Victory and Freedom

Hi Friends!

You might not know this, but I post little videos on social media and I greet my Sober Friends at the beginning of the videos. I know when I was getting sober, I relied heavily on social media sober people who would offer encouragement and inspiration so I’m paying it forward. By they way, I have been sober for 3 years and 8 months with no desire to return to a life with alcohol. Healed!

It’s really important that we help others in areas that we have struggled with and now have victory in. For me, it’s freedom from addiction and victory over cancer, sickness, depression, anxiety, the dual mastectomy and the body image issues that followed. Pretty heavy topics but I am determined that what the enemy meant for evil and to destroy and kill me, that God will use it for good and His glory. (Genesis 50:20)

The pain you might be going through is not always for you. Most of the time, it is for others so you can lead them through and offer encouragement that you made it. Remember, you can’t heal anyone and you can’t be anyone’s savior. That us up to God and the person’s willingness to get well and heal. A lot of time unfortunately, people have become so comfortable with their pain that they don’t know another way. For example, I have dealt with being sick since I was young. Sickness kept following me around and I held it close and and it became a toxic friend. It wasn’t until recently, I decided NO MORE. I declare daily that I walk in Divine health and I command my body to align with the Word of God. One of my amazing friends that I have had for a decade would always tell me when I was sick, “Make better choices.” I would laugh it off because she’s a funny one. But, I realized this powerhouse of a woman was never sick. That got me thinking and talking to God and healing. Friends, I know we live in a fallen world and we get the occasional virus, but I was literally always sick.

I have written about this before, the power of our words. Proverbs 18:21 in the Amplified version of the Bible tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.” Yikes. I would say that I am always sick, that I catch every bug, that I can’t catch a break. Ew. I was literally inviting sickness in and didn’t realize it.

When I would drink, I didn’t know another way to cope. I had to learn how to deal with my emotions and not just drink them away. That did no good at all. My problems were still there but with additional anxiety and depression that alcohol has been proven to cause. I had to heal from my past to move forward and walk into the light with Jesus.

Friends, all of this to say that God will never waste your pain. You might be in a pit today or you might be living in victory. Either way, know that you can use what you have gone through to help others through their pain if they are willing to ask for help and are ready for change. We are all put here on Earth for each other to show love and encouragement in this world and be a helping hand to the next person to pull them up.

What would your life look like if you stopped to think of all you have had victory over and you would pull others into victory with you? I challenge you to engage and partner with God to bring more people into healing and freedom. Don’t waste your pain. You made it through for a reason.