Love Out Loud |

“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven”.

Harriet Tubman, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman By Sarah Hopkins Bradford.

Selfless, brave, determined… these are all character qualities my students used to describe Harriet Tubman after reading about her life. Tubman fell to her knees in prayer after crossing the Pennsylvania border exhilarated by her newfound freedom. She then pressed on and began her new life in Philadelphia. But the money she made working was for the primary purpose of gaining freedom for others who were still enslaved. History tells us that Tubman was also a nurse, cook, and spy during the Civil War. Later in life, she opened her home to those who were in need. Through it all, she trusted the Lord to be her Source and Strength.

I believe that Harriet Tubman’s life journey reflects the Kingdom of Heaven culture. Each person that God creates has a purpose, something they bring to this world that no one else can. Whether or not we fulfill that purpose has much to do with the decisions we make in our personal journey. Sometimes those decisions mean determining whether or not we will allow ourselves to stay enslaved… enslaved to self-pity, rejection, pride, pain, greed, or broken dreams.

Ultimately, the things that drive or enslave us can all be summed up by the word “fear,” fear of failure, fear of loss, fear of hurt, fear of abandonment, fear of rejection. “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God,”¹This morning, I found myself singing this line, along with everyone else, but I felt the words deeper in my spirit than I ever had before. I had been enslaved by fear in the past. It drove me to do things I wouldn’t typically do and it drove me to not do things that I should do. Knowing that I don’t have to be driven by fear any longer is liberating!

Being strong or confident is not the opposite of fear; it is faith in His love that is the antithesis of fear! We all long to be known and loved. It is only in knowing the perfect love of our Heavenly Father that the chains of fear can be rendered useless. Why does perfect love drive out fear?² Because when we get a revelation of His perfect or unconditional love for us, we can trust His plans for us. Perfect love is the truth that when life is difficult, loss rocks our world, or pain is suddenly staring us in the face, it is not for the purpose of tormenting us or punishing us! Our circumstances are NOT a reflection of God’s love for us or His value of us! We can be confident that no matter what comes our way, He is always with us, loving us, and causing everything to work out well for us… eventually!³

We might be tempted to stop there, basking in the knowledge that we are perfectly loved by this amazing God!! Sometimes we do need to just soak in His presence (after all, He IS love!) and allow the joy of knowing His love to go deep. But there’s more to the journey. Isaiah 58 talks about what is pleasing to the Lord. He doesn’t want us to keep love’s freedom to ourselves! He wants us to help others who are enslaved find freedom too; much like Harriet Tubman did when she took multiple trips south to lead others to freedom. Was it convenient? No. Was it safe? No. Was it easy? No. But it was her destiny and purpose to help others find {physical} freedom.

How much more important is it for you and I to help others find spiritual freedom! Freedom from the fear that strangles out life and hope, freedom from the fear that keeps us from reaching out, freedom from the fear that chokes our trust, and freedom from the fear that breeds bitterness. That’s a tall order, isn’t it?! How can we help others find the freedom of knowing that they are unconditionally loved by their Creator? We become virtual conduits that allow the love of our amazing Father to flow through us to others!

By tapping into Him, our Source, and relying on His strength, we become the concrete example of God’s unconditional love to others. As those walking in freedom, we set the vision and standard of freedom for EACH person we encounter! We believe and declare that He loves them in the middle of their mess, just like He loves us even when we were at our worst.

Will loving those enslaved in fear be convenient? Safe? Easy? No, no, and no, but it’s our destiny and purpose to help others find freedom in His perfect love!⁴ This precious freedom then enables them to walk in their destinies setting even more people free! It’s the circle of Kingdom life!

I’d like to say that I’m a pro at this thing of helping others find freedom from fear. It would be great if I could tell you that I’ve got the perfect love thing down pat. I don’t… I’m working on it, stumbling along, sometimes failing, and sometimes succeeding. The good news is that there is always hope! Each day is a new beginning and nothing is set in stone until we breathe our last breath! Each encounter with another person is an opportunity to value one of God’s precious creations and demonstrate fear-freeing love.

Lord, Help me not to waste these opportunities!

Live Loved!

P.S. If this encouraged, challenged, or blessed you, please share on social media! 🙂 Also, thanks to my Aunt Sandy Hall for the great shot of Mount Fuji!

¹Lyrics from: ”No Longer Slaves” Bethel Music

²“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” I John 4: 18

³“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

⁴Read more: I John 3:16-23, Mark 12:29-31, All Embracing Love… Really?

What do you think of when you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? Many of us heard the story as children and knew that those people didn’t love God or serve Him. However, in looking at it through the eyes of adults, we often think that these two cities were condemned for their sins of perversion. At least that’s what I thought… till I read these verses in Ezekiel 16:

⁴⁹“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. ⁵⁰They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

Did you see that? Did you see what it was that saddened God’s heart? Yes, detestable things, pride and arrogance. But that’s not what jumped out at me. Look again! “Overfed and unconcerned with the poor and needy!” Some versions say they did not help the oppressed. The people of Sodom & Gomorrah hadn’t just grieved God because of their wickedness (hearts twisted or bent on doing wrong!) but because they overindulged in themselves and did not care for those in need.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 5, God addresses His concerns about Israel to Jeremiah:

2 “Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.”

Now meditate on these verses:

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

When we purpose to help those in need, defend the oppressed, and care for the needy, we are seeking justice! Jen Toledo defines justice in this way, “Justice is God’s correction of every violation of love.” What violations of love do you see around you? Racism, prejudice, bullying, belittling, loneliness, need? To see God’s Kingdom come into our realm of influence, we need to be ambassadors of His love, bringing justice and righting wrongs whenever the opportunity arises! Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s whispers and stomp on the enemy’s injustices!*

I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to be lumped in with the likes of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Even more, I want to please my Daddy! I want to purpose to seek justice, defend the oppressed, and walk humbly! Recently, I’ve heard God whispering an idea to help those in my part of the world. I will be moving in that direction soon and I’ll post when I do! What about you? Is God dropping ideas in your heart too? I’d love to hear them!

Live Loved!

*The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20

If this challenged and blessed you, please share on social media!

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No Longer A Slave