Recently I have experienced a new level of freedom in my thinking and emotions. Jesus said He came to set us free, so all these detrimental mindsets that are prevalent amongst us -fear, anxiety, depression, negativity, to name a few, are not His idea of freedom. Jesus gave us the power to live free from these debilitating conditions and sometimes we see immediate deliverance but often it takes a little time to find breakthrough. That has been my experience and I want to share some keys (in no particular order of importance) that I can identify as being part of the process I went through.

My Past

Firstly, let me share where some issues have come from. I grew up in a Christian home in a small town in rural SA with Mum, Dad and three other siblings. My Mum and Dad loved the Lord and were very active in our small church, but I’d have to say there’s a level of freedom in the Lord that I don’t think they found. They were bound up in worry. The strained sound of an anxious voice was never far away.

As children we tend to think our parents are typical of every adult out there. Their behaviour is normal to us, so we copy it; and so, my partnership with anxiety began. I remember the first time as a young adult, hearing one of my father’s peers refer to him as a worrier and my mind wanted to reject it, in defence of my father, but it was like a light went on. I knew it was true. Sadly, I lacked the tools in my understanding of my heavenly inheritance needed to rebuke, and renounce and cut it off in the Spirit right then and there. So now, nearly four decades later those mindsets of worry and anxiety seemed too entrenched to ever be rid of.

Add to that anxiety a few other things:

• a feeling of chaos that would interfere with my thinking and ability to function.
• sensing a ceiling I couldn’t get past when trying to get in a place of hearing from the Lord.
• Forever fighting thoughts, I knew to be religious pride.

For a long time, I have battled these things, knowing certain thoughts, attitudes and responses were not who I wanted to be, but I couldn’t get rid of them. I had periods of them lessening but then they’d get the upper hand again.

Over the past two months I’ve felt these things loosening their hold on me. Preparing Shalom Music Festival is the busiest, and usually the most stressful time of the year, here at Jacob’s Well Retreat, but this year I have experienced a new freedom and joy in partnering with the Lord in the preparation. My husband has found me much easier to work with, he hasn’t had to nurse me along, unlike other years. I recently got to the end of one day, after working hard at Festival admin jobs all day and the thought hit me, “I’ve enjoyed my day!! I haven’t stressed over all these tasks which normally make me feel overwhelmed!!” That may seem insignificant to some, but for me, it was evidence of breakthrough.

Key #1: Believe Freedom is God’s Intent

Christ came to set us free. That freedom is meant to be inherited now. Yes, we won’t receive all that He has for us until we meet Him face to face, but we’re to bring heaven to earth. Whom the son sets free is free indeed. Start by understanding that it is God’s intent for you to be free from what binds you. These afflictions are demonic, they can be cast out.

Key #2: War in The Opposite Spirit

War against what holds you by finding the opposite truth. If you are bound in fear, declare freedom and a spirit of courage, over yourself, in Jesus’ name. If you battle anger, declare peace, if hate, then love, if pride, then humility. After listening to Emma Stark’s “What the Prophets Say” podcast#8 “Navigating Leviathan” I could clearly see the characteristics of this demon operating in my life: chaos, religious pride, and miscommunication. Emma emphasised praying “ORDER” over one’s life, finances, relationships, home, business etc so I began to do this in earnest.

My husband prayed a powerful prayer of deliverance over us both while I was driving us in the car. He saw in the Spirit things leaving. Me, I felt nothing and even had the thought, “Hah, do you really think just a simple prayer like that will shift this and set me free? What I’ve been going through is way more complicated”. That was the spirit of Leviathan talking However, I continued to pray in this way over myself and I believe the freedom my husband saw has come into being.

Key #3 Keep Praying & Declaring

Once we identify an area where we need victory it’s important to keep on speaking the word of God over it. Identify the lie and bring the truth to it. Anxiety comes from fear and doubt that the Lord will not take care of us. His Word says, “Cast all your care on Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). “I have not given you a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7). Repent for believing the lie and then walk in the truth. Whenever I felt a feeling of anxiety start to take hold I spoke these verses, sometime shouted them!

Key#4 Take Every Thought Captive

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” It is vital that we identify the wrong thinking (or feeling) that comes, and reject it. Don’t feel guilty about wrong thoughts that come, just don’t go down the same old pathway with it. Rebuke it, speak truth, pause and breath deep as you focus on what’s true. If it helps, picture yourself grabbing hold of it. Sometimes I’d even grab at the air around my head and throw it aside. The world can be mayhem and demanding, so when we’re in it we must keep reminding ourselves that the world is not our conqueror, we are the conquerors – more than conquerors in Jesus Christ.

It’s important to hold our old ways of thinking lightly and be prepared to toss out what may be so entrenched in us that it has us thinking, “This is who I am, its my personality, it’s how God made me.” That is a wrong conclusion. Our minds can be renewed.

“I’ve always been an anxious person,” or, “Its in my family” is not an excuse to hang on to wrong ways of thinking. Think of yourself in heaven: do you think anxious thoughts are the norm in heaven? Will you still think this way when Christ has totally restored you? No! So, lets bring God’s kingdom to earth, “As it is in heaven,” and toss out our wrong mindsets.

Key#5 Love God

God is the source of all our strength. Focusing on God and our desire to please Him, simply out of love, not duty, should drive us to soak in His presence and meditate on His love, His sovereignty and His Word. Regularly get in that quiet space where you can rest in His love. However, love is more than that feeling of peace. Love is action. Do what Jesus has told us to do. Have you done the first things He asks of us? Repent and be baptised? Receive the Holy Spirit? If we have not followed the first things, victory over our strongholds may not necessarily come.

Key# 6 Walk in Obedience

Jesus says, “If you love me you will keep my commands.” (John 14: 15). Sin gives the devil a foothold. Not just a foothold but legal ground to come and stake a claim over some area of our lives. Eeek! Who wants that?! So, let’s keep a short account, confessing our sins to the Lord and to each other. I used to be afraid of confessing sins to another person as I didn’t want to show my failings, thinking I’d be judged, or I’d lose some standing. Now I know I have no standing – except in Jesus Christ. I have no righteousness of my own, so it’s only pride that keeps me from confessing. Plus, I have now experienced the release, the healing that comes from being honest about my struggles. (Always do this with a trusted person, not with someone who will use your confessions against you). James 5: 16 tells us: “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

While on the subject of sin, let’s make the point about habitual sin. We all sin, but if we truly have been born again and have received the Holy Spirit we should not walk in deliberate, continuous, habitual sin. This is different to the stuff up and failings we do because we’re still waiting for the day when Christ shall truly perfect us. This is the decision to sin even though you know it’s wrong or having no desire to be rid of addictions or wrong behaviours. Once you’ve been convicted by the Holy Spirit that something is wrong and choose to ignore that, be aware that it will be a blockage to freedom. I’m not saying that God in His grace, won’t, but mmm, the Bible gives us a list of those who will not inherit the kingdom. Just be familiar with passages like 1 Corinthians 6: 9 – the one that got Israel Folau into hot water. If it describes you – then confess, pray and repent. God is full of mercy towards those who struggle but desire to overcome.

1 Peter 1: 15-16: ‘But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Key#7 Fasting

By no means do I proclaim to be an expert in fasting, but I know it sends a significant message out into the heavenly realm. It says to the Lord, I am serious about this. I am willing to deny my flesh in my pursuit of wholeness. It tells the devil that, I am not ruled by the flesh, I am resisting you, so you must flee. The Word tells us to fast and pray. So, couple your fasting with prayer. I find fasting makes me pray – at the very least it makes me say, “Lord help me, I am weak but You are strong – so I will be strong in You.”

I fasted for 3 days, during the week before Shalom Music Festival and the Lord just helped me through it. I was even able to prepare food everyday for visitors and not want to even taste it. My boast is in the strength I received from the Lord, not mine. I felt His presence so strongly and His peace filled me at a time when I’m usually doing a last minute panic.

A little addendum to the idea of fasting….. We, in this western world are addicted to food. We constantly overeat to the detriment of our health and well-being. Our bodies should be dedicated to the Lord. It would be good for us to recognise the spirit of gluttony amongst us and determine to be rid of it. Let’s not allow food to rule us, but for us to rule our appetites. Fasting is such a powerful weapon to wield in the face of gluttony. Food for thought!

I believe God has given me freedom from a spirit of anxiety. Do I still have moments of feeling anxious? Yes, but nothing like I used to, and now I have tools in my tool-belt to use. I can tell it to go, in Jesus name, I can speak truth over the lie that tells me I have reason to fear.

So what’s the Lord telling you? What would he like to see banished from your life? Whatever it is, He has the answer, the power and the desire to see you free. Talk to Him today. Confess your sins and be healed.

If you have a testimony to share about freedom, or if this has impacted you, I’d love to hear from you. Send us an email using the contact details on this web page.

God bless,

Faye.