Welcome to “From Fear to Freedom!”
This right here is honestly the main reason why I created the blog. You see, fear and I have had a very long, and extremely toxic relationship. Now I’m not referring to something like a fear of spiders, or fear of heights (though those are legitimate, and very real fears of mine!), but more so relational, and emotional fears. You know, the ones that make you toss and turn at night, the ones that keep you from applying to that new job, or starting that business, or even sharing vulnerably with someone for fear of judgement?
These are the type of fears that attack the very essence of your identity. And honestly, they had completely dominated my life. It felt like an invisible, but ever present and ever growing force, and it had crawled its way inside my heart and mind and took over every. single. aspect. of my life.
Fear had affected how I thought about myself, the way I related to others, and sadly, the way I both viewed and related to God. Fear was negatively affecting my self-esteem, my mental health, my job(s), my relationships, my finances, my education, and so many other things. This debilitating fear, in combination with avoidance (my unhealthy coping mechanism), things were beginning to come crashing down around me.
It was when things in my life were starting to fall apart (low-self worth, tight financial situations, internal struggle in my interpersonal relationships, etc) that I finally reached the point where I decided I just couldn’t do it anymore; that enough was enough and that I wanted to be free from this fear that had me so deeply bound.
I longed God to truly free me. To get me out of this rut that I just felt trapped in. I knew that I would never be able to move forward, or be all that He has created me to be if fear was still controlling my life. So one Sunday after church I told Him everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Through buckets of tears streaming down my face, I acknowledged all of my fears, and admitted all of the ways I’ve let it almost steal my hopes, and dreams, my voice, my relationships, my self-worth, and my health. And I asked Jesus to remove it from me. But I also began to renounce the lies that I’ve believed about myself for years, and began to speak God’s truth about who I am over life.
And guys, can I tell you the truth?
I don’t know how best to explain it, but as I was praying, renouncing the lies, and speaking God’s truth over me, it felt like chains were literally falling off of me. The crushing weight of fear that had dragged me down for so long was gone. Just like that. I felt a sense of freedom that I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before. Jesus literally set me free on that day! I felt like my mindset was renewed and I could finally believe the truth of who I am:
That I am gifted, unique, and strong.
That my thoughts and opinions matter, and deserve to be heard just like everyone else’s.
That my life has a purpose.
That I am confident, that I am wanted, and that I am loved.
That I am free.
I wanted to share all of this with you because I’ve had people in my life tell me that they struggle with the very same fears. And I want to be very honest here. Yes, I felt and fully believe that Jesus did set me free from my debilitating fear. Now the challenge is for me to actually LIVE like I am free! This is why the sub-title of this blog is called, “a journey of moving out of fear and into abounding freedom,” because that’s what it is, a journey. I definitely don’t have it all together now. I am free AND still a work in progress. I wont always get it right, and I know I’ll have my ups and downs, but I know as I continue to spend more time with God, and remind myself daily of who I am, that walking in total freedom will one day become second nature.
So this page is where I will share more personally about my journey from fear to freedom. My hope is that what I share will be an encouragement for you in your own journey towards freedom from fear, or whatever it may be that you are facing. I am excited for you all to journey along with me as I continue on my journey towards abounding freedom.
Blessings,
-Alexis
