Happy Thanksgiving

I can hardly believe that its that time of year already. This week families will be traveling, and scrambling to get home for thanksgiving. Tables will be adorned with food fit for kings and queens. We will eat too much, complain how full and miserable we are and 3hours later we'll do it all over again! And no doubt it will be that one relative that makes you speak in tongues and quote scripture in your mind for the entire time that you are there. Who doesn't love the holiday season?

As we all prepare for Thursday, let's start the week with entering God's gates with praises and thanksgiving.

Paralyzed By Fear

I've been sitting on the post for a while. (1) thinking it over in my head. (2) Have been sick and just now able to post it. But the thing that I wanted to really concentrate on in this post is a serious thing for me. It's what drives me sometimes to do nothing. This thing causes me to doubt. This thing causes me undo distress in my life. This thing snaps at my heels like my little lap dog. This thing is FEAR!

Fear paralyzes me at the most needed times in my life when God is trying to tell me to do something. I can't because I'm immediately paralyzed with fear. It controls my life to the point that I am absolutely terrified the majority of the time. Ask my husband Rich, and he will tell you that when we go somewhere he's not the only driver in the car. And believe me it drives him crazy. To quote him "Stop side seat driving!" I'm always afraid that something is going to happen. And when it comes down to it I'm afraid of failing God! There I finally said....Lord I am so afraid of failing you! There have been many times that I have failed.

I'm always afraid of saying the wrong thing....afraid of messing it all up. Our pastor has been teaching out of the book of Galatians on liberty. What true liberty is in Christ. As he taught one Sunday it dawned on me that I've never been free. I've never really experienced that liberty. Because since I was a child I have been fearful. I've carried fear around with me as long as I can remember and it has eaten away at me for years. Though I'm saved by the blood of Jesus Christ I've never allowed him to give me liberty.

Everyone has grown up with some issues that hamper our ability to truly be free in Christ. The question is what are we going to do about it? I memorized Isaiah 61:1-4 verses months ago. "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Because he has annointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." However, I must admit that it never hit me in my heart until recently. Because it was just recently that I realized how jailed I've been by fear.

Lord you came for me. You came to open the prison that I've willingly walled myself in. Day by day help me to walk in freedom and liberty.