Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Before I was set free (my area of captivity was regarding sex outside of marriage) when I was 24, I continuously would fall to temptation. These temptations weren’t training opportunities because I was ensnared. After I was set free, there was a period of over 2 years where God hid me in Him, completely hidden from temptations, so that I could be strengthened and continue to heal beneath the shelter of His wings. Every day I grew stronger and stronger. Then came the testing of my freedom - opportunities to learn and train. I had the choice to believe God and trust in His ways, stand in who He is (His goodness and faithfulness) and remain in the costly freedom that I had received.

After learning to resist sexual temptation came testing in other areas and He taught me how to stand on truth in times of hearing convincing lies.

I want to continue to grow in my journey as a disciple, so I take each lesson seriously, consider what God is looking to change in me, welcome it when it comes and apply it to yet deeper levels. The most glorious thing is that He is leading the whole thing. This is not a self-improvement track where I’m striving to perfect various areas of myself on my own self-determined schedule. It is a beautiful journey, where relationships and obstacles of life are used in this process of being made more and more into His image, perfectly timed, and I can rest and trust in the whole process because I know the One who is leading me is perfectly wise, perfectly good, perfectly loving.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Psalm 23:4-5

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