Permission to Live FreeShembull

The permission journey is just that: a journey. While it would be great if it were as simple as the before and after, our lives are a little messier than that! God knows that. And that’s why He accompanies us through life.

When we stumble, God helps us to our feet.

When we believe a lie, God’s Spirit speaks truth to our hearts and minds.

When we backslide, God forgives and renews.

When we veer from the path, God gently woos us back toward Himself.

For a season of my life, the word God spoke to me was “remain.” And it’s a word I want you to take with you. A lot of us get fired up when God shows us a new thing or invites us into something new. But sometimes we start out with a bang and then fizzle to a drizzle. We have a hot three months and then whatever was in us has been extinguished. But that cycle, jumping from one high to the next, is not how you sustain a new way of life. Because God is about sustaining, God is about remaining.

In John’s gospel, Jesus announces that He is the true vine, and His Father is the gardener. He calls out to us, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4). God remains in us! Because He remains with us, we remain free.

The message of permission isn’t about just launching a temporary initiative in your life. It’s about beginning and continuing in a life of freedom.

Prayer

Father, thank You for remaining in me. Please be with me as I begin the life of freedom that You’ve set before me. Amen.