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| Monica Fountain Editor |
Free. It’s such a beautiful word. It is the opposite of bondage. Not under the control of someone or something. Liberty.
Wars are fought for freedom. There is a longing deep inside of us to be free.
God wants us to be free.
God wants us to be free in Him. Free from fear. Free from addictions. Free from the circumstances that keep us bound and not living up to our full potential and purpose. Free in our minds. Free in our bodies from disease and bad health. Free in our relationships. Free in our finances. But most important free from sin.
For years, I’ve been a prisoner of fear. I have been a prisoner of the fear of failure, others expectations, opinions and approval.
I believe fear is one of our greatest enemies and greatest obstacles. As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously said when the nation prepared to face its enemies in World War II, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
God knows our frame. He knows our propensity to let fear incapacitate us. I think that is the reason in scripture that God and Jesus frequently told people, “Don’t be afraid.” In the Bible, God often reassured folks by telling them, “Don’t be afraid.” God told Joshua before the children of Israel entered the Promised Land to fear not. Jesus often told his disciples, “Don’t be afraid.”
Fear grips and paralyzes us. Fear keeps us from doing what God has called us to do and being who God called us to be.
I have found fear to be the thing that has kept me in bondage. And I believe that fear is at the root of many of our captivities. We become comfortable in our captivity. Although it may be uncomfortable and at times painful, it is what we know. We become afraid to go beyond the cells we have created by our fear. We start cohabitating with our captor, getting along to survive rather than take the risk of escape and reap the rewards of freedom.
But God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:17 New Living Translation).
Trauma, drama, trials, tribulation, abuse, disease, divorce and the other circumstances of life can plant the seed of fear. But I encourage you to walk in the freedom that God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
That is why the theme of this inaugural issue of The Well magazine is FREE. I pray that the information and articles in this volume will encourage, enlighten, edify and inspire you to be free in any area of your life where you have been in bondage or incapacitated.
What you hold in your hand or what you are reading on your screen is a labor of love and a dream fulfilled.
It is my declaration to fear, “Goodbye, Fear. We’ve been friends too long. I’m walking in the freedom God has given me.”
Welcome to The Well magazine.