We are Free!

I've been studying forgiveness this week.  It's a hard topic really...forgiving.  We are called to forgive others and to forgive ourselves.  If we hang onto things we are chained and bound to them and they eventually drag us down. But, what do we do with the emotions...
When you and I are saddened by life's trials, it's acceptab;le to be sad, upset, and even angry, but it's not acceptable to allow these emotions to overtake and control us.  This is precisly what the devil wants. He want's us to stay stuck, dwell or better yet, bury ourselves in them...it makes us ineffective for the Lord. We don't have to be consumed with bitterness, fear, sadness, or depression.  No matter how devastating our circumstances are, we have the spiritual right as a child of God to be FREE from the emotional scars that accompany life's pain.  We may never be free from the memory of what caused our pain, but we can be free from the emotional trauma that resulted from it. The Bible declares us as overcomers by the blood of the Lamb (Revelations 12:11).  Because of our encounter with the Lord, we do not have to be overcome or overwhemled by the circumstances of life.  We can choose a different emotional path.  We have the choice to be either enslaved to the emotions that accompany life's pain or to be free.  I choose freedom!
When life gets painful, don't hang your head in despair.  Look up! Keep your eyes open for the next move of God and watch as the shakels that bound you drop free!  Romans 8:37 says..."we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
"If you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul" Deut 4:29.  Let's not waste our time and energy looking everywhere else.  Just look up before you take your next step!