My talks
My passion for all followers of Jesus is that they enjoy abundant lives, as promised by Him in John 10 v 10. So many don’t. Too many are crippled by insecurities, anxiety, doubts, guilt and fear.
From my own journey as a missionary in Pakistan, from many years of mentoring young women, and from praying on a one to one basis for people’s deeper issues, I seek to answer the questions, why is it that these things hold us back, and how can we find true and lasting freedom?
If we are to live full and satisfied lives, it is my belief that there are three main areas of identity that need addressing. If these are not understood within a Biblical framework of belief, then in my experience, we will often live diminished and small lives.
The three areas of IDENTITY that I love to address are detailed below. Each talk lasts about 40 minutes. I can adapt these to suit your timing and the needs of the group, and can condense or expand the teaching according to your needs.
Typically, for example, a women’s breakfast talk would cover all aspects but briefly, and within the time framework of approximately 45 minutes.
WHO IS GOD? (what is He like? what do we really think of Him? Can He be trusted?)
WHO IS OUR ENEMY? (How does he attack us? How powerful is he? Can we really live from victory all the time?)
WHO AM I? (What defines me? Who do I say I am? Does it matter?)
My message
I have been walking with Jesus since I was 21 years old - I turned 65 last September, but it has only been in the last 10 years or so, that I can truly say that I know what He means when Jesus promises us freedom - a real, deep sense of freedom that flies in the face of adversity and difficult circumstances.
The verse I’m thinking about is this one, and it’s found in Galatians, chapter 5 v 1, ‘it was for freedom, that Christ has set us free’.
Have you ever read a verse and considered what it really means and whether it’s true, or not, for you, anyway? This verse, among others, sets us apart as Jesus followers - if the freedom that He offers enables me not to have to think, behave or feel in certain ways that potentially hold me back and keep me captive, then I’m all in!
Depression, feelings of low self esteem, unworthiness and hopelessness had dogged me on and off for many years - they had cut short my dream of being a medical missionary, they had me crippled and living a small and diminished life. You might not have seen this from the outside, had you known me in those days, but I knew what was going on deep down.
This journey of discovery began with the realisation that my life did not match the abundant life described by Jesus in the gospels, where joy and life and peace can flourish. I often asked myself, ‘Is this it? Is the life I’m living, the life that Jesus died to give me?’ I knew the answer was a resounding NO. The road I have pursued has taken me to all kinds of places, and I have walked it, sometimes hesitantly, other times with tenacity and with determination.
The story I have to tell is not mine alone, for, in our shared humanity, it is probably yours, too. If, at last, I have found a place of deep peace, free from fear, if Jesus has given me the keys to this freedom, and they are ancient indeed, then they are also yours for the taking.
The testimony of Jesus IS the spirit of prophecy (Rev 12 v 19), so in my story, there IS truth and revelation for you, too - take it and run with it! If He can do it for me, He can do it for you!
My manifesto: Living Free
John 10 v 10 ‘ I have come that they may have life, and life in abundance’ and Gal 5 v 1, ‘it was for freedom that Christ has set you free’.
GRATITUDE....when you are LIVING FREE in your spirit, your natural inclination will be to live with an ‘attitude of gratitude’! You will see opportunities for thankfulness in your every day life - this will be a spontaneous response to seeing the hand of God in all the good gifts around you - in a smile, in the way the sun shines through the trees, in the taste of coffee and in the bite of fresh pastry - in the kindness of a friend, in a strain of music. Misery and gratitude are incompatible!
TRUTH....when you are LIVING FREE in your spirit, you will be acutely aware of your thought process - you will know which thoughts are ok to allow to land in your conscious mind, and which you must reject. This choice is made because you will have learned to distinguish between truth and lies. You will avoid toxic, destructive thoughts and you will welcome and cultivate only thoughts that echo God’s words about you and for you. You will not be interested in any others.
IDENTITY...when you are LIVING FREE in your spirit, you know who you are. You know that no event, no hurtful word, no crisis or diagnosis can corrupt, alter, or affect your identity as God’s child. You are totally secure in your relationship with Him as your Heavenly Father. You daily live from this place of total assurance in God’s ability to provide for you, protect you, comfort you and sustain you, no matter what life throws at you. You will find in God, total satisfaction, complete belonging and deep significance
WARFARE...when you are LIVING FREE in your spirit, you know your enemy - you are familiar with his tactics, but as you are never off guard, you see them coming, and are always prepared and ready for battle. You know that God in you is greater than he who is in the world. You effectively use the armour that God has given you: your faith, the word of God, the truth, your right standing with God, your authority and your position. You will never give the devil a foothold because you treasure yourself too much. You know, too, that he has no power over you, unless you give it to him, and so you live from victory.
REST...when you are LIVING FREE in your spirit, you are able to rest in the high tower of God’s presence, should even the world around you and the circumstances of your life, fall apart. Your faith in your Heavenly Father’s ability to parent you well marks you as one who does not fear, who is not anxious, who does not stress. You will contend to always live in peace at all cost, and you will work hard at forgiving others, never taking offence, and not having to always be in control. HE is your rest.