dear v b c w o m e n ,
these are the notes sharon collard took us through during our last session of the girls getaway. for those of you who were there, you know what a gem that last session was! for those of you who weren't able to be there, we didn't want you to miss out.
love you all,
v b c w o m e n admin
Walking the Freedom Trail
Sunday, Sep 11
Morning Session
Sharon Collard
God wants us to experience what He has already given us –
FREEDOM!
“It is for freedom that God has set us free” Galatians 5:1.
God has designed our trail for freedom not bondage.
Christ’s sacrifice on my behalf has made me right before
God. Nothing I do can make me “more” right. He has freed me so that I can live
a life of growing freedom. WooHoo!
How do I daily live out this
freedom? How am I to walk the freedom trail?
F – Feed on Truth!
What am I feeding on? The Lord warns us not to despise truth (Is 30:12). I feed
on truth by reading His word, meditating on it, and memorizing it. I need to
ask the Lord to open my eyes that I might see what is truly in His word.
R – Renew my mind!
I must replace God’s thoughts for my thoughts. What fills my thought life? What
messages influence me? Am I thinking on what God has done for me and says of
me, or on what my natural man, the world, and Satan say of me? If I don’t
ground my thinking in what is true, my own thoughts, and/or Satan (the accuser)
will determine what I think.
How do we practice renewing our minds?
- Catch our sinful thoughts (2 Cor 10:5).
- Confess our sinful thoughts (1 Jn 1:9).
- Claim the Holy Spirit’s power to overcome sin (2
Pet 1:3).
- Force my mind from the sinful thought to the
true one (Phil 4:8-9).
- Repeat as necessary! (Gal 6:9).
Renewing my mind brings peace and transformation.
E – Extol the Lord! I
must praise God and thank Him for who He is and what He is doing. I must learn
to view life from God’s perspective, not my own. What good things has God done
for me? Am I cultivating a thankful spirit? Thanking God restores my dependence
on Him (Col
3:17).
E – Entrust my needs
and cares to the Lord and Expect Him to act! All of Jesus’ teaching on
prayer in the Gospels can be summarized with one word: Ask. I am to bring all
of my needs to Him. What do I lose when I have a praying life? My control and
independence. What do I gain? Friendship with God and freedom. A shift from
worrying to watching.
D – Die to self!
Lord, what must I surrender to you? Show me the areas in my life that I am
keeping from you. God opposes me when I do things my way (pride), but He
promises to pour out His grace, His faithful care and provision, to me when I
call on Him (humility) (James 4:6).
O – Own up and Offer
up confession! Individuals who are being changed are individuals who daily,
moment by moment, depend on God. The more I depend on God the easier it becomes
to confess my sin to Him. Why? Because I grow more convinced that only He has
paid for my sin and only He can transform me. In obedience is freedom.
Surrender is my Freedom Ticket!
M – Maintain
fellowship! I need others and others need me! I have not been created to
walk the freedom trail alone. Hebrews 10:25 tells me to “spur one another on to
love and good deeds.” As a friend, how can I encourage others to draw closer to
Jesus? Do I allow others to speak into my life?
Remember, it is for freedom that we have been saved.
Remember, God loves us. He has determined our Freedom Trail,
the perfect trail for each of us.
Remember, He is the God who helps us and He is for us!
So, dear ones, walk in freedom.
Sharon Collard
