From Captivity to Freedom
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
Abby (not her real name) is a young woman who has had a hard life. Her journey though witchcraft and occultic practices is displayed on her body through tattoos and body piercings she has chosen to represent her life experiences.
At a particularly difficult time in her life someone gave her a Bible but she didn't read it. The Bible sat idle on a shelf in her home for more than two years. One day she decided to take a look inside the Bible and she started reading the Gospels. What she read began to impact her profoundly.
As Abby shared her story, she told how reading the Bible began to change her. The first sign was her loss of interest in tarot cards and then other occultic activities. She describes looking at the tarot cards and having no desire to use them. This surprised her but she just kept reading her Bible because the words she was reading were very comforting to her.
One day she decided to take a walk in the forest along a mountain stream. As she walked in nature something very unusual happened. She described it as a feeling that everything holding her captive fell off. It was like a coat falling off her shoulders and landing on the ground. This was followed by a sense of the presence of Jesus and peace like she had never known before. She returned from her walk with a strong desire to a Jesus follower.
For the first time in her life she is experiencing freedom and as she walks step by step in step with the Spirit of Jesus she has a compelling urge to tell others about Jesus.
The simple act of handing a Bible to Abby opened the door for the Holy Spirit to do an amazing work in her. An older woman in the community is now discipling Abby.
As disciple-makers we may just start the process with a simple act like handing a Bible or Gospel booklet to a person who initially shows no interest. At other times we get to walk the journey with a new believer as a disciple-maker. In Abby's amazing story of transformation, we see the impact of disciple-makers in cooperation with the Holy Spirit guiding a person who is far from God into dynamic and growing relationship with Jesus.
