Since my last post on “Living to Please,” God has pretty much rocked my world. I would like to point out that it has only been 2 weeks, ha! I knew that part of the reason I needed to write on my journey of fear of man and people pleasing is because God had plans to use it to bring greater healing and breakthrough in my life.

Well, He has done just that.

Within the last two weeks God has revealed to me the root of my fear of man, the means of overcoming it and my authority over it. Like most struggles in our life, I have found that this specific area had many layers and levels in the overcoming process.

I know, I know, you just LOVE processes! You don’t have to tell me. Ha!

The process is part of the journey. In God’s goodness He allows us to go through processes so we can learn more of who He is and who we are in Him. It’s empowering. We need to be empowered! We need to understand the authority and strengths we have in Christ so that we can be who He created us to be.

Ok, before I get ahead of myself I want to share with you a few “practical processes” that the Holy Spirit has walked me through in my journey of overcoming the fear of man. Over the next few post I will share each step I have taken over the last year to obtain this freedom. I truly believe each step is too valuable to rush through in one post alone so I hope you are ready!

1. I read my bible consistently.
   This is not just a religious act or something to just brush off. THIS IS KEY. The word is “living and active” (Heb 4:12) and brings life to us (John 6:63, Prov 4:22). It’s the WORD of GOD. Hello!
   How blessed are we to have that available to us? The WORD is a major way to grow in our depth and intimacy with Christ. It also helps you fight against the lies of the enemy. It’s biblical principle that we are to use the Word to renew our minds and align our whole beings to that of the Kingdom (thinking, living, speaking).

I was recently listening to a podcast by Bill Johnson from Bethel Church that broke down the armor of God in Ephesians 6 in a way I have never heard before. When he mentioned the Word of God represented as the sword in the passage he described the sword that was used during New Testament days. The sword that the bible referred to in this passage was small and two-edged which allowed the Roman soldiers to quickly and easily attack their enemy. Not only was this specific sword useful to attack but it was also the best option in the removal of the enemies’ arrows from their body.

IS YOUR MIND BLOWN YET?! Talk about a visual for how we are to use the word of God. To attack our enemy & and to remove the arrows of the enemy (lies) from ourselves. The word has the ability to heal and change us from the inside out. Just as Jesus used the word to combat the temptations (or arrows if you will) of Satan in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mat 26:36-46)- we are to use the word to combat the arrows of the enemy in our every day life. The Word is powerful and vital for our Christianity.

2. I renew my thinking with the Word.

This goes hand in hand with consistently reading the bible so I wanted to include it with today’s post. I have continually used the Word to renew my thinking when I feel the attacks and lies of the enemy. When I recognize a thought that does not line up with what God says in His Word, I have worked very hard to surrender those thoughts to Him and think on His truth. We give too much attention to thoughts that are not worthy of our time or emotion. I recently saw this post that stated, “If the words you spoke appeared on your skin would you still be beautiful?” I find this to be a profound thought. Imagine your words and thoughts exposed to everyone. What would they see? We have the tendency to be pretty ugly towards ourselves. I don’t believe that has to be our reality nor do I believe that is what God intended.

I get it though, it’s easier said then done. I have learned that there has to be an exchange, a beautiful exchange of the lie for the truth. This is when transformation begins.

I want to give you a visual of what this exchange looks like. Imagine you are standing before Jesus at His throne. In your hands you hold the lie(s) that you have functioned out of over time. While you stand before Christ you say to Him as you visualize yourself doing the following actions, “I lay this lie(s) down at your feet, giving it over to you. I no longer believe this nor do I want to live by it.” Now that you have laid this belief down at his feet in surrender you are ready to receive His truth. Hold your hands out and say, “Lord, I receive your truth that I am ________.” Your “blank” could be the truth that you are loved, accepted, forgiven, seen or valued. Whatever it is, receive it and believe it. Once you have declared this statement out loud, imagine that Jesus has placed that truth in your hands, hold on to it and step away from God with that new belief. Now that is an exchange!

I have practiced this visual exchange many times and have personally experienced major breakthrough.

This is just the start of the foundational steps in my journey from living to please man to living to please God. I pray as you reflect on areas in your heart that need to be renewed you would be brave enough to “go there” with God to allow His Word to define you. Not only that, I pray you would lay down the deceitful lies of the enemy in exchange for God’s unwavering truth.

There is more to come- be on the look out of the next post! Please share this and the following post with the girls in your world- let’s work together in helping women find freedom in their lives! x

“She Laughs without fear of the future”- Proverbs 31:25