Andrea O. Freeman

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:23-25 NIV) When we choose Christ, accept Him as our Savior, we are newly born. We are washed clean, made new, forgiven and free. We have been touched with new vision. What a beautiful and amazing thing our Father God has done for us! So, we instantly know what God has for us to do, right? We automatically get what our purpose is on this earth. Like we have been downloaded directly from the Father in heaven. Like a robot. Like some sort of software update on our cellular devices. No, I’m sorry to have to tell you this but that is not how it works. We are entirely human and have been adopted into the ...

It is a truly extraordinary thing we do each day to choose to sacrifice all that we are to be like Christ. Presentable. Honorable. Acceptable. It is not a natural habit. It is a supernatural one, inspired by the Holy Spirit living in us because of our decision to follow after Christ. This is not intended to bring guilt upon anyone. If we are seeking Him daily by reading, knowing, committing to memory His Word, praying, meditating upon His faithfulness and His unwavering promises, then we are able to shift into the holy mindset He desires for us. I am thankful every single day to know God loves me and has mercy new for me, but if I am honest I have a lot weighing me down as I walk through this life journey. It is difficult to come to terms with my inadequacies, my failures-but He knows my heart and loves me anyway. Upon my confession, the release of all that stuff that weighs me down, I am humbled and grateful to know my God is there and loves me anyway. ‘And so, dear brot...

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7 NLT) Release – set free; let go/out; liberate; allow something to move, act, or flow freely. In my daily time with Father God, I have several different positions I settle into to find my focus for the day. I got into yoga years ago, and so naturally I find myself lingering in restful, restorative poses during my quiet time that help me settle into a daily habit of release. I have decided this is my “theme” for 2018: Release. It makes sense for me, because of what I’ve experienced the past year. 2017 was challenging, stressful, an upheaval in several areas of my life. I can look back and appreciate the purpose of it now. In the midst of the struggles, I recognize there were moments I simply sought release. ...

“He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”-Hebrews 11:6 If I seek earnestly after anything less than Christ first, I’m a fool. I am wasting my best on things that are quite simply ashes, dust, rust, waste. I am in the midst of a season of my life this year, that has proven to be a greater sifting of my soul than any I've experienced so far. It most certainly won't be the last or the worst, life is unpredictable and absolutely unbearable much of the time. Ryan and I have experienced a depth of disappointment, sorrow, frustration and sometimes outright anger over some of the situations that have transpired around us. It’s an incredibly stressful and helpless feeling to come to the realization that only God can take care of a situation. I don’t let go very well, because I want to help, I want to fix it. I found myself just weeks ago on the floor of my closet, in need of a meltdown in the presence of the Father only. Sometimes, we need to be broken on a far deeper, uglier...

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:13 NIV I’m not a fan of going to the dentist, but it’s necessary. I went in for my routine semi-annual cleaning this week and forgot again to take some pain reliever in preparation for the poking, scraping and having to hold my mouth wide open for an extended period of time while my hygienist and then my dentist both do what is needed to ensure I have had a thorough checkup. I had a lot of work done in my mouth over the years-fillings, crowns, root canals. So it was no surprise to me to hear my dentist inspect and update me on the current condition of 2 of my back molars that we have been “watching” for the past 2 cleanings, are not in good shape and will require that I get a crown and a new filling. As you can imagine, I was less than enthusiastic to hear this. But honestly, I was not surprised. We are human. We are not built to last. Our muscles, our bones, our minds, our bodily functions, are...

“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exodus 9:16) Early morning riser-I am not. If you know me well, then you are very much aware that mornings are not my favorite. First place my feet land when I get up is in my fuzzy slippers, and I head directly for the coffee. I remember growing up, I loved sleeping in and as a teenager I know it drove my Dad nuts to walk by my room and it could have been 10:30-11:00am and I was still in bed. He is an early bird, up early every single day without fail because in his opinion the day is half over if you are still in bed after 9:00am-ha! I haven’t slept that late in years, not since late in college and into my marriage. But there is a correlation in my life between this preference to sleep in and cover my head with the covers, and my approach to the world around me. “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; ...

Courage: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. “I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV 'It’s too hard, God….' 'How am I going to do this, God? This is impossible!' 'What do I do now? There’s no way out of this now…..It’s hopeless….' Trapped. Doomed. Game over. Something happens, then just as you are about to get up and regain your stand, you get knocked down again and kicked in the teeth. Life is throwing all the punches, and there’s no letting up. You can’t imagine it getting any worse, and then it does. What else could possibly go wrong? And how on earth is it going to get better? What’s your natural reaction when something bad happens? What do you do to cope? What is your method for working it out and finding a way to recover? How do you ultima...