let His grace continue shaping me day by day. The transformation is not finished; it has only just begun, and I am eager to see where God leads next.
*****
GOD HEALS!
I grew up in a Christian home and almost all my immediate and extended family were Christians. I had chosen to identify as a Christian at a young age. Grade 9 was the start of hardship for me. I had been an overachiever; in grade 9 I was playing piano for the symphony, choir, occasionally the jazz band, and then playing flute for concert band and jazz band. I was competing in 2 sports (horseback riding and badminton), I did a Quebec exchange as I was in the French program at school, and I was taking an honors class. I started self-harming that year to cope with the stress of home life and the pressures of school.
All this time, my parents, especially my mom, were praying and prayer teams at several churches were praying for me. After moving to a new city with my family, things actually got worse, but 2 years after moving, making super poor choices, several traumatic events, and just really struggling, my brain and body ended up giving up on me at the end of July … and I went into respiratory arrest and ended up intubated in a coma in medical ICU for a week. I started reaching out to God that day, and I can’t really explain it, but I had this sense that I was going to die. I spent that Sunday evening repenting of sin to God. I had spent a great deal of my life thinking about dying and fantasizing about it and wanting it very much, and every time I came close there was a fear associated with it, but tonight there was nothing but calm.
I went to bed that night and woke up to a presence in my room. I was super confused about what was going on and scared to move. All that was going through my head were old worship songs that I hadn’t listened to in years. I started jumping up and down out of happiness and giddiness because for the first time in a VERY long time I was not suicidal. I went back to bed, and I woke the next morning with a COMPLETELY different world view. I could smell, taste, see, hear, and feel again. I could feel the wind; I could smell the trees and flowers; I could hear the birds; I could taste my breakfast. I felt like walking was different; it felt like I needed to relearn how to do things because something had left me. I WAS FREE.
I knew that night I had been freed by Jesus. The darkness left. But there were patterns I needed to undo and new ways of being a normal person I needed to learn to function in society. God has been VERY faithful to me. I did not return to the psych ward after I had been weaned off of all psychiatric and non-psychiatric medication. My doctors have specifically called this “divine intervention” – or so I’ve heard through the grape vine because the one’s discussing it were not Christian’s and are not quick to make those types of judgments.
Jesus is always surprising me with the ways He works. God sent Jesus on a hard core rescue mission for His people that just couldn’t keep themselves out of trouble, and I love how He just is good and so faithful despite us. He has shown me what to do because I didn’t have a good concept of spiritual warfare or fighting strongholds. I had never believed in spiritual warfare or seen it apart from the ways I had seen new age stuff work. Truly Jesus is wonderful; it is hard to grasp the extent of His authority and power. I mean, His name is powerful.
After getting healed, I try to study the word daily, at least once a day. I also serve at my local church. But to cultivate my relationship with Jesus specifically, I like to ask Him to walk with me throughout the day and help me all day long. I like to declare His authority over situations I walk into daily. My life is full, and I am so excited for His Kingdom to come. I believe maintaining a closeness with the Spirit and walking daily submitted, knowing that I cannot do anything apart from Him, is very important. Obeying scripture is essential in this. Studying and reading the Word is needed daily so that I can learn to walk in His ways and know the truth. I think also asking Him to reveal to me the areas I need to grow in and allowing Him to help me in those areas, asking for humility to walk daily submitted to the Spirit, and taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ are also really important. I do want to walk by His Spirit, and so I ask for His Spirit to work in me and fill me and then I have to take my hands off the wheel and just trust that He’s got it.
Freedom in Christ changed everything. Learning that I am a saint and not a sinner changed my whole world view. It illuminated scriptures to me that I had experienced but not comprehended. The daily affirmations of who I am in Christ and who God is, combatting lies with truth was very life changing. Knowing I am secure, significant and accepted is revolutionary. I didn’t fully understand Jesus’ work on the cross, and I still don’t get it, but I see it more. I understand more about the cross now. I see that we are certainly living on the right side of history, and I am very thankful for the safeguards God has set up for us through Jesus and His Spirit. Understanding what authority a Christian has is so interesting. I feel like I hit the jackpot doing this FIC course; basically, FIC answered a whole lot of questions I had in a few months. After taking the Freedom in Christ Course, I finally grasped Him as my Father!!!! He is my King, and He is my loving Father!
I had been asking God since I got healed, why Lord? Why did you save me? Why did you save my life? I couldn’t grasp it. Then the other day I had a conversation with a doctor who I do not see very often, but who has been pouring a lot into my life since being healed, and has been going above and beyond for me in many ways, and I was thanking him for everything and he said, “well you’re worth it!” and this doctor is not someone who I would have ever thought he’d say something like that. I didn’t think much of it, but on my way home, I had this revelation of maybe Jesus was saying that to me. Maybe Jesus was telling me, “You were worth saving in my eyes!” “That’s why I saved you!” I am still having trouble grasping that, but it’s shifted my perspective!
*****
REFLECTIONS ON SOME TOPICAL SCRIPTURES
OCTOBER 2025
This is so Powerful and Profound that is challenging to process the magnitude of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, taking on All the sins of humanity upon Himself. In my fledgling understanding of scripture, I understand that there are no written laws, decrees, rules, that as Christians, can hold us hostage from our Spiritual freedom in our identity and relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Learning and living by this freedom gives me peace that I can let go of shame, regret, and guilt that have been laws I have been living under for a good period of my adult life. I have to say, I feel significantly lighter since getting to know Jesus and building a relationship with him.
God's deliverance of us from darkness into light through Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, makes me ever grateful for this renewal I have received when I was baptized on Easter Sunday this year. What is also significant, is that the apartment that I am living in now fills with light during the day, as it is South facing; a massive transition from the dark basement suite I used to live in, in which I had a lot of dark, depressing, and toxic experiences, which, honestly poisoned my outlook on my life. Thank you, Thank you God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit for guiding into my present life! It is a real gift in which I can seek and find the purpose You have brought me here for.
As I am exploring my identity and purpose in Christ, I find that these are powerful words to turn to in moments when I may doubt myself, as I still do at times. I feel that, going forward, as I head into moments when I will need to assert, speak up or advocate for myself, I can internalize this and pull it out when needed. Also, thinking back on my challenges in school, and the fact that I graduated with mostly above average grades, God's Might was actually with me, giving me the encouragement, motivation and focus I needed to succeed high school.
I feel that this scripture is valuable in times when vulnerability rears its head. It could be a time when I have to stand up and speak in public. This gives me the confidence that I can safely put the inner critic to rest and trust the prep God has provided the time for me to do. This speaks to me in moments of depression or anxiety. It gives me the reassurance that God is with me and can work through me to overcome these paralyzing emotions.
I Love this scripture. It is very triumphant. I love how confident and confidence shows up twice in this scripture. "Courage" "undaunted" "certain" are also wonderful power words. Reading them and saying them aloud in the context of this scripture makes me feel empowered. I feel light, yet grounded, poised, yet humbled, but mostly reassured that "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)
*****
APRIL 2024
This Transform course has impressed and impacted me on many levels.
From the time I became a new believer, at the age of 29, I jumped right into “working hard, to be acceptable to God” I never felt good enough. Over the years, even though I have loved my callings, I have “carried a heavy load “of responsibility, as a wife, mother, wage earner, ministry leader, caregiver and now grandmother.
The Lord used the Freedom In Christ course to open my eyes to my position in Christ. I have found the practical tools of stronghold busters helpful in renewing my mind, over 40 days at a time, to really claim my new identity!
The Lord used the Grace course to shed light on how I resemble the elder brother slaving away, in the fields, instead of celebrating Life with the Father and serving from a place of rest, seeking to spend time in His presence and listen to Him.
My new name is “Beloved “, “My delight is in her”, “Accepted”.
As we entered the Freed to Lead section of the Transform course, I realized just how much anxiety I carried over, working hard to prepare, and make things perfect, in any leadership roles I had. It was quite a revelation, to see, that this was another area of my “slaving away”, that I needed to confess and renounce so I can serve the Lord with joy and leave the results to Him.
This is a work in process. Maybe my new name should be “Easy Breezy “! LOL!!!! or better still… “Joy”! This is my goal!
Another really helpful concept, that was new to me, was the diagnostic tool for assessing the spiritual health of people systems. I now have greater perspective on how to evaluate my own expectations as a leader in influencing others.
Lastly, I have recently witnessed leaders in a couple of churches in our community fall into pitfalls that have led to hurt and dissolution of the congregations they lead. I believe Freedom in Christ ministries offers the tools to provide the inner scaffolding to stabilize the spiritual health of our Christian believers and leaders and am excited to share it with others!
I am so thankful to God for this ministry and the timely way God has raised it up as a life line to spiritual health and wholeness.
*****
JANUARY 2024
When I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with a progressive eye disease that has made me legally blind for most of my life. At the moment, I have about 5% of my central vision. I have lived with this in such a “matter of fact” kind of way, often saying “It is what it is” or “I don’t know any different”. I learned to live with it and developed mobility skills for doing life. Life was good and I was fine until Covid lockdowns began. With the Covid lockdowns, we were all confined to our homes and our small little spaces. There was to be one household shopper and since I cannot drive, my husband was the shopper, so I rarely went out. Once things opened up again, we had rules in place such as to stay 6 feet apart. I have such limited vision that all my focus is on what is immediately in front of me. How was I able to tell if I was within 6 feet of another person? So by God’s grace, He humbled my pride and for the first time in decades I finally agreed to use my white cane. It was necessary for others to know I couldn’t see them. Simultaneously, I had also realized that what coping skills I had previously had weakened during the lockdown, and this scared me.
I am not characterized as a fearful person; in fact, I usually come across as confident. In lesson 4 of The Grace Course, I came face to face with my fears that had gained a foothold during Covid but were growing stronger in my life. I was more anxious when I had to go out and made up “rules” for myself: I will only go to places I’m familiar with. I would only go for walks if someone was with me. I would even ask my adult kids to walk me into stores and push the shopping carts so that I could follow them instead of navigating the stores myself, etc., etc.
Days before doing Lesson 4, I had an appointment downtown and I had no one to take me, so I had to go on my own on the bus, something that I have been doing for over 25 years in this city. I felt so nervous and worried the entire trip and my fears came to a screaming pitch when the bus dropped me off and I realized that I was on the road. The driver had dropped me off in the bike lane, not at the sidewalk. I freaked out inside, prayed, put my white cane out and found the curb, then the sidewalk. I stopped and caught my breath. Since when had I become this afraid? Steve Goss gave an illustration of how a big snake will coil around its victim and squeeze the life out of it every time it exhales until its victim suffocates. This is how fear works. This is what my fears were doing to me, making my physical world smaller and making it harder for me to function outside of my home and space.
In this lesson, we had to write down our list of fears and identify the lies behind them. It was like I was finally addressing the elephant in the room. I was afraid of losing all of my vision. I was afraid of injury (I’ve had 2 major injuries in the past 10 years). I was afraid of missing visual cues and being embarrassed and I was afraid of going out on my own. The Holy Spirit showed me what lies were behind these fears. Finding Bible verses to speak God's truth to me was so powerful!! I cried as I read the Scriptures. I cried during the teaching. I cried during the reflection and in the sharing. There was such release and relief as I renounced the lies behind my fears and declared His truth over my life and my vision.
This was more than just teaching and homework. This lesson changed me. That very week, I went back to doing things I had done previously. I went for a 5 km walk by myself. I let my kids stay in the car while I went into stores on my own. I had to make the same bus trip downtown and was completely at peace. My fear was gone - I was set free! God is SO good and I am deeply thankful for this lesson. I didn't know how much I needed it until I heard it. He deserves all the praise and the glory for what He has done.
*****
DECEMBER 2023
Dear Lord Jesus,
I come before you today as a broken sinner in need of a savior. Romans 3:23 states that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I have walked this journey of life for many years and have been unwilling to recognize my need for you as my Savior. So, I cry out to you, Lord; help me with my unbelief.
Growing up in the Episcopal Church in the United States, I left the church without ever getting to know you as the Holy One, Redeemer, and Sanctifier of my life. Living in the world, caught up in the tenets of worldly ambitions, idolatry, and fleshly desires, I failed miserably in many areas of my life. Psalm 51:3-4 states “For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” So, I cry out to you, Lord; help me with my unbelief.
May I, my Lord, renounce the lies that have kept me in bondage and far away from you as my Savior.
I renounce the lie that I am rejected, unloved and shameful. In Christ I am accepted and have been adopted as God’s Child.
I renounce the lie that I am guilty, unprotected and abandoned. In Christ I am secure and cannot be separated from the love of God.
I renounce the lie that I am worthless, inadequate, helpless, or hopeless. In Christ I am significant and that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
I renounce the lie that You, Father God, are impatient, angry with me or have rejected me. I choose to believe the truth that You, Father God are patient, slow to anger and that when you discipline me, it Is proof of Your love and not rejection.
I renounce the lie that You, Father God, have condemned me based upon my sinful past and will no longer forgive me. I choose to believe the truth that You, Father God, have forgiven all my sins and will never use them against me in the future.
I renounce the lie that You, Father God, are distant and uninterested in me. I choose to believe the truth that You, Father God, are always personally present with me, have plans to give me a hope and a future, and have prepared works in advance specifically for me to do.
I know now that Satan is a destructive force in my Christian walk in faith; that spiritual warfare is a daily battle and that I can command Satan to leave my presence in the name of Jesus Christ.
I know now that Jesus is the only one who can redeem me from my brokenness. May I no longer be bound by my past sins, may I come to know the Holy Spirit within me and willingly accept the Lord’s ample supply of his grace and mercy. I John 1:9 states If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
May I, my Lord, now embrace these statements of Your Truth.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. I believe that He came to destroy the works of the devil, and that he disarmed the rulers and authorities, made a public display of them, and triumphed over them.
I believe that God demonstrated his own love for me in that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. I believe that He has delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred me into his kingdom and in Him I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
I believe that I am now a child of God and that I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. I believe that I was saved by the grace of God through faith, that it was a gift and not a result of any works on my part.
John 5:24 states “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”
Amen
*****
FORGIVENESS WAS THE PIVOTAL TURNING POINT IN MY LIFE
…For the first 32 years minus 2 days, life was very good to me: Raised in wonderful loving Christian home... great Bible-believing church... great grades through university... wonderful Christian wife and 3 children... great teaching career... smooth transition in 'full-time' Christian ministry... much fruit in ministry... I had it all...
…When suddenly fired and wrongly accused… my world came crashing down… ministry came to a sudden halt… nervous exhaustion... painful back injury leaving me flat on my back in the hospital with nowhere to look but straight up... how could this happen to me when I had given up all to serve the Lord…
…Indeed what was done was WRONG... my reputation sullied... emotional health shattered... I set out on a new quest to 'set the record straight'... the harder I tried the deeper a hole I dug for myself... I was at the end of myself...
…Then the Lord spoke (the closest I'd ever come to hearing His audible voice)... and this is what He said: “Doug, whose reputation counts - yours or Mine?"...
…And the wrestling match was on... 'till finally I cried 'uncle', surrendered... and forgave. That was the turning point in my life. Yes, what was done and the way it was done was wrong but that no longer mattered.
I learned what it meant to "forgive" and be set free.
…That pivotal moment in my life set a pattern for many other hurtful experiences where I had to choose to forgive. But I don't know where my life would be were it not for the grace and graciousness of a Father who loved me enough to experience that valley which was as dark as death itself.
…Indeed FORGIVNESS has proven to be the single most significant lesson for me to experience freedom, faithfulness and fruitfulness [albeit imperfectly] over the succeeding 48 years of my life to this day.
Thank You Lord for loving me enough to allow me to identify with the Christ who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The lesson? Whatever is thrown at you Doug… Receive it as a Gift... Respond with Gratitude... Rely on His Grace... Rejoice in His Goodness... …All that I might…
*****
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT?
"This lesson was hard for me. I wrestled with much of it and the Spirit revealed faulty beliefs in my heart. The extra video confronted me of my responsibilities in my Christian walk!
So when I read the reflection question: "Are there any area of responsibility you need to pick up this week?", I know what He wants me to do. 1. Seek Him FIRST - before I check the news, look at my to-do list, pick up my phone or dive into my day. 2. Live by the SPIRIT - do what I sense He wants me to do. 3. Be transformed by the renewing of my mind.
I keep listening to "experts" for guidance; it's time to take my struggles to God and apply His Word to my struggles."
*****
AUGUST 2023
"I identify with many of these pitfalls that I have fallen into over the course of different leadership positions I have held in the past 30 years, as well as the delusions I have had about leadership. Over the course of my experience as a leader I think I have grown and been able to identify many of these too. However, this video just laid it out so well, along with the solution to avoid them. It just really reiterates and emphasizes again how much our being influences not only our behavior and what we do, but also how we think. Our relationship with God allows us to have a viewpoint and insight that those who do not know Him just cannot. As my relationship with God has grown, in particular over the past six months I understand the importance of this more and more, and that we have the opportunity to just grow our relationship more and more, and therefore have access to His wisdom more and more.
This week I just want to continue in my relationship with God and just continue to grow in my knowledge of Him but also in my intimacy with Him by continuing to study His Word, pray more, and fellowship with other believers".
By way of explanation, one of the sessions in the Freed to Lead component of Transform deals with personal pitfalls and another deals with group pitfalls.
*****
JUNE 2023
This course has been so good on so many levels. I have appreciated the opportunity to go deep, peel back layers, and allow God to have his way with me and draw me closer to him. What I so appreciate about God is that he is so tender and loving, and so even when He disciplines me, he can bring me back to the right way of thinking without shame or guilt. He does it so beautifully through his Word. His grace and mercy are always at the forefront of everything he does. What a good, good God and father he is!!
We have covered so much ground in this course and I have learned some excellent principles, in particular, being reminded of my need to rest in Christ. This theme ran throughout, and I really appreciated the practical suggestions on what that might look like, and how to actually practice rest. However, I think what impacted me the most was when I allowed God to show me what was holding me back, what lie I was believing that was blocking progress and creating unwanted behaviour.
Stronghold busting is a game changer for me. As I think about this assignment stronghold busting actually encompasses all three aspects: gospel struggles, God speaks and good fruit. I had been struggling with what I considered a negative personal character trait for some time. Anxiety was creeping into my life and I didn’t understand why or how. Honestly, it was confusing and a little disorienting. Ironically, when we did the first stronghold buster exercise I didn’t think I needed to do one! I thought I had a handle on things. It wasn’t until the second opportunity to do one, during the Grace Course, that I decided to work backwards. I started with the behaviour (anxiety), and asked God to show me the lie I was believing. When He did I had the audacity to argue! I could hardly believe that God was telling me I didn’t trust him. Of course I did, didn’t I? God was patient with me as he peeled back the layers and I wrestled with this. In the end I chose to believe God, and that my trust in him was all in my head and still needed to drop into my heart. Thankfully, FICM doesn’t leave us there, but provides a way to move forward past the lies. I jumped in with both feet and found 22 Scripture portions that extolled God’s faithfulness and the fruit of trusting in Him. By the time I was done the 40 days I had added a few more. I still read them and have chosen to commit several to memory.
The fruit of all this is no more anxiety, and a concrete example of the power of Scripture. God’s Word is powerful. Truth is powerful. I have shared my stronghold buster with my small group and the ladies I am discipling. Several joined me with that particular one, starting their own 40 day journey. Some have created their own. It has renewed in me a passion for God’s Word. I have always loved it, but occasionally read it in a hurry. Gave it a glance so I could tick my mental box – done. Now I am highlighting, ruminating on and resting in Scripture. It has come alive in a brand new way for me. I’m actually a little excited about what this means. As God’s Word transforms my life, and the lives of those I touch, it has birthed in me a desire to impact more people. Who else needs to hear the FICM message and be touched by God and transformed by Him? I look forward to finding out!
*****
MAY 2023
"I didn’t realize how important rest was. A period of time of preparation, of seeking God, of waiting on Him, of being patient. That I need to be stripped of all my productiveness, DIY attitude, even my own knowledge and skills in order for God to start from the beginning with me so that I can carry out his purposes.
I can no longer rely on the personal advances I have gained over the years to carry me through what God has planned for me for the next half of my life. It is very difficult for me to separate what has happened over the last few months due to this Freedom in Christ and what God is teaching me through many various methods including prayer, scripture reading, contemplation and encouragement from other spirit led Christians.
I do recall the change from inability to read about who I am in Christ to standing on the promises in those verses. I find that the most consistent way to hear from God is to seek him in prayer, He has never let me down. The expression of God’s love has been made more real to me, that he gives good gifts, and that he is my shelter and my rock and that I need only to trust in Him for my provisions. He knows every part of me because he knows what I can be taught and when. The Holy Spirit has led me on a journey of truth at the perfect pace for me and he has dealt with me patiently, fairly and lovingly.
I have shifted in my motivation of why I do things. Before I was very focused on “proving myself” to others. It may not be visible to others as I learn to serve God in my actions and for his glory and not my own. I have become involved in a local ministry after seeing others in Hawaii care for those in need and who dedicate so much time with no praise or accolades. I want to give God the glory, so this is an ongoing process for me to humble myself and lift him up through the works of my hands.
As a greeter in the church and an introvert, I have had to rely on God to give me love for the people entering the church and to welcome them the way Christ would, with love and acceptance and joy. A couple of people have told me I am in the exact right position in the church, which I know is not a result of anything I can do in my own strength, but only that they see Christ in me. I am also resigned to the fact that if God has called me to a certain ministry, he has the path laid out for me and I do not need to “make it happen”. I must therefore, be following him wherever he leads me and be in preparation, learning what he has for me to learn each day and be open to how he desires me to be changed".