How Do You Get Free and Stay Free?

Have you ever been set free from something only to find yourself going right back to it? It can become a chaotic cycle.

I was set free when I accepted Christ; yet I kept finding myself slipping back into old patterns. It is difficult to stay free in some area of our lives if we are not being proactive in the process. For years I struggled with emotional eating. Food was always my source of comfort until one day, the Holy Spirit told me I had an unhealthy attachment to food. Those were not words I was excited about hearing. However, at this point, I knew I needed to do something different.

How could I get free and stay free? My process began with preparing my mind for action. Once I recognized the stem of my problem, I had to deal with the root issues. I had to go back and renew my mind by focusing on the truth of God’s Word. It helped me understand that He is my true source of comfort. He is my place of peace and refuge. Renewing my mind had to become a daily process. I learned it was my responsibility to take charge of my thought life in order to break free totally.

It is like bathing regularly. In order to wash away the influence of the world, reading the Bible and other inspirational materials is vital. We must also be intentional when it comes to dumping negative emotions as well as daily filtering what we allow to enter our minds.

Father, help me end the constant cycle I often find myself in. Grant me the grace to continue preparing my mind for action as I walk with you day by day to the place of true freedom and wholeness. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Go Deeper — Today, as you bathe, purposely ask God to bathe you in His mercy and give you the strength to get clean from the negative habits that keep influencing you as you daily become washed by His Word.