A new year brings the hope of a fresh start. Today my friend Paula Neall Coleman tells how she found freedom from out-of-control emotions and behaviors. We can too. Comment for a chance to win a copy of her new book Experience the Freedom You Already Have in Christ in a drawing Monday January 13.
Experience Freedom in the New Year
It’s a new year and many of us are thinking about making a fresh start in some aspect of our lives. We want to experience freedom from unwanted behaviors or emotions. Maybe you’re resolving to stop biting your nails or to start exercising more. Or, maybe you’re hoping this will be the year when you stop raising your voice to your children or when you stick to the promise you made to your husband to never go on a secret shopping binge again. Perhaps you’re praying for God to deliver you from habits or thoughts that make you sometimes question your commitment to Christ.
What if it turns out you do have the freedom you’re craving, but you just haven’t experienced it fully yet? According to Jesus…
“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32, NIV)
When my friends confronted me about my not-as-secret-as-I-thought binge-eating, I wondered why the truth I knew about Jesus hadn’t set me free. I’d prayed that God would help be “be good.” I’d asked for miraculous deliverance. Yet I still regularly ate until I was ill, often “borrowing” my roommate’s groceries in the middle of the night.
My involvement with a Bible-centered counseling ministry exposed me to some key truths I had not previously taken to heart, as well as made me realize I had some beliefs I thought were true but were actually erroneous assumptions I’d made based on experiences I’d had instead of based on what God lovingly says in His Word.
When, over the course of a couple of years, I exchanged my preconceived notions for God’s truth, the result was dramatic: total freedom from binge-eating (for 38 years now). This was a freedom every doctor and therapist I knew had said was not possible.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36, NIV)
Key Truths I’d Missed
Here are some of the key truths that had always been true for me as a believer in Christ. However, they did not come alive for me until I let go of my faulty belief system that was keeping me enslaved to an embarrassing “coping mechanism.”
- I thought God was disgusted with me and impatiently waiting for me to shape up and fly right, BUT God had already demonstrated His unconditional love for me. He was not condemning me (Romans 5:8; 8:1).
. - I thought I was supposed to try harder and exercise more will power, BUT God wanted me to rely on His power and indwelling Spirit (Zechariah 4:6; Galatians 5:16).
. - I thought there was no other way for me to cope with my alarming emotions, BUT God wanted me to go to Him with my every concern, no matter how intense my feelings were, even if I felt angry with Him (Psalm 62:8; Hebrews 4:15-16; 1 Peter 5:7; see examples in Psalm 51, 55, and 73).
. - I thought God was not going to help me until I helped myself, BUT God wanted me to give Him the load and acknowledge my need to live in reliance upon His grace, love, and power (Matthew 11:28-29; John 15:5; Galatians 2:20; Titus 2:11-12).
. - I thought I had no control over my behavior; it felt as though I just had to binge-eat, BUT God had given me freedom from the power of sin. He’d given me the ability to choose to rely on Him (Romans 6:17-18; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 2:13).
As this new year begins, if you’re looking for a fresh start, ask the Lord to reveal to you what you actually believe and whether that’s really the truth, His truth, that sets you free!
You Can Experience Freedom in the New Year #Giveaway, #Freedom, #faith Share on XMeet Paula
Paula Neall Coleman is the author of Experience the Freedom You Already Have in Christ. For 16 years, Paula served as the executive assistant to the founder and president of a biblical counseling ministry in Oklahoma City. She now lives in Kansas City and leads Bible-based small groups while writing, speaking, and teaching about how, for the Christian, understanding the truths about God and “being yourself” as a “new creation in Christ” is the answer to many of the painful struggles Christians face.
Giveaway
Can you identify with Paula’s misunderstanding of the Christian life? Comment for a chance to win a copy of her new book Experience the Freedom You Already Have in Christ.
Thank you, Paula! And thank you readers.
Blessings,
Sometimes I link with these great sites:
#MondayLinkUp #InstaEncouragements, #TellHisStory, #Let’sHaveCoffee, #Grace&Truth
Thank you for this. I am the caregiver for my 90 year old mother who is declining with dementia. I am an only child and so everything is on me. It can be so hard and overwhelming at times. But, I know God is good and faithful to
Dana, I can only imagine. May the Lord’s presence be especially near to you. For fun, you might enjoy Terri Blackstock’s book Catching Christmas about an elderly woman and her granddaughter and cab driver. Other caregivers have told me my book Give Yourself a Break helped them. Blessings to you.
Paula, your story brought back many painfu memories for me, but like you, I found freedom in my deepening relationship with God. My recognition of His love for me and His faithfulness in guiding me through the process of submission, saved me (in more ways than one). Thank you for this message–I know your book will bring help and hope to so many. Thank you, Debbie, for providing a platform to share Paula’s message. May God bless you both in His service.
Katherine, Paula’s story resonated with me too. Thanks so much for adding yours. We can rejoice that God reached down and rescued us!
Katherine, thank you for commenting in such an inspiring manner. God’s grace is obviously at work in your life!
What a beautiful and powerful truth and so perfect as we all begin a new year. We all have behaviors we would like to change no matter how long we’ve walked with the Lord and this sounds like the missing piece to this puzzle! Definitely going on my reading list.
Thank you, Ann, for your comment. May the Lord grant you insight into your specific concerns.
I ordered my copy and am waiting for it to arrive! 🙂
This is so right on time for me I’m in a situation that I’ve been in for over a year and I feel like I’m on a Merry-Go-Round cuz it keeps on coming back on me and God has been telling me in the last month to draw closer to him and I’m learning to trust him and let him be in control and not me because when I am I get upset and disgusted with myself and I’m just starting to deal with being abused as a child and I know this has a lot to do with it so I know that what I can feel is truly not God but me because the article attracted me so much let me think of the way in the holy Spirit
Sharon, I know from my own experience how difficult it can be to recover from abuse, which is why a chapter in my new book is titled “Freeing Truth about Bad Things People Have Done to You.” May the Spirit of Christ give you refreshing perspective on God’s love for you and your identity in Christ!
I’ve struggled with binge eating for years, although I don’t as much as I used to. My word for 2025 is surrender. Only by surrending can I allow God to work fully in my life. He will give me the strength to overcome.
Amen, Betty! Living the John 15:5 life has been the way to go for me!
This came to me right in time as the Lord spoke to me just this morning saying, “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” I have experienced freedoms due to walking with the Lord for 21 years; but I know He has more in store. I definitely will put this on my reading list.
Thanks for your comment, Cindy. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 is one of my “pocket verses” passages; i.e., it’s a passage I keep in my back pocket for quick reference. I’m so glad for you that you are experiencing freedom in Jesus!
Cindy, it is exciting that the Lord continues to give us deeper understanding and freedom as we walk with Him.
Yes, although I can pride myself with not having some of the issues mentioned, I do struggle with certain behaviors that are not godly. I pray and pray, but sometimes still lose my temper, get easily offended, and struggle with impatience. I know my expectations are too high at times. But I also know that God is getting to the bottom of it. The truth still is -Jesus will set us free, and we go from glory to glory. We must trust the process.
Thanks for your comment, Gina. What I found was that the process you mention consisted of letting go of some long-held beliefs about myself and agreeing with God about what he says is true, even though it didn’t feel true. It’s that “renewing the mind” process from Romans 12:2. My problem was that I had such deeply entrenched beliefs, I didn’t even realize I had them and that they were driving my behaviors. Thank God, he was willing to show me where my beliefs did not line up with his truth!
Gina, thank you for sharing. I agree with Paula. Even in a recent inner struggle God showed me I was taking responsibility for something I wasn’t responsible for. When I recognized the lie I was believing, my frustration left. Knowing the truth really sets us free.
With each turn of the calendar year, we do reflect and desire for some changes. Those changes can only be made as we allow the Lord to do what only He can do – bring freedom. Thank you for sharing this resource and opportunity.
Amen, Joanne!
Yes, we do want to keep growing more like Jesus each year. Thanks, Joanne.
My word for the year is create because I want to create a life that honors Christ even in the face of difficult circumstances. Thanks for sharing Debbie.
Yvonne, what a wonderful outlook. Thanks for sharing!
I would love the opportunity to read this book ❤️
Thanks for commenting, Wendy!