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Believe! - Setting the Captive Free

“Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for—believe that you have received them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:24

We miss out on a lot of things because we just don’t “believe.” I started thinking about this idea after I heard a speaker this week (twice in fact). Tina Thompson wrote a book about overcoming and becoming “Released” from anxiety and depression and came and spoke at the seminary wives class and the staff wives fellowship at Bellevue. As I listened to her talk about being free from these things (totally free) the thought occurred to me. That is the reason it (whatever “it” is in your life) keeps coming back, why we just can’t seem to shake it. We don’t really believe we can be “completely free. The “it” in our life has totally taken hold of us that it doesn’t even seem possible to be totally free from it. When I think about being free from anxiety, I think more along the lines of “well it will go away for a while but will eventually come back. I am human after all.” But this is a lie from the devil!! God wants us and invites us to be free.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed” Luke 4:18.

So I can only get to the place where I am looking. I need to look further….to freedom (total) not just temporary, not just to get through this moment or through this day. It is possible!

“When they reached the crowd, a man approached and knelt down before Him. "Lord," he said, "have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers severely. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they couldn't heal him."

Jesus replied, "You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and from that moment the boy was healed.

Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"

"Because of your little faith," He told them. "For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:14-20


Ask expectantly! God may be waiting for your total trust and faith to give it to you!


Start with the small things. Start trusting/believing that God can handle the smalls things in your life. For instance, (this may sound silly but it was kind of a big thing for me) this week while I was walking one morning I decided to step out and trust God. (Again this will sound silly to some I’m sure….just another warning.) When I walk I take my ipod and have it set to shuffle all songs….but I don’t just let it play. I am constantly going through the whole list of songs, hitting next until I find something. I guess I get really bored with the music sometimes and with walking around in circles. So one this one particular morning I decide d to pray that God would give me the songs I needed for that day. I would just let the ipod play and trust that God would give me what I needed. I was tempted so many times to take control back and change the song, but reminded myself to let God be in control and just listen to what he was saying. Amazingly, the songs I heard were such an amazing message that just lifted me up and taught me more and more about God. God is even working in the small things…like the songs on our ipod. :)


If you want freedom from that stronghold in your life, ask God and believe. He can set you free! We have to believe it though!

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