Break Free for Good: Beyond Quick Fixes to Real Freedom (Part 3)నమూనా

Here's the big idea for our entire journey: We break free from our spiders when we surrender to and apply the power of God.

Right from the start, I want to tell you that this is not a self-help plan. If you had the power to break free from your spider on your own, you would already be free. If you had the strength and discipline to kill your spider in your own power, your spider would already be dead.

Have you been trying for years to pursue these things on your own strength? When I was a kid, I watched a TV show called Home Improvement where the main character, Tim Taylor, always said: "More power!" You'll break free not when you muster up more willpower, but when you admit you don't have the power and surrender to God's strength. It’s time to pray, “God, I need your power!”

Godly friends, Christian counseling, and even good books can help you identify your cobwebs and locate your spiders. They can provide you with tactics to catch your spiders. But you will only kill your spider through the power of God. We experience God's power through Scripture and prayer.

In this plan, I'm going to share a simple three-step process to kill your spider. But first, you need to understand what "simple" means. Simple does not mean easy. Some of the simplest things in the world are, in fact, the most challenging. Simple doesn't mean quick; some of the simplest things take the longest time to accomplish. Simple doesn't mean comfortable. This process may make you more uncomfortable before you get comfortable. And simple doesn't mean neat. This process can be messy.

Here's what I've learned: we only change when the pain of the status quo becomes greater than the pain of making a change. When you hear this process, know that it's difficult, but it's not more difficult than staying where you are.

The hope we have comes from Scripture. In Ephesians 6:10 NIV, Paul writes, "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." This is not about your strength or your willpower. It's about discovering strength in God and depending on Him.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV, God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Paul responded, "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Perhaps you need to have a breakdown today. Do you need to come to the end of yourself? Do you need to become disillusioned with your own power and strength so you can tap into God's power to deliver you from your spider?

James 4:6 NLT states that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” If you think you're too strong to have a spider, you're probably harboring a whole nest of them. But when you recognize that you're broken, that you're a mess, that you've agreed with lies, then in that weakness you'll experience God's power because His power is made perfect in your weakness.

Through the earlier two plans in this series, we've been preparing for this moment. We've identified our cobwebs—the medications that bring false comfort. We've located our spiders—those agreements we made with lies. We've recognized we're in a spiritual battle.

Now it's time to learn the specific process to kill your spider. Remember: this isn't about your strength. It's about surrendering to God's power and applying it to the lies that have held you captive.

Tomorrow, we'll dive into the first two steps of this life-changing process.