Rise Above: Breaking Free From the Chains of Spiritual Isolation a 5-Day Devotional With Katherine Shorterनमुना

Day 1: Recognizing the Chains

As a young woman living in (and for!) the world, I experienced a lot of hurt and pain that was born out of my sin and poor decisions. As I got older and matured in all areas of my life, I began to reflect on the decisions I’d made and where they’d taken me. When I finally met my man of God, he asked me if I could see myself being married to a minister. I remember laughing at him and saying that someone with my past could never be married to a minister!

And just as God laughed at the plans and limitations that I’d allowed my past to put onto myself, I am here before you today encouraging you in Christ…as a minister’s wife. But this tale isn’t just about me. When my husband posed that possibility to me, I didn’t see it as an option. I felt that there was no way that someone as broken and sin-stained as myself could ever be in ministry and teach other women about the righteousness and redemption of God.

The enemy successfully used my shame and feelings of inadequacy to keep me locked away from the fullness of God that He’d promised me, through the cross. He made me feel that if I told anyone about my past or my struggles, that I would be rejected and judged. The enemy isolated me from the community that I needed to heal my wounds. The enemy tried to isolate me from God and make me think that I wasn’t good enough to be loved or forgiven.

What I also realized was that, if he could do this to me, that he was doing it to other women in God’s kingdom. Isolation is a tactic of the enemy. It manifests in shame, ridicule, fear, and hopelessness. None of these rotted fruits are of God. Jesus died for us so that we could be redeemed in Him. He took on our punishment so that we could have another chance to live for Him. As daughters of the King, we all have a divine calling on our lives…if only we step boldly into it. Our Father wants us to know that we’re not alone on our journey. He is with us and has created a community to walk alongside us.

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What chains are the enemy using to keep you from walking in your purpose? Fear, shame, doubt? How have they shown up in your life?