A Journey to Freedom Through Prayer
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Freedom in Surrendering
There is a certain freedom that comes from surrendering to the will of God, a peace that is unlike what you normally experience. You might say, “I let it go, and I have peace about it,” but then you pick it up over and over again. I’m not talking about that kind of peace. I mean the peace that’s more like an assurance, where you don’t worry about what may or may not come next, the peace that comes when you’re not concerned about the outcome because you know God has it under control and will use the situation for your good. There is so much freedom in that knowledge. There’s a freedom from fear of what will happen and from worry concerning what you’ll do. Also, there’s a freedom from anger because you know God allowed it. There’s no one to blame, not even yourself, and that causes you to be free of guilt and condemnation as well.
It took many years of worrying, having stressful experiences, and much prayer for me to come to this place of peace, but once I understood that it was a test of faith for me to have confidence in God, I knew I had to pass the test or bear repeating it. Just the thought of having to be in an uncomfortable place was enough motivation to inspire me to pass, because failing would mean starting the process all over again.
As it turns out, once you gain perspective, you realize that whatever happens God will use it to bring you where he wants you to be in him.
July 13, 2011
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. —Colossians 3:12–14 (NIV)
Release It
Is there anything in your past that you’re still holding on to and need to release? Are there issues that come from your past that you continue to suppress but need to address? The issues keep surfacing, and you continue suppressing them. You should know that to live the abundant life that God wants for you, you must deal with what has you bound. Confess your feelings so that you can release the pain and begin to heal. Cry out to God, grieve, and let it go.
One of the issues you may need to explore is forgiveness. Are there people you need to forgive? Unforgiveness usually hurts the person who is holding it the most. The person you have not forgiven often doesn’t even know that you’re holding something against him or her or remember what happened. So, the pain and anger you carry around is the baggage you need to release.
What if you let go of all the issues of your past and decided to move toward the future you wanted for yourself? The past you cannot change—all you can do is accept it, learn from it, and use those experiences to help you in the present to build a better future. I believe no experience is wasted if you look at it from the right perspective, which is the way God wants you to see it.
Often we choose to focus on the negative, but whatever God allows in our lives he uses for our good to increase, strengthen, and change us for the better. This is only if we choose to see what God has in the situation for us and how he wants to use it for our good. Then we can look for the opportunity in the situation and see what God is trying to bring to our attention.
If you have learned anything from your past that has helped you throughout your life, you should appreciate what you have taken away from that experience. It may have challenged you or been hard to go through, but if you submit your past to the Lord and hand over your baggage, it will allow God to work in you. The prayers in this chapter will help you to start your journey to freedom.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
—Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)
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About the Book
God has a future planned for each one of us. However, we must seek him to lead and guide us toward the life he has planned for us. He wants our lives to be full of love, hope, faith, peace, joy, abundance and prosperity. Yet in order for us to have the life he wants for us we must let go of the things that have us bound.
We were not meant to live in fear, depression, anger and unforgiveness, or to live with feelings of rejection and bitterness with no hope for the future. Therefore, we must develop a personal relationship with him in prayer, learn to abide in him and seek him for direction. Release the guilt and condemnation of the past and move forward in faith in order to inherit his promises.
This book of prayers will help you to begin to seek God about releasing your past and prepare you to step into the future God has planned for your life.
About the Author
N.B. Grant has had a love for God since she was about 7 years old. As she became older she sought to have a more intimate relationship with God and was led to seek him in prayer about releasing the pain and issues of her past. This is what led to her journey. Having suffered traumatic events like the loss of her father by a drunk driver as a child and having experienced years of emotional abuse and depression she sought to be free through prayer and fasting.
It has been over 15 years since she began her journey. God has spoken many prayers into her spirit that have helped her to find her way to freedom from the past and continue to help her find freedom from issues that developed from her past. This journey of prayer and fasting has allowed her to move forward and help others to do the same through the prayers she has written.
Though this is Grant’s first book, she continues to write as she moves forward on her journey and into the future God has planned for her life. She is a wife and mother of two children; she is a native of Texas.