Facets of Faith

Conversations about life, faith, and friendship.

Who do You say I am?

by //

Welcome to Facets of Faith! We pray you meet God across the pages of this blog, and His message reaches each person as He intends. We pray you experience God, that His message is always what is heard in love and truth that delivers freedom, beauty and boldness, in each of us – whether reader, writer, or both.  Check back each week to see what else God has to share with us on this topic.  He has many vantage points. It’s important we see each as He reveals His heart to us.

Who do You say I am? I suppose there could be several responses to that question. However, one message rises to the surface like a diver who comes up out of the deep, dark water to breathe salty fresh air. Breathe deep into lungs screaming for oxygen before you fill them with the freshness of freedom.  Breath. Air. Life. Vital and above the surface. That’s where freedom lies too. Above the surface and in the truth.

Who Do You Say I Am? (T. Stella)

God says I am freedom. I am freedom for me, and I am freedom for others. Let me explain.

So many of us walk around subconsciously holding our breath, conforming even when we might wish to go our own way. Trying to fit in, wondering if we ever will. Oh, we might not share those thoughts with the world at large, but inner insecurities whisper and taunt.

“Not good enough.”

“They don’t really like you.”

“You don’t fit in.”

“You’re not one of ‘them’ and you never will be.”

“There’s no hope for you. Your future is futile.”

Or whatever other flavor of lie the enemy is serving up that day.  “Not good enough” was probably one of his favorites for me.

Those were the words the enemy used to taunt me, day in and day out.  He knew my vulnerabilities, and he wasn’t above using them against me.  But God has been doing a good work in my life for quite some time now. He doesn’t just bring me freedom. He says freedom DEFINES me. Freedom is who I am. That truth is a game changer my friends!

Recently, my husband Sam had to endure an hour long + car ride with me to Wheaton. We were in route to an intimate gathering among people I mostly didn’t know. These were probably smart theologian types. After all we were going to Wheaton.  Billy Graham attended Wheaton Bible College, don’t ya know?  The plan was to meet the author of a marriage book, listen to a talk, and the nemesis to a person like me who is better one on one than in a non-structured group setting … informal mixing. Ugh!

Give me a girlfriend one on one and I am good. More than good. That’s my sweet spot. But group settings without structure? Torture!  Pure torture!

Or at least those settings used to be. God’s bringing me into the light of His truth:  Freedom.  Unfortunately, my husband had to endure my lesson our entire car ride to Wheaton.

Tap. Tap. Tap on Sam’s arm.

Me – motioning from head to toe and in my most sassy voice – “This is what freedom looks like.”

Tap. Tap. Tap on Sam’s arm.

Me – motioning from head to toe and in my most sassy voice – “This is what freedom looks like.”

Tap. Tap. Tap on Sam’s arm.

Me – motioning from head to toe and in my most sassy voice – “This is what freedom looks like.”

Over and over (I’m not even sure how many times Sam had to listen to that sassy soundtrack).  He signed up for it when he chose me as his wife. He is stuck with me for life!  That there is some freedom to put on your sassy hat, my friends.  Poor guy.  Lucky me,

Why was that a message of freedom?

Well, I think partly I needed to remind myself to just be me. God made me. And He made me good (not perfect, but good).

One of the most telling truths that I am freedom came from what I didn’t do, rather than what I did.

I didn’t feel like getting dressed up. I didn’t feel like trying to dress a certain way to fit in with the rest of the group.  How we dress can be used as armor. I’ve done that before.  I love fashion, so it’s not always about armor —but sometimes how I dressed was absolutely about armor.  I “grew up” in corporate America in the late 80’s and 90’s and beyond. Those early days were all about the power suit.  That mentality can be tough to set aside.

But now that I am freedom, I wore my black jeans and grabbed my zip up sweatshirt (not even a cute cardigan, ladies)!

It wasn’t that I didn’t care about the presenter. It wasn’t that I was trying to be, well, anything other than myself in that moment.  I promise, there will be plenty of moments when I want to get all girly with skirts, jewelry, and sparkly things.  Sunday night just wasn’t one of them.

The freedom came because I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. There was no need to do that. None!

There will be people who “get me”. There will be people who won’t. That’s okay.

There will be people who “get you”. There will be people who won’t. That’s okay. You be you anyhow! You be freedom.

For freedom Christ freed us. Stand fast therefore and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”─Galatians 5:1 MEV

Freedom doesn’t mean reckless abandon, do what I want, narcissistic behavior. The world has enough of that. The world is entangled in that.  Sinful choices are bondage. They hurt us. They hurt others. That’s captivity – not freedom.

I have a plethora of examples even from my own life. Sin on whichever side of it you are sitting -the person doling out sinful behavior or on the receiving end of someone else’s sinful choices – is bondage. It hurts. We were never designed for sin.  (See Genesis 1-3)

Christ died to free us. He died so I could be freedom. He died so you could be freedom.

What if we were that diver, delving in the ocean of life only to get snarled in seaweed and unable to escape? That entanglement would keep us where we are at and may eventually pull us under.  That’s what sin does.

We do have free will. We get to choose. Just know when we choose sin, we aren’t choosing freedom for us or anyone around us.

Freedom wants us to break out our spiritual sword and cut through those entanglements of sin’s lies.  There are all sorts of lies sin tells us.

When we say we’re not good, we’re saying God’s works aren’t good – that He’s somehow insufficient and unqualified to create beauty in each of us.  That’s sin.

I bet you thought I might talk about addiction, adultery, stealing, lying. Yes, those are sin too. Those choices don’t lead to freedom either.

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead. use your freedom to serve one another in love.─Galatians 5:13 NLT

We shouldn’t use our freedom to satisfy our sinful nature. When we do, we hurt ourselves. When we do, we hurt others.

Freedom in God’s eyes is to serve one another in love. We need to love ourselves well in order to do that. We need to know who we are as God’s children. We are freedom. He died so we could be freedom. He longs for us to be free. He longs for those in our lives to be free.

When I think of all the unnecessary pain I caused myself and others from my sinful choices, I could lament and pull myself into the inky ocean of regret. But that doesn’t serve a good purpose and it doesn’t embody the freedom Christ died to give me, to define me as.  We all have things we wish would have went differently in life.

Freedom takes those choices and learns from them.

Sam & I sat at the Wheaton gathering listening to the speaker share his thoughts on “Emotional Pain Words”.  The author shared how God uses our marriage union (in part) to help each other heal.  I agree.  But what I noticed as I glanced through the list of emotional pain words is what God has done in my life.  Instead of seeing emotional pain words I was experiencing, I saw what God delivered me from and who God has made me to be.  Freedom.

As I scanned the extensive list of pain words, I wanted to write “BC” next to many of them.  Before Christ these were experiences or false beliefs I’d possessed.

I saw my old self in many of the words. I used to believe these lies as truth about me. Things like, suicidal, not cherished, despair, controlled, dishonored, shamed, unwanted, and terrified. Truth be told, I used to be able to relate to almost all of the emotional pain words on the list.

But as I glanced through the words that used to define me. I allowed Gods new word to define me.  Freedom!

I’m no longer any of those false beliefs.  I’m me. Redeemed and made new, imperfect yet pure and righteous in God’s eyes. That doesn’t mean God and I still don’t need to work on some things, but believe me when I tell you, “Wow! He delivered me from much!”

I’m one if His daughters who knows who He is because He knew me first and He went out of His way to court me.  It’s in His love that we experience His healing which leads to full freedom.

God teaches us how to live lives defined by freedom.  Day in, day out, when we listen to Him, when we immerse ourselves in the truth of His Word, He points us to freedom.

I heard a message on Sunday I’d like to briefly share.

Before entering the Promised Land, twelve men were sent ahead to survey the land. Ten came back and only saw the insurmountable obstacle of an enemy they felt they couldn’t defeat. These ten saw themselves as grasshoppers. Small. Easy to defeat.  Only Joshua and Caleb saw themselves as God had made them, able to conquer and overcome obstacles, able to defeat the enemy and enter into the Promised Land.  The ten didn’t. The two did.

Which do we want to be?

Friend, I encourage you to choose freedom’s choice. Be the two who see all the beauty and potential God has placed within you.  He is SO GOOD! And He creates REALLY GOOD things. You. Me.

God was leading the Israelites out of captivity and into the Promised Land. His mission is the same today. He’s leading us out of captivity and into the vast Promised Land of freedom.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.─2 Corinthians 3:17 HCSB

I pray you experience God’s presence and the infilling of His spirit in your heart. I pray we each let His Spirit guide us to the Promised Land called Freedom. I pray our identity embodies freedom.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  God says I am freedom.  If you know Him, you are freedom too!

And if you don’t know Him, it’s simple. Day by day give God full access to your heart. He will help you. He will hold you. He will comfort you. He will teach you. You don’t have to do life by yourself. He is your Father. He is your Friend.  If you give him permission to lead and guide your life, you’ll look back one day amazed at the beauty He has brought into your life.  He brings us to a spacious place. A place where we can breathe life’s vitality. A place where we grow more and more free as we surrender to Him. It sounds impossible, but it’s absolutely true. The more we surrender, the more beautiful freedom He brings in our lives. He shows me things about me I never even knew. He brings new joys. He brings new hopes and vision.  I pray you know and experience that too. It’s wonderful, sweet friend!

If you are ready for that measure of freedom and love, you can pray this prayer.

Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross to cover ALL my sin, so I can be COMPLETELY free. Please bring full freedom to me through Your saving grace. Thank You that I don’t have to muster up the will to change myself, but that You will change my heart and mind to align with Your thoughts, Your ways. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your peace. Please guide me each day through both: Your love and Your peace. I surrender my heart to You. I am choosing You out of my own free will so You can bring FULL freedom. In Jesus’ name, amen!

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you remain in My word, then you are truly My disciples. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s seed and have never been in bondage to anyone. Why do You say, ‘You shall be set free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin. Now a slave does not remain in the house forever, but a son remains forever. Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed”.─John 8:31-36 MEV

You shall be free indeed!

Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page. Signature Image: Tracy Stella

How Have I Found Family? We All Can Find Family.

by //

Welcome to FACETS of Faith.  We are wrapping up our series Have you found your family with our guest contributor, Anne Marie Sopiarz.  I (Tracy) met Anne Marie at a Christian Women Business Organization meeting. She was the guest speaker and blessed us with her communication gift during her talk on connection with others.  I knew I wanted to share her gift with others, like seed scattered so that others could receive the good gifts God has for us all through what He puts on her heart.  With that, enjoy Anne Marie’s contribution to this month’s topic on family. Have You Found Your Family? (Guest)Family. What a complicated word! Ask someone about “family” and you will likely get an emotional response. The response might be a huge smile representing love and thankfulness. The response might be eyes that glance downward revealing deep wounds and hurt at the mention of family.

Family is complicated in my life too! I have a brother who didn’t grow up with us, and my father has been married a few, well lots, of times.

I have friends all around the country whom I consider family, and I am blessed when I look at the beautiful family God has given my husband and me! This little nuclear family includes our adopted daughter who has shaped my understanding of family dramatically.

Most of all, when I think of family I think of the family of God. God is my good Father, and I am His child.

I have been blessed to study the book of Romans in-depth this year through BSF. We dig and dig each week into a handful of verses. We wrestle with each one and let God speak to us. What a gift!

As a result of my study of the book of Romans, I have been struck lately with the truth that we are adopted as God’s children. I am a child of God. If you are a believer, then you are a child of God too.

Adoption is quite the word.

My study of Romans left me considering adoption, but life experience made it come alive.

Last December I sat in the courtroom for another hearing on behalf of our foster daughter. But this one was not just another hearing. It was her “best case” hearing. Basically, our agency was laying out evidence to the judge that our daughter’s “best case” was to be adopted by us– her foster family who has loved and cared for her most of the years of her life. It was gut wrenching and sacred. I was not “allowed” to speak in court, but I sobbed silently in the last row as the judge declared my girl’s standing and placement to be “best” with my husband and me.

She has been ours all along, but with this declaration she becomes a full member of our family, and she inherits full rights as our daughter!

It’s the same for God with you  and me, adopted with full rights!

God, our Father, sees each of us as His child.

How does God feel when we let Him claim us as His daughter or son? Probably similar to how I felt in that courtroom!  

We are His all along. Once we realize that truth, we can finally be freely loved by God. We get the full benefits of being His child.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” Jesus in John 14:18

Behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into His family– calling Him Abba, Father. Romans 8:15

The Greek word for adoption here is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture. God, our good, good Father adopts us. We will experience this fully one day (Romans 8:23), but it makes a difference in our life here and now as well. We are His. You are His. You are claimed and adopted. I am claimed. I have been declared His child. What a gift!

I get emotional when I let this truth sink in and when I live out of that place. How about you?

When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Galatians 4:4-6  (emphasis added)

There were legal realities God had to deal with, which is why He sent His Son, Jesus, to cover our sins. His justice and law demanded punishment and exclusion from his presence because of our sins. God’s mercy brought our redeemer, Jesus. His sacrifice on the cross and our acceptance of Him as Savior gives us righteousness in Christ. God had to satisfy His justice and His law in order to adopt sinners into his family. This He did by the life, death, and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ.

God our Father cries in the courtroom too. It has been decided. We have been claimed. Let Him claim you. Let Him claim me.

I have Full Rights as His daughter! My prayer is that I sit in it and live from it. How about you? Family to a believer means being a child of God! I thank God for this truth today!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Do you desire to be part of the family of God? He wants nothing more than to adopt you as His son or daughter, dearly loved. He died so you can freely live, both here on earth and in heaven. He sets the lonely in families, where as Christians we call each other brother and sister. If you would like to be adopted into God’s family, say this prayer from your heart:

I believe You, Jesus, died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sin. I believe You love me enough to die for me, and You desire my adoption into Your family. I commit to following You as You lead and guide the way like any good parent would do. Show me what is best for my life and help me to live in light of that truth.  I know being a Christian comes with blessings but doesn’t eliminate every trial either. The difference, though, is I am never alone as a child of God. Thank You for never leaving me, nor forsaking me. Thank You for helping me navigate each day as You help me every step of the way. Help me to hear Your voice, to listen and to obey the good, loving, Fatherly guidance You have for me. In Jesus’ name, amen!

If you just said the above prayer, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!

Have something to say? Join the conversation here or on our Facebook page. 

What don’t you know that could hurt you?

by //

This month we’re looking at protection provided to us when we recognize the truth, rather than hide in darkness and denial. When we’re too afraid to face truth, the hidden things can (and do) hurt us. We’re honored here at Facets of Faith to have Donna Wright share a personal and vulnerable piece of her story. We pray God uses it powerfully in your life as you read it, or in the life of someone you know and love as you share it with him or her. Thank you, Donna, for your contribution to this month’s topic. More importantly, thank you for your courage to share. We know God will honor your bravery and bless you. We also know He will use your piece to minister to His kids’ hearts and minds. Without further ado, here’s Donna’s story.

Have you ever wondered how what you don’t know could hurt you?  I have. I was recently asked that very question to write this article for Facets of Faith. So I began to pray about it and ask God what was that something I don’t know that could hurt me? I thought during this time of so many people committing suicide, not knowing the truth was something that could hurt you.

What You Don't Know (yellow), GuestAll my life, almost 60 years, I have battled with this thought in my head that I am unworthy. I am no good. I do not belong here. No one cares whether I live or die. If I had chosen to believe this about myself, I would not be here today.  I would have taken my life when these thoughts started to attack my brain around the time I turned 13.

I met fear when I was just a small child. I do not know the exact date and time, just that I grew up with a daddy that drank too much alcohol. A daddy that came home late at night and yelled and screamed and beat my mommy.  My child’s heart disappeared before I was ten years old. I accepted a responsibility that was not mine to take on. I had to be the protector of my little brother and sister as we huddled together in our bed and listened to the drunken rages of a man who terrorized us night after night.

This fear has stayed a close friend most of my life. When I first heard the song Fear is a Liar by Zach Williams, I praised God because that song describes the truth about fear.

God says in His word “Do not be afraid” or “Fear not” 103 times in the King James Version. This means to me that this is a truth. This truth triumphs over whatever fear has to say to me. So as I pondered this thought more and thought about my life and how it was, I learned “The Truth” around age 21. I was battling fear of the future─what and who I would become. I feared no one loved me, no one cared, and I had no hope.  There was no point in going on. Yet “The Truth” would not let me go on in unbelief. The Lord sent a couple to my house who shared their story with me, how they had met the Lord Jesus Christ, how He loved them, and how He died on a cross just for them.  He provided a hope and a future I could believe in─if only I would ask Him to come into my life and forgive me.

That very night I prayed to a God I had heard about in Sunday school, a God who a pastor dedicated me to when I was an infant, a God who declares in His word He would “never leave me nor forsake me” Deuteronomy 31:6  I made a choice that night to listen to a new voice, not the one of fear anymore, but the word of God. Had I not chosen that night to follow Jesus and instead chosen to follow fear, I would have taken my life right then and there. End of the story!

However, I did not let fear win that night. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I praise God for His Son who died on a cross for each of us so that “The Truth” now lives in me. By giving access to Jesus, He gave the Holy Spirit to live in me. I am never alone.  I no longer fight the battle against fear alone. I have the Holy Spirit who tells me I am victorious. No matter what fear has to say, no matter what the circumstances, I now belong to Jesus Christ.

My story continues, I went on in life to get married, have three children and now have grandchildren.  The story of my life has not been easy or pleasant at times. God does not promise that we will not have trials and tribulations in life, but that we will for His sake.   In Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.” 

I am so grateful to our God that I learned the truth.  I pray for all our youth and for those who have not found this truth. The Lord brings workers into the field for the harvest is ripe. We need to share with everyone there is hope for a future, and life is worth living. Fear lurks trying to take as many people as it can, telling men, woman and children there is no hope. Fear tells them they are unworthy to be on this earth, there is a better way if they die. I am here to tell you that is a LIE. Fear is a liar! There is always hope. There is always acceptance. There is always love in God the Father of us all! John 14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.

Join the conversation over at Facets of Faith. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic!