This is one of the testimonies from the "Breaking Free" Beth Moore Bible study that was recently held at AMRBC. We hope to share many more with you.
I'm not sure how to begin to share what all the Lord has done for me in the past three months, but let me just say all the glory goes to HIM. He alone is the reason I am no longer in a pit of darkness.
The Lord knew that the timing for the Breaking Free Bible study was just right for me. I had got to a point where I was just sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was desperate for anything to fill the emptiness inside of me. I felt so alone, unwanted, and unforgivable. Every time I felt like I achieved some kind of spiritual peace a new wave of doubt and dissatisfaction rolled into my life. I decided to join the Bible study as a last resort. I was at the end of my rope and felt like I had no hope of changing. I discovered in course of the class that I had more problems than I thought I had. There were so many lies rooted so deeply in my life, I didn't even know that they were lies anymore.
I've been a Christian since I was 11 years old, was raised in church, and even graduated from and evangelical university. I thought I knew a lot about church, the Bible, and about God. What I have realized is that I knew nothing, even more surprising I learned that I didn't believe that anything I had learned about God was true for me. In Beth Moore's Breaking Free she discusses five benefits of having a relationship with God.
1. To know God and Believe in Him
2. To glorify God
3. To find Satisfaction in God
4. To experience God's peace.
5. To enjoy God's presence
The last four didn't even apply to me yet, because I was stumped by the first benefit. There was a huge disconnect between what I knew and what I believed. As the Bible study continued I was overcome by two amazing truths that flipped the lights on my darkness. #1. God loves me UNFAILING, and #2. NOTHING in life or death can separate me from His love (Rom 8:38-39). I don't know how to fully explain excatly what those two truths have done for me except to say that I really have been transformed in my spirit. I can now tell you that I am no longer empty and I know and believe 100% that I am loved, wanted, and forgiven. The lies that I have held on to so tightly, are replaced with the Truth of God's Word, and my destructive habits and thoughts have been replaced with a ferocious hunger for the Lord. A hunger I never realized I could have. He has not only set my spirit free , but set me on fire and awakened a passion for Him that nothing can compete with. I have shared my testimony with many women,something I never could have done otherwise, and have felt a calling to be involved with missions. Jesus Christ has changed me in a way I never thought I could experience!
One other thing I would like to share about my experience in this Bible study is, on February 8, while I was sitting in the class, diligently listening. One of my good friends, and college roommate shot and killed herself, she was 22. As the realization of her death came sinking in, I realized that God knew what He was doing when He put me in that study. He knew that I needed comfort and a place where His word and truth would be poured into me. He knew that I needed to be surrounded with other women who were brave enough to say , " I AM NOT OK"; but most importantly He knew how very close I was to making the same decision as my friend. You see we were both desperate , and were seeking any kind of relief but in two very different ways. The lies that she fell prey to, were the exact same ones that I had heard in my head over and over every day. What all of this comes down to is this, do you want to live in the freedom that Jesus, our rescuer, has given to us, or do you want the hole in your heart and the lies that you believe to keep getting bigger and deeper until they kill you? My friend, that is where they lead. They will bury you alive. This is why Romans 8:38-39 mean so much to me. There is NOTHING that can separate God's love for us. Not a distorted body image, not any kind of loss, no betrayal, no pain, no relationship, no fears, no failures and no fears of failure can separate how much God loves us! We are daughters of the Kind! It is time for us to start living like one!
I highly recommend Breaking Free, with all of my heart , to every single woman on the planet! Let's just be honest ladies, we have issues. The only one who can save us from being buried alive by those issues is Jesus Christ. He is the healer of our broken hearts, the God of the ugly life. He IS our rescue, and He WILL heal us!
Please consider taking Breaking Free whenever it is offered, or just diving into a discipleship group with a woman who has been through it. You won't regret it! I struggled and cried before, during, and after about 90% of this study, but it has been worth it. The pain it took to find freedom is no where near the pain of bondage I was living in. Never give up fighting for freedom in your heart! The freedom of Christ is worth it. Remember, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36)!
May the Son who shines brightly in the deepest pits, fill you with His love and freedom!
Your sister in Christ , who has really messed up but has been rescued ,
Beth Lee
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Beth Lee
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