By Mary Lindow

BEFORE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IN OUR GROWTH JOURNEY, IT’S OFTEN NECESSARY FOR US TO RECOGNIZE WHAT WE WILL LOSE. Believe it or not, part of the reason we don’t move forward in growth is because we are benefitting from staying where we are—enjoying comfort, security, the illusion of control, or any number of different things.

IN GALATIANS 4:6-8, PAUL TELLS US THAT BUILDING OUR LIVES AROUND THE WRONG THINGS MAKES US SLAVES.

That’s strong language, but Paul’s doing something very strategic here. Paul is alluding to a part of Israel’s story shortly after they had been set free from slavery in Egypt. God raised up Moses and performed great miracles to lead them out of those chains, and the Israelites praised God for their freedom, but it wasn’t long before they began to complain about how they missed all the benefits and comforts of their lives in Egypt. If you remember the story, they were still longing for the “leeks”, a type of onion they liked back in Egypt! They even began to talk about going back! Can you imagine being homesick for a land where you were a slave? Now, that might sound crazy, but, according to Paul, that desire may be more familiar to you than you think.

IF THERE’S SOMETHING YOU NEED SO BADLY THAT

YOU CAN’T IMAGINE YOUR LIFE WITHOUT IT,

THEN YOU ARE A SLAVE TO THAT THING.

You have given up your freedom. You are bound to it.

It could be a possession, a relationship, a title, or a reputation.

RIGHT NOW, A RECORD AMOUNT OF PEOPLE JUST ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING PSYCHIATRISTS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS FROM A SECULAR VIEWPOINT, ARE SEEKING COUNSELING, AND PSYCHIATRY!

They can’t seem to get a handle on all of the traumatic events and all of the things going on in our society. They are double minded, often by assuming that There is a way to quickly assuage the back-and-forth cognitive dissonance of mankind when horrific events or evil events taking place.

Many are finding out now that in fact, they are deeply entrenched in great fear and great rage.

AS A CHRISTIAN COUNSELOR, BUT ALSO AS A MINISTER OF CHRIST’S MOST POWERFUL TRUTHS, and one who flows in the gifts of the spirit, here is what I have found out throughout many years of working with people who have gone to psychiatrists or psychologists, who have no biblical base or depth in what they do. It’s purely clinical. It’s therapeutic study that goes through the steps of addressing the mind and possibly medically. But the spiritual depth is empty because they don’t know what to do and many don’t acknowledge God, because they themselves feel the mind of science, the mind of humanity is created to be probed and trained like a behavioral science.

When you use psychiatry and psychology and loading people up on antidepressants or anti-anxiety medicines without addressing the spiritual void  as well as poor diet, you’re basically putting a Band-Aid over a very deeply rooted problem.  (I am not saying that there are not times there are medications needed for things like brain injuries, or those who need to have a chemical imbalance corrected, but the trend is just give somebody an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication and “they’ll feel a whole lot better”, rather than addressing what is causing the upsetting and the triggering to throw the adrenaline glands into full panic mode, or depression mode!

I believe dietary care and proper supplementing have done tremendous things and have seen it in the lives of many clients. I have a few wonderful naturopathic Christian Doctors who I have referred people to and they have seen tremendous results as well. Of course you have to stick with it. There’s that thing called discipline. It’s not a “quick pill” that you immediately feel better with! It’s a steady, working towards caring for your temple, your body, your brain, your cell structure, with proper nutritional supplements, as well as getting off of stimulants like tons of sugar and poor oils and bad nutrition.

ONCE AGAIN WE’RE ADDRESSING A CORE ISSUE AND THAT IS WE WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM “QUICKLY” WITHOUT THE DISCIPLINE AND YES, A LITTLE BIT OF ACCOUNTABILITY THAT IT TAKES TO GET WELL.

NORMALLY, WHEN YOU’RE COUNSELING PEOPLE AS A CHRISTIAN, YOU LOOK FOR THE ROOT OF A FEW THINGS. Bitterness, the pride of life, and, if they were physically, verbally/emotionally or sexually abused. There are other variables. For instance, if someone has had a head injury or those who have had PTSD disorder from experiencing a traumatic event. But, without the core foundation of knowing that God wants to restore his people and wants to restore ALL people, if they will let him, and using that as the ultimate guiding source, a lot of psychology leaves people simply with coping mechanisms, but rarely feeling deep joy, and a sense of humility.

My heart goes out to these people because they just found out that the god of science once again has failed them.

BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN GIVEN A NEW IDENTITY IN JESUS, those chains have been broken and there is a new path paving the way to our freedom. And though it’s a clear and seemingly simple idea, it’s not always easy in practice.

It’s one thing to get you out of slavery,

but it’s another to get the slavery out of you.

OUR TENDENCY AND FLESH NATURE…

…is to continually return to what has seemingly provided comfort, security, and safety, yet all the while turning our backs on the journey to wholeness and freedom that God desires for us. in other words, we return to familiar patterns.

But there’s some good news for us today!

God is a loving father!

IMAGINE A FATHER WATCHING HIS YOUNG TODDLER TAKE THEIR FIRST UNSTEADY STEPS. What does he feel? How does he react? Is he impatient and frustrated that his child doesn’t go further? Does he explode in anger when his child’s knees become unsteady and they fall to the ground? Do you think you’d see extraordinary disappointment in his eyes as you hear him shout, “Why aren’t you walking already? Look at your older brother! He can run laps around this house! Why can’t you get your act together?”

No way! Not in a million years would you expect that kind of reaction. Why not? Because a loving father celebrates the baby steps no matter how small they are. He knows those steps are the beginning of a long journey to becoming a mature adult. He’s patient with the progress and celebrates every victory, no matter how short-lived. 

In the same way, your heavenly Father longs to see you move forward in your spiritual life. He loves and celebrates your baby steps.

HERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO REFLECT ON TODAY.

What is it I am getting from staying where I am?

And, is there something I am too scared to lose? 

AS YOU BEGIN TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, ASK GOD FOR THE GRACE AND STRENGTH YOU NEED TO TAKE A SMALL STEP OF TRUST TODAY. Then take time to thank God for his patience and forgiveness that meet you every time you stumble back to that old life and old way of thinking. 

WHEN JESUS INVITES US TO FOLLOW HIM AND LIVE A NEW WAY OF LIFE AS A PART OF HIS KINGDOM, HE INVITES US TO TRANSFER OUR TRUST. He invites us to let go of the things we have previously trusted for our security and significance—and to take hold of him as our new source. This “letting go” of our way of life can, at times, feel a lot like dying, like we are losing our life as we know it. It can be scary and even painful to take that step. 

EVEN AFTER WE DECIDE TO TRUST JESUS AND FOLLOW HIM, WE WILL AT TIMES FIND OURSELVES CLINGING TO PORTIONS OF OUR OLD WAY OF LIFE. We will catch ourselves returning to those familiar sources of security and significance. And each time we will need to make the decision—again—to let go and take hold of the life Jesus offers us instead. 

When you find yourself facing another moment like this, (and you will), remind yourself of Jesus's promise in the passage above. It is through the losing, the letting go, of our lives that we find them, in the deepest and fullest sense.

Jesus invites us to transfer our trust from the old, familiar things we cling to for hope and security to, something much better: Jesus himself.

WHAT AREAS ARE THE HARDEST FOR YOU

TO LET GO AND TRUST HIM WITH?

Often, when we have been reduced by life’s hardships, we measure our ability by our human timeline and arrive at the conclusion that “we can’t”.

Maybe that’s where you are right now.

Maybe all you hear reverberating in your mind is:

“I can’t do this.

I can’t cope.

I can’t manage.

I can’t survive this.

I can’t.”

I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF THE LESSON OF ESTHER:

The last thirty days or weeks or months don’t rule your life.

They don’t get to dictate your future.

They don’t have a right over you.

You belong to God’s “such a time as this”.

LIKE ESTHER, I HAD TO LEARN THIS LESSON IN MY OWN LIFE.

I had to repent of my “I can’t”. I had to capture that thought over and over again, and make it obedient to Christ. I had to agree with God’s Word that, He who had called me is faithful; He would surely do it.

One of the most well-known—sections of the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’s primer on true happiness or blessedness.

These are often called the Beatitudes.

Here, Jesus describes what happiness is