rebelling against low expectations

You Are No Longer a Slave to Fear

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“I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.”

The first time I heard the song “No Longer Slaves” by Bethel was at our church’s summer camp in 2015.

The lyrics hit me hard. I realized that I was no longer captive. I am His. In other words, God had set me free, but I had a death-grip on the chains He had pulled away. I was free, but I acted like I was still bound.

As humans, we all look for something to worship, to devote ourselves to. A lot of the time, we end up making the mistake of worshiping the wrong things: friends, popularity, appearance, acceptance, that guy or girl, or control. Whatever we can find that will satisfy our soul in that moment, only to find out it doesn’t last.

Before we know it, we are slaves. Working and pouring ourselves out for that one thing. Whatever we try to do, it does nothing. We are bound. We are tied to the things of this world.

I know the biggest thing for me was fear.

Last summer, God showed me that I was a slave to fear and worry. I wanted control. I worried about everything, even though it did nothing to help the situation. I was still not in control. He showed me that He had set me free from the ties, only that I was clinging to the chains of fear that He had broken.

Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Do not return. Don’t look back. You are free.

Adopted, Healed, and Lifted

God frees us. He adopts us as His own and makes us a part of His family.

I have siblings adopted from Ethiopia, so I am pretty familiar with orphans and the adoption process. To be an orphan means to have no family or protection. That is what we are without God. He wants each and every one of His children to feel loved, to be loved, and to be a part of His family.

After I realized I wasn’t letting go of my anxiety, God showed me it was time to start again, with a clean slate. On June 23, 2015, while I was at camp, I rededicated my life to Christ. I have never felt so strange in my life. I felt emotional, joyful, and peaceful. For the rest of that day, the song “No Longer Slaves” was playing in my head.

“You split the sea so I could walk right through it. My fears were drowned in perfect love. You rescued me and I will stand and sing, I am a child of God.”

He made a way for us, He set us free. He took away our fears and loved us like His own. He rescued us so that we could help rescue others.

God wants nothing more than for His children to let go and to trust Him. He wants His children to inherit the Kingdom of God. The choice is yours.

Will you continue to hold onto the chains God has saved you from, or will you let go and let Him love you with His everlasting love?

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” – Psalm 68:5

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Photo courtesy of Kamyar Adl and Flickr Creative Commons.


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About the author

Kelsey Kaleb

Kelsey is twenty-five year old, Atlanta-native missionary, serving in East Africa with her husband. She loves everything about missions and Africa, and has never lost her love and passion for writing.

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By Kelsey Kaleb
rebelling against low expectations

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