The name of the Lord is a strong tower.
The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil]. Proverbs 18:10 AMP

 

Over the past three years, as the Lord has been healing and restoring my mind, will, and emotions, I have made an incredible discovery; I am finally safe. Due to years of sexual abuse, trauma, fears, restlessness, and religious pursuits, the Lord has become MY SAFE PLACE in my soul! He has always been my SAFE PLACE in my spirit, but now my soul gets to experience Him more deeply and intimately. I remember I woke up one morning with a feeling of safety, divine rest, and peace, those I had never experienced in my whole life. When I woke up, I said to my Lord, excitedly, “So this is what it feels like to know beyond a doubt that I am safe!”

 

 

Abiding in Jesus’s love and grace has set me:

 

FREE FROM FEAR

I used to have panic attacks. The voices in my head gave me pictures of all the terrible things that could occur in various circumstances. The enemy tormented my soul with worry, dread, accusations, and failures from my past. To quiet the voices in my head, I kept busy silencing them with church activities and religious disciplines (fasting, memorizing scriptures, and praying three times a day); they both had an addictive effect. However, neither could heal nor quiet the voices of my soul; only Jesus could. When I was willing to let go of “trying to fix me” and gave my struggles to Jesus, my precious Lord, I saw His handiwork heal and restore my soul in His way and time.

 

In peace [and with a tranquil heart] I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety and confident trust. Psalm 4:8

 

 FREE FROM JUDGMENT

I grew up in religion. When I gave my heart to the Lord, I joined a Bible study group still not understanding the truth about grace. The messages I heard usually pointed to how I did not measure up to God’s standards and how I had to fast and seek after God so He would accept me. We studied the Old Testament stories, which spoke of the heroes in the Bible who had great faith and the miracles God accomplished through them. Most Sundays, I went to church to be convicted of how much I needed to do to please God. Then there were the messages of sin, repentance, and the altar calls. No matter how hard I tried to please God in my strength, I still felt condemned. Some would say, “That’s the conviction of the Holy Spirit.” I lived with the feelings of ‘not being good enough, and when I sinned, God would punish me.’

 

After many years of striving, one day, I met GRACE! He was dressed in the clothes of humility yet standing in the might of love. He changed my life forever! I no longer hid from Him; I ran to Him with my sin, failures, religious beliefs, and lies. Jesus Christ took them all and exchanged them with TRUTH and FREEDOM! Those feelings and thoughts of my not being good enough or trying to measure up to others’ standards vanished. Jesus’s love, affirmation, and acceptance of me set me free from the feelings of dread, punishment, and condemnation.

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. ² For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1-2 AMP

 

 FREE FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH

 I grew up with a deep fear of death. My great-grandmother made me, and my sister go to the funeral home to see her dead friends in caskets; that gave me the creepies. And, what made it worse, across the street from my great-grandmother’s house was a cemetery, and when I used to spend the night at her house, I dreamed people were trying to get through the windows to hurt us. So, fear gripped me every waking moment of my life in one form or another. What changed death’s perspective for me was when I lived in Denver, Colorado, a mammogram procedure didn’t go well; I had to retest. While waiting to retest, for two days, the enemy tormented me about having cancer, and I would die. I was in the battle for my soul. It began on Friday, but the Lord spoke to me on Saturday, and what He said changed how I looked at death forever. Jesus said, “If you die, you will be home with Me forever!” I got so excited about seeing my Lord face to face, that I turned my focus to eternal life rather than death. The fear of death was defeated that day! I never feared for my life again. I am in my Papa’s and Lord’s hands, and they have determined my days and times. I can rest assured knowing to be absent from this body is to be present with my Lord!

 

If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord.
So then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Roman’s 14:8 AMP

 

I am safe forever in the loving arms of my Lord Jesus Christ, and so are you! We can enjoy living free from fear, judgment, and the fear of death. The Lord who lives within us is our sanctuary, refuge, and Safe Place as we turn inwardly to behold Him and trust Him.

 

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Enjoy Christ, Enjoy Life!