A Path to Freedom

We live in a fallen world.

Throughout our lives, we face hardships, we go through trials and tribulations, and we all get dealt our share of burdens; for many of us, it becomes normal. Day in and day out, we ride the rollercoaster of emotions: when someone cuts us off in traffic, when the deal falls through at work, when we get into an argument with a coworker or family member, when we choose to walk away from relationships, friendships and jobs. Every time life seems to be running smoothly, you can be assured it’s only a matter of time before you’re triggered in one way or another. This is the nature of our reality, this is part and parcel of being human.

What if I were to tell you that there’s a way to deal with this undulating rollercoaster and perhaps even mitigate some of its effects?

The answer lies in the power of prayer.

Yes, you read that right: prayer. Now, if you’re anything like how I was, you might be thinking, how can prayer make a real difference in my life? Sure, I might pray in times of trouble or when I really want something, but how can it help with my day-to-day issues? My depression or anxiety or short-temperedness? My inability to forgive others or the shame I feel about past mistakes. What can prayer do about that?

I believe the problem most people have with prayer is that they are thinking about it in the wrong way. Many people see it as a one-sided conversation with an invisible God somewhere outside of themselves. We turn to God as an escape clause: if all else fails, I’ll try asking for divine intervention. But what if it’s actually a lot more than that?

When I first started really seeking God, I had just gotten out of a toxic relationship, I was practicing new age and occult spirituality, and I was completely lost. Nothing in my life at the time was bringing me peace, joy, or clarity. I felt stuck, like I was in a pitch black maze with my hands tied behind my back; I couldn’t figure out which way to turn, much less how to get out of there. In my lowest moment, I turned to God. I remember that moment like it was yesterday, I was kneeling on the floor of my studio apartment in Santa Monica. I was at the end of my rope. I was depressed, underweight, confused, and desperate. In my hour of need, God met me. He showed me the way out and guided me to where I needed to go.

Over the next two weeks, I had thrown out every crystal, every tarot deck, every occult book and started listening to sermons and worship music. Every spare moment I had was spent in God’s word and in learning all that I could about this new path. I had been convicted that night. The scales had fallen from my eyes and I realized that my entire lifestyle was sinning against the Creator. I decided to take a leap of faith and trust that He would honor my sacrifice. After throwing out three trash bags worth of new age paraphernalia and committing hours of my week to sermons and bible study, I decided it was time to find a church.

It was that decision that led me to a small, family run Pentecostal church not far from where I lived, and it’s also where I met my now dear friend and trusted advisor, Elaine Milentes. Elaine approached me one day at church and introduced me to the Daily Way of the Nazarene. She has been an integral part of my walk with the Lord and my journey to absolute freedom and for that, I am forever grateful.

Although it was quite an accelerated process, I must preface with the fact that you truly get out when you put in. I was all in for God. I had made the decision to completely uproot my entire life and do whatever necessary to become transformed. For years I had struggled with chronic depression, anxiety, low self esteem, shame, and anger towards myself. I would often self medicate with cannabis, alcohol, and socializing to escape these issues that plagued me. These issues are what led me to look for answers in the new age and occult domains. I was searching for power. I knew that I needed complete transformation and that if there was a way to be healed of these issues, I would be unstoppable.

Surrender to God was the first part of the equation. The consequential steps were a strong desire to be completely cleaned out and refined, and a willingness to walk-the-walk. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

The first thing you receive when starting the Daily Way is the Prayer for Deliverance. The foundation of this prayer is first, recognizing that there are things that you’ve picked up along the way, habits that you’ve developed, and ways of being and thinking that are not in alignment with God’s pure will. In order to be healed of these things we must ask for God to intervene, free us from the bondage of these issues and replace them with the fruits of His Spirit. For example, if you tend to be very impatient and get ticked off in situations that slow you down or disrupt you, you can ask for this to be completely removed and replaced with perfect Christ patience. The goal is to be freed from any emotion or spirit that is influencing you to act outside of God’s will for you. We can’t walk in full obedience and freedom if we are harboring things that keep us stuck in old patterns and ways of being.

God wants to clean us out, to set us free, and to give us the opportunity to live a life filled with peace, joy, patience, gratitude, and holiness. He desires communion and relationship with us. In asking for these things to be wiped clear from us, we begin the process of restoration and refinement; He starts to mold us more and more into His image, until we are completely a new creation.

We must partner with God to become “cleaned out.” We can’t expect for Him to do all the heavy lifting without doing our part as well. We must truly desire sanctification. We must walk by faith and not by sight. We must be willing to go through the refiner’s fire and allow anything that is not of God to be burned off. And we must be willing and ready to walk in obedience and discipline.

He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. There are times where we fall short, areas that may be more difficult to surrender than others, and times where we feel as though we’ll never reach the other side. However, I am here to tell you that it is possible. No matter what you’ve been through, no matter how flawed or far gone you think you are — we serve an incredibly powerful and loving God. He loves you more than you can even fathom and He desires to see you living the life that He intended for you to live. He has placed gifts and talents within you and desires nothing more than to see you reach your full potential. He understands that it can be hard to let go of who you are and step into who you are becoming and – if you continue to press on and take one step at a time – He will lead you into a life that you didn’t know was possible.

He will grant you true freedom.