Letting go of control

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Jeffrey Smith February 4, 2016 - Filed in Devotional - #Devotional  #Christian Devotional  #  #  #  - 1,601 views

  Revelation 12:11-They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

  When I was a child, I went with friends and parents to an outdoor fun land. The place was touted as a total adventure. The whole underlying theme of the place was built on trust, yet there it was masked as fun and adventure for all of us to enjoy. This place was a ropes course filled with caribiners and safety harnesses. There were also plenty of rock faces, heights, and zip lines.
  I loved the idea of adventure, yet when it came time to get on the top of a ledge, I came face to face with fear. Did I really trust what everyone else was calling fun? It looked more like an opportunity to let go of what I had a grip on, which is a perceived control over myself. All my friends, one after the other repelled down this rock face and the feeling of anxiety came over me in anticipation of being put on the spot to follow suit. As I climbed up the rock, the reality and finality of the situation came to a head and fear took over. I froze in fear and would not move from where I was. As much as others told me that it would be fine, and fun, I didn't want to believe them. I found the power in saying no, not on your terms, on my terms. And so the humiliation of unlocking the harness was less than the desire to believe of the authority in front of me.
  Nobody can ultimately make a decision for you, regardless of how good it sounds in the promise land. What I mean is, that if you are trapped in a situation that feels like fear, or sickness, or death, regardless of how many people tell you how to get through it, you will never jump off the cliff without trust. Anything else sounds like a trap that is worse than where you are. I know because how could adventure, and fun ever have anything to do with fear?
  If Jesus told you to come out of your fear, would you let go of that control? That is a decision that you will have to make on your own, but I found that in doing so, the power of that fear melts away, and has no more grip on me.
  There is no magic formula, or cute saying, or medication that will take away fear in our lives, it is only the power of Jesus Christ that we find total freedom. The decision to let go of fear, anxiety, panic, and ultimately sickness in all its forms came from trusting the authority and truth of Jesus Christ and not that of man.
  The scripture says, that we will be saved by the blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony, and so it is that while my testimony of being free from fear in all its forms is great, it is the blood of the Lamb that sets us free.
  The Lord set me free to be a testimony for others who struggle in the darkness of control, fear, and anxiety, and so it is that I give to you my testimony, yet the truth is the salvation of the Lord is where we will all find that our chains are broken free and we are walking in the will of the grace of Jesus Christ. He is worthy of all of our trust, yet we have the final say in whether we step off into the great adventure.