There is something about this amazing Spring air outside that creates the feeling of endless possibilities, something NEW, a fresh start.  For me, someone who doesn't love winter, it as if this beautiful Spring warmth is a reminder of God's love and promises to us.  Everyday may bring the cold of winter through different obstacles and challenges we must navigate, but God's presence in our life should be the warmth of Spring that refreshes our soul and strengthens us for all we must conquer in our day to day.

A week ago I was driving home with my two younger kids after our littlest's 1 year check up.  The morning had been busy with getting ready for the day, school drop off, grocery shopping and then the doctors appointment.  It wasn't until that moment in the car that I was able to catch my breath. Listening to some worship songs with the kids, Bethel's song You Make Me Brave came on.  I've heard this song dozens of times but in this moment it moved something in my heart and blessed me with another promise from God.  Here are the lyrics:

You make me brave, You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave, You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the love that made a way

As Your love, in wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me
For You are for us
You are not against us
Champion of Heaven
You made a way for all to enter in

In that moment, overcome with emotion and tears filling my eyes, the lyrics of this song reassured me of my ability to do all that God has given me to do because HE LOVES ME and HE IS FOR ME and HE WILL MAKE A WAY.  God calls all of us to live extraordinary lives and sometimes looking at the big picture of our complicated lives can be awfully daunting.  But finding a quiet moment (needed multiple times per day) to rest back on His promise, we will always find His love and support and the reassurance we need to trust Him and keep going forward into what He has called us to.  

Join me in allowing HIM to make you brave, to push you out where you are not comfortable and to conquer and succeed at all that He has put on your plate. The best part of this experience is that all you have to do is MAKE TIME FOR GOD.  Listen to a great worship song.  Stop thinking and START LISTENING.  Open your bible.  Or just open your mouth and start talking to Him.  He has so much more for us than we can imagine.  I pray that you who are reading this may find God's plans and blessings for your life and begin living in the waves and trusting in His great love.   

​This week I’ve been thinking about the word FREEDOM as it pertains to Christianity.  The bible refers to the word freedom dozens of times throughout the old and new testaments.  So I thought about what does freedom in Christ mean to me?  What am I set free from?  Am I experiencing this freedom in my everyday life?
 
When I gave my life a quick, general overview I thought, I’ve always been free, I’ve never been captive, in the true human understanding of the word freedom.  And truthfully that’s how I most often think of the word freedom.  But then as I looked deeper into myself I saw evidence of captivity.  I saw that I don’t always live with peace and joy, which you would imagine comes with freedom. 
 
And as I started to dig into what takes away my peace, joy and freedom I found my sin holding me down, my sin getting in the way of experiencing freedom.  This is what freedom in Christ is all about.  Moving past the burden of sin, the guilt and restrain of our sin and simply living in His grace, forgiveness and compassion. 
 
Acts 13: 38-39 says, “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through Him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.”
 
Romans 8: 1-2 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
 
And in 2 Corinthians 3: 17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
 
God’s freedom is supposed to relieve us of the need to be perfect and flawless, to help us realize that is not what this calling to follow Jesus is about.  Galatians 5: 13-14 says, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Following Jesus is about love.  This scripture says, the ENTIRE LAW is fulfilled by loving others.  When we experience freedom from our sin, we have more time to love others an ultimately to FULFILL God’s law.  How cool is that?!
 
Yesterdays verse of the day on YouVersion Bible App was from Philippians 3: 13-14 and it begins, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” The “it” that Paul is referring to is LIFE.  Paul is saying I have not mastered this life, I do not know it all, I am not perfect.  I read that yesterday and it spoke to me differently than ever before.  I read it and thought what freedom there is in that!!! I do not need to be perfect.  I do not need to know everything.  I do not need to master this Christian life.  That is freedom!  The verse continues to say, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 
 
Today and everyday I will press on toward the goal.  I will spend more time loving my neighbor as I love myself and less time consumed with the captivity of my sin.  I will practice forgiving myself and focusing only on the day ahead of me and not on the mistakes of the day before.  I will choose to experience freedom everyday.  This is Gods desire for His children as we see it all throughout scripture.  Today I challenge every reader to look into your own heart and evaluate your freedom.  Are you experiencing Christ’s freedom or are you still a captive to your own sin?  We do it to ourselves.  Allow God to pour His love into you today and in turn, go out and pour that love into someone else.