Many years ago, at a women's Bible Study, I began my personal relationship with Jesus. It was my first in-depth study, one requiring 5 days of homework and reading scripture. Looking back I can see God's hand all over this experience. The study was by Beth Moore and it was called, "Breaking Free."
I will never forget this study and have shared it a number of times since, with other women who were in the same place I was at that point my life; broken, alone, lost and hopeless. I was poor in spirit, a prisoner chained to an empty life. The key verse for this entire study was Isaiah 61:1-2.
The words in Isaiah were fulfilled by Jesus and told in the text for today by Luke. As we spend this final week studying about repentance and prayer and the Holy Spirit, these words speak to me and remind me of the days when God used 9 women at my study table to encourage and teach me how to embrace Jesus Christ as Savior.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for
the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (Mark 4:18-19)
I will never be the same again and I thank God for that. Where are you right now? Do you need someone to come alongside you to help you through a rough patch, or do you need a mentor to show you the way to Jesus? I would love to speak with you. Send a confidential message to me here.
These past weeks as we studied the Book of Joel we learned repentance is forgiveness and restoration. We learned that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). It is about time we take this message seriously. It is time for a revival in our land.
Luke 4:14-21
No comments:
Post a Comment