This year the pastor of my church received the word that this year was the year of release. I had all these visions come to me of the works that God was going to release to me this year. Most of us probably did this because we all want God to work in our lives in a more spectacular way than He did the year before. This is in the Bible as we need to press on towards those things in the future. But what I have discovered in my own journey this year is that God didn’t want to release me to do something great, He wanted to release me from those things that were holding me back.
In the dictionary, both of the above mentioned releases comprise the definition of release. One is the allowing of something to move, act or flow freely and the other is allow or enable to escape from confinement or to set free.
It was the second definition that God has been working in my life – a setting free of fear and anxiety. You see if I am not set free, I live in bondage to my emotions and don’t walk in faith trusting God as I should. Sometimes, we go through life thinking we have complete trust in God until something way lays us. It is then we realise that the hidden thing in our hearts is what God is exposing.
So how am I dealing with it. One thing I know is that I can’t just manage it, I must defeat it. It is a step by step process for me.
The first thing is remembering that faith (opposite of fear) comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I need to keep feeding myself on Gods Word.
The second thing is knowing that God does not want me carrying around this burden because God has set me free. I need to learn to cast all my cares, worries and anxieties on Him and leave them there, even if I have to do it every minute of every day.
The third thing I need to remember is that God will never leave me nor forsake me. He is with me always, holding my hand and walking me through this seemingly dark valley. But as long as I am walking the light always comes.
The last thing I need to be reminded of is that Ineed to walk in love more. The Bible says perfect love casts out fear. So as love fills my heart, fear does not have a place.
So if this year, you feel like me that God is releasing you from instead of to, remember that His plans for our lives are always good. Breakthrough is around the corner and the testimony of yours and my experience will be one of hope and encouragement to others. One moe thing, the promised land always came after the wilderness. So keep walking through and your promised land will come. Keep living the life God intended – an abundant life full of blessings – this is only a stepping stone. Bless you heaps!
Living the life God intended 