Who I Am

I just started reading "The Bondage Breaker" by Neil Anderson. I've had the book for a few months and it was on my list of books to get to but I hadn't gotten to it. After being spoken some tough words in love by a dear sister in Christ I picked the book up today and started reading. I am only a couple chapters in but a couple things struck me. One thing is in the beginning of the third chapter, it is a list of truths about who we are in Christ:  This list is in the picture to the right. It's a little hard to read, but I like the artistic image.

Who I am in Christ

     I am accepted... 

• I am God's child ~ John 1:12
• As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ ~John 15:15
• I have been justified ~Romans 5:1
• I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit ~1 Cor. 6:17
• I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God ~1 Cor. 6:19-20
• I am a member of Christ's body ~1 Cor. 12:27
• I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child ~Ephesians 1:3-8
• I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins ~Colossians 1:13-14
• I am complete in Christ ~Colossians 2:9-10
• I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ ~Hebrews 4:14-16
  I am secure...
• I am free from condemnation ~Romans 8:1-2
• I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances ~Romans 8:28
• I am free from any condemnation brought against me, and I cannot be separated from the love of God ~Romans 8:31-39
• I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God ~2 Cor. 1:21-22
• I am hidden with Christ in God ~Colossians 3:1-4
• I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me ~Philippians 1:6
• I am a citizen of Heaven ~Philippians 3:20
• I have not been given the spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind         ~2 Timothy 1:7
• I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me ~1 John 5:18
  I am significant...
• I am the branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life ~John 15:5
• I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit ~John 15:16
• I am God's temple ~1 Cor. 3:16
• I am a minister of reconciliation for God ~2 Cor.5:17-21
• I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm ~Ephesians 2:6
• I am God's workmanship ~Ephesians 2:10
• I may approach God with freedom and confidence ~Ephesians 3:12
• I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me ~Philippians 4:13

From the beginning of time the enemy has been seeking to deceive - he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden... he filled her head with lies. Today the enemy still seeks to deceive - he has filled my head with so many lies over time and I have listened to those lies and have lived my life as if those things were true. The statements written above are what is truth and it is going to take work, but I trust that I will get to the place where I will be able to live in that freedom. A quote that really stuck out to me was this, "Affirming the truth of Christ's victory and satan's defeat is the primary step to successfully stand against the enemy's attempts to intimidate you." He also says that as a Christian I reside in Christ and Christ has all authority. I don't have to fight a battle to defeat the devil because Christ accomplished that on the cross. As Neil Anderson says in his book, "We just need to believe it." 
 

The first chapter of the book begins with an example from a young girl who wrote a prayer to God. She cries out to God wondering where He is and how He can watch and see how much she is hurting. She says if He cared He would let her die or make it stop and she told Him she loved Him but He seemed so far away. After writing this prayer she unsuccessfully tried to kill herself. Four years after that she was sitting in church and she sensed God's leading to write this response to her cry out to Him when she was suicidal. This is what she wrote:

I made a copy that I put at my desk at work and another one for my bathroom mirror. I am on a quest for freedom. Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

On a Journey Toward Freedom,

Sherri 

Conquering More Fears

I have only flown once in my life and I was in 8th grade at the time - yeah, that was only a few years ago. I didn't have a bad experience - I actually enjoyed it. However, since that time it is not something I've ever had much of a desire to do. Chalk that up to being a home body and really not wanting to go anywhere anyway. Well, a few weeks back I decided to stop living life in fear and step out of my comfort zone and go to see my family in Colorado the week of Thanksgiving. I was planning on driving - I was looking forward to the time to pray, listen to God's Word, worship.... I mean how often does one get 12 hours set aside to do that? However, something hit me tonight and I realized fear was one of my big reasons for not wanting to fly. God spoke to my heart and challenged me to not live in that fear. So, I got online and I ordered my plane ticket. I am now booked on a flight to Denver on the 16th of November and will return to Iowa the 23rd. I have a house/cat sitter lined up and now all I have to do is get through the next couple of weeks and I will be off to the land where God lives. (Yes, I know God is everywhere and there are people who say, "No, this isn't Heaven, it's Iowa", but as far as I'm concerned - God lives in Colorado!)  LOL

Seriously, I can not wait to spend time with my amazing Aunt, Uncle, Cousins, and my wonderful friend Debra and her family. I can't wait to see all my fur cousins and to wake up every morning to the view of the mountains. It's a good thing Buddy is staying home or I might not come back!

Learning to let go of fear,

Sherri

My Daddy

I am not sure when this picture of my Daddy was taken, but I think it was toward the end of his college career. I found out this week that my counselor knew my Daddy around 1967. My counselor was in High School and worked summers at the insurance company where my Daddy worked in downtown Des Moines. How crazy is it that before I was even born my counselor knew my Daddy. Who could have known that 45 years later I would be sitting in my counselor's office reminiscing about memories of me and my Daddy? My counselor recalled the time he knew my Daddy and said he remembered him fondly and that he was a nice man.

This week I've been doing a lot of thinking about my Daddy. This past May marked 20 years since he had passed away. It's so hard to believe that it has been that long. If I close my eyes I can still hear his voice, I can smell his cologne, I can see his smiling face. I don't have a lot of memories from my childhood, but I remember getting done with my bath at night and coming downstairs and sitting at my Daddy's feet. I would hand him the towel and he would towel dry my hair. He would just rub and rub and rub until my thick curly hair was mostly dry. I would then curl up on his lap and he would just hold me. Oh, what I wouldn't give to curl up in his lap right now just to have him hold me in his arms.

The picture to the right is from my High School graduation (there's a good look at that thick curly hair I once had) I love this picture of my Daddy and me. I can tell from the look on his face he is proud of me. I moved in with my Daddy when I was 16 years old. Those last 2 years of High School were my happiest time in my childhood that I remember. I remember knowing that I was safe. I remember knowing that my Daddy loved me even when we disagreed.

My Daddy and I had some rough times and it led to him not talking to me for almost two years before he passed away. But, even during that time I always knew my Daddy loved me. I never once doubted that his love for me waivered in spite of our differences.

I'm thankful for the memories I have with my Daddy. I'm thankful that even though our relationship wasn't perfect, it was solid in our love for one another. There were a lot of rotten things that happened in my childhood, a lot of things I wish I could change... but one thing I would never change was the relationship I had with my Daddy. He died far too young and I wish I could have him with me still today, but at least I have wonderful memories and that's something no one can take away from me. I am grateful to my Daddy for teaching me that even though you may have differences it doesn't mean you don't still love each other.

Holding on to the memories,

Sherri